Thursday, Febr uar y 19, 20 15
E s t abl ished 19 16
w w w.mus t angne w s .net
Dating in your senior year: What happens next? visit mustangnews. net for the full multimedia story
DAKOTA GREENWICH | MUSTANG NE WS STAY OR SPLIT? | Senior couples must decide whether to stay together after graduation, with at least one partner often moving away for a job or graduate school. Some actively try to find work near each other.
Florence Chui Special to Mustang News
Laurie Nakagawa, an industrial engineering graduate student, and industrial technology senior Greg Wee have been in love for three years. Now, as they both approach the end of their senior year, they face the largest hurdle their relationship has come in contact with: graduation. “We have been trying to see if we can try to get jobs that are close to each other, because right
now we visit each other very often,” Nakagawa said. “We’re almost living with each other.” College has always been a place to learn and grow, as well as a place where many people enter their first serious relationship. That relationship, however, sometimes comes with an expiration date — the day they graduate. According to psychology professor Laura Freberg, students can be under unconscious stress about their relationships when it comes to what will happen
after graduation. “We are conflicted sometimes, and we could even have some, what we would consider, implicit or unconscious feelings about a situation that we really hadn’t thought through,” Freberg said. Most students haven’t been in a serious relationship until college, and when confronted by this sudden issue, they have no prior knowledge on how to handle it properly, Freberg said.
see DATING, pg 4.
Convicted felon Moriarty’s name stays atop scoreboard
JASON HUNG | MUSTANG NE WS SCOREBOARD | Al Moriarty gave the Cal Poly Foundation $625,000 for the naming rights to the scoreboard.
Sky Zimmerman @skycelestee
In 2009, investor Al Moriarty gave the Cal Poly Foundation $625,000 for the naming rights of the Alex G. Spanos Stadium scoreboard. Due to his involvement in a Ponzi scheme, the university wants to remove “Moriarty Enterprises” from the scoreboard. Cal Poly has been trying to work with the trustee handling Moriarty’s assets to remove his name from the scoreboard since September 2013, but the university has been unsuccessful so far in its attempts, university spokesperson Matt Lazier said. Both sides claim the other’s resistant nature toward negotiating and legal matters has slowed the process. Moriarty’s agreement with the Cal Poly Foundation states that “Moriarty Enterprises” shall remain on the scoreboard for the entirety of its
existence, and a possibility of selling the naming rights was not discussed. According to Jeremy Faith, one of the trustee’s attorneys, there are no rights for the name on the scoreboard to be sold or assigned, likely because the $625,000 was given to the Cal Poly Foundation. As the university’s nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation, donors may use their donations as tax exemptions, which Moriarty did. Since the money Cal Poly received from Moriarty actually belonged to investors, the trustee requests the $625,000 back to return to those Moriarty stole money from. Motions have been made by both parties offering options to settle the dispute, but none have been accepted. The trustee proposed to reopen discussions with Cal Poly last December, yet no meeting occurred. Both the trustee and Cal Poly will continue to work through the court system.
FILE PHOTO | MUSTANG NE WS VERDICT PENDING
| Vice President for Student Affairs Keith Humphrey will issue a final ruling.
PIKE appeals suspension Olivia Proffit @ojproffit
Cal Poly’s Pi Kappa Alpha (PIKE) fraternity has submitted an appeal for its suspension to be reviewed by Vice President for Student Affairs Keith Humphrey. The chapter was suspended in January for party violations and a reported sexual assault. After reviewing the file and case history, Humphrey will decide whether to meet with the leadership of the organization or issue a response based on the arguments made in the document. Ultimately, Humphrey will choose to
keep the current sanctions or make them lighter or stronger. “I know it’s important to the organization to resolve the matter as quickly as possible, but it’s also important that we are thorough and complete in our response,” Humphrey said. “The process will take a reasonable amount of time to gather all the information that I need to make a fair decision.” If Humphrey decides to keep the current sanctions, PIKE could face a six-year suspension. Alpha Gamma Rho (AGR) also has the opportunity to appeal after a decision was made last week to put it on social probation.
News... 1-3 | Arts... 4-7 | Opinion... 9 | Classifieds... 10 | Sports... 11-12
Thursday, February 19, 2015
NEWS | 2
Wellness technology offers promising field for entrepreneurial students Lindsy Mobley @lindsy_mobley
His brother was a Cal Poly student as well and majored in kinesiology. They worked out together, and his brother would track their progress by writing down their workout programs in Excel, McGunagle said. “Excel is 30 years old; it’s not built for fitness professionals, and I started doing some research because I was an entrepreneurship student. I figured out that pretty much every fitness professional in the world was stuck using Excel,” McGunagle said. “I just figured I could build something better.” Fitness professionals can write content on their blogs and share it to social media. Then clients will find them and want to work
Wellness technology — the combination of fitness and technology — is now becoming a trending market and may be an opportunity for students across campus to take advantage of. “There is a ton of opportunity for engineers and entrepreneurs — but there are also many jobs being created for kinesiology majors, and math and statistics students are in high demand,” Cal Poly employer development specialist Danielle Epstein said in an email. Cal Poly Career Services put on a wellness tech event on Feb. 11 as part of a series of Emerging Markets analyses that Career Services has been doing to help connect students with new job markets that are projected to show strong employment growth over the next five to 10 years, she said. Health and fitness apps Fitness professionals are finally were the most downstarting to extend their services loaded category of 2014, and create a really strong online according to Epstein, and presence. Under Armour acquired the DANIELLE EPSTEIN app MyFitnessPal for $475 Cal Poly Employer Developer Specialist million. The market for fitness and activity-tracking devices is also projected to grow to $2.8 billion over the next four years. but they often with them, Cal Poly alumnus Matt McGu- live far away. Trainers write a pernagle saw the potential in this sonalized program for them. In ormarket and began research on der to do so, they used to have to use the topic before graduation in three to four different types of softWinter 2013. ware, including Microsoft Excel, McGunagle is now the co- McGunagle said. founder and CEO of StrengthNow, StrengthPortal has rePortal, an online training tool for placed the various software types. fitness professionals. He founded McGunagle was one of the the company with two other Cal speakers at the Wellness Tech Poly graduates a year and a half event last week. He wants to be ago, he said. able to take the lessons he’s learned
from top fitness professionals and pass them along to students, he said. McGunagle said people build a lot of “crappy software” to fix the problems in health and fitness that don’t really make an impact. He wanted to pass along lessons he’s learned to students at the event, he said. People have been building health and fitness software for 10-15 years, but none of them have made a significant impact because most of them are on the consumer side. So people just log in and track their diet, etc. on their own, which doesn’t really support the hard part of the “three-week hump” where you’re building a habit, McGunagle said. “What’s happening right now is fitness professionals are finally starting to extend their services and create a really strong online presence. And they’re able to connect with people and be able to extend beyond just their gym,” he said. Fitness is becoming more mainstream with the popularity of wellness technology, McGunagle said. Food science and nutrition professor Aydin Nazmi, who is also the director of Cal Poly’s Center for Solutions Through Research in Diet & Exercise (STRIDE), said the field is popular right now because of its emphasis on technology. Some young people pick up their smart phones between 1,500 and 2,500 times a week, Nazmi said. With that type of access to a device, there could be an easy adoption of technology to help with issues such as weight loss, diet,
LINDSY MOBLEY | MUSTANG NE WS TECH AND HEALTH | With so many people glued to their phones, fitness technology is an emerging field.
physical activity or even the monitoring of chronic diseases, he said. Nazmi saw a diverse group of people when speaking at the event, including students from majors within all academic colleges, he said. “I think the take-home message is that the field of wearable technology and its applications in the health industry are really broad. So no matter if you’re in engineering or physics or math, it doesn’t matter if you’re coming from the social sciences or kinesiology, nutrition — I think in the space of wearable technology and wellness, there’s a lot of room for growth and development independent of what academic training you’re coming from,” Nazmi said. Mentor eData is a company involved in improving driver performance and safety. They do this through apps that collect data while you drive and analytical software that takes the data and analyzes it for areas where improvements could be made and for
reinforcing good behavior. It’s analysis and feedback information for drivers, said Mentor eData director Stephen Lakowske. Lakowske recommends students interested in entrepreneurship take a look at the wellness technology field. He said there is a strong need for analytical types to make sense of the data mathematically and also present it to users in a meaningful way, he said. “There’s been a lot of technology — and there still is — that’s kind of ‘fluff ’ technology that really doesn’t do anything but make you aware that you’re moving. And in terms of real quantitative feedback, it’s kind of not very accurate,” Lakowske said. “The next generation of technology is much more than that. It’s measuring heart rate, respiration, temperature and very important vital signs.” Lakowske is pleased with the student interest he’s seen and appreciates the Career Center’s role in promoting the field, he said.
“It’s pretty crowded in the fitness area. Everybody has a lot to say about fitness, and that’s good because heaven knows we all need to be more fit. But there are a lot of other opportunities, too, and people just need to get creative and look around,” Lakowske said. Nazmi said students should be aware of the possibility of going on to graduate school and getting a master’s degree associated with wellness technology. As a previous Cal Poly student, McGunagle said students should try as many things as possible while still in college. There are many resources on campus for students interested in entrepreneurship. He said that having that base gave him the proper plan to follow once he came up with the idea for StrengthPortal. “Cal Poly was key in just providing me with the inspiration and resources to show me that it was possible,” McGunagle said.
Thursday, February 19, 2015
NEWS | 3
Mandatory fee implementation policy passed to students’ favor Jessica Nguyen @ xjessnguyen
The Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) Board of Directors voted that the implementation of student success fees is subject to a binding student vote. The board also approved other recommendations for the mandatory fee implementation on Jan. 28. “It gives students, in policy, the final say on whether there is a fee or there isn’t,” ASI President Joi Sullivan said. “So if 51 percent of students vote no (to having a student success fee), then it doesn’t happen. Now that it’s more specific, there is less interpretation.” The CSU Board of Trustees created a working group, including Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong and two students, to vote on approved policy recommendations that were presented to the California state legislature before Feb. 1. These policy recommendations resolved concerns Sullivan had pertaining to the prior process outlined in Executive Order 1054, approved by former CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed. Reed was replaced by Timothy P. White, who pushed for more student input in determining the fee. “The process has been such that they (White) encourage a referendum, meaning a student vote for the student population on the campus,” Sullivan said. “If the president decides it is not an accurate representation or has a good reason not to do a referendum, then they do alternative consultation.” Alternative consultation consists of speaking with different
student groups on campus and gathering information on what their opinions are on a proposed mandatory fee. Overall results are then reported to White, who decides whether or not to sign off on the fee. A rigorous consultation process must be initiated before a binding student vote occurs to inform individuals of the impact and cost of the proposed student success fee. This required process also applies if a campus decides to increase a student success fee. In addition, student success fee proposals cannot be brought before the student body more than once a year. Newly enacted student success fees will be enforced for at least six years. “You have to go through a whole student body vote if you want to get rid of this fee,” Sullivan said. If students vote to rescind the fee, portions of the fee used to support ongoing obligations will remain until current obligations are satisfied. The imposition of a fee also remains dependent on the approval of the university president and chancellor. Furthermore, approved resolutions explicitly state if the proposed student success fee is used directly for instructional purposes previously covered by state funding, the chancellor must consult with the Board of Trustees before final approval is given. “People are concerned about the amount of fees appearing on CSU campuses,” Sullivan said. “We spend a lot of money on faculty and staff. Those kinds of costs were covered by
state compensation, so there was a debate on whether those fees should be used to cover those costs.” With the policy revisions, individual campuses are ensured the right to decide what they want to put their fee funding toward, including faculty and staff. At $780 per student, Cal Poly’s student success fee fund totals $14.9 million per year. According to the Cal Poly Student Success Fee Allocation Proposal for 2014-15, approximately $9.2 million is channeled toward access to additional classes. “As a polytechnic university, we have some of the most ‘expensive’ majors, and with reduced state funding, the $14.9 million from the student success fee is necessary,” Board of Directors Vice Chair Myra Lukens said in an email to Mustang News. The Student Success Fee Allocation Advisory Committee (SSFAAC), consisting of 11 voting members (including seven students), was created to ensure student needs are being met. “Right now, what they’re doing is talking about what things are a priority to them to learn more about, to explore for potential funding,” Vice President of Student Affairs Keith Humphrey said. Current and past student success fee allocations are available online at afd.calpoly.edu. “Cal Poly’s student success fee has been critical in supporting our Learn By Doing philosophy and overall student success during curtailment of state generalfund revenues,” Lukens said.
JOI SULLIVAN | COURTESY PHOTO FEE | CSU students will now have more of a say on Student Success Fees implemented down the road.
Thursday, February 19, 2015
ARTS | 4 DATING continued from pg 1. When seniors have to address their relationship issues, some of them choose to avoid communication with their partners, Freberg said. They fear their partners will say what they don’t want to hear and prefer to protect themselves from the pain of rejection. “We go through a lot of really physical pain. I mean, you do get heartache when there is rejection, and if both people aren’t on the same page, somebody is gonna get hurt,” Freberg said. Couples who have different plans after graduation are often left with a difficult decision to
make. If one partner is hesitant to be in a long-distance relationship, it leaves both partners in limbo between February and June. They are often questioning whether they are done with each other or if it’s worth working out, Freberg said. Freberg also suggests couples should communicate more to solve problems because it helps each other to understand. Freberg suggests focusing on the issue of where the relationship is heading. She says it is important not to bring up old memories and instead work on arriving at a solution. A year ago, Nakagawa saw her graduation coming soon, so she brought up the problem
they would both face at the end of June. “He didn’t try to avoid it,” Nakagawa said. “He just never brought it up, and it was never a concern to him until I started bringing it up.” Unlike some students, they did not avoid communicating with one another. After discussing the issue, they decided they want to find jobs close to each other so they can remain together. Psychology senior Andrea Patton is in the same boat. “There comes the date we’re both gonna graduate and leave posteriorly, so I think a very big issue is to get on a same page,” Patton said.
It is nerve-wracking for couples to bring up the topic of what will happen after graduation because it could shatter a wonderful relationship, Patton said. She and her boyfriend will live in two different places after graduation. They have tried discussing it, but they never agree on a solution. “It’s so difficult,” Patton said. “It’s hard. It’s stressful, you know? But then we take a break for a couple of weeks and come back to it, but it is the biggest challenge for me.” According to Community Prevention and Intervention coordinator Dr. Hannah Roberts, the most common issue that leads couples into an argument is a
lack of communication. Most students don’t want to talk about their expiration date and pretend it doesn’t exist. “There is always a fear of something really big, and it will definitely get bigger if we ignore it,” Roberts said. Roberts encourages students to open their hearts to their partners and have a conversation about what level of commitment they are on by asking what the next step is. “I hope that they will value one another and they will share with one another,” Roberts said. “How important they are to each other, because it’s a lot.” Approaching their potential expiration date, couples need to
be brave and communicate. The possibility of rejection remains, but allowing these issues to go on can result in more emotional turmoil when the time comes. The importance lies in talking it out, or regretting it later. When an issue comes up, Roberts has some suggestions for couples: • Be clear about your explanation on what you are thinking. • Don’t play mind games. • Let your partner know you want or need something. • Be prepared to talk about the situation. • Seek advice. For example, go to counseling. • Talk to someone you feel comfortable around.
All you need for a great weekend and an easy escape Georgie de Mattos @georgiedemattos
After sitting in the library for hours on end, it’s time to take advantage of the school year’s halfway mark. Up to this point, you’ve spent endless hours looking over problems and text books,
and while a break from midterms might be brief, it’s necessary. The simplest way to escape reality is to venture California’s coastline to some of the best campsites around. To jump start your plans, here’s all the information you’ll need to make a short weekend unforgettable.
Cal Poly
ILLUSTR ATION BY GEORGIE DE MAT TOS
Thursday, February 19, 2015
ARTS | 5
CSA to ring in the Chinese New Year with colorful banquet Frances Griffey @cpmustangarts
Jan. 1 may have come and gone, but the New Year hasn’t started for everyone. For those who follow the Lunar Calendar, this week is the start of a new year. Cal Poly’s Chinese Student Association (CSA) will celebrate the new year by hosting a banquet on Saturday, Feb. 21. “The Chinese New Year Banquet is a celebration we put on for the community of SLO,” CSA Vice President and architecture junior Sophia Liu said. “It’s to bring some Chinese culture into the town and welcome Cal Poly students to experience our culture with us.” Every year for this event, CSA members write, direct and act in a performance. Liu said this year’s story, “The Amazing Race: Zodiac Edition,” is especially fun for kids. “This year, the play revolves around the Chinese Zodiac — the story of the animals that are in the zodiac and how the story came to be and why they are the order they are,” she said. Other shows include a performance by Wushu Taichi Center; dances by CSA’s hip-hop group, Take Out Kidz; and the Lion Dance Team (LDT), whose particular tradition dates back about 2,000 years. “(Lion Dancing) started when the ancient Chinese decided to make a mythological beast based on stories they heard passed through the Silk Road,” said LDT’s First Lieutenant and industrial technology senior Greg Wee. These stories were about a fearsome creature named “Year,” or the Nian Beast, that tormented the community. “Every New Year, the villagers would get ready to harvest their crops,” Wee said. “But a giant monster, the Nian Beast, would come down and scare off the villagers and destroy the crops. Every
year, the villagers would run away in terror.” One year, the villagers decided they had been bullied long enough and fought back. “They knew the Nian Beast was afraid of two things: loud noises and the color red,” Wee said. “So they made their lion. They covered it with red, put up a lot of red paper lanterns and started banging on pots and pans and managed to scare off the Beast. They created this monster with a horn to scare off evil spirits. It’s pretty much the Western equivalent of a unicorn.” Today, Lion Dancing can be seen this time of year in Asian communities around the world. Since Cal Poly’s Lion Dance Team is the only one of its kind on the Central Coast, it is often asked to visit various venues to perform a “blessing.” “It’s believed that lions are lucky,” LDT captain and manufacturing engineering junior Ben Wong said. “What Chinese restaurant owners and business people will do, they will hire a Lion Dance group, they will perform and this performance is called a “blessing.” Generally, they lead the lion through the building (through the kitchens if it’s a restaurant) and scare away the evil spirits and bring in luck for the New Year.” Food is also a major component of the Chinese New Year, and CSA will have various traditional dishes catered by Mandarin Gourmet. Items such as dumplings and fish symbolize good fortune, but even more important than the meal is the company surrounding the dinner table. “It’s kind of like the Asian Thanksgiving,” CSA public relations officer and computer engineering sophomore Eva Chen said. “It’s when family comes together, people get new clothes, red envelopes (and) eat tasty food.” Since the New Year is so familyoriented, it can be hard to celebrate during college.
EVA CHEN | COURTESY PHOTO CULTUR AL
| The Chinese Students’ Association’s Chinese New Year banquet celebrates with lion dancing, shows, food and community.
“For many students that aren’t able to go home during this time, (our banquet) gives them a way to spend time with close friends they’ve met here,” CSA President and computer science senior Sterling Tarng said. Liu said Cal Poly’s Chinese New Year celebration is the next best thing to family celebrations. “We bond over having big dinners with families, and since we’re all away from home right now, having it as an event at Cal Poly is a really good experience for those who are going to college and not going home to be with their family,” Liu said. For one particular New Year, Wee remembers going to Singapore and witnessing the festivities firsthand. “There were lion dancers on the street, firecrackers everywhere,” he said. “It was amazing to me because it was the one day of the year where they had a whole bunch of different snacks and I could just eat whatever I wanted.” In a nutshell: Family, food and shows are the main aspects of Chinese New Year. “That’s what we’re trying to replicate here with Chinese New Year Banquet — shows, a dinner and
just being together,” Liu said. The banquet is only one of many events put on by CSA. Considered more of a social club, members have plenty of opportunities each quarter to meet and bond with other students. “We always have an event every weekend,” Tarng said. “These can vary from small weekend hangouts like having a movie night or going to the beach, to some of our bigger events like Chinese New Year.” CSA is a great resource for Asian Cal Poly students seeking a community where they can easily find and relate to people from similar backgrounds. “Because our Asian population (on campus) isn’t that big, it is nice to have an organization where we are more organized and it’s easier for us to meet one another,” Tarng said. Chen said it gave her a place to belong.
“For me, I come from an area that has a lot of Asians, so having a group like this to be able to go out and hang out with is very convenient,” she said. For many members, CSA isn’t just a club, it’s a second family. “It’s a home away from home,” Wong said. “It’s a place where incoming freshmen can hopefully find their core group of friends, people to hang out with and just depend on for the whole time here at Cal Poly.” The welcoming atmosphere of CSA allows any Cal Poly student to get involved in the club, and they urge all students to come to the banquet, even if they’re unfamiliar with the Chinese New Year tradition. “If you’ve been celebrating (Chinese New Year) your entire life and want to do it at Cal Poly since you can’t go home, you can come to our banquet and it’ll be a lot of fun,” Liu
said. “Or, if you’ve never celebrated before, you can come and experience what it’s like because it’ll be really fun.” Tarng said it’s important not only for those with Asian heritage, but also for people from various backgrounds to recognize the Chinese New Year because other cultures’ traditions can be enlightening. “Especially this year with our different performances, they teach you more about Chinese culture,” Tarng said. “I think it’s really eyeopening for many students that don’t know much about Chinese culture to come attend this event.” The Chinese New Year Banquet will take place in the Recreation Center’s Multi Activity Center (MAC) from 6-9 p.m. As Wee said, “It’s kind of an out with the old — like a clean slate for a new beginning. You get to reset your fortune and then try to work harder to better yourself.”
Thursday, February 19, 2015
ARTS | 6
The Jamba Juice slam poet talks Irish red ale, literature and homelessness Annie Vainshtein @annievain
His name is Erik. He spells it with a K. He’s stationed on Marsh Street in front of Jamba Juice, and he’s likely the most influential addition to modern San Luis Obispo smoothie culture. Erik Thurston started his slam poetry career a year and a half ago
in New York, where he panhandled on the subway. Wide-eyed and a bit rugged, the self-titled “Wandering Poet” and I talked about his move to California, how anger led to freestyle slam poetry and the transformative power of literature. The Wandering Poet has traveled all over California and Arizona, perfecting his craft.
Mustang News: Why did you choose Jamba Juice as a location? Erik Thurston: The awning and the trees. And puck. Definitely puck.
write in the notebook. Then I just went from there and it transformed from kind of rappy little lyrics to full-blown poetry.
MN: What’s your inspiration? How did you get started with slam poetry? ET: I had a notebook when I was 16, and I was really angry, so whenever I listened to music, I would
MN: What kind of music were you listening to? ET: Well, right now I’m working through the Morning Benders’ albums. Have you heard of the Morning Benders? They’re so cool, so laid back [laughs]. MN: How long have you officially been slamming poetry? I mean, when did it finally become a lifestyle? ET: A year and a half ago. And I’ve been to many cities. MN: Did you travel by yourself or did you go with a group, like a squad? ET: At times, I wouldn’t be alone. I’d be rolling with one or two other people. And other times, I’d just take off by myself and do my own thing. MN: I’m imagining you in an RV. Did you have one?
ET: Yeah. MN: Really? ET: Well, my friend has an RV, and I’m living there. MN: What color? ET: White and blue. MN: So how did you decide to come to California? ET: It was about exploring. I came here four months ago for my third time. Both my first and second times, I wasn’t here for long — maybe two weeks at the most. I stopped through and circumstances kept me here, doctors’ appointments and stuff, and so I said, screw it, I’ll be SLO’s poet. And just every single day almost, I came out here and did poetry for three months straight. MN: So what are your days like? ET: Well, I wake up in the morning. I write a poem. I read a book. And then when I get bored of reading or writing I go downtown and bus. I drink at night, a little bit. Tends to be some beer or something. MN: What’s your favorite beer? ET: Ooh. I like IPAs. It depends which one. Probably the best IPA I’ve had has been Red Trolley. New Belgium is good, too. MN: So you compose in the morning, but do you normally freestyle here or ideas that you’re playing off of?
THE WORLD’S LARGEST
MN: What are some major themes of your poetry? ET: Uh, societal indifference and ... whatever I observe. Especially concerning people who are foot traffic or don’t own cars; because I’ve been in a bind, which I’m just getting out of — I’m finally getting a car — but for a long time I didn’t have a car and I was just backpacking, and I like talking about the average person. The ideal backpacker. Who is the ideal commoner? Who is the ideal modern-day street merchant? What do they do? Who are they? Why are they there? There are many people that are stuck in homelessness and are 20, 21, 22 — not by choice. And it’s not that all of them are mentally ill; not all of them are drug addicts, I found that out on my own. I used to just assume. I’d walk by some kind of street performer or just a panhandler and say, “Oh this person is on drugs. They’re just gonna spend my money on drugs.” Then, when I actually got to that point I was amazed. Because it’s not all like that. MN: Do you generally have good
see POET, pg 7.
GAME OF KNOCKOUT
l l a b y a l p d n a N E E R W EAR G
He l p us
ET: Both. Sometimes, for instance, with her playing the ukulele [points to girl playing ukulele nearby], it’s a lot easier for me to get ideas from my surroundings, so when somebody walks by I’ll just freestyle.
! d r o c e R d l r o W s s e n n i u G a k a e r b
Thursday, February 19, 2015 POET continued from pg 6. experiences with people who ask for poetry here? ET: Most of the time, yeah. Once in a while, on a bad day, I’ll get one or two hagglers. Some guy, he likes to fuck with me, he’ll get in his car and yell, “Get a job,” or something like that. And I would get a job, but the barrier to that is, if I got one, I’d lose my purpose. Not that I don’t want to work, it’s just isn’t the right time for me because I’m caught up in a lot of stuff and I’m having my own
ARTS | 7
personal transformation — writing a lot of poems and reading a lot of books — and just because I don’t want to work a dead-end job where I’m making $8.25 an hour or whatever the goddamn minimum wage is, doesn’t mean that I’m a worse person, right?
away when you see someone in need, it’s just telling you that you chose to be born into this world and you chose ultimately to either look on this with love and compassion and want it to be gone, or you don’t. It blew my mind. MN: Do you feel like poetry serves a means to tell the truth? ET: Yeah. I’m a poet. I don’t often tell lies.
MN: Are there any books that completely changed you? ET: “A Course in Miracles.” It’s a 669-page treatise about how what we see in terms of poverty, death, starvation, etc. is meaningless and just an illusion. Not to say that it’s telling you to turn
Thurston has written three books and is working on his fourth. Below is the poem he wrote for me.
“Thrice Annie” Jacket of jeans,
determine how our
footwear woven;
personal designs
like the future
will cross again,
eloped with, locks
twice;
of her sunny hair;
Thread, the morae, parcae;
absorbing as much
as we stand alone
energy as they can
together on an island
muster;
to parley with what
But what are these
the Moia Statues are
picayune observations
aimed directly at,
that make the
I see one still
acquaintance flustered;
moment directing the
What is inward is
gorgeous architect;
not so gossamer;
speaking of machinations of expert
paint our hopes to
craftsmanship
know so a faint blue in the atmosphere, POEM BY ERIK THURSTON
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OPINION | 9
Tindering on the edge Liana Riley @Ri__Li
It’s 10 a.m. Monday morning. You are cradling your coffee, still clinging to the fleeting moments of your salacious weekend antics. You wearily raise your head from your hallway meander and, lo and behold, you make direct eye contact with your Tinder match from Friday night. You then divert their inquisitive gaze, unequipped to handle this perilous interaction. Not letting this crisis go undocumented, you proceed to send out an “SOS” to your “Best Friends” group text to signify the enormity of this event. You are then solaced as they advise you to run, hide and never make any semblance of physical contact with this person again. If this has been you on two or more occasions, it is time for a Tinder detox. Tinder has served two grand purposes in my life: 1: As a realm of curiosity filled with five-minute intervals of relentless tomfoolery. 2: As an observational medium, through which I explored human frailty. Over this past summer, while feeling particularly brazen, I decided to venture into this vortex of unnecessary euphemisms and sexual innuendos. I Tindered via my friend’s accounts, messaging various men they had already matched with. Probably expecting nudes, I was a thorough disappointment for these gentlemen. I ranted about feminism, my dietary preferences and shared a compilation of Nicki Minaj lyrics I deemed appropriate for
my suitors. I asked one guy what his feelings were about Obamacare. He was puzzled, to say the least. Naturally, I was an anomaly to these men. I then arrived at the conclusion that people love messing with other people on Tinder, but few can handle a taste of their own medicine. Tinder, in all its glory, is a more socially acceptable version of eHarmony for the sexually adventurous college student. Its purposes range from fun to fornication, with occasional undertones of romance and aromatic tastes of friendship. Tinder not only perpetuated our hook-up culture, it increased it tenfold. The appeal is its instant gratification, minimal risk and occasional reward. It lowered our standards for companionship to “would you” or “wouldn’t you,” a yes or no dichotomy, barely considering relevant factors such as compatibility and chemistry. So why are people in the 18-25 demographic, with countless opportunities to engage with equally hot and bothered students, relying on an app with an unprecedented amount of bathroom mirror selfies? This is what baffles me most about Tinder on lively college campuses such as Cal Poly. Regardless of the surplus of clubs, organizations and hangouts across San Luis Obispo, you can still find lascivious single (and not so single) students tindering on any given day. Better yet, most of the poor souls on Tinder would never actually admit to using
Pop and circumstance it seriously. “No one admits to using it, although you see all of your friends on it,” said industrial technology sophomore Steven Pardo. It’s as if we see our Tinder profiles as a veil protecting our vulnerability, so rejection is not
as palpable. It is much easier to save face when the interactions are so frequent and trivial. Without a sense of accountability, we are left with purely playful interactions. Tinder becomes just another round of Angry Birds. If we could only apply this
type of whimsical and adventurous mentality to our candid, real-life communications, then maybe Tinder could be rendered obsolete and there would be no need for virtual courtship. Maybe we’d even rediscover hobbies. Until then, swipe on.
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Thursday, February 19, 2015
SPORTS | 11
Softball, Hyland continue strong start
FILE PHOTO | MUSTANG NE WS ACE
| Cal Poly’s sophomore pitcher Sierra Hyland pitched a gem against No. 3 Alabama and earned the win against host Stanford at the Stanford Nike Invitational.
Erik Chu @chu_erik
The Cal Poly women’s softball team (5-5) continued its preseason this past weekend at the Stanford Nike Invitational. The Mustangs showed promise by opening the season with multiple victories against top-notch opponents and continued to show their potential this past weekend by winning a pair of games against teams from power conferences, going 2-3 in their five games at Stanford. On Friday, freshman pitcher Lindsey Chalmers earned her first collegiate victory against Pacific (25). Chalmers held the Tigers scoreless through 5 innings and only gave up five hits and four walks. Sophomore pitcher and reigning Big West Conference Pitcher of the Year Sierra Hyland closed out the remaining 2 innings, giving up just
one hit in the process. Offensively, the Mustangs rushed out of the gates and exploded for five runs in the first inning. Sophomore second baseman Ashley Torino started the scoring outburst when she smacked a tworun double down the right field line. Hyland would help her own cause with a two-run double to right center. The Mustangs would eventually add one more run in the sixth inning and cruised to an easy 6-0 victory over Pacific. In the second game of Friday’s double-header, the Mustangs were unable to pull off the upset against Pac-12 powerhouse and host Stanford (5-2). Hyland, who was on the mound pitching for the Mustangs, was not able to contain the high-powered Cardinal offense. Stanford went off for nine runs in the second inning,
a deficit too large for the Mustangs to climb out of. Cal Poly would eventually lose 10-2. Saturday featured much more competitive games. Cal Poly’s first opponent was Alabama, a team ranked as high as No. 3, according to the USA Today/NFCA poll. Hyland singlehandedly kept the Mustangs in the game, holding the Crimson Tide to two hits and scoreless for 7 2/3 innings. Hyland had a no-hitter intact until the fourth inning, when Alabama catcher Chaunsey Bell singled. She had a workman-like effort, throwing 123 pitches and 73 strikes. “I’m still working to where I need to be conditioning-wise,” Hyland said. “I’m not where I was at the end of last season in terms of strikes and balls, but I’m getting there.” Offensively, the Mustangs could
not get anything going against the Crimson Tide. Alabama starting pitcher Sydney Littlejohn (4-0) was sensational — she had a perfect game going until she plunked Cal Poly junior infielder Breanna West in the sixth inning. The Mustangs finally had a rally going in the seventh inning but could not capitalize. Freshman shortstop Chelsea Convissar was on second base with only one out, but consecutive popouts ended the threat. “We need to be more patient at the plate,” head coach Jenny Condon said. “Sometimes, we rush a little and want to have that big hit, but we need to have that selfdiscipline and patience to really be effective.” The Crimson Tide finally broke through the deadlock and won the game 1-0 off a sacrifice fly in the bottom of
the eighth. Despite the loss, the Mustangs probably played their best game of the season against one of the toughest opponents they’ll face. “We had a great game against Alabama, who is a national power and SEC powerhouse,” Condon said. “We missed out on some timely hitting, but other than that, we pitched exceptionally and played a nearly perfect game.” In the following game later that Saturday, the Mustangs had a lackluster performance, losing 6-3 to the same Pacific squad they had beaten the day before. Chalmers (1-2) struggled and gave up six earned runs on nine hits in 6 innings of work. “Our pitching needs to improve,” Condon said. “We need to be more consistent with everything – our approach, mentality and execution.” The Mustangs’ final game on Sun-
day would end on a positive note. Facing a rematch against the same Stanford team they lost to earlier in the weekend, the Mustangs redeemed themselves and won 4-3. Cal Poly did all its damage with a four-run fifth inning. Freshman designated player Stephanie Heyward started the rally for the Mustangs with a leadoff single. Using her speed, Heyward scored on a wild pitch. Senior left fielder Emily Ceccacci came through in the clutch for the second straight weekend with a two-run single to push the Cal Poly lead to 3-0. Ceccacci scored on a Cardinal error, extending the lead to four. Hyland (4-2) was once again dominant. She limited the Cardinal to one hit through the opening 6 innings, but she ran into some trouble in the seventh when she allowed multiple baserunners. Stanford capitalized and scored three runs in the inning to cut Cal Poly’s lead to 4-3. Hyland remained calm and closed the door on a Stanford comeback with a strikeout and a game-ending pop out. “We came together as a team and adjusted to the mistakes we made in the first game against them,” Hyland said. “We played with more intensity, and it definitely showed out there on the field.” The weekend was definitely a success for the young Mustangs. Cal Poly continues action Feb. 19-22 at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, California. “This weekend gave our team the confidence that we can play against anybody in the country,” Condon said. “When we’re on our game doing the things we need to do, we know we can compete with anybody.”
Thursday, February 19, 2015
SPORTS | 12
Baseball secures first win of 2015 season
Mustang News Staff Report @CPMustangSports
After being swept by Baylor to open the season, the Cal Poly baseball team (1-3) rebounded nicely on Tuesday, defeating Fresno State 7-6. Freshman pitcher Andrew Bernstein picked up the win in his collegiate debut, going 5 1/3 innings while giving up just two hits and striking out four. Cal Poly tallied its first run in the fourth inning thanks to a double by junior shortstop Peter Van Gansen that drove in senior outfielder Zach Zehner. However, the Mustangs broke the game wide open after a fourrun seventh inning sparked once again by Van Gansen, putting Cal Poly up 5-0. The shortstop doubled down the right-field line
to lead off the inning. He later scored after a wild pitch. Sophomore outfielder Kevin Morgan then drove in sophomore catcher Brett Barbier with an RBI single up the middle. Senior outfielder Jordan Ellis would join Morgan on the bases after a fielding error put him and Morgan on the corners, bringing up junior first baseman Brian Mundell. Mundell was clutch, singling to right field, scoring Morgan easily and also plating Ellis after an error by Fresno State’s right fielder. The top of the eighth inning went almost the same as the seventh. A single by Ellis drove in Morgan, then a Mundell double to right-center scored Ellis, extending the Cal Poly lead to 7-0. After seemingly having the game in the bag, the Mustangs
nearly blew the seven-run lead. Fresno State roared back in its last two innings, notching three runs in the eighth (two earned) off freshman pitcher Erich Uelman. The Bulldogs made another push in the bottom of the ninth. They were able to grab three more runs, bringing the deficit to just one, but Cal Poly senior pitcher Danny Zandona struck out three batters in the final inning to complete the save with two Bulldogs left on base. Despite the lackluster defensive effort in the final two innings, the Mustangs came away with their first victory of the 2015 season. Cal Poly’s home opener is Friday against Grand Canyon in Baggett Stadium. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
FILE PHOTO | MUSTANG NE WS