Thursday, Januar y 2 3, 2014
w w w.mus t angne w s .net
Volume L X X V III, Number 3 0
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY DAVID JANG | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Let’s get it started (up) Sam Sullivan @ssulli04 Something sounds like a winner. Startup Weekend ended on a high note this past Sunday, with a music-based social media website snagging the top spot. “We think it’s something that could actually really revo-
lutionize the way people share music and we have a lot of faith that this could be a really cool idea,” computer science junior and co-founder Matt Bleifer said. “We want to see it out to its full potential.” Think Instagram or Twitter for music — that’s the basic concept behind BeatStream. BeatStream allows users to post their favorite songs and follow other users. This way,
users can get a stream of music from all the people they follow. It pulls files from Rdio, allowing BeatStream to have high-quality sound and album art, Bleifer said. BeatStream had been drumming in Bleifer’s mind for some time now, he said. Computer science junior and co-founder Robert Long and he are actually roommates, and knew they
wanted to work together during the weekend. The two were trying to come up with something to create when Long, with his own music library playing in the background, said he wanted to do something with music. Bleifer decided to divulge his idea. The co-founders said BeatStream differs from other music-sharing services like Soundcloud and Spotify. Ac-
cording to Long, Soundcloud is more about an artist sharing his or her music with their audience. BeatStream is about people sharing music with their friends and family, as well as discovering new music users they otherwise wouldn’t have found, he said. Bleifer said he was “definitely a bit surprised” and felt “a little bit of shock” when BeatStream was announced as the
winner of Startup Weekend. He said some great teams came out of the weekend, and considered winning to be a great honor. “Getting recognition from everybody that what you did is good and that they really liked it is a really cool feeling,” he said. >>
see STARTUP, pg 2.
With negotiations stalled, greek leaders question probation Brooke Sperbeck @BrookeSperbeck7 PREVIEW Greek leaders and administrators have reached a stalemate in negotiations regarding the proposed party registration policy, meaning all fraternities and sororities are still on social probation. Though administrators call that social probation a standard procedure, Greeks have questioned the justification of their ongoing probation, now tallied at 13 full days. >> PHOTO ILLUSTRATON BY ZACH MAHER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
see GREEKS, pg 4.
for local musicians IAN BILLINGS | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Kelly Trom @kttrom PREVIEW Think Kickstarter. And Bandcamp. Oh, and Pandora. Now combine all of these with local music. Business administration senior Arash Namvar is working with other college students in San Luis Obispo and other towns on the West Coast to create such a program. The program gives users the opportunity to listen to as much music as they want without skipping limits, advertisements or subscription fees. Intrigued? Meet Music Putty. >>
see PRIDHAM, pg 8.
EDEN ELISSAGUE | MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
see MUSIC, pg 5.
News ... 1-4 | Arts ... 5-7 | Opinion ... 9 | Classifieds ... 10 | Sports ... 8, 11-12
NEWS | 2
Thursday, January 23, 2014
New K-12 law highlights transgender students’ plight Kayla Missman @kaymissman Transgender students are protected by nondiscrimination policies, but they don’t have enough support to feel safe, according to the Cal Poly Pride Center. “My understanding is that there’s a system saying we aren’t going to discriminate against students, but whether or not we actually have policies at Cal Poly that make transgender students feel safe is an entirely different issue,” said Bryan Pride, a graduate assistant for the Pride Center. “And if you don’t feel safe in your learning environment, how are you going to learn?” Following the enactment of a recent law affecting K-12 schools in California, there might be a push for transgender student support at Cal Poly. Though faculty and administrators know about the university’s nondiscrimination policies, Pride said, students probably don’t. The K-12 law, called the School Success and Opportunity Act (AB 1266), allows transgender students in K-12 schools to use whichever sex-segregated facilities, join whichever sports and participate in activities that match up with their personal gender identity. One reason AB 1266 was implemented was because people weren’t previously aware of nondiscrimination policies, said Carlos Alcala, communications director for State Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, the bill’s co-sponsor. “Nondiscrimination is state and federal law,” Alcala said. “Not everybody knows that, and that’s part of the reason we came up with 1266. Although we felt discrimination was written in, people
didn’t know about it.” College students might not know about the nondiscrimination policies, but there isn’t much politicians can do right now for the California State University (CSU) system, Alcala said. AB 1266 clarified an existing exemption; K-12 schools were covered by nondiscrimination policies, but there was a section in state law that exempted sex-segregated facilities and activities, he said. The act clarified and expanded the existing law to include those sections. AB 1266 wouldn’t be relevant on a college campus because the CSU system doesn’t have those exemptions. “(The exemptions) aren’t currently set aside in law for colleges, so all we’d be able to do is repeat that there is no discrimination on the basis of gender identity,” Alcala said. Civil rights movements have been successful time and time again, but they aren’t an easy process. In order to accomplish something, these kinds of issues often have to go to court, Alcala said. “What we’ve seen in other civil rights movements is the establishment that these are constitutional rights, these are legal rights of nondiscrimination,” Alcala said. “And the way it’s historically been enforced is by suing where those rights are not protected.” But for Pride, taking legal action means it’s too late. “I think that we’ve seen a lot of nondiscrimination policies come in lawsuits, but they’re retroactive,” Pride said. “An atrocity was committed, so we’re punishing someone so that atrocity doesn’t happen again. But why do we have to wait for a student to become a victim in a restroom before we start changing things?” Though the act itself might
not be applicable on CSU campuses, it provides hope. Its implementation might lead to clearer, more enforceable policies regarding transgender students on a college campus, Pride said. Adam Serafin, an assistant coordinator for the Cross Cultural Centers who works with the Pride Center, agreed. “Doing the K-12 thing would be a huge step,” Serafin said. “I could see it potentially being a springboard for public universities and colleges to do something similar.” Elizabeth Chapin, administrative support coordinator for CSU public affairs, declined to comment on whether a law clarifying nondiscrimination policies is being considered for the CSU system. Though there have been changes, misconceptions about the transgender community might cause students to be hesitant about different policies at Cal Poly, Serafin said. “People are starting to learn more about the trans community, starting to look at gender a little bit differently,” he said. “I don’t know how Cal Poly would react, but as with everything else, it would take some time for everybody to understand it and be comfortable with it.” For now, the focus is on making transgender students feel safe. One way to do that is by implementing more genderneutral, or single-stalled, restrooms, Pride said. “We have a couple transidentified students who just don’t use restrooms when they’re at school,” Pride said. Having more single-stalled restrooms wouldn’t really affect students outside the transgender community, Pride said, but it would make transgender students feel more safe.
Startup continued from pg 1. Before BeatStream was awarded the top prize, Long was less confident than Bleifer. Only a few hours before the team was due to pitch, the website wasn’t live yet. “Things weren’t working; I was really stressed,” Long said. “Then, we had it working; we got all of these users. And I think we had a really awesome pitch and every-
ZACH MAHER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
PRIDE | AB 1266 lets transgender students engage in activities that match their gender identity.
“...Why do we have to wait for a student to become a victim in a restroom before we start changing things?” BRYAN PRIDE | PRIDE CENTER GRADUATE ASSISTANT “When you’re somebody who is just coming out, and you’re in a new place, a new school or something, the first thing that you’re doing is trying to figure out where you’re going to feel safe, and where you’re going to feel accepted,” Pride said. “And restrooms are a huge thing on that. Not because it’s something social, but because of the fear of going to the bathroom. The single-stalled restrooms help prevent that fear.” The Pride Center’s website lists every single-stalled restroom on campus, but it’s a work in progress, Pride said. Some of those restrooms are locked all the time, which means they aren’t accessible. There was an expectation that there were going to be multiple single-stalled rest-
rooms in the new Warren J. Baker Center for Science and Mathematics, Pride and Serafin said, but there is only one. “Do I think that there should be more single-stalled restrooms, or gender-nonconforming restrooms, on campus? Absolutely,” Pride said. “Do I think that one gendernonconforming restroom in one building is saying that Cal Poly is inclusive? No, I don’t.” But Director of Facilities Planning and Capital Projects Joel Neel said he hasn’t seen a push for unisex bathrooms. To his knowledge, there weren’t requests for more than one unisex bathroom in the Baker Center. “I think it’s definitely an issue that is ready for students to revisit, but it needs to have
a student interest behind it,” Serafin said. There also may be resistance about transgender students joining fraternities or sororities that match their gender identity or participating in clubs or sports, Pride said. Another change that could accommodate transgender students would be adding more co-ed housing, he said, but gender neutrality could take shape in several different ways. “I think we are seeing more trans students on campus, students who are out as trans and open,” Serafin said. “So I think it’s becoming more trans-inclusive, both in University Housing and other campus facilities. I think it’s really important.”
thing went really well.” Bleifer worked mostly on the business development, pitch and presentation, as well as a little bit of coding. Long was the lead developer, building the back-end components of the website. “Watching Robert be pretty zoned in and hacking away and doing his thing was cool,” Bleifer said. “He’s a pretty awesome developer.” Long’s brother, Rian, joined the team at the last minute
and made an introduction video for them that helped the team stand out from everyone else, Bleifer said. Other memebers of the team included liberal arts and engineering studies junior Stephanie Friend, computer science junior Jill Thetford and general engineering freshman Joey Gavin. Bleifer said they reached out to friends, family and Facebook users to get people using the site before presenting. When it was time for the unveiling, BeatStream had approximately 40 users and 50 or 60 posts, he said. Bleifer hopes to incorporate a hashtag feature in the future, so if someone were to search #rocknroll, they’d get a stream of everything tagged “rock ‘n’ roll.” He ul-
timately hopes to make the service as big as any other music provider, as well as something that could be used by artists — ideally, if a band were to start trending on BeatStream, it would impact their success. “And, also to get a very large user base and be able to affect a lot of people in the area of music would be really rewarding and awesome,” Bleifer said. Taking second place was an app called eXpresso which allows users to preorder, purchase and set a pick up time for their morning coffee at coffee shops. Third place went to Pigeon, an app that allows companies and businesses to get feedback from consumers using short video recording.
“...To get a large user base and be able to affect a lot of people in the area of music would be really rewarding...” MATT BLEIFER | COMPUTER SCIENCE JUNIOR
Rugby club suspension lifted Celina Oseguera @celinaoseguera The Cal Poly rugby club’s team-wide activities suspension on has been lifted, university spokesperson Matt Lazier said. The suspension was originally made after Cal Poly administrators received a report that at least one rugby player had assaulted someone off campus this past week. The Dean of Students office decided the actions of a few were not cause to suspend the entire team. “The Dean of Students office tells me that as they have investigated the matter, they’ve determined that the issue is not a team-wide
matter, but rather something that appears to have involved four to five individual players only,” Lazier said in an email to Mustang News. “Therefore, they have lifted the team-wide suspension.” However, those four or five members accused of assault will remain suspended from all team activities until the investigation has ended. The Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities is working with the San Luis Obispo Police Department on the investigation. The team missed one game last week due to the suspension. The Mustangs were set to play UC Santa Cruz. Entering the season, the team was ranked 10th nationally by RugbyMag.com.
NEWS | 3
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Cross Cultural Centers promote student activism Kayla Missman @kaymissman To encourage dialogue about the campus climate, the Cross Cultural Centers hosted the second installment of its social justice series — The Movement — on Thursday. The event was titled “From Party Theme to Protest.” The topic was formed around the time of an off-campus party unofficially themed “Colonial Bros and Nava-hos” which caused a lot of controversy on campus, said Tammie Velasquez, an assistant coordinator for the Cross Cultural Centers who works with the Gender Equity Center. “It’s not specifically focused just on that event, but we are using that event as an avenue to talk about a lot of the incidents that happen on campus, recently and in the past, that have contributed to the campus climate,” Velasquez said. “We’re using that as the reason we’re talking about it, because it’s here.” The event stemmed from student concerns that the party would just be forgotten about, she said. Students wanted resources to learn how to become activists, so they provided that. “They know that for this instance, there’s not much they can do, but they see that there’s a lot of work to
be done,” Velasquez said. “Student activism isn’t so strong on this campus yet, and so they really want to learn the tools and learn the ‘hows,’ and how to raise their voices effectively to fit the personality of Cal Poly.” The event was mostly student-led, with some help from the assistant coordinators. Associate professor in the ethnic studies department Jane Lehr gave an interactive presentation on activism. Lehr, who has been an activist since her college years, has worked on all sides of activism, including working with politicians, organizing protests and was even arrested. The turnout wasn’t as big as they would have liked, said Que Dang, assistant coordinator for the Cross Cultural Centers who works with the MultiCultural Center. But she was pleasantly surprised to see a diverse group of faculty members, including professors from various colleges. Lehr asked the audience to draw a picture of an activist, write their definition of an activist and share it with their neighbor. She discussed different reactions to the word “activism.” “An activist loves others, and for me, part of loving humans is fighting for their justice,” Cross Cultural Centers student assistant Rocío Gonzáles said
“An activist loves others, and for me, part of loving humans is fighting for their justice.” ROCÍO GONZÁLES| CROSS CULTURAL CENTERS STUDENT ASSISTANT
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during the discussion. Lehr also talked about what activists need to learn and what they gain from their experiences. Skills listed included public speaking, visual communication, creativity and critical thinking — all skills that are also included in the university learning objectives. One aspect that the audience agreed with was that activists need optimism, which can be easy to forget, Lehr said. After the main portion of the event, a few students stayed to have a discussion about how the university could be more welcoming. The assistant coordinators facilitated the discussion, but students were encouraged to share their perspectives. Dang wrote a list of the ideas students came up with. The list will be sent to the President’s Office, Vice President for Student Affairs Keith Humphrey or the Office of Inclusivity, Dang said. It will add to the feedback that the administration received after the party, and can serve as an extension of the forum. By sending the list to the administration, Dang said, students will feel like their voices are being heard, instead of like they’re talking and getting nowhere. “We hear that there is an itch for student activism and awareness, and a way for them to raise their voice for social justice and campus awareness, and part of being in college is finding your morals and your values of what you really stand for,” Velasquez said. “We really want them to have the tools to do that and the avenue to do that.”
CARLY RICK ARDS | INTEGRATED CONTENT EDITOR
THE MOVEMENT| The Cross Cultural Centers hoped for a better turnout at the event.
NEWS | 4
Thursday, January 23, 2014
With negotiations stalled, greeks question probation Brooke Sperbeck @BrookeSperbeck7 Greek leaders are still questioning the validity of their probation because of a lack of written agreement establishing disciplinary action as punishment for not meeting a deadline on the proposed party registration policy. “I am still questioning the administration,” Interfraternity Council (IFC) President and business administration junior Domenic Hjerpe said. Following a meeting with other greek leaders and Cal Poly administrators Friday morning, Hjerpe raised the question of the validity of greek life’s probation to Dean of Students Jean DeCosta. She told them she would “look into it.” “It was based around if they can take judicial action for a deadline not being met, because we have never received any documentation that says that,” Hjerpe said. DeCosta declined to comment about greek life’s probation, and referred questions to university spokesperson Matt Lazier. In an email to greek leaders over the weekend, DeCosta confirmed there was never any document declaring probation as punishment for not meeting the deadline, Panhellenic President and business administration junior Danielle Durante said. “She did email us letting us know that there was, in fact, no signed document,” Durante said. Nevertheless, all fraternities and sororities are still on probation. Lazier said in an email that
social probation is “standard operating procedure” whenever there is a disagreement or delay in getting a necessary policy in place. “With that deadline unmet, social probation stays in effect until the policy is agreed upon and in place,” Lazier said in the email. When asked if there was any discussion of probation as a repercussion for not meeting a deadline during his time as IFC president last year, Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) President Jason Colombini said there was not. “There wasn’t any agreement on that because again, maybe I was naïve, but I just didn’t think we would miss a deadline,” Colombini said. Colombini, who helped pass the deferred recruitment compromise, dismissed the idea that signed documentation was necessary to validate the probation. “There doesn’t necessarily even need to be a written agreement that ‘If you don’t meet this, we’ll put you on probation,’” he said. “The school could honestly do just about whatever they want because they are the ones who are recognizing the fraternities, sororities and other clubs.” The ASI clubs handbook states that probation includes “a designated time frame during which the club will be closely monitored.” In his email, Lazier confirmed this definition of probation applies to greek organizations. “The designated time frame of this current probationary period is the time it takes the greek life organizations to draft and agree to a party registration policy and for
that policy to be agreed to by administration and implemented,” Lazier wrote. Hjerpe said it’s difficult to put a deadline on the policy negotiation process. “It’s hard to create a ‘designated time frame’ for something, such as this policy, that has many moving parts and has to be approved by so many individuals and groups,” he said in an email. Hjerpe declined to comment on whether he has plans to try to revoke probation before the compromise is resolved. Greek life leaders were scheduled to meet with Vice President for Student Affairs Keith Humphrey on Monday, but Humphrey canceled because of a busy schedule, Hjerpe said. The vice president needs to approve the policy in order for it to pass, but greek leaders have yet to meet with him in 2014. “We just wanted to make sure he stays in the loop and informed with our current progress, because he has not been attending any of our meetings between Dean of Students, Kathryn, Danielle, myself and the United Sorority and Fraternity Council president,” Hjerpe said. Greek leaders have no meetings scheduled with DeCosta this week, as negotiations are at a stalemate until national Panhellenic organizations finish reviewing the policy, Durante said. “It really just depends on when we hear back from nationals; that’s really the only reason we’re on pause,” Durante said. “Until they get back with not only their concerns, but alternatives to cur-
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ZACH MAHER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
GREEKS | Hjerpe (left) and Durante (right) are still talking with administrators on party policies. rent clauses, we really have no reason to meet at this time.” Gamma Phi Beta International President Krista Davis, who has been leading the nine Panhellenic national chapters in reviewing the policy, had a “great conversation” with O’Hagan on Friday to discuss what sections Panhellenic was not comfortable with, including the “reasonable observer” clause, Durante said.
“There were a few other ones from the different presidents that they were concerned with as well,” Durante said. Durante said the national Panhellenic presidents had a “productive” weekend reviewing a recent draft of the policy at a conference this weekend, allowing them to collaborate in person. “However, they’re still doing their research, still collaborat-
ing with their legal counsel and still investigating,” she said. The plan was for the Panhellenic organizations to respond to Cal Poly with their suggestions and comments early this week, Durante said. “I just know that they’re committed to getting this resolved as quickly as possible,” Durante said. “So this is definitely a priority for them.”
ARTS | 5
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Startup supports local musicians Kelly Trom @kttrom Imagine being able to listen to local musicians, free of charge and with no advertisements. Business administration senior Arash Namvar is trying to make that dream a reality, along with a team of college students in San Luis Obispo and other towns on the West Coast. Music Putty is a cross between Kickstarter, Bandcamp and Pandora. It allows listeners to stream independent musicians’ music for free, buy and download the music they really like, fund concerts and discover new artists in their area. “We want to give the musicians and the listeners all the power,” Namvar said. “For the musicians, it is their art; they should represent it however they want; they should be able to reach their fans how they want.” Namvar came up with the idea this past summer, while reminiscing on his high school garage band days. Some of his band’s songs were on the local radio station, but his band found nothing that could support them financially. One of his favorite undiscovered bands in San Jose, Picture Atlantic, has also been a source of inspiration for the platform. Music Putty is different from other music-streaming services because users can listen to as much music as they want without skip limits, advertisements or a monthly subscription fee. “There is nothing worse than listening to an amaz-
ing song and being on that high and out of nowhere, the Pine-Sol lady comes on and starts telling you about lemony-fresh scents,” Namvar said. Listeners can add search filters to sift through covers, geographic locations, genres and other categories. The program also has a “discovery tool” function where users can find bands who sound like or are related to bands they have listened to and liked on Music Putty. Namvar and other Music Putty staff members have interviewed several local bands in the San Luis Obispo area, including Próxima Parada, to get some feedback. Of the bands they interviewed, all have signed up to be a part of Music Putty. Musicians can make money through Music Putty by allowing people to purchase a hard copy of their songs, and by a Kickstarter-like bar on the right side of each artist’s page. This allows the artist to state a specific goal — such as holding a concert or recording a new album — and raise money through fan donations. Artists are then able to send “thank you” gifts to their supporters. Music Putty requires artists to make 50 percent of these gifts personalized. They can range from signed CDs, posters, equipment or even a Skype session with the artist. “In the future, we are hoping to have regional managers who go to shows and recruit bands,” Namvar said. “They will get a small percentage of the revenue that the band makes through Music Putty, so it is almost
a commission.” Though profit is an important factor for the startup, the objective of Music Putty is to allow artists to make as much money from their creative endeavors as possible. “We would like to figure out another way to make money in the future and for the musicians to take all of the money they raise on the platform,” Namvar said. “They deserve every cent, but we have to stay sustainable and pay for the ramen at the end of the day.” Music Putty users can be as generous as they choose when supporting their faEDEN ELISSAGUE | MULTIMEDIA EDITOR vorite local artists — they can simply buy songs they KID PUTTY | Business administration senior Arash Namvar is one of the Music Putty creators. like, or support the band’s newest project with a donation of as much money as they like. The program gives listeners a chance to be part of a band’s history and share in its success. “With local artists, there is nothing better than going to a ARASH NAMVAR | BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION SENIOR local concert on a Friday night and being able to talk to them “You should be praising “In my opinion, our blog is to make a beta version availafter,” Namvar said. “You get to see these bands grow and able by the end of February. trying to give people who de- people that are creating art,” “Everyone on the team is a serve credit where credit is due Durantini said. “Local small turn their passion into a thing that can pay the bills and influ- college student right now with and also not to overhype,” Du- stuff isn’t going to be picked full course loads, building this rantini said. “I think that the up with these big names. ence people.” Music Putty graphic design- whole platform,” Namvar said. blogs don’t realize how much Even Pitchfork isn’t going to The team is currently work- power they have. You could pick up on local artists.” er and graphic communicaAs far as the future is contion senior Bethany Benson ing on the web application as pick up on an artist and make believes in the core value of well as a mobile version. In the them popular, but they still cerned, Namvar thinks the meantime, those interested have to back up that up with sky is the limit. the platform. “In the future, we want “I love websites like Spotify, can go to the Music Putty blog their ability to play well.” The blog features album to be worldwide,” he said. but at the same time, when to get their fix of independent reviews, concert reviews “We want Music Putty to you are listening to those art- music recommendations. Music Putty blog manager and features with local art- be bands’ starting location, ists they are receiving pennies,” Benson said. “They don’t and construction manage- ists. It is another way for even for bigger bands who get anything from it. I believe ment senior Joe Durantini listeners to discover in- want to remain in control if you love a musician, you writes and manages a team teresting new local artists, and not be directed by the of three writers with vary- besides using the discovery record labels. We want to should support them.” All the Music Putty team ing music tastes and geo- tool while streaming music be the service that people go to first.” on the platform. members are working hard graphic locations.
EDEN ELISSAGUE | MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
GET (SLO)CAL | Music Putty users can listen to music without skip limits or advertisements.
Check out MustangNews.net for an accompanying video
“There is nothing worse than listening to an amazing song and being on that high and out of nowhere, the Pine-Sol lady comes on and starts telling you about lemony-fresh scents.”
ARTS | 6
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Something to talk a’stout Nick Larson and Jake Devincenzi @njlarson8 and @jake_devincenzi Kinesiology senior Nick Larson and aerospace engineering senior Jake Devincenzi are Mustang News beer columnists. If you haven’t been to Spike’s Pub — located in the Creamery in downtown San Luis Obispo — we’d highly recommend it. One of the best choices for newcomers to the craft beer world, Spike’s offers an everchanging assortment of beers from around the globe. On any given night, they have more than 20 beers on tap, and that number doubles if you’re interested in buying a bottle. Even better than that: Once one keg runs out, it’s on to something new. We’ve helped tap out a keg of Stone Imperial Porter, only to have it replaced the next day by the freshest Enjoy By IPA available (a $15+ bottle of beer at your local liquor store). The thing that truly makes it a great place to learn about beer, though, is how knowledgeable the bartenders and servers are about what’s on tap. Even if your current beer knowledge barely surpasses knowing the difference between Coors Light and Blue Moon, they’ll help you find something to enjoy. This weekend, Spike’s put on one of the best events we have attended to date: Stout Fest. Stouts, a term for stronger porters coined in the 17th century, are characterized by roasted malt flavors and a deep black
color. American-style stouts tend to also present a delightfully intense earthy hop flavor and floral aroma to compliment the roasted grains. From the traditional smoothness of Guinness Irish Dry Stout, to the extremely American-style hop-gasm of Great Divide’s “Yeti,” stouts are quickly becoming a go-to for our laid back nights of beer enjoyment. So when we heard there was a Stout Fest in our own backyard, we grabbed our beer steins and bagpipes and headed over. The fest was set up as follows: Three different flights of stouts, twelve different beers in each flight, four ounces per pour, totaling up to a whopping 144 fluid ounces of stouty goodness, ranging from 5 to 15 percent alcohol by volume. For health’s sake, we had to recruit a few beer-loving friends to help us with the arduous task. One of the great things about drinking exclusively one type of beer for an extended amount of time is you start to notice subtleties about each that would otherwise be lost. A personal favorite, North Coast’s “Old Rasputin,” is a beer we would not normally consider especially hoppy. However, after trying six other stouts, the bold hop accent common among Americanstyle stouts stood out so much that our blind taste test notes read, “Wow, look at dem hops! Centennial for days.” Okay, so our tasting notes might not have been the most elegant, but you get the point.
Something’s Brewing To avoid our previous biases concerning certain breweries or beers, we tasted the stouts blindly. We chose Flight B, and were handed 12 beautiful-looking cups of beer in two cupcake pans. We first noticed one cup in particular, No. 2, in which we immediately recognized the distinctive nitro-head and got excited. Accompanied by our roommates, we set off on our quest to Mordor — in our case, not the land of Sauron, but the dark depths of these stouts. In the end, there were winners and losers. We’ll recommend our top three averaged high scores so you can try them yourself.
A(stout)ing recommendations 1. Deschutes Brewery. Bend, Ore. “The Abyss” We may have mentioned this one before, but the fact that it was the highest-scoring beer in a blind test reaffirms our previous recommendation. With an average score of more than 9, it was the consensus favorite. There’s nothing more to say than it’s just an all-around great stout.
2. Kern River Brewing Co. Kernville, Calif. “Class V Stout” We had never heard of this brewery, but we may have to look a little more into them. It’s more of an American-style stout, with cascade and centennial hops — usually used in IPAs and Pales — added. We thought it was decent to good, but the average of more than 8 was brought up a perfect 10 recorded by our roommate. So if you don’t like it, let us know and we’ll give you his number. We have a tie with an average score of 8 for third, so we’ll annoy our editors and write more.
Tie 3. Deschutes Brewery. Bend, Ore. “Obsidian” (on Nitro) Again, Deschutes’ quality shines through. Experimental beers with unconventional ingredients can be amazing, but more often than not, they aren’t — that’s proven by the more traditional stouts out of Oregon appearing in our top four. Especially with the nitrogen gas, this beer is smooth, and the more reasonable alcohol content allows its true roasted character to shine through.
Tie 3. Stone Brewing Co. Escondido, Calif. “2013 Imperial Russian Stout” Coming from a SoCal powerhouse, Stone’s 2013 vintage of its Russian Imperial Stout is, again, on the traditional side of things. What stood out was its solid initial taste, without the taint of alcohol. It allows you to enjoy the roasted aspect rather than thinking, “Crap, looks like I’m not driving home.” You can’t go wrong with this beer. In the end, we were stoked to have the chance to do a tasting like this, especially when it’s blind, preventing our obvious biases. Needless to say, we went back later and tried the rest — but we’ll leave those ratings and tasting for you to try yourself. Keep an eye out for events like this, as it’s a great value. For 12 tastes, we paid $25 total for beers that are mostly over $10 for a 22-ounce bottle. So head down to Spike’s and check out the stouts before they’re gone, and if you see us there, say “hi” and don’t judge.
ARTS | 7
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Wine it up, Aussie-style Jake Mix @jakeymix Jake Mix is an agricultural business senior and Mustang News study abroad columnist. One of the first lessons I learned abroad is that the sun is a lot stronger in Australia than it is in San Luis Obispo. Early in our trip we decided to venture out to Glenelg Beach (yes, it’s a palindrome), a local beach that is a 30-minute tram ride from central Adelaide. Glenelg Beach reminds me a lot of Avila Beach; it’s a small town with a lot of places to get food, including fish and chips or even a beer at one of the beachside pubs. It also has a pier that juts out in the center of the beach. But unlike Avila, jumping from the pier into the water is permitted. When we got to the beach I applied a layer of sunscreen, but then jumped into the water before it had time to sink in. Alas, like the acclaimed Australian boomerang, my premature swim came back to bite me in the butt — or, more accurately, the backs of my thighs. I spent approximately 30 minutes reading on my stomach, which was enough time to give the undersides of my legs a near radioactive red glow that even now — two weeks later — still haunts me. But being in Australia is not just about a bunch of trips to the beach (although there are a lot of those). Four classes are being offered: Global Marketing
and Trade (AGB 318), Managing Cultural Diversity in Agricultural Labor Relations (AGB 401), Native American Cultural Images (ES 321) and Ethnicity and the Land (ES 360). All the Cal Poly students in the program are enrolled in just three of these classes, so the workload isn’t overwhelming and gives us a lot of time to experience everything Australia has to offer. So far the teachers, agricultural business professor Wayne Howard and ethnic studies associate professor Kate Martin, have done a fantastic job balancing time in the classroom and taking field trips around the area. During the second class period for Ethnicity and the Land (ES 360), we had the opportunity to walk over to the Botanic Gardens of Adelaide for a guided tour. It presented us with the chance to learn about Australian plants and familiarize ourselves with the ecology of the area. Using class time this way felt extremely rewarding and different from a lot of the classes I’ve taken in San Luis Obispo. Another interesting field trip we took was a full day of winery tours and tasting in the McLaren Vale wine region. I’m sure you’re wondering, “Why do they get to go wine tasting?” A lot of us here are agricultural business and wine and viticulture students, so it gives us an opportunity to learn as much as we can about the Australian wine industry. The morning started out with a chartered bus picking us up
Going off the (wall)aby and taking us on a 30-minute drive to our first winery of the day, Rosemount. There, we were given neon yellow safety vests and hard hats before the tour commenced. We were led around the facility and saw the machinery used in the process of winemaking. At one point, we were taken to the top of a structure where we got to enjoy the spectacular view of the Rosemount Vineyard and the surrounding McLaren Vale area. After taking a tour of the facility, we tasted a couple of the wines, including a cabernet sauvignon and a shiraz, while our guide educated us about the Australian wine
industry and a gave us a chance to ask questions. After Rosemount, we made our way to Chapel Hill Winery — aptly named, since it’s a converted chapel that sits on the top of a hill. We had another chance here to taste a couple wines while we ate lunch, and once again listened to a representative talk about the winery. The next winery we visited was Mollydooker, the name of which is slang for a lefthanded boxer. This tour was similar to the first one, but with a couple differences. We got a chance to go out into the vineyard and check out the grapes on the vines, and our guides gave
us the opportunity to sample some wines straight out of the stainless steel tanks, which was a unique experience with an equally unique taste. We also learned the Mollydooker shake, which — to my parents’ dismay — is not an Australian dance craze, but a way of shaking the Mollydooker wines to release nitrogen in the wine that opens up its flavors. The fourth and final winery we saw was Coriole Vineyards, which also specializes in olive oil. Most of us were relieved when we weren’t offered any wine here, because the other wineries may have been a little generous with theirs.
Instead, we took shots of olive oil. Other than the frequent field trips, we have also had guest lecturers come speak to us about various topics, including aboriginal culture, Australian politics and my personal favorite so far: Australian slang. The last lecture gave us a chance to try out our terrible Australian accents (G’day, mates!). Though classes are underway, there is still a lot to look forward to, including a trip to Kangaroo Island, located approximately 20 kilometers off the coast. I’m eagerly awaiting the trip because we’re bound to see some kangaroos and koalas.
SPORTS | 8
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Pridham selected 58th by Vancouver Mustang News Staff Report @CPMustangSports Former Cal Poly men’s soccer forward Mackenzie Pridham was taken by the Vancouver Whitecaps with the 58th overall pick in the fourth round of Tuesday’s MLS SuperDraft making him the second Cal Poly player to be drafted this season. Pridham, Cal Poly’s alltime leading goal scorer with 27 career goals and a two-time recipient of the Big West Offensive Player of the Year Award, finished the year eighth among Division I players with 14 goals on the season despite Cal
Poly’s failure to make the NCAA tournament. He finished the season two goals shy of the program’s single-season mark in 2013 and posted six game-winners or equalizers for the Mustangs. Former midfielder George Malki became the first Cal Poly player to be drafted in this year’s SuperDraft when was selected 37th overall by the Montreal Impact. Pridham is a Toronto native and has experience playing at the MLS level where he trained with Canadian side Toronto FC this past summer. Stephan Teodosescu contributed to this report.
DRAFT SELECTION Name: Mackenzie Pridham Team: Vancouver Whitecaps ROUND
PICK JOSEPH PACK | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
VANCOUVER, EH | Canadian native and former Cal Poly forward Mackenzie Pridham was drafted by the Vancouver Whitecaps. RENOVATIONS continued from, pg 11. of those video scoreboards probably isn’t even that long.” Bringing fresh blood into Cal Poly Athletics is a primary concern when competing against schools with more advanced facilities. Men’s
basketball head coach Joe Callero said he welcomed the upgrades, but worries they won’t be enough to keep Cal Poly competitive. “I have been here five years,” Callero said. “When I came here, I saw a gorgeous community and a world-class university, and
when you look at the totality of the college, the athletic facility doesn’t seem to be keeping up. Sometimes you’ll see athletes doing lunges down the halls just because there isn’t enough space to do it elsewhere.” Oberhelman said he has met with Armstrong on
plans for upgrades to Cal Poly’s baseball field, Baggett Stadium, as well. He hopes upgrades will allow a bid to host NCAA regionals at the stadium, since it currently does not meet clubhouse and space requirements for visiting teams. “Right now, we can’t make
a bid with any sort of confidence that we would even be considered, because we’re behind on those requirements,” Oberhelman said. “Our baseball program is in the top 25 and we need to keep them there. I think it’s a necessary investment.” While Armstrong and
Oberhelman have said these upgrades would be accomplished partially through private donations, all of this is being requested at a time when the CSU is cutting graduating degree requirements and Cal Poly still faces budget constraints.
OPINION | 9
Thursday, January 23, 2014
America faces prisoner’s dilemma Zachary Antoyan is a political science senior and Mustang News liberal columnist. These views do not necessarily reflect the opinion or editorial coverage of Mustang News. At just less than 1 percent of its population, the United States incarcerates more of its citizens than any other country in the world. However, as crime rates are a statistic of their own, I am more concerned with the exorbitant amount of money we spend on each inmate per year, as well as the inability of the prison system to prepare inmates for life back in society. Recidivism rates, or the number of people that finish their sentences and are sent back to prison for crimes committed afterwards, stood at approximately 43 percent in a study conducted by the Pew Research Center. Not only this, but California has it even worse with 63 percent of their criminals returning to prison in less than three years. Our system of justice is in dire need of reform; we cannot continue to operate in the way that we currently do, as it is costing taxpayers billions. The specifics of such reform, however, are locked in a value debate about what to do with criminals and crime. At the core of this argument, we focus on two major schools of thought in dealing with crime: retribution and rehabilitation. Both attempt to lay out their own conceptions of a criminal justice system, and are separated by their ideas of the purpose of such a system. On the one hand, we have the retributive system, which asserts that a criminal justice system is supposed to dole out punishment for crimes committed. It is the prison sentence and loss of freedom that is the reparation to society. What this then supports is a purely reactionary system of justice, where society only seeks retribution for crimes and does not focus on the true causes of the crime within society. Whereas crime is the cause of social disorder, “retributiv-
ists” seek to prevent crime with the threat of punishment. Supposedly, the very threat of the loss of freedom acts as the deterrent to committing crime. In many hypothetical situations, theories on justice assert that if all crime was punishable by death, we would see crime rates drop significantly. This notion, while crazy, correctly showcases the mindset and thought process of deterrence theory. On the other hand, a rehabilitative system treats crime as a product of, not the cause of, social disorder. Those that support rehabilitative systems believe that crime is a resulting factor from poor social conditions, and that in order to combat crime rates, social issues must be addressed. Additionally, rehabilitation accepts that at some point, criminals will be released back into society, and that when they gain their freedom it is important to be a productive member of society. This is, clearly, no easy task. Probation systems and opportunities to develop necessary skills while in prison exist, but if the recidivism rates indicate anything, it is that we are unable to prepare criminals for the road ahead. At a cost of more than $40,000 a year per inmate in California, recidivism is as pertinent as ever. Deterrence — the threat of punishment — might be significant for some but it, has not shown itself to be an effective method of preventing people from committing crimes after they are freed from prison. Additionally, prisons are overcrowded in many places, and with the increasing cost of housing inmates, states and counties are forced to go to extreme measures to accommodate for those conditions. We can help people reintegrate into society and prevent them from committing crimes again. And as members of that very society, it is in our interest to prepare them for their lives. More effective means of rehabilitation are necessary.
Erik Castillo is a business administration junior and Mustang News culture columnist. These views do not necessarily reflect the opinion or editorial coverage of Mustang News. Hey … Ya! Excited about Coachella 2014? I know I am, having bought my advancesale Weekend 1 tickets even before the lineup was released. The popularity of this music festival is astonishing — seeing how quickly tickets sell out, making it the most profitable music festival in the United States. But taking a step back, we see that the extent we permit popular culture, through the entertainment and especially the music industry, to consume our lives is dumbfounding. As fun as Coachella may be, I will never over-glorify the festival as the “best weekend of my life.” Looking back to 2013, one of my favorite parts of the festival was people watching. I recall my friend freaking out simply because she was able to spot a hidden Vanessa Hudgens, among the general admission attendees, eating a pizza. Upon reflection, a large part of me felt silly as I soberly perceived a crowd congregated in a trance-like state, seemingly worshipping these artists as if they were more divine than us as human beings. The mesmerizing sounds and images in this nearly hypnotic state many times lead us to lose our sense of understanding, often neglecting the underlying messages being promoted that
“The mesmerizing sounds and images in this nearly hyponotic state many times lead us to lose our sense of understanding.” ERIK CASTILLO | MUSTANG NEWS CULTURE COLUMNIST
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the truePROGRESSIVE progressive THE TRUE Fantastic, we’ve established we’ve got a problem with our prisons and that we’re paying a ton of money for something that doesn’t work. Any suggestions? Prison system reform has to revolve around establishing an environment that both mirrors the real world and encourages individual as well as group development. There are hundreds of companies and schools that attempt to incorporate group development and team building exercises into their models to support individuals. Using these methods of group and individual training and implementing them into the prison system can have positive effects on inmates if correct incentives are provided. The system should also revolve around everyone building toward something positive. Rather than separating them into teams and pitting them against each other Gryffindor vs. Slytherin style, you establish rewards for both small affinity groups and the prison population as a whole. Why is it that we consider team building exercises so es-
sential to companies and leaderships, but do not consider it to be an effective means of real world preparation? If anything, the lessons learned in those models can be applied to real situations, so why are they not in places where people can truly benefit from them? By establishing incentives through competition, creating affinity groups as support and team challenges that force groups to collaborate — along with creating environments that mirror real world situations — we can most definitely help inmates grow and prepare for re-integration into society. Whether you think they should or not, at some point criminals get released (but for death row and life in prison, not so much). Rather than wait for them to commit more crimes and pay for their stays in prison, I would want the system to refocus their priorities and help them in their development. This is Zachary Antoyan, tripping over his thoughts and words and folders. Have a fantastic week everyone.
Hitting the brakes on Coachella fever are equally as important, if not more. I don’t know about you, but as catchy as the headliners’ tunes may be, I’d still have a sense of foolishness belting out, “Roses really smell like poo-ooo-ooo.” It’s understandable that lyrics are simplified to appeal to a broad audience, but many of the lyrical themes circulating around sex, drugs, money, selfpity, codependence and other materialistic and demeaning ideals are contradictory and regressive for society, yet we continue to spread these messages and empower those that do. I had a friend who visited her family in Brazil over the holidays and told me about her Brazilian cousins who knew little to no English, yet were able to perfectly recite Eminem’s “The Monster” featuring Rihanna, by precariously mimicking the sounds with no actual comprehension of the lyrical content. This oblivion doesn’t only apply to patrons of the entertainment industry, but to the entertainers themselves, which many are quick to condemn and over-scrutinize. The entertainers are given too much credit though, with their roles often nothing more than being the face of the much larger, conniving industry. You see, many entertainers have naïvely dedicated their lives to the industry from a young age for the deceptive, glamorous life of fame and fortune, sacrificing a proper education and becoming puppets to their publishing
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companies. While this is not always the case, with some artists preparing original work, many still rely on cowriters and are subjected to production makeovers. Further vexing are the nonconventional artists who challenge the system, but are controversial without a cause, which we see in Kanye West’s infamous video for Bound 2 featuring fiancée Kim Kardashian’s naked body quivering against his on a motorcycle, as Kanye raps degrading lyrics. At one point, he even asks, “Have you ever asked your bitch for other bitches?” in reference to his Christmas wish list, inconsistent with a previous lyric in the song contending “one good girl is worth a thousand bitches.” Another prime example is the rebellious Miley Cyrus — despite her MTV “documentary” special, “Miley: The Movement,” in which she defends her cause (and VMA performance) as more than “some mess,” but a “part of a movement” that is “all thought out in [her] mind” with “every decision [going] into a bigger plan,” she never develops any meaning to that, unable to break down any significant purpose to her actions other than rebellion. She claims to want people to respect her, but goes on with counteractive, juvenile thoughts, such as, “I just wanna, like, have fun and not think about any kind of repercussion[s].” It’s gratifying to see other young artists like Lorde, a novice to the spotlight, attempt at somewhat meaningful lyrical content. On the other hand, there are other talented breakout artists that are disappointing sellouts, like Ariana Grande. Previously known primarily as a star from Nickelodeon, she continues to comprise the degrading role of scatterbrained imbecile
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cultural THE TRUEcorrective PROCat Valentine, with the catchphrase “What’s that supposed to mean?” giving off the erroneous message to impressionable children that playing dumb is cute. More upsetting are deceptive artists we praise, like Lady Gaga, a former stripper who has tried to uphold herself to a higher standard, even referring to herself as a goddess. She claims to stand for a progressive image, supporting stereotypical popular movements. Nevertheless, she sells herself out with raunchy, objectifying lyrics like those from her recent single, proclaiming “Do what you want with my body,” contradicting her claims to be “sexually empowering women.” The song makes a sad attempt to justify the lyrics by adding context that tries to reprimand the media for their scrutiny. But the underlying message gives the media permission to continue doing so, encouraging them to disrespect her because she doesn’t care what the media says about her. This, however, contra-
dicts another of her hits, “Applause,” which contends that she lives for the media’s attention. While Gaga pretends the media does not faze her, she purports the message to hide any feelings that might show weakness, which essentially approves bullying. The song “Do What U Want” features R. Kelly, who does her intended message little to no justice, which someone must have realized after his sexual assault case recently resurfaced. This is indirectly addressed in her remix of “Do What U Want,” a marketing ploy featuring Christina Aguilera instead of R. Kelly. In 2008 Aguilera retorted about Gaga, “I’m not quite sure who this person is, to be honest. I don’t know if it is a man or a woman. I just wasn’t sure,” in response to their comparison. Really now? I understand business is business, but as patrons of this industry, we have a lot of control via the business we support and associate ourselves with.
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SPORTS | 11
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Cal Poly plans athletic facility renovations
ZACH MAHER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Shaun Kahmann Special to Mustang News January is recruitment season, and coaches across the NCAA spectrum are scrambling to woo the most promising student athletes. Cal Poly Athletics officials are hoping recent upgrades to the 53-year-old Mott Athletics Center (MAC) will help coax candidates away from other schools with higher quality amenities. Renovations to the MAC include new training equipment, a new strength and conditioning coach, improved
lighting, new surfaces and paint, all adding up to roughly $500,000 — made possible by private donations — according to a Jan. 15 press release and email to students from Athletics Director Don Oberhelman. In addition, a new high-definition video scoreboard will be added this year. Though a new event center designed to host sporting events is currently in the planning stages Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong said he was committed to investments currently being made to the MAC. “We will be using the Mott Athletics Center as our main
events center for 7 to 10 years,” Armstrong said in a statement. "Moreover, we will continue to use it for decades. So, independent of multiple futures, Mott Athletics Center's renovation is very important." Cal Poly has commissioned a program management firm to conduct a feasibility study for a new event stadium that could potentially be coupled with a hotel and conference center, according to Armstrong. In addition, a separate architecture firm has been contracted to make additions to Alex G. Spanos
Stadium that will include a new high-definition video scoreboard, similar to the one that will be built in the MAC, according to a principal architect with that firm. Neither plan has moved into the budgeting phase. Oberhelman said Cal Poly’s athletics programs can’t wait for the changes to the MAC to stay competitive with other universities that already have state-of-the-art facilities. “Ten years is a long time, and if by that time we haven’t made investments in our current facility, our programs will all have suffered,” Oberhelman said. “The life of
“Ten years is a long
time, and if by that time we haven’t made investments in our current facility, our programs will all have suffered.” DON OBERHELMAN | ATHLETICS DIRECTOR
see RENOVATIONS, pg 8.
SPORTS | 12
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Men’s, women’s hoops face critical stretch
JOSEPH PACK| STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Evan Morter @EvanMorter The Cal Poly women’s basketball team will return to action under the lights of Mott Athletics Center on Thursday to face Cal State Fullerton at 7 p.m. before playing UC Riverside on Saturday at 4 p.m. The Mustangs have played eight of their last nine games on the road, and the team is pleased to return to action at home this weekend, according to junior guard Ariana Elegado. “Playing at home makes us feel so much better, much more positive,” Elegado said. Elegado has had a redhot start to her third Big West season, averaging 23.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game in Cal Poly’s first four conference games. Elegado’s recent success is attributed to her versatility on the court, head coach Faith Mimnaugh said. “She’s very gifted,” Mim-
naugh said in Monday’s press conference. “Her handles really set her up for a lot of different things. She can get into the paint, draw a second defender, and she’s got the little floater. She’s got a promising future.” Cal Poly will need similar production from Elegado on Thursday when the Mustangs face Cal State Fullerton. The Titans’ senior guard Alex Thomas has posted 21 points per game in conference play for the Titans this season. Junior guard Chante Miles completes the duo in the backcourt and averages 15 points a game on the year. “They’re a small team, but very fast, athletic and extremely tough defensively,” Mimnaugh said. “Hopefully we have a good chance of having a bit of a strength offensively on the inside that they won’t be able to handle.” The Mustangs will then host UC Riverside, which poses a much different test than Cal State Fuller-
ton. The Highlanders have a height advantage at the guard position that they’ll look to exploit. Elegado and senior guard Jonae Ervin will both be outsized by roughly 3 inches in their respective matchups. “It will be a big challenge for us, as far as commanding their size,” Mimnaugh said. The two home games ahead are key contests for the Mustangs, who have a championship in sight. “They tasted what it was like to be champions,” Mimnaugh said. “They know they have to put in a little bit extra. We’re still not playing our best ball yet.” Meanwhile, the Cal Poly men’s basketball team will hit the the road for matchups against Cal State Fullerton and UC Riverside. The Mustangs are coming off a disappointing defeat to Long Beach State this past Saturday, but head coach Joe Callero said the team can learn from the loss. “Long Beach State is a
80 IAN BILLINGS| STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
game that will help us down the road,” he said. Cal Poly’s mentality of using previous games as tools for games down the road is now directed toward the two games at hand, he said. “The momentum we got from the Santa Barbara road victory we hope can carry onto Fullerton and Riverside,” Callero said. The win against the rival Gauchos was Cal Poly’s second victory away from Mott this season. The Mustangs are 2-7 on the road this year. The Mustangs will look to bounce back in their upcoming road trip to cement themselves as a Big West title contender. “To compete for a conference championship, you have to win at least 50 percent of your road games,” Callero said. “I look forward to going on the road because it’s kind of challenging for us.” The men’s and women’s Cal Poly basketball teams both find themselves at 3-1 in Big West play heading into the weekend.
Points junior guard Ariana Elegado has scored in Cal Poly’s past three games.
WEEKEND AHEAD WOMEN’S HOOPS THURSDAY
SATURDAY
vs. Fullerton at 7 p.m.
vs. Riverside at 4 p.m.
MEN’S HOOPS THURSDAY
at Fullerton on ESPN3 at 7 p.m.