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OCD:
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More than being a perfectionist
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY GEORGIE DE MATTOS | MUSTANG NE WS
Emily Detweiler Special to Mustang News
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“I need to wash my hands every time someone touches them.” “I can’t stop doing homework. Even when it’s perfect.” “I have to check all the locks and stoves before I leave. Repeatedly.” “My thoughts consume me.” These are the things that people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) may face every day. Obsessive-compulsive disorder is distinguished by irrational thoughts or fears that further lead to tedious and repetitive behaviors. According to an Anxiety and Depression Association of America 2014 study, 2.2 million Americans are diagnosed with OCD — including some on Cal Poly’s campus. 192 of the 856 students at the Cal Poly Disability Resource Center have self-reported psychological impairments. The majority of these psychological impairments are anxiety cases, which include OCD.
OF STUDENTS IN THE DRC HAVE SELF-REPORTED PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPAIRMENTS The history
The majority of these are anxiety cases, which include OCD. SOURCE: Cal Poly Disability Resource Center
First acknowledged in the 1600s, and once labeled simply “religious melancholy,” OCD evolved as a concept based on Sigmund Freud’s ideas of mental structure, mental energies and defense mechanisms, according to Stanford Medicine. As time went on, advances in medicine have allowed scientists and psychologists to understand the biology of the disorder.
OCD at Cal Poly Eric Goodman, a licensed psychologist and lecturer at Cal Poly in the psychology graduate program, specializes in treating OCD. Goodman has helped more than 100 Cal Poly students diagnosed with OCD. Those diagnosed with OCD overreact to scary and unpleasant thoughts in their heads, and in an attempt to get rid of these thoughts, create ritualistic behaviors, Goodman said.
“The compulsions make the obsessions stronger and last longer,” Goodman said. “People feel stuck in a cycle.” Those suffering from OCD often know their thoughts are completely irrational, but are incapable of stopping them. The compulsions they experience can range from aggressive compulsions to contamination obsessions to religious obsessions to repeating rituals, like rewriting over and over again. It varies from person to person, depending specifically on their case. Animal science sophomore Katie Mazer was diagnosed with OCD in fourth grade. At that age, Mazer would have to hear her parents say goodnight to her every night before bed. It was more than habit. It was more serious than that. “If my parents didn’t say that they loved me back, every night before I went to sleep, if it wasn’t the last thing I heard, I thought they were going to die,” Mazer said. Mazer sought out professional help early on and now knows how to minimize her compulsions in her everyday life.
Cause Vanessa Dominguez, Training & Transitional Services Coordinator at Cal Poly Disability Resource Center, has 13 years of experience working with a variety of mental disorders, including OCD. While there is no clear cause for the disorder, according to Dominguez, it is sometimes a result of nature versus nurture — environmental surroundings versus genetic composition. “Though a person could be predisposed to the condition, it is the epigenetics, or the environment, that can really shape a diagnosis. It can all be intertwined, which is why it is difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of the disorder,” Dominguez said. “Everyone has a variety of different backgrounds and genetic makeups, which may correlate to increased
risk for OCD, but which (do) not define a singular cause for OCD.”
Treatments
istic tendencies is important in understanding the disorder, as well as respecting those who have it, Dominguez said “You hear the stereotypical term ‘Oh she’s so OCD,’ or ‘That was such an OCD moment,’ and when you step back and realize, that’s actually a disorder, that’s a diagnosis. Someone actually identifies as that way,” Domin-
Psychologists have developed a variety of different treatments that can help relieve obsessive-compulsive tendencies. Treatments for OCD include cognitive behavior therapy and pharmacotherapy, according to Disability Resource Center graduate intern Jesse Westfall. Cognitive behavior therapy can consist of cognitive therapy or exposure therapy; perhaps even both, Westfall said. “IF MY PARENTS DIDN’T SAY THAT Cognitive therapy THEY LOVED ME BACK, EVERY is when a counselNIGHT BEFORE I WENT TO SLEEP, or or therapist tries to talk through the IF IT WASN’T THE LAST THING I obsessions and HEARD, I THOUGHT THEY WERE compulsions with GOING TO DIE.” the patient. Exposure therapy is another type of therapy K ATIE MAZER that falls under cognitive ANIMAL SCIENCE SOPHOMORE behavior therapy. In exposure therapy, the patient is not allowed to act upon their compulsions. For example, a patient who washes their hands repeatedly throughout the day would guez said. “I know when I step not be allowed to wash their back and think about that, I hands in this sort of therapy. need to not say that because Pharmacotherapy is when the I’m having a perfectionistic patient is prescribed medication tendency, but I’m not OCD. It’s that fits their individual needs. very different.” Those who think they may OCD misconceptions have OCD tendencies can take O n e c o m m o n m i s c o n - a screening for OCD provided ception of OCD compul- on the Anxiety and Depressions is they are the same as sion Association of America perfectionistic tendencies. website, print out the results People with OCD cannot and show them to a health care control the actions that cause professional. This screening is them distress. The actions are not a diagnosis, only a list of unwanted behaviors that cause questions to assist the health them to act a certain way. It care professional. becomes a disorder when the The Cal Poly Health and compulsions start to interfere Wellness Center has counselwith their social, school and ing services that can help and work life, according to Westfall. further lead patients to ongoTucking bed sheets a certain ing care in the community, as way, being overly hygienic or well as the Disability Resource excessively organized are per- Center and PULSE. Academfectionistic tendencies, not ob- ic centers, including departsessive-compulsive. ment tutors, offer resources for Distinguishing the difference those with mental impairments between OCD and perfection- as well.
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Thursday, February 25, 2016
NEWS | 2
What to know for the upcoming ASI elections Naba Ahmed @nabaahmed
“Make your Mark” is the 2016 election theme for Associated Students, Inc. (ASI). The first deadline is coming up this week. All students must submit applications for candidacy, or candidate packets for either ASI President or ASI Board of Directors by Friday, Feb. 26 at 4 p.m. Candidate packets include the Candidate Filing Form (Form A), Candidate Statement of Honesty and Campaign Integrity (Form B), Campaign Team Declaration and Statement of Integrity (Form C), ASI Presidential Petition Form (Form D — not required for Board of Directors candidates), Candidate Campaign Close-Out Statement (Form E) and Candidate Statement (submitted electronically to Candidate Statements), all of which can be found on the ASI website. ASI President According to ASI President and agricultural business senior Owen Schwaegerle, students who are filing for presidential candidacy should be ready to represent the entire student population. “The best qualities of ASI (presidential) candidates (need) to be someone who really loves Cal Poly and wants to give back to students here and to our campus,” Schwaegerle said. “It has to be someone who is in it for the right reasons, and also someone who will be a good advocate for students and their needs.” Next year, there are a few important topics the president will need to focus on, including com-
munity relations, diversity initiatives and student representation, Schwaegerle said. “Community relations (are) always a pressing concern because we need to improve our relationship with the city of San Luis Obispo,” Schwaegerle said. “Another one is diversity initiatives so we would make sure that our student government members are trained on topics of diversity and inclusivity. When it comes to the future development of campus, it is important that we have a strong voice representing the students and allowing their voices to be heard.” ASI Board of Directors While the next ASI president will be elected into office through a majority of student votes, the seats on the Board of Directors will be elected in a slightly different manner, ASI Recruitment and Development Committee Chair Seth Borges said. “Every year, each seat on the Board of Directors is up for grabs,” said Borges, an agricultural business senior. “Instead of a majority of the student body vote, the Board of Directors seats are chosen by a majority of students in each college.” There are currently five seats for every college on the Board of Directors, with the exception of the Orfalea College of Business having four seats and the College of Architecture and Design having three seats. Through their portal, students will have the opportunity to choose up to five students to represent their college. In order to become Chair of the Board and the Chair of the University Union Advisory Board
MUSTANG NEWS FILE PHOTO LONG R ACE
| ASI president Owen Schwaegerle campaigned for nearly a month against competitors Lance Collins and Kyle Jordan.
(UUAB), students must already have a seat on the Board of Directors. The Chair of the Board is elected by a majority vote of the current Board of Directors. The chair of the UUAB for the upcoming year is elected by a majority vote of the UUAB student members. There will be a mandatory candidates’ meeting on Thursday, March 3 at 11 a.m. Candidate Media Day will take place on Tuesday, April 5, from 6-8 p.m. at the MultiActivity Center. “Everyone that applies is considered a pre-candidate after the mandatory candidate meeting
until the active campaigning period because we will be doing eligibility checks through the Dean of Students office,” Borges said. In April 2014, presidential pre-candidate Will Blumhardt and 15 students running for Board of Directors seats were disqualified for not meeting eligibility requirements. According to the Dean of Students representative Bernard Anderson, eligibility checks will be done in two waves. “Generally, it takes a couple of days because it requires me to work with the registrar’s office and then also the Office of
Student Rights and Responsibilities to also perform disciplinary checks,” Anderson said. “The first wave will be to check if pre-candidates have a 2.0 Cal Poly GPA (grade point average) and once winter grades are in at the end of the quarter, I have to do a secondary check to see that candidates have a 2.3 quarterly GPA for winter term.” As for the election events, there will be an open forum on Tuesday, April 12 at 11 a.m. on the Julian A. McPhee University Union (UU) Plaza Stage. The election begins on Wednesday, April 20 at 9 a.m. and will end Thursday,
April 21 at 9 a.m. The election announcement will follow at 11 a.m. The campaign close-out statement will be due Monday, April 25 at 4 p.m. Borges said that students should go beyond putting up posters when active campaigning begins on Sunday, April 10 at 5 p.m. “Get your name out. Go talk to clubs and student organizations,” Borges said. “A lot of people think that plastering the campus is one way to get it done, but honestly the more students you can have a face-to-face interaction with helps a lot more.”
Keg registration unlikely to move forward Wren Fox @thirdculturechr
Resident groups in San Luis Obispo are suggesting a more stringent keg registration process in response to loud noises at night from the student neighborhoods around campus. The idea was first brought up in September 2015 by groups known as The Neighborhood Wellness/Community Civility Group and Residents for Quality Neighborhoods. The ultimate goal of stricter regulation would be to lower the amount of noise and disturbances caused by drinking city-wide. City officials are attempting to discuss the issue before summer in order to include the voice of student groups, as well as introduce a party registration program for Fall 2016. The proposed party registration program would allow students to receive a nonbinding warning before getting a ticket if authorities receive complaints
about the registered location. Neighborhood outreach manager Christine Wallace has been conducting citywide research on keg sales. “We have received excellent feedback from both Cal Poly students and staff,” Wallace said. “Highly important issues that involve students will most likely be decided upon during the academic year.” Keg Registration The State of California requires kegs to be registered upon purchase, as mandated by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Existing laws require merchants to identify each keg by placing an identification number on the side of the container that can be traced back to the buyer. Because keg registration is already required by the state, some San Luis Obispo officials doubt that additional keg registration framework would be needed or that more require-
ments would pass into city law. The city council has been exploring the idea of additional keg registration, yet council member John Ashbaugh said the statewide laws currently in place are successful enough. “Because of the laws already in effect, I definitely do not think that the city needs to duplicate what the state already requires,” Ashbaugh said. “I really want the city to be looking at citywide party registration instead, which would make more progress toward some of the problems that I think the groups who suggested keg registration are trying to address.” San Luis Obispo’s new Police Chief Deanna Cantrell made similar points. According to Cantrell, keg registration is still on the city agenda and is a topic brought up in the city civility report, but has little likelihood of passing into law. “I am really not sure how the keg registration that is being proposed would look any different than what the city and state already does,” Cantrell said. “I do not think that it’s going to happen or progress, but
we are trying to get the issue dent body, as a majority of stufigured out before spring ends dents were out of town. at Cal Poly, before all the stuAccording to Wallace, keg dents leave for summer.” registration is set to come to Wallace has contacted sever- the city council meeting on al student groups about their April 19, which student groups keg purchasing habits, includ- are free to attend and voice ing greek life, which is already their opinions. forbidden from purchasing kegs for registered social events. According to Wallace, the number of kegs purchased at a local BevMo! location has fallen, but information is still being “A PARTY REGISTRATION gathered from other venPOLICY WOULD ALLOW FOR dors. Research is being done NEIGHBORS AND THE CITY TO to see what groups, if any, ANTICIPATE AMPLIFIED MUSIC are still purchasing a majoriAND A POSSIBLE EXTENDED ty of kegs. Students make up NOISE ORDINANCE FOR THE approximately 58 percent REGISTERED ADDRESS” of the city’s population and it’s likely that some student groups will be seen as major JOHN ASHBAUGH purchasers because of their majority population. Cantrell also said the best way to address student-oriented issues is to do it during the academic year, while most students are present in San Luis Obispo. Many student groups exThe city council passed new pressed that they felt left out unruly gathering ordinances of the democratic process over the summer of 2015 with when the new unruly gatherlittle to no input from the stu- ing ordinances were passed over the summer. Because of this, a discussion to finalize a citywide party registration program will resume in the fall when a majority of Cal Poly students are in town, according to Cantrell. Party registration Implementing a citywide party registration policy is something that both Ashbaugh and Cantrell are interested in pursuing in the near future. “A party registration policy would allow for neighbors and the city to anticipate amplified music and a possible extended noise ordinance for the registered address,” Ashbugh said. “But a host would most likely have to prove to the city
that they have no objection from some of their immediate neighbors prior to hosting an event.” According to Cantrell, party registration would take up fewer emergency services and allow for city resources to be spent more efficiently. The Student Neighborhood Assistance Program can issue Disturbance Advisory Cards (DACs), but getting a DAC leads many renters toward fines by their landlords. Under a party registration program, an actual nonbinding warning would be given to a host if his or her event got too loud. The warning would not go to the landlord or any exterior party if the issue is addressed correctly and in an allotted amount of time. The registration system, as well as not registering a party, would be optional. However, receiving a noise complaint at an unregistered party would leave the host in danger of getting a ticket or DAC. Greek organizations currently have to register their parties with Cal Poly, but it’s unknown whether the city will partner with Cal Poly for those registration documents in the future. “The whole point of this system is to see that if we come out once to your registered event, will you quiet down?” Cantrell said. “Because the event is registered, we would already know some details about it if a call came in. So a warning would be given to the host on file to fix the issue or shut down the event. The student population invests heavily in the community here and give the city so much talent so I feel like we could all benef it f rom a par tnership like this.”
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Thursday, February 25, 2016
ARTS | 4
Mr. and Mrs. Uber tell all: ‘The Uber Files’ and more Will Peischel @CPMustangNews
The relationship between Cal Poly students and the permanent residents of San Luis Obispo isn’t always a particularly sound marriage. Students look across the train tracks and see a community with little interest in the antics of college. The common sentiment that they’re just trying to ruin our fun carries through the breeze down the student enclave that is Hathway Street. The community retorts with noise ordinances and the parental demand for order. Few empathetic concessions are made, and either end of San Luis Obispo is a mystery to the other. Brandon Jones was afforded the unique opportunity to work a job that effortlessly jumped over the line that divides the town. Uber drivers cart both students and town folk — the application does not discriminate. Uber drivers’ experiences come in bite-sized form — they gain momentary insight on the life of whoever climbs into the passenger seat. Jones is a San Luis Obispo resident and 1984 Cal Poly graduate. He and his wife, Nancy, began to drive in order to mitigate their teenage son’s incoming college tuition. When they weren’t on the clock with Uber, Brandon writes about financial markets and helps create e-books while Nancy works at Cuesta College as a facilities coordinator. When they began in June, two
things happened. First, the Joneses interacted with Cal Poly students on a much more intimate level, which led them to see that students are people too. “The loudest voice is the one that always gets heard,” Brandon said. “At Cal Poly, the voices that are heard are the people who are downtown on a Saturday night or the party up the street from your house. There are 19,000 students at Cal Poly. My guess is that 70 percent (of students) aren’t those people. They’re just coming here to do their thing, get an education, get out in the world and grow up. Those were the people we were meeting a lot of.” The next, more implicative realization the Joneses crossed was that while most rides weren’t particularly profound, their unique positions as Uber drivers exposed them to a myriad of quintessentially human moments. Brandon created a blog, “The Uber Files,” to chronicle their experiences under the monikers Mr. and Mrs. Uber Driver. “One thing led to another, and I was meeting so many cool people we decided to put up ‘The Uber Files’ and start telling the story of these people we were meeting,” he said. According to Nancy Jones, the purpose of the moniker wasn’t to hide themselves from Uber. The Joneses point out that Uber, being a monolithic company, sees any publicity as good publicity. “Uber seems to be of the mindset that any publicity is good,” she said.
“It’s a little bit like Donald Trump, it doesn’t matter if it’s positive or negative, the word ‘Uber’ is getting out there. We felt pretty safe.” Either way, the content of “The Uber Files” isn’t inflammatory about the characters — who remain unnamed, anyway. The Joneses found their way into fascinating, fleeting glimpses of riders and they want to share the experience. “There were some buttheads for sure, but if you’re a positive person, you find the positive in life,” Brandon said. “If not, you write about the shitty stuff, but my goal in meeting people was: ‘Yeah, let’s spread the word and goodness.’ God knows there’s enough horror in the world.” Nancy echoed her husband’s words, mentioning that it isn’t particularly hard to stay positive while driving in San Luis Obispo. “The number of kids who I met who are doing really cool things and are excited about what they’re doing — it’s inspiring,” she said. That mentality shines through the stories, which aren’t always particularly light-hearted in content, but always find something redeeming in the experience. The first story published on the blog was from Brandon. He sat in the driver’s seat, a fly on the wall, while the man in the backseat tried to convince the woman he was with to have sex with him. The man cited the woman’s promiscuous ways with his friends as a reason for her to submit, despite her clear disinterest. “Then, the girl leans forward and
GEORGIE DE MATTOS | MUSTANG NE WS CAPTURING MOMENTS | “The Uber Files” was a project created to document two drivers’ experiences.
she says to me, ‘Mr. Uber Driver, you don’t think I’m a slut or something, do you?’ I said, ‘Kiddo, it’s not my place to judge you. You can trust me on this. You’re going to be the best judge of you your whole life.’ Then they went back to the conversation.” Back to a fly on the wall. When he posted the story, he concluded with two realizations. “I had no need to judge her sexual escapades because I remembered my own youthful indiscretions and realized that kids today are fundamentally no different than they were a few decades ago,” Brandon said. The next piece of parting wisdom came along with the fact that soon his own son would be the age of the man in the back seat. “I sincerely hoped (my son) would not be that guy in my back seat,” he said. Unfortunately for Mr. and Mrs. Uber, the price of tickets into the lives of strangers became too high. According to the Joneses Uber cut
the wages for its drivers three times between June 2015 and January 2016. Uber is a company, and the human condition doesn’t necessarily equate to profit. Last month, the Joneses concluded their employment with Uber. Despite the unique experience it provided, pay lowered beyond a threshold considered sustainable by the couple. “I’m most disappointed with Uber itself,” Nancy said. “I’m most sad about the fact that it has to be the corporate machination that they’re taking this path. It’s just disappointing.” According to Brandon, the phenomenon, while disappointing, wasn’t anything new. “It’s traditional corporatocracy,” he said. “The first goal is to capture the market. We’ve certainly seen that in the Industrial Era. Go build the machines, get the people involved and then cut the wages.” A cut in wages isn’t the only change in dynamic for the Uber
economy in San Luis Obispo. Another local Uber driver, mechanical engineering junior Chris Steese, noted that San Luis Obispo has become a less enticing place to drive for reasons other than lower wages. “You get such short trips here, so you don’t ever really know what’s coming. I can’t calculate what gets deducted until after the fact with gas, taxes and things like that. If I do make a $5 trip and I only see $2.50, it doesn’t end up being worth it.” According to Steese, a spike in available drivers has also overflooded the area. Despite changes that ended the short-lived ‘Uber Files,’ the Joneses micro encounters with the human condition will last forever. Thirteen blog posts of those interactions are available on their website theuberfiles.com. Brandon and Nancy aren’t so bitter about being pushed out of the business. They’re just happy some folks came along for the ride. “In the end,” Brandon grinned with his eyes, “we are altruistic.”
Jeanette Walls shatters her ‘Glass Castle’ with optimism and openness Madi Salvati @MadiSalvati
Suffering and joy come in twos, according to The New York Times best-selling author of “The Glass Castle,” Jeanette Walls. Walls discussed her novel Sunday afternoon with a packed auditorium at the Christopher Cohan Performing Arts Center (PAC). “You take something unpleasant and flip it around, and the other side is a blessing, too,” Walls said. “If you don’t take the good that comes with all of that experience, it is just a bad experience.” Walls’ memoir “The Glass Castle” has been a New York Times best-seller for almost seven years, and has sold 4.5 million copies in the United States alone, according to the PAC website. It is a story that describes her childhood growing up in the American Southwest, and then in a mining town in West Virginia. Andrea Hockett, 52, was in the audience watching Walls speak about her life and her book. “Her story is one that will make you laugh, cry and hold
your breath,” Hockett said. “She is phenomenal.” Walls came from a family of two siblings and two negligent parents, “who managed at once to neglect them, love them and teach them to face their fears,” the PAC program stated. Walls graced the stage with a collected composure that was relaxed, but strong. Immediately, she began her talk with an anecdote about her mother. “I thought I had made it,” Walls said, referring to her career in journalism before writing her memoir. “I had been on television and interviewed people like Tom Cruise and Julia Roberts. One day I was on my way to some fabulous event in some fabulous designer clothes and my taxi got stuck.” She seemed to almost be boasting about the life she used to have, working as a journalist who wrote about celebrities. But as she said after, that was the person she used to be. “I glanced out the window of the taxi and I saw a homeless woman rummaging through the garbage,” she said. “When I got a
good look at her, I realized it was my mother and the emotion that overwhelmed me was not love for my mother, it was fear.” Walls explained that she was afraid she would be found out, that someone would discover the truth about her past. “When I got home that night, I paced around my apartment and I looked in the mirror,” she said. “I didn’t particularly like the person I saw.” That was when Walls decided she was going to tell the truth: Her mother and father were homeless, and Walls was practically raised the same way, running from the cops and acting as a squatter with her parents and siblings until she was 16. Her story is one of resilience and one that is often hard to understand in ways of forgiveness. “People ask me all the time how could I possibly forgive my parents for the way I was raised,” she said. “But it’s less about forgiveness and more about acceptance.” Walls went on to explain that she came to the conclusion that she wasn’t going to sit around and
wait for her mother to become a traditional mother, because that wasn’t the person her mother was. “You can love the person for who they are, or you can not love that person and you might not need them in your life at all. It’s not an easy process.” Lena Friedman, 54, appreciated Walls recapturing her story and telling it in such an authentic way. “We’ve been in the same book club for 15 years,” Friedman said, referring to the other women she was with. “And to see her recapture her experience was just amazing.” Walls’ experiences were not all heartbreaking, as she described one memory of her father. “I was 5 years old and we had no money for Christmas presents and my father took us out into the desert (one) night,” Walls began. “And my father had each of us look up into the sky and choose whatever star we wanted. I chose Venus. Dad had to explain to me that Venus was not a star at all, it was just a planet. And he said, ‘What the hell, it’s Christmas. You want a planet, you got a planet.’”
LISA WOSKE | COURTESY PHOTO TRANSPARENT | Walls discussed her novel and shared personal stories.
Her father’s gift of the planet Venus is still her most treasured gift today, Walls said. Sue Haas, 60, who was at the event with friends, loved Walls’ demeanor on stage and her speaking ability. “She was very positive and uplifting,” Haas said. “A great presence and speaker.”
Walls’ life and experiences are examples of great lessons in dealing with pain and suffering in a positive and uplifting way. “Everything in life is a blessing and a curse, but it is entirely up to us, which side we choose to focus on,” she said. “Life has been so good to me, such a blessing. Life is beautiful.”
Thursday, February 25, 2016
ARTS | 5
The process of ‘The Crucible’
Sabrina Thompson @sthomp_jour
The Cal Poly Theatre and Dance Department welcomes Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” to the stage this week. In talking with the cast, crew and creators of this production, the journey to the final rise and fall of the curtain has been exciting and educational. Production for the show started in September, with the production team holding meetings about the visions and ideas they had for the show. “In approaching this production, I wanted to play with the idea of how and why narratives about the past are constructed,” director Heidi Nees said about her vision for this show. The show was in full swing at the start of winter quarter. Once everyone was cast, rehearsals started the first Tuesday of January and will continue until March 6. Rehearsals are held from 7-10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays.
The first step for the actors was developing their character. Due to the historical nature of the show, their research centered around real people and their stories. Nees instilled an importance in character analysis for her cast, so each character became a well-researched and developed persona. The show’s dark subject matter created a somber atmosphere during rehearsals. Fortunately, the cast had built bonds with each other that made rehearsals fun. Offstage the cast would quietly talk amongst each other, or work on homework for classes. The actors onstage would alternate between the serious dramatizations of their characters in a scene, and their happy selves when notes were being given or when they had a moment to break character. “I like to do a lot of character analysis, and by going through that process I was really able to understand the character and every single line of every character that I interact with, or that I say,” English senior
IT BEGINS The first week of production starts with a table read. The cast sits and reads through the script getting a feel for their characters. Meanwhile, construction of the costumes and the set has already started in their respective theater classes.
IN THE SPACE The cast continues runthroughs as the set is completed and work on costumes is wrapping up. They are just about ready to go into the performance space and become fully emmersed in their show. “This is always something I’ve wanted to do,” said liberal arts and engineering studies senior Kyvon Brown, who plays Francis Nurse. “I’m graduating soon, so I thought, ‘Why not take the time to do what I want to do?’”
THINGS GET TECHNICAL The tech crew comes into rehearsals. As the actors run through the scenes, a trained group of theater technicians go from cue to cue, making sure lights and sounds come on and off when they are supposed to, adding another dimension to the show.
THE PAYOFF It’s opening week. Dress rehearsals flow into previews of the show and Thursday night, Feb. 25 curtains rise for the audience with the first weekend of performances.
Karlee Benner, who plays Mary Warren, said. While the actors discovered their characters, the production crew was hard at work building the other elements that create the show. Like the cast, the stage craft class started building the set right away. In an effort to bring audiences into the woodland setting, set designer Pegi Marshall helped lead the class in building a performance space using reclaimed wood and culls from a lumberjack in Santa Margarita and large pieces of trees from Cal Poly’s liberal arts and engineering studies (LAES). Marshall also designs the lighting for the show. “This show is obviously not a very bright show, so I wanted to play with the lighting a little bit,” Marshall said. “We are working without walls, which is different for both the actors and the technical crew.” Meanwhile the costume crew, led by theatre professor Thomas John Bernard, was creating costumes. After reading the script and talking in production meetings, Nees wanted
to show the correlation between the past and the present through the costumes. To achieve this, Bernard designed looks he described as “modern fresh puritan quality” and a “sort of blended design.” The costume construction class offered at Cal Poly was a big help in building, fixing, altering and hemming the costume pieces. There are 23 full costumes put together by two people, Bernard and costume shop manager Sarah Bryan, as well as the costume construction class. It was around the sixth week when the actors first stepped onto the stage to rehearse. A new rehearsal space welcomed them with almost completed costumes and set. By the seventh week of rehearsals, the crew added even more technical elements as they went cue by cue to add sounds and illuminate the show. It was also at this time that the publication of the show reached its most crucial point. A publicity team led by theatre junior Tori Waner garnered interest for the show in multiple ways.
ACT 1: ON YOUR FEET After the read through, the cast starts blocking, planning out their movements and where they will stand. During this time the actors explore their characters.
TIMELINE
WHAT’S YOUR MOTIVATION? Everyone in the cast has now had the chance to delve deep into their characters. Rehearsals become more about motivating each movement and building an appropriate reaction to what is going on in the moment. This becomes clearer each time Nees stops an actor to ask, “How do you feel about what you are doing?”
“We went to different departments and professors on campus, particularly the English and history faculty,” Waner said. “We also went to local businesses to put out posters and flyers publicizing this event.” Beyond the physical publication, Waner’s team took to social media to post updates and keep audience members informed about the show’s progress. The team used Facebook to create events and gain support for the production. As rehearsals wrap up and preparations for opening night begin, the cast and crew find enjoyment in each other’s company and the opportunities to learn new things about what it takes to put on a play like “The Crucible.” The show runs Feb. 25-27 and March 3-5. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show begins at 8 p.m. in Alex and Faye Spanos Theatre. Tickets are available for purchase at the box office, or online at tickets.calpoly.edu. Ticket prices range from $12 to $20.
ACT 2: KEEP MOVING The cast continues to block out their movements, now in Act 2 of the play. Many actors have a good understanding of their character but continue to find out more information in their research. “It was pretty cool to go through everything and see who she was as a person,” said biochemistry freshman Riley Clark, who plays Tituba.
ALL IN THE FAMILY Once everything has been blocked out it is time to run the show, There are no scripts and hopefully no stopping, unless Director Heidi Nees has some notes to give to an actor. In rehearsals if an actor is not onstage there is plenty of bonding as they practice lines or take time to relax, quitely chatting amongst each other. In the theater, the people you spend hours with in rehearsal become your family. Actors laugh and cheer each other on, creating a place where the room is brimming with talent as well as happiness.
PHOTOS BY SABRINA THOMPSON AND GABBY PA JO | MUSTANG NE WS
Thursday, February 25, 2016
OPINION | 6
Refereeing the UU referendum Liana Riley @CPMustangNews
Liana Riley is a political science senior and Mustang News opinion editor. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints or editorial coverage of Mustang News. If you haven’t seen the sleek images juxtaposing an idyllic scenery of students studying while others enjoy a drink at the sports bar with presumably all-legal drinkers in the middle of the day, then do you actually attend Cal Poly? Sorry for the sly dig at your school attendance, but this is the truth considering how contentious the “This is your UU” campaign has become on campus in recent weeks. I don’t know about you, but I have been bombarded with Julian A. McPhee University Union (UU) flyers and a 20-minute Q&A about the new UU in at least three of my classes. There are promotional videos on replay in the UU, Facebook pages dedicated to the cause and websites both opposing and promoting it. This is no small undertaking. The $180 million project boasts a bar and grill, more study space, healthier dining options and additional areas designated to cross
cultural centers. Yet there have been objections about the expansion, calling it wasteful, excessive and, most commonly, expensive. And I must agree. It is hard to stomach the idea of such luxury on a campus where most of the teachers barely earn a living wage. This brings me to my two major problems with the UU expansion: 1. The conflicting nature of the interests of the noncollegiate residents and the university. 2. This is an effort that could be dedicated to improving other campus resources. First and foremost, the residents of San Luis Obispo and Cal Poly have a conflicting dynamic when it comes to virtually every issue in the city’s history. Anytime there is even the slightest whisper of expansion, a whole city council meeting is dedicated to protest the university’s agenda without question. Yet the school continues to develop newer, more expensive infrastructure that clearly is in conflict with the small town atmosphere that the residents of San Luis Obispo have tirelessly fought to maintain for decades. At one time there was talk of building a road connecting Prado Road to South Higuera Street, and the entire city was
up in arms with picket signs the next morning. The new UU is not just a construction project, it is a symbol for Cal Poly’s transformation into an innovative university with modern infrastructure, pioneering the way with its Learn by Doing attitude. It seems as if many of these changes are far too little too late. What we are attempting to make up for with shiny new buildings, we are seriously lacking in the classroom level. Specifically, the faculty-administration conflict of 2015. The argument for higher faculty salaries, which we are all familiar with by now, is rearing its head again. How can our administration justify this venture when our faculty is currently in talks of striking over their salaries? One of the major complaints echoed by students across the board is: Why aren’t we spending this money elsewhere? This brings me to one of my concessions: the money is coming from a bond from the state government. To my understanding, it is not as if we can simply transfer these funds directly to our campus faculty, classrooms or student tuition. So if we can spend the money in only one way, maybe it isn’t such a bad thing if it goes toward improved
building development. And, of course I do have concessions, no one looks at the Recreation Center in hindsight and regrets its development. If anything, it is a source of pride for Cal Poly students, a point of interest for prospective students. So could the glorious UU become something as Cal Poly proud, in a similar vein as its predecessor? The concept of a bigger UU with better infrastructure, de-
sign and purpose sounds like a great investment on paper, but in practice I fear that the disconnect between the wants of the students, administration and city residents is far too challenging. The referendum deciding the UU’s future is Feb. 24-25. Make it a priority to vote and help cement the future of this campus. Don’t forget, hindsight, like the UU projected date of completion, is 20/20.
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Letter to the editor:
WRITE A LETTER
An update from Owen Schwaegerle
Owen Schwaegerle is an agribusiness senior, and is serving as this year’s Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) president. Letters to the editor do not reflect the opinion or editorial coverage of Mustang News. To the editor: I wanted to provide Cal Poly students with an update on what projects and initiatives ASI Student Government has been working on. Last spring, when I was elected to serve the students, I campaigned on three S’s: student fees, student safety and school spirit. In order to provide more transparency between ASI Student Government and the student body, I wanted to highlight what we’ve worked on so far. Student fees: 1. The Flex Your Right voter registration campaign successfully registered approximately 2,000 students to participate in the upcoming elections, which will enable students to vote for legislators that support the California State University (CSU). 2. The California State Student Association (CSSA) was successful in lobbying for Assembly Bill 798, the Affordable Textbook
Act, in the fall. This bill was designed to lower the costs of textbooks by encouraging faculty to adopt low-cost, high-quality educational resources. 3. The Sustainable Financial Model for the CSU is a document that was put together to develop alternative revenue sources to alleviate the burden of students paying for college. Cal Poly supported CSSA’s resolution on the model. 4. ASI Student Government co-sponsored the Congressional Debate for the 24th District, and all of the tickets were sold out. I’m proud of our students for getting politically involved! 5. Student directors and staff on the Student Success Fee Advisory Allocation Committee allocated $500,000 in one-time money to double the size of the 24-hour room at Kennedy Library and increase the number of group study spaces throughout the building. The renovation of classrooms in building 22 was allotted $450,000, and $50,000 was given to the Cross Cultural Centers for programming. To read more about the allocations, please go to: www.afd.calpoly.edu 6. The Julian A. McPhee University Union (UU) Referendum has been in the works since 2013,
after a survey was conducted to gauge what areas on campus students are interested in seeing improved. I encourage each student to get educated about the UU, and the $199 fee increase, prior to voting on Feb. 24 and 25. Please go to www.createtheuu. com to receive more information before casting your votes at the end of the month. Student safety: 1. ASI partnered with the University Police Department (UPD) at the end of last spring to bring the Tapshield app to our campus. This app allows students to communicate potential threats,
held a 5k to raise money for a K9. Student Government members helped post flyers, engaged in social media advertising and gathered a team to participate in the event. 3. The ASI Executive Cabinet is partnering with PULSE to create a Mental Health Awareness week in May called “Buck the Stigma.” School spirit: 1. In the fall, ASI sponsored an event called Good Neighbor Day in which nearly 80 students participated in a trash pickup in nearby neighborhoods. 2. ASI Student Government hosted a tailgate before the
LAST SPRING, WHEN I WAS ELECTED TO SERVE THE STUDENTS, I CAMPAIGNED ON THREE S’S: STUDENT FEES, STUDENT SAFET Y AND SCHOOL SPIRIT. OWEN SCHWAEGERLE ASI PRESIDENT
alert friends or family of their location and easily contact safety authorities if need be. I strongly encourage each student to download this app and use it. 2. Earlier this quarter, UPD
Homecoming game and a double-header basketball game at the end of fall quarter to encourage students to cheer on Athletics. 3. The Be Present Challenge earlier this quarter had 600 stu-
dents download the app PocketPoints to promote the importance of focusing in class without the distraction of cell phones. 4. Every quarter, ASI Green Team engages in recruitment. If you would like to be involved with ASI Student Government, please come to Baker Science (Building 180), room 112 on Fridays from 12-1 p.m. for our weekly Green Team meeting. 5. The Make Your Mark campaign informs students on how to run for ASI Board of Directors and ASI president for the 201617 school year. The deadline for submitting applications is Feb. 26. Thank you for allowing me to serve you as ASI President this year. It has definitely been a time of growth and humility. There are other events in the making to discuss student fees, increase student safety and promote school spirit. I am excited to finish this year strong and am truly honored to serve. Letters to the editor may be submitted to editor@mustangnews. net with the subject line “Letter to the editor” to be considered for publication. Submissions should not exceed 700 words, and should include a headline, and your year, major or position.
Mustang News reserves the right to edit letters for grammar, profanities and length. Letters, commentaries and cartoons do not represent the views of Mustang News. Please limit length to 500 words. Letters should include the writer’s full name, phone number, major and class standing. Letters must come from a Cal Poly email account. Do not send letters as an attachment. Please send the text in the body of the email. EMAIL editor@mustangnews.net ADVERTISING EMAIL advertising@mustangnews.net MAIL Letters to the Editor Building 26, Room 226 Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, CA 93407 ONLINE mustangnews.net
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Thursday, February 25, 2016
SPORTS | 8
Women’s golf finishes eighth in Gold Rush tournament Tommy Tran @CPMustangNews
The women’s golf team placed eighth in The Gold Rush Intercollegiate hosted by Long Beach State. The Mustangs competed against 15 teams, including No. 1 women’s golf powerhouse USC, at Old Ranch Country Club in Seal Beach on Monday and Tuesday. Cal Poly tallied a final score of 914 (+50) after three rounds at the par-72 course. The teams played two rounds of golf on Monday and ended with one final round on Tuesday. Cal Poly scored 303 in the first round and 305 in the second, tying with Boise State for seventh place after Day One.
But both teams were bumped down once Gonzaga moved up in the ranks on Tuesday to sixth place. Boise State (+48) finished two strokes ahead of Cal Poly, claiming the seventh-place title and dropping the Mustangs down a spot to eighth. The competition was close, with the Mustangs finishing right behind Boise State and only one stroke ahead of ninth-place Nevada. Sophomore Jamie Binns was Cal Poly’s top performer, posting a total score of 226 after a final-round 75. She tied for 23rd place individually in the tournament. Sophomore Jamie Harada finished one stroke behind Binns at 227 and posted a 74 in her final
round to tie for 26th. Senior Madison Hirsch led the Mustangs on Monday with a team low of 72 and 76, but ended with a third round tally of 80 on Tuesday, totaling 228. USC finished the competition one stroke under par with a total score of 863. Out of the four Big West Conference teams that participated in The Gold Rush, the Mustangs had the second-best showing, behind the Long Beach State, that finished third overall with a final score of 890 (+26). The women’s golf team returns home next week to host the Bruin Wave Invitational on Monday and Tuesday at the San Luis Obispo Country Club with an 8 a.m. tee time.
FILE PHOTO | MUSTANG NE WS
Baseball hosts UCLA, Michigan in busy weekend for Cal Poly sports Ty Schilling @CPMustangNews
The women’s basketball team’s Senior Day and the baseball team’s second series of the season highlight an upcoming weekend of blood, sweat and tears for Cal Poly Athletics. The women’s basketball team begins the week on Wednesday, taking on Long Beach State in Mott Athletics Center. The team returns to Mott for Senior Day on Saturday, a 2 p.m. game against UC Santa Barbara and the last home contest of the season. The men’s basketball team continues home competition on Thursday, hosting Cal State Fullerton at 7 p.m. Cal Poly looks to overcome
a 75-71 overtime loss against CSUN this past Saturday. Softball will head to Stockton on Friday for a three-day tournament. The Mustangs start the tournament on the heels of a 2-0 win over No. 9 Arizona last Sunday. The Cal Poly baseball team’s second series of the year will be a three-game set against UCLA starting Friday at 6 p.m. and ending on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Mustangs, who closed out their last series against Pacific with a 19-2 victory, will also play Michigan at 12 p.m. on Saturday. Saturday’s action begins with the men’s tennis team competing at home against Fresno State. The Mustangs also compete on Sunday against Pacific
at Mustang Tennis Complex at 12 p.m. The women’s tennis team will look to rebound from a homecourt loss against Pacific with an away matchup against Santa Clara at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The team will remain in Santa Clara for a final match on Sunday against Nevada at 1 p.m. On the mat, the wrestling team will become the first Cal Poly unit to enter postseason play this winter, with the Pac12 Conference Championships set to begin at Arizona State on Saturday morning. Overall, this weekend holds many events for Cal Poly athletics as teams attempt to solidify seeds in conference championships and gain berths into national tournaments. FILE PHOTO | MUSTANG NE WS
UNDEFEATED
| After going 4-0 last weekend, the baseball team looks to stay undefeated with four games this weekend.