03-26-2012

N I R G P S BACK TO SCHOOL

Monday, March 26, 2012

Volume LXXVI, Number 92

MDnews 2

Monday, March 26, 2012

ASI elections to be largest in history VICTORIA BILLINGS

victoriabillings.md@gmail.com

Every April, just when San Luis Obispo is beginning to bloom, the campus is blanketed with sandwich boards, posters and stakes as students vie for a position in student government.

This year, 100 students are running for positions representing their respective colleges on Associated Students, Inc.’s (ASI) Board of Directors. Only one student, ASI executive cabinet member Katie Morrow, is running for president, though.

ASI has never had so many students running for student government.

This year, current ASI president Kiyana Tabrizi said she thinks even more students will vote than in last year’s California State University (CSU) record-breaking ASI election.

“I’m expecting a huge turnout because of the number of board candidates that we have this year,” Tabrizi said.

What Voters Can Expect All ASI candidates attended a mandatory meeting regarding campaign strategy guidelines on March 6, where current ASI board members went over campaigning rules.

Candidates will begin the active part of their campaigns on April 15.

Before then, candidates are not allowed to post f lyers, posters or campaign events online. Election fever will kick off with an open forum on April 17 and a presidential debate on April 19.

Voting opens on the Cal Poly portal at 7 a.m. on April 25

and closes 7 a.m. on April 26.

Last year, 37 percent of the student body voted in ASI elections, the highest of all CSUs. Cal Poly students’ activity ensures they get a say in how the school is run, Student Life and Leadership director Stephan Lamb said.

“That demonstrates a high degree of engagement regarding student government and speaks very highly of the caliber of ASI,” Lamb said.

How To Run as a Write-In Students who still want to run in the elections, although the deadline to apply passed on March 2, can always apply as a write-in candidate.

Write-ins must pick up a packet from the ASI business office and turn that packet in 24 hours before polls close.

Write-in candidates have a shot at getting elected, but it’s tough, Christopher Li, an ASI board member and biological sciences senior said.

Li ran as a write-in candidate his first year and won.

“Your name’s not there to click,” Li said. “It’s a lot more work because you have to push your name even more.”

Li recommended that write-in candidates campaign on Facebook, talk to on-campus groups and send out emails.

The key is to get voters to remember a write-in’s name, Li said.

“You have to do that much more,” Li said. “But it’s not impossible.”

What Board Members Can Expect

VICTORIA BILLINGS/MUSTANG DAILY

“I’m expecting a huge turnout because of the number of board candidates that we have this year,” Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) president Kiyana Tabrizi said of the upcoming ASI elections.

Students elected to ASI are going to face some new challenges next year in addition to traditional budget and ASI activity problems, ASI executive director Rick

Johnson said in his address at the candidates’ meeting.

First, Johnson wanted candidates to play fair, and keep in mind that they’re representing Cal Poly.

“ASI at Cal Poly is the best in the state, probably the best in the country, so we don’t want you to be knuckleheads,” Johnson said at the meeting.

Elected officials may also

be weighing in on how the Student Success Fee is spent, if CSU chancellor Charles Reed approves the new fee.

ASI board member and chair of the recruitment and development committee Brianna Mulligan said the number of people running for office will ensure that students’ voices are heard next year if the Student Success Fee is approved.

ASI saw students were wary of the administration and Board of Directors during last month’s vote, Mulligan said, but they’re working to reach out to students, and the number of people running for Board of Directors is helping.

“We’re really trying to bridge that gap between the Board and the students,” Mulligan said.

MDnews 3

Monday, March 26, 2012

Middle class scholarships to help decrease CA tuition

WORD ON THE STREET

SEAN MCMINN

What are your summer plans?

“Work. I have an internship this summer.â€? • Glen Alameda business administration sophomore

“Working.â€? • Jeremy Mahrt bioresource agricultural engineering sophomore

“I might be going to Africa for an internship.â€? • Lily Meryash political science sophomore

seanmcminn.md@gmail.com

California State Assembly speaker John Perez introduced legislation which would cut the rising price of attending public college in California by thousands of dollars per year, but not all are convinced it will pass and become law.

The Middle Class Scholarship Act would decrease the cost of California State University (CSU) tuition approximately $4,000 per year for families whom Perez said are too wealthy to receive financial aid, but still cannot afford to pay for college.

The CSU system expects the scholarship to have a significant effect on students, estimating 80 percent of students could be affected. CSU spokesperson Liz Chapin said though she cannot speculate on whether the legislation will pass, she said the university system recognizes it has the potential to have a very positive impact on students. “(Perez’s) proposal will reduce the burden on the vast majority of students in the CSU, and that is a very good thing,� she said.

Though Cal Poly students pay more fees than other students in the CSU, the legislation would only reduce fees on the base CSU tuition rate, which is approximately $5,400 per year for undergraduate students.

If passed, only those students with family incomes of less than $150,000 would be eligible for the grant. Students that already have tuition paid for in financial aid would not receive the Middle Class Scholarship.

Civil engineering senior Gabriel Burnworth, who is paying for Cal Poly with student loans, said he does not even know how much he will owe when he graduates.

He said if tuition were reduced by $4,000 annually it would, however, be much easier for him to pay off the loans. “It’s obviously going to help,� Burnworth said. “I think that’s definitely good because right now, the state is helping us out with less than 50 percent of tuition. So tech-

STOCK PHOTO

“It’s obviously going to help,� civil engineering senior Gabriel Burnworth said. “I think that’s definitely good because right now, the state is helping us out with less than 50 percent of tuition. So technically, we’re a private university now.� nically, we’re a private university now.�

The Middle Class Scholarship Act would use $1 billion to fund this scholarship from closing a tax loophole that benefits out-of-state corporations.

The loophole comes from allowing companies who distribute products but not operate in California to choose between two tax codes.

By allowing corporations outside of California to choose the lesser of the two tax formulas, companies in California are put at a disadvantage.

Cal Poly economics professor Mike Marlow said though the change in tax code would primarily affect businesses out of California, it would still have an impact on the Californian economy.

He said in a situation such as this, there are always winners and losers and consumers will inevitably end up feeling the heavier tax burden on companies. “The losers would be the owners of corporations and their consumers and their workers,� Marlow said. “All I know is there’s no free lunch.�

California Gov. Jerry Brown tried to change this same tax code in 2011 as part of an effort to jumpstart job growth in the state, but Brown was met with opposition from Republicans in the state legislature.

Republican assemblyman Katcho Achadjian, San Luis Obispo’s representative in the state assembly, expressed his opposition to the Middle Class Scholarship Act in a written statement Wednesday. “Rather than raising taxes on the companies that cre-

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ate the jobs needed to employ students upon graduation, the Legislature should prioritize higher education funding and seek ways to increase revenue by incentivizing companies to do business in California,� Achadjian wrote.

The legislation comes in two separate assembly bills: AB 1500, which will change the tax code and create a fund for the scholarship, and AB 1501, which will create the Middle Class Scholarship program.

Perez launched a website dedicated to the Middle Class Scholarship Act, which encourages students to share their stories about paying for public education in the state of California.

According to the website, a family with one student at a CSU would save $16,000 over four years.

A University of California student would see tuition reduced by approximately $8,100 each year, translating to more than $32,000 over four years.

This article was originally published Monday, February 27, 2012.

MDnews 4

Monday, March 26, 2012

Kennedy Library app-ears on smartphones LACEY O’CONNOR

Special to Mustang Daily

Robert E. Kennedy Library’s hours, contact information, staff chat, catalogs, search engines and computer availability maps are just a finger tap away.

The “Kennedy Library� mobile website was added to the Cal Poly app more than a month ago and has been available since Summer 2011, although many students don’t know about it.

Analyst and programmer Carl Hunt played a key role

in designing and implementing the mobile-enabled library website. “We looked at certain parts of our site and identified what parts we could fairly easily make mobile-enabled,�

Hunt said.

As a Web programmer student assistant and computer science sophomore, Glen Beebe worked most closely with creating the computeravailability maps. “I think it is a very useful app now that it’s out there, and people can use it on their phones or computers wher-

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ever they’re at,� Beebe said.

The computer availability feature works by connecting to software that keeps track of when people are logged into a computer and where that computer is located, Beebe said. The feature updates every minute and the computers’ locations are shown in a floor plan layout.

Library Information Technology director Dale Kohler said he has seen the desire for more mobile services.

Students want to be able to access services from laptops, iPads and smartphones,

Kohler said. The staff decided what services were appropriate to be delivered in a mobile format and started to implement them.

The Cal Poly app can be downloaded from the app store, and the “Kennedy Library� app is accessed through it. The library mobile website can also be found by visiting the library website on a mobile device, Kohler said. If someone wants to access the nonmobile version of the website on their phone, there is an option to use the original website.

These mobile options are in response to students’ requests to have more services in a mobile format, Kohler said. “Part of the feedback that the campus has gotten is that it doesn’t have to be perfect,� Kohler said. “Don’t wait until it’s perfect to roll it out, just roll something out and you can work on refining it over time.�

Now that the mobile webSCREENSHOT BY ANDREW ROSS/MUSTANG DAILY site has been implemented The Cal Poly app allows students access to library inforand connected to the Cal Poly app, the university’s mation, such as computer availability on each floor. public affairs department will make sure that the two the library’s website look like uniform, so if you branch off have a cohesive look and feel, the Cal Poly app. to campus dining or you go to Kohler said. “We want to make sure that the library, it looks like you’re The library staff is turn- our app looks like it really be- in the same place,� Kohler said.

The library mobile friendly ing its efforts to the design longs within the Cal Poly brand,� and will continue to do so to Figueroa said. “So we want to website was added as an icon achieve a visually consistent make sure that our look and feel on the Cal Poly smart phone app, library staff said. is completely in-sync with the application in January 2012.

Kohler and a team of library “There’s a campus-wide effort Cal Poly mobile website.� to get a unified design going Kohler agreed with staff are working on fine tunso it all looks seamless to stu- Figueroa’s sentiment about ing the overall look of the dents, and so no matter where making the library portion of mobile website, he said. “We want to go back and you go in that app, it feels like the app more cohesive.

Cal Poly,� Kohler said. “The other thing that the look at the interface again Marya Figueroa, the infor- campus is really focusing on and make it nicer,� Kohler mation technology consultant now that they have an app said. “So we want to improve in the library, works to make is trying to make everything on how it looks.�

MDnews 5

Monday, March 26, 2012

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MDnews 7

Monday, March 26, 2012

New awareness for veterans on campus KYLE LOOMIS

kyleloomis.md@gmail.com

Cal Poly psychology junior Aaron De Sal wandered around campus during last spring’s open house, searching for something that did not exist. He had just finished his community college career, and Cal Poly seemed like the ideal school, except for the one thing it lacked: people like him.

“I wanted to get in touch with other people who have some of the same experiences,” De Sal said.

Unlike most students, six years prior to community college, he finished serving his country.

Cal Poly Office of the Registrar assistant registrar Brad Fely said the 100 or so veterans in a total student population of 20,000 at Cal Poly is the lowest proportion out of all California State Universities (CSU). Without a club where veterans can gather, their presence on campus can seem almost unnoticeable. Fely said Cal Poly is becoming more aware of student veterans, but without an organized voice, it’s hard to tell what the veteran population as a whole needs.

“One of the things we lack in regards to veterans is knowing what they want,

it’s been tough to guess what kind of services to offer,” Fely said. “If (the veterans) get together, they can tell us and it has a little more force.”

The Office of the Registrar works with veterans to help determine what kind of student benefits they are eligible for, depending on when they served and for how long. Under the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, veteran benefits include four academic years of tuition and fees, plus stipends for books and further assistance with other living costs, such as rent and utility bills.

Luckily for De Sal, he met business administration junior and fellow veteran Ryan Duschak. They said they recognized that veterans need an easier way to access the resources needed for their education as well as a social circle for people like them. The answer was simple: start a veterans club.

Duschak said he hopes creating the club will ease the transition from a veteran lifestyle to that of a civilian and student. Both he and De Sal said they are excited that the club already has 15 members.

“We want to serve as liaisons between veterans and the school to get assistance, and to foster camaraderie,” Duschak said.

Through organization, the

student-veterans can channel their needs to the school and the local community.

The change from service into civilian life can sometimes be overwhelming, and this new career without structure can leave veterans confused, Fely said.

“It’s like shell-shock,” De Sal and Duschak said in agreement with Fely.

Cal Poly’s small veteran population is largely due to the absence of a large-scale military base in the area, compared to bigger cities such as Los Angeles or San Diego, Fely said.

However, Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong is optimistic the recent increase in student diversity will continue, and said he hopes the veteran population will be a part of this.

Some methods administration is looking into are making funds available for out-of-state veterans and learning about different military bases through the CSU system.

“We’re looking at that from a lot of different directions,” Armstrong said.

The creation of the Student Veterans Support Group is one method designed to reach out to veterans.

The committee is convened and chaired by David Conn, the chair of the Inclusive Excellence Council. Conn ad-

vises Armstrong on diversity issues, and said he knows diversity is a term that has a broader reach than just ethnicity and sexual orientation. In addition to the committee’s formation, Conn wants to use online surveys and a new website with links to internal and external information resources so there is no confusion for new veteran students.

“The biggest challenge for Cal Poly student veterans is their small numbers,” Conn

said. “It’s really important for them to know who to go to for help.”

Conn and Fely are excited to see veterans take a more active role in creating a welcoming environment for their peers. For them, the veterans club is nothing but a positive.

“It’s something I’ve wanted to see for a while,” Fely said.

This article was originally published on January 30.

MDnews9

Monday, March 26, 2012

LED LunaLight brightens Kenyan lifestyles ASHLEY DEVRIEND

Special to Mustang Daily

Five Cal Poly engineering students are finding a way to bring light to rural Kenya, turning hours of darkness into hours of opportunity.

Families in Kenya currently use kerosene lanterns as their source of light. The engineering senior project used this information to create an LED, solar-powered LunaLight that is a less expensive and safe alternative to kerosene, project adviser and professor Richard Savage said.

“This project is all about students here at Cal Poly recognizing there is a need out there in the world that we as engineers can serve,” Savage said.

Materials engineering senior Mike Deagen leads the senior project. He joined forces with four other en-

gineers to create the LunaLight after he took an internship last summer with the non-profit One Million Lights. One Million Lights is an organization which provides clean, healthy lighting by distributing solar lights around the world and replacing kerosene lamps, according to its website.

It is about developing a light source that optmizes users’ needs, Savage said.

“The LunaLight provides a better environment for children who often have to work all day in these communities.”

Savage said. “The kids don’t have time to do their schoolwork except at nighttime.”

Kerosene is expensive and toxic to both people as well as the environment, Savage said.

Kerosene is also known to cause accidental fires as well as cancer and birth defects.

Deagen learned how to

create circuit boards during his internship, so he was in charge of the project’s electronics portions.

Deagen had to test two circuits until they were working properly: One circuit is for a current on the LED while the other circuit is used to recharge the battery, he said.

Materials engineering senior, Brian Mircheff, researched the batteries to be used in the LunaLight. This required him to take optimal battery size into account.

Mircheff chose nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries because they are a standard rechargeable battery, he said.

NiMH batteries can be found at a department or electronics store such as RadioShack.

NiMH batteries aren’t as expensive as lithium ion batteries, which are typically used for laptop computers or digital cameras.

The NiMH batteries are also a more environmentally friendly choice compared to Nickel Cadmium batteries (NiCd), which are sometimes used for power tools. And these LunaLight’s batteries should last five years before needing to be replaced.

Mechanical engineering senior Ryan Ramelb was responsible for designing the LunaLight. At 2 pounds, the prototype is approximately 6-by-6 inches wide and 3 inches tall, with an attached 6-by-6-by-1 inch solar panel.

Ramelb made the LunaLight compact with a handle on top, allowing the light to be easily transported. The group created molds of the LunaLight case so that they can make more LunaLights in the future.

Biomedical engineering senior Francisco Dye created the diffuser, a plastic screen

COURTESY PHOTO

A volunteer helping load LinaLights into a van to send to schools in need in developing countries. “This project is all about students here at Cal Poly recognizing there is a need out there in the world that we as engineers can serve,” Savage said.

on the LED light. The screen is necessary to prevent dust from getting into the light. It helps disperse the light so it is not just a concentrated beam.

“It’s an awesome feeling of giving back and opening the door for possibilities for people who didn’t necessarily know what was missing or what was possible,” Dye said.

“That’s why I joined the project. It’s this idea that I am giving back to something bigger.”

Dye worked with materials engineering senior Sean Dawson to test the device, which must be bright enough for families to only use one LunaLight each.

The team measured the luminance of the light by using a light meter until it reached the most effective brightness. The LunaLight shines at approximately 400 lumens, whereas kerosene gives off less than a quarter

of that. A 40-watt bulb that is used in most households is 450 lumens. The LunaLight lasts six-and-a-half hours on maximum brightness.

Five engineering students still weren’t quite enough.

Business administration senior Sarah Lam and graphic communication senior Joyce Yoo volunteered their time to the project as well. Lam and Yoo designed posters and flyers and created the logo.

The LunaLight costs $100 ($75 plus the additional $25 for One Million Lights to send the light to Kenya).

The cost will decrease as more are produced. The LED light was the best choice for the LunaLight because they are bright and environmentally-friendly. Plus, LEDs are becoming more prevalent in society today.

“LEDs are the future of general lighting,” Deagen said.

MDarts 10

Monday, March 26, 2012

Spring quarter brings sweet snacks

Heather Rockwood is a food science senior and Mustang Daily food columnist.

Asparagus are fiber-rich spears that add elegance to any dish. The spears come from a crown that is not harvested for three years to ensure a Spring is finally upon us and fully-developed it is time for that root system. Afyearly tradition Toss the stale bread to the ter harvest, the of spring cleancrown will coning, but this birds, and get ready for tinue to produce year isn’t just for nearly fifteen about cleaning fresh new foods to fill this years without reout closets and planting. washing floors. spring quarter.

Like many It is time to also other vegetables, do some spring asparagus makes cleaning of our its claim to fame cabinets and by being extremely low in ing the light and delicious flafridges. Get rid of that moldy calories while still providing vors of spring are once again container on the bottom shelf that everyone always claims is making their way into my numerous nutrients including “their roommate’s,” toss the shopping basket. There are so fiber, vitamin B6, potassium stale bread to the birds, and many great spring treasures, and thiamin. What really gives get ready for fresh new foods but asparagus and strawber- it an edge in the current state ries always top my shopping of health affairs is their strong to fill this spring quarter.

Spring foods always make list — separate, together or ties to the Mediterranean diet. me smile. The winter brings whatever, as long as they end warm, hearty foods that are up on my kitchen table. see SNACKS, pg. 13 comforting — for a season.

But then as I suck in all my air and just barely squeeze myself into last month’s new jeans, I once again sigh in relief know-

Monday, March 26, 2012

MDarts 11

Spring has sprung Erin Hurley is a journalism senior and Mustang Daily SLO lifestyle columnist.

about going to the beach. It’s kind of a no-brainer in warm weather, but you’ve got multiple options to choose from on the Central Coast if you’re looking for a day of lying out on the sand, surfing or cooling off in the ocean.

To start, there is Montana de Oro State Park — it’s beautiful and perfect if you want somewhere a little less crowded.

There definitely are times when I enjoy going to the beach in cooler weather, but something about warmer spring weather just calls for a lazy beach day in the sun.

Welcome back, everyone.

Does anyone else feel like spring break was a bit too short? Yeah, me too.

Sweet treats Here we are in spring quarter, which means the weather is I’m sure many people would going to be tempting us more argue there’s really no season and more to skip that lecture for ice cream, but it can be the and go spend the perfect way to day outside. So if cool down on a The weather is going to be you’re looking for warm day. And a way to embrace Doc Burnstein’s tempting us more and more spring, I’ve come Ice Cream Lab in up with a few Arroyo Grande is to skip that lecture and go ideas to inspire more than just an you. Don’t get ice cream shop. It spend the day outside. me wrong, these has all the stanare great ideas all dard flavors, in year round, but addition to some they’re especially more unique fun during this time of the Avila Beach is another local ones such as Merlot Raspberry year. Enjoy! option. In my experience, it Truffle and Honey Almond. can get more populated, but Also, on Wednesday nights, Hit the sand it’s absolutely gorgeous, and there’s an interactive lab show the town is right there if you see SLOCAL, pg. 13 Yes, of course I’m going to talk need anything.

MDarts 12

Monday, March 26, 2012

Hit the books at the Leaning Pine Arboretum KYLE LOOMIS

kyleloomis.md@gmail.com

KYLE LOOMIS/MUSTANG DAILY

“People come up here and have no idea we’re here,” food science senior Hannah Drasil said of the Leaning Pine Arboretum. “It’s a great resource. The arboretum is a great way to see another aspect of Cal Poly.

In a lush landscape populated by colorful flowers, exotic shrubs and funky-looking succulents, there are no sounds except chirping birds in the oak trees overhead and the gentle hum of sprinklers. Here, the buds of plants anticipate the coming spring where they will bloom into full-fledged flowers. The only people around to appreciate this refreshing escape from the real world are its caretakers.

On the same campus, students walk briskly down the halls, one eye on the ground in front of them and the other on their cell phone. They sit in class or in the library, legs jittering and brows furrowed. Most of them are ignorant of the oasis hidden in the desert that is the stressful world of academia.

Alone, Cal Poly’s Leaning Pine Arboretum’s manager Chris Wassenberg quietly strolls down the walking paths, supervising the growth of the garden’s residents.

“It’s definitely a well-kept secret,” Wassenberg said.

A campus oasis The Leaning Pine Arboretum, located on the north side of campus behind the Environmental Horticulture Science (EHS) facility, serves as an educational tool for horticulture and botany students, as well as a beautiful destination for anyone looking for a brief release from reality.

Some students, such as environmental management and protection senior Caitlin Bergin, take time out of their day to relax and enjoy nature’s gifts.

“It’s really quiet and peaceful,” Bergin said. “I go up there to read and get away from people. It’s sort of out of the way for students, so they sometimes don’t notice or have time

to go, but I really like it.”

Even Wassenberg said the arboretum’s biggest problem is being difficult to find. After you make it to the Poly Plant Shop, you have to follow signs through the greenhouses at the EHS facility in order to find it, he said.

Food science senior and Poly Plant Shop employee Hannah Drasil said she sometimes enjoys spending her free time at the arboretum.

“It’s a great place to go walk around,” Drasil said. “I’ll go up there and have my lunch.

People come up here and have no idea we’re here. It’s a great resource. The arboretum is a great way to see another aspect of Cal Poly.”

The growth of the arboretum has been a slow but steady process, evolving into what it is today from years of classes and senior projects. To students studying botany, horticulture or landscape architecture, the arboretum is an outdoor laboratory where they can work closely with the plants that they’re studying.

“It’s all very hands-on,” Wassenberg said. “It’s the ultimate Cal Poly ‘Learn by Doing’ experience.”

The arboretum boasts a diverse display of plant species that can be found in the Mediterranean climates around the world. Each of the gardens has species native to Australia, New Zealand, Chile, South Africa, the Mediterranean Basin and California. Student employees work part-time on their respective gardens.

“We try to focus on landscape plants that do well in the landscape or garden setting,” Wassenberg said. “We’re really trying to show you plants that are well-suited to this environment.”

Along the garden paths, each species is labeled. There are signs designed to educate visitors on the species’ back-

grounds. Some signs even have phone numbers students can call to hear recorded audio information about a specific species.

The Leaning Pine Arboretum is utilized in many other ways besides an educational tool for students. The arboretum’s lawn space, barbecue pit and gazebo allow campus clubs and departments to use it as a venue for special events.

The horticulture and crop science department (HCS) graduation ceremony has traditionally been held at the arboretum, as well as various faculty luncheons and alumni events.

“Our department’s graduation has become very popular within the department because of the personalized location,” Wassenberg said.

Last year, more than one thousand people attended the HCS graduation, which is a tight fit for the arboretum’s lawn space.

In April, Cal Poly’s Renewable Energy Club held a solar-powered concert at the arboretum.

It is equipped to handle a variety of events for campus groups, but as a resource, the arboretum remains generally unknown.

“Nobody knows it’s here, so I don’t get a lot of requests from clubs to do things,” Wassenberg said.

The unknown amphitheater As a response to the growing popularity of the arboretum as an event venue, the HCS department began an amphitheater construction project specifically designed for this function. “(The arboretum) is a great space, but it wasn’t actually purposely designed as an event space,” Wassenberg said. “The amphitheater is a space that is designed specifically for events.” see ARBORETUM, pg. 14

MDarts13

Monday, March 26, 2012

WORD ON THE STREET

SLOCAL

What do you like most about spring quarter?

where a new flavor is created right in front of you. Doc Burnstein’s also has a variety of old-fashioned ice cream parlor offerings such as banana splits, sundaes and ice cream sodas. Trust me, you’ll find something you like. Doc Burnstein’s Ice Cream Lab is the perfect spot for a cool treat and a little escape when you get spring fever.

“I like that it is always sunny outside.”

• Antonia Estevez environmental engineering junior

“I like all the sunshine. It’s not as cold in the spring.”

• Dakota Bass mechanical engineering sophomore

continued from page 11

when it’s cold or raining, and I totally respect that. But, it’s much more fun to get that kind of outside exercise when it’s sunny and everything is green and blooming around you — and San Luis Obispo doesn’t disappoint in that department. There are a whole bunch of trails for you to traverse right here in the city, and some of them are also open to bikes. You’ve got more challenging ones such as Bishop Peak (which I have yet to dominate), but there are also a number of others if you want

It’s much more fun to get ... outside exercise when it’s sunny and everything is green and blooming.

A SLO tradition Everyone knows the SLO Farmers’ Market is great, of course. And it happens on Thursday nights all year round, so you’re sure to always find something delicious to bring home. I’ve had so many great experiences at Farmers’.

But personally, I think going on a warm spring evening is the best way to experience the Farmers’ Market. You can wander around, exploring and trying everything offered without worrying about getting too cold or dark. And the vendors get to show off so much great produce in the spring and summer months. Farmers’ is definitely a must-do here in SLO no matter what, but it is an especially great experience as the weather warms up.

Take it outside There are people out there who don’t mind hiking or biking

something a little less exhausting. And, somehow, getting exercise doesn’t seem like a chore when you’re out in great weather, right?

Boating on the bay If you’re looking for a more original way to enjoy the warm weather, kayaking is a great option to check out. I tried it myself once at Kayak Horizons in Morro Bay and had a great experience. At first, I was a little nervous about falling over into the ocean like an idiot (and bringing down the other person in the boat, too), but it went smoothly. I really enjoyed getting to see the bay in a more unique way. It was so peaceful being out on the water, and Morro Bay is such a pretty setting, especially when it’s sunny. Kayak Horizons also offers guided kayak tours.

Kayaking would be a great way to cool down and have fun on a warm spring day.

“I finally get to finish up my senior project.”

• Richard Bauer aerospace engineering senior

“That I will be one quarter closer to going on an internship.”

• Drake Walker history junior

ng wi

with Cal Poly since 1916

Gr

“I don’t know, I’ve never been here for spring quarter.”

o

• Alex Williams business administration junior

Thanks for

reading!

SNACKS continued from page 10

Asparagus itself is a Greek word meaning “shoot” or “stalk.” It was first cultivated by the Greeks 2,500 years ago and was then spread throughout the rest of Europe through the Roman conquest, and eventually made its way to us.

These veggies are great finger food for any spring celebration. Want to impress your friends but only have a few minutes? Asparagus wrapped in prosciutto and popped into the oven will have everyone blown away with almost no effort on your part.

Then there is the strawberry, the perfect jewel

nature gives us to remind us that the sun is here to stay — although it hardly ever leaves us in the lucky little town of San Luis Obispo. Strawberries are historical products of both the Old and New Worlds — in other words, they naturally grow both in the Americas and in Europe, although in different varieties.

Three hundred years ago, the South American species was brought to Europe and crossbred with a European variety and resulted in the garden strawberry that is most popularly consumed today.

The key to proper strawberry consumption is to keep it fresh. These berries do not stay well, even in the fridge.

It is important to only wash them right before you eat them, and it is best to eat them

quickly — this has never been a difficult task for me.

Now to convince you that strawberries and asparagus really do pair nicely together. At first it seems like an unlikely pair, but consider their background. The asparagus coming from a crown and the strawberry as pretty as a jewel taken from a crown, it’s almost by divine right that they should rule your Spring menu.

If you don’t believe me on good faith, then I encourage you to take a culinary risk and try putting the two together with a little balsamic vinegar and honey and cooking them over the stove just until tender. I’m absolutely convinced that after, you’ll see why these are a spring match made in heaven.

MDarts 14 ARBORETUM continued from page 12

Jason Lewis, a sustainable landscape horticulture professor, is an overseer of the new amphitheater being created south of the arboretum. He said it can be used for events ranging

from graduation ceremonies to plays and anything in between.

“It does have electricity running through the bottom, so there have been talks of movie nights and concerts, stuff like that,” Lewis said. “There’s a lot of different ways we can go with it.”

The amphitheater is already fitted with a barbecue pit, and

Monday, March 26, 2012 there are plans to create a stage with trees behind.

“We’ll gradually transition the graduation ceremony down there,” Wassenberg said. “By June it will be done, but it’s still a young landscape. It’ll still be a couple years before the landscape looks complete with bigger trees. We’ll see what that evolves

into as far as what types of events we’re allowed to do there.”

The amphitheater’s construction has been an ongoing process built through class projects, such as turfgrass management and irrigation labs. Like the arboretum, the amphitheater’s construction is an educational experience for students taking

landscape architecture and horticulture classes.

The HCS department hopes the arboretum and amphitheater will eventually be connected through garden pathways, with an entrance more accessible to the general public in order to make the EHS facility more visitor-friendly.

“The idea is to have gardens that connect the amphitheater around to the unused back areas so you can walk through a nice landscape, and then to tie that straight into Via Carta for a public entrance,” Wassenberg said. “It’ll be planned like a public garden.”

Currently, the easiest way to get to the arboretum is through the facility’s greenhouses. But the EHS facility has the potential to be a place that the students and public can enjoy in many different ways from a peaceful study space to a club luncheon or even a concert. The first step is to let everyone know that this

area of campus exists.

“Our first job is to be a resource for our students,” Wassenberg said. “That’s part of why we’re a well-kept secret, because we haven’t tried to market ourselves. Our first mandate is for education for our department.

It’s evolved into something people love and want to see.”

Whether it be to check out the progress of the new amphitheater or to enjoy the natural scenery, Wassenberg said the Leaning Pine Arboretum has something to offer everyone.

“One of the big things that people on our campus use this space for — and I want people to know about it, but I’d be hesitant to really exploit it and market it to get people up here — is that people come up here to escape from that,” Wassenberg said, pointing toward campus.

This article was originally published on Jan. 25.

MD op/ed 15

Monday, March 26, 2012

Free speech comes at price Jonathan Turley is a professor of public interest law at George Washington University. He wrote this for the Los Angeles Times.

The recent exchange between an atheist and a judge in a small courtroom in rural Pennsylvania could have come out of a Dickens novel. Magisterial District Judge Mark Martin was hearing a case in which an irate Muslim stood accused of attacking an atheist, Ernest Perce, because he was wearing a “Zombie Mohammed” costume on Halloween. Although the judge had “no doubt that the incident occurred,” he dismissed the charge of criminal harassment against the Muslim and proceeded to browbeat Perce. Martin explained that such a costume would have led to Perce’s execution in many countries under sharia, or Islamic law, and added that Perce’s conduct fell “way outside your bounds of First Amendment rights.”

The case has caused a national outcry, with many claiming that Martin was applying sharia law over the Constitution — a baseless and unfair claim. But while the ruling certainly doesn’t suggest that an American caliphate has gained a foothold in American courts, it was nevertheless part of a disturbing trend. The conflict in Cumberland County between free speech and religious rights is being played out in courts around the world, and free speech is losing.

Perce was marching in a parade with a fellow atheist dressed as a “Zombie Pope” when he encountered

Talaag Elbayomy, who was outraged by the insult to the prophet. The confrontation was captured on Perce’s cellphone. Nevertheless, Martin dismissed the charge against Elbayomy. Then he turned to Perce, accusing him of acting like a “doofus.” Martin said: “It’s unfortunate that some people use the First Amendment to deliberately provoke others. I don’t think that’s what our forefathers intended.”

For many, the case confirmed long-standing fears that sharia law is coming to this country. The alarmists note that in January, a federal court struck down an Oklahoma law that would have barred citing sharia law in state courts. But there is no threat of that, and certainly not in Oklahoma, which has fewer than 6,000 Muslims in the entire state. Rather, the

campaign against sharia law has distracted the public from the very real threat to free speech growing throughout the West.

To put it simply, Western nations appear to have fallen out of love with free speech and are criminalizing more and more kinds of speech through the passage of laws banning hate speech, blasphemy and discriminatory language.

Ironically, these laws are defended as fighting for tolerance and pluralism.

After the lethal riots over Dutch cartoons in 2005 satirizing Muhammad, various Western countries have joined Middle Eastern countries in charging people with insulting religion. And prosecutions are now moving beyond see SPEECH, pg. 16

+

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MD op/ed 16

Monday, March 26, 2012

States should keep experimenting on health-care Jim Stergios is executive director of the Pioneer Institute, a privately funded research organization in Massachusetts.

Joshua Archambault, director of health care policy at the institute, is editor and co-author of “The Great Experiment: The States, The Feds, and Your Health Care.”

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has taken considerable heat during the Republican primaries for the health-care legislation that passed while he was in office.

Sadly, election-year politics

have overshadowed the real lessons of Massachusetts’ experiment.

The core question then-Gov. Romney was trying to answer was this: Should Massachusetts continue to pay hospitals more than $1 billion a year to care for the poor, or should it create a way for individuals to purchase their own insurance?

Romney’s original proposal was simple: Stop subsidizing expensive hospital care and instead require all Massachusetts residents to carry at least catastrophic insurance. Anything beyond that would be a matter

of individual choice. The idea was to prevent taxpayers from having to pick up the tab for people unable or unwilling to pay for their own medical care.

To facilitate reform, Romney’s plan established a central agency, called an “exchange,” where individuals could buy health insurance directly.

Though the overwhelmingly Democratic state legislature amended Romney’s proposal, the new law, if properly implemented, could have made the Massachusetts health-care market far more customer-focused.

But that didn’t happen. Just months after the law was passed Republicans lost the governorship and Romney’s successor, Democrat Deval Patrick, became responsible for implementing the 2006 law. Since then, almost every key bureaucratic decision has leaned toward government control and away from individual decision-making and the market.

For example, the exchange’s idea of “minimum coverage” is equal to some of the most generous plans in other states. Additionally, roughly 40 percent

of the people in the exchange pay no monthly premium for insurance, while small businesses have been hit with a variety of onerous requirements.

Instead of creating a market with many choices, insurance has been over-standardized and the number of available plans limited, curbing innovation in plan design.

The legislature has done its part by expanding on the simple mandate for catastrophic coverage with eight new mandates.

Even with these deviations from Romney’s original plan,

SPEECH

such as the arrest in 2010 of a only on the changing attitudes man in Hamburg caught using of what constitutes a disturba Hitler speech as a ring tone. ing image but whether others In January, the French par- believe it was sent for a “leliament passed a law making gitimate purpose.” This applies it a crime to question the Ar- even to postings on Facebook menian genocide. The law was or social media. struck down by the ConstituJudge Martin’s comments are tional Council, but supporters disturbing because they reflect have vowed to introduce a new the same emerging view of the law to punish deniers. When purpose and, more important, accused of pandering to Ar- the perils of free speech. Marmenian voters, the bill’s author tin told Perce that “our forefaresponded, “That’s democracy.” thers” did not intend the First Perhaps, but it is not liberty. Amendment “to piss off other Most democratic constitutions people and cultures.” Putting strive not to aside the fact allow the mathat you could jority to simthrow a stick ply dictate on any coloconditions nial corner Democracy ... and speech and hit three soon wastes, for everyone people “pissed — the very off ” at Thomas exhausts and definition Paine or John of what the the murders itself. Adams, framers of the First AmendU.S. Constiment was detution called signed to protyranny of the tect unpopular JOHN ADAMS majority. It speech. We do SECOND U.S. PRESIDENT was this tennot need a dency that led First AmendJohn Adams to warn: “Democ- ment to protect popular speech. racy ... soon wastes, exhausts The exchange between the and murders itself. There was judge and the atheist in Menever a democracy yet that did chanicsburg captures the not commit suicide.” struggle that has existed beLegislators in the United tween free speech and religion States have shown the same for ages. What is different is taste for speech prosecutions. that it is now a struggle beIn June, Tennessee legislators ing waged on different terms. passed a law making it a crime Where governments once to “transmit or display an im- punished to achieve obediage” online that is likely to ence, they now punish to “frighten, intimidate or cause achieve tolerance. As free emotional distress” to some- speech recedes in the West, it one who sees it. The law leaves is not sharia but silence that is free speech dependent not following in its wake.

continued from page 15

anti-religious speech to antihomosexual or even anti-historical statements. In Canada last year, comedian Guy Earle was found to have violated the human rights of a lesbian couple by making insulting comments at a nightclub. In Britain, Dale Mcalpine was charged in 2010 with causing “harassment, alarm or distress” after a gay community police officer overheard him stating that he viewed homosexuality as a sin. The charges were later dropped.

Western countries are on a slippery slope where more and more speech is cited by citizens as insulting and thus criminal.

Last year, on the Isle of Wight, musician Simon Ledger was arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated harassment after a passing person of Chinese descent was offended by Ledger’s singing “Kung Fu Fighting.” Although the charges were eventually dropped, the arrest sends a chilling message that such songs are voiced at one’s own risk.

Some historical debates have now become hate speech. After World War II, Germany criminalized not just Nazi symbols but questioning the Holocaust.

Although many have objected that the laws only force such ignorance and intolerance underground, the police have continued the quixotic fight to prevent barred utterances,

the empirical record on the law hardly matches the overheated views of Romney’s critics.

If the measure of success is the number of uninsured, the plan has worked, with the percentage of uninsured dropping from 9.6 percent in 2006 to 5.6 percent in 2010. Over that same period, the percentage of uninsured nationally increased from 15.2 to 16.3 percent.

Such progress has not come without a cost. Prior to reform, Massachusetts paid hospitals roughly $1 billion per year see HEALTH, pg. 17

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MD op/ed 17

Monday, March 26, 2012

HEALTH continued from page 16

to provide charity care to the poor. Spending on the programs and entities related to the law totaled $1.3 billion in 2007, the first full year of reform; it increased to $1.96 billion in 2010 and an estimated $2.1 billion last year.

Insurance premium costs have varied since the law

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passed. As a direct result of the law, those who purchase insurance individually have seen premiums drop. Employees covered by traditional employer-sponsored insurance, who are only indirectly impacted by the law, have seen premiums rise, similar to national figures.

On access, 89 percent of Massachusetts adults reported having primary care doctors in 2010, a slight increase. The law has not, however, decreased the number of individuals

seeking costly routine care from emergency rooms, but the growth has slowed.

The Massachusetts experience offers several lessons.

First, we need more state experiments. Regardless of what the Supreme Court decides regarding the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the country is deeply unsettled about the federal law. Instead of rushing to redesign one-sixth of the U.S. economy, Washington should

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Monday, March 26, 2012 Volume LXXVI, Number 92

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Regardless of what the Supreme Court decides ... the country is deeply unsettled about the federal law.

have waited for Massachusetts’ results and should have encouraged other states to experiment as well. The federal

government did this in 1996 when it reformed welfare: It let the states lead the way.

Second, Romney should not

be shy about defending his effort in Massachusetts. Frankly, we need more governors to show similar leadership and courage _ and try different solutions. Six years in, even with less than ideal implementation, Massachusetts’ experiment has yielded some positive results.

Finally, elections matter.

Those in power implement laws, and they can take them in very different directions than those present at the signing ceremony.

MDsports 18

Monday, March 26, 2012

CHRIS TIAN MILLAN /MUSTANG DAILY

Women fall short, upset in Big West tourney MUSTANG DAILY STAFF REPORT

mustangdailysports@gmail.com

For the Cal Poly women’s basketball team, it was a season of ups and downs culminating in a heartbreaking upset by Long Beach State in the Big West Conference Tournament semifinals to end their 2011-12 campaign.

The No. 1-ranked team heading into the tournament, the Mustangs found their groove midway through their conference schedule, capturing the team’s first outright Big West championship following a 12-4 record in conference play.

The season saw Cal Poly succumb to a seven-game losing streak early in the year followed by a nine-game winning streak en route to a 17-14 overall record.

The Mustangs used their ninegame winning streak beginning with a 74-64 triumph over Pacific on Jan. 26 to garner a top seed, but a lackluster shooting performance in their final game against the 49ers meant a second-round exit for the favorites.

The Mustangs earned a spot in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) a year ago after losing to UC Davis in the championship round of the Big West Tournament. However, an invitation to the NCAA Tournament has proved to be elusive for the Mustangs — they have never advanced in 17 Division I seasons. The team advanced to the WNIT again in 2012 and met Washington in the first round.

In a press conference following the loss to Long Beach State, head coach Faith Mimnaugh expressed her disappointment in

the team’s inability to win a tournament championship.

“It was frustrating, extremely so for the whole team because I felt like we were the best team in the conference,” Mimnaugh said. “I’m disappointed for our program because I felt like this was the year we’d be able to do it, get to the NCAA’s and the Big Dance.”

Despite the loss, senior forward Kristina Santiago capped the season with her 17th double-double of the year scoring 21 points and grabbing 12 rebounds against the 49ers. She also earned her second Big West Player of Year Award a week prior following a record-breaking season for the Santa Maria, Calif.-native.

In a March 3 victory at Pacific, Santiago broke the all-time Cal Poly scoring mark set by Laura Buehning in the 1982 season.

Santiago finished with 1,925 career points as a Mustang.

She also earned her third firstteam All-Conference honor this year scoring a conference-leading 23 points and grabbing 10 rebounds per game throughout the regular season.

Santiago was already Cal Poly’s all-time rebounds and shooting percentage leader coming into the conference tournament.

The senior tore her ACL in the first game of last season following a year in which she received her first conference Player of the Year award. Santiago had high expectations for her team coming into the 2011-12 campaign.

“We were the best team in this conference this year, but we just didn’t come out ready to get after it (against Long Beach State),” Santiago said.

Santiago was joined by junior

guard Kayla Griffin, who reaped second-team honors, and guards Ashlee Burns and Jonae Ervin, who each earned All-Conference honorable mentions.

Ervin finished the regular season first nationally in assist-toturnover ratio, leading the Mustangs with 104 helpers and 32 turnovers. But the sophomore tore her right ACL in the tournament game against Long Beach State — she suffered the same injury in her freshman season two years ago.

The Mustangs got off to a bumpy start, beginning the year 3-9 following a seven-game losing streak in December — six of those losses came on the road.

Cal Poly then regrouped, winning its first three conference games, but faltered once again in another three-game losing streak in January.

The Mustangs made a tactical change in their defensive scheme in early February altering their matchup zone to a stingier man-to-man defense.

The move paid dividends for Cal Poly as the Mustangs tore through the remainder of their conference schedule winning nine straight games before a March 1 setback to UC Davis — Santiago did not play in that game due to a concussion.

The Mustangs lead the conference averaging 71.8 points per game this year, including a 93-point performance in an opening-game loss to Oregon on Nov. 13.

Cal Poly will lose four seniors heading into next year — Santiago, Burns, guard Christine Martin and forward Abby Bloetscher.

Wrestling sends four to nationals MUSTANG DAILY STAFF REPORT

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The Mustangs took four wrestlers to the NCAA Championships in Brendan Buckley’s first year as head coach. Boris Novachkov posted a 27-3 record, but a loss in the finals of the Pac12 Championships dropped him to the sixth seed going into the tournament held in St. Louis.

Novachkov lost to Michigan’s Kellen Russell in the finals of the national championships in 2011 and lost to the

Wolverine again in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational.

He was undefeated from Dec. 3, 2011, to Feb. 26.

Senior 174-pound wrestler Ryan DesRoches also lost in the Pac-12 finals and made the tournament as a sixth seed.

DesRoches won the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and the Reno Tournament of Champions in December and didn’t lose until Jan. 15 against Nick Amuchastegui.

Both DesRoches and Novachkov reached 100 wins in their Mustang career early in the season.

Redshirt freshman Domi-

nic Kastl was the only Mustang to capture a Pac-12 title. He won the crown at 165-pounds. Kastl defeated Bret Baumbach of Stanford 8-1 in the finals after winning a one-point match against Oregon State’s Cody Weishoff in the semifinals.

Senior Ryan Smith rounded out the group Cal Poly sent to St. Louis as he earned an automatic bid to the championships with a third place finish in the Pac-12.

He lost to Brent Chriswell in the semifinals before pinning his next opponent in the wrestleback finals.

The team finished the season with a 5-6 record in dual meets and placed fifth out of six schools in the Pac-12 Championships.

In their final home match, Cal Poly raced past Arizona State, earning a 26-11 victory with wins by all four seniors (DesRoches, Novachkov,

Smith and Kelan Bragg).

The Mustangs return a young squad in 2012-13, including Kastl and 125-pound wrestler Britain Longmire.

NHA HA/MUSTANG DAILY

Cal Poly’s four senior wrestlers (left to right: Ryan Smith, Ryan DesRoches, Boris Novachkov and Kelan Bragg) won their final home matches against Arizona State.

MDsports 19

Monday, March 26, 2012

Mustang men finish fourth, win 18 games MUSTANG DAILY STAFF REPORT

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The second most successful Division I season in Cal Poly men’s basketball history came to an end at the hands of UC Santa Barbara in the Big West Tournament semifinals. The Mustangs went 18-15, placed fourth in conference and defeated UC Riverside in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament before falling to the Gauchos.

In head coach Joe Callero’s third season at the helm, Cal Poly improved again after winning 12 games in his first year and 15 games last year.

This year, the team will lose six seniors, including Will Taylor, Jordan Lewis, Matt Titchenal, David Hanson, Will Donahue and Amaurys Fermin, who played just one season with the Mustangs.

To start the year, though, the experienced squad capitalized on its relatively easy non-conference schedule defeating USC in Los Angeles on Nov. 19 but did not come away with a signature win against a team that made the NCAA Tournament.

On Dec. 3, the Mustangs kept the level of play high to stay close with St. Mary’s, a team ranked 18th by USA Today.

And at the end of the season, in a five-point loss on Dec. 21, Cal Poly fell to the Big East’s DePaul by five in Chicago.

Going into conference play, the Gauchos defeated the Mustangs by one point in Mott Gym on Jan. 2. UCSB went on to beat Cal Poly three more times throughout the season.

On Jan. 5, the team lost to conference champion Long Beach State despite taking a

double-digit lead into the second half. A furious full-court press by the 49ers combined with Big West Player of the Year Casper Ware’s 22 second half points (and four 3-pointers) gave Long Beach State the win.

The highlight of the season was a win against Cal State Northridge at home on Jan. 21. Cal Poly scored 100 points and tied a then-NCAA record for consecutive 3-pointers made. The Mustangs hit 11 in a row to begin the first half before a Fermin jumper found iron to begin the second period.

The team struggled away from Mott Gym, however, going just 5-10 on the road. In conference play, the Mustangs only defeated UC Irvine and UC Davis away from home, Jan. 12 and 28, respectively — these were the only two teams the Mustangs beat twice.

For 2012-13, the team returns starters Drake U’u, who broke his hand on Feb. 11 and missed the last seven games; Dylan Royer, the team’s 3-point marksman; and Chris Eversley, who scored in the double-digits in 12 of Cal Poly’s 18 conference games.

Freshmen Joel Awich and Reese Morgan dressed for each home game in conference play, but preserved their redshirt status and will be expected to take the court next season. Awich will be Cal Poly’s tallest returner measuring in at 6-foot-7 inches but doesn’t have as much size as Taylor or Donahue.

Morgan averaged 22.5 points per game over his high school career and hit 40.5 percent of his 3-point attempts during his junior and senior years.

CHRIS TIAN MILLAN /MUSTANG DAILY

Will Taylor (center) anchored Cal Poly’s inside game in 2011-12 as the Mustangs will look to replace his size in the paint next year. The team fell to UC Santa Barbara in the Big West Tournament semifinals on March 9.

Hot start for baseball

MAX ZERONIAN/MUSTANG DAILY

The Mustang baseball squad catupalted themselves into the national conversation by sweeping Oklahoma State in their opening series and defeating Pac-12 opponent Washington in two out of three games. The team was 11-5 before Spring Break as weekend starters Joey Wagman, Kyle Anderson and Kyle Brueggemann combined for eight wins.