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Behind closed doors:
Abuse in college relationships
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JASON HUNG | MUSTANG NE WS RED FLAG | According to research from the University of Michigan Sexual Assault Prevention Center, one in five college students have experienced dating violence. Editor’s note: the woman pitcured is not the woman in the article.
Oriana Bardinelli Special to Mustang News
Editor’s note: Caitlyn is a pseudonym. For the protection of her privacy, her name has been changed.
HE’D WAIT UNTIL WE WERE ALONE OR HAD WALKED AWAY (FROM EVERYONE EL SE) AND START CALLING ME NAMES...
Caitlyn had just finished high school and was excited to spend the summer with her boyfriend of four years before they went to college together. Looking back, she never expected the violent turn their relationship was about to take. Caitlyn followed her boyfriend to Cal Poly without sec-
ond-guessing it. But soon after fall quarter began, Caitlyn’s boyfriend began drinking heavily. When she raised concern and became annoyed, he became violent. “He’d wait until we were alone or had walked away (from everyone else) and start calling me names,” she said. “A few times, he pushed me, and then once he just threw me up against the wall.” Dating violence is a pressing concern on college campuses. Students like Caitlyn are faced with the emotional and
physical stress of abuse as they struggle to maintain normal college priorities. According to research conducted by the University of Michigan Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center, one in five college students have experienced dating violence at the hands of their partner. It is important to note the stigma of reporting acts of dating violence often prevents many victims from reporting the incident.
A FEW TIMES HE PUSHED ME, AND THEN ONCE HE JUST THREW ME UP AGAINST THE WALL.
see ABUSE, pg 2.
A balancing act: Theatre and dance department to present ‘Spike Heels’
JOSEPH PACK | MUSTANG NE WS BARBIE WORLD | Sophomore catcher Brett Barbier went 4-for-11 in Cal Poly’s series vs. Cal State Northridge.
Baseball squanders series sweep with 6-4 loss to Cal State Northridge Harry Chang & Stephan Teodosescu @CPMustangSports
For the second Sunday in a row, the Cal Poly baseball team had the winning runs on base in the final frame but couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity to complete a series sweep. Down by two with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning, senior center fielder Jordan Ellis fouled out to the third baseman, giving the Mustangs a 6-4 loss to Cal State Northridge at Baggett Stadium. The same story played out last Sunday, as sophomore catcher Brett Barbier struck out with two men on and Cal Poly down by a run to Long Beach State in the bottom of the 10th inning.
“We had opportunities,” head coach Larry Lee said. “If you look at statistics of hitting with runners in scoring position, there are guys who are successful and guys who aren’t, and that’s a sign of a quality hitter, is guys who can produce with runners in scoring position. But there’s too many times where we have a chance to do some damage but don’t come through.” Despite winning the three-game set against the Matadors with victories on Friday and Saturday, the Mustangs dropped to 21-23 overall and 9-6 in the Big West standings. Cal State Northridge moved to 27-19 and 6-12 in conference.
see BASEBALL, pg 8.
IAN BILLINGS | COURTESY PHOTO SPOTLIGHT | Jacob Corsaro and Christina Garcia star in “Spike Heels,” which analyzes relationships.
Madi Salvati @MadiSalvati
Have you been feeling disconnected from those around you lately? Does the thought of putting effort into anything except rewatching all six seasons of “Lost” sound familiar? Do your roommates think you’ve gone missing because you’ve been holed up in the library studying for midterms? It sounds like it’s time for a connection intervention. Put down your laptop and step away
from Netflix. Free yourself from the 24-hour study lounge. After you’ve done so, check out the Cal Poly theatre and dance department’s latest production of “Spike Heels” by Theresa Rebeck. How would seeing a modern production of George Bernard Shaw’s “Pygmalion” help you get reconnected?
News... 1-3 | Arts... 4-5 | Opinion... 6 | Classifieds... 7 | Sports... 8
see SPIKE HEELS, pg 5.
Monday, May 4, 2015
NEWS | 2 ABUSE continued from pg 1. What abuse looks like today In 2011, Knowledge Networks conducted the “Love Is Not Abuse College Dating Violence and Abuse Poll” across universities nationwide. Survey responses classified college dating violence as “violent and abusive behaviors including physical, sexual, tech, verbal or controlling abuse.” Abuse today is no longer limited to physical altercations. Monitoring a partner’s cell phone and stalking social media are becoming new, discreet ways of control for abusers. For Caitlyn, abuse began when her boyfriend started to drink more frequently. After several months at college, he confessed he had been unfaithful multiple times while partying with friends. Moving past the incident, Caitlyn said, only made him more comfortable in their relationship. Mathews Elijah, the clinical director for the Women’s Shelter of San Luis Obispo, has spent more than 15 years working with victims of intimate partner violence. He notes that behavior such as cheating and lying can become methods of control in an abusive relationship. “Part of what happens in domestic violence relationships is there’s a sort of smoke screen,” he said. “(They) attempt to keep the victim off balance; to make them question their own sense of knowingness.” By manipulating their partner’s sense of certainty, abusers begin a cycle of emotional distress because victims start to believe they are to blame. The final blow A year and a half after arriving at Cal Poly, Caitlyn broke the cycle of abuse in her own life. As an argument escalated
between the couple, her boyfriend shoved her up against a nearby wall and punched her in the face. She wore makeup to hide the bruises for the next few days. After the incident, Caitlyn blocked him from contacting her via her phone and social media. She has not talked to him since that night. “It was my time to walk away,” she said. “The bad stuff goes out, and the good memories I will hopefully still have for the rest of my life.” Involving others According to the National Center for Victims of Crime, half of dating violence victims report the violence to someone else. Of these, 88 percent report the violence to a friend and 20 percent to criminal justice authorities. “A victim’s choice to report an incident depends on their level of comfortability,” San Luis Obispo Police Department Capt. Chris Staley said. Before being interviewed for this article, Caitlyn had only shared her story with her employer. When asked why she had not reported her abuse to the police or told her parents, she said, “I don’t want people to look at me and see that. It does not define me.” This sentiment is common among dating violence victims and reflects the struggle of emotions they are faced with post-abuse. Many choose not to report cases to the authorities due to feelings of shame or out of protection for their partner. Victims Witness, an office of the San Luis Obispo District Attorney’s office, represents victims of abuse in cases reported to authorities. “In a domestically violent dating relationship, you don’t want to believe this (violent) person is the person you care about, and they’re apologetic, so you want to believe them,’’
said Jennifer Cudworth, assistant director and a victim advocate for the the office. “But you forgive and then it usually just gets worse.” Victims Witness offers a variety of services for those affected by dating violence, including confidential resources for emotional health counseling. Society’s responsibility On Jan. 31, 2013, President Barack Obama proclaimed February 2013 to be National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month. In his proclamation speech, the president said it is society’s responsibility “to make dating violence an act that is never tolerated in our communities, among those we know or in our own lives.” Elijah thinks prevention of dating violence will only begin with a necessary culture shift. Until society begins to believe that women deserve equal treatment to men, he said, their objectification as inferior will allow for continued abuse. Though dating violence is not gender-specific, it affects mostly women. Girls aged 16-24 experience the highest rates of dating violence, according to data from The National Domestic Violence Hotline. For abusers, “violence is always a choice,” Elijah said. But it does not have to be the only choice a victim has. Moving on When Mendez followed her ex to Cal Poly, her own education plans were put on hold. Since leaving her ex, she has shifted her focus toward getting her own degree. This March, she found out her application to another university had been approved. “The other day I passed him on the freeway, and for a minute, I was sad,” she said. “But then I realized he’s not my problem anymore.”
“In a domestically violent dating relationship, you don’t want to believe this (violent) person is the person you care about, and they’re apologetic, so you want to believe them.” CHRIS STALEY, SLOPD CAPTAIN
“...make dating violence an act that is never tolerated in our communities, among those we know, or in our own lives.’’ PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA
“I don’t want
people to look at me and see that. It does not define me.” CAITLYN
Monday, May 4, 2015
NEWS | 3
Friday Club: Kinesiology students and Special Olympians compete together Rosie Guzman Special to Mustang News
Music bounces off the walls of the main basketball courts of Cal Poly’s recreational center. People are all over both courts, throwing beach balls into the air and across a net made out of water noodles. Some are aiming hacky sack bags through hula hoops and screams of joy fill the space as the participants hit their target. It was just another day in The Friday Club, a program completing its 15th year at the end of spring quarter. The program brings together kinesiology students and Special Olympians. This quarter, the program even involves a group of engineering students working to adapt laser tag for the athletes. The Friday Club is one of the three concepts created by Kevin Taylor, the kinesiology department chair. Taylor’s Activity4All programs bring physical activity to members of the San Luis Obispo community who have a disability. The Adapted Paddling Program teaches kayaking to those with a mobility impairment and the EyeCycle program brings tandem cycling to low to poor vision individuals. The Friday Club brings in athletes from the Special Olympics Day Programs in San Luis Obispo County. Special Olympics Southern California is a nonprofit organization that empowers individuals with intellectual disabilities to become physically fit and productive through sports training and competition. The Special Olympics Day Programs in San Luis Obispo County are managed by Michael
Lara, who has been involved with the program for 25 years. Once the Friday Club became a part of the kinesiology class, Adapted Physical Activity, Lara arranged for the athletes to come on campus where sports activities are provided to the local Special Olympians every Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Every week three students from the class design the entire program, from the activities to discussions. “Our Special Olympians adapt to all sports and activities, traditional and non-traditional, being offered each week by the presenting students,” Lara said. “There are also group discussions about healthy food choices, sun protection, stretching and similar topics.” The athletes who participate are split into three groups: elementary and high school, 18-23 year olds and those in wheelchairs. A lot of creativity goes into the activities. Students string together water noodles to create a volleyball net, use beach balls, hacky sacks and hula hoops to make a sport more than just throwing the ball into the hoop. Psychology junior Lindsey Hightower was in the class last spring quarter but still comes as a volunteer. Hightower has an interest in occupational therapy and so chose to work with The Friday Club and fell in love with it. “Everyone’s so welcoming. The class was really close so it was like a little family,” she said. “It was really fun.” One Friday, the bonds were obvious. One of the athletes responded to Hightower’s en-
couraging words with the subtlest of clues: a smile, a nod. But Hightower understood exactly what he was trying to say. “I think it’s easier to say that you work better with those who are high-functioning because they can talk to you and tell you about their days, but I really like working with the moderate-severe who are nonverbal,” Hightower said. “It’s fun to see little improvements in your relationship through non-verbal ways.” It is nerve-wracking in the beginning for many of the volunteers of The Friday Club, but after communicating with the athletes and creating a connection, there is no apprehension or fear. “(The Cal Poly students) are amazed and overwhelmed sometimes at the extraordinary ability of the athletes. Students that have never had the experience of working with special needs population become more comfortable and it’s awesome to see that,” Lara said. “It’s a winwin for both sides.” Cal Poly students are creating relationships with the people participating in these programs and the students are learning to break the social stigma that surrounds those who have a disability, Taylor said. Taylor has also collaborated with the engineering department. Both kinesiology and engineering students work together to design equipment that helps those with a disability. There have been approximately six to 10 projects created per year for the last eight years. One of the projects that started fall quarter is a laser tag project where the athletes from the The
ANDREW EPPERSON | MUSTANG NE WS LET THE GAMES BEGIN | Special Olympians participate in activities designed by Cal Poly volunteers.
Friday Club will play laser tag. “Basically, it brings laser tag to a new audience, people with a disability,” computer engineering senior Paul Fallon said. “We have built it so that it is easy to play with limited mobility.” Fallon is the project manager of the team, which includes engineers and two kinesiology students. The entire group went to visit The Friday Club and has based its project off the program. One of the kinesiology students, Julia Bozarth, saw how the laser tag project will encourage inclusivity for the Special Olympians. She has also seen how this project has transformed the members in the team. “It’s cool teaching the engineers on our team about people with disabilities,” she said. “How to be accepting of others and teaching others how to be accepting.”
The laser tag project is a set of vests the players will put on that are controlled by a tablet to set teams and the game type. It will include a headset that emits a laser from a mechanism over the ear. The trigger, instead of a gun, will be a piece that can be triggered by the user’s bite of a push button triggered by the user’s hand. Everything can be unplugged and changed depending on the user’s needs. Computer engineering senior Zachary Mintzer has gained a lot of experience from helping build the project and also learning about Friday Club. “People don’t always think a lot about how something like this isn’t necessarily available to everybody,” he said. “So to see that as a result of being part of this project is a great experience.” The team has worked on the laser tag project since the fall. Members spent 10 weeks plan-
ning and discussing how to go forward with the project before building it winter quarter. By this quarter, they have high hopes the project will be given to the athletes of The Friday Club for use. None of the projects nor the programs could have been started without Taylor. Lara said he is grateful to Taylor because of the impact The Friday Club has had on both the students and the Special Olympians. The Activity4All programs are pushing Cal Poly students to think outside the box while also helping those with a disability in the San Luis Obispo community. “The athletes have changed the perspectives of the students, and the students are changing lives through sports,” Lara said. “Students become better individuals when they enter their field and have better knowledge of the special needs population.”
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Monday, May 4, 2015
ARTS | 4
Inside the crust: A look at SloCo Pasty Co.
PHOTOS BY GEORGIE DE MATTOS | MUSTANG NE WS MORE THAN JUST A PASTRY | SloCo Pasty Co. is aiming to break the stereotype that British food is bland with its signature cuisine, which includes a meat or vegetable filling in a warm, home-baked crust.
Annie Vainshtein @AnnieVain
Gwynne and Kurt Stump fell in love with pasties. The sentiment was all it took for the couple to open SloCo Pasty Co. in 2010. The restaurant is known for its authentic British staple, the often misunderstood pasty. The cuisine’s biggest misfortune: It’s a pasty, not a pastry. A pasty is a British baked pastry with a meat or vegetable-based filling. The filling is prepared at night and cooked with freshly baked dough in the morning. In simpler terms, a pasty can be compared to an English calzone. According to SloCo Pasty Co. general manager Maureen Jensen — fondly referred to by customers as “Momma Mo” — the pasty-versus-pastry debacle has created a whole crop of issues. “A lot of people don’t have a clue what a pasty is,” Jensen said.
“Your mind automatically wants to put an ‘r’ in there.” But the “r” would detract from the business Gwynne and Kurt have spent years producing. Both being scientific professionals — Kurt in radiation treatment, Gwynne in biology — pasty-making was always a pipe dream. “It was one of those things you always kicked around the back of your head but never thought you’d actually commit to,” Stump said. But they did. The couple took the project head-on, doing the majority of the finishing work before the restaurant opened. Kurt designed and built the bar and all the tables. He created and installed the beer system. He somehow had time to start and maintain the website, too. But the birth of now-2-yearold Kagen and 4-month-old Kyla slowly but surely made managing a restaurant too difficult to do by themselves.
So about two years ago, the couple hired on more cooks and took a step back. Gwynne was born to be busy — she’s of the rare kind for whom efficiency and multitasking can peacefully coexist. Between nurturing coos to Kyla, she explained the roadblocks SloCo Pasty Co. has faced over the past few years and the efforts taken to hurdle them. In a town full of college students, businesses rapidly adjust to serve their main market. This means turnover rates are high. “Probably one of the hardest things is being in the downtown area,” Stump said. “There are much more restaurants than are needed.” Stump said the restaurant’s traction isn’t as high as it could be. She’s noticed a certain homogeny that governs college students’ decisions on where to eat. They tend to gravitate toward food that’s cheap and simple. This hasn’t helped the pasties
much, since their process is more time-consuming and complex in nature. “We’re always looking for ways to try to market and get more students,” she said. “Sometimes we luck out, sometimes we don’t.” But the restaurant has a novel edge to it. It’s not a chain. It’s not a franchise. In its beginnings, the Stumps pondered SloCo Pasty Co.’s possible expansion, but once diapers and cribs came into the picture, the idea didn’t pan out. After a while, Stump had difficulty remaining an active presence in the restaurant. “For the first two years, I was here all day every day — seven days a week, 12- to 14-hour days consistently,” Stump said. “But with two kids under two, basically I get to work on restaurant stuff when they’re down for naps.” Despite its internal shifts, the restaurant has stayed true to its roots. Jenson said the pasties do exceptionally well at the annual Renaissance Festival, which is
held every summer at Laguna Lake Park. The restaurant provides upwards of 1,500 pasties for the festival, sometimes beginning preparation months in advance. The restaurant also struggles to get people past the stigma and prejudice of British food, Jenson said. “People might think British food is bland, but they have a lot of different spices and flavors in their food,” Jenson said. “We have good beers, and a great staff — it’s just hard to get our name out there.” Jenson hopes in the years to come, SloCo Pasty Co. will make a name for itself. The restaurant has begun approaching this goal by catering fraternities and fundraisers at Cal Poly. “I hope that we can become bigger in the community and start to branch out more,” she said. It also hosts weekly Irishstyle musical performances on Wednesdays. But existing in its little niche
hasn’t been so bad for SloCo Pasty Co., either. For Jenson, the intimacy of the restaurant has brewed a kind customer culture and a caring work environment. “I’ve met some really amazing people from being here, and I’ve enjoyed hearing their tales,” Jenson said. “To hear their stories of how they met their husband or movie stars or their travels around Europe — I can’t get enough of it.” Bartender and server Cody O’Briant has been with the restaurant from day one. He found SloCo Pasty Co. while perusing pub-style restaurants on Craigslist. “It’s been a learning experience,” he said. “A lot of things have evolved and changed but the food has always been good.” His favorite part is probably the free pasties, he said. It’s been approximately five years now, and O’Briant still takes one home every shift. He hasn’t gotten sick of them yet.
Alvaro González Architectural Engineering Freshman
“I read to see what’s going on around campus.”
Monday, May 4, 2015
ARTS | 5
JOSEPH PACK | MUSTANG NE WS ACTION DONE RIGHT | The 11th installment in Marvel’s comic-based series exceeded audience expectations.
‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ delivers for hopeful fans David Llamas @CPMustangArts
“Avengers: Age of Ultron” — not to be confused with the similarly titled but totally unrelated “Age of Adaline”— is the 11th movie in Marvel Studio’s ever-growing constellation of interconnected movies. Worried by threats terrestrial and extraterrestrial, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) begin work on the Ultron program, an artificial intelligence that will act as “a suit of armor around the world.” While Stark and Banner have every hope that Ultron will help stop their fellow Avengers from risking their lives in defense of the earth, things don’t go as planned. Their artificial intelligence becomes an overzealous peacekeeper “murder-bot” voiced by James Spader, and cleverly scripted chaos ensues. “Age of Ultron” possesses some of the same self-awareness that made “Guardians of the Galaxy” so enjoyable last summer. Indeed, writer-director Joss Whedon’s signature wit is on display at all times. But the movie doesn’t spend its
141-minute runtime just poking fun at the well-established conventions of the comic book movie genre. Rather, it has important questions to ask about the morality of its heroes’ actions. Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) insinuates that Stark “can’t tell the difference between saving the world and destroying it.” By raising these questions, Whedon and his Avengers avoid the disturbing trend of gratuitous destruction which has become commonplace in recent blockbusters. While the spectacle is still there, city-wide devastation is far less exploitative than other recent superhero-themed blockbusters. (“Man of Steel,” I’m looking at you.) During a particularly destructive — and enjoyable — battle between Iron Man and an unsettled Hulk, Iron Man scans a skyscraper to make sure it’s vacant before crashing into it with the Hulk. Amidst all the action, the Avengers work to protect civilian life while still delivering really cool explosions. A joke from a recent episode of “Community” sums up fans’ fears regarding studio interference: “I hear Marvel got really hands-on
this time. Really penned in Joss Whedon creatively, so how could that go wrong?” Funny as this may be, “Age of Ultron” doesn’t bend under studio pressure, but under simple time limitations. Examples include Thor’s (Chris Hemsworth) near-absence during the movie’s second act. The scenes he does appear in feel obviously truncated, and we are left with seconds-long snippets of his side adventure that are so brief that they may as well have been excluded. And though everyone delivers what is required of them, the cast is spread thin in the movie’s finale, with the likes of the Hulk virtually missing during the third act. Always adept at working with ensemble casts, Whedon does his best not to let any of his characters fall through the cracks of the movie’s crowded running time. After being neglected in the previous movie, Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye gets a chance to shine and compete with Robert Downey Jr. for the best one-liners. Andy Serkis made a brief appearance as arms dealer Ulysses Klaue, but regrettably doesn’t share any scenes with Mark Ruffalo — denying us the joy
of seeing the “13 Going on 30” costars reunited onscreen. Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen join the cast as twins Pietro and Wanda Maximoff. And even if their generic Eastern European accents may be unconvincing — and comically inconsistent — Taylor-Johnson manages to exude arrogance without speaking while Olsen is plausibly unhinged. “He’s fast and she’s weird,” Cobie Smulder’s Maria Hill says of the twins. James Spader’s turn as Ultron is also memorable. As he advances from one form to the next, the evil artificial intelligence says, “what doesn’t kill me just makes me stronger,” quoting Nietzsche ... or was it Kanye West who said that? As an invention of Stark’s, Ultron possesses his creator’s same humor. Though he’s hell-bent on tearing the Avengers apart “from the inside” — as the trailers promise — Ultron winds up mugging for the camera and cracking wise as much as Robert Downey Jr. Moviegoers hoping for a more meditative look at artificial intelligence may prefer Alex Garland’s “Ex Machina.” But for those already inclined toward Marvel and Whedon’s blend of wit, action and dysfunctional group dynamics, “Age of Ultron” will likely satisfy on all fronts. Back in 2012, I saw the first Avengers movie seven times in theaters. (I’m still not sure how I found the will or money to do this). And even though it’s only been in theaters a few days, I’ve already managed to see “Age of Ultron” twice. Perhaps I am drawn to these gimmicky teamup movies because — despite their potential for disaster — the talent in front of and behind the camera have put such heart into the finished product. With 11 more movies in development for release by 2020, “Age of Ultron” is now a sort of midpoint in this “Marvel Cinematic Universe.” Let’s hope the novelty doesn’t wear off.
SPIKE HEELS continued from pg 1. “Spike Heels” is about relationships, according to Spike Heels director and assistant professor Heidi Nees. “There are four individuals trying to navigate and negotiate their relationships with each other,” Nees said. This is easier said than done. In fact, it’s a balancing act. “I really think that each of these characters is on a journey to find balance within
themselves as well as with their relationships with one another,” Nees said. Spike Heels is an adaptation to Shaw’s “Pygmalion,” but most audiences might know it from the other adaptation, “My Fair Lady.” It will be showing at 8 p.m. on May 7-9 and May 14-16 in Alex and Faye Spanos Theatre. Tickets can be purchased online at PolyTix or at the box office of the Performing Arts Center. Tickets for students, faculty, staff and seniors are $12 and general admission is $20.
IAN BILLINGS | COURTESY PHOTO BREAK A LEG | The theatre and dance department will open its production of “Spike Heels” on May 8, offering a student discount on tickets.
Monday, May 4, 2015
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Who runs the GOP in 2016? Eric Stubben is a mechanical engineering junior and Mustang News conservative columnist. These views do not necessarily reflect the opinion or editorial coverage of Mustang News.
Last year, I made a promise to myself that I would not discuss the 2016 presidential election until the midterm elections were over. This year, I promised to stay away from 2016 until 2015 had come and gone. Now I’m going to break that promise. Please forgive me. With political attention shifting toward the next presidential election, I couldn’t wait any longer. Candidacy announcements from Republicans Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, among others, got the ball rolling. Then Hillary Clinton announced and blew the doors wide open. In the spirit of being a conservative pundit, I’ll do what all the others do. I’ll discuss my thoughts on the Republican candidates likely vying for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.
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“Toes play sports too.”
Jeb Bush What kind of political writer would I be if I didn’t start with the obvious? The former two-term governor of Florida has been groomed his whole life for this one election. Though he hasn’t technically considered running for president, he did announce he is “actively explor(ing) running for president of the United States.” Along with creating his “Right To Rise” political action committee (PAC), Bush makes it painfully obvious he intends to run for president. There’s no doubt Jeb has what it takes to win. He’s a genuinely likable guy who often draws on his Spanish speaking ability and Latino background (his wife is Mexican-American) to attract minority voters. Though often considered politically moderate due to his stances on immigration and education, Bush is fiscally conservative and will likely try to explicitly display his conservative side during his campaign. Marco Rubio Bush’s protege is one of the more intriguing candidates in the field. After seeing his once seemingly untouchable rise to the top of the Republican Party derailed by a gaffe during his rebuttal to the
2013 State of the Union address, Rubio has struggled to regain momentum. The young Cuban-American often plays off of his family’s “rags to riches” story and will likely find a way to pull quite a few minority votes his way. Though Rubio is a strong conservative option to Bush, 2016 seems like more of a practice run. He’ll likely restrain from attacking his close friend and mentor and will struggle to rise to the top of the field. That being said, look for Rubio to be a strong candidate in future GOP presidential primaries.
Ted Cruz Just kidding. Though Ted Cruz does have a strong grassroots-type support system, his base is limited. Out of touch with many Americans outside of Texas and a poor compromiser, Cruz is more of a pest than a candidate. He’ll do a fair share of debating — he’s good at that — but nonetheless, once Republicans hear Cruz’s weaselly voice scream through their TVs as he denounces Obamacare in a pouty demeanor for the millionth time, it’ll be enough to make anybody’s ears bleed. To make a long story short, Cruz enviably embraces strong conservative values, but his brash and out-of-touch personality put him far out of the race for the White House. Chris Christie I’ll keep it short: Chris Christie lost his window of opportunity. If Christie does decide to run, he’ll have to gain back much of the momentum he lost during the not-so-scandalous bridge scandal of 2013. Though Christie was found to be innocent in connection with the bridge scandal, the media’s damage was already done. Riding a high tide of momentum in 2012, Christie aced his political tests in the forms of effective Hurricane Sandy relief and a flawless speech at the 2012 Republican National Committee (RNC) Convention. Now it seems as if Christie would be lucky to even be mentioned at the top of any candidacy lists. Rand Paul The classic Tea Party candidate could
the right angle be a significant dark horse in the 2016 candidacy. Like Cruz, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul is extremely fiscally conservative and has gained most of his popularity via grassroots movements. Unlike Cruz, Paul has a more “dove-type” foreign policy, along with a friendly demeanor that could put him atop the board for Tea Party candidates. I envision Paul making a “Herman Cain-esque” run toward the top the party, if only for a while. Look for Paul to seriously throw GOP “establishment” politicians for a loop. Scott Walker The most viable candidate to derail Bush’s red carpet to the White House comes in the form of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. A significantly more conservative candidate, Walker creates a bridge between “establishment” party members and further right Tea Partiers. His conservative morals have gotten him into a jam before, causing him to endure a recall election in 2012. Through the process, Walker’s crushing defeat of the recall election made him a golden boy among Republicans. Walker’s fiscally conservative attitude coupled with his staunch conservative
morals make him an attractive candidate in 2016 if he does decide to run. Prediction By no means am I a political professional or a prodigal visionary, but elections have no entertainment value without predictions and discussion. My amateur but shockingly educated 2016 GOP nomination prediction is as follows: Bush, of course, starts out as the early favorite once he announces his campaign later this year. Similar to 2012, lesser-profile candidates such as Paul, Christie and some others — including Ben Carson or Mike Huckabee — make countless runs at Bush to no avail. Finally, the RNC showdown comes down to Bush vs. Walker. As much as Americans don’t want to see another Bush-Clinton matchup or money or dynasties running the political system, all will come to fruition. Bush’s PAC raises money at a record-breaking pace, and for a contender like Walker, that’s hard to compete with. I predict Bush will walk out of the 2016 RNC with his head held high, ready to fight the most difficult political battle of his life. After all, his whole life has led up to this one election.
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SPORTS | 8
Monday, May 4, 2015
BASEBALL continued from pg 1. Sophomore pitcher Slater Lee (1-1) earned the loss after giving up five runs on five hits, including two home runs to the Matadors’ Albee Weiss, in 3 1/3 innings. “We don’t have enough starting pitching,” Larry Lee said. “Simple as that. It’s hard for us to put together 27 innings of quality pitching. We’re fully loaded out of the bullpen. We just need three or four innings of one-run ball to start.” The Matadors jumped on Slater Lee early when Weiss hit a three-run home run in the top of the second inning. From there, Cal State Northridge tacked on runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings before Cal Poly brought it within two in a four-run seventh inning. But the Mustangs left the bases loaded in the ninth to end their hopes of a series sweep. Cal Poly was paced by senior left fielder Zack Zehner’s three hits, including a three-run homer to left center. Junior second baseman Mark Mathias also had three hits on the day, while sophomore shortstop Peter Van Gansen collected an RBI. “It was a must-win today in our eyes,” Zehner said. “I’m glad I was able to come up in a situation where I could put some runs on the board.” On Saturday, Barbier knocked in four runs, while freshman southpaw Kyle Smith went eight innings and allowed one run in Cal Poly’s 7-1 series-clinching victory. Barbier, who has 19 RBI in his last 12 games, smacked a three-run triple in the first inning and knocked in another in the seventh. He had seven RBI through the first 25 games of the season before his hot streak. Mathias also collected two hits in that contest and extended his hitting streak to 13 games. Smith allowed six hits and struck out six for his fifth win of the season on the mound. Cal Poly will welcome San Jose State for a midweek home game on Tuesday before heading south to play conference-leading UC Irvine (28-16, 11-4) on the road. “We have to win every game on the weekend,” senior reliever Taylor Chris, who went 5 2/3 innings out of the bullpen in relief of Slater Lee on Sunday, said. “We don’t have a choice.”
JOSEPH PACK | MUSTANG NE WS CRUNCH TIME | The Cal Poly baseball team is currently fourth in the Big West Conference standings, two games behind the three-way tie for first place between UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara and Cal State Fullerton.