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Record number of students apply to Cal Poly
55,043 students were 15,455 offered admission students applied for admission
Average statistics of the 1,283 freshmen enrolled under early decision: GPA 4.00
Sky Zimmerman @skycelestee
Cal Poly has received its largest amount of applicants in university history for the 2015-2016 school year. A total of 55,043 students applied, including 46,796 incoming freshmen and 8,247 transfer applicants. In comparison to last year’s applicants, the number of applicants has increased from 51,696 undergraduates, of which 43,812 were freshmen and 7,884 were transfers.
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According to data provided by Associate Vice Provost Jim Maraviglia, freshmen applicants have more than doubled since 2000, when 16,729 applied and quadrupled since 1993, when 13,478 applied. Transfer applicants have increased from 4,047 in 2005, showing a 103.8 percent increase in this year’s applicant pool. Not only has the amount of applicants increased, but so have the applicants’ average GPA and test scores. The 1,283 enrolled freshmen averaged a 4.0 GPA — up from last year’s 3.88 mark and 3.61 in 2000. It’s important to note that the statistics
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from this year’s group of enrolled students only includes early-decision admits. The numbers will change as regular decision applicants enroll. SAT scores have increased from 1,165 in 2000 and 1,234 in 2014 to 1,333 for the 2015 freshmen enrolled. Cal Poly’s applicant pool has become more diverse as well. Latino freshmen applicants have increased from 3,957 in 2005 to 11,725 this year and now make up 25.1 percent of applicants, compared to 16.7 percent 10 years ago. AfricanAmerican applicants have increased from 560
1,333 in 2005 and 969 in 2014 to 989 in this year’s applicant pool. Of transfers, Latino applicants have increased from 600 in 2005 and 2,055 in 2014 to 2,220 in this year’s applicants, which represents a 270 percent increase over the past decade. AfricanAmerican applicants have come up from 78 in 2005 and 141 in 2014 to 144 this year. According to The Tribune, Cal Poly expects to bring in 5,450 new students in Fall 2015, both freshmen and transfers. Admitted students must confirm their acceptance by May 1.
E-cigarettes: What you may not know about Cal Poly’s smoking policy Brenna Swanston @brenna_swanston
Computer science junior Sam Ochoa has smoked electronic cigarettes on Cal Poly’s campus for most of his college career. For the past 10 months, Ochoa’s former habit has been against university policy, but he, like many electronic cigarette users, had no idea that was the case. “I was very unaware of that,” he said. “When I did smoke, I was probably one of the first people on campus to have an e-cig in the first place because they just
recently blew up. But when you walk around campus now, there are people smoking every couple yards on their e-cigs.” Electronic cigarettes, commonly known as e-cigarettes, are battery-operated inhalers that contain nicotine but no tobacco. When users draw on the device, its battery heats a liquid that turns into an inhalable vapor. For this reason, e-cigarette use is called “vaping.”
see E-CIG, pg 3.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JOSEPH PACK | MUSTANG NE WS PUT IT OUT
| San Luis Obispo recently extended its restrictions on cigarettes to include e-cigarettes.
Not all those who wander are mad Olivia Proffit @ojproffit
You may have seen a box truck around San Luis Obispo lately sporting the words “Wandering Madman” across its top. It cruises town through the week and parks downtown on Friday and Saturday nights. That’s when the action starts. Jeffery Michael, 32, opens the gates of his Wandering Madman truck to reveal a piano. He takes to it and begins playing and singing for the world to watch, hoping to touch the souls of all who listen. Michael said that while it wasn’t what he imagined himself doing his entire life, it’s where life took him — traveling around the country with the truck he lives in, playing music for free and surviving off generous audience donations. Mustang News sat down with Michael to find out more about what makes this “Madman” so mad. GEORGIE DE MATTOS | MUSTANG NE WS WANDERING MADMAN
| After cross-country travels, Jeffery Michael parks in downtown San Luis Obispo twice a week to perform all types of music out of his truck.
News... 1-3 | Arts... 4-5 | Opinion... 6 | Classifieds... 7 | Sports... 8
see MADMAN, pg 4.
Thursday, April 2, 2015
NEWS | 2
‘Small-town Texas girl’ Cynthia Vizcaino Villa named new vice president for administration and finance grown from where she started.” She served in a variety of roles during her time at UTEP. She began as an assistant director in the budget and The Cal Poly community will welcome panel office and ultimately moved her a new vice president for administra- way to vice president for business aftion and finance, Cynthia Vizcaino fairs for about 12 years. Villa from the University of Texas, El “During that time, I’ve handled a Paso (UTEP), on July 1. portfolio of departments that are Villa will be the top fiscal executive very similar to that of the senior vice at Cal Poly. president for administration and fiThe position entails administer- nance at Cal Poly. So I feel like my ing human resources, campus police, years in higher ed. have well-prepared budgets and capital project plan- me for taking on the role at Cal Poly,” ning, the Cal Poly Corporation, the Villa said. Performing Arts Center and mainteIn this position, Villa oversaw the nance throughout campus, Cal Poly business finance areas at UTEP. President Jeffrey Armstrong said. “(Villa) is very good,” Adauto said. Villa will be responsible for about 6 “She’s a hard worker, always has been. million square feet of space in over She’s very dedicated to what she does, 150 buildings. and I think she’s an excellent man“I feel like I’m high energy,” she said. ager of the financial area on “I’m task-driven, I have a lot of our campus.” enthusiasm and I love my Villa believes job. And so I think I’ll her experience bring that to the table will be helpand hopefully conful and has tribute in a really prepared I’m task-driven, I have a lot of her to positive way.” t a k e on Villa described enthusiasm and I love my job. herself as a “smallthe role at town Texas girl.” Cal Poly. She grew up in a “I felt that CYNTHIA VIZCAINO VILLA small ranching comthe leadVP Administration & Finance ership team munity in West Texas called Martha before that you have is moving to UTEP, where she dynamic and I felt a great energy on that attended college. campus. I feel that I can fit in with Armstrong said Villa will fit into Cal Poly due to her multifaceted that group and hit the ground runbackground and experience. Though ning,” she said. Villa did not apply for the position, According to Adauto, Villa worked she was selected by Cal Poly after 28 at a private sector firm when she years at UTEP. finished school. “I’ve known Ms. Villa, Cindy, now She has experience working with for the entire time I’ve been at UTEP, public-private partnerships and unwhich is 26 years,” UTEP Executive derstands the heavy emphasis that Vice President Richard Adauto said. both President Armstrong and the Cal “And she has always been in the fi- Poly system put on such partnerships, nancial area of the university. She has she said.
Lindsy Mobley @lindsy_mobley
“We were able to, on our campus a number of years ago, enter into a partnership with an outside developer to ground lease property (that the university owns on campus) to this developer, who in turn has built a Hilton Garden Inn at the UTEP campus that serves the university community. So the development operates and runs it, we are paid a ground rent, a lease payment every year for the use of the property,” Villa said. According to Villa, this provides the university a “win-win” because running a hotel is not the core business. It provides them a revenue stream and a “much-needed” venue for campus activities, meetings and housing for visiting guests. Due to Villa’s past experience in both the public and private sector, she will be able to manage private-public partnerships vital to future projects at Cal Poly, Armstrong said. “We all wish her the best,” Adauto said. “And I’m sure she will continue doing good things for Cal Poly, and we’re surely going to miss her.” Villa will be taking the place of Interim Vice President Karen Webb. Armstrong emphasized that Webb went “above and beyond” what was expected of her in this role. She will be helping Villa with the transition into the position, he said. “I think the most important thing for me to do when I get there is to really observe, learn and listen and try to understand the needs that are articulated by the campus community,” Villa said.
CINDY PILG | COURTESY PHOTO NEW TO CALIFORNIA | Cynthia Vizcaino Villa has worked at the University of Texas, El Paso for the last 28 years, including the last 12 years as vice presdent for business affairs.
Thursday, April 2, 2015 E-CIG continued from pg 1. The devices entered the marketplace in 2003, making their long-term effects unknown for the time being. However, they are often considered a healthier alternative to traditional cigarettes because they provide a nicotine fix without producing secondhand smoke or containing carcinogens. Despite this, the San Luis Obispo City Council decided to extend the city’s smoking regulations to include e-cigarettes at a March 3 city council meeting. The decision raised questions among Cal Poly students about how and whether the new rules might affect campus policy, but they turned out not to — the university had already refined its smoking policy to include vaping. According to Beth Gallagher, Cal Poly’s associate vice president for human resources, the policy permits smoking only in designated areas in the campus core and residential communities. Outside these regions, smoking can take place 20 feet from any building, door, window or air intake. As of May 2014, Cal Poly defines “smoking” as “inhaling, exhaling, burning or carrying a lighted cigarette, cigar, pipe or any lighted or vaporizing smoking product or device,” Gallagher said. Cal Poly’s University Housing Community standards policy prohibits “smoking of any substance and or use of any smoking paraphernalia including, but not limited to, tobacco, cigars, electrical cigarettes, pipes (and) hookahs.”
Ochoa said such regulation is unnecessary because e-cigarettes don’t usually bother bystanders. “Cigarettes I can understand completely why they would have ordinances against smoking in public,” he said. “But in my time of smoking e-cigs, never once has a person complained to me that they didn’t like the smell or it was making them uncomfortable or they couldn’t breathe while they were around me.” Ochoa said people would even compliment the smell of the e-cigarette’s vapor, which can come in just about any flavor. “People look at me kind of weird sometimes, probably because they don’t understand the contraption in my hand,” he said. “But they don’t give me dirty looks or anything.” He knows many traditional cigarette users who switched to e-cigarettes because of their supposedly lower health risks. “I know many people who quit cigarettes and go to vaping,” Ochoa said. “And while maybe they’ll never stop vaping, because it’s kind of like a hobby, the fact that they quit smoking or hookah is very significant.” However, its exact significance is still unknown. An American Heart Association (AHA) policy statement on ecigarettes said their efficacy as an aid to quit traditional smoking is generally unsupported by scientific evidence because the few existing studies tend to contradict one another. Ochoa also acknowledged the lack of studies concerning e-cigarettes’ long-term effects. “While some people are very pro-vape, there are some
NEWS | 3 skeptics that argue the chemicals they used to make the juices in the vape have chemicals that are just as bad for you,” he said. Business administration graduate student Daniel Cerda is one such skeptic. Cerda said it’d be safer to treat e-cigarettes like traditional cigarettes until studies can prove their safety in the long run. “If it shows there is no significant amount of secondhand smoke, there wouldn’t need to be any regulation of it as long as it’s not harming others,” he said. “But until I see conclusive evidence about it, I think they should be regulated like cigarettes.” AHA also claimed the device’s variety of flavors could be intended for a child-aged audience, pointing to an increase in e-cigarette use among adolescent students nationwide. The statement said that due to nicotine’s addictive nature, some public health advocates see the devices “as a route to nicotine addiction and possibly as a potential gateway to tobacco use in youth or nonsmokers and to reinitiation of tobacco product use by former users.” Even Ochoa eventually felt the toll of nicotine addiction, leading him to quit e-cigarettes three months ago. “I quit because it became a little bit too much,” he said. “With e-cigarettes you definitely get more of a head buzz than with regular cigarettes because it delivers the nicotine in such an efficient way. But it got to the point where I was smoking it all day, every day, and I was tired all the time and it was time to quit.”
Thursday, April 2, 2015
ARTS | 4 MADMAN continued from pg 1. MN: Why did you choose this lifestyle? JM: Lots of different reasons, honestly. I’ve always wanted to be involved with music because it’s a great platform to reach people, help people and maybe spread little bits of wisdom that I don’t even know that I have yet. It’s a platform to help people on a massive scale ... There are some (celebrities) out there that really do care and really do help, but I wanted to show what would happen if we gave that same kind of attention to somebody who wasn’t so focused on themselves. GEORGIE DE MATTOS | MUSTANG NE WS ON THE MAP
| Michael has given free musical performances from his truck all over the country.
MN: What have you done in your musical career? JM: I worked behind the scenes as a roadie for 10 years, so I got to see all the craziness that goes on. I was in bands for a couple years and they all kind of fell apart. It’s really hard to keep five people together, especially when you’re not making money at it. So I figured the only way I could continue with a musical career was if it didn’t really depend on anybody else. At the end of the day, if I want to keep doing it, it’s as easy as saying “yes.” MN: Why didn’t your bands work out? JM: When you get four or five people together working on something, then it’s automatically going to be better and open-minded. But I kind of had to set that aside because I knew, logistically, there was no chance of survival as a band. I thought if I could focus on a solo musical career, then I might stand a chance to keep doing what I love. That’s where the box truck came in. It’s a nightmare trying to book with clubs and venues, so if I could take out the middle man, not only do I not have to pay all those people, but it’s a lot less headache.
MN: How many instruments do you play? JM: The instruments in my truck are more of an incentive to learn all of them. If you lock away instruments in cases, you’ll never pick them up. But if they are hanging on the wall, it’s so easy to pick up and play. But as for playing well, piano, harmonica, guitar, kalimba are probably my top four. Violin is a close fifth.
around us, so if we take that away, it’s really easy for your brain to turn against you and tell you bad things that aren’t even true. I get a lot of bad reactions in the truck, and when you’re giving away your heart and soul for free, it hurts when somebody tells you to leave. It’s a daily battle, but after three years you kind of get used to it. It shows you what you miss out in life and what all those little reactions can do for your heart and soul. It is a balance.
MN: Where are some of the places you’ve traveled to in the truck? JM: The first year was in the Midwest, so Missouri and Kansas. I went to Colorado; that’s one of my favorite places to go in the summertime, anyway. Since I live in the truck, I kind of have to travel with the weather. In the wintertime, I was going down to Florida to play for all the tours down there. But now that I’ve found California, it’s hard to leave. The weather is going to be great all around and I’m hoping to spend a couple of months in San Diego and then a couple months around the Central Coast and then a couple months in the Santa Cruz and San Francisco area. That’s where I’m headed next. I’m really excited to drive up the coast there. I hear it’s beautiful.
MN: Is there one thing you’ve learned about humanity from traveling? JM: Caring is contagious. When I’m set up in a new area, it’s really hard when people look and keep walking by, and then one person stops and just decides to spend two minutes with me. It’s amazing how quickly everyone else will stop because someone has put value in it and has taken a few seconds out of their day to care. It goes to show that the things you care about, the people around you will care about, too.
MN: Where do you plan on traveling in the future? JM: California is so laid-back and I’m hoping to call it home for the next couple of years. I’m hoping to get to Europe; that’s kind of one of the big goals is to have a second truck over in Europe and do the same thing over there. MN: Do you ever get lonely traveling on your own? JM: Yeah, very much every day. I’m not going to lie about that. You learn so much about yourself and human psychology in general. A lot of times, I think we build our psyche from the little bits we get
MN: What’s the hardest thing about this lifestyle? JM: Probably what we touched on before: the solitude and not having any direct support to remind you to not take anything personally, to keep a smile on your face, this and that. Doing it all by yourself and not really having a support team behind you is one of the most challenging things. And paying for gasoline. It’s a big chunk of change, but once you find a spot that is welcoming to you, you just hang out for a little while and keep on rockin’. MN: What keeps you going? JM: The people, without a doubt. It’s the most rewarding thing to see people just walking by and smile and stop dead in their tracks, not knowing what to think. I know I literally just
see MADMAN, pg 5.
Thursday, April 2, 2015
ARTS | 5
The Audio Files: SLO Brew may be closing, but the show’s not over Leona Rajaee & Alex Penman @kcpr913
Song Recommendation: “Community Service” by Ceremony This July, one of San Luis Obispo’s most prominent music venues, SLO Brewing Co., is set to close temporarily, as it moves to a new location. While this is seemingly good news, there’s a catch — its new location will not feature live music. We’ll surely miss SLO Brew’s live shows. The venue hosted some memorable live musicians and boasted a laid-back atmosphere that complemented San Luis Obispo’s downtown scene. So does the end of live music at SLO Brew mean the end of live music in San Luis Obispo? We say no. Without SLO Brew, a gap in the music scene will exist. But this gap creates a great and unique opportunity for a new venue to open up — one San Luis Obispo might have needed all along. In the meantime, we can use what we already have — and
MADMAN continued from pg 4. helped reprogram their brain, one way or another. They saw something they never expected. It’s always about the people.” MN: Do you have a favorite memory from your travels? JM: The first time I played here. I was singing “Wonderful Tonight” by Eric Clapton and this lady comes up to me with tears in her eyes and tells me it was
we’re not just talking about traditional venues. If we want San Luis Obispo’s music scene to continue thriving, we need to re-imagine what a show space can be. These days, people see their favorite musicians on rooftops, in doughnut shops and in the middle of a desert. Even in our little city, existing venues such as Lee Golde (a boutique art gallery) and Avila Beach Golf Resort (a beachside venue) are redefining what a music venue can be. In addition to these makeshift spaces, our music scene has the advantage of San Luis Obispo’s geographic location. Being sandwiched between the cultural hubs of Los Angeles and San Francisco serves us well when it comes to attracting talent. It’s almost become a rite of passage for touring artists traveling between the two cities to make a pit stop in San Luis Obispo. And even if that rite of passage faded, San Luis Obispo’s abundance of local music is doing pretty well these days.
We can tell because KCPR is regularly adding local bands to its rotation. From Hollow Sunshine to Pinnacle, we can be hopeful about the status of music coming out of the Central Coast. But none of this really matters unless we get organized. Just as San Luis Obispo’s need for a skate park was alleviated after years of hard work by the skate community, residents and city council, we need to work together for a new live music venue. With the growing popularity of music festivals, it’s obvious that live music is profitable. And beyond that, in order to really show that our city needs a new music venue, we need to support the shows that are already happening. If we want to continue to bring the high-caliber musicians that SLO Brew brought, we need to demonstrate that demand is high. By doing so, everyone from bookers and promoters to the city will get the picture that San Luis Obispo’s live music scene really is a win-win for everybody.
her husband and her’s song. He passed away six months ago, and she felt like he was right there with her and she thanked me. I’ll get someone like that every couple weeks or so. Anything I can do to help relive old memories is a blessing.
ing on cover music for about two years now, and I’ve got 430 songs that I’ve charted out, but people always request songs I don’t know so I always write them down and I try to learn them. When I’m not doing that, I’m working on my original music. Exercise and work, work, work.
MN: What do you do when you’re not playing? JM: Looking for places to play and driving around. I spend a lot of time learning new songs because people request. I’ve been work-
MN: How much longer can you see yourself doing this? JM: Honestly, I’m hoping until I am no longer alive. That’s kind of the message behind it. I want
DYL AN SUN | MUSTANG NE WS STILL JAMMIN’ | Even without SLO Brew, hope is not lost for San Luis Obispo’s local musical artists.
to keep doing this until I’m old and grey, and hopefully I’ll make millions and millions of dollars by then. But I want to show that I gave it all away and kept living in the truck because I’m happy just playing music for people. That’s all I need. It’s scary as hell thinking of a day when I could not sing or could not play piano. MN: Why do you call yourself the “Wandering Madman?” JM: I just kind of felt crazy and absurd in my own right. When I
explained to my friends and my family what I was trying to do, it definitely helped reiterate that feeling because they didn’t really understand for the most part. My mom did, she’s always been very supportive, but I was leaving a pretty lucrative career. I ended up getting picked up by Elton John and Leon Russell. Leaving that seems absurd to most people, but to wait any longer seemed absurd to me because I don’t know how much longer I’ve got.
MN: Do you have any advice for aspiring musicians? JM: What I like to tell bands is enjoy the time you spend together because that’s as good as it gets. Everybody always strives for when they make it or when they make it big, but they forget that the best times they’re going to have is in that basement working together, smiling, laughing and dreaming of the stars. A lot of times, you don’t reach those stars. But it doesn’t matter. It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.
Thursday, April 2, 2015
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America’s national parks: Purveyors of the American spirit Garret Ahern @CPMustangNews
Garret Ahern is a biology junior and Mustang News liberal columnist. These views do not necessarily reflect the opinion or editorial coverage of Mustang News. The beginning It began with an idea, a thought worthy of belief — first moored to our land by Thomas Jefferson, in a document that would later cast a nation from the grip of an oppressive monarchy — that all human beings, regardless of original circumstance, are equally entitled to a free and self-determined life. Throughout the decades following the conception of said values, the proprietors of the nation they had grown to symbolize found their country’s land to be the source of their significance; time had proven that the belief of individual life, liberty and freedom was forged in the American landscape. In response by means of the democratic process deemed sacred within its borders, the United States established a system of national parks. Whether it was to preserve them as holy sanctuaries or develop them as resources to civilization, the national parks became proving grounds for American values and ideals. Some see the parks as iconic landscapes, vacation destinations and even wild hideaways, while others see them as nothing more than wasted land. But among these varied perspectives on the parks and their value stands a perspective unifying all Americans: the belief that national parks represent safeguards of American freedom, character and democracy. Since their inception, these places have grown to exemplify the American spirit and embody the very same ideals set forth by Thomas Jefferson almost 240 years ago. It was not until the year 1873, as Americans looked back on the continent they had been so readily subduing, that the United States Congress set aside a tract of land near the headwaters of the Yellowstone River, a parcel that would later become America’s — and the world’s — first national park. As time passed, the idea of national parks grew, and by the turn of the 20th century, Congress had established a total of five national parks. Soon, the national parks gained prominence in American life and began to symbolize what many believed to be a fleeting American landscape: the pristine, undeveloped nation that had emboldened its people to be greater and to live purposefully. In fact, some believe the national parks were established for the very purpose of preserving such an American identity. The significance In his review of America’s national parks, Derek Gregory shares that “The first U.S. national parks were proposed as a way to protect the sublime and monumental landscapes of the American West, and as a reaction to the threat of the closing ‘frontier’ and the pioneering spirit as a formative element
in the American character.” As explicit as Gregory’s statement is, it is surprising to think the parks existed for quite some time before Americans began to resurrect the original view held for these places, as protectors of an otherwise lost chapter in the American narrative. Such purpose is accomplished through the timeless scenes the parks protect. In other words, one cannot gaze at the magnificence of Old Faithful or be stunned by the enormity of the giant sequoias without realizing that in those very moments, one is experiencing the same wonderment as those first Americans who saw those wonders. Despite the awesomeness of such places, some believe they deserve no greater protection than the abundant estuaries Manhattan was built upon or the teeming river basin now covered by the city of Los Angeles. It stands as a testament to the American character and the democracy of a mighty Union that the majesty of places perceived sacred by some can be translated into the action of preservation by many. Whether it be the advocacy expressed by George Dorr for the creation of Acadia National Park in Maine or the tireless devotion of William Steel to the establishment of Crater Lake National Park in Oregon, each of our national parks represents a place once hallowed by one or more individuals, people willing to turn their life into a crusade to protect these places for the enjoyment of all Americans. The battles waged by these individuals illustrate the colossal forces they faced, the forces of special interest groups hoping to exploit these landscapes for their own exclusive benefit. Around the same time that areas like Crater Lake and Acadia were being fought for, the founder of what is now the National Forest Service, Gifford Pinchot, expressed the uncertainty of conservation’s future. In his book “The Fight for Conservation,” Pinchot writes, “The American people have evidently made up their minds that our natural resources must be conserved. That is good, but it settles only half the question. For whose benefit shall they be conserved — for the benefit of many, or the use and profit of the few?” It is the tension between private and public interests that Pinchot effectively depicts through his juxtaposition of the benefit of the many and the profit of the few. Once severed, this tension gave rise to the sentiment that our national parks represent the communal bounties of American democracy — places set aside for all Americans, irrespective of their class, race or social status. If you visit Europe or Asia, South America or Africa, it is likely that you will visit castles, palaces, pyramids and temples created for the benefit and enjoyment of a few, often at the expense of a great many. But if you visit the U.S., chances are you and many others will flock to unimaginable valleys, spectacular geysers and immeasurable canyons, the possessions
The conscience of a progressive of all Americans — the national parks. The national parks impart distinction to American treasures not only for those who visit them as guests, but also for those who call America their home. Preservation In his article on the enjoyment found within national parks, Ken Rogers explains, “National parks exist for good reason. They provide the means for all Americans, no matter the income level, to know the natural world.” It is sometimes said, often by cliche, that knowledge is power. If this is true, power is not distributed equally among Americans. However, if viewing the American spirit or the American character through the lens of their national parks, one undoubtedly finds equal opportunity and the equal distribution of power within its borders. As Rogers demonstrates the ability of the parks in providing all Americans with knowledge of the natural world, he ties the parks directly into the fabric of the American spirit by demonstrating the unity and equality the parks support. If the abstract nature of this belief does not satisfy the argument that the parks safeguard the American identity, chances are the explicit nature of the parks as safeguards of wildlife and environment will. It is the conviction of some that, with exception to the political, social and economic principles this nation was founded upon, the abundance of resources inherited — or stolen, depending on the way you view history — by the U.S. is to credit for its contemporary identity as a world leader.
At the time our Constitution was signed, the U.S. was a teeming wilderness. Most of the land was inhabited by indigenous peoples living among herds of bison, old-growth forests unaccustomed to the ring of an axe and avian life so abundant that early pioneers describe flocks of birds blanketing the mid-day sky from horizon to horizon. By the mid-19th century, everything had changed. All but a few hundred bison had been slaughtered and 98 percent of the old-growth trees on this continent were chopped down. By the turn of the century, the passenger pigeon — once numbering 3 billion — would be extinct. This widespread destruction and utilization of resources led not only to stories of great wealth obtained by many Americans, but concerns by an equal number that soon there will be nothing left. As countless citizens organized in hopes of preserving the remains of America’s wild places, hopes began to grow that the character and spirit these natural landscapes had developed could be saved as well. In his book titled “Our National Parks,” John Muir made the need for government involvement in preservation and conservation abundantly clear. Following a walk through what is now the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias in Yosemite National Park, Muir stated, “Any fool can destroy trees. They cannot run away; and if they could, they would still be destroyed, chased and hunted-down as long as fun or a dollar could be got out of their bark hides. Through all the wonderful, eventful centuries ... God has cared for these trees, saved them from
drought, disease, avalanche, and a thousand straining, leveling tempests and floods; but he cannot save them from fools — only Uncle Sam can do that.” Through his near-personification of trees and the establishment of urgency for their protection, Muir not only makes a cry for conservation but establishes the reality that only the government, the law of the land, can save the natural world and all it has come to symbolize in American society. It is of no mistake that Muir calls upon the forces of natural destruction to illustrate the resiliency of trees and the wild places they represent. National parks today Since their creation, the national parks have grown alongside the U.S. They remind us of our proudest moments, our most prized possessions, even our greatest mistakes, but in doing so they tie the American past, present and future to a unified and shared experience. The parks represent the American spirit and its ideals in both literal nature and abstract concept. They not only preserve the landscapes they hold, but the American ideals they encompass. Within their rocks, trees, rivers and wildlife, we find the American narrative. Today, just as in the past, the national parks face threats as numerous as those faced by the places they protect. However, their strength lies in their ability to safeguard the very ideals that make such discourse a possibility. Embodied within America’s national parks are the principles of equality, unity, freedom and democracy — national treasures as dependent upon the parks as the parks are upon them.
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Thursday, April 2, 2015
SPORTS | 8
Cal Poly baseball falls to Pepperdine in extra innings Harry Chang
@harrychangmn
Senior outfielders Jordan Ellis and Zack Zehner combined for six hits and six RBIs, but the Cal Poly baseball team was unable to hold on to its lead Tuesday afternoon, falling to Pepperdine — the side that knocked Cal Poly out of the NCAA Regionals last season — 9-8 in 10 innings at Eddy D. Field Stadium. The Mustangs came out firing in the nonconference matchup, jumping on Pepperdine starting pitcher Chandler Blanchard early for four runs in the first and two more in the second. Ellis tripled in his first at-bat to knock in the game’s first two runs and Zehner followed with a double that drove in one more. Sophomore designated hitter Kevin Morgan then singled for an RBI of his own to give Cal Poly starter Justin Calomeni a four-run cushion right off the bat. In the second, it was Zehner again getting runs across the plate, this time with a two-run single that scored junior shortstop Peter Van Gansen and
senior third baseman Tommy Pluschkell extending the lead up to six. Cal Poly ran into trouble in the third when the Pepperdine offense got things going the second time through its lineup, plating five runs off four hits and a Mustangs error to cut the lead to one. The Mustangs, however, answered with two more runs in the top of the fourth thanks to back-to-back doubles by Van Gansen and junior catcher Brian Mundell, as well as an RBI single from Ellis. Mundell finished with three hits, two runs and a RBI in his six at-bats. Pepperdine (15-15), hosting in the one-game series, fought back once again, this time getting both runs back in the bottom of the fourth and tying things up in the sixth when a one-out RBI groundout scored Brad Anderson from third base. Anderson, who had walked to begin the inning, moved to second on a wild pitch and then went to third on
a groundout. Despite outhitting the Waves 16-13, the Mustangs’ efforts were finally nullified in the 10th inning when a Chris Fornaci walk-off home run completed the Pepperdine comeback. Cal Poly’s offense — which notched 16 hits — was led by Ellis’ four-hit performance, while junior Mark Mathias, who was playing in his first game at second base this year after spending time as the Mustangs’ designated hitter, also had two hits to go along with Zehner’s and Morgan’s pair of base hits. Danny Zandona was charged with the loss and fell to 1-2 while Jordan Qsar of Pepperdine, who started the game in right field, earned the win in the 10th for the Waves. The Mustangs (9-16) will open their Big West Conference schedule Thursday night with a series at Cal State Fullerton before they return to face Pepperdine again next Tuesday at Baggett Stadium.
CHRISTA L AM | MUSTANG NE WS WALK-OFF | The Cal Poly bats were hot Tuesday on the road at Pepperdine as the Mustangs recorded 16 hits and eight runs, but to no avail. Cal Poly was defeated by a walk-off home run in the 10th inning.