April 17, 2018

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

C a l Po l y, S a n L u i s O b i s p o

w w w. m u s t a n g n e w s . n e t

E s t a b l i s h e d 1 916

ENOUGH

STUDENTS OUTRAGED AFTER LAMBA CHI ALPHA MEMBER WEARS BLACKFACE

Content NEWS

BLACKFACE AT CAL POLY.........................2-5

OPINION

DEAR PRESIDENT ARMSTRONG .................6 KYLER WATKINS APOLOGIZIES ..................7 RESPONSE TO KYLER WATKINS .................8 ANOTHER RACIST ACT ..............................10 FORMER DEAN DEFENDS ARMSTRONG ...10

ARTS

ANAHATA RAE AND RADICALSOULS .........12 AUDIO CON ...............................................16 HIPPIES FOR HOPE ..................................16

SPORTS

RUGBY .......................................................17 RODEO ......................................................17

Mustang News TODAY ,S ISSUE TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2018 VOLUME O, ISSUE 25

CONTACT EDITORIAL (805) 756-1796 ADVERTISING (805) 756-1143 CLASSIFIED (805) 756-1143 FAX (805) 756-6784 Graphic Arts Building 26, Suite 226 California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, CA 93407

EDITORS AND STAFF

FACEBOOK | COURTE SY PHOTO

Mustang News Staff Report @ CPMustangNews

Cal Poly made international news April 8 when a photo of Lambda Chi Alpha member Kyler Watkins in blackface circulated social media. Lambda Chi Alpha President Logan Boersma told Mustang News April 8 that the blackface was not racially motivated. Instead, he said the photo was taken at a brotherhood event where Lambda Chi brothers were grouped in teams based on different colors.

“We had a brotherhood event, big bros and little bros and families,” Boersma said.

“Each of us had a team based on your family, you can pick whatever theme you want.

One color chosen was black and that is why the person’s face was colored.”

Later that day, a photo of Lambda Chi members dressed in stereotypical gangster outfits surfaced on social media. The photo came from a Lambda Chi member’s Instagram account that was later deleted. The photo was captioned, ‘She want a gangster not a pretty boy.’

Students stand against blackface: Everything that happened so far Historically, blackface derives from white actors painting their faces black to depict slaves and freed Black people onstage during minstrel shows that started in the mid-to-late 19th century and lasted into the 20th century. The practice created caricatures of Black people, mocking and dehumanizing the community and perpetuating racist stereotypes since.

Time and again, fraternities nationwide have sparked outrage for racially insensitive behavior. Some fraternities have been suspended and disbanded over blackface incidents. In 2013, Phi Sigma Kappa held a ‘Colonial Bros and Nava-Hos’ themed party, which gained widespread attention.

Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong sent a campuswide email April 9, which said the university was investigating the incident.

“Like many of you, I have seen the images that circulated on social media and find them to be painful and embarrassing.

As president of Cal Poly, and on behalf of the entire Cal Poly family, I am ashamed,” he wrote.

The fraternity was placed on a probationary suspension by the Lambda Chi Alpha national organization and the university April 9. During a probationary suspension, a fraternity must cease all functions while the university conducts a review to determine whether anything that happened at the fraternity’s event was in violation of university policy and/or the recognized student organization code of conduct.

Lambda Chi will remain suspended until at least April 29, 2019. All Lambda Chi officers resigned their positions and two members resigned their membership following the suspension. Watkins also resigned from Lambda Chi. The Lambda Chi Alpha national organization will conduct a membership review and potentially enforce further disciplinary action.

Amid the blacklash surrounding Watkins, Lambda Chi and the university, many campus clubs and organizations wrote letters of solidarity with students of color.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | Naba Ahmed MANAGING EDITORS | Gina Randazzo and Brendan Matsuyama NEWS EDITOR | James Hayes ARTS EDITOR | Mikaela Duhs OPINION EDITOR | Elias Atienza SPORTS EDITOR | Erik Engle SPECIAL SECTIONS COORDINATOR | Megan Schellong COPY CHIEF | Bryce Aston COPY EDITORS | Monique Geisen | Clarisse Wangeline | Quinn Fish LEAD DESIGNER | Zack Spanier DESIGNERS | Jessie Franco | Tanner Layton

ON THE COVER

Several demonstrations were held April 12-14 following the blackface incident.

Photo by Aidan McGloin, Mustang News.

INSTAGRAM | COURTE SY PHOTO

NEW INFO | This photo surfaced from a Lambda Chi member’s Instagram. It was captioned “She want a gangster, not a pretty boy.”

3 comment on Lambda Chi matters.

Protesters attended the meeting, demanding a response from Lambda Chi. When the meeting concluded, protesters asked Marino to lead them to the Lambda Chi house on Foothill Boulevard.

Once at the house, protesters called for Lambda Chi members to come out. One Lambda Chi member answered the door, but quickly closed it, not speaking to any protesters. The San Luis Obispo Police Department arrived soon after.

After about 15 minutes, protesters dispersed to attend an Emergency Town Hall.

CARTER HARRINGTON | MUSTANG NE W S

At the IFC meeting April 9, fraternity presidents symbolically voted unanimously to suspend Lambda Chi Alpha, showing their support with the university and national headquarters’ decision.

No Lambda Chi representatives were present at the meeting because the fraternity had been suspended by national headquarters and the university prior to the meeting, according to IFC president and political science junior Colton Marino.

However, Lambda Chi member and agricultural business senior Jack Gilchrist was present.

Gilchrist was representing IFC as the Vice President of Risk Management, so he was unable to

HANNAH AVDALOVIC | MUSTANG NE W S

At the Emergency Town Hall, the voices of students of color were the main focus of the conversation. Speakers talked about the Lambda Chi member in blackface, but also spoke about the campus climate surrounding race.

“We worked almost a year to tell these kids ‘You’re safe here, you can find a home here.’

Only for these actions to throw all of that away,” one speaker said.

Associated Students Inc. (ASI) President Riley Nilsen was called to the front of the room to speak after someone called her out for a comment made during the IFC meeting.

“I cannot believe that the members of Lambda Chi Alpha did not tell their brother to go wash his face off when they walked into that party because that was completely unacceptable,” Nilsen said. “I 100 percent know the privilege that I have been given because I don’t have to wash my face off. I know that I am given a privilege to make a difference.”

The crowd booed Nilsen and called for her resignation.

Nilsen later apologized for her comments on her personal Facebook.

To watch the town hall meeting in full, visit mustangnews.net.

CARTER HARRINGTON | MUSTANG NE W S

Lambda Chi hired a security guard after the fraternity’s house was vandalized April 9. According to San Luis Obispo Police Department (SLOPD) Patrol Lieutenant Brian Amoroso, four figures in black hoodies were caught on camera throwing balloons filled with water and black paint at the house.

SLOPD was called to the house four times April 9, but no one was charged.

April 9, 6 p.m.

Emergency Town Hall

April 9, 8 p.m.

Lambda Chi Alpha vandalized

April 9,11:45 p.m.

Armstrong’s response

Armstrong sent a campuswide email April 9, addressing the situation.

“Hurtful actions, be they intentional or otherwise, have no place at our university and yet, regrettably, we experience them,” Armstrong wrote. “They are senseless acts of ignorance that injure and alienate valued members of our community. They must stop.”

Though Armstrong said he personally found the photos of agricultural business senior Watkins and Lambda Chi horrific, there were limitations as to how he could punish the student.

April 9

FILE PHOTO | MUSTANG NE W S

On Kyler Watkins Armstrong said he cannot expel a student for wearing blackface because that would violate free speech laws.

Mustang News sat down with Armstrong and Vice President of Student Affairs Keith Humphrey April 12.

“To the individual, then, you might not like the answer, but we’re dealing with these issues of free speech,” Armstrong said. “We have had individuals in the past that have stood up on the library and spewed awful things that if I as a person could pick them up myself and carry them off, I would’ve. We even had someone assault a person one time, which is wrong, and we have Milo who comes on campus who I would never invite on campus. The fact is that we cannot have a different set of rules or interpretation of the Constitution on campus than anywhere else in the country.”

On Lambda Chi Alpha Armstrong said the university is following the lead of Lambda Chi Alpha’s national organization in determining a punishment for the fraternity.

ARMSTRONG’S RESPONSE continued on page 4

TUESDAY • APRIL 17, 2018 | NEWS | MUSTANG NEWS

Interfraternity Council (IFC) meeting

TUESDAY • APRIL 17, 2018 | NEWS | MUSTANG NEWS

4 ARMSTRONG’S RESPONSE continued from page 3

“What I’m not saying today is how long that should be because I’m not making that decision and I don’t know if they should be off campus permanently. That’s not a decision I’m making today and it’s not a decision that I do make as part of our process,” Armstrong said.

What is being done In the April 12 interview, Mustang News asked Armstrong what concrete steps the university is taking to better the campus cli-

mate and make students of color feel safe and accepted on campus.

Armstrong did not propose new solutions to campus climate issues. Instead, he listed initiatives the university has already been working on to increase diversity.

“We’re working through the realm of Prop 209, to get more African American students on this campus,” Armstrong said. “We’re pushing for the Cal Poly Opportunity Grant to get more Hispanic, Latino and Asian students on this campus. [Vice President and Chief Officer for Diversity and Inclusion] Jozi De Leon, [who] has only been on cam-

pus less than a year, is doing things with the Collective Impact. There [are] a lot of things going on.”

Armstrong also cited the proposed Cal Poly Opportunity Grant and Fee as a solution to Cal Poly’s diversity problem.

“The data is very clear that the majority reason why our low income and majority diverse students [shows] that financial is a barrier. It’s a barrier. Because of our fees. And our fees are what make Cal Poly Learn by Doing. And really why all of students get great jobs and placement is so high,” Armstrong said.

In an on-camera interview with Mustang

News during Open House April 14, Armstrong acknowledged that he wanted to do more for students of color at Cal Poly.

“For a student that’s hurting, I’m not doing enough,” Armstrong said. “And I wish I could reach out and impact every individual student, but I can’t. And that student doesn’t want to hear about what we’ve done and sometimes they don’t want to hear what we’re going to do. So the best thing I can do is acknowledge that, and I will also look at things that maybe are planned and accelerate them, like implicit bias training, some other things.”

IFC WEBSITE | COURTE SY PHOTO

IFC fraternity chapter presidents voted to place all IFC fraternities on social probation until further notice April 12. They said during this time the IFC Executive Board will work on a plan of action that will be released April 20.

The terms of probation are: • Chapters will be permitted to host: chapter meetings, recruitment events, signature philanthropies/events, community service and educational programming • Mandatory attendance at any and all IFC and campus educational programming at the discretion of the IFC board • IFC chapters cease boothing at Open House “We want to acknowledge our role in contributing to an environment that perpetuates racism and are making a commitment from this day forward to hold our community more respon-

sible and hold them accountable to the values we strive by,” the press release said.

However, the same day, text messages in ‘IFC Council and Presidents ‘17-’18 group chat was leaked.

In the group chat, Marino advised IFC members and chapter presidents to stop conversations about Lambda Chi to prevent rumors from spreading.

“Unfortunately, as we all know, Greeks are an easily targeted and highly criticized group in our society,” Marino wrote. “Because of this, things are often taken out of context in order to criticize our groups. While the specifics may have been different, something like this could have easily happened to any one of our organizations.”

Marino declined to comment on the text messages.

L AUREN PLUIM | MUSTANG NE W S

Cal Poly’s Open House began April 12 at Farmers’ Market in downtown San Luis Obispo. Students put up booths and held signs addressing the blackface incident and race issues at Cal Poly.

Economics senior Lauren Quinta said the students at the protest chose to be disafilliated from any organizations to encourage

unity and solidarity.

“We’re just trying to have honest conversations with all of the prospective students that may attend here,” Quinta said. “We’re just making sure that they understand what it is that happens at Cal Poly and giving them the truth and not trying to put on any sort of show, just letting them know what’s really going on here.”

HANNA CROWLE Y | MUSTANG NE W S

Armstrong, the Office of University Diversity & Inclusion (OUDI) and Student Affairs held a student forum April 12 in the Performing Arts Center to address the blackface incident.

“I called my mom to tell her I was coming to this forum and the first thing she told me was that I should stay safe and not go.

That says a lot about our climate here,” one

student said at the forum.

Many students called Armstrong out for not caring about the campus climate at Cal Poly. Armstrong reiterated that he has no legal power to expel Watkins.

“Because something happens doesn’t mean I don’t care,” Armstrong said. “The last thing we will do is sweep something under the rug.”

T WIT TER | COURTE SY PHOTO

Agricultural business senior Watkins released an apology letter April 13. In the letter, Watkins said he did not know the historical significance of blackface and wrote he was simply “going all out” as a member of the “black team” at the Lambda Chi Alpha brotherhood event April 7.

“I’m very open to a dialogue with anyone or any student group who would like to discuss increased diversity awareness within the Greek system and the school as a whole,” Watkins wrote.

IFC probation

April 12

Farmer’s Market protest

April 12, 6 p.m.

Armstrong’s Open Forum

April 12, 6:30 p.m.

Kyler Watkins apologizes April 13

5

April 13

L AUREN PLUIM | MUSTANG NE W S

Open House ‘Day of Action’

April 13, 8 a.m.

HAYLE Y SAK AE | MUSTANG NE W S

University Union silent protest

The Black Student Union (BSU) and various student organizations affected by the “inaction of the Administration” released a list of demands April 13.

Among the demands was more funding for resources for students of color.

“We want Administration to match the $55,000+ spent on security for Milo Yiannopoulos’s 2017 visit to the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo campus— in addition to the estimated costs for his upcoming 2018 trip— and devote these funds toward resources for the Black Academic Excellence Center, Cross Cultural Centers, Ethnic Studies Department, Women & Gender Studies Department, Queer Studies Minor, and Science,

Technology & Society Department. The funds will be utilized—as these entities see fit— for resources that include, but are not limited to, staff, space upgrades, programming, etc,” the release said.

The demands also included increased funding from ASI to cultural clubs and comparative ethnic studies classes to be a general education requirement.

The demands also called for the expulsion of Watkins, Boersma, agricultural systems management sophomore Ryan Vierra who was in both controversial photos and all Lambda Chi Alpha members pictured in the Instagram photo captioned “She want a gangster not a pretty boy.”

Hundreds of Cal Poly students gathered April 13 at 8 a.m. in the parking lot near Doerr Family Field to protest administration and race issues at Cal Poly.

Protesters chanted “Lambda Chi, you should die,” and “Bye-bye Lambda Chi,” as prospective students and their families toured campus.

The students called for Armstrong’s resignation, increased allocation of funding to multicultural clubs and programs and the end of greek life at the university.

“The culture of indifference toward racism is so deeply embedded that frat boys will throw parties like this,” anthropology and geography junior Kelsey Zazanis said.

During an “Open House Coffee House” event in Chumash Auditorium where prospective students’ parents could get academic information, students silently protested in the Julian A. McPhee University Union. They stood near the entrance of Chumash Auditorium.

April 13, 7 p.m.

HANNAH AVDALOVIC | MUSTANG NE W S

Club showcase boycott April 14, 10 a.m.

AIDAN MCGLOIN | MUSTANG NE W S

More than 40 clubs boycotted the Open House club showcase April 14. Participating clubs set up their booths for Open House, leaving a statement of solidarity with Black, Latinx and indigenous students. The booths were left unmanned, with only the letter and information about race issues at Cal Poly remaining.

Students marched off campus to Santa Rosa Park instead.

No IFC fraternities and Panhellenic sororities had booths at the club showcase. United Sorority & Fraternity Council set up booths, but did not have any members present.

Armstrong addressed the boycott in an interview with the San Luis Obispo Tribune. He encouraged students to “think of other ways to get their voices heard.”

Armstrong also addressed #CalPoly cultural clubs boycotting Open House and the organized protest scheduled for Friday morning, encouraging students to “think of other ways to get their voice heard.”

History senior Vanaaisha Pamnani marched in solidarity with students of color and said she found Armstrong’s response appalling.

“I find that kind of appalling because for the last few years, at least when I’ve been here, we have tried sitting down and found alternative ways to speak,” Pamnani said. “Really by saying that he’s trying to shut down us voicing our opinions or really he’s telling us to be quiet and be voiceless. I just find it super offensive and I just think it’s showing us he doesn’t stand in solidarity with us and he doesn’t care what we think or stand for.”

TUESDAY • APRIL 17, 2018 | NEWS | MUSTANG NEWS

Black Student Union’s demands

Dear President Armstrong, you have failed

TUESDAY • APRIL 17, 2018 | OPINION | MUSTANG NEWS

6

Z ACH DONNENFIELD | MUSTANG NE W S

OPINION

Naba Ahmed @nabaahmed

Naba Ahmed is a journalism senior and the Mustang News editor-in-chief. The views expressed in this column do not reflect the viewpoints and editorial coverage of Mustang News.

As a Muslim woman of color, I want to share my feelings on the Lambda Chi Alpha blackface incident.

I am the leader of Cal Poly’s news source and I pride myself on leading a staff that works to report unbiased, accurate stories. Our staff understands that there are always two sides to every story. However, this is not the case with Lambda Chi. Racism is never right. I am horrified by this apparent act of prejudice.

That’s why I’m addressing you, President Armstrong. Because you are the face and voice of this administration.

This is absolutely unacceptable. I wish I could say I don’t understand how Lambda Chi ever thought this type of behavior would be condoned, but under an administration that has excused this behavior, it is evident how such a blatantly racist act happened.

Hateful flyers posted on campus. Alpha Gamma Rho’s photo of cultural appropriation.

Distribution of pro-Nazi flyers.

The university has allowed Milo Yiannopoulos to come to campus and a wall full of hate speech to be erected under the guise of free speech. Every time there has been hate speech on campus, you have said your hands are tied and you can’t do anything.

On top of that, Cal Poly has the highest percentage of white students of any California higher learning public institution and has

been named one of the seven worst institutions for Latinx student success.

Instead of implementing real change, Armstrong, you would rather pile on more student fees to put on a facade to increase diversity.

Lambda Chi Alpha wrote in their press release, “Although it was not our intention to stir up racial tension, we understand the negative impact this picture had on our peers.”

Lambda Chi should take responsibility for their actions. If they understood the negative impact this picture had on their peers, Lambda Chi Alpha national headquarters, the university and the Interfraternity Council should not have been the groups to condemn the fraternity. Lambda Chi should have done more than simply apologize, or apologize half-heartedly, at that.

Lambda Chi, you are not sorry that your brother was wearing blackface. You are sorry that you got caught. Your intention may not have been to disparage a marginalized community. But that’s what you did.

The damage is done.

Armstrong, do something to prevent further acts of racism instead of sending an ineffective email. What do you think yet another email about discrimination and inclusivity is going to accomplish?

These emails have done nothing.

The Emergency Town Hall was absolutely necessary, but it should not have had to be.

We can share our voice, but it should not be our responsibility to do so. Furthermore, it is not the job of people of color to educate white people on the oppression we face.

We are students who have classes and jobs, yet we have to take time out of our day to explain why blackface is bad.

You need to do more than suspend the fraternity. While it was the responsibility of all the members of Lambda Chi to say something, it is Kyler Watkins who holds the most responsibility.

How can you allow a student who has blatantly worn blackface at a party to walk around this campus?

It is unfair and disrespectful to our marginalized communities. As seen in the Emergency Town Hall, we are hurt by this. We still have to go to school with the person and fraternity members who caused this hurt. All because the university will not take action.

When a student repeatedly said the n-word in a video at the University of Alabama, she was immediately expelled.

You say you’re ashamed on behalf of

the entire Cal Poly family. But you’re not ashamed enough to take immediate action.

It is not enough to simply tell students to support one another and to treat everyone with respect. You need to acknowledge the severity of this incident and impose the appropriate consequences.

So, this is what you can do. Expel Kyler Watkins. Dissolve Lambda Chi Alpha. Provide more resources for students of color. Make people of color want to attend this university without raising student fees.

This is just to start.

Listen to students of color. We have told you what we need and what will make us safe.

You wrote in your April 9 email, “If our student body is not diverse and does not reflect the demographics of the state and communities in which our students will ultimately live and work, we have failed.”

There is no “if ” about whether the student body is not diverse. It is not. Therefore, the administration has failed. I am not the only one who thinks so.

The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) is one of six regional organizations that the federal government has authorized to accredit institutions of higher learning. Cal Poly is accredited every 10 years and their last accreditation was in 2012.

According to the WASC Educational Effectiveness Review Report in April 2012, Cal Poly needs to make severe changes or risks losing their accreditation.

“Although the campus is committed to improving the campus climate for minority students, there is concern that the issue of diversity as related to the campus climate has been allowed to exist for a long time.

The institution needs to quickly and aggressively address these negative effects and actively increase the diversity of student, staff, and faculty as part of its responsibility to serve the citizens of California,” the report said.

Without university accreditation, our degrees are useless. Employers will not hire students from unaccredited schools because it is not guaranteed that those graduates have adequate preparation, making them a liability for the company.

Moreover, this blatant act of racism is a stain on our degrees. If you Google “Cal Poly,” the search reflects one word: racism.

Armstrong, what are you going to do about that?

7

OPINION

Kyler Watkins Special to Mustang News

Kyler Watkins is an agricultural business senior and the Lambda Chi Alpha member who wore blackface. Watkins sent the letter to the Mustang News editor and it has been published verbatim. The views expressed in this column do not reflect the viewpoints and editorial coverage of Mustang News.

Dear Cal Coast News, As a former Cal Poly Lambda Chi Alpha member, I would like to respond to numerous statements made by Cal Poly to the press regarding the Lambda Chi Alpha “blackface” incident, in addition to factual misstatements rampant on social media.

First and most importantly, I take full responsibility for the lack of judgment I displayed when I painted my face black at a brotherhood event on April 7, 2018.

If there’s any part of this message to take into consideration, I hope it would be that my ill-informed decision to paint my face black had nothing whatsoever to do with racism or discrimination. Growing up white and privileged, I was truly unaware of how insensitive I was to the racial implications of blackface. I was, in fact, a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha “black

team,” wore black clothes and painted my face. Dozens of witnesses, text messages leading up to the event, photographs and a video support my unwavering position that I never intended to represent or mimic a black person. I am not in the now infamous gangster photo because that picture depicts members of the yellow team who opted for a gangster theme. I was not on the yellow team, and for that reason, I am not in the photo, nor was I dressed as a gangster.

When I woke up Sunday morning to learn that “blackface” is of historical racial significance, no words can express my regret and horror. I began researching on my laptop and learned that blackface was used in early theater to perpetuate racial stereotypes. I knew immediately that I had made a grave mistake, and moreover, I fully understood why people would hate me. My own lack of awareness has placed my life in danger and worse, has hurt other people whom I had no intention of alienating, mocking or offending in any way. My life has been threatened, lies about me are permeating social media, and justifiably so.

Although social media and editorials* in the Mustang News have dismissed my explanation as “pathetic” and “false,” the explanation is true and supported by evidence I have supplied to the University.

I am not, nor have I ever been, a racist, and contrary to some reports, I have never been involved in any kind of discriminatory incident. I am not sorry simply because I “was caught.” I am sorry because I have given other students the impression they can indiscriminately be made fun of because of their race or appearance. In my

own mind, I was simply “going all out” in my theme as a member of the black team.

Believe me, I wish with all my heart that I had been a member of the blue team.

Second, the press, social media, a new Cal Poly parents’ facebook page and editorials to the Mustang News have portrayed me as a tried and true racist. They have argued that the concepts of the “benefit of the doubt” and “there are two-sides to every story” do not apply to me because there is no excuse for “blackface.” I agree. There is no excuse for blackface; I truly did not know the historical ramifications of it on April 7. I do now.

I understand there will be a diversity march on Friday, April 13, 2018. I’m very open to a dialogue with anyone or any student group who would like to discuss increased diversity awareness within the Greek system and the school as a whole.

I’m confident that increased awareness and education is the key to preventing the type of hurt I have caused. Ultimately, I cannot control what is said or believed about me in the press and social media. For my part, all I can do now is express my sincerest apologies to those whom I have hurt. My actions stemmed from ignorance, but never hate, discrimination or the intent to hurt anyone.

Kyler Watkins *Editor’s note: In the two Mustang News editorials, “Dear President Armstrong, you have failed” and “Another racist action at Cal Poly,” Watkins’ explanation was not regarded as “pathetic” and “false”. Letters to the editor are not editorials.

TUESDAY • APRIL 17, 2018 | OPINION | MUSTANG NEWS

T WIT TER | COURTE SY PHOTO

Letter to the Editor: Kyler Watkins apologizes

TUESDAY • APRIL 17, 2018 | OPINION | MUSTANG NEWS

8

OPINION

Spencer Harvey Special to Mustang News

This letter reflects the opinions of environmental management and protection senior Spencer Harvey. Letters to the editor do not reflect the opinion or editorial coverage of Mustang News.

This is my response to the apology of Kyler Watkins, the Cal Poly student involved in the blackface incident here last weekend. Please read whether you have or have not yet heard about the incident that happened at my school. I’m just trying to give some insight from a student perspective. If you’re going to read it, please read the entire thing. You might as well and I would appreciate if no one selectively reads or cherry picks from what I wrote to Kyler. This is my opinion as a student of Cal Poly and I am not an official representative of the university.

An Open Letter to Kyler Watkins: Kyler, after attending the Open Forum called

by President Armstrong Thursday, April 12, and getting the chance to ask him a question directly, as well as hearing so many other student voices speak out, I can say I am thoroughly disappointed with our school’s overall response, or lack thereof, to the blackface incident which occurred during a Lambda Chi Alpha party April 7. For anyone reading this outside of the San Luis Obispo community who is not aware of what occurred, I won’t rehash here what countless national and a few international news outlets have already reported. Suffice it to say, disappointment is an understatement for those of us who work and study at Cal Poly who care about creating a safe environment for minority students and people of color on this campus.

I am speaking directly to you, Kyler, because I have read your apology published in Mustang News and other outlets and I have more than a few things to say about it.

You said you would be open to having a dialogue with any students and any organizations who want to speak with you, and I would be happy to speak with you directly if that is possible. I don’t know if you are ever going to read this, but I hope it makes its way to you somehow and that you take what I am about to say to heart.

To be completely honest, I don’t really think your apology was an apology at all. It felt a lot more like an attempt to deflect blame onto others for your own actions and the choices you made that day. I want to start with your claim you knew nothing about how blackface is widely and justifiably considered to be hate speech in this country.

From your published apology: “When I woke

Letter to the Editor: Response to Kyler Watkins’ apology up Sunday morning to learn that ‘blackface’ is of historical racial significance, no words can express my regret and horror. I began researching on my laptop and learned that blackface was used in early theater to perpetuate racial stereotypes. I knew immediately that I had made a grave mistake ...”

I find that to be such a cowardly way to try and sidestep this whole situation you created and were an active part of. I will admit, I have not seen all of the evidence you made reference to in your apology you claim supports your version of events, though not for lack of trying to find it. I would really like to see the evidence you spoke about giving to the university for myself, if that is ever going to be made available to the public. Still, no matter what evidence there is supporting your perspective on the incident, I feel that defense still leaves me with so many questions.

You shouldn’t have had to do that research on blackface last weekend. You should have known about it since your middle school history classes, and from having it reiterated multiple times long before you enrolled at Cal Poly. Either the public education system did you a tremendous disservice, or you simply weren’t paying attention.

But let’s say you are telling the full truth, and you really didn’t know anything about the historical significance of blackface before you opened your laptop a few days ago. I really don’t think that should absolve you from being complicit in this form of hate speech. I don’t have an exact number for the amount of people who attended the party, or the number of brothers who made up the various teams for the activity, but I would imagine at the very least there were dozens of people there who could and should have informed you of the racial insensitivity of your actions so that you could have fixed them on the spot.

Regardless of your own knowledge on the subject, I find it extremely hard to believe that any number of your fraternity brothers or other people attending the party did not know anything about the historical racial significance and ramifications of blackface. I would be very surprised and disheartened if none of the other people there that day called you out on it. If that actually is what happened, and dozens of people, including yourself, failed to acknowledge that the blackface was wrong at the time you were wearing it, I hope you can understand

why so many people, including myself, are upset enough to be calling for your expulsion from this university and for the permanent dissolution of your fraternity chapter.

So we are left with one of only two things that happened. Either you are lying and someone did advise you to remove the blackface that day or you already knew it was wrong and you simply didn’t give a shit, or dozens of people who were there failed to call you out on an action that should have been an obvious example of hate speech to almost anyone who was at that party; a party that was held a few days after the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Either way, I hope you can see why none of those series of events are acceptable to myself or the majority of the student body, particularly our students and faculty of color who already have to go through their days on this campus in an overwhelmingly white environment. I see everything you and your chapter were involved in that weekend as a huge threat to the safety of every nonwhite person on this campus. Thousands of newly-admitted freshmen and their families and supporters flooded campus this weekend for Open House to see if this is the right place for them, a place they can call a second home, something every single college student in the world deserves a chance at. As a former orientation leader who was once proud to represent this university and what it stood for, I can say I had a very tough time this weekend telling those potential new students that I am “Cal Poly proud” and that this is the place for them if this is what they are going to have to put up with as incoming students.

All of this so far has yet to even mention what your apology referred to as the “now infamous gangster photo” that many of the national and local outlets have included in their stories on this incident.

Again, from your full apology: “I am not in the now infamous gangster photo because that picture depicts members of the yellow team who opted for a gangster theme. I was not on the yellow team, and for that reason, I am not in the photo, nor was I dressed as a gangster.”

I mean, seriously? While everything you said in this part of that statement may be true, it does not excuse the racism that is literally radiating from that entire situation surrounding that photograph. Racism that you did nothing to address in your statement here, and would rather face

I cannot sit here and believe you are really sincere in everything you said...

hiding behind your fellow fraternity brothers instead of head on as a member of the community that is actually trying to make amends. That whole thing really just comes across to me like a thinly veiled attempt by you to deflect more blame onto your fraternity brothers so as to take less heat for this whole thing yourself. But when you have failed to fully address the original issue in the first place, I cannot sit here and believe you are really sincere in everything you said in that apology. When you cannot even discuss the gang photo without failing to acknowledge it was wrong and getting overly defensive and adamant about your lack of involvement in one aspect of many unfortunate things your fraternity did last weekend, it starts to sound a lot less like an apology and a bit more like you are still trying to find a way to make yourself the victim in this situation. That could not be further from the truth.

I am sorry for any hate speech or threats you have received yourself in light of what happened last weekend, Kyler. That is not and never will be the solution to these issues and you do not deserve it, just as no student, faculty member, staff member, person of color or member of a minority group at Cal Poly deserves to feel unsafe every day they are on this campus.

I do not hate you, Kyler. I do not know you and therefore cannot say based on this one incident that I think you are a horrible person or a racist at your core. I do think you made a horrible mistake that has very serious ramifications which you have failed to fully acknowledge or genuinely apologize for. I really do hope you learn from this experience for the better and I think that you can. Maybe the best place to start if you are not expelled, as I have heard suggested by so many other students in the last few days, would be by enrolling in a few comparitive ethnic studies classes.

With that being said, I truly feel that your apology only proves you do not yet understand or appreciate the gravity of the situation you put yourself in, or how it affects the safety of minorities and people of color across this entire campus. I really hope you are able to read this and potentially understand my perspective on why our fellow students and I are so upset and have every reason to be. I for one hope your future is not over, as you may have been wondering about that a lot lately, and I know you have much better things to offer to the world than this controversy I feel you are not taking true responsibility for. There is nowhere for you to go from here but forward.

I just want you to start moving forward right now by making a firm acknowledgement that you fully understand the fact that you have been complicit in hate speech. *This letter has been edited for clarity.

Another racist action at Cal Poly

TUESDAY • APRIL 17, 2018 | ARTS | MUSTANG NEWS

10

Elias Atienza @ CPMustangnews

Z ACH DONNENFIELD | MUSTANG NE W S

OPINION

Elias Atienza @elias_atienza

Elias Atienza is a history junior and the Mustang News opinion editor. The views expressed in this column do not reflect the viewpoints and editorial coverage of Mustang News.

If you haven’t heard already, a member of Lambda Chi Alpha decided to put on blackface for a brotherhood event April 7. The defense of this, if it could be called that, was that each fraternity brother was supposed to be on a team that corresponded to a color.

This was before a second picture emerged, showing many of the fraternity brothers dressed like stereotypical gang members, with the caption, “She want a gangster, not a pretty boy.”

This is just another milestone in Cal Poly’s storied history of being insensitive in matters of racism. From the “Colonial Bros and Nava-Hoes” party in 2013 to protests over University Housing because of a Confederate flag and a noose hanging at the campus crop house in 2008, there is a rich tradition of idiocy and racism at this school.

Of course, the brothers have their defenders. If you ever decide to hop on the Cal Poly SLO Mustang Parents Facebook page, you’ll find plenty of older individuals urging caution not to condemn or be hasty in our judgment.

It’s the common, ‘We need all the facts,’ that emerges after police shootings. Normally, I would agree, but there is no context in which blackface should ever be accepted.

Blackface is racism. There are no ‘ifs’ or ‘buts’ about it. The history of blackface is rooted in the racist depictions of Black people meant to reduce them to caricatures instead

of actual people with their own perspectives and agendas.

As Mustang News described it, “Historically, blackface derives from white actors painting their faces black to depict slaves and freed Black people onstage during minstrel shows that started in the mid- to late-19th century and lasted well into the 1950s. The practice created caricatures of Black people, mocking and dehumanizing the community and perpetuating racist stereotypes since.”

Blackface has been rightfully condemned as racist and has been ostracized. Some people believe the condemnation is for the sake of political correctness, but there is a fine line between fighting political correctness and racism.

As I wrote almost two years ago, extreme political correctness is bad, but the line gets crossed when someone does an overtly racist action, such as wearing blackface or targeting people for their ethnicity. Not wanting to be politically correct is not a valid defense when there is a racist connotation with the event.

There is also the defense of intention. Lambda Chi Alpha did not intend to cause harm, as their press release repeatedly emphasized.

They did not intend to stir racial tension just a week before Open House. They did not intend for a lot of what happened, but it happened.

Intention is not a viable defense in this case, because it is blackface and no one should in-

tend to wear it to a party.

The next question is how we should handle this and move forward. There is always the question of free speech; should the university punish Kyler Watkins and the fraternity for these acts? Or should it be left up to the Interfraternity Council (IFC)?

Mustang News reported that the fraternity is on suspension by Cal Poly, the Cal Poly Interfraternity Council, and Lambda Chi Alpha’s national organization until April 2019. Cal Poly is continuing to conduct an investigation.

The answer is that the university should put further sanctions on Lambda Chi Alpha at the very least, but they shouldn’t be criminally punished nor prosecuted. There is a First Amendment right to be able to engage in racist actions that are not violent, such as wearing blackface or saying racist terms.

Watkins and his fraternity brothers should be socially ostracized from the campus, but that won’t happen. Nor will it likely threaten their job prospects, as many employers will probably look at this as a case of idiotic college students being idiotic college students.

In any case, it is another mark in the racist actions of many fraternities around the United States. Hopefully, Lambda Chi Alpha will take the steps to actually ensure one of their brothers won’t do this again, but we’ve got a better chance of President Armstrong not ignoring student voices.

Letter to the Editor: Former dean defends Armstrong FILE PHOTO | MUSTANG NE W S

OPINION

Phil Bailey Special to Mustang News

This letter reflects the opinions of Phil Bailey, former College of Science and Mathematics

dean and current director of a College of Science and Mathematics undergraduate research program. Bailey retired from his dean position at the end of the 2016-2017 academic year.

Letters to the editor do not reflect the opinion or editorial coverage of Mustang News.

Dear Mustang News: I want to comment on the op-ed by Mustang News editor-in-chief Naba Ahmed expressing that Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong has failed and the chants during the protest march at Cal Poly’s Open House that President Armstrong should resign.

But first, I feel the need to qualify myself.

This is my 49th year at Cal Poly. I retired as dean of the College of Science and Mathematics after 34 years in that role this past June. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a fierce advocate for all students, particularly those who are underrepresented and marginalized and have been throughout my Cal Poly career and before. My support

has been substantial in actions and with serve the criticism hurled at him. Cal Poly personal resources. has made significant progress in addressing As such, I feel I am in a posithe needs of students during his presition to have witnessed that dency; of course, there is much Armstrong has always more to be done. As another fought hard on many incident of intolerance oclevels for Cal Poly curs, anger and frustraArmstrong has students, especialtion are unavoidable. ly those who are I share these emoalways fought hard underrepresenttions with the stuon many levels for ed and margindents who protested alized. He is a during Open House.

Cal Poly students, strong supporter But I was saddened especially those who are of efforts to enthat the anger and hance diversity frustration have been underrepresented. and inclusion. And directed to a true and tireless advocate of Cal Armstrong has, many times, personally comPoly students. municated with, supported Phil Bailey, Dean Emeritus and counseled students in times of College of Science and Mathematics. hurt and distress.

He is a true friend of all students, he is *This letter has been edited for clarity. incredibly accessible and he does not de-

TUESDAY • APRIL 17, 2018 | ARTS | MUSTANG NEWS

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Small businesses adding a touch of artistry to the SLO community Sonya Jindal @ sonya_jindal

Local artists Savannah Rae Nicholson and Danielle Curchill individually created Anahata Rae and RadicalSouls Collective, local artistry businesses. After teaming up last year, both brands have a collective vision of bringing nature, both environmental and humanistic, into their designs.

Anahata Rae Nicholson created Anahata Rae in 2014 after a death in her family. ‘Anahata,’ translates to ‘heart chakra’ in Sanskrit and is the fourth energy center of the body. This is where love is given and received, according to Nicholson. Rae is her middle name and nickname that only her close family and friends call her. Nicholson’s company sells a range of jewelry and paintings.

“My designs are based off what I think women would like to wear on a day-to-day basis,” Nicholson said. “Everything I make has a touch of minimalism and it is all designed to be worn alone or layered.”

Nicholson has always had an interest in design and styling. After working in the fashion industry, Nicholson shifted direction to curate her own brand and aesthetic.

“Each piece has to pass the test of ‘Would I wear this?’ because if not, I’m not going to make it,” Nicholson said. “Sometimes I’ll be oozing with ideas and can’t wait to make them all come to life. Other times I am dry as a bone and can’t come up with one new concept.”

Nicholson finds inspiration from the places she visits and the people in her life, whether they are close friends or complete strangers. Human nature and interaction has always fascinated her, knowing that every person has their own story to tell.

Anahata Rae allows Nicholson to combine her holistic approach to life with her love of style and expression. Her goal is to design quality jewelry that makes her customers feel empowered and beautiful, according to Nicholson.

“San Luis Obispo has provided me with an amazing support system of women who are also pursuing their goals of being creative entrepreneurs,” Nicholson said. “[I am] eternally grateful for all the events I have been apart of and the stores that have started selling my jewelry.”

RadicalSouls Collective Three years ago, Churchill began creating hanging wall art for her home. Churchill’s work is inspired by the things she loves most: nature, travel, yoga, sacred

SONYA JINDAL | MUSTANG NEWS

SHARED | Local artistry businesses Anahata Rae and RadicalSouls Collective moved into their own shared studio last December, located on Higuera Street.

geometry and fiber art. Her medium is locally sourced driftwood and her work ranges from knotted yarn wall hangings to driftwood plant hangers and hand-painted pieces. Creating these pieces was a hobby that resulted in the creation of RadicalSouls Collective.

“I moved into a new place, was really poor and couldn’t afford to buy anything to decorate the empty walls. I started making some things and people really loved them,” Churchill said. “I wanted to keep making things, so I started selling them really casually on the side.”

Through her desire to create and her love for the ocean, RadicalSouls Collective was born. The name stems from the aspiration to be wild and free. Churchill has visions of creating a whole home decoration line.

After graduating from Cuesta College with a fashion merchandising degree, Churchill was stumped on how to move on.

“I’ve always wanted to go into something fairly creative, but I also wanted to stay in the area and there’s not a lot of opportunities in terms of really niche creative jobs,” Churchill said.

Growing up with two parents working for themselves, Churchill was surrounded by the entrepreneurship. Acknowledging how far the lengths of school can or cannot take you, Churchill decided to bite the bullet and transform her hobby into a fulltime business.

The collaboration The small-business owners met a year ago at a pop-up show Nicholson was participating in. Conversing through a mutual friend, the two realized they had already been supporting one another’s work through Instagram. “[Nicholson] ended up coming to my house two weeks later and we hung out for hours-at the end, we both were like, ‘Let’s get a studio together’,” Churchill said. “We got along really well and a month later we moved into this space together.”

The two now share a studio. With

more events for small businesses popping up, such as the MakeShift Makers Market, new-business owners are able to thrive off the support of the San Luis Obispo community.

“I feel like [Nicholson’s] designs [are] really unique [and] well thought-out. It’s jewelry that can go with any outfit. The two have a great cohesion together and are really aesthetically pleasing,” kinesiology junior and supporter Mikaela Minoggi said.

Their studio is located at 667 E. Higuera St. Viewings are by appointment only.

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PUZZLES Sudoku Fun by the Numbers Like puzzles? Then you’ll love sudoku.

This mind-bending puzzle will have you hooked from the moment you square off, so sharpen your pencil and put your sudoku savvy to the test!

Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

CLUES ACROSS

Guess Who? I am an actress born in Paris, France on April 15, 1990. I attended Dragon School in Oxford and starred in school plays. I rose to fame in the popular Harry Potter series, and was recently seen in a popular Disney film.

*See answers at mustangnews.net/puzzles/

Word Scramble Rearrange the letters to spell something pertaining to cars.

T LG I S H

1. Maintained possession of 5. Dropsy 10. Type of music 12. One who is deliberately cruel 14. 411 16. Rhode Island 18. Follows sigma 19. Baked dessert 20. Craftsman 22. Austrian river 23. Distributed 25. Close 26. Midway between east and southeast 27. Thunderstorm code 28. Where wrestlers work 30. Away from (prefix) 31. Canadian law enforcers 33. Shade 35. Sir Samuel __, Brit. statesman 37. Della __, singer 38. Existing in fact 40. Tennis matches have at least two 41. Reunifying Chinese dynasty 42. Not just “play” 44. Angry 45. Photomultiplier tube 48. Slovenly person 50. __ and Diu 52. Cologne 53. What actors deliver 55. Campaigned 56. Cash machine 57. Spanish be 58. Animal that eats insects 63. Colonists who supported the British 65. Loved 66. A pair of people who live together 67. Work tools

CLUES DOWN

1. Kilogram force (abbr.)

2. Your consciousness of your own identity 3. Score 4. A way to modify 5. Respect 6. Midwife 7. Region near the Dead Sea 8. __ Gerais: gold-rich state of Brazil 9. Equally 10. Monetary units 11. The mentioning of things one by one 13. Traveling entertainers 15. Small island 17. A way to sing 18. __-bo: form of exercise 21. “The Bard” 23. The best player 24. Male parent 27. Harm the reputation of 29. Allow for the tare of 32. Grand __: wine classification 34. Soak 35. Bother 36. Ophthalmologist 39. Preceded 40. __ Francisco, California 43. Touch gently 44. Lithuanian given name 46. Matched 47. Stomach 49. Mother of all gods in Scots’ Celtic mythology 51. Partner to cheese 54. Fit of irritation 59. Visit 60. Suffragist Wells 61. Swearing to the truth of a statement 62. Old Red Sandstone 64. Sacred Hindu syllable

HOROSCOPES ARIES – March 21/Apr 20 It’s Aries season baby, and you’re feeling good!

Keep up this momentum and live your best life.

Listen to “Listen” by Beyoncé from the major motion picture “Dream Girls” five times in a row Thursday night.

TAURUS – April 21/May 21 Taurus, you are someone’s rock this week.

People are relying on you when it comes to emotional issues. Listen to “Hold Up” by Beyoncé Wednesday afternoon.

GEMINI – May 22/June 21 You are putting a strain on many relationships this week, Gemini. Think about your actions having consequences. Listen to “Irreplaceable”

by Beyoncé alone Friday night.

CANCER – June 22/July 22 You’re missing home, Cancer. Maybe it’s time to reconnect with a loved one. A relationship may be more repairable than you think. Listen to “XO” by Beyoncé Tuesday night.

LEO – July 23/Aug. 23 A looming deadline is stressing you out, Leo. You can make it though, you always do. Put your head down and work hard. Listen to “Survivor”

by Destiny’s Child Sunday morning.

VIRGO – Aug. 24/Sept. 22 A big responsibility is soon to consume your life, Virgo. Your patience and intelligence will help you excel in this unfamiliar territory. Listen to “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” by Beyoncé Monday afternoon.

LIBRA – Sept. 23/Oct. 23 You are quite frustrated with things out of your control, Libra. Try reasoning with people using their logic, even though you may not like it.

Listen to “Drunk in Love” by Beyoncé Friday morning.

SCORPIO – Oct. 24/Nov. 22 You just finished a project that you’ve worked very hard on! Congratulations, you deserve some recognition! Listen to “Til the End of Time (feat. Justin Timberlake)” by Beyoncé Saturday afternoon.

SAGITTARIUS – Nov. 23/Dec. 21 Sagittarius, you are feeling cooped up living in your current situation. You want to travel! Even if you can’t make a large trip work, start small.

Listen to “Freakum Dress” by Beyoncé Wednesday night.

CAPRICORN – Dec. 22/Jan. 20 Capricorn, you seem to be going through the motions lately. Do something out of the ordinary to get you out of this rut. Listen to “Beautiful Liar (feat. Shakira)” by Beyoncé Saturday night.

NOW HIRING

AQUARIUS – Jan. 21/Feb. 18 You are tiptoeing around a sensitive subject, Aquarius. Get to the point but be respectful.

Listen to “I Care” by Beyoncé Friday morning.

PISCES – Feb. 19/March 20 Pisces, the end of something is making you emotional. Make the most of the time you have left.

Listen to “7/11” by Beyoncé Monday night.

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS AD CONSULTANTS SEND YOUR RESUME TO HCHIU01@CALPOLY.EDU EMILY.MUSTANGNEWS@GMAIL.COM

TUESDAY • APRIL 17, 2018 | ARTS | MUSTANG NEWS

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Audio Engineering Society prepares for AudioCon Isabel Hughes @ isabeljhughes

Binding together art, science and math, audio engineering encompasses everything from music production to creating equipment that exports and plays sounds. Cal Poly’s Audio Engineering Society (AES) is a student-run club aiming to help students pursue careers in audio engineering. Although AES was founded years ago, electrical engineering junior and AES co-President Nathan Hatch said the club was previously just a collective of students with common interests. However, this year, AES is organizing fundraisers, Audio Convention (AudioCon) and other events. The club has been restructured as a collaborative group of students who are focused on making audio engineering education and networking more accessible to everyone interested.

“When it first started, it was just a few guys in a garage building speakers, and I think since then it [has] evolved more into a professional platform, a means of access for students that are passionate about the

music industry and audio technology to get into a career that reflects their passion,” Hatch said.

The students of AES have dedicated themselves day in and day out to organize the first ever AudioCon at Cal Poly which will take place in Chumash Auditorium and various classrooms May 3 and May 4. The first day will include a career fair with various reputable audio companies such as, Audio Precision and QSC Audio.

The second day will consist of educational workshops led by professionals as well as student presentations on audio-related projects. Hatch and other co-President generate engineering senior Anna Shabora said the shared enthusiasm for audio amongst those involved is a driving force for the convention.

“They want to interact, they want to share the knowledge, it’s not this esoteric thing,” Hatch said. “It can seem like that, but we want to demystify that process because for a lot of people coming here, they kind of hear about audio engineering and what the business is about, but there is no real concrete presence on campus.”

By facilitating AudioCon, AES hopes to

streamline knowledge about the audio field, which is still developing. Manufacturing engineering senior Bryan Hillenbrand compared audio engineering to a treasure hunt and explained that his fascination with the field stems from discovering the ways audio equipment functions and can be repaired.

“There are books about it, yes, but a lot of the very basic concepts are very well understood. People have established that very well, but when you get into why things behave the way they do or ways to fix a problematic behavior of a speaker, there’s 10 different answers to that,” Hillenbrand said.

There are 13 different engineering majors at Cal Poly, but none specifically focusing on audio engineering. Liberal studies and engineering senior Michelle Naziri said there is a need for new people in the audio engineering field and a need for an audio engineering educational path at Cal Poly.

“There are so many different institutions all around, especially in California, very focused on recording and more of the music side of things or becoming a producer, but there’s not much on creating the supplies to create those kind of artistic projects,” Naziri said.

“There isn’t really a school anywhere that’s doing that, so we want to tell Cal Poly that we want to be that school. We want to be that school that’s in between the [San Francisco] Bay Area and Los Angeles that can focus on audio and can bring more students for that

ISABEL HUGHES | MUSTANG NE W S

entire purpose.”

AES encourages anyone interested in audio to come to AudioCon to get their foot in the door, whether their interests are centered in the artistic side, the marketing and sales side or the engineering side of audio.

“Cal Poly and the West Coast has never seen students do something like this before,” Naziri said.

Hippies for Hope spreads color for a cause Emily Merten @ e_merten

Hippies for Hope is a nonprofit organization that spreads some color in children’s hospitals by donating tie-dye t-shirts to children with terminal illness. Business administration sophomore Michael Guidi recently brought a branch of the nationwide organization to Cal Poly.

For every tie-dye t-shirt purchased from Hippies for Hope, they will donate one to a children’s hospital.

“It’s to brighten their day and make kids happier,” Cal Poly President of Hippies for Hope Guidi said. “I don’t know many people who didn’t tie-dye as kids and I really liked that artistic interpretation of things.”

The club at Cal Poly was established and approved by Associated Students, Inc. in early April, making it the seventh branch of the nationwide organization. The Cal Poly branch marks the second branch on the West Coast after UC Berkeley.

The club aims to add vibrance to children’s hospitals instead of only raising money for the cause.

“Hospitals can be really sterile and blank,” environmental management and protection sophomore and Cal Poly Vice President of Hippies for Hope Ginny Dussell said. “Especially for a kid coming from a house full of

toys and colors, it probably wears on you while you’re going through this intense illness at such a young age. [Tie-dye t-shirts] are something to put on to know people in your local community want you to feel a little brighter, instead of being alone in a room full of adults.”

They held their first tie-dying event for members on the lawn of Lee Arms Apartments in San Luis Obispo April 7.

“I think we misunderstood how popular it would be,” Guidi said. “We only made 12 shirts and they were supposed to be for the executive board, but there was so much interest that we ended up selling nine.”

They held another tie-dying event a week later at the same spot. Music played from their speakers and friends gathered to dye 35 shirts.

“It’s a really positive environment where we can come together and do something that’s fun for us while helping other people,” business administration junior Emily Holloway said.

Hippies for Hope uses a special non-toxic dye from Dharma Trading Company and a special t-shirt brand, as stated in the national organization’s constitution. This ensures the shirts are free of toxins and safe for children with from terminal illnesses.

Once they sell enough shirts, they will match the amount and begin tie dying the children’s t-shirts. The club plans to deliver the shirts to the hospitals themselves so they can spend

time with the children.

In addition to donating t-shirts, Hippies for Hope plans to donate all extra funds accumulated to all-girls schools in Ethiopia.

“We liked the idea of an all-girls school because they’re significantly disadvantaged in third world countries,” Dussell said.

This is all in the future, according to Guidi. For now, their goal is to accumulate more members and spread awareness about the club.

COLORFUL

Hippies for Hope had a booth at the club showcase during Open House; they also plan to have a tie-dying station at SubSessions’ Life’s A Peach festival May 19.

The name of the club speaks to the initiative to impact positive change, according to Guidi.

“Hippies don’t necessarily have a normal mindset when it comes to following traditional routes,” Guidi said. “They want to make a change.”

EMILY MERTEN | MUSTANG NE W S

| Junior Hope Young volunteered to help tie dye T-shirts for Hippies for Hope.

Cal Poly Rugby Club opens postseason against top-ranked foe As the Cal Poly Rugby Club nears the end of a very successful year, the squad is doing everything they can to keep their season alive.

They will face a formidable foe Saturday, April 21 as the No. 16 Mustangs take on No. 1 Saint Mary’s Gaels in the first found of the Division 1A USA Rugby Playoffs.

The Mustangs already faced the Gaels this season and gave them a run for their money, but eventually lost. The teams squared off March 17 in Moraga, California in the Gaels’ house. The Mustangs held the Gaels to a 7-7 tie in the first half before Saint Mary’s pulled away, winning 36-17.

“Some teams have conceded 70-90 points to Saint Mary’s, so for us to be 7-all at halftime gave our guys a lot of confidence,” head coach James Tesoriero said. “They’re a very high-powered team, so if you give them too

much ball, they tend to put points on. In the second half, we gave them too much ball.”

The Mustangs lost, but are using what they learned to improve.

“There are no good losses, but tight games against great opponents give us confidence,” Tesoriero said. “We took that confidence into the San Diego State game and that was a very defining match last week.”

Cal Poly played rival No. 14 San Diego State April 7, winning the first side 29-22. Not only is San Diego State ranked higher than Cal Poly, but the upset win boosted the Mustangs into the playoff bracket.

The last time Cal Poly Rugby made the playoffs was in 2016, where they lost to Airforce in the first round. Team captain and manager, senior Alex Wormer said he is happy the way the team is playing in his final games on the field.

“It’s been a frustrating couple of years leading up to this, but actually having ev-

UNDERDOGS

CAL POLY RUGBY | COURTE SY PHOTO

| The No. 16 Mustangs will face top-ranked Saint Mary’s Saturday, April 21.

erything click together and move, it’s made it a lot easier to get the guys behind you,” Wormer said.

Tesoriero agreed with Wormer and said the play on the field has been some of the best rugby that he has seen Cal Poly play in his roughly four years with the team.

Wormer, a key cog in the Mustangs’ defense, said Cal Poly has the tools to take

78th Annual Poly Royal Rodeo returns to Spanos Stadium Sawyer Milam @SawyerMilam

The largest collegiate rodeo in the nation built upon the success of last year’s performance as the 78th annual Poly Royal Rodeo returned to Alex G. Spanos Stadium April 13-14. The program has expanded in recent years, with new students joining and improvements being made to the rodeo grounds.

At the Cinch Jeans Chute-Out Friday night, the Cal Poly team took second in two events.

Cal Poly agriculture graduate student Courtney Wood won first in goat tying. Saturday was the finals for qualifying rounds held earlier this week followed by performances by country act Chancey Williams and the Younger Brothers Band and country singer Aaron Watson. Cowboys and cowgirls competed in nine events over the two days of competition, including bareback riding, barrel racing, saddle bronc, breakaway roping and tie-down roping. The rodeos also included motorcycle stunts, clown acts and more.

“It is honestly so incredible, I’m graduating this year and to have seen this thing go from a little rodeo that we had at our practice arena to something that’s in the football stadium is absolutely incredible,” Cal Poly Rodeo Team President Cierra McClure said.

“It’s an honor to be a part of it.”

Cal Poly Rodeo coach Ben Londo said the expansion of the Poly Royal Rodeo has been an incredible experience.

“I tell you what, it still [kind of] takes you back. To be down here in a stadium this size, especially for a lot of these college students who this is probably the biggest rodeo they ever get to compete in,” Londo said. “This is probably the biggest and most attended rodeo they’ve been to and it’s neat to be a part of that, to be able to provide that experience for them.”

As a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) cowboy since 2003, Londo has amassed a long list of achievements, including three-time Saddle Bronc Champion for the Columbia River Circuit. Before he began competing in the PRCA, Londo earned Bareback Riding and All-Around Championship titles for two years running at the College National Finals Rodeo during his time on the Cal Poly Rodeo team.

“I think back at my time at Cal Poly and when I was in college rodeo and to be able to have an opportunity to do this would have been unreal and I know a lot of these students really appreciate that opportunity,” Londo said.

For the current Cal Poly rodeo team members, the experience of competing in

front of thousands of fans is unique, especially for the students who have been a part of the expansion to Spanos Stadium.

“My favorite part about competing is the adrenaline rush. It’s safe to say that all of us are adrenaline junkies,” McClure said.

“As far as being the president, I have met

PACKED HOUSE

down Saint Mary’s.

“I have to be a playmaker and go out there, organize the guys, and get into a position to be able to attack where they’re weak,” Wormer said.

If the Mustangs hope to advance past the first round of the playoffs, they will have to play better in the second half than they did the last time the two schools squared off. so many cool people working with different organizations and getting to know my teammates better too, so that was pretty cool for me.”

Students who have only experienced the rodeo under Spanos Stadium’s bright lights still consider it a thrilling experience.

“It’s such an experience to see all these people come together,” Cal Poly 2018 Rodeo Queen Jane Wood said. “[There are] so many fans rooting us on, it’s such a great experience for not only our horses but us as well to be in an atmosphere that would most likely be at a PRCA rodeo.”

CHRIS GATELEY | MUSTANG NE W S

| More than 11,000 fans flocked to Alex G. Spanos Stadium for the rodeo.

TUESDAY • APRIL 17, 2018 | SPORTS | MUSTANG NEWS

Joe Schutz @ JoeGannonSchutz

17

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