Cesar Chavez Festival takes place in UU Plaza. ARTS, pg. 4
Monday, April 9, 2012
WORD ON THE STREET What is the most unsafe thing you’ve seen someone do while driving?
Volume LXXVI, Number 100
www.mustangdaily.net
Police cracks down on distracted driving SEAN MCMINN
seanmcminn.md@gmail.com
Walking around campus, it is not particularly difficult to find someone just asking to have a run in with the law. Skateboarders cruise down Perimeter Road, bikers run through stop signs and hardly anyone obeys the 15 mph speed limit down the hill to Poly Canyon Village. But this month is devoted
to bringing attention to a different — and potentially lethal — behavior. This April is California’s first Distracted Driving Awareness month, and the effort has already begun at Cal Poly. “There’s a lot of people, a lot of vehicles and movement at the same time (on campus),” University Police Department (UPD) chief Bill Watton said. “It’s always very important to be paying attention.” Watton said UPD will join police agencies throughout the state in enforcing a
“I was part of a Chinese fire drill today.”
zero-tolerance policy on distracted driving this month. But because he sees Cal Poly as a learning environment, Watton said he wants to devote the first part of the month to education on distracted driving and then crack down after people become more aware. That is not to say, however, that police will always give warnings before ticketing drivers who use their cell phone. A 2009 study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that distracted drivers played a part in 11 percent of fatal accidents that year. That number was higher in drivers 29 and under; for them, 14 percent of fatal collisions involved distracted
drivers. Watton said the number of students he sees on their cell phones while driving around campus concerns him. He said students pose a higher risk to themselves and those around them because they have not been on the road as long as people who have been driving longer. “The day kids get their driver license, they’re inexperienced,” Watton said. “And experience does count for something.” But quitting cold turkey on cell phone usage in the car may be harder than it sounds. Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong is still getting used to the California law after transitioning from his old position at Michigan State University
• Paul Heckler biomedical engineering junior
GRAPHIC BY MELISSA WONG/MUSTANG DAILY
The number of recorded injuries caused by distracted driving incidents from 2000 to 2010 in California.
“Drinking, looking for directions and texting at the same time.” • Nicholas Ross electrical engineering freshman
“I’ve seen someone reading a book while driving.” • Brooke Zeigler biomedical engineering freshman
see DRIVERS pg. 2
Cal Poly passes WASC accreditation review VICTORIA BILLINGS
victoriabillings.md@gmail.com
Cal Poly received high marks last Thursday from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) review team after a week-long visit of classes, campus facilities and a special student forum. The team came to campus last week to review Cal Poly’s accreditation and evaluate the school. Though administration never thought Cal Poly’s accreditation was in danger, those preparing for the visit wanted to show Cal Poly’s best side, said Cal Poly Center for Teaching and Learning Director Bruno Giberti, who helped organize the visit. The better a school scores in its WASC report, the longer a period it is given before the next accreditation review, up to a maximum of 10 years. The report is not entirely finished, but based on the team’s final presentation, Giberti said Cal
Poly scored very high. “I think we can expect those 10 years,” Giberti said. At Thursday’s meeting, former Washington State University president and leader of the WASC team Samuel Smith commended Cal Poly on its dedication to improving the school. Cal Poly had shown improvements since the WASC team’s visit two years ago for an educational effectiveness review, Smith said at the meeting. That initial visit, which did not affect Cal Poly’s accreditation, instead helped the WASC team highlight areas the school should work on before last week’s visit. And in those past two years, Cal Poly made strides in the areas specified by the educational effectiveness review, Smith told those present. Cal Poly clarified the definition of a “comprehensive polytechnic” education and involved students in their fu-
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approximately one year ago. In Michigan, there is no fine for talking on a cell phone while driving. He said though he uses a Bluetooth device in his car to talk on the phone, he may occasionally sneak a look at a text message below the steering wheel while driving around San Luis Obispo, but only when he’s stopped. “The last year, year-and-ahalf, I’ve made a real serious effort to not talk on the cell phone (while driving),” Armstrong said. Political science junior Daniel Outlaw said he sees nearly a dozen drivers talking on the phone when he drives to school in the morning. Though he said he does not think it is smart to drive and talk, he believes there is a better way to regulate unsafe driving. “What would be better would be more enforcement against poor driving,” Outlaw said. “If someone’s driving poorly, that’s more important than talking on a cell phone.” Distracted driving encompasses more than just talking on a cell phone, Watton said. Adjusting the air conditioning, turning the channel on the radio, smoking, eating or talking to a passenger can all distract someone who is
Your commitment to having Cal Poly remain as an outstanding academic institution is superb. SAMUEL SMITH WASC TEAM LEADER
ture with initiatives such as the Student Success Fee, Smith said. Cal Poly also boasted a 10 percent increase in six-year graduation rates, from 65 percent to 76 percent during a 10-year period. The team also applauded work done to improve the campus and maintain Cal Poly’s good reputation. “Your commitment to having Cal Poly remain as an outstanding academic institution is superb,” Smith said at the meeting. In final remarks, the WASC team touched upon how Cal Poly has faced increasing
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66˚F
low 47˚F
budget cuts. George Pardon, the CFO and vice president for administration of California State University (CSU) Los Angeles, said Cal Poly’s commitment to maintaining and increasing services was rare among universities. “In so many situations people use the budget deductions as an excuse not to do something,” Pardon said at the meeting. Cal Poly, on the other hand, looked for new revenue sources and continued to fund classes and campus improvements, Pardon said at the final presentation.
INDEX News.............................1-3 Arts..............................4-5
The WASC team did name several areas that needed attention though, including continuing to improve graduation rates and focusing on increasing diversity. All in all, the WASC team gave a very positive review of Cal Poly, College of Science and Mathematics Dean Phil Bailey said. The compliments and critiques were both very useful, Bailey said. “The whole report was very positive, and the recommendations were right on,” Bailey said. “There are things we need to do, and I think we have a university commitment to do them.” Cal Poly will continue looking for new ways to improve diversity and graduation, Bailey said. But even with the critique’s, WASC’s report was gratifying, Bailey said. “When you’re going through see WASC, pg. 2
Opinions/Editorial...........6 Classifieds/Comics.........7 Sports...............................8