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A YEAR IN REVIEW Thursday, June 4 , 20 15

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look inside for the yearâ€™s best stories.

PHOTOS BY MUSTANG NEWS

News... 1-3 | Arts... 4-5 | Classifieds... 7 | Sports... 6, 8

Thursday, June 4, 2015

NEWS | 2

A year in numbers Benjy Egel

istrators. The roof ’s collapse resulted in nine injuries, including one student who was impaled by a large wooden splinter through her left thigh.

6:21 a.m.

The time when a garage roof collapsed at 364 Hathway Ave. under the weight of 30-40 people on Saturday, March 7. People had climbed up on the roof during the unregistered party dubbed “St. Fratty’s Day” at a nearby property. Thousands of students, many dressed in green or Irish apparel, came out to party in the early morning despite being emailed warnings against doing so from Cal Poly admin-

penheimers graduated from Cal Poly in the mid-1980s, and Peter went on to become the Chief Financial Officer at Apple, a position he retired from in September 2014. The gift, which was the largest ever donated to Cal Poly, will be used to fund an Agricultural Events Center, equestrian center and farm store, where Cal Poly products will be sold.

$20 million

The amount of money donated by Peter and Mary Beth Oppenheimer to the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences in November. Both Op-

@BenjyEgel

mash Auditorium on April 2 for a sneak peek at what the new season would hold. Cal Poly was one of 20 universities across the country chosen by HBO to see the first episode a week before the general public. Lucky students received free “Game of Thrones” swag, including posters, DVDs and paper crowns.

night without lights, expired car registration, skateboarding, public intoxication and failing to stop at stop signs, the last of which saw a 313 percent increase from 2013 to 2014.

1 to 31 8.5 hours

The amount of time business administration junior Gordon Ho stood in line for the advance premiere of “Game of Thrones’” fifth season. More than 1,000 students lined up outside Chu-

744

The increase in tickets given out by University Police Department officers from 2013 to 2014. After distributing 523 tickets in 2013, a small step down from the 636 given out in 2012, campus police officers gave out 1,267 citations in the 2014 calendar year. Tickets were given for riding bicycles at

The ratio of pay increases given to individual faculty members and administrators from 2013 to 2014. A total of $147,000 was budgeted for 20 administrators’ pay increases, as opposed to $625,000 divided between 2,586 faculty and staff members. The $625,000 is part of a four-year, $2.5 million plan set out by Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong to increase faculty and staff sala-

ries over time, an amount many have said is too little. Armstrong held several listening sessions open to the public in April and May, during which professors, lecturers and students voiced their concerns.

The increase in arrests or citations from Halloween weekend in 2013 to 2014. Police reprimanded 10 students for public intoxication, seven for minor in possession and three for possession of marijuana from Oct. 30 to Nov. 1. Though Halloween fell on a Friday night,

see NUMBERS, pg 3.

Thursday, June 4, 2015 NUMBERS continued from pg 2. rain and the threat of increased fines for lawbreakers put a damper on partygoers. Though the percentage increase was drastic, San Luis Obispo Police Department Capt. Chris Staley and University Police Department Chief George Hughes both said they were pleased at the low total arrest numbers.

meant nearly every chapter grew in size. With more competition for bids amongst their peers, many students chose to “suicide rush” one fraternities after the all-IFC barbeque on the first day.

56 percent 1,100 men

The approximate number of students who came out for Interfraternity Council (IFC) fall rush, 300400 more than the previous year. Fraternities offered an average of 28 bids per house, and an average of 25 students accepted. Despite Vice President for Student Affairs Keith Humphrey’s repeated expressed interest in seeing smaller fraternities, the influx of interested students

The amount of faculty and librarians who said they had considered leaving Cal Poly in the last year, according to the Campus Climate Survey. More students said they were comfortable than uncomfortable/ indifferent on campus (80 percent to 20 percent) and most (78 percent) said they had not experienced exclusion while at Cal Poly. In addition, 8 percent of women who responded to the survey reported having experience unwanted sexual contact while at Cal Poly. In total, the survey represented the viewpoints of about 6,000 members of the Cal Poly community, or 29 percent.

NEWS | 3

Thursday, June 4, 2015

ARTS | 4

Facing change: Proxima Parada co-founder to move cross-country

SPENCER SARSON | COURTESY PHOTO END OF AN ERA

| Proxima Parada lead guitarist, lead vocalist and co-founder Bryson Bailey (middle left) plans to move to Colorado in July, a change that will heavily impact the local folk-blues band.

Will Peischel @CPMustangArts

Almost every table is occupied in Linnaea’s Cafe. College students skirt responsibilities to turn through pages of leisure novels they weren’t assigned in class. An elderly man peruses the wall, which overflows with new art for sale. Vegan options by the

cashier run dangerously low as the whole coffee shop basks in lively Spanish guitar. It’s a perfect Thursday afternoon. In the center of the room, Bryson Bailey sits at a little table across from a copy of the Los Angeles Times. Bailey usually has locks of hair that would give Fast Times At Ridgemont High-era Sean

Penn a run for his money. Today his head is clean-cut; even so, between his Hawaiian shirt and flip-flops, it’s easy to see he’s the most easy-going guy in the room. The 26-year-old first arrived in San Luis Obispo as a Cal Poly freshman in 2006, armed with high school jazz band prowess and aspirations of a kinesiolo-

gy degree. The degree and nine years came and went, during which Bailey adopted the role of lead guitarist and vocalist for soul-folk band Proxima Parada. That time is now coming to an end. Bailey stops for a moment, recalling how he broke the news to his bandmates. “I remember we had a meeting, and at that time I said, ‘Look, I’ve

got to go to Denver.’” The decision hasn’t come easily. A significant portion of his life has been in San Luis Obispo, where he’s a founding member of a band that makes up an integral part of the local music scene. But Bailey had to start looking forward. His girlfriend Gennarina is off to medical school, and he’s got similar aspirations in mind.

Come July 8, he’ll be in Colorado. “As much as I love the community here — as much as I would love playing for Proxima Parada here in San Luis Obispo — there were so many things in that equation that were pushing me to make this decision,” he said.

see PROXIMA, pg 5.

Thursday, June 4, 2015

ARTS | 5

SOMETIMES IN LIFE YOU COME TO A CROSSROADS WHERE YOU HAVE TO MAKE A REALLY DIFFICULT DECISION. IT WASN’T EASY FOR ME TO MAKE, BUT IT FELT LIKE THE RIGHT ONE. BRYSON BAILEY PROXIMA PARADA LEAD GUITARIST

SPENCER SARSON | COURTESY PHOTO LOOKING FORWARD

| Despite the imminent loss of an integral member, Proxima Parada’s remaining musicians plan to continue making music — but not before releasing a new EP in tribute to Bailey.

PROXIMA continued from pg 4. “Sometimes in life you come to a crossroads, where you have to make a really difficult decision. It wasn’t easy for me to make, but it felt like the right one.” Through college, Bailey played music. Come junior year, previously lonesome acoustic sessions evolved into live rock ‘n’ roll. He came into the local house show scene, where he played with friends under monikers such as After the Apple, Jungle Kids and Wilson Estate. The experience introduced him to four-piece rock music that wasn’t available in primary school blues and jazz

Parada’s releases. Bailey graduated from Cal Poly with a job offer from LinkedIn but instead invested in his music. “I was going to start working at LinkedIn at that time and work their corporate wellness program,” he said. “I gave that up because I wanted a break from school and play music — to decide what I wanted to do.” The duo of porch-stompers evolved into a four-piece outfit. Andy Olson appended percussion and Kevin Middlekauff brought bass and mandolin. Between the four were some college degrees, some instruments and no plans — but there was always music, always

HE’S NOT DYING. HE’S JUST MOVING TO DENVER. NICK L ARSON PROXIMA PARADA BASSIST AND MANDOLIN PLAYER

bands, and certainly played an influential role down the line. He traces Proxima Parada back to a 2011 echocardiogram class, where Bailey met fellow musician and kinesiology senior Nick Larson. A mutual interest in music turned into a jam session. That first experience reverberates to this day. “We kind of built the essence of ‘Porch Stompin,’ that song we wrote that’s one of our oldest,” Bailey said. “I was on the mandolin, he was on the guitar. We were kind of stomping our feet. I just said, ‘Good little porch stompin’.’” The song, a sunshiny folk tune that’s hard not to smile at, is featured on both of Proxima

a show. In 2013, the band began to find more instruments and some momentum. “At that point we kind of took a next step of seriousness and said, ‘Okay, let’s give this a shot,’” Bailey said, lighting up. “We had an EP — something to show for it. We only get one time in our life to get to do this.” A year later, they released their first album, Songs of Music. A fanbase, collection of recorded music and instrumental skill culminated all at once. Despite the success, things were not all OK with Bailey. As Proxima Parada began its upward swing, Bailey’s mother was diagnosed with stage four breast

cancer. Bailey couldn’t consider leaving. He needed to stay close to his hometown of Morgan Hill, a few hours north — his mother’s home. “This was a difficult time for me, too,” Bailey said. “This is one of our pinnacles of music as well as, like, I’m going through one of the most difficult things in my entire life. In some ways it was really helpful to have music there. In other ways it was difficult because I was so distracted all the time by this reality at home.” Through all the pain and complication, Gennarina was there. “Someone I’m extremely grateful for having in my life to help deal with that situation is my girlfriend,” he said. “She was there when I was going through some really difficult times in my life. I had her to talk to.” Bailey’s mother died Aug. 22, 2014. While Gennarina supported Bailey through that pain, he supported her while she chased her dream of attending medical school. In November, she was accepted to Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine. “I’ve known for the past year and a half more so that this is a relationship that’s very important to me,” he said. “I want to stay with this. It seems right. You look at pathways in your life, which way are you going to go? I know I want to go wherever she’s going.” Meanwhile, Proxima Parada’s momentum continued to increase — so Bailey asked the band what they thought of the Rockies. “It’s one of those situations where I saw early on that moving

to Denver for at least a couple of the band members is not their ideal situation,” he said. “I don’t blame them for that.” The last thing Bailey wanted was to remove the ones he loved from their homes and families to accommodate him. At the same time, he saw the great opportunities a new city and a fresh start could provide.

Proxima Parada, on the other hand, isn’t going anywhere. Nick Larson and Kevin Middlekauff live in a charming light blue house on Pacific Street, a pebble’s toss from downtown. Indoor furniture sits on the front porch, a wreath hangs off the railing. Up the wooden stairs, some cardboard boxes and a Rock ‘em Sock ‘em Robots

game guard the screen door. Larson, Middlekauff and Olson sit at a wooden kitchen table while the post-gig Sunday afternoon fades. Larson’s smile is infectious, even amid a touchy subject such as Bailey moving away.

see PROXIMA, pg 6.

Thursday, June 4, 2014

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“Can we grease him after we kill him?”

SPORTS continued from pg 8. Economics junior Keenan Donath, sports reporter I had the chance to cover the last home baseball game of the season. Though 2015 was not the best year for Mustangs baseball, this was the last game at Baggett Stadium for Cal Poly’s seniors and a few draft-eligible players. For the final out of the game, head coach Larry Lee replaced everyday center fielder Jordan Ellis with senior Michael Dingilian, who missed the whole season due to injury. Not only was E l l is’ d e p ar tu re me t with an ovation from a loyal home crowd, Dingilian’s entrance was also met with applause from the audience. Applause that quickly turned to gasps when Dingilian was surprised with a screaming base hit up the middle. In a year where Cal Poly came up short, Dingilian’s last-minute substitution was the type of moment that doesn’t show up on the win-loss record. Journalism freshman Jesse Summers, sports reporter

nament berth for men’s basketball, I was really excited to watch them respond to the hype this year. However, I didn’t know I would be watching most of the games from the perspective of a reporter instead of a fan. I’ll admit my admiration for the game showed more often than a good reporter should reveal, but I truly cared about how they did. When I think back on the season, I remember the first men’s basketball game I covered alone, which was against UC Santa Barbara. I thought I knew what a rivalry was before college, but after that game I had a completely different idea. The building was totally electric, it almost felt alive. Obviously, games at Duke or Kentucky get much more rowdy, but for a relatively small basketball fanbase, Mott had some serious energy. There was definitely a point when I stood up and cheered after a dunk from one of our players, despite that not technically being allowed on press row. It was one for the books, but I’m sure there are more to come.

see mustangnews.net for full coverage of these sports IAN BILLINGS | MUSTANG NE WS SHARPSHOOTER | Junior guard Reese Morgan averaged 10 points per game, third-best on the Cal Poly team.

After last year’s NCAA Tour-

PROXIMA continued from pg 5. “Now it’s so close to happening I feel like we’re all just trying to milk that last couple days,” Larson said. His grin glowed in the dimming room. “He’s not dying. He’s just moving to Denver. That makes me feel hopeful.” “We’re not, like, cutting ties with him,” Middlekauff added. Proxima Parada is losing a founder, lead guitarist, vocalist and songwriter all at once. Yet the band members express only understanding, empathy and support. All that remains are the melancholy smiles of missing an old friend. “I’m definitely bummed he’s leaving, but I think it’s good for him,” Olson offered. “I think he’s just realized it’s the right thing for him to do and that’s awesome. We’re all supportive of that, and we’re going to miss him.”

Meanwhile, the three who remain are hard at work. A new self-titled EP is on its way, a send-off of sorts for Bailey. “We had a lot of songs we hadn’t recorded yet,” Olson said. “With Bryson moving, we’re like, ‘Well, let’s record these so we can save these.’” “As nostalgic keepsakes,” Larson added. “We love these songs, let’s put them down on something,” Olson said. As the conversation shifts to the future, the musicians’ voices lift. Larson, Middlekauff and Olson are in it for the long run — but they’re in no rush to replace their friend. The last two shows featuring Bailey will take place on June 12 at SLO Brew, where the band will give out free copies of its upcoming release. The final show will be part of San Luis Obispo’s Concerts In The Plaza series on June 26.

SPENCER SARSON | COURTESY PHOTO SWAN SONG | Bailey’s last shows with the band are June 12 at SLO Brew and June 26 in the Mission Plaza.

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Thursday, June 4, 2015

SPORTS | 8

Highlights of the year: The Mustang News perspective

After yet another year of sports here at Mustang News, we have seen our fair share of ups and downs. While the student-athletes’ experiences mainly hinge on success, as sports reporters in the press box, we thrive on drama and particular events. Our sports reporting staff has put together a small compilation of our favorite moments throughout the year, ones we feel we were lucky enough to experience in our college media careers.

I grew up in a soccer family, playing the game at a decently high level until college and growing up a Los Angeles Galaxy season ticket holder. When I began to hear rumors of Cal Poly announcing a new head soccer coach, I was intrigued at not only a journalistic level, but a personal one as well. I was encouraged by our faculty advisers to find out who the coach was going to be before the athletics department announced it. I’m not a typical bulldog reporter — I’m better sitting behind a desk — but when this story came up, I was determined. I heard from a source that the guy’s name was Steve, and I automatically went to Steve Sampson. I went around attempting to get some confirmation, and around an hour before the announcement I had it. I struggled with whether or not to publish the information because, as I said, it’s not my style to be that way, but after some persuasion I did. Our photographer and I headed to the press conference in Alex G. Spanos Stadium, excited to meet the man who once coached the Galaxy team I grew up watching. I remember his first line after being introduced: “Well, I guess this is no surprise, because this was the worst-kept secret in school history.” My bad — kind of. Everyone

else knew it was going to happen as well. The hire is going to be huge for Cal Poly soccer. Having a coach with that sort of knowledge, experience and impressive resume — Sampson coached the United States Men’s National Team in the 1998 World Cup — will be vital in the continued improvement of the Cal Poly men’s soccer program. The worst part for me? I won’t be here to cover it. Biomedical engineering graduate student Stephan Teodosescu, assistant to the sports editor This season wasn’t quite the banner year for Cal Poly baseball that 2014 was, but there’s something to be said for heading out to Baggett Stadium on a weekend basis to cover the Mustangs. Cal Poly finished at .500 this season after going 47-12 with an NCAA Regional host bid for the first time in history the year prior. The first half of the year doomed the Mustangs this time around. They lost six of their first seven and eventually fell eight games below .500 20 games into the season. They committed 36 errors and hit .253 as a team in that span. I didn’t start covering the team until Big West play, though. The Mustangs wound up winning 17 of their final 26 games to finish fourth in conference. Is it a coinci-

dence that Cal Poly picked things up once I started frequenting the Baggett Stadium press box? I like to think so. No matter the record, or whether the team is ranked No. 1 in the country (like it was at one point last season), heading out to the ballpark every weekend is as good as it gets if you follow Cal Poly sports. English senior Harry Chang, sports reporter It’s hard to pick just one. When Cal Poly football beat both Montana and Montana State in back-to-back weeks. When basketball came back against Northeastern and gave Gonzaga a run for its money. When Larry Lee pulled his senior starters in the ninth inning of a home finale win. But if I had to pick one favorite sports moment of the year, it would have to be when freshman wrestler Nick Feigener beat the top-10, nationally ranked senior from Brown with a takedown in the final seconds of the last round in Mott Athletics Center. It was not only an incredible individual effort, but also in many ways represented the excitement that was building around all Cal Poly sports in the four years I’ve been here.

IAN BILLINGS | MUSTANG NE WS .500 | Despite a rough start, the Cal Poly baseball team rallied to finish the season with a 27-27 record.

IAN BILLINGS | MUSTANG NE WS

see SPORTS, pg 6.

NEWS

Tuesday, June 9 8:00 – 11:00 am Coffee from Julian’s and KIND snacks!

CAPTAIN | Junior midfielder Matt Lagrassa had a breakout year, cementing his spot as the leader of his squad.

BREWS

FREE!

Kinesiology senior Nick Larson, sports editor

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