Thursday, Januar y 9, 2014
Volume L X X V III, Number 2 6
w w w.mus t angne w s .net
Men’s basketball vs. Hawaii tonight at 7 p.m.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY IAN BILLINGS | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
THE CONDUCTOR Aryn Sanderson “There’s dying.” He raises his hand horizontally to eye level. “Then...” He quickly moves his hand down toward his chin, pushing down the winter air for emphasis. “There’s losing.” For point guard Jamal Johnson, there is almost nothing worse than a loss. “I don’t know how anyone could accept losing,” the 6-foot, 177-pound senior said. “I think of losing like it’s the worst thing. ... After a loss, I don’t want to talk to anybody. I play back every single play of the game, what possession did we lose it on, what happened for us to lose this
game like we did.” In the span of a 45-minute conversation — where everything from his game ritual of wearing his socks inside-out to his tribal membership as a Wampanoag Native American was discussed — Johnson said the word “losing” at least once every two minutes. And it’s unfortunate, because the Mustangs have been doing just that. They’re 4-9 entering their Big West Conference opener against Hawaii on Thursday after a tough non-conference schedule. But, surprisingly, Johnson doesn’t seem worried. “That’s exactly what we expected when coach
@ArynSanderson asked us,” Johnson said, “He said, you know, ‘We’re gonna schedule these games. We could be 2-10. What do you guys think?’ and I said, ‘I don’t want to be 9-1 and come into conference and wonder what’s going on. I’d rather be 2-10 and have learned an immense amount about our team and go into conference coming out the gates knowing what our team can produce.’” Johnson is averaging 5.2 points per game on the year, fifth best for the Mustangs. But shooting isn’t his game. Johnson is No. 11 among Division I players, with a 2.75-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. “I’ve never been a phenomenal scorer who puts
up 25 points in a game,” he said, “I would feel like I was letting the team down if I scored 25 because that means someone else is scoring five when they could be hitting way more.” Instead, Johnson plays as a pass-first point guard, leading the team with 38 assists. Johnson is, his teammate and roommate Chris Eversley said, “the reason for the team’s successes.” Johnson’s drive to win fuels the team, he said. “That’s one thing he and I have in common — we’re hypercompetitive,” Eversley said. >>
see JOHNSON, pg 9.
Along with his competitive attitude, Johnson’s
Greek leaders, administration in limbo over party policy
Moriarty’s Dirty Donations?
Jessica Burger Special to Mustang News
Brooke Sperbeck @BrookeSperbeck7
MEET NICK.
MEET JAKE.
BEER COLUMN COURTESY PHOTO
PREVIEW
XXYYXX to perform in the main gym Kelly Trom @kttrom PREVIEW Marcel Everett (DJ XXYYXX) is slated to perform in the main gym of the Recreation Center this Friday. The electronic music DJ is only 18 years old — the age of most freshmen — and has performed at various music festivals. XXYYXX is known for various songs, with his “About You” music video with more than 13 million views on YouTube. Friday night’s show in the main gym of the Recreation Center is free to students and is set to begin at 9 p.m. >>
see XXYYXX, pg 4.
As a lengthy trial moves forward in the case of Cal Poly super donor Albert Moriarty, creditors are on the university’s doorstep demanding their money back. Moriarty, who had a significant influence in Cal Poly Athletics for decades, is accused of securities fraud, scheming to defraud and selling securities without a license Now, Cal Poly faces a predicament in a noticeable part of campus: The Alex G. Spanos Stadium scoreboard. Because of a contract agreement with Moriarty, they can’t remove Moriarty’s name from the top of the scoreboard, despite the fact that he’s been in the San Luis Obispo County Jail for eight months. Up against a slew of civil suits, Moriarty enlisted the help of a lawyer that he met in jail, and Cal Poly is watching the case. >>
see MORIARTY, pg 2.
Nick Larson and Jake Devincenzi @njlarson8 and @jake_devincenzi PREVIEW Your favorite beer aficionados are back with their first column of the quarter. Kinesiology senior Nick Larson and aerospace engineering senior Jake Devincenzi bring you the crap of the craft in this week’s beer column. From Natural Light to Rolling Rock, the beer snob duo has you covered on the worst beers most college students drink. While these beers might save broke college students cash in the end, the tastes of these beers reflect just that. While the duo often tells you what beers you should be drinking, this column tells you what you should avoid ... if possible. If you’re reading this while drinking a PBR or Natty Light (God forbid), just stop. Put it down and walk away. You can do better. We believe in you. So, which beer do you think they ranked best of the worst? >>
see BEER, pg 6.
ZACH MAHER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Following a “constructive” meeting with Dean of Students Jean DeCosta on Tuesday morning, greek council presidents have until 5 p.m. Friday to reach a compromise on a proposed party registration policy. “There will be a lot of give and take in the next few days in order to hopefully pass the policy on time,” Interfraternity Council (IFC) President and business administration junior Dominic Hjerpe said. According to DeCosta, she and the greek council presidents are “very close” to reaching a resolution on the policy. There are “one or two little areas” that still need to be sorted out, but she declined to cite any specific items. “We just need to resolve the areas that are still confusing to them, that we feel need to be clarified for them, and then they can clarify to us those couple of sticking areas that we just need the right language on,” DeCosta said. >>
see GREEK, pg 2.
News... 2-3 | Arts... 4-6 | Opinion... 7 | Classifieds... 8 | Sports... 9-10
NEWS| 2
Thursday, January 9, 2014
MORIARTY’S DIRTY DONATIONS? Jessica Burger Special to Mustang News While Albert Moriarty sits in the San Luis Obispo County Jail, as he has for the past eight months, the name of his now defunct business, Moriarty Enterprises, still graces the top of the scoreboard in Cal Poly’s Alex G. Spanos Stadium. Now Cal Poly finds itself in a legal battle over hundreds of thousands of dollars Moriarty donated to the university that might not have been his to begin with. The Cal Poly alumni and booster gave the school $625,000 in April 2009. The money funded the stadium’s electronic scoreboard and guaranteed him the naming rights in a gift contract with the school which called Moriarty “an important leader with the Cal Poly Athletics Family.”
Since then, Moriarty, 80, has filed for bankruptcy and has been the target of more than a dozen lawsuits by San Luis Obispo residents who want their money back. Authorities arrested Moriarty in spring on charges of securities fraud. Cal Poly legal counsel Carlos Cordova said the school first became aware of Moriarty’s circumstance last spring, after they received a claim from bankruptcy creditors asking for the full amount of his donations back. “They claim they are entitled to the money,” Cordova said. “Basically, we disagree.” Cordova said the university has been in discussion with the creditors. One idea is for Cal Poly to try and buy the rights for the scoreboard back. “At that point we would then have the ability to take the name
JOSEPH PACK | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
SCOREBOARD| Moriarty donated $625,000 before filing for bankrupcy. Greek continued from pg 1. Panhellenic Council President and business administration junior Danielle Durante and DeCosta both said they expect a deal to be reached by Friday, while Hjerpe said there are still some points of
concern among fraternities. Both IFC and Panhellenic, as well as the United Sorority and Fraternity Council, must pass the policy by Friday. Included in the latest draft of the policy are rules that forbid drinking games, hard alcohol and kegs at fraternity parties, Hjerpe said.
off,” Cordova said. For now, Cal Poly would be in “breach of contract” if it removes Moriarty’s name from the scoreboard. The situation Cal Poly faces is rare, but it’s not unheard of. Yale University was asked in 2009 to recover a $1.7 million gift after its donor was jailed on charges related to insider trading. Yale agreed to pay $1 million in a settlement. It has been one year since Moriarty first filed for bankruptcy in the state of Washington, where he was arrested five months later and transferred back into San Luis Obispo County. “Since we have parties in a different state, this is a very unique situation that seems to be dragging out longer than usual,” Cordova said. “Our goal is to get a resolution that is acceptable to everybody.” According to Cordova, a new agreement must be reached before Moriarty’s name can be removed from the scoreboard. “We can’t have that conversation with Moriarty because he no longer owns the contract,” Cordova said. “It’s now owned by the bankruptcy trustee.” In addition to the 19 civil suits filed by former clients of Moriarty, he faces criminal charges that include securities fraud, scheming to defraud and selling securities without a license. He is being investigated by county and federal prosecutors, but has maintained innocence. He plead not guilty at his arraignment on Nov. 19. In light of the turned circumstance, Cordova said Cal Poly regrets not having a different type of contract. “He has a long standing with the
According to DeCosta, the hard alcohol ban is something that was already instituted during fall quarter under a new risk management plan. “It’s a part of that policy, and so it automatically gets folded into this policy,” DeCosta said. Another issue being raised is the number of parties each fraternity can host per quarter, a concern raised by Vice President of Student Affairs Keith Humphrey, Durante said. “The number of how many parties you could have per quarter was another big debate,” Durante said. “Keith wants that restricted, whereas we were more coming from the lines of, ‘If we register every party, why is that not OK?’” As part of the discussion, Panhellenic proposed a one-party-per-week limit for each fraternity chapter, including both main and satellite houses, Hjerpe said. When asked about his opinions on both the alcohol restrictions and party limit proposal, Hjerpe de-
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university, and quite frankly, we did not envision this scenario ever occurring to him,” Cordova said. “In light of that, I think the university had a pretty bare bones understanding with him.” Moriarty graduated with a degree in physical education in 1957. During his time at Cal Poly, he played football for four years and spent his freshman year on the undefeated team of 1953. He also met his wife, Patty, a former Mustang Marching Band drum major, while the two attended school. In a 2009 promotional article published by Cal Poly Athletics near the time of Moriarty’s donation, he said it was during his junior year at Cal Poly that he began his former financial services business, Moriarty Enterprises. “Look what we have to sell. We live in an area that’s beautiful and Cal Poly has everything going for it,” Moriarty said at the time. “You’d be smart to get involved with Cal Poly.” Moriarty’s history with the athletics department goes back at least to 1992, when he was first asked to work on behalf of the Mustang Athletic Fund and became the group’s first president. He was admitted into Cal Poly’s Hall of Fame 10 years later, and served the school as recently as February of 2011 — just 10 months before he filed for bankruptcy — when he helped to evaluate potential athletic directors. Did Moriarty give other funds to the school during his decades as a prominent figure in the athletics department? Cal Poly isn’t saying. When asked if Moriarty had made any other donations to the
clined to comment. The alcohol restrictions, he said, are “in the current policy, and some of those points are up for negotiation and are concerns.” The policy also states a party with over 100 people must be registered at least 10 days in advance, and a party with less than that must be registered at least five days prior, DeCosta said. In Tuesday’s meeting, leaders worked with DeCosta to reach a mutual understanding of what would qualify as a “fraternity party,” Durante said. “Really right now the definition for what is a party is up to the school,” Durante said. “It’s whatever a reasonable person deems to be a party. So that’s why we were just trying to discuss that as to just make sure that we all know what is and isn’t a party.” DeCosta defined a “fraternity party” as a party thrown at a main house, satellite house or a residence where greeks primarily from the same chapter live. “I think that one knows if it’s an official fraternity party,” DeCosta said. An updated draft of the
school, university spokesperson Matt Lazier said, “The only donation from Mr. Moriarty that the university has discussed and will discuss publicly, is the $625,000 gift for the stadium scoreboard.” In the 2009 promotional article, Moriarty said, “I’m a great forecaster and I see big things for this school.” But according to Cordova, the school could have afforded to be more thorough at the time of the scoreboard agreement. The contract could have been labeled and written better, he said. “It’s not really a donation, it really should have been called a sponsor agreement,” Cordova said. “We have them all the time — a sponsor gives us money and we agree to put their name on a sign.” Cordova said the school will include provisions in future agreements to address these types of situations. “We already have steps in place to make sure the next agreements spell out the understandings better than what happened here in this particular case,” he said. During the handful of court dates Moriarty has had during the past two months, he has switched lawyers and tried to fight bail. He swapped out the public defender appointed to him for a lawyer he met behind bars during his time in county jail. Some of his alleged victims have attended the proceedings and filled the audience as his requests to reduce his $5 million bail were denied. According to the San Luis Obispo District Attorney, Moriarty’s next court date will be on Feb. 4, where officials will set a date for his trial.
policy was sent to all fraternity and sorority chapter presidents late Tuesday night, and they will vote on whether or not they think the policy should be passed, Hjerpe said. “If there are not any questions or concerns, just speaking for IFC, I will conduct a vote,” Hjerpe said. “But if there are questions or concerns, it will go back to deliberation.” The policy is one of a series of changes made by administrators and greek leaders as part of the deferred recruitment compromise this past June. The policy agreed upon this quarter will be a draft version that will be revisited in a month and a half, then revised and finalized by the beginning of spring quarter, DeCosta said. “It’s a test drive for them, and it’s a test drive for the university,” she said. “And then we can kind of iron out the details that are a little bumpy as we go along here.” If administrators and greek councils are not able to reach an agreement on the party registration policy draft by 5 p.m. Friday, all greek organizations will be placed on social
probation, DeCosta said. Social probation forbids fraternities and sororities from holding official social events, which means fraternities would postpone any scheduled events, Hjerpe said. Durante said probation would not likely be a problem for Panhellenic sororities, who have opted to do more sisterhood events in the beginning of the quarter in lieu of social events. “We kind of warned everyone; I sent an email over break just to make sure people didn’t have anything lined up for the first week or two,” Durante said. “Most do not, so at this point it’s not really an issue.” All three councils will be affected by the policy change. Like the IFC, the United Sorority and Fraternity Council has the ability throw parties and participate in exchanges, semi-formals and formals, Hjerpe said. Though sororities are not allowed to host parties, they do participate in exchanges, semiformals and formals, as well as attend fraternities’ parties and other events, Durante said. Benjy Egel contributed to this story.
NEWS | 3
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Cal Poly buys up houses off campus Suha Saya @SuhaSaya Cal Poly Corporation recently purchased four homes in San Luis Obispo at the corner of Grand Avenue and Slack Street. All four homes were purchased from a private seller with Cal Poly Corporation funds. The four homes — 110, 120, 130 and 140 Grand Ave. — are placed on three parcels of land, all next to each other. The total property size is about half an acre. Cal Poly Corporation saw the opportunity to purchase the houses when for-sale signs were posted approximately two months ago. Their location — at the entrance of campus — swayed Cal Poly Corporation into the purchase, interim Vice President of Administration and Finance Stan Nosek said. “When you have property that proximate to the campus and it appears as though you can do something to improve it, you want to sit back and consider doing that,” Nosek said. “So I would say that’s what the campus did in this situation.” The purchase has nothing to do with a new housing project that could be built near the Grand Avenue entrance to campus, Nosek said. In fact, the homes will not be used as student housing at all. Cal Poly might, however, refurbish the homes to provide housing for staff and faculty, Nosek said. Starting Wednesday, Cal Poly Corporation began talking about possibilities and options for the property. “It provides an opportunity for the campus to think about what we might do on the property moving forward,” Nosek said.
DAVID JANG | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
NEW PURCHASES | Cal Poly Corporation’s purchase of four off-campus houses is unrelated to Cal Poly’s quest for new freshmen residence halls. The conversation will begin with whether the homes are in good enough condition to put
four
HOUSES ON THE 100 BLOCK OF GRAND AVENUE BOUGHT BY CAL POLY CORPORATION.
more resources in and improve, or if they need to be renovated and torn down, Nosek said. Although Cal Poly Corporation owns the homes, they will remain part of the city of San Luis Obispo, he said. “Having looked at the homes, they’re not in very good shape,” Nosek said. “... At the very least, we’re going to be able to upgrade what’s currently there.” No one is currently living in the homes. “I think it will be a real asset not only for the campus, but (also) to the city that we do something different with those homes than how they’re currently being used,” Nosek said. If Cal Poly decides to do something other
than housing on that property, they would have to get the property rezoned, Nosek said. “If we purchase these now, that then gives us the opportunity over the next five, 10, 20, 50 years to figure out what it is that the property could do to enhance the campus,” he said. Each house is approximately 600 square feet with two bedrooms and one bathroom. Each home also has a garage behind it that has been turned into a bedroom. The first home, 110 Grand Ave., has a larger garage that has been turned into a two-bedroom apartment. Across from those homes is a piece of property that Cal Poly owns as well — the houses will serve as a sort of extension to that, Nosek said.
Future of proposed housing project uncertain Aja Frost @Ajavuu Though the university claims the Grand Avenue housing project would improve student success and freshman retention rate as well as the neighborhood’s quality of life, some in the community disagree. Cal Poly officials are meeting this week and next to determine how the university will move forward on the proposed housing, which would take 31 months to build, according to an environmental impact report (EIR). The university expects to release a decision sometime around Jan. 15, but is accepting comments until Jan. 24. Facilities Planning and Capital Projects Director Joel Neel said the majority of letters Cal Poly has received in the open comment period have not supported the proposal, though he added that those who normally take the time to respond are upset. “We generally don’t get letters in response to environmental impact reports in support of the project,” he said. Cal Poly has been considering a new residence hall since
summer 2013, when the university began a preliminary study of potential sites. In late November it released a draft EIR describing the project and its impacts on the surrounding environment. A significant consequence would be increased traffic in areas already severely burdened: the intersections of Foothill Boulevard and Santa Rosa Street, Walnut Street and Santa Rosa Street, Taft Street and California Boulevard, and the US Highway 101 northbound ramps and California Boulevard. In addition, construction emissions of reactive organic gases, nitrogen oxides and greenhouse gases would exceed the standards set by the Air Pollution Control District. “Are the emissions dangerous? Maybe if it’s a long-term exposure,” Neel said. “But I don’t know if this is considered a long-term exposure.” The biggest complaints San Luis Obispo citizens have voiced, however, are about impacts on the local neighborhood. In open forums on Cal Poly’s campus, residents expressed worries that the additional housing would disturb their quality of life by planting
1,500 freshmen “on their doorstep,” as one resident put it. But the university has maintained that the housing project would actually decrease crime in the area, because the majority of students arrested or given citations live off campus. The EIR lists several other possibilities for Cal Poly. Instead of one new site, the university could redevelop North Mountain Halls and build three other residence halls, one in the parking lot across from the South Mountain residence halls, one next to Yosemite Hall and one near Alex G. Spanos Stadium. Another alternative would be the H-12 and H-16 parking lots north of Highland Drive and Brizzolara Creek. This plan was originally rejected because it would demand a new dining complex and would be undesirably close to Poly Canyon Village. The university could also choose to reduce the scale of the project or cancel it. As a result of the surrounding controversy, university spokesman Matt Lazier wrote in an email to Mustang News that, “there’s a lot up in the air at the moment.”
SOPHIA LIU | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
A GRAND PROJECT| The proposed residence halls would take 31 months to build.
ARTS| 4
Thursday, January 9, 2014
XXYYXX brings “electronic dream” to Rec Kelly Trom @kttrom The same age as most college freshman at Cal Poly, Marcel Everett (DJ XXYYXX) has already collaborated with Usher and Tinashe. He started making music in his bedroom in Orlando, Florida with basic software and now has four albums and many hit songs including “About You” and “Alone.” This Friday, he is bringing all of his raw and fresh talent to the main gym in the Recreation Center at 9 p.m. “He is a popular DJ; he is actually only 18 years old, so he is kind of a younger DJ,” said Gage McGinnis, an Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) events musical entertainment assistant and business administration senior. “He has helped produce for a lot of different artists.” McGinnis compared his electronic genre and style to The Weeknd and Clams Casino. “We have an advisory board that we meet with weekly to talk about different artists and different people that could come to Cal Poly,” McGinnis said. “We wanted to do electronic, and his name kept coming up.” XXYYXX has performed at various music festivals, including San Francisco Noise Pop, Mountain Oasis Electronic Music Summit and the Decibel Festival. He has many popular music videos on YouTube, most notably his “About You” video with more 13 million views.
Animal science junior Christina Mazzella was first introduced to his music through his YouTube videos and SoundCloud clips sent to her by her boyfriend. “His music is an electronic dream,” Mazzella said. “His low and experimental sounds make the mind wander.” He uses vocal samples and R&B beats as the foundation to round out his mellow, electronic mood. In an interview with Relief in Abstract Records, XXYYXX described his own music as “doing drugs on a freeway … underwater.” His first album debuted in 2011, titled Still Sound. In 2012, he came out with two albums: one self-titled, the other called Mystify. Although McGinnis isn’t sure what XXYYXX will bring to the table on Friday, chances are there will be a mix of the new and old. “Typically with performances in this genre, there is a lot of music that isn’t necessarily recorded on an album, stuff that they get to release at live shows like this,” McGinnis said. “So I would expect some stuff that people have never heard before. But at the same time, some of his old songs will be played as well.” The change in venue from the University Union Plaza to the Recreation Center has to do with the changing in seasons and is not permanent. “In the past couple winter quarters, we have experienced weather problems, so we had to either cancel or move concerts last second,” McGinnis said. “We aren’t necessarily moving Concerts in the Plaza to the
“His music is an electronic dream. His low and experimental sounds make the mind wander.” CHRISTINA MAZZELLA | ANIMAL SCIENCE JUNIOR main gym, but we are using a different venue to take the whole weather factor out of it, so that we can make sure the concert happens.” Students don’t seem to mind where the venue is located. “I have never been to a show at the Rec Center, but I’m sure it’s going to be great,” Mazzella said. “A much smaller and personal venue than when I first saw him. It should be spectacular.” The show is free to students and in the main gym at the Recreation Center.
When: Friday, Jan. 10 Time: 9 p.m. Where: Rec Center Cost: FREE
ARTS |5
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Restaurant Month bites into SLO
K ASSI LUJA | ARTS EDITOR
45
FOODIE | Several San Luis Obispo restaurants are participating in Restaurant Month, including Granada Hotel & Bistro (above), located on Morro Street.
Kelly Trom @kttrom Foodies, tourists and residents alike are rejoicing. January signals the start of San Luis Obispo County Restaurant Month, which combines lower prices, expert wine pairings and, of course, exceptional local food. “San Luis Obispo County Restaurant Month is a unique opportunity to experience great food created by the region’s most talented chefs paired with local wines,” said Stacie Jacob, the executive director of Visit San Luis Obispo County. Restaurant Month in San Luis Obispo is part of a bigger celebration of California cuisine organized by Visit California. There are more than 30 destinations statewide participating from the coast to the desert inlands. All different areas of the county will be represented. In San Luis Obispo County alone there are 45 restaurants participating in eight different cities: Arroyo Grande, Avila Beach, Cambria, Cayucos, Morro Bay, Paso Robles, Pismo Beach and San Luis Obispo. “We have many new restaurants participating this year,” said Kylee Jepsen, the digital media coordinator of
Visit San Luis Obispo County. “That is an exciting thing for us, that this program is really growing and really gaining a lot of recognition.” Most participating restaurants are offering a three course meal for $30. Participating consumers are encouraged to check the Visit San Luis Obispo County website where prices and entrees can be previewed. “We have some really great restaurants throughout the county and it’s nice to give them attention and an opportunity to be able to reach a broader audience; to get new people to come in and try their cuisine,” Jepsen said. Some restaurants are also participating in Wine Wednesday, in which entrees are paired with wines from local wineries for an extra charge. Some will even have winemakers present in the restaurant to talk about the wine and make recommendations. “(Wine Wednesday) is a nice opportunity for restaurants and wineries to work together,” Jepsen said. “Also, you will notice that a lot of restaurants will feature certain wines from the local wineries so their menu will actually say, ‘We would love to pair this entree or this course with this specific wine.’” Visit San Luis Obispo is a member-based organization
that has more than 500 members from restaurants, wineries and lodging partners. Hotels will be participating along with restaurants and wineries, allowing tourists to take advantage of deals throughout the month. “January is also a great time to get hotel deals and experience the purity of San Luis Obispo County,” Jacob said. “Take a wine tasting excursion, enjoy an outdoor adventure and indulge in the best cuisine on the Central Coast.” Those planning in partaking in San Luis Obispo County Restaurant Month should plan ahead to ensure the restaurant is offering their special menu on that day, and that they have enough ingredients to accommodate everyone who will order from the Restaurant Month menu. “I would recommend that they call the restaurant ahead of time to get a reservation and to make sure that they are noting that they are going to be there for Restaurant Month so that the restaurants have an opportunity to prepare,” Jacob said. In San Luis Obispo city, there are 18 restaurants participating, including Granada Hotel & Bistro, Novo Restaurant & Lounge and Big Sky Cafe.
“We have many new restaurants participating this year. That is an exciting thing for us, that this program is really growing and really gaining a lot of recognition.” KYLEE JEPSEN | DIGITAL MEDIA COORDINATOR OF VISIT SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY
San Luis Obispo participating restaurants Alex Madonna’s Gold Rush Steakhouse Buona Tavola Gennaro’s Grill and Garden Mama’s Meatball Sidecar Restaurant Upper Crust Trattoria Apple Farm
Cafe Roma Granada Bistro Novo Splash Cafe ~ Artisan Bakery Vieni Vai Big Sky Cafe
Luna Red Palazzo Giuseppe Splash Cafe Seafood and Grill Wild Donkey Cafe Copper Cafe at Madonna Inn
THE NUMBER OF SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY RESTAURANTS PARTICIPATING IN RESTAURANT MONTH
ARTS | 6
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Crap on tap: Ballin’ on a budget Nick Larson and Jake Devincenzi @njlarson8 and @jake_devincenzi Kinesiology senior Nick Larson and aerospace engineering senior Jake Devincenzi are Mustang News beer columnists. As you know, we are beer snobs craft beer aficionados. That being said, we are also broke college students. Cheap beer is a necessary evil at this point, and it is as hard to avoid as it is to enjoy. We are in no way advocating the regular consumption of these waterflavored beverages, but they have their uses, including stocking college parties and watering your lawn. Therefore, we are going to rank the crap of the craft from crappiest to least crappy, because beer is good. Good beer is better. But hey, at least it’s not cider. 11. Natural Light Probably the most watereddown drink on this list, Natty Light is bad. Drinking this beer is a total frat move, bro. Bros don’t let other bros drink crappy crap beer. Respect the bro code. 10. Beer 30 The best thing about Beer 30 is its name. Unfortunately, it’s also the second worst, next to the taste, of course. We’ll admit, it’s fun as hell to be like, “You know what time it is?” and crack the can open. But we all have the buddy that will say that joke every damn time he goes to get a beer, hence
why the name will eventually be the bane of your existence. As with anything, moderation is key. 9. Miller 64 Honestly, if you’re worried about your caloric intake whilst drinking, you deserve to drink this crap. The only way we’d even consider drinking this is if it had 5 more calories. 8. Rolling Rock It’s the weirdest smorgasbord of conundrums, and we are baffled. So many questions: Why would I want to drink a rock? Why the green bottle? Where does the horse come from? It’s cute that they try to make real beer, like an extra pale and a red, but those are almost worse. When you see a Rolling Rock coming at you, get out of the way. 7. Keystone We love Keith Stone as much as anyone, but we can’t say the same for Keystone. Bonus points for the mildly entertaining commercials and that sweet, sweet mullet, though. 6. Coors Banquet Beer A banquet is something no one wants to attend. Remember in high school when your sport’s season concluded and you had to drag your parents to some golf course or your high school gym and eat microwaved chicken and listen to your awful coaches bullshit their way through a series of compliments to a bunch of kids who probably sucked at that sport anyway? Yeah. That sucked. So does this beer.
DAVID JANG | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Something’s Brewing 5. Bud Light In this group of “beers,” Bud Light is mediocre. 4. Busch Light Living with a St. Louis Cardinals fan for the past few years has made us hate everything associated with “America’s Team,” as they like to call themselves. The Cardinals play in Busch Stadium, so we already loathe the beer. Then we take a sip of the liquid crap and it all makes sense why the Cardinals play there: because they both suck. 3. Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR) PBR somehow made a revival and is now described as “cool” and “classy.” What
has the world come to? The hipsters are taking over the world, but they’ll never admit it. If there was a party for people who like PBR, we would go solely to watch the hipsters and country-folk interact. Oh, and the beer isn’t the worst. 2. Coors Light It’s not a good thing when a beer’s selling point is “it’s cold.” We’re pretty sure it’s going to be the same temperature as all the other beer in your fridge. Nice try, Coors. That being said, it’s one of the better crap beers. 1. Tecate Ah, the Dirty Bird. Even though its special ingredient
“We are in no way advocating the regular consumption of these water-flavored beverages, but they have their uses, including stocking college parties and watering your lawn.” NICK LARSON AND JAKE DEVINCENZI | BEER COLUMNISTS
is probably lead, it’s our No. 1 choice when forced to purchase mass amounts of beer. It’s slightly darker, and has a slight flavor; both of these qualities support our lead theory. If you’re a “baller on a budget,” this cerveza should be your first choice.
Hopefully you never have to drink any of these beers, but if you do, keep our rankings in mind. People may disagree, which is expected when trying to rank crap vs. crap vs. crap. Rest assured, we’ll be back with real beer next week.
OPINION| 7
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Occupy finally finds direction 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. It was easy for a lot of different people to chastise the Occupy Wall Street Movement. Most media outlets were instantly skeptical, Republicans finally had a liberal splinter group they could berate to take the heat off of their Tea Party, and even Stephen Colbert tried to provide some directional aid. They were making fun of the movement because when someone yelled: ”What do we want?” everyone responded with something different. With demands that were vague and idealistic, the throngs of protestors were easily waved off by those in power. The most significant argument against the movement itself was that it was directionless. Opposition to the movement believed that, devoid of any tangible goals or even a game plan, it would eventually burn itself out, kind of like a Republican filibuster. Jump ahead two years and, indeed, Occupy Wall Street has lost some steam. As it turns out, challenges to the purpose of Occupy Wall Street proved to be exactly what the movement needed. Those with the political power to take the type of action that Occupy called for, didn’t. This forced those who took the movement’s ideals to heart to seek out forms of action that bypassed the
normal channels of change. What’s more, the avenues of change they found worked within existing political and economic systems. By understanding the systems that Occupy opposes, small groups of activists are able to make big impacts that accomplish their own goals. So let’s assume that the medical bills that you’ve accumulated from your participation in the National Puma Wrestling League have reached insane levels. On top of that, the interest on the loans you took out to pay those bills is making it impossible to wipe your debt clean. Worst of all, now the pumas have no one to wrassle with. This is where the project Rolling Jubilee comes into play (the debt, not the wrassling). Rolling Jubilee is a project of Strike Debt, “A nationwide movement of debt resistors fighting for economic justice and democratic freedom.” The people you owe money to know that you won’t be able to pay back all the debt in a timely manner (sponsors for your sport are unsurprisingly hard to come by). Still looking to make money back on the loan, they offer your debt up for purchase to other financial institutions. These are the companies that are advertising to you to refinance your loans during that marathon of “Dance Moms.” These companies buy the debt from the initial creditor for kibbles compared to the initial value of the debt, then rework the loan to make it “easier” for you to pay the loan back. Take note, these pro-
“With demands that were vague and idealistic, the throngs of protesters were easily waved off by those in power.” ZACHARY ANTOYAN| MUSTANG NEWS LIBERAL COLUMNIST
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the true PROGRESSIVE progressive THE TRUE grams have been labeled as scams before, sometimes making it more difficult for you to repay your debts. Using this system, Rolling Jubilee purchases the debt en masse from those initial creditors, but instead of reworking the loan, they eliminate the debt entirely. Conversations started by the Occupy Movement led to the formation of Strike Debt group that seeks to organize effective action towards bailing out individuals at random, as compared to bailing out major corporations and banks. To put it all into perspective, Rolling Jubilee raised around $600,000 to help eliminate personal debt around the country. With that sum it has been able to abolish approximately $14.7 million worth of debt. I’ll let the numbers speak for themselves. Occupy never sought office. It never tried to control avenues of power. What most people considered to be
its greatest weakness — the lack of direction — turned out to be its greatest asset. I say this because in order for it to uphold its ideals, it couldn’t follow the same path the Tea Party took, and it couldn’t operate in the way that everyone said it needed to. It enables individuals to take action in a multitude of ways, and the Debt Resistors’ Operations Manual that Strike Debt offers is a testament to that. Occupy Wall Street provided the base with which people could be the change they wanted to see in the world, collaborating with non-profits, highlighting major issues and inequalities, and perhaps most importantly, starting conversations and connecting people in places where they didn’t exist before. This is Zachary Antoyan thinking that dino-nuggets are ALWAYS an acceptable choice. ALWAYS. Have a fantastic week everyone.
African aid should be prioritized Eric Stubben is a mechanical engineering sophomore and Mustang News conservative columnist. These views do not necessarily reflect the opinion or editorial coverage of Mustang News. When I first caught wind of Nelson Mandela’s passing last month, my mind started racing a million miles an hour. His political views were to the left. Mine are to the right. But with Nelson Mandela, none of that matters. I’ve always had a soft spot for Mandela. His words, his actions and his intelligence traits were among the greatest to ever walk this Earth. Throughout high school, I read books, wrote essays and did reports all about Mandela. He was a leader that I idolized and one I hope history never leaves behind. Mandela’s death highlights the enormous odds he overcame and shines a spotlight on South Africa as a leader of democracy in such a dark continent. My hope is that the spotlight shines bright enough for our government to realize what can be done in Africa. To say the least, things in Africa are bad … really bad. Central Africa still suffers from a long, disturbing trend of ethnic violence. France and Great Britain provide military aid to Central African Republic to suppress fighting. Nigeria and the Western Sahara region is rampant with radical Islamic attacks on Christians. Sudan and South Sudan recently split, but are marred with racial tensions and tribal warfare. Now that Mandela’s gone, we can only hope South Africa will be able to control their rampant crime without developing a militaristic state or losing democracy. That’s why Africa needs our help all the more. The United States currently gives roughly $8 billion per
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“Of the $8 billion being shipped to Africa next year, the real question is: Who will actually see it?”
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the right angle year in foreign aid to African countries. While the cost is fair, the recipients are somewhat shady. In 2014, we are scheduled to give $210 million to Somalia, a country with essentially no government and citizens plagued with piracy and radical Islam. Countries like Uganda and Zimbabwe may not have stable governments, but it doesn’t seem to matter; we’re scheduled to give Zimbabwe $152 million next year. And Egypt, the country in turmoil and a recent adopter of Sharia Law, is slated $1.7 billion in foreign aid next year. Of the $8 billion being shipped to Africa next year, the real question is: Who will actually see it? How much will be gobbled up into the personal accounts of corrupt leaders while their citizens continue to starve and live in poverty? How much of the money will be funneled into the pockets of terrorists by governments fearing terrorism with no way
to combat it but bribery? Africa needs a remodel, and America needs to be the constructor. As a whole, Africa has more potential than most realize, but doors are closing fast. Militarily, Africa contains a corridor to the Middle East and is crucial to the fight against terrorism. With proper military training for countries such as Egypt and Libya, we can gain crucial allies against terror. With the Arab Spring and new governments arising, there has never been a better time to build strong military ties between the United States, Egypt and Libya. Politically, Africa provides dangers and opportunities. Our promise and determination to quell terrorism can’t be successful without an attempt to contain its spread to Africa. Although military measures are unnecessary and would be very unpopular, a strong diplomatic surge through Africa can be beneficial. Due to the state of most African nations,
it would be hard for any to turn down a stronger relationship with the United States. The more political allies we have in the fight against terror, the more successful we will be. What we need to do is rethink and revamp our strategy in Africa. Instead of continuing our decades of neglect and minimal effort, we need to begin decades of building strong relationships with not only African governments, but with African people. Instead of handing out aid to violent dictators and corrupt governments, let’s use that money to help the countries dedicated to improvement. Strip most of the aid going to countries like Zimbabwe, Uganda, and Somalia while allotting more to the likes of Ghana and Kenya. In reality, the money going to corrupt governments isn’t going to be seen by the people who need it anyway. We should allot some of the stripped money as grant money for non-governmental
organizations (NGOs). In most cases, the money going to NGOs goes straight to helping people in need. It’s a plan that doesn’t cost us any more money, but rewards countries and governments that deserve more. We need to support leaders in Africa who rally around the principles of Nelson Mandela; ones who will not forget ethnic tensions, but will forgive for the sake of the future of their country. We can support Mandela’s idea of “sport diplomacy” and leaders modeling his calm, collected demeanor. African nations need our support, and we should lend a helping hand. With the passing of Nelson Mandela, we need to create opportunities for many more leaders like him to arise. Not only was he positive for South Africa, but for the whole world. Mandela’s presence will be missed, but his ideals should never be forgotten.
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SPORTS |9
Thursday, January 9, 2014 Johnson continued from pg 1. “We get pretty competitive just playing Xbox at home together, or off the court, like trying to get to the restaurant first. It sounds childish, but between him and me, it’s always a competition.” That drive makes Johnson “a good morale man, on and off the court,” Eversley said. Along with his competitive attitude, Johnson’s strengths as an on-ball defender with quick feet and natural athleticism help compensate for his size; despite being only 6 feet tall, Johnson is still Cal Poly’s No. 1 player in athletic testing for quickness and vertical jump. Most importantly, Johnson prides himself on his “basketball IQ” — his understanding of the plays, the game and his teammates. “He’s kind of the conductor of the orchestra,” Eversley said.
Although Johnson has started every game so far in the non-conference season, before his junior year the majority of his time was spent on the bench. Callero used to give Johnson a hard time, Eversley said. “Now, as a senior, he sees that coach put him in the position to be one of the best point guards, in my opinion, in college basketball,” he said. So far this year, Johnson has shot 41 percent from
the floor. But back in 2011, he shot at a 26 percent clip. And he finished last season with 122 assists, 92 more than his freshman year. “I started from the bottom,” Johnson said. “There were certain instances my freshman year, where I felt like, ‘I just can’t do anything right, I can’t dribble the ball without (Callero) yelling at me, what’s going on here?’” Looking back on those times, Johnson is thankful
Callero pushed him. “There was no way I would be able to be the player I am without him forcing it out of me and demanding it from me,” he said. Looking to the future Now, along with earning a master’s degree, joining the police force or even professional play, Johnson is looking at coaching as a career option for his future. His father, Gary, says Jamal has shown the necessary skills
since a young age, calling his son “a natural-born leader.” Despite Jamal’s outgoing nature, he is a private person, but has always been one of those “people that other people always gravitated to,” Gary said. “I remember in the seventh grade, he had just went to this new basketball team, and the coach was an OK coach, but Jamal spent about three days drawing up plays for the basketball team — what player
was supposed to do what, who was supposed to pass to who, what direction to go in — and I’m still trying to get that book back from the coach,” Gary said. “As a seventh-grader, he did that, and it’s probably something a high school or college coach would have drawn up for his team.” One thing is for certain, though. If Johnson were to coach, he’d coach to win. “Why,” he asked, “would anyone want to lose?”
Started from the bottom
Johnson considers himself the “extension of coach on the floor,” he said, and he speaks about “Coach,” head coach Joe Callero, with an air of admiration. The feeling is mutual. “The point guard on a basketball team and the head coach have to be thinking on the same page, and Jamal now after four years can know what I’m thinking before I say it and vice versa,” Callero said. “It’s a position of trust.” Johnson has “paid full price” for that position, though, Callero said. “He paid his dues ... and it’s a real testament to his perseverance,” Callero said, “He has a toughness and a loyalty to the cause at hand.”
IAN BILLINGS | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
DISHING IT OUT | Senior guard Jamal Johnson leads Cal Poly with 38 assists and is ranked sixth among Big West players in assist-to-turnover ratio entering Big West play.
SPORTS| 10
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Cal Poly looks to snap skid in Big West opener Stephan Teodosescu @steodosescu The road hasn’t been kind to the Cal Poly men’s basketball team as of late. The Mustangs are coming off a four-game losing streak in their latest road swing, which featured two separate trips to the East Coast and a game with a Stanford team that knocked off then-No. 10 UCONN earlier in the season. However, Cal Poly returns to the friendly confines of Mott Athletics Center (MAC) on Thursday to face Hawaii in its Big West Conference opener and looks to return to its winning ways. “We knew going into it a year ago that we had scheduled a monster road trip with four games on the road,” head coach Joe Callero said. “Obviously when you line up teams with the caliber of Pittsburgh, Stanford and Loyola Marymount … we knew we would definitely be in over our heads, so to speak, in terms of the size, the strength and the talent.” The Mustangs (4-9) opened the season with a 73-62 loss to then-No. 5 and current No. 1 Arizona before losing a rare home matchup to Nevada as Deonte Burton converted a traditional 3-point play with six seconds remaining for the Wolf Pack to hand Cal Poly its first loss in 13 games at Mott. Cal Poly rallied in its second home game of the season to get its first win with a 78-39 thrashing of National Christian College Athletic Association member Bethesda before dropping two of its next three at the Global Sports Hardwood Challenge hosted by Oregon.
Cal Poly went on to win its next two games, owning victories against Santa Clara and Cal State Dominguez Hills before its latest fourgame road trip spotlighted losses to LMU, Pitt, Stanford and Delaware. “We feel like for our program, if we want to move from 150 RPI to top-100, we have to start playing top-50 or 100 teams on a regular basis,” Callero said. Under Callero, the story for Cal Poly has been vastly different on its home floor than away from it. The Mustangs went undefeated in conference play a year ago and own a 14-2 overall record at Mott dating back to the beginning of last season. On top of that, they’ve won 14 straight Big West matchups at home. “To duplicate that feat would be spectacular,” Callero said. “We would be ecstatic. We don’t expect to (be) undefeated at home, but we do expect to play very well and have a 75 percent winning percentage there.” The Mustangs (4-9) will need some of that home cooking to curb their most recent skid and will look to use a familiar formula for success at the MAC. “The defense is the key to winning, so I think we need to step it up on defense a little bit more,” sophomore wing David Nwaba said. “We need to be more aggressive and do what we do on offense to come out with the win.” Nwaba averages 11.5 points per game, second on the team behind senior forward Chris Eversley, and has shot a team-high 60.6 percent from the field entering the Hawaii matchup. The Santa Monica
IAN BILLINGS | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
LIFT OFF | Sophomore wing David Nwaba is second on the team in scoring, averaging 11.5 points per game. College transfer is tied for the team lead with eight doubledigit scoring games. Meanwhile, the Warriors (11-3) enter Thursday’s game having won four straight, but are largely untested off the islands as they’ve only played two road games so far, matchups in which they are 1-1. They average 82 points per game, good enough for 27th in the NCAA as of Monday,
and are led by preseason AllBig West selection Christian Standhardinger who averages 17.3 points per contest. “They have a good inside game established,” Callero said. “They have a very good balance. They’ve got a crafty, good point guard who can score, an athletic two guard and a great shooter in (Garrett) Nevels … They're as good as anybody in the conference. We’re going to have to play a
great Cal Poly game on our home floor to knock them off to start conference off.” The schedule won’t get any easier after Thursday as the Mustangs will travel south to face rival UC Santa Barbara on Saturday. The Gauchos, who feature Alan Williams and his Big West-leading 23.5 points per game, posted the second-best non-conference record of any Big West team this season, behind
only Hawaii. But with three of its first four games coming at home along with its tough non-conference schedule in the rearview mirror, Cal Poly will have a good chance to buck its longest losing streak in three years. “We’ve played some tough teams in preseason games, but playing those highmajor teams will help us in this mid-major conference.” Nwaba said.