Issuu

Monday, June 8, 2015

COMMENCEMENT | 2

Three renowned keynote speakers at graduation Naba Ahmed @NabaAhmed

GoDaddy CEO Blake Irving, Madonna Inn owner Phyllis Madonna and KTTV anchor Laura Diaz will be featured as speakers at this year’s Spring Commencement. According to Vice President for Student Affairs Keith Humphrey, the President’s Office has a thoughtout selection process when picking speakers. “We always seek to identify speakers that have a connection to our community, powerful personal stories and the ability to deliver a message that inspires our students on their last day at Cal Poly,” Humphrey said in an email to Mustang News. Speakers are often aligned with the colleges they typically have a connection with, Humphrey said. For example, Blake Irving is a leader in the computer science industry, which is why his speech is part of the College of Engineering ceremony. Blake Irving Blake Irving wasn’t always a part of the world’s largest domain name provider and web host. He had to work his way up to becoming CEO and board director of GoDaddy. According to a press release provided by the commencement team and Director of Media Relations Matt Lazier, in 1981, Irving started out at Xerox, moving on to serving as Executive Vice President at Yahoo, as well as serving multiple roles for Microsoft. At GoDaddy, Irving has made contributions by focusing the company on the world’s 200 million independent ventures. Irving has focused his life on technology for over 30 years, making a name for himself on

the Internet. He will be speaking to the colleges of engineering and architecture and environmental design at 9 a.m. on Saturday, June 13. Phyllis Madonna This speaker comes from close to home — Madonna Inn. While it is widely recognized for its variety of hotel rooms and cake, who started it all? Phyllis Madonna has been a resident and business owner in the San Luis Obispo community for more than 60 years. Madonna has given back to her community in more ways than one. Not only has Madonna demonstrated what it means to be an entrepreneur, she has also supported San Luis Obispo Symphony, Festival Mozaic, I Madonnari, the Performing Arts Center, the SLO International Film Festival and the local women’s shelter. Her dedication to the community is seen through her sponsorship of Mission College Preparatory Catholic High School, San Luis Obispo High School and Cal Poly. She has been rewarded for actions by being the recipient of San Luis Obispo Woman of the Year, a Cuesta College Woman of Distinction, Cattlewoman of the Year, San Luis Obispo Chamber Citizen of the Year and grand marshal of Cal Poly’s Poly Royal parade and the San Luis Obispo Christmas Parade. Madonna will also receive an honorary doctorate degree during her speech to the colleges of agriculture,food and environmental sciences and science and mathematics on Saturday, June 13, at 5 p.m. Laura Diaz Lastly, we have Laura Diaz, alumna to Cal Poly as well as a 14-time Emmy-winning

Southern California journalist who is currently anchoring the evening newscast for Studio 11 LA KTTV. With her broad experience as an anchor, reporter and producer for several Los Angeles stations such as KABC, KCBS and KTLA, she has proved her expertise.

With all her media contributions, she received the Golden Mike Award and the L.A. Press Club’s highest honor, the Joseph M. Quinn Award for journalistic excellence and distinction. According to Marketing and Communications Alumni Outreach Specialist Sarah Thien,

there are 12,000 alumni in just the greater Los Angeles area, of which Diaz is a part. “It is always great when successful alumni such as Laura Diaz come back and can share their Learn By Doing experiences with the graduates,” Thien said. “Especially since she is coming from such a major me-

dia market in L.A., it is very inspiring to journalism and liberal arts students and important for alumni.” On Sunday, June 14, Diaz will address the College of Liberal Arts and Orfalea College of Business at 9 a.m. All ceremonies take place at Spanos Stadium on campus.

CREATIVE COMMONS FAMOUS FACE | GoDaddy CEO Blake Irving will be speaking to the colleges of engineering and architecture and environmental design at 9 a.m.

Monday, June 8, 2015 Brendan Abrams @brenabrams

COMMENCEMENT | 3

Senior Spotlight: Olin Olmstead

It’s no secret that Cal Poly graduates tend to be highly respected in the eyes of employers. Most non-graduating students still have an incredible amount of work to slog through before they are handed a diploma, and the road ahead can sometimes seem interminable. Luckily, there is a light at the end of the already-sunny academic tunnel that is Cal Poly. There is perhaps no better motivator toward academic success than our very own role models who have recently achieved it. Olin Olmstead, a graduating software engineering senior, has witnessed his five years of hard work pay off. He has secured a job as an application developer at Workday, an HR and finance software firm, and he starts in September. “I had an internship there last summer, and I really like the general problem-solving and the team that they have,” he said. OLIN OLMSTEAD | COURTESY PHOTO “I’m fairly happy with where I am. I could see myself there for at least the next five to SUCCE SS | Like many graduating seniors, Olin Olmstead has secured a job for the upcoming Fall. He thanks his Cal Poly career for his future endeavors. 10 years.” Olmstead is living proof that this classic path to em- equally valuable. ployment is as effective as students are always told it “Workday is unique in that they have their own is — quality schooling coupled with firsthand industry programming language, so I had to learn that on my own,” he said. experience is undoubtedly a good way to go. “What I’ve learned (at Cal Poly) has definitely, definitely helped,” Olmstead said. see SENIOR, pg 7. And the experience during his internship was

Monday, June 8, 2015

COMMENCEMENT | 4

Pre-ceremony prep: What to do before arriving on your graduation day EVENT MAP

LEGEND

Event Parking

ACCESSIBLE SHUTTLE STOPS (shuttles reserved for mobility impaired guests and one companion)

UNIVERSITY POLICE

AND

HL HIG

Accessible Parking H-2

192 ENGR PLAZA

DOWNLOAD THE COMMENCEMENT APP AT M.CALPOLY.EDU/GRAD OR SCAN HERE

A DISABLED PLACARD IS REQUIRED TO PARK IN ACCESSIBLE LOTS

E DRIV

FIND YOUR DEPARTMENT EVENT.

197

CALIFORNIA BLVD

13 Accessible Parking C-7

180

25 DEXTER LAWN

2 3

21 UU PLAZA

19 Naba Ahmed @NabaAhmed

University ployees, CSOs, directing traffic Ceremony

at every intersection, making sure it all runs smoothly.” For graduating seniors, comParking lots are made specifimencement is the last step SPANOS be- cally available for guests, as no STADIUM fore entering the real world. permits are required to park But to reach the finish line, on campus during commenceseniors should be aware of ment. Such parking is available what they need to do before in lots H-2, A, B, C, H-12, H-14 the ceremony. and H-16. To make each commence“All parking is available exment the best experience for cept for the president’s disCal Poly students, parents and tinguished area which is on guests, the commencement California,” Stubberfield said. team has outlined directions for “If guests need to get to Calparking, the departments and ifornia, they still must enter ceremonies. on Highland.” Parking Everyone knows that during commencement weekend, traffic can be a headache. Commencement Administrative Coordinator Katie Stubberfield advised guests to enter on Highland Drive during commencement because students who live on campus will be moving out. “It is not required for guests to enter on Highland, but it can take quite a bit of time if they enter on Grand, especially on Saturday with move-out traffic,” Stubberfield said. “We suggest people come in on Highland because it is closer to the main universitywide ceremony.” As usual, University Police Department (UPD) will be regulating parking throughout commencement, Chief George Hughes said. “The C-7 and H-2 lots are closed to general parking for guests with handicapped parking placards beginning 5 p.m. Friday through 5 p.m. Sunday,” Hughes said. “We will have University Police personnel, parking staff and several student em-

Accessibility The Disability Resource Center (DRC) aims to make accommodations for guests with disabilities for commencement weekend. DRC assistant Montana Morrison spoke on behalf of her supervisor, Interim Assistant Director Vanessa Dominguez, about accessible seating and parking. “They have accessible seating in three major areas in Spanos Stadium in addition to two of the closest parking lots available for the cars with handicapped placards,” Morrison said. Accessible parking is available in Lot C-7 off of Highland Drive and Lot H-2, Morrison said. A disabled placard is required to park in these lots. Guests with mobility impairments can be dropped off at a designated loading/unloading area on California Boulevard at the northwest corner of the stadium, as a shuttle service will be available through RideOn for guests who are physically impaired or disabled. Shuttles run Saturday from

187

26 Sunday 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Morrison said. Disabled guests can enter through the southwest corner of the stadium. Accessible seats are on the west and south side of the bleachers and on the field. Wheelchairs will not be provided but will be available at certain shuttle stops, Morrison said. “These wheelchairs are not on reserve; it’s first come, first served,” Morrison said. “Guests are encouraged to bring their own wheelchairs with them.” Assembly with Departments Prior to the universitywide ceremonies, every student must meet with their departments at their assigned assembly site. The College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences will meet at the Agriculture Patio between buildings 10 and 22. The College of Architecture and Environmental Design will meet at Mott Lawn. The College of Liberal Arts will meet at the Recreation Center. The College of Engineering will meet at Dexter Lawn. The Orfalea College of Business will meet at the Breezeway in the Business Building; and the College of Science and Mathematics will meet at the Administration Lawn behind building 1. Students must be at their assembly site one hour before their ceremony, Stubberfield said. Faculty will then lead all graduates to the stadium. Commencement app Similar to the app available to students during Week of Wel-

come (WOW), a main screen with a start button will begin the process. The com43 mencem e n t app will include information regarding assembly sites, keynote speakers and d e p ar t m e n t events, Stubberfield said. “ It is really a basic

CAL POLY COMMENCEMENT 6 OFFICE | COURTESY GR APHIC

AV E

G-1

well, p r o viding guests with a guide to any questions they may have about commencement. “There is even a map on there that will pinpoint all the different locations, such as accessible parking, first aid and the different buildings,” Stubberfield said. guide to what you need to du r i ng the day when you are on campus,” Stubberfield said. “You can even click on which college you are and it will provide you with specific information on your college and department events.” The app contains information about parking and shuttles as

Scan the code to view Spring Commencement instructions & download the mobile app!

Monday, June 8, 2015

COMMENCEMENT | 5

Meet your Grand Marshals

CAMERON INGALLS | COURTESY PHOTO

BEHIND THE SCENES | Grand Marshals bring faculty perspective to commencement. They are appointed by President Armstrong, who is given recommendations from Vice President of Student Affairs Keith Humphrey. Tim Wetzel @TimWetzel

With graduation comes an immense amount of preparation, and behind that planning lies the Commencement Policy Committee. Who are these mysterious figures who plan your graduation? Two of the most prominent are your Grand Marshals — Dr. Chip Appel from the earth and soil sciences department, and Dr. Andrew Schaffner from the statistics department. Grand Marshals are appointed by Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong, who is given recommendations from Vice President of Student Affairs Keith Humphrey. Humphrey is incredibly selective with his recommendations. “Both Chip and Andrew came to my attention upon recommendation of several of their fellow faculty members,” Humphrey said in an email to Mustang News. “Grand Marshals have to be creative, flexible and most of all student centered. Both Chip and Andrew are all of those things.”

If you’re wondering what exactly these Grand Marshals do, Humphrey has an answer for that as well. “Grand Marshals ... serve on the Commencement Policy Committee helping us bring faculty perspective to all things commencement from procession routes, fees and academic aspects of the ceremony and weekend,” Humphrey said. That’s not all — Grand Marsha ls a ls o have a symbolic role. “In addition to (these duties),” Humphrey said, “Grand Marshals lead the academic procession that is part of each ceremony and carry the University Gonfalons (flags that have the seal of the university on them) at the lead of the President’s Party.” Anyone who’s carrying a flag has to be important — that’s why you should learn a little bit about your Grand Marshals. Chip Appel Appel is an expert in all things soil. He loves relating his knowledge to practical data, which is how he

decided on his career. “I wanted a degree that was really applied to my surroundings,” Appel said. “Soil science was definitely applied to everything that I saw, and it was a great application of the chemistry background that I had.” Appel has a Ph.D. in soil chemistry from the University of Florida, but received his M.S. in agricultural science in 1998 and his B.S. in biochemistry in 1995 — both from Cal Poly. While he wouldn’t specify a favorite class to teach, Appel did express fondness for many of his students. “Honestly, I like them all,” Appel said. “I teach some introductory courses, and those are fun because the audience is pretty diverse. I also teach some senior classes in the soil science major and the earth science major; those are enjoyable because the students have more technical information, so the material I get to talk about is more in depth.” Appel doesn’t spend all his days in Cal Poly, though — he’s travelled the world with his work.

“You know, I really enjoy travelling in general,” Appel said. “Most recently, I’ve gotten to do some work in Thailand with Engineers Without Borders, and the experiences that I had working with the Cal Poly students that I worked with were really enjoyable.” Travel aids not only Appel’s research but also his worldview. He uses his experiences to grow both as a professor and a person. “When I was in high school I lived in France for a year, and when I was in college I lived in France for a year again,” Appel said. “I would say that those experiences were definitely some of the highlights of my education. I feel like I grew a lot as a person and just as a citizen of the world because I got to experience something totally different.” Whether he’s travelling or in the classroom, Appel tries his hardest to stay positive. “I try to make sure I always have a good attitude,” Appel said. “And I feel like that’s a huge part of how you experience something. I mean, if you have a bad

attitude while you’re experiencing something, then whatever you get out of it is a much more diminished experience.” Andrew Schaffner Schaffner’s passion lies in statistics. More specifically, he enjoys working with biomedical projects. Schaffner received a B.S. in Mathematics from Cal Poly in 1992, and a Ph.D. in statistics from the University of Washington. “I think it’s kind of cool that I was an undergrad here,” Schaffner said. “Going back even further, my first connection to Cal Poly was when I was about 11 years old and they put on a camp for kids. So I have a very long connection to Cal Poly.” Schaffner is one of the professors in charge of Cal Poly’s new data science minor, a program offered at very few schools but valued highly in the workforce. “The data science minor is something that Alex Dekhtyar from computer science and I just started working on together,” Schaffner said. “We built it as a response to industry right now;

it’s working with large data sets, because working with unusual data types is something that we don’t really focus on in our normal statistics discipline, and computer science doesn’t really focus on the analysis side.” Schaffner is also involved in obesity studies with Dr. Suzanne Phelan from the kinesiology department. “I help her with the design of studies and the statistical aspect of the grant writing,” Schaffner said. “The work I’m doing with Suzanne feels like it has the biggest impact (of all my publications).” When he’s not busy doing statistics, Schaffner likes to escape on camping trips with his family. “I really like Big Basin,” Schaffner said. “That’s up in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and it’s the oldest state park in California. It’s worth checking out; it’s really nice.” Both Schaffner and Appel were honored to be chosen as Grand Marshals. If you want to get to know them a little better, come to commencement. They’ll be the guys holding the cool flags in the front, so they’ll be hard to miss.

Monday, June 8, 2015 FACULTY continued from pg 8. ton. Before coming to Cal Poly, Professor Stannard held teaching positions at the University of Idaho and the University of Washington, as well as international teaching experience at the Sede di Roma in Italy and the Universita degli Studi di Camerino in Ascoli Piceno, Italy. Her research focuses on issues of ecological sensitivity and “green” architectural design. She is a member of the American Solar Energy Society and was a board member of the U.S. Green Building Council for many years. She is a licensed architect in the state of California on a case-by-case basis. Lars Tomanek, College of Science and Mathematics Professor Tomanek is an associate professor and director of the Environmental Proteomics Laboratory. He received his B.S. and M.S. in biology from the University of Konstanz in Konstanz, Germany; his Ph.D. in zoology from Oregon State University; and his post-docs at Stanford University and the University of California at Davis.

His research interests are primarily the ecological physiology of marine organisms and global climate change. As director of the Environmental Proteomics Laboratory, his team focuses on changes in levels of proteins in response to environmental stress. His crew is among few experts on this subject in the country and have shared their expertise with schools around the country. Wy att Bro w n , C o l l e g e of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences Dr. Brown is a professor and the assistant department head for the horticulture and crop science department, where he has taught for 25 years. He is originally from New Orleans and came to Cal Poly from LSU via Cornell. His research interests center on pre-cut fruits and vegetables, plastics and modified-atmosphere packaging. His research on anti-browning compounds for pre-cut produce has resulted in a recently conferred patent. Brown has a reputation as an instructor for being knowledgeable and tough but fair. He is an ad-

COMMENCEMENT | 7 junct professor in the food science and human nutrition department at Iowa State University at Ames. He is a faculty senator to the university’s Academic Senate and is the advisor for Cal Poly’s anime club Minna no Anime. This is the second consecutive year he has been recognized as an outstanding faculty member. Philip Costanzo, College of Science and Mathematics Philip Costanzo is originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He earned his B.S. chemistry from Carnegie Mellon University in 2001 and received his Ph.D. in organic chemistry at University of California at Davis in 2005. Upon graduating he was awarded a National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Army Research Laboratory, where as a post-doc he worked in the weapons and materials division developing new materials for wide range of applications including composite armor and insensitive munitions. He joined California Polytechnic State University in 2007 and is currently an associate professor. During his time at Cal

Poly, he has directly mentored over 55 students, published 13 papers and been awarded over $1 million in funding. His research focuses upon the development of structure-property relationships, including Diels-Alder chemistry and new coupling reactions. When not on campus, he can be found on the golf course or bicycling around San Luis Obispo County. Todd Grundmeier, College of Science and Mathematics Dr. Grundmeier is a professor in the College of Science and Mathematics. In the mathematics department. He received his Ph.D. from the University of New Hampshire before coming to teach at California Polytechnic State University. His research interests are of the learning and teaching of mathematics at the undergraduate level; mathematical problem posing and problem solving, in-service professional development and pre-service teacher education. His teaching philosophy is to provide students with the opportunity to take ownership of their learning and the course content.

SENIOR continued from pg 3. Olmstead automatically became an even more attractive candidate for the job because he is already familiar with some of the defining features of the company. As for his Cal Poly experience, Olmstead will cherish some aspects of it for years to come. “I’m in a fraternity, and anything I’ve done with those guys has been the best time of my life. I also spent a lot of late nights coding with friends in (the computer science building) over there,” he said. Before taking upon his new career in the fall, Olmstead plans to travel.

I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT TO TRAVEL BEFORE WORKING BECAUSE IT MAKES YOU ACCEPTING OF OTHER CULTURES. AND BY ASSOCIATION, JUST ACCEPTING OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF PEOPLE IN GENERAL. OLIN OLMSTEAD “I’m going to Europe for a month,” he said. “Specifically, Spain, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic and Italy.” In addition, he’ll be visiting

family in Juneau, Alaska. “I think it’s important to travel before working because it makes you accepting of other cultures,” he said. “And by association, just accepting of differ-

ent types of people in general.” Though Olmstead spent five years at Cal Poly, he feels ready for the real world.

Monday, June 8, 2015

COMMENCEMENT | 8

Cal Poly selects outstanding faculty

CAMERON INGALLS | MUSTANG NE WS

THE CHOSEN ONES | Cal Poly recognized six professors from four different colleges as outstanding faculty members this year. All faculty selected will receive the Distinguished Scholarship Award for 2014-15. Nina Doering @ninaanad

This year, six professors will receive the Distinguished Scholarship Award for 201415, recognized as outstanding faculty members.

Here’s a brief of each recipient. Dustin Stegner, College of Liberal Arts Stegner is an associate professor of the English Department. He received his bachelor’s from the University of San Francisco

before going on to get both his master’s and Ph.D. at Pennsylvania State University. His teaching specialties are Shakespeare, Confessional and Penitential literature and Early Modern English literature. He has been recognized on numer-

ous accounts for his teaching and scholarly excellence, the most recent of which was the Learn By Doing Grant awarded by Cal Poly in 2012. Professor Stegner is famous for his sense of humor and skill for engaging students of all fields in works of

English Literature. Sandra Stannard, College of Architecture and Environmental Design Stannard is a professor of architecture. She received her B.A. in architecture from the University

of California, Berkeley before doing her research fellowship in Copenhagen Denmark and completing her master’s in Architecture at the University of Washing-

see FACULTY, pg 7.

Monday, June 8, 2015

ARTS | 10

Building stories from shop to stage Frances Griffey @CPMustangArts

When the credits roll at the end of a movie, the names of the actors and actresses are followed by a much longer list of names. These are the people who work off-camera to create the set, costumes and more. They plan, design and assemble integral aspects of the production. Without them, the show could not exist. Cal Poly is lucky enough to have one such behind-the-scenes man. He is many things: a carpenter, welder, engineer, architect, electrician, staff member and informal teacher. To call him “a man of many talents” would be an understatement. As technical director of Cal Poly’s theatre and dance department and lighting designer for Orchesis Dance Company, 36-year-old Clint Bryson’s passion for theatre production paved the way for an unusually multifaceted lifestyle. Bryson’s main domain is Cal Poly’s scene shop. He punches in a code and opens the door, as he does every day. The room beyond is surprisingly large. A high ceiling towers above. Scraps of wood lay in heaps in bins. Intimidating power tools scatter through the space.

The dry, earthy smell of wood lingers in the air, with the spring show already completed, the scene shop is unusually clean — hardly a speck of sawdust is visible on the floor. One of Bryson’s favorite tools, a table saw, sits in the center of the room, waiting to be brought to life. One of the most recent additions to the shop is a cold cut metal saw, which still looks shiny and new. Bryson turns on the machine, which immediately emits a buzzing roar, and liquid erupts from the top of the tool. “It uses a cooling fluid to reduce the friction and make it so there’s no sparks,” Bryson explained. Working in tandem with his fondness for power tools is Bryson’s love of theatre — theatre production, to be precise. Bryson has had a passion for theatre since childhood, but he didn’t know about technical theatre until college. While acting at the University of Arizona, he was exposed to the technical side of the industry and loved it. “I found I could work in theatre and do something that, for me, was very theatrical — still telling stories, still working in that environment with those people, but I (could) get paid to do it,” Bryson said. Bryson also discovered that working

CHRISTA L AM | MUSTANG NE WS SHOP TALK

| Bryson runs Cal Poly’s scene shop, where the theatre sets are built.

CHRISTA L AM | MUSTANG NE WS

BRE AK A LEG

| Bryson began his theatre career in acting but soon discovered his love for behind-the-scenes production.

behind the scenes gave him the same exhilaration and adrenaline rush as acting on stage before an audience. He had found his true niche. As the scene shop supervisor, Bryson designs sets for Cal Poly productions and also helps facilitate the stagecraft class, doing a type of informal co-teaching as a staff member with the faculty professor. Bryson’s job is a balance of management and technical abilities. “It’s a weird conglomeration of a lot of skills,” he said. “I’m a jack of many trades. I’d like to think I’m master of a few.” Bryson said a set is a like a real breathing thing: It must exist visually but also be functional. “It’s got to be (created) in a way that can be utilized that helps tell the story, because even though we’re building artistic things, we’re not making art pieces,” Bryson said. “We’re making a set, an environment that actors then have to interact with.” But in the fast-paced world of theatre and production, perfection is rarely an option. “There’s good, fast and cheap,” Bryson said. “Pick two.”

Missing deadlines is not an option when you have a paying audience, so time is typically the biggest enemy. Especially in the quarter system, where the first five weeks of the stagecraft class are dedicated to building the show and the following weeks help shift the produc-

I could work in theatre and do something that, for me, was very theatrical — still telling stories, still working in that environment. CLINT BRYSON

tion into the theatre, Bryson and the students must work quickly and efficiently to complete their projects in time. In the shop, Bryson’s main priorities are safety and student confidence in their own abilities, because many of them have never touched a power tool in their lives, let alone built something with one.

“It can be frustrating for someone who’s never used a screw gun to screw something together,” Bryson said. “There’s ways that I can help them be more successful at it, both from talking them through it but also setting them up with the right tools and the right methods to be successful.” Bryson is a mentor to junior theatre arts major Nathan Norris, who’s continually inspired by Bryson to pursue technical directing. One of the biggest things Norris learned from two years of work with Bryson was welding. Though the process was difficult at first, Norris was struck by Bryson’s unrelenting patience. “I would weld for a while until it was just this ugly mess and then he would go through and talk about each one and what had gone right and what had gone wrong,” Norris said. By gently pushing people’s boundaries, Bryson promotes improvement by slowly increasing their comfort level little by little. “He’s good at finding exactly where people’s comfort stops and then having

see BRYSON, pg 11.

Monday, June 8, 2015

ARTS | 11

I can’t watch a show and just enjoy it anymore. I’m looking at what they’re doing, how they’re doing it, where that light’s coming from. CLINT BRYSON

CHRISTA L AM | MUSTANG NE WS MAKING A SCENE

| In the scene shop, Bryson helps theatre arts students learn the technical side of their field. They familiarize themselves with power tools to help build the department’s sets.

BRYSON continued from pg 10. them work right about there until they’re more comfortable,” Norris said. “A lot of people have gone into the class not wanting to do any power tools and come out of it having a really good time.” Bryson sincerely enjoys teaching, so interacting with inexperienced students isn’t an onerous task — instead, it’s a fun challenge. The most rewarding part of the process for him is seeing the students’ progress. “Especially seeing students who have never worked with power tools, who have never built something, to see them stand back and go, ‘Wow, I just made that. That’s a real thing and that’s kind of cool,’ is a lot of fun,” he said. Fortunately, Bryson has never been part of a production that’s suffered any major disasters but there have been a few funny moments. While working

at a theatre complex for a past job, he was in his office one day during a biblical play when the show’s director came frantically running in asking for help. The production’s Joseph was a no-show and they needed a last-minute replacement. “I was like, ‘Joseph doesn’t wear jeans,’” Bryson said. But, of course, he threw on a robe, took off his shoes and walked onstage to fill the role. Before coming to Cal Poly, Bryson worked for seven years as a scene shop foreman in high school in Tuscon, Arizona. There, he created some of his most memorable pieces. He made his own unique model of the infamous barbershop chair for the high school’s production of “Sweeney Todd,” complete with springs and levers so it actually functioned as it should. After studying and working in theatre production over the years, Bryson’s way of observing performances has changed. His inexhaustible passion has escaped the professional domain and permeated

the rest of his life. “I can’t watch a show and just enjoy it anymore,” he said. “I’m looking at what they’re doing, how they’re doing it, where that light’s coming from.” Unsurprisingly, Bryson is well-loved in the theatre and dance department. “Everybody likes Clint,” Norris said. “Clint is fantastic both because he’s super nice and great and good at his job, but also because he just gets things done.” But it’s not just about completing a project — it’s also about the process of that creation. And Bryson tries to make the scene shop as fun as possible while still being conducive to learning. “I’ll throw down some Jay Z in the shop,” he said, smiling but serious. Josh Machamer, chair of the theatre and dance department, has noticed that people gravitate toward Bryson. “He has a natural tenacity to draw people in

because of a genuineness that he offers,” Machamer said. “I know what I’m going to get every day. There’s no surprises and I think that’s really refreshing.” Theatre can be a high-stress place when you mix passionate people with different personalities and different deadlines, but Machamer said Bryson is “a stable entity we can rely on.” When Bryson is not at work or catching up on the latest episode of “Game of Thrones,” he’s spending time with his family: a wife, a 10-year-old son and a 12-year-old daughter. “I’m a very simple person in a lot of ways,” he said. “I have theatre and family. I try not to clutter my life with much else.” If there’s a job to do, whether it be designing a set or coaching his son’s futsal team, Bryson finds a way and does it well. As they say, the show must go on, and Clint Bryson is there to make sure it does.

Classifieds TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED AD:

Order online at www.mustangnews.net or call 805.756.1143 a day prior by noon Ads must be prepaid by check made out to Mustangs News or paid by credit card online.

CROSSWORD

CLASSIFIED ADS ARE FREE FOR STUDENTS Stop into MUSTANG NEWS to find out how to place your ad!

POP CULTURE SHOCK THERAPY

SPONSOR THE COMIC! $50 A DAY

CALL 805.756.1143 F MINUS

SUDOKU

SPONSOR THE SUDOKU!

CALL 805.756.1143

$50 A DAY

Monday, June 8, 2015

OPINION | 14

It’s all uphill from here Jacob Lauing

@jlauing

JOSEPH PACK | MUSTANG NE WS

Jacob Lauing is a journalism junior and Mustang News Editor-in-chief. My Mustang News career started in the sports section, so it’s only natural I use a sports metaphor to kick off my final column as editor-in-chief. Last year’s staff was stacked. We had editors and reporters with years of experience under their belts. It was a top-heavy group, a squad of seniors who left big shoes to fill. And, seeing as our current junior and senior classes are a bit slim, the “sophomore surge” followed. We came into this school year with seven sophomores in editor roles and a batch of young talent comprising most of the reporter roles as well. This was a rebuilding year. But that doesn’t mean this year was a lost cause, as the term implies in sports. On the contrary, we did great things in 2014-15. Take the 14 editorial awards we won at the California College Media Association conference in February. Or the increase in web traffic we saw year over year — our three biggest days for page views

this year were all higher than last year’s highest daily tally. How about our coverage? From faculty salary disputes to greek life probation to ASI’s Spring Stampede, we were there to tell the biggest stories of the year. Check out our front page. Lately it’s looked better than ever, and I think we’ll be racking up some more awards for our design and photography pretty soon. But perhaps our biggest success this year isn’t something tangible. During my first month on the job, I wrote my introductory editor-in-chief column. I challenged our staff and our readers to — in the second year of our converged newsroom — think of Mustang News as a storytelling platform. Not just a newspaper. Not just a broadcast news station. Not just a website. In my eyes, we’ve dissolved that rift between print, broadcast and digital. Now we tell stories on their most effective platform, whether a written article, a video, an infographic or a photo post. Culture change doesn’t happen

overnight. It’s also something that can’t be quantified. When I look back on this year, I’ll remember that culture, the dynamic we created. We were young. We were scrappy. But most importantly, we were learning. This group of raw, young journalists took every opportunity to get better, grow smarter and perfect their craft. And I know it’s only going to keep getting better. If this year was the sophomore surge, just wait until they’re seniors. You heard it here first — the 201617 Mustang News staff will be one of the best we’ve ever seen. This year has been a journey of with ups and downs, triumph and failure. It’s been an honor serving as editor-in-chief, and as my time runs out, I have the utmost faith in the leaders taking my place. Mustang News is being left in the most capable hands, and I know this product we live and die with will only get better, long after I’m gone.