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Rabbi Hilel gives students a home away from home

CELINA OSEGUERA | MUSTANG NE WS HELP FROM HILEL | Hilel has lived in San Luis Obispo for eight years. While here, he's strived to support both the Jewish and non-Jewish population of the city whether that means delivering soup or being a Jewish faith resource.

James Tweet Special to Mustang News

Tightly packed tables buzz with chatter. Plates and silverware clink. The commotion then subsides as one voice emerges. It is raspy, with rhythm like the candle flames flickering in the corner. The words are Hebrew — a blessing before the wine. It’s a familiar introduction to the weekly Shabbat dinner hosted by Rabbi Chaim Hilel.

This dinner gathering is just one example of the many services Hilel provides to the Jewish community as the only rabbi in San Luis Obispo. He doesn’t even need a synagogue. Working out of his own home, he provides an environment for Jews to grow spiritually and culturally. A majority of the guests at dinner are students. Away from home and family, many Jewish students arrive at Cal Poly without their usual sources of tradi-

tion. It is this distance that gives Hilel his purpose. “I’m here to serve as a center for students,” Hilel said. “Being a home away from home.” Student crowds range from 50 to 100 people every Friday night for Shabbat — a four-course dinner — to kick off the work-free 24-hour period known as the Sabbath. Anyone is welcome. People squeeze into their chairs around the rows of tables. Phones are kept away. By tradi-

tion, technology isn’t handled during this time. As the second course of soup is passed around, Hilel repeats Hebrew words of friendship and union. It becomes a choir as people join him. Then the clapping starts. Soon, it’s a table-beating song. The festive mood brought by this moment lasts throughout the rest of dinner. The bread, rice and chicken meal is followed by a slice of chocolate cake. Hilel accommodates and coordi-

nates. Between courses, he walks around to talk with students and answer questions. The role he plays for each student is unique. “Everyone needs something different,” Hilel said. Despite the work-free occasion, he finds himself busy. He responds with patience as he listens to each individual student openly and kindly. RABBI continued on page 3

New university position will bring diversity issues directly to Armstrong Aidan McGloin @A.C.McG

Cal Poly is currently searching for a vice president and chief officer for diversity and inclusion, a position that will directly report to President Jeffrey Armstrong. The top four candidates for the position will each participate in forums

at Cal Poly on Jan. 23, 26, 30, and Feb. 2 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Christopher Cohan Performing Arts Center (PAC). The forum is intended to give a platform for faculty, staff and students to voice their questions and inspect the candidates before Armstrong makes his final decision. The position, previously known

as the executive director of diversity and inclusion, has been filled by Interim Director Jean DeCosta since Annie Holmes resigned Nov. 22, 2015 to spend more time with her family and enact change at an organizational level without institutional challenges, according to an interview with Mustang News from Dec. 4, 2015.

According to Senior Vice President of Administration and Finance Cynthia Vizcaino Villa, the decision to raise the position to vice president was made in mid to late Spring 2016. The new status causes the selected candidate to report directly to the president as a member of his cabinet rather than to another lower administra-

tor, giving hope to students such as Queer Students Union President and political science junior Matt Klepfer. Klepfer is one of three student representatives on the search committee. He hopes the individual will be better able to make change on campus. ASI President Jana Colombini also mentioned the significance

of the title. “I would also like to commend President Armstrong for making this a vice president level position as well. Huge steps being made for Cal Poly!” agricultural sciences senior Colombini said. DIVERSITY continued on page 2

OFFICE OF THE SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, ADMINISTRATION AND FINACE | COURTE SY PHOTOS

Josephine De Leon

William Lewis

Paulette Granberry Russell

Nathalia Jaramillo

Josephine De Leon, whose forum is on Feb. 2, holds a dual PhD of bilingual education and special education from New Mexico State University, an M.A. in educational psychology from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and a B.S. in early childhood education from Fayetteville State University. She held the position of vice president for equity and inclusion while being a professor at University of New Mexico since 2008, and worked in education since 1972.

William Lewis, whose forum is on Jan. 30, has a PhD of higher education administration from Indiana University, and a Master of social work and a B.S. in criminal justice from Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis. He is a principal member at an analytics company that focuses on diversity and inclusion. Past positions include vice president of the office of diversity and inclusion at Virginia Polytechnic , director of the office of institutional diversity at Bridgewater State College and director of diversity initiatives at Indiana University Kelley School of Business.

Paulette Granberry Russell, whose forum is Jan. 23, holds a Juris Doctor from Thomas M. Cooley Law School, and a double major in political science and public administration from Michigan State University (MSU). She served at MSU since 1998 as the senior advisor to the president for diversity and the director of the office for inclusion and intercultural initiatives.

Nathalia Jaramillo, whose forum is on Jan. 26, holds a PhD from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in urban schooling, an MA from Harvard in international education policy and a BA from University of California, Riverside (UCR) in psychology. She has been the deputy chief diversity officer of Kennesaw State University since 2014, and was a professor of critical studies in education from 20112013 at the University of Auckland, and of educational studies at Purdue University from 2007-2011.

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MUSTANG NEWS

VP Biden hosts final ‘It’s On Us’ summit Austin Linthicum @ austin_linthicum

Vice President Joe Biden made his final call to action against sexual assault on college campuses at the White House’s “It’s On Us” summit Jan. 5. The event focused on preventing sexual violence against students, something approximately one in five

college women and one in 16 college men will experience. In attendance were student leaders, federal representatives, community organizers and business leaders. Attendees heard from members of the administration and outside stakeholders about the work that is being done to address campus sexual assault and to engage in

a dialogue about the future of this work. In January 2014, the president and vice president established the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assaults. To raise awareness for the initiative, Obama and Biden launched “It’s On Us” in September 2014. The campaign asks ev-

eryone to make a personal commitment to step off the sidelines and be part of the solution to end campus sexual assault. “It’s On Us” has four main goals: to recognize that non-consensual sex is sexual assault; to identify situations in which sexual assault may occur; to intervene in situations where consent has not or cannot be

DAVID LIENEMANN | COURTESY PHOTO TO BE CONTINUED

| Biden may have hosted his last 'It's On Us' campaign summit but Cal Poly plans to continue the initiative.

DIVERSITY continued from page 1

The vice president will be decided by Armstrong with input from the search committee and others in early to mid March, and will serve in the position between 30 and 90 days after being decided,

dependent on their work and life obligations, Villa said. The presence of faculty and students on the search committee is also a part of the administration’s attempt to keep the student voice heard in selecting the new administrator. Klepfer said he thinks it is cru-

cial for more students to attend forums such as these. He believes it is a campus decision to make and wants to see different faces. “It’s usually the same people that go to these things,” Klepfer said. The search committee, involving three student representatives, three professors and six members

of faculty, have been working since July to find the candidates, according to Villa. The search received assistance from Isaacson Miller, an executive search firm that provided approximately 20 candidates to the search committee which then personally interviewed eight final candidates

given; and to create an environment in which sexual assault is unacceptable and survivors are supported. Over the past two years, approximately 400,000 people have taken the “It’s On Us” pledge online and students have hosted almost 2,000 events at more than 500 college campuses nationwide. Cal Poly hosted numerous events, most notably “It’s On Us” week in April 2016. The event will happen again this year, kicking off Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Biden made a final call while in office for college administration to change the culture on their campuses by protecting students and supporting survivors. “As leaders of our nation’s colleges and universities, you have a legal and a moral obligation to combat sexual violence on your campuses — and that starts with changing the culture on your campuses,” Biden said in his speech at the White House. While the future of the White House’s efforts to reduce sexual violence remains unknown, “It’s On Us” student representative Kelly Jacobs said the initiative will continue to exist. “While the White House is a huge partner, the real driving force is the students and staff,” journalism junior Jacobs said. “There is really nothing the pol-

itics could do to stop it.” As one of 28 student advisory committee members for “It’s On Us,” Jacobs works with student leaders for universities across California and Hawaii on programs preventing sexual assault. She has also met with Biden at his private residence for a meeting about the next steps in the “It’s On Us” awareness campaign. Jacobs shared with Biden the work that Safer does with students at Cal Poly and the goals they set for their community. “He was impressed with our program and the strides we have taken to help survivors and address gender-based violence on our campus,” Jacobs said. “He kept telling me how proud he is of the work I do and the impact Safer is making.” Biden asked Jacobs to stay afterwards so he could personally call the Cal Poly Safer coordinator, which Jacobs described as an “amazing experience.” The “It’s On Us” spring week of action will be April 2-8 on campuses nationwide in addition to Cal Poly. Safer said it does not have a definitive schedule yet, but is planning events for Sexual Assault Awareness Month throughout April. Safer plans to continue to partner with Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) to engage students from various communities across campus.

each for an hour and a half before settling on these final four, according to Klepfer. All four finalists have experience in working with diversity and inclusion on a university level, and hold graduate degrees. Their full resumes can be found online on the president’s website, and from an

email sent to students and faculty from the Office of the President. The candidates will be visiting around the same time Milo Yiannopoulos will be on campus to perform his “Dangerous Faggot Tour” Jan. 31, a performance that has angered some with its lack of inclusion.

San Luis Obispo community gets a say on city’s goals

BRENDAN MATSUYAMA | MUSTANG NE WS DOTOCR ACY

| The open forum attendees were given 10 dot stickers and were directed to place them on propositions posted on the room walls. The dots represent their vote for the city to pursue that proposition.

Brendan Matsuyama @ CPMustangNews

Residents, business owners and community leaders spoke before the city council in a packed Ludwick Community Center Jan. 10. Throughout the event, proposals were posted to the walls of Ludwick’s auditorium. At the end, attendees were given 10 dot stickers and placed them on the matters they believed should receive highest priority in this new administration. Proposals addressed issues such as zoning laws, the city’s

unpaid retirement liability through California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) and increasing the amount of and access to open space. Issues most relevant to students include noise disturbances and party registration, on-campus housing and more lighting in neighborhoods around Cal Poly. Community members, including students, were able to vote on the 116 issues raised via an online survey that closed at 11:59 p.m. yesterday. Simulating the “dotocracy,” or dot, voting

that took place at the end of the community forum on Jan. 10, the survey allowed participants to choose five issues that the city should set as major city goals and five issues that should receive priority funding through Measure G. Measure G, or the Local Revenue Measure, increases San Luis Obispo’s sales tax by 0.5 percent to “protect and maintain essential services and facilities,” according to the original ballot language. The measure was approved by San Luis Obispo voters in 2014 and is valid through 2023.

During the event, the Residents for Quality Neighborhoods group mentioned late night disturbances stemming from student parties as one of their priorities. While acknowledging a record low number of disturbances, their representative proposed working with Cal Poly to build more on-campus student housing. This issue has been a point of contention between Cal Poly and some community members, bringing about calls to cap enrollment and build more on-campus housing, in addition to the hous-

ing project currently under construction on Grand Avenue. Associated Students, Inc. President Jana Colombini was among students who spoke at the forum, proposing the city council make an effort to increase the amount of street lighting in the darker neighborhoods surrounding Cal Poly. “This is important to me because as the student body president I want to ensure that my constituents can get around their neighborhoods safe[ly] and with a sense of security,” agricultural sciences senior

Colombini said. “The streets in the surrounding neighborhoods are dark and it’s ... frightening. I hope that you understand that this also helps the city as well. We’ve had an increase in crime and theft, and it’s been proven that if an area is well lit, the crime and theft will decrease and it becomes more safe.” The results of the forum will be presented to the city council at its goal-setting workshop Jan. 28, at which point it will make the final decision as to what its goals and budget priorities will be for the next two years.

NEWS 3

THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2017 RABBI continued from page 1

The beard, white button-up shirt and clear-rimmed glasses are unmistakable. With a yarmulke atop his head and symbolic knotted tassels at his sides called tzitzit, the 32-year-old embodies his traditions. While tradition stands firm, he doesn’t hesitate to go beyond it. Apart from the open weekly Shabbat dinners, Hilel offers another meal everyday to anyone. Preparing chicken soup for sick students is a common duty for rabbis in Hilel’s practice. When he moved to San Luis Obispo in 2009, it was a casual service. Jewish students he knew would

call for him to deliver them chicken soup. It became more popular over time and his operation suddenly went viral through a single Facebook post. Hilel gladly accepted the challenge and he now averages two orders per day. “If I have soup and I’m available, I’ll deliver,” the rabbi said with a smile. The dinners and soup take tremendous work and storage. For everything to be properly kosher, the food supplies are ordered in bulk from Los Angeles. Although this costs a considerable amount of money, Hilel funds it all through donations. Education is another aspect of his service. He teaches a week-

ly college-level course in Jewish topics through a program called Sinai Scholars. Students go to his house for discussions about contemporary issues through a Jewish perspective. The students write personal essays after each session. Additionally, Hilel and his community try to do one philanthropy event per quarter. “We’re here to make the world a better place,” Hilel said. His personal life and his work overlap by nature. To properly provide to local Jews, he must be an example of the community he wants to serve. “The difference is more students are now active in their Jewish life,” he said. “Every year

it gets a little better.” Like most of the students he knows, he moved to San Luis Obispo from a faraway place,: Montreal, Canada. Hilel was born and raised in Montreal with an entirely Jewish early education. Through this immersion, he became fluent in Hebrew and familiar with the work of Chabad, a spiritual Jewish movement focused on outreach. From an early age, Hilel felt inspired to commit his life’s work to Chabad. “I couldn’t see myself working nine-to-five,” Hilel said. When he was 18 years old, he traveled to Israel — the birthplace of both his father and his culture — and then returned

home to complete his Biblical education. Afterwards, he went to Los Angeles to study and become a rabbi. Once he was ordained as a rabbi, he was to be stationed wherever place needed more Jewish support. This is how he arrived in San Luis Obispo. Chabad has a historical connection to college campuses, which made Cal Poly the main target. Since arriving in 2009 with his wife Miki, Hilel has become an integral part of the local Jewish identity. He represents Chabad and coordinates with two of the Jewish student-run groups at Cal Poly as well as with the Jewish fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Pi, and sorority, Alpha Epsilon Phi.

As the heart to this Jewish life he also works with administration to make the needs of his students known. Jewish holidays are not known to fall under the usual academic calendar’s scheduled breaks, and this can put pressure on Jewish students. Hilel believes that communication with instructors is essential for students in these situations. Hilel’s entire family provides this cultural foundation and sets the example to equally foster growth for a much larger, local Jewish community. For some it may be a weekly dinner, but for others it may indeed be a home away from home.

CELINA OSEGUER A | MUSTANG NE WS REST

| Hilel provides a Shabbat dinner for students every Friday. The Jewish day of rest ceremony includes serving and eating foods like Challah bread while remembering the Creation story and Exodus.

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MUSTANG NEWS

Cal Poly students keep film photography alive

LUKE OPITZ | COURTESY PHOTOS KEEPING PHOTOS ALIVE

| Many photography buffs choose film over digital photography because film cameras require more focus on each individual photo, as there are a limit to how many can be taken.

Nicole Horton @ CPMustangNews

#FILMISNOTDEAD. This hashtag has been scattered over social media platforms for quite some time now, creating a community of film photography enthusiasts and inspiring others to try their hand at the unique way of documenting life. While digital cameras have their advantages, many photographers agree that there is something simply magical

about shooting with a film camera. Whether it be the click of the shutter, the developing process or the timeless functionality of the original method, something keeps photography buffs from transitioning to new technology. Mechanical engineering sophomore Luke Opitz first shot with film because it was affordable. “I got into photography on a whim and on my own, so a $50 camera was much closer to my price range than a $500 DSLR camera with

multiple lenses,” Opitz said. His limited budget turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as Opitz got a unique perspective on the world of photography. By only shooting with a film camera, his appreciation for the art and value of his time and work were maximized. “I have an extremely limited number of pictures, so I have to make each one count. I can’t just click away. I like that I have to set up and think about every shot before I take it because I only get one chance,” Opitz said. “I

like that I have to wait. I think it makes it more fun when the pictures finally come out because I get to remember and relive all those specific moments that were captured a few months ago.” Even some digital camera devotees are catching on to the born-again trend of shooting with film. Industrial engineering sophomore Jesse Morrison spends a lot of time shooting digitally. His photography involves a significant amount of Adobe Photoshop and processing.

However, he agrees that film has a solid place in the world of photography. “The skill of ‘getting it right’ is an essential aspect to any photographer’s skill set and is easily learned and reinforced through film photography,” Morrison said. Morrison and a few friends decided to start a community of their own at Cal Poly. They shoot together with aspirations of improving their photography skills. “We wanted to make a way for people to share ideas and meet

up to practice photography,” Morrison said. Morrison and his friends formed the Cal Poly Photo Association last year and held their first meeting in Fall 2016. The club welcomes people of all photography experience and of digital and film shooting preferences. While the club is currently working with Associated Students, Inc. to find a space for its future meetings this quarter, its Instagram page is up and running @PolyPhotoAssociation.

Techno for hope: Nonprofit teams up with musical artists Carly Quinn @ carlyquinnMN

House and techno music will meet with local nonprofit Along Comes Hope at Intellectual Dance Music (IDM) Productions’ The Get It Gathering on Friday from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. The event will host performances by Big Eye, Mathew Phillips

and Sean Raya at the San Luis Obispo Guild Hall. Big Eye and Mathew Phillips are both Cal Poly students and Sean Raya is from San Francisco. Along Comes Hope has helped children affected by cancer and their families since 2013. The nonprofit worked with founder of IDM Productions Ryan Fullerton to make The Get It Gathering happen for the first time.

Recreation, parks and tourism administration senior Fullerton said that he didn’t want to wait any longer to start his career in event planning and wanted to pursue fusing music and giving back to the community. Looking to collaborate with a local charity, Fullerton said that Along Comes Hope just clicked. “I feel like at every event we could always do good, whether that’s

raising money for a good cause or raising awareness,” Fullerton said. “Bringing like-minded people together around something like music really empowers a lot of things.” In the future, Fullerton wants to host events like this as often as once a month. “I want IDM to be more than just concerts,” Fullerton said. “I really want it to develop a community in the area so we can positively

impact society.” The Get it Gathering set designer Cleo Mayer said that combining house and techno music with charity is something rarely seen at traditional events, but fits well with the music’s culture. “It’s something that you don’t see a lot from most dance music events,” theater sophomore Mayer said. “The charity aspect really goes back to the

roots of this whole scene: peace, love, respect.” According to CEO and founder of Along Comes Hope, Jenny Mulks Wieneke, the event will be a great way to get some social interaction with the community and have fun while partying for a purpose. Tickets can be purchased for $4 online and $6 at the door. All ages are welcome.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2017

‘Monster Trucks’ is not the biggest monstrosity

Greg Llamas @ CPMustangNews

There have been many instances when a film has a lot of potential, but because of issues like sloppy writing or bland characters, they wind up being truly miserable experiences. Most of the “Star Wars” prequels come to mind as examples. Then, there are movies that make you wonder how they ever saw the light of day, having a terrible premise with no potential. Due to the circumstances surrounding it, Paramount’s “Monster Trucks” would seem to be in the latter category. After all, it was pitched in 2013 to a Paramount executive from his then four-year-old son. In fact, Paramount is preparing for a $115 million loss because it green lighted the idea and released it in January, a time considered a wasteland for new releases. “Monster Trucks” lives up to the expected disappointment, but there’s also an unexpected charm to the film that keeps it from being a complete monstrosity. After a drilling accident committed by a greedy oil company (the slimy company’s boss Reece is played by Rob Lowe), prehistoric creatures that are a combination of a beluga whale and an octopus are released onto land by the explosions. One creature finds its way to a junkyard where adventurous teen mechanic Tripp (Lucas Till) works part-time. After forming an unlikely bond with the creature and discovering that it can work as a living engine for his truck, Tripp names the creature Creech. Along with Meredith (Jane Levy), the nerdy girl who has a crush on Tripp, they work to reunite Creech with his family. However, Reece sees Creech as evidence of his company’s shoddy ethics. He sends his enforcer Burke (Holt McCallany) to deal with the problem. The setup for the story treads old territory that’s already been covered by the likes of “E.T.” It’s a stereotypical narrative of a young

... it’s hard to completely hate such a weird, off-the-wall type of garbage that tries to do something unique in the face of an established formula. kid protecting an innocent creature that’s being hunted by an evil organization. Despite being a groan-worthy pun, the concept of having a literal monster that powers a monster truck is at least weird enough to somewhat break away from being a mindless carbon copy of the related “rescue the cute creature” films. While bland yet passable, the plot isn’t the problem that haunts “Monster Trucks.” With such an off-the-wall concept, there was an opportunity for the characters to be written in a way that wasn’t stereotypical of such films. Unfortunately, characters like Tripp and Meredith are about the most boring and confusing leads that could possibly be imagined. Till and Levy are inexplicable casting choices, considering that they actually are in their mid-twenties, taking away any immersion the film could have possibly offered. On top of that, the audience is never given a convincing reason as to why Meredith has an infatuation with Tripp, considering he ignores her for the first 30-or-so minutes. Creech, who is supposed to be the driving force (not an intentional pun, I swear) of the film, also isn’t all that interesting. Of course, there’s a limit to how interesting a creature that only grunts and eats oil can be. At first, he’s somewhat entertaining, causing mischief in the junkyard and trouble for Tripp. But as the film drags on, it becomes apparent that there is no deep or meaningful reason for the audience to be attached to him; it’s just that he’s cute and you should feel bad for him. It’s a particularly manipulative reason. It also doesn’t help that Reece and Burke are some of the most uninspired antagonists I can think of. They come off as the mustache-twirling types of villains who are over-the-top evil instead of actually intimidating and cut-throat. While most of the characters

in “Monster Trucks” are boring, there’s a surprising amount of depth in Tripp’s relationship with his stepfather and town sheriff Rick (Barry Pepper). At first, he’s portrayed as a stepparent who doesn’t care for his kid and has rocky interactions with Tripp. However, as the film progresses and Tripp’s relationship with his biological father (Frank Whaley) is revealed, the dynamic between Rick and Tripp becomes surprisingly fleshed out, showing a rare instance of character development. Another character that has some sort of depth, relative to the rest of the characters, is Dowd (Thomas Lennon), the scientist working for Reece. After giving the go-ahead for the drilling that displaces Creech’s family, he discovers that the creatures are intelligent, forcing him to rethink his position in the company. It’s certainly not spectacular writing, but when it comes to this film, I’ll take whatever type of development I can get. Even though it seems over-thetop, Tripp riding in the CreechTruck fits with the overall tone of the film and somehow manages to not appear as completely contrived. Even when Creech lays waste to an entire town with bad driving and climbs buildings with ease, there’s a sense of shock and confusion that’s hard not to laugh at. When Burke is chasing the main characters during the climax, the film becomes fun to watch because it’s so ridiculous and it’s clearly not taking itself too seriously. It may seem like I trashed “Monster Trucks.” Make no mistake, it’s a pretty garbage film with little to redeem itself. But it’s hard to completely hate such a weird, off-the-wall type of garbage that tries to do something unique in the face of an established formula. The lesson of this debacle is that Hollywood executives should never take professional advice from their kids again.

MONSTER TRUCKS FACEBOOK PAGE | PROMOTIONAL

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MUSTANG NEWS

OPINION

Elias Atienza @ CPMustangNews

Elias Atienza is a history sophomore and Mustang News columnist. The views expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints and editorial coverage of Mustang News. Trump’s victory was a stunning blow to the United States’ status quo. Trump’s bellicose attitude toward the current administration’s policies on trade, immigration, terrorism and the economy propelled him to the position of president-elect. While it is imperative that we approach these changes with some degree of reservation, Trump’s views do provide some cause for cautious optimism. Arguably the most central component of Trump’s foreign policy is his opposition to overthrowing foreign regimes. The U.S. overthrew three foreign regimes in the last 15 years: Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. Trump publicly voiced opposition to this policy of intervention since at least 2004. He blasted the regime changes as having “produced only turmoil and suffering and death.” And in a foreign policy speech that the Washington Examiner called “libertarian-like,” he called for a new foreign policy

A libertarian foreign policy that “learns from the mistakes of the past.” “We will destroy ISIS. At the same time, we will pursue a new foreign policy that finally learns from the mistakes of the past,” Trump said in a “thank you” speech on Dec 1. “We will stop looking to topple regimes and overthrow governments, folks. Our goal is stability, not chaos because we wanna rebuild our country. It’s time.” Trump understands that overthrowing regimes was counterproductive to the national security interests of the U.S. In the past 15 years, despite trillions of dollars spent by the U.S. overseas, the Middle East is still cloaked in turmoil and more countries are destabilized now than at the beginning of the millennium. Trump’s promise, while only a promise, brings hope that the U.S. will stop looking to depose foreign regimes and finally adopt a relatively noninterventionist foreign policy. Additionally, Trump promised to restructure the standard that the U.S. holds its North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies to. The member states of

NATO are obligated to spend two percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) on their military. However, only six countries (including the U.S.) meet this obligation. Denmark, for example, last fulfilled this obligation just after the end of the Cold War. Now, its military spending is only 1.2 percent of its GDP. The European welfare state has grown, while its militaries have shrunk. But this might change.

Trump might

Europe. Though Trump might not be able to get all the nations to meet the two percent requirement, highlighting the lack of European adherence to it will put a spotlight on the fact that the U.S. essentially subsidizes European welfare programs, as we are left continuously compensating for its lack of defense spending that allows Europe to get away with diverting funding from defense into universal healthcare and “free” college. By forcing NATO nations to spend more on military, it would cut spending from welfare programs, which accomplishes two goals. Firstly, it will help dispel the fiction that the European brand of socialism is scalable or even successful by pointing out how it actually leaches off the U.S. in order to subsidize its own programs. Secondly, it will allow the U.S. to reduce the number of standing forces in Europe, as we will no longer be responsible for defending the European arena from Russian aggression. The U.S. has many problems to deal with and continuing to maintain a large number of bases and tens of thousands of troops in Europe

reverse the foreign policy of the last 15 years. Should Trump enforce this fiscal floor, Denmark would either have to cut spending in its many welfare programs or raise taxes; the latter is unlikely as Denmark has the highest tax burden in

is foolhardy. Now, it is important to recognize that there are concerns with Trump’s foreign policy. The primary concern of his foreign policy, and our national security interests as a whole, is his infatuation with nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons are the most dangerous weapons in the world and while we should not totally disarm, we should not urge for further proliferation. As Ronald Reagan said, “A nuclear war cannot be won and cannot be fought. The only value in our two nations possessing nuclear weapons is to make sure they will never be used.” Trump’s call for increasing the nuclear arsenal should be a red flag, especially to a world where nuclear proliferation has been halted since the end of the Cold War. There is reason to think that Trump might reverse the foreign policy of the last 15 years and start restructuring how we deal with the world. While I am not going to believe every word he says, I will continue to keep an open mind on his foreign policy and look forward to seeing him enact it. Only time will tell if he will be any different from the last two presidents.

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TABATA GORDILLO | MUSTANG NE WS LOADED DECK

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MUSTANG NEWS

AYRTON OSTLY | PHOTO ILLUSTR ATION COMING TOGETHER | The men's basketball team's transfer players (from left) Donovan Fields, Josh Martin, Kyle Toth, Victor Joseph and Luke Meikle have been some of the biggest contributors this season.

Ayrton Ostly @ AyrtonOstly

Recruiting is a huge component of college athletics. Two years ago, Cal Poly Athletics spent $325,472 on recruiting alone. This money primarily goes to the main duties of recruiting — visiting high school athletes to get a verbal or written commitment to play for the Mustangs. Another aspect of recruiting is looking for talent from junior colleges or receiving interest from players at other universities across the country. It’s this area of recruiting that men’s basketball head coach Joe Callero and company excel in. Of the eight collegiate men’s sports at Cal Poly (that excludes the cross country and track teams due to player overlap), the men’s basketball team is miles

ahead of the others in regards to transfer players. Callero and his staff lead a team this season comprised of 40 percent transfer players. The next closest team, baseball, has a roster for the 2016-2017 year that is 18 percent transfer players. Two men’s teams, tennis and swimming and diving, don’t have any transfer players this year. This season, four players have played in every basketball game for the Mustangs: senior guards Kyle Toth and Ridge Shipley, sophomore guard Donovan Fields and junior forward Luke Miekle. Excluding Shipley, the group is all transfer players. The top four scorers this season are all transfers: Toth (11.1 points per game), Fields (9.9), Meikle (9.7) and junior guard Victor Joseph (9.2). Include junior forward Josh Martin’s 10.8 points per game before his injury

and the top five scorers came to Cal Poly from another school. Some of the players have transferred from community or junior colleges. Toth transferred from Foothill College, junior guard Josh Mishler from Saddleback College, Joseph from Chaffey College, Fields from Odessa College and sophomore forward Jakub Niziol from Howard College. Others have transferred from other fouryear universities as well, as Martin transferred from the University of Minnesota and Meikle from Gonzaga. It isn’t too surprising Callero has assembled a team with transfers included. NCAA data puts the average percentage of transfers on any given four-year college team at roughly 28 percent for the 2015-2016 year. Besides men’s soccer, men’s basketball

has the highest rate of transfer in collegiate sports. But it is surprising the Cal Poly men’s basketball team is

With this team of transfers, the Mustangs are an anomaly compared to a lot of teams.

well above average in terms of transfer players, and even more unusual is that those transfers are some of the biggest contributors. The system of transferring

from community or junior colleges and immediately playing for the university is a simple process, as Mishler, Joseph, Fields, Toth and Niziol all could start playing as soon as they enrolled at Cal Poly. For Meikle and Martin, each of them had to “complete a year in residence,” or a year at Cal Poly without playing basketball. Despite this year without playing for the Mustangs, Meikle has been a mainstay at forward this season, as was Martin before his injury in November. Callero has a history of developing transfer students; recently, former transfer guard David Nwaba, originally from Santa Monica College before coming to Cal Poly, signed with the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA Development League and has averaged 11 points and

six rebounds per game in his rookie season so far. With this team of transfers, the Mustangs are an anomaly compared to a lot of teams they’ll play this season. Players in the Big West Conference usually spend all four years on the same team. After starting the season 5-4, the Mustangs currently find themselves on the wrong end of an eight-game losing streak. With a 5-12 record, 0-8 in conference, Callero thinks an improvement in execution is the key to turning the season around. “The only way this team is going to get better is to play more games under fire,” Callero said after a loss to Cal State Fullerton last Thursday. “We need game reps. We’re going to go through some growing pains, but we don’t want to go through them for much longer.”