Opinion: Two students weigh the positive and negative aspects of social media on Page 2
Feature: Cal Poly IT Consultant Velanche Stewart shares his experience in music on Page 3
In memory of board member Gil Chesterton By Rachel Carlson and Abbey Zhu
LISTEN UP – Every year California Scholastic Press Association Chairman Emeritus Larry Welborn brings students, counselors and instructors to tears during his “Why Journalism Matters” lecture, one of the workshop’s many traditions. Nikita Kheni/CSPA Reporter
Decades of CSPA traditions evolve, carry on
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tumbling out of bed and wiping the sleep from their eyes, journalism students woke up to the urgent yells of their counselors at 6 a.m. on Friday, July 14. News had just broken. “I was kind of sleepwalking but sleep running down to the crime scene,” student Tori Fong said. “The counselors were like ‘Go go go go, you have 10 minutes.’” In the common room of Tenaya Hall at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, a body lay face down by a knife. Students gathered around the whiteboard across the room in anticipation as counselors reminded them that “news never sleeps.” Minutes later, after students scribbled furiously to write a story, the counselors laughed as the victim got up, and told the students to go back to bed. “The counselors said ‘Haha, go back to sleep,’ and I was like ‘Oh my god, kill me now,’” student Abbey Zhu said. “I couldn’t
go back to sleep.” The prank carried on a threeyear tradition at the 66th annual CSPA High School Journalism Workshop. “It’s fun to see all the students sprint out of bed,” counselor and 2015 alumnus Kellen Browning said. CSPA traditions like this create a shared experience among students, counselors and instructors.
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We come back year after year. Some change, some stay but they’re a part of life we can rely on.
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By Sophie Haber and Alex Wong
- Jessica Davis Smelser
Each of the 24 students at the 13-day workshop wrote over 30 assignments from July 9 to 21, in order to graduate with a diploma. While holding onto its original mission to produce journalists, the camp has adapted to modern day journalism since its founding in 1950 as an all-boys sports journalism workshop.
This year’s workshop marks a shift in some traditions, including the awards given at the graduation ceremony on the final day of the program. Due to the program’s gender gap, with 20 girls and four boys this year, the CSPA Board of Directors voted unanimously to combine the Ralph and Millie Alexander Awards, which formerly were awarded to one boy and one girl for journalistic achievement and character. Counselor Karan Nevatia, who received the Ralph Alexander award in 2016 as a student, proposed the change after noticing that boys had a higher chance of winning the award. “It was unnecessary to separate the award,” Nevatia said. “It was just a relic of the past.” The board also created an award this year to recognize a student who contributes the most to the CSPA Reporter, which students create throughout the workshop, to honor former instructor Gil Chesterton, who died in May. Besides changes in awards, dormitories moved from Lassen to Tenaya Hall this year. The new
dorms have air-conditioning, and Tenaya Hall houses the discussion room students had to travel to in past years. Still, Lassen Hall evokes nostalgic memories for alumni. “Lassen is home,” Browning said. “It’s weird to be moving somewhere else, even though it’s nicer.” The board has its own traditions, like eating at Upper Crust Trattoria for a board meeting one week into the workshop every year. CSPA Director, Treasurer and former instructor Stan Kelton, who died in 2015, used to convene each meeting on campus by shouting “Hear ye, hear ye,” which CSPA President and instructor Todd Harmonson continues each year. Time-honored CSPA traditions like these keep alumni returning to teach or visit. “For me, they’re my favorite part of the workshop,” newspaper production instructor and board member Jessica Davis Smelser said. “We come back year after year. Some change, some stay but they’re a part of life we can rely on.”
Student Voices: Workshoppers recall amusing moments By Valentina Martinez and Micahrae Osteria
CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
“I watched [a counselor’s] snapchat story five minutes after lights out, and then 20 seconds later Kellen and Karan jumped into our room and made loud noises.”
“The funniest moment at camp this week was inevitably the time when all the counselors woke us up at 6 a.m. in order to study a breaking news case that turned out to be a prank.”
-Jonathan Lee Valentina Martinez/CSPA Reporter
“I think it’s really how I spent the camp laughing but think of anything right now.”
Valentina Martinez/CSPA Reporter
funny whole I can’t funny
“So we were at dinner on one of the first few nights here, and a bunch of kids were trying to figure out how to say banana in Spanish and Micah, she doesn’t take spanish, but she said that it was ‘la bañana,’ and it was very funny.”
-Meseret Carver
Illustration by Tristan Schnetzler
-Tristan Schnetzler
Valentina Martinez/CSPA Reporter
-Abbey Zhu
Valentina Martinez/CSPA Reporter
Gil Chesterton, who died on May 18, taught at CSPA for over 50 years and founded The CSPA Reporter in 1985 because of his commitment to high school journalism. Chesterton also taught journalism at Beverly Hills High School and helped build their award-winning school newspaper. Ralph Alexander, the founder of the California Scholastic Press Association Workshop, was on his deathbed in 1981, when he called eight of his most trusted colleagues, including Chesterton, to his bedside. Chesterton was a graduate of the workshop in the 1950s and a journalism instructor at the workshop. “He asked us to carry on the workshop, to carry on the program. And so we agreed to and kept it going since then,” Chesterton said in a podcast recorded by Kellen Browning, a CSPA graduate in 2015. He retired in 2014 due to health problems but continued to serve on the board of directors. During the CSPA Workshop, Chesterton taught writing classes, until he created the CSPA Reporter. He then taught the journalism critiques and newspaper production classes. Chesterton asked students to send him copies of their school publications before arriving at the workshop and would spend June and July critiquing each and every one, CSPA Vice President Rich Hammond said. Despite founding the program “Newspaper by the Bay” at Stanford (now called Newsroom by the Bay), Chesterton’s dedication to CSPA never wavered. Larry Welborn, another CSPA graduate and CSPA Chairman Emeritus, said Chesterton chose to volunteer his time at CSPA despite being payed for the Stanford program. Gwendolyn Wu, a 2013 CSPA alumna, remembers her first impression of Chesterton. Wu was used to laying out newspapers on a Mac, but Chestron insisted on laying out the paper by hand. “He was talking about hung columns and picas and... about how he used to lay out a paper with cutouts and stuff like that,” Wu said. In memory of Chesterton and his impact on the program, an award will be presented in his name to honor the person who makes the greatest contribution to the student newspaper, the CSPA Reporter. “He was a giant in our organization and we felt that he was somebody who deserves to be permanently recognized on an annual basis,” Hammond said. Chesterton stood out as an instructor because of his confidence in the skills of young journalists. “Of all the instructors who ran my workshop, he knew more about high school journalists than anybody,” Welborn said. Chesterton was more than just a good teacher, though. “He was somebody who could relate to you as an advisor, who could give you some good guidance,” CSPA President Todd Harmonson said. Harmonson also saw Chesterton as somebody who was “willing to sit there and talk with you about what you were doing.” Chesterton’s dry humor, sharp wit and banter with students made him a beloved instructor at CSPA. Hammond said he always looked forward to seeing Gil for the first time at Santa Rosa Park each year. “He would be there by the picnic table, and we would talk about college football,” Hammond said. “It wasn’t quite the same this year.”
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CSPA Reporter 2017
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CSPA students capture Cal Poly life
Alexandra Jaeger/CSPA Reporter
Hala Ozgur/CSPA Reporter
Meseret Carver/CSPA Reporter
Laci Begaye/CSPA Reporter Top left: PLAYTIME—Andrew, 3, plays with water at the Orfalea Family and Associated Students, Inc. Children’s Center on the campus of Cal Poly on Tuesday, July 11. Top right: REBUILDING CAL POLY—Construction at Cal Poly interrupts traffic throughout campus on Tuesday, July 11. Bottom right: CARING FOR PLANTS—Dee Rowlee, 64, sprays plants with pesticides at the Cal Poly Greenhouse on Tuesday, July 11. Bottom left: ABBEY ROAD—Jenna Sadhu, 17 (left), Hala Ozgur, 16 (center), and Nancy Yu, 18 (right) cross a road at Cal Poly on Tuesday, July 11.
Is social media a force for good? Harmful to youth
By Emily Ashby Parents put themselves aside for their children.They teach them and help them grow. To put it simply, parents love their kids. Yet there is a great obstacle among the youth of the world. Two small words with a hefty weight: social media. Reliance built on technology negatively affects a crucial time for toddlers’ development. Social media allows one to post, messages, search items and more. This can be a problem. Through
A medium for change
swooped in to catch the students. Their school handled the students’ disciplinary punishments. The problem is that not all students are caught in the act.This continues every single day and it’s not stopping. Studying habits, homework and interest in class are all out of the picture. The usage of social media can also be truly dangerous. Most outlets record a user’s location 24/7. On June 21, Snapchat, a popular social media outlet,
By Jenna Sadhu Decades ago, social media didn’t even exist. Today, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter and other social platforms are dominating the lives of many people – especially young adults. Some accuse social media of being the cause of the “dumbing down” of the population, while others counter that one can never have too much information. I argue that social media shed light on overlooked topics and allow us to stay informed 24/7, but can cause some users to be detached from the real world. Social media has changed global networking by allowing users from around the world to communicate with each other quickly and reliably. These services have the capacity to become an instrument of profound change. Without these tools, many large-scale social movements would be hindered or made impossible. Social media platforms can shed light on serious issues. For instance, two years ago, the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
“Youths in school use the Internet for the wrong reasons... Study habits, homework and interest in class are all out the window.” social media, class assignments are manipulated and shared, social standards of how to act are created, and one’s awareness of the world around them is shattered. Due to the internet, the world is in the palm of our hands. Anyone can access anything as they please. As fun and beneficial as it seems, youths in school use this advantage for the wrong reasons. Classwork and homework, both used to emphasize what is taught in school, are completely disregarded. Students find answers to tests and assignments, which are sent and posted for other students to see. They are not actually learning. An article written by Liz Bowie in the Baltimore Sun called “Students cheated by posting test questions on social media,” detailed the accessibility of students in cheating when two local 10th grade students posted questions from their test on Twitter. A testing company
created a feature in which users can share their current location with the world. If one has it turned on, it can be accessible to the public. Places like one’s workplace, school or home can be seen by everyone. Most other social media outlets have this feature as well. Teenagers are actively participating in this terrifying act, which takes away every sense of safety. It’s completely foolish. Here’s my message to parents who love their kids: Please, keep tight tabs on your children’s cell phone usage. Track their location yourself, so you can ensure their safety. Create your own social media and follow them. Check their grades, and offer to help them with school. The last thing the youth of this world needs is to use the openness of social media to snatch their knowledge and potential to truly learn away from them. If effective actions and supervision are taken, the flaws of social media can begin to diminish, with the help of good parenting.
Thanks to social media, the ALS Association drastically surpassed its donation goal. Twitter allows users to stay informed all day, everyday. The 140-character count allows for quick updates on local and global news events. Facebook Live, a feature that allows for users to live-stream events, proves to be a useful tool for major news publications to provide its audience with firsthand accounts of recent events. The easy access to endless knowledge counters the argument that social media is leading to a “dumbing down” of the population. Of course, there will always be users that give social media a bad reputation. Social media has sparked an increase in colloquial terms such as “omg,” “lol” and “idk.” Concern grows as these terms enter the conversations of teenagers. Children as young as 6-yearsold acquire Snapchat and Instagram accounts, which dominate the minds of young adults. Constant “Snapchatting” and “‘gramming” cause users to be detached from the world.
“Social media has made it possible for even the faintest of voices to become a great rallying cry heard across the globe.”
Nikita Kheni/CSPA Reporter
Association (ALS) started the “ALS ice bucket challenge” in which participants poured buckets of ice water over themselves in recognition of ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The challenge went viral and raised $115 million for the ALS Association to be used in search of a cure for the disease, the New York Time said.
Social media has made it possible for even the faintest of voices to become a great rallying cry heard across the globe. Users can stay ultimately informed, debunking the allegation that it is leading to the “dumbing down” of the population. Though they can cause the detachment of users from the real world, they are tools of infinite versatility.
CSPA Reporter 2017
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In the name of journalism: Meghan Bobrowsky Velanche Stewart: and Kellen Browning, a talented dynamic duo modern-day Beethoven
By Nancy Yu
workshop and became the It was the eagerness to find the multimedia editor-in -chief by her truth and the spirit to tell the senior year. It was a combination of CSPA untold that joined the paths of two young aspiring journalists and and writing for a local newspaper brought them into a cafe in Davis, that allowed her to advance in California. On a hot summer day her journalistic career. “This is in 2016, eighteen-year-old Kellen something I can do for a living,” Browning approached Meghan Bobrowsky realized. Pursuing his childhood Bobrowsky, a track and field teammate, asking if she would passion for writing, Browning be willing to collaborate on an began his journalism career in investigative story about teacher middle school, when he founded salaries in their school district. a newspaper club with seven Bobrowsky responded to the others. Together, they published request with enthusiasm and thus his very first newspaper after began their complex investigation months of work. As he started high school, into the unequal payment of teachers in Davis, compared to Browning took a more serious approach to the teachers’ journalism salaries in the and made surrounding We both are trying the subject a districts. to find the truth and priority. In his Browning make the world a sophomore recognized better place. year, Browning that it was a wrote an challenging article about story to write, -Meghan Bobrowsky his school’s but he is lack of a multigrateful that purpose room Bobrowsky took the initiative to push the and the negative effect that it had on students with disability. investigation forward. To his surprise, the story caught “We both are trying to find the truth and make the world a better school board members’ attention and served as a catalyst for the place,” she said. The two writers formed a bond completion of a new multifunction The incident made after coming back from the same room. journalism camp (CSPA) in San Browning realize the significance Luis Obispo that year, which was of journalism. Now a rising sophomore in strengthened by their shared College, Browning passion for uncovering the truth Pomona and making a lasting difference in intends to major in economics, politics and philosophy but he the world. Bobrowsky, now an incoming continues to pursue journalism freshman at Scripps College, outside of his class work. In college, Browning fills his time started pursuing journalism in her sophomore year of high school. with academic work, reporting At first it was only a class, but for the college newspaper and as she gradually discovered her competing for his school track passion, Bobrowsky joined her team. As an experienced runner, school’s newspaper, contributed Browning finds parallels between to its radio production, attended sports and journalism. “You have the CSPA high school journalism to sacrifice everything for the
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By Nikita Kheni and Tori Fong
ANNIVERSARY ADVENTURES–Kellen Browning (left) and Meghan Bobrowsky (right) at a convention in Los Angeles on March 31, 2017. Courtesy of Kellen Browning team,” he said. When it comes down to journalism, “you do whatever it takes” to complete the story that you want. He recognizes that encountering challenges in life is inevitable but also expressed that overcoming them is incredibly “gratifying.” Similarly, Bobrowsky learned to balance her time in her packed schedule. Since high school, she has participated in internships from her local newspaper and produced online publications for various institutions. Since a journalism major is not available at Scripps, Bobrowsky intends to study English literature and receive professional journalistic training from extracurricular activities and internships. Despite their shared interest in journalism, Bobrowsky and Browning have different visions for their future. “The goal is to be
Laura Nelson,” Browning said, referring to a reporter and mentor for Bobrowsky who has worked for notable publications like the Boston Globe and Los Angeles Times. Bobrowsky, on the other hand, looks beyond the limitations of a geographical border. “I want to work for a newspaper abroad,” she said. As an adventure seeker, she’s even considering becoming a war correspondent. To go overseas and report on events that do not get much attention at home is “an honorable thing to do,” she says. Bobrowsky’s international aspirations, however, do not sound as appealing to Browning. “What if you get beheaded by ISIS?” he jokingly said. “I will be emotionally broken.”
As a kid, Velanche Stewart would sneak down to his living room while others were asleep and listen to music for hours in front of his family’s Space Age stereo. Years later, Stewart maintains his love for music as a DJ, music producer and tastemaker. He founded Club 91, a radio show, for KCPR, Cal Poly’s college radio station, and also participates in Urban Landscapes, a radio show that features a blend of different music from around the world. Stewart has congenital hearing loss, which impairs his ability to perceive song lyrics. Thus, he pays more attention to the sound of songs rather than the words they convey to avoid the trouble of looking up lines to decipher their meaning. “I love music because it gives me a feeling. I don’t have to analyze it. I don’t have to go probing in and figure out what you’re saying, unless I really want to,” said Stewart. Stewart imbues his performance as a DJ with this “feeling” of music. He has to read people’s body language when he DJs for others. Whether it’s head nodding or moving on the dance floor, such cues are necessary for him to play music that resonates with the mood. Despite his hearing loss, he DJs at about 3 to 4 gigs a month. As a tastemaker, Stewart is able to gain access to music upfront from music labels before it is released publicly. He also wrote music reviews for an online music magazine called XLR8R for four years and interviewed artists for freelance writing. His passion for all things music is evident through his work ethic.
The perilous plight of Printer P2015 By Aurelia Yang
In these final two minutes, minutes that should be spent celebrating with elated shouts of victory, 25 audacious soldiers situate themselves in the midst of a battle field, vying for the attention of one powerful lifeline, a savior capable of either confirming or shattering their hours of agonizing mental stress and intense physical workout—Printer P2015. There used to be a Printer 4050TN. She coexisted with P2015 in harmony, working together collaboratively in Room 304 of the Graphic Arts Building
to help these 25 soldiers in their stressful endeavors to finish articles on strict time deadlines. They were partners in crime, a team strategically designed to help people’s work come to fruition, loaded with countless variations of black ink and delicately crafted, 8.5 x11 white paper. Four days into the California Scholastic Press Association workshop, 4050TN, weakened by the hundreds of assignments that had been forced upon her, passed away from overwork and exhaustion, leaving P2015 all alone to face the thousands of papers yet to come.
Although distraught over the death of her friend, P2015 knew that she had to carry on the printer legacy that had been passed on by generations of printers before her. She vowed to work twice as hard every day to help these young journalists reach their goals, pushing herself to the limits at the end of every class when all 25 soldiers once again entered the dangerous battlefield to fight for her attention. Of course, several problems immediately surfaced. P2015 experienced many resource shortages and paper jams, often struggling to print out papers
fast enough for the students to meet their deadlines. She became overwhelmed with guilt, watching as students underwent mental anguish and experienced mini heart attacks after each assignment, staring hopefully at her with wide eyes, praying that their assignment would surface in her arms on time. It was almost too much for her. At times, she thought about giving up. Yet, she carried on, fighting the same arduous battle several times each day, working hard to carry on the printer legacy.
MAN OF MUSIC—Velanche Stewart poses at his desk on July 12, 2017. Tori Fong/CSPA Reporter
Wilkes-Barre wonder: Mary Glick, pioneer of Mustang Media By Rachel Carlson
CSPA Voices—Continued from Page 1 “The cafeteria brownies smell like fish. That’s it.” -Crystal Ki Valentina Martinez/ CSPA Reporter “We were swimming in the ocean and a sea lion popped out about eight feet from us and Tristan screamed like a little girl.” -Nathaniel Eichert
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MEDIA MASTER–Mary Glick answers questions in her office at Cal Poly University on July 12, 2017. Nathaniel Eichert/CSPA Reporter
As a journalist, Glick said she was interested in “the kinds of A small community can make a stories that helped people live big difference in a person’s life. their lives,” and enjoyed covering Mary Glick grew up in Wilkes- varying topics that helped Barre, Pennsylvania in the 1950s. others manage their “day-toWilkes-Barre was a small town day existence,” including health, where Glick’s grandfathers worked fitness, food and fashion. as coal-miners. Her childhood in Later in her career, Glick Wilkes-Barre continued to play worked with the American Press a vital role in Institute, an her life as a organization journalist. that works I’ve looked “I’ve looked to help for a kind of for a kind of a journalists neighborhood sense neighborhood t h r o u g h sense wherever research and wherever I’ve lived. I’ve lived,” said workshops. Professor Glick. Here, she In the first part developed -Mary Glick of Glick’s career, an interest she worked in creating in public relations and taught more innovative, accepting English and journalism. While and creative newsrooms. She teaching part-time in California, dedicated a lot of time toward she was asked to fill a position conducting trainings that focused as a features editor for The Daily on changing the “defensive” Star Progress in La Habra, Calif. culture of newsrooms with Human Glick said she loved the job and Synergistics International. began to work as a reporter for She was hired as the Journalism the paper. Chair at California Polytechnic
State University, San Luis Obispo in 2012. In this leadership position, Glick mentors students in her classes who she believes can flourish under her guidance. She invites these students to talk with her when they need help and reaches out to them with internships and job opportunities. Because of this, students become more confident of their abilities as multifaceted journalists. In order to grow the Journalism Department’s sense of community as a whole, Glick has integrated all of the student publications on Cal Poly’s campus, creating the Mustang Media Group. “There’s a sense that the department has come together,” Glick said. Throughout her career, Glick has emphasized the idea of building strong communities. She only lived in the small town of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania for the first five years of her life, but the strong sense of community she felt there forged her path as both an influential journalist and as a determined teacher.
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7.1 Tremor shakes central California By Victoria Fong
A 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit central California on Wednesday afternoon at 1:06 p.m. So far, there have been 79 confirmed dead, approximately 4,000 hospitalized and $5 billion in damages. The earthquake’s center was about eight miles southwest of downtown San Luis Obispo. It is predicted that 10,000 will be without homes this week, said governor James McGill. An apartment building collapsed and the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant was
evacuated, said San Luis Obispo Police Chief Robby Smyth. There are also concerns of prisoners escaping the California Men’s Colony because of building damage. The 26 teenagers previously reported as stranded at Avila Beach have been “secured,” said Governor McGill. San Luis Obispo resident Meeghan Dobrowski is a quake victim. Her house was destroyed and her current concern is where she is going to stay for the night. “I was in my house with my baby Gloria and we were just playing. I felt this violent shaking for 15
seconds, and then I tried to grab my baby, but then my wall collapsed. My neighbors pulled me out, but they didn’t get my baby,” she said. Camps for displaced residents will be set up at Cuesta College and San Luis Obispo High School, said Governor McGill.
The shelters should be ready by tonight, said San Luis Obispo Mayor Markus Roddeyn. The biggest concern tonight is safety. Geologist Ariel Wodarcyk of the SLO Geology Organization warned that there will be aftershocks in the next few weeks. However, they should be less than 6.0 in magnitude. Due to poor construction, many buildings collapsed. Wodarcyk said, “It
seems as though a lot of buildings were not up to code.” The owner of the collapsed apartment building was Jefff Roddeyn, Mayor Roddeyn’s brother, said Smyth. There are concerns that some turned a blind eye towards ensuring all buildings were up to code. Governor McGill assures that there will be investigations on buildings meeting codes and reminds all to stay calm. “We are here to help you. We will survive this. We want to urge everybody to stay safe,” said Governor McGill.
California Scholastic Press Association 2017
WORKSHOP TRADITION–CSPA reporters and staff pose for an annual group photo at the steps of the Universiy Union at California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo on Tuesday July 11. From left to right, top row: Ariel Wodarcyk, Meghan Bobrowsky, Rich Hammond, Steve Harvey, Larry Welborn, Kellen Browning, Karan Nevatia. Second row: Connor Van Ligten, Micahrae Osteria, Crystal Ki, Bettina Huang, Beatrice Wright, Alexandra Jaeger, Valentina Martinez, Nathaniel Eichert. Third Row: Anna Krause, Laci “Greg” Begaye, Nancy Yu, Jenna Sadhu, Hala Ozgur, Meseret Carver, Emily Ashby, Alex Wong, Jonathan Lee. Bottom Row: Nikita Kheni, Victoria Fong, Sophie Haber, Rachel Carlson, Meghan Nguyen, Aurelia Yang, Abbey Zhu, Tristan Schnetzler. (Chris Carlson/CSPA Reporter)
Experienced CSPA staff sparks passion in young journalists By Nancy Yu and Crystal Ki Steve Harvey (1962) – Former columnist for the L.A. Times and sportswriter for the L.A. HeraldExaminer. Todd Harmonson (1985) – Senior editor of the Orange County Register, and former columnist at the Daily Breeze. President/Chairman of the California Scholastic Press Association (CSPA). Larry Welborn (1965) – Former legal affairs reporter for the Orange County Register. Chairman Emeritus of the CSPA Board. Rich Hammond (1994) – Vice President of the CSPA Board. Former deputy sports editor of the Los Angeles Daily News and beat writer for LA Kings. Sportswriter of the Orange County Register. Chris Carlson – Staff photographer for the Associated Press. Dean of the photo curriculum at CSPA. Fred Schoemehl – Editor of The Tombstone Epitaph. Former editor of Costa Mesa Daily Pilot. Laura Nelson (2007) – Pulitzer-winning transportation reporter for the Los Angeles Times.
Jay Berman – Former college journalism professor. Freelance writer, reporter, editor. Saba Hamedy (2008) – Breaking news reporter for CNN Politics. Former entertainment writer at L.A. Times. Evann Gastaldo Lutz (1998) – Managing editor for Newser.com. Michael Daugherty (1969) – Broadcast and journalism teacher at Desert Sands Unified School District and English teacher at La Quinta High School. Former maritime reporter for the San Pedro News-Pilot and managing director of MCL Uganda Limited. Jessica Davis Smelser (2003) – Digital director for the USA Today Network in Tennessee. Former video director for the Los Angeles News Group, news director of Video News West and former writer and editor for Patch. com. Scott Harris (1973) – Staff writer and columnist at San Jose Mercury News. Former senior writer at The Industry Standard and staff writer for the L.A. Times. Michelle Madigan (1996) – Producer at Dateline NBC, NBC News. Matt Hanlon (2008) – Cinematographer at Threaded Films. Former sports reporter
Orange County Register and communication assistant American Junior Golf Association. Nicole Fisher (2009) – Assistant editor at Sterling Publishing. Former editorial assistant of Time Inc. Books, editorial fellow at Oxmoor House, columnist of The Daily Orange and executive digital editor of Jerk Magazine. Joe Wirt – Director of affiliate relations as CNPA Services Inc. Former copy editor and page designer for the Sacramento Bee, copy editor and page designer for the Bakersfield Californian and copy editor for the Daily Review. Cam Inman (1988) – Media and communications specialist for Bay Area News Group. Former analyst for CBS. Nicole Vargas (1995) – Internship coordinator and lecturer at San Diego State University Journalism and Media Studies. Former digital and social media consultant at Multimedia Momma, and multimedia producer at The San Diego Union-Tribune. Keith Sharon – Reporter for Orange County Register. Former reporter at The Jersey Journal. Josh Kaplan – Senior executive producer for Fox television in Los Angeles.
Staff Box Editors: Page 1: Rachel Carlson, Sophie Haber Page 2: Alex Wong, Victoria Fong Page 3: Aurelia Yang, Meghan Nguyen Page 4: Jenna Sadhu, Hala Ozgur Advisers: Michael Daugherty, Jessica Davis Smelser, Karan Nevatia A special thanks to general manager Paul Bittick and the Mustang News staff for helping to produce this newspaper, to Cal Poly Journalism Department Chair Mary Glick and to tax attorney Neil Malley for their continued support of CSPA.