Tuesday, May 2 7, 20 14
Volume L X X V III, Number 61
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SEAN MCMINN | MUSTANG NEWS MOURNING | Isla Vista community members gathered Monday outside the I.V. Deli Mart, where one UCSB student was killed in a shooting spree Friday night. Cal Poly said it’s ready to support the university and its students.
TRAGEDY ROCKS UC SANTA BARBARA Brooke Sperbeck, Benjy Egel & Aja Frost @CPMustangNews Graphic communication junior Sam Burt went to Isla Vista on Memorial Day Weekend to visit his friend at Santa Barbara City College. Burt stayed in a friend’s apartment on the corner of Del Playa Drive and El Embarcadero Road — the same area a gunman took to on Friday night, killing six people and injuring 13 more.
When the shooting began down the street from the apartment, Burt and his friend heard “popping noises,” which they initially thought were fireworks, he said. “I ran outside on his balcony, and the popping was getting louder, but on a really consistent pace and a weird pace,” Burt said. “So I said, ‘That’s not normal.’” Just one of the several college students near the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), Burt was witnessing what would soon become international news. Elliot Rodger, a 22-year-old Santa Barbara City College
student, rampaged across the streets in Isla Vista, firing at multiple people from his BMW before eventually crashing his car and fatally shooting himself, according to Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown. The gunman posted a 141-page manifesto online before the shooting, in which he swore to bring revenge on the women of Santa Barbara who had turned down his advances. >>
see TRAGEDY, pg 2.
Beer Fest takes over Madonna Maggie Kaiserman @MaggieKaiserman PREVIEW
JULIAN DEL GAUDIO | MUSTANG NEWS REGIONAL HOSTS | Senior third baseman Jimmy Allen (right) became Cal Poly’s all-time hits leader in
the final series of the season and started in all 55 games for the Cal Poly baseball team this year.
Cal Poly to host NCAA Tournament Stephan Teodosescu @steodosescu PREVIEW MAGGIE K AISERMAN | MUSTANG NEWS DON’T WORRY, BE HOPPY | The California Festival of Beers returned to the green pastures of Madonna Inn Meadows this past weekend and featured more than 60 breweries.
see BEER, pg 5.
The Cal Poly baseball team will face No. 4-seeded Sacramento State in the second game of the San Luis Obispo Regional starting on Friday. The Mustangs will also host Arizona State and Pepperdine in the double-elimination tournament. >>
see BASEBALL, pg 10.
The Simple Parade launches Indiegogo campaign Sam Gilbert @samgilbert279 PREVIEW Local folk-pop band The Simple Parade launched an Indiegogo campaign this month in hopes of traveling to Denver, Colo. in July to record a fulllength album. At the time of publication, the band has raised $1,075 of its $12,000 goal. >> TREVOR HOOPER | COURTESY PHOTO
see PARADE, pg 4.
JOIN THE PARADE | The Simple Parade frontman Justin Hooper (second from right) said the band’s album is “basically
nine years of writing love songs.”
News... 1-3 | Arts 4-6 | Opinion... 7 | Classifieds... 8 | Sports... 9-10
NEWS | 2
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
SEAN MCMINN | MUSTANG NEWS
ALPHA PHI | A memorial was held at UC Santa Barbara’s Alpha Phi sorority. Two people were killed outside the house in a series of shootings and stabbings that killed seven people, including the gunman. Tragedy continued from pg 1. In the attacks, Rodger killed two Delta Delta Delta sorority members, as well as a UCSB student in a delicatessen and three UCSB students at his home. In a campus-wide email sent Monday afternoon, Cal Poly administrators expressed their sadness over the event and said they had reached out to UCSB Chancellor Henry T. Yang, offering assistance “in whatever way needed.” According to Keith Humphrey, vice president for Student Affairs, UCSB has not yet requested any help, but that could change in the coming days. “Having worked on a campus that has had a shooting, it is hard to determine
in the first few days what you need — it all happens so fast,” Humphrey wrote in an email to Mustang News. “After a few additional days, staff like counselors, police and other student support need a break to be able to do their best work and often that’s when reinforcements are needed. Cal Poly will remain ready to respond and help UCSB as it requests.” Though UCSB is often seen as Cal Poly’s rival, art and design senior Jared Moore was struck by the similarities between the schools in the wake of Friday’s shooting. Moore created a picture of the ocean with the words “rivals,” “opponents” and “competitors” crossed out, replaced with the slogan “We are neighbors. You are in our thoughts Santa Barbara,” with the UCSB
logo at the top and the Cal Poly logo at the bottom of the image. Moore set the photo as his Facebook profile picture, inspiring some of his friends to do the same. The photo has spread through social media, offering Cal Poly students an opportunity to express their condolences. “I felt really touched by it being so close. It’s not something that happened across the country. In the big-picture grand scheme of things, it’s just another small coastal college beach town just like here,” Moore said. “In reality, they’re the same as us. It could have easily been here.” Much of the mainstream media coverage of the shooting has focused on the suspect, whose chilling video and murderous mani-
festo have gone viral. Moore said he was disappointed to see the lack of coverage given to the six dead and 13 injured victims, not to mention the effect the massacre has had on the campus as a whole. The graphic, which took approximately an hour to create, was intentionally designed not to give attention to the gunman. “I wanted to represent that coastal community that we have where we’re neighbors, we’re humans, we’re people and we’re students,” Moore said. “I saw people sharing the video and picture of (the suspect’s) face, so I put something out hoping that if you were touched by (the shooting), you weren’t obliged to share something like that.” Rodger’s original plan, ac-
“There were people next to the house that had music playing ... It went from that to deathly quiet, people screaming and crying.” SAM BURT | GRAPHIC COMMUNICATION JUNIOR
cording to his manifesto, was to target UCSB’s Alpha Phi sorority. To show its support, Cal Poly’s chapter of Alpha Phi reached out to its sisters at UCSB after two women — neither of whom were members of Alpha Phi — were shot and killed on its chapter house’s front lawn, biochemistry junior and Cal Poly Alpha Phi President Bryce Gassner said. “We did reach out to them and just said to them that we were glad to hear that every member was accounted for, and that if they needed anything from us that we’re here from them, being the closest chapter to them,” Gassner said. Gassner said she had not heard back from members of UCSB Alpha Phi. Her sorority’s international chapter reported that all members of UCSB Alpha Phi had been accounted for after the shooting, she said. Cal Poly Alpha Phi has not yet made further plans to reach out to the UCSB chapter, Gassner said. “Since this is so new, we haven’t made any moves yet,” Gassner said. “We’re waiting to hear more information and hear back more from our internationals, so once we get more information on everything, then we’ll kind of know what we want to do.” Gassner said one member of Cal Poly Alpha Phi was in Santa Barbara visiting friends at UCSB on Friday night when the shootings occurred. “Luckily, she was safe,” Gassner said. “She got to an
indoor location right away and reached out (to) everyone on our Facebook page about it.” Burt, who was also visiting at the time, said the mood in Isla Vista completely changed after the shots were fired. “There were people next to the house that had music playing and were laughing and playing games,” he said. “It went from that to deathly quiet, people screaming and crying.” The gunman circled the block twice before crashing his car down the street from the apartment where Burt was staying. Burt and his friend went outside multiple times to check to see if the gunman was still in the area, he said. “The third time, he crashed six houses down, and that’s when police were running around the corner with guns drawn telling everyone to get inside,” Burt said. Burt said he is thankful his friends in Isla Vista are safe. With more than 400 rounds of ammunition unused by the killer, the death toll could have been much worse. “I’m just glad that there weren’t any more injuries or deaths, because with the amount of bullets this guy was shooting, there could have been at least 30 people dead,” Burt said. “There’s just some things that you never expect to see in your lifetime. Going down to Santa Barbara this last weekend, I never expected to see body bags in the street.”
NEWS | 3
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Firm introduces plan to expand University Union Benjy Egel @BenjyEgel Cal Poly has already made plans to expand campus housing to accommodate growing freshman classes, but the Julian A. McPhee University Union (UU) could be the next campus facility to expand, with a proposal to nearly double its square footage. Program management firm Brailsford and Dunlavey has proposed expanding the UU from about 110,000 gross square feet to 190,000-200,000 within the next 10 years. Expanding the already busy UU will be necessary as Cal Poly continues to admit larger freshman classes, University Union Advisory Board (UUAB) Chair and industrial technology senior Katie Brennan said. “If we are to grow as a campus by 5,000 students, we definitely need more space,” Brennan said. “It’s almost doubling the square footage of the current facility.” Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) hired consultant Matt Bohannon, a senior project manager at Brailsford and Dunlavey, to come up with a new master plan for the UU. Bohannon graduated from Cal Poly with a bachelor’s degree in architecture in 2004 and was the UUAB chair during the 2002-03 academic year. Bohannon presented four layout plans to the ASI Board of Directors, recommending a model based off the University of California, San Diego Price Center. The new plan would include a number of new buildings
around the current UU, including a retail center at the face of Mott Athletics Center and a large structure near the Recreation Center. “It provides a different and unique experience that will serve as a destination not only for Union services and student life services,” Bohannon said. “We think it has a great opportunity to connect student housing and the Recreation Center to the Union in a greater way.” The new buildings would face the current UU Plaza, allowing more space for concerts while trapping sound within the plaza. In an ASI survey sent out in early April, 72 percent of respondents said improving UU facilities was more important than indoor or outdoor sports and recreation centers. Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong and ASI President Jason Colombini have toyed with the idea of bringing a pub to campus, which Brennan said could be part of the UU redesign. Brennan also mentioned adding more name-brand restaurants such as Jamba Juice and Subway, though no plans have been set. After ASI further surveys students about what specific stores or features they would want to see, Bohannon will give Cal Poly a price estimate on the project. No timetable has been set for its completion. Respondents to ASI’s survey, which included 23 percent of the student body, said they were most interested in a pub, a movie theater, more food options and more shaded areas in the UU. Many students also said they use the UU as a
JOSEPH PACK | MUSTANG NEWS
LARGER THAN LIFE | A program management firm proposed a plan that would nearly double the University Union’s square footage.
“If we are to grow as a campus by 5,000 students, we definitely need more space. It’s almost doubling the square footage of the current facility.” KATIE BRENNAN | UNIVERSITY UNION ADVISORY BOARD CHAIR place to study. “The library can be too loud and too social, so they come to the Union to get work done. So we definitely need to keep up that lounge/study space area,” Brennan said. “And if they take Starbucks away, I’ll personally be pretty sad.”
While Brennan and Bohannon were optimistic about the project’s prospects, next year’s UUAB chair, Brady Hiob, was more reserved. Hiob said he wanted to hear Bohannon’s price estimate and determine where the funding will come from.
Much of the Recreation Center funding came from quarterly student fees, which Bohannon said could be a solution for paying for the new UU. Hiob said he didn’t want students to have to pay extra fees, but recognized they might not have a choice if the
new UU is to be built. “It might be (too) expensive,” Hiob said when asked how feasible the new UU was. “We don’t want any of those expenses to come down to students, necessarily, (but) it might have to come to that.”
ARTS | 4
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Local folk-pop band The Simple Parade
launches Indiegogo campaign
TREVOR HOOPER | COURTESY PHOTO
JOIN THE PARADE | Local band The Simple Parade is raising money via Indiegogo to record its full-length album in Denver, Colo. this July. The band will play at Higher Groundz on June 8. Sam Gilbert @samgilbert279 Sitting at a table at Kreuzberg, CA in downtown San Luis Obispo, it’s obvious that The Simple Parade’s upcoming album is drawn from romantic inspiration. “I’m very excited about it because it’s a love-concept album,” Cal Poly graduate and The Simple Parade member Justin Hooper said. Hooper was previously half of local duo History of Paint-
ers. Once the band broke up, however, he felt compelled to write and make music a priority in his life. “I felt like I had these songs that I just had to get out of me,” Hooper said. “This album is basically nine years of writing love songs.” His current band, The Simple Parade, plans to record its album in Denver, Colo. in midJuly. In the meantime, the group has been trying to raise money by launching an Indiegogo campaign. “You go to the website, you
can watch the video and there’s a bunch of incentives,” Hooper said. “Basically, you’re donating, but it’s really to pre-order the album and a vinyl or the album and a T-shirt.” The proceeds won’t just go toward making the album — Hooper is also partnering with VH1’s Save the Music Foundation. “Once the album is recorded, I’m going to give 10 percent of digital and physical proceeds to that cause,” he said. Hooper’s wife and bandmate, Kayla Hooper, is the fo-
cal point for most of his music. They will soon have been married for four years, but Hooper said he still has a lot to learn. “It’s a work-in-progress love album,” Hooper said. “The order of it is set up so you could almost read it like a book.” Hooper describes the first three songs on the album as a progression of maturity: The first was written before he was even in a relationship, the second is about when he was dating and the third is his entire story with
his wife. “It takes us up to our wedding day,” Hooper said. “Then it looks back like, ‘What if I lose it?’ and me struggling with how I’m supposed to show love. Then it goes into a fatherand-son love and family and just a lot of different aspects.” Though the band is focused on fundraising and hasn’t been performing locally as often as they have in the past, the folk-pop group is set to play at Higher Groundz on June 8. “I like playing at coffee
shops the best,” Hooper said. “That’s actually one of the incentives added to the Indiegogo campaign.” If you pre-order the album, Hooper said, and have any questions about anything he has to say about love, he will treat you to a cup of coffee to talk about it. “I know that Facebook and all of those social media websites are necessary,” Hooper said, “but I like more face-to-face interaction to talk about stuff and these kinds of connections.”
Owen Pallett’s In Conflict a statement of maturity Parker Evans @parker_d_evans Parker Evans is an economics senior and Mustang News music columnist. Those familiar with the work of Canadian composer/songwriter Owen Pallett shouldn’t be surprised by anything anymore. Now that he’s performing under his own name and hanging out with everyone from Arcade Fire to Brian Eno (who contributes plenty of moody synths to this album in a very appropriate collaboration), In Conflict feels like a long time coming — a second debut. It doesn’t take long before opener “I Am Not Afraid” makes clear Pallett’s approach to lyricism — straight-
forward and introspective. A particularly powerful recurring theme of In Conflict is Pallett’s inability as a gay man to procreate. “I’ll never have any children,” he laments before stepping aside for a short piano interlude that’s just begging to have a JRPG built around it. The otherworldly influence of video games (particularly retro RPGs and Nintendo adventure games) in Pallett’s work should be expected for a man who previously composed and wrote under the moniker Final Fantasy, but it’s refreshing as a listener to hear an artist like Pallett, for whom video games act as a force of maturity rather than nostalgia for the sake of nostalgia or an opportunity to abuse cheesy chip-
tunes. Those virtual themes are less obvious here than in previous albums, opting instead for more personal subject matter, ostensibly inspired by The Mountain Goats’ John Darnielle. Even so, Pallett has a tendency to dance around the subjects of his songs; he’s at his best when his honesty and openness shine through clearly. In Conflict is filled to the brim with examples of a composer playing with the idea of traditional melody. The title track turns and twists around an enchanting synth line, making unexpected dips in and out of major and minor keys. Pallett seems to be constantly searching for the one note that
see PALLETT, pg 6.
The audio files
ARTS | 5
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
California Festival of Beers
takes over Madonna Inn Meadows Maggie Kaiserman
@MaggieKaiserman
IMMA BUY YOU A DRANK | The California Festival of Beers — also known as Beer Fest — was held at Madonna Inn Meadows this past weekend. The event featured more than 60 breweries and live music.
GLASSES HALF FULL | Beer Fest drew a large crowd to Madonna Inn Meadows this past weekend.The event’s proceeds go to Hospice of San Luis Obispo County, a volunteer organization.
RAISE THE VOLUME | Along with various types of brew, the California Festival of Beers also featured live entertainment from various performers. This was the 28th celebration of the event.
ARTS | 6
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Próxima Parada
gives soul-folk beat to UU hour Will Peischel Cal Poly-grown band Próxima Parada brought their sound to the University Union Plaza for the second time on Thursday. As students danced, the band filled the plaza with a fusion of soul and folk, with touches of Americana licks and bluesy riffs. “Dancing is the best way to show any band that you’re having a good time,” drummer Andy Olsen said. The band’s name may sound familiar to anyone who rides public transit in San Luis Obispo. “We all went to Cal Poly,” said Bryson Bailey, the lead vocalist and guitarist. “We all took the bus a lot. They always said ‘próxima parada’ on the bus. We were
@CPMustangArts looking for a band name when we were just playing around, ‘Let’s make this a band name.’” It stuck. The band’s set progressed and more students appeared, attracted by the sound. Between playing their songs, the band offered warm thanks to the audience. In an aside asking for Facebook likes, keyboardist Nick Larson candidly described the band. “We’re not the cool kids, but we’re trying to be,” he said. Próxima Parada released an EP last year, Makes You Wanna. With a tour planned in August and full-length album slated for September, the band has a busy year ahead of them.
WILL PEISCHEL | MUSTANG NEWS
SOULFUL | Local band Próxima Parada performed on the University Union (UU) Plaza stage this past Thursday during UU hour. The band released its EP, Makes You Wanna, this past year. Pallett continued from pg 4. shouldn’t fit, and then committing the song to make the note work, which makes for an engaging listen. That creative melody is showcased in “On A Path,” which might as well be “Owen Pallett 101.” We’re treated to a name check of Ursula Le Guin’s dystopian novel, “The Dispossessed” and an enchanting violin lead line covered by Pallett’s confident voice drifting into falsetto. Here, he sings about falling out of love with his city (Toronto) as he realizes he’s lost the friends there that have either moved out or died. It’s a starkly beautiful song and a perfect example of what Pallett can do when he chooses to ground his writing in the real world. The immediately obvious knock on In Conflict is its overreliance on mid-tempo songs set to sweeping strings and Pallett’s internal reflective monologue. Fortunately, the end of the album treats us to an intensely violent climax in “The Riverbed,” which finds Pallett at his most bitter. “And when you wake for
“In Conflict is, at its core, an exploration of that creativity, and it’s packed with evidence that he’s going to be writing important music for a long time.”
WILL PEISCHEL | MUSTANG NEWS
NEXT STOP | The band, made up of former Cal Poly students, plans to release a full-length album.
PARKER EVANS | MUSIC COLUMNIST
the sixth straight day with your Tanqueray,” he sings, “you will rise, rise again and drink again.” The song goes out in a blaze of glory, accompanied by Robbie Gordon’s heavy drums and a furious violin crescendo that constantly threatens to split at the seams. You can’t help but feel
that as a composer, Pallett builds his songs in a fundamentally different way than most other artists. In Conflict is, at its core, an exploration of that creativity, and it’s packed with evidence that he’s going to be writing important music for a long time.
WILL PEISCHEL | MUSTANG NEWS
GET MUSICAL | “We’re not the cool kids, but we’re trying to be,” keyboardist Nick Larson said.
OPINION | 7
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Kevin Tillman leaves legacy of service 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. A midseason baseball game in Baggett Stadium is always good for raw emotions and sparks flying. Thirteen years ago, those sparks caught fire. After a violent home plate collision, both benches began to clear. Cal Poly’s captain and second baseman threw his glove down and sprinted to the opposing team’s dugout, ready to take on the entire team. His name was Kevin Tillman. Tillman was in his second year as Cal Poly’s starting second baseman, after transferring from Arizona State. He certainly wasn’t the biggest guy on the team — listed at only 5-foot-10, 190 pounds — but he could play with the best of them. He led the team in hits, runs, RBIs and walks before being voted team MVP and Big West All-First Team after his senior season in 2001. Following the 2001 baseball season, Tillman was selected in the MLB Draft in the 10th round by the Cleveland Indians. After passing up two previous opportunities to play professionally with the Anaheim Angels and Houston Astros, Tillman joined the Indians franchise. Shortly after graduating from Cal Poly with a philosophy degree, Tillman played his first season for the
Indians Rookie League team, the Burlington Indians. Tillman’s second season in the big leagues was much different from the first, however. After making his way up to a Double-A team, he played two games before quitting baseball forever. On May 31, 2002, Tillman left behind his dream of playing professional baseball and enlisted in the Army Rangers alongside his brother Pat, who famously left the NFL to join the Army Rangers. Though Pat’s decision to leave the NFL has become more well-known over the years, the decision was mutual. “It was an easy decision for him to do this,” said Terry Hardtke, the brothers’ high school football coach and hitting coach. “There was no question … It was one of those things where they talked it over and they wanted to have a larger purpose in life.” The bond between Pat and Kevin Tillman could not be broken. “They had a really special bond,” said former Cal Poly head baseball coach Rich Price as he recalled one specific weekend during Kevin’s senior year. “Pat came up to San Luis Obispo and spent the weekend, and he was hitting in the (batting) cages with (Kevin) before the game, and they were really tight.” To many, including Price, it was no surprise when Kevin left baseball to be alongside Pat in the Army Rangers. After the Tillmans joined
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF J.J. Jenkins DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR FOR ARTS AND SPORTS Carly Rickards DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR FOR NEWS Sean McMinn PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTOR Jenna Watson BROADCAST NEWS DIRECTOR Olivia DeGennaro NEWS EDITOR Jacob Lauing ARTS EDITOR Kassi Luja SPORTS EDITOR Stephan Teodosescu MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Katherine Benedict BROADCAST CONTENT DIRECTOR Katie McDermott
the right angle the Army Rangers, their story became public. Both brothers completed basic training together before being assigned to the 2nd Ranger Battalion. However, on April 22, 2004, Pat was tragically killed by friendly fire while serving in Afghanistan. Pat’s death came with the fame and publicity that one would expect from someone with his story. But with the fame and publicity came a firestorm of controversy. Initially described as “killed by enemy fire,” it was later revealed that Pat was killed by friendly fire. Leading the charge for the truth was none other than
TERRY HARDTKE | KEVIN TILLMAN’S FORMER FOOTBALL COACH
Kevin Tillman. Kevin put pressure and blame on the government and media for using the death of his brother as propaganda to increase support for the Iraq War. “We believe this narrative was intended to deceive the family, but more importantly to deceive the American public,” Kevin said. Though his brother was dead, their bond was never more alive. Though the Tillman brothers’ story is often told as just Pat’s story, Kevin’s story is one of a true American hero. Not only did he give up baseball — the game he loved — he gave up much of his future, too. With Kevin’s talent and work ethic, he had an opportunity to make it to the big leagues. “I think he could’ve made the big leagues, I really do,” Hardtke said. “He had the tools to be able to do it.” Price agreed. “I think if he would’ve grinded it through and spent four or five years in the minor
BROADCAST PRODUCTION MANAGER Denzel Quarterman
leagues, I think most definitely he could have played in the big leagues,” he said. Though there’s a lot of uncertainty when it comes to playing professional sports, there’s no doubt that Cal Poly was lucky to have Kevin Tillman. “It was an absolute pleasure to coach that young man,” Price said. “He is without question one of the finest competitors I’ve ever been associated with in my 35 years of baseball.” Kevin Tillman’s effort and the enthusiasm he put into the Cal Poly baseball was part of the ignition that brought the program to where it is today. His selflessness, patriotism and heart are heroic examples of why America continues to be a dominant force around the world. Kevin Tillman’s story needs to be told, as we live in the land of the free because of the brave heroes like him.
Free speech under attack in academia LETTER TO THE EDITOR Nate Honeycutt is a psychology senior and president of the Cal Poly College Republicans. On behalf of the Cal Poly College Republicans (CPCR), I’d like to put to rest accusations made over the last couple weeks against our club and our recent speaker. As a preface it should go without saying, but just in case there are any misconceptions, we have the utmost respect for those in the Muslim Students Association (MSA). They were critical of our speaker, but in face-toface conversations they were respectful, civil and acted in goodwill. Our groups are on friendly terms. On May 13, CPCR hosted Robert Spencer to present and answer questions on the topic of Radical Islam. We had a packed lecture hall of students, faculty, staff, administrators and community members present to hear and interact with Spencer. His talk was informative, captivating and enlightening. But in the wake of his visit, some students and faculty waged intellectual drone warfare, remotely lobbing unsubstantiated claims, assumptions and accusations at us, then the night of the event did not attend and/or did not engage with our speaker. Our critics claimed Spencer spews hate speech, that he is on par with the KKK, that he/our club are neoNazis, that he would incite
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“It was one of those things where they talked it over and they wanted to have a larger purpose in life.”
violence and that because of the alleged content of his talk many individuals would fear for their mental and physical well-being. These are a few among many verbatim claims. With these claims, some students and faculty sought to pressure first us, then campus leaders above us, to cancel our event. Our club was fighting a coward’s veto — another stereotypical attempt to censor and stifle a legitimate expression and exercise of free speech. Being offended has become the ultimate trump card for censoring individuals and groups who those offended deem as “controversial” and/or “offensive,” whatever their subjective definition of “controversial” and “offensive” may be. For our group, it typically doesn’t matter what we do, it will almost always be considered by someone to be “controversial” and/or “offensive.” We’re used to this out of necessity and just roll with it, but this becomes particularly troubling when offended individuals start calling for the censorship of our club and/or speakers and/or the cancelation of our events. In a free society, when one is “offended,” we cannot call for less speech (censorship), but in fact must call for more speech. If people do not like what our speaker has to say, then they can plan and fund their own event. In fact, if the topic of Radical Islam is as important as many critics told us it is, why was our group the first group (in my recollection of my almost four years at Cal Poly) to hold an event
MUSTANG NEWS
“We hope that for future events, students and faculty will come and hear from our speaker and meet our club before they jump to conclusions.” NATE HONEYCUTT | CAL POLY COLLEGE REPUBLICANS PRESIDENT addressing the topic? But what about specifics from our critics? Following are a few salient things we were told: We were told that only “academia engenders a fair and accurate discussion,” while any rational thinker can easily recognize that the only reason we have to bring in our own speakers is precisely because academia by and large does not engender fair or accurate discussions — just ask any conservative student on campus. We were told our speaker would “leave behind unnecessary emotional and physical dangers for people,” a claim no one could ever back up because it is blatantly false and is yet another example of a scare tactic. And “emotional danger,” what is that supposed to mean? Aren’t we all adults, able to discuss real-world problems in a grown-up manner? We were also told that Spencer’s “logic and ‘facts’ were at times laughable,” but this claim, as with many others like it, lacks specifics because specifics cannot be cited.
Anyone can make generalizations, but generalizations mean nothing and are just a façade — a bag of air. It’s almost funny how with every speaker we bring to campus, no matter what the topic of the talk, inevitably the focus will swing back to the issue of free speech and the First Amendment. Forget the diversity training Week of Welcome students and probably many faculty and other Cal Poly staff have to go through. It looks like what this campus really needs is to bring the Foundation for Individuals Rights in Education (FIRE) in again to properly train and teach students about the First Amendment, and while we’re at it, we should probably require some faculty, staff and administrators come along, too. Far too many people just don’t get it. Our club works diligently to engage the campus in discussions on relevant political topics and to make sure people understand conservative views and values. We believe these things are what are
needed to get the United States back on track and to stay on track. We are by far the most active political voice on campus, and our track record will easily show how deeply involved and invested in the campus and local community we are. We hope that for future events, students and faculty will come and hear from our speaker and meet our club before they jump to conclusions and make false assumptions and accusations. This is the standard others hold us to, so why not extend it to everyone? The future of free speech at this university looks quite frightening should the tactics used against us continue to be used and supported. Amidst great pressure and a significant (but unwarranted) backlash we stood up for our rights, but many other groups may not be willing to do the same. What is it going to take for students and faculty to wake up?
STAFF WRITERS Kelly Trom, Evan Morter, Benjy Egel CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jefferson P. Nolan, Suha Saya , Celina Oseguera, Aja Frost, Brenna Swanston, Kyle McCarty FREELANCE WRITERS Melissa Nunez MULTIMEDIA REPORTERS Paige Cross, Anne Knapke, Maggie Kaiserman FREELANCE MULTIMEDIA REPORTERS Lisa Diaz, David Aguilar, Emily Kucera COPY CHIEF Laura Pezzini COPY EDITORS Kayla Missman, Samantha Sullivan, Trevor Melody WEB DEVELOPER Kevin Knopp SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR Hannah Croft PHOTOGRAPHERS Zach Maher, David Jang, Ian Billings, Joseph Pack HEAD DESIGNER Megan Heddinger SPECIAL SECTIONS COORDINATOR Erica Husting PUBLIC RELATIONS COORDINATORS Jessica Padilla, Kelsey Donofrio MARKETING MANAGER Taylor Riley ADVERTISING MANAGERS Bianca Galvez, Rachael Burnham ART DIRECTOR Albert Chang PRODUCTION MANAGER Joseph Hewison PROJECT MANAGER Melanie Lapovich ADVERTISING DESIGNERS Nicole Bergmann, Ashley Andrews, Kelsey Dodge, Emma Phillips, Jordan Triplett ADVERTISING AND MARKETING MANAGER Lea Janowicz FACULTY ADVISER Pat Howe GENERAL MANAGER Paul Bittick
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SPORTS | 9
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Softball’s rise starts in the pitcher’s circle Evan Morter @EvanMorter The Cal Poly softball team (33-19 overall, 14-7 Big West) completed its season more than two weeks ago by winning 11 of its last 13 games and finished in second place in the Big West Conference — the highest since finishing first in 2009. Seven Mustangs received
a spot on the 2014 All-Big West team, none bigger than Big West Pitcher of the Year, Sierra Hyland. The freshman was also selected to the NCFA All-West Region Team — the first Cal Poly player in four years to earn that accolade — after allowing just one earned run in her last 56 1/3 innings of the season. In Cal Poly single-season history, Hyland ranks first in strikeouts (263), shutouts (13)
and innings pitched (264.1). She recorded the most victories (26) of any freshman in the nation and finished in the top-10 in the NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year voting. On top of that, she earned Big West Pitcher of the Year and Freshman Pitcher of the Year, as well. “She had a very successful season for us,” head coach Jenny Condon said. “Every time Sierra stepped on the
mound, she gave us a chance to win. She’s a gifted athlete.” However, one of the most dominant pitching seasons in Cal Poly softball history was not confined to the circle. The right-hander proved she could swing the bat, too. Hyland produced a teamleading .366 batting average, while also leading the club with six home runs and 36 RBIs. That production in the batter’s box put her at No. 7
IAN BILLINGS | MUSTANG NEWS
SUPER FROSH | Freshman right-hander Sierra Hyland allowed one earned run in her final 56 1/3 innings pitched this season.
among Big West batting averages this season and ranked sixth in Cal Poly history. But the right-hander was not the only source of offense, as the Mustangs were filled from top to bottom with talented batters. “One of the best things about our offense is that we’re balanced one through nine,” Condon said. “If we’re not getting production at the top of the lineup, we get it from the bottom.” At the top of the order stood senior shortstop Kim Westlund, who batted .292 on the year and started in all 52 games. She was named to the 2014 All-Big West team and ranks fifth all-time with 183 hits in her Cal Poly career. However, Westlund’s offensive prowess is of little utility if the players behind her in the batting order don't drive her home. Junior leftfielder Emily Ceccacci took care of that job as she trailed only Hyland with a .356 average and had 21 RBIs, which was good enough for third on the team. Ceccacci started every one of Cal Poly’s 52 games this season and boasted a .975 fielding percentage to earn a spot on the All-Big West team. “Emily was great this year,” Condon said. “She was very reliable and the future looks strong with her coming back for her senior year.” Four other Mustangs — senior third baseman Jillian Andersen, junior left-handed pitcher Chloe Wurst, freshman Courtney Tyler and senior catcher Mariah Cochiolo — were named to the All-Big West team as well. Andersen, placed third on the team in batting average (.318), while Cochiolo fol-
lowed up with a .310 average. Versatile freshman Courtney Tyler played a variety of positions and proved to be one of the Mustangs’ most productive bats. Tyler batted .292 on the year with 20 runs scored and 15 runs batted in. Wurst was also a member of the All-Big West pitching staff and ended the year with a 1.36 ERA during her last eight conference games. She completed the year with a 3.78 ERA overall. However, the seven honorees were not enough to earn the Mustangs the Big West title. Cal Poly finished the season one game behind Long Beach State in the conference standings, and one win away from a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The Mustangs lost one game against lastplace UC Riverside in the final series of the year, effectively eliminating them from the title hunt. “It was disappointing because we had so many seniors,” Hyland said. “We wanted to get them a ring, but didn’t.” Condon echoed the thoughts of her ace while reflecting on the season. “The team worked so hard all season long and to come up short was disappointing,” Condon said. “To come that close, it reiterates the fact that every game matters.” The disappointing outcome to the season is in the past and the team is looking to the future. They will use that disappointment as motivation, Hyland said. “We all know how it feels, and we don’t want it to happen again,” she said. “So we’re going to work twice as hard to make sure it doesn’t happen.”
SPORTS | 10
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Mustangs will host Arizona State, Pepperdine, Sac State
JULIAN DEL GAUDIO | MUSTANG NEWS
REVEALED | From front left to right: Freshman pitcher Nick Suniga, junior pitcher Bryan Granger and senior third baseman Jimmy Allen look on during the selection show at Charlie’s Place on Monday. Stephan Teodosescu @steodosescu Cal Poly knew on Sunday night that it had been selected to host an NCAA Regional for the first time in school history, so it wasn’t a surprise seeing the school’s name flash across ESPNU at the baseball team’s selection show viewing party at Charlie’s Place on Monday morning. However, seeing that Arizona State would join the Mustangs in San Luis Obispo alongside Pepperdine and Sacramento State was slightly unexpected. “I knew Sac State and Pepperdine would be in there, but I didn’t know if it would be San Diego State or a Pac-12 team.” head coach Larry Lee said.
Many projections had the Aztecs headed to San Luis Obispo, but the selection committee had other plans, sending San Diego State to Lafayette, La. instead. Top-seeded Cal Poly (4510) will take on No. 4 Sacramento State (39-22) in the second game of the doubleelimination tournament at 6 p.m. on Friday, while No. 2 Arizona State (33-22) faces No. 3 Pepperdine (39-16) in the opener at 1 p.m. The winners advance to a game on Saturday at 6 p.m., while the losers will play Saturday at 1 p.m. Sunday’s 1 p.m. game will feature the winner of Saturday’s afternoon game and the loser of the evening game. The winner of the Saturday evening game will advance to
a 6 p.m. game on Sunday and will face the winner of the game earlier in the day. The Mustangs were selected as one of 16 regional host sites Sunday after clinching the Big West Conference regular season championship and earning a school-record 45 wins this year. “At the beginning of the year, we were just trying to earn a playoff spot,” sophomore designated hitter Brian Mundell said. “It was our biggest priority to win the Big West and earn a playoff spot, but being able to host a regional and have that No. 1 seed in the regional is awesome for us.” The Mustangs did not, however, get picked as a national seed — a top-8 overall seed — which would have
guaranteed hosting a Super Regional if they advanced that far, something Lee attributed to the lack of attention teams on the West Coast receive. Only two teams west of Texas — Cal Poly and Oregon State — were selected as regional hosts. The winner of the San Luis Obispo Regional will take on the winner of the Fort Worth Regional hosted by TCU in the Super Regional round June 6-8 or June 7-9. The winners of that series will advance to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. “There’s no guarantee TCU will win its regional,” Lee said. “We have an opportunity to play at home, we have an opportunity to host a regional, and now the difficulty starts. Any of the four
teams in our regional have the capability of advancing." According to Lee, junior southpaw Matt Imhof, sophomore right-hander Casey Bloomquist and freshman righty Justin Calomeni will start on the mound for the Mustangs in the tournament’s first three games. Imhof was Cal Poly’s Friday night starter, while Bloomquist had a breakout season, winning 12 games as the Sunday starter this year. In the final series of the season against Cal State Northridge, Lee sent Imhof and Bloomquist out to the mound on back-to-back days for the first time all season. The Mustangs swept the series and clinched the conference title that weekend. Three other Big West Con-
ference teams will compete in postseason play alongside the Mustangs. UC Irvine was the last team picked by the selection committee, Cal State Fullerton used a strong finish to earn a bid and Long Beach State — the only team to defeat Cal Poly in a threegame series this year — will also compete in the tournament. Cal Poly would not face any of those teams until the College World Series. Individual game tickets for the San Luis Obispo Regional will go on sale Thursday, May 29 at 9 a.m. if available. Reserved seats are $20, general admission (adults) seats are $15 and general admission (Cal Poly students, youth 2-13 and seniors 60 and over) are $13. All-session tickets are on sale at GoPoly.com.