Sports psychologist helps athletes get heads in game. SPORTS, pg. 8
Volume LXXVI, Number 110
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
www.mustangdaily.net
Behind the scenes: MultiCultural Center MERCEDES RODRIGUEZ
Campbell said. “It can sometimes be a challenge.” One such challenge came in 2008 when a group of students defaced the Crops House with racist and homophobic slurs and symbols. Campbell said following the incident, the Center met with students and then-President Warren Baker in order to navigate a plan of action. She said when it comes to dealing with diversity, students should not be afraid to ask questions. “I just think that within their career at Cal Poly, students should come to one event and see what the MCC is all about,” Campbell said. Joy Harkins is one of the individuals who makes these events possible. She has been the MultiCultural Center coordinator since last fall. Her job is to advise, support and educate students, faculty and staff about cultural resources. “In the short time that I’ve been in this position, I’ve become aware that a lot of people are not aware of what we are and what we do,” Harkins said. The Center receives state general funds, and the programs they put on are funded by Instructionally Related Activities Fees students pay at the start of each quarter. These fees, not related to Associated Students, Inc. or tuition, pay for learning opportunities outside of the classroom, such as Engineers Without Borders. Though students pay in part for the programs put on by
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When the MultiCultural Center opened its doors Jan. 15 — Martin Luther King Day — in 1981, it was initially only supposed to function as a lounge where minority students could hang out. “Students of color didn’t have a place to meet and talk,” coordinator of MultiCultural Programs and Services Renoda Campbell said. “They wanted to see people who looked like them.” Though the Center has grown to become more than just a lounge, offering programs and services for all students on campus, Cal Poly diversity (or the lack thereof) remains. With an undergraduate population of 62.8 percent white students, according to the most recent 2011 PolyView study, Cal Poly does not qualify as one of the most diverse California State Universities. In contrast, California State University, East Bay’s University Profile for 2012 states their university is 21.6 percent white, while San Diego State University’s recent demographics show a campus whose undergraduate students are 37.8 percent white. The MultiCultural Center is dedicated to providing cultural resources and meaningful dialogues about diversity as a part of Student Life and Leadership. Student Life also organizes Student Orientation and Registration (SOAR), greek life and the Pride Center. “We have a long way to go insofar as making it a staple in the Cal Poly community,”
see MCC, pg. 2
Poly
101
The present and paths: part 2 DYLAN HONEA-BAUMANN dylanhoneabaumann.md@gmail.com
This is the final installment of a two-part series on the Cal Poly “P,” which features the present and paths of the big “P” in the hills above campus. The Cal Poly “P” is one of the school’s most noticeable landmarks. Whether it is green for Earth Day or rainbow-colored for Pride Week, the “P” stands proudly on the hill, even though few know much about it. Present and recent “One day I was asked why the ‘P’ had changed, and even though I’ve been here for so long, I didn’t really know how that process
was done,” said interim vice president of university advancement, and executive housing director Preston Allen (who has been at Cal Poly for 19 years). “I decided to post the reason for the changes and to share a bit of history about the ‘P’ on the student affairs website.” Along with the school mascot, “Musty” the mustang, the “P” is the school’s top hallmark, Allen said. Every time a change to the “P” is approved, Allen posts who got approved and includes the dates their design will be up. “It’s bigger than most people think, and it’s real costly to paint back,” Allen said. “That’s part of the reason they have the procedures.” The “P” tab on the student affairs website with all information relating to the “P” is above the sexual assault report and recom-
mendations tab. Cal Poly custodial and events manager Don Popham said getting permission to decorate the “P” during a certain time is based on a first-come, first-serve basis. He said the Pride Center most recently obtained permission and decorated the “P.” Psychology alumnus and Americorps member who serves with the Pride Center, Brittni Kiick, was the supervisor while students representing the Pride Center painted the “P” rainbow colors. The “P” is painted rainbow colors every year during pride month, Kiick said. Kiick said it took approximately three hours for eight students working with the Pride Center to paint it. “It’s something that the students look forward to as a volunteer opportunity
with us,” Kiick said. “The weather was hot that day but it was definitely something that they enjoyed, and it was fun.” Though the students had fun painting the “P,” there were some minor setbacks that made it so they had to spend extra time painting it. “I think the students were amused by the fact that the ‘P’ had been painted and repainted so many times,” Kiick said. “You’re no longer painting on the concrete, you’re just painting on the paint. You’d paint on a section, and it would just sort of fall off. It was more amusing than a burden. It just shows how often people use the ‘P’ to advertise to the campus community.” Kiick said it took approximately three hours see THE ‘P,’ pg. 2
GRAPHIC BY MELISSA WONG/MUSTANG DAILY
Candidate Q&A: Sit down with Nha Ha SEAN MCMINN
seanmcminn.md@gmail.com
Nha Ha, a biomedical engineering senior who decided last Wednesday to run as a write-in candidate for the Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) presidency, talks about accessibility to students, his plans for the California State University (CSU) and how he hopes to secure a come-frombehind victory this week. Though Ha’s opponent, social sciences junior Katie Morrow, had the advantage of early campaigning, the former Mustang Daily photographer said he believes this week will be key in gaining votes.
SEAN MCMINN/MUSTANG DAILY
Biomedical engineering senior Nha Ha is running for Associated Students, Inc. president as a write in candidate.
You spoke in the debate about your experience with different clubs and organizations you’ve been
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involved with. How have these changed your perception of Cal Poly? Being in so many different clubs gives me a wider perspective of how there are so many different aspects and students here at school instead of just a narrow view. Say, if I was only in ASI government, then I’d only know those types of people. If elected, you’ll be the cochair of the Student Success Fee allocation committee. How important is student voice in deciding where that money goes? Being the co-chair, I would make sure the students know half of the committee is composed of students and that their voice goes a long way. The first round of money is
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already going to be set this spring, so we would basically be planning for the future. So I would have to make sure everybody knows where the present money is going and that’s not where it’s always going to be. I’d like to have open forums and talk to different groups of people to see where they’d like to see the money. Also, I’d have to talk to teachers to make sure it’s just not the students, but it’s also the teachers that need to understand, too. Kiyana Tabrizi and Morrow chose not to take a stance on the Student Success Fee. If there’s a similar controversial issue that comes up while you’re president, what would you do? As ASI president, I think it’s important not to take a stance
INDEX News.............................1-3 Arts..............................4-5
just to not influence anybody’s decision. Because everyone should have their own opinion about it. My stance would be to better inform everybody. If you think you knew better than the students about how something should be, would you feel comfortable telling them what you think? I wouldn’t try to dictate how their decision should be made. I would just try to inform them in a better way. Because if they’re illinformed, it’s not their fault. The CSU has been putting pressure on schools on the quarter system to switch to semesters. The president and provost both are currently in favor of this, what see HA, pg. 2
Opinions/Editorial...........6 Classifieds/Comics..........7 Sports..........................7-8
MDnews 2
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
No borders for community service challenge AMBER DILLER
amberdiller.md@gmail.com
The first “Think Globally, Act Locally” challenge began last weekend with six community service events in the San Luis Obispo community. Cal Poly Engineers Without Borders (EWB) member and civil engineering sophomore Sam Tooley came up with the event last quarter and decided to do everything he could to make it happen in a short period of time. “We thought, ‘We can either save this for next year or pull it off in just five weeks,’” Tooley said. “You can always wait for a big idea or try it when you’re ready for it.” Tooley wanted to find a way to make a difference that isn’t necessarily visible, he said. He decided to do so by challenging Cal Poly students to complete 2,000 hours of community service in San Luis Obispo through several events. The events were most-
HA continued from page 1
is your opinion? Personally, I believe Cal Poly is better as a quarter system just because it’s how we do our Learn By Doing — we get to do more things in a shorter amount of time. If we switch to the semester system, it will change the whole Cal Poly experience for students. The unit cap coming next fall is one of the first obvious effects on students we will see due to the budget. What will you do as ASI president to mitigate these negative ef-
MCC continued from page 1
the Center, they still may not understand the benefits it provides. “One of the challenges Cal Poly faces is attracting diverse students, while experiencing a lack of diversity,” Harkins said. “However, I am encouraged by my experiences with faculty and students. They are interested and well-intended, but they need more opportunities to interact with people who are different than they are.” While some schools are able to offer specialized clubs such as black or asian student unions, Harkins said there would not be an adequate
ly suggested by residents and planned by EWB students. EWB wanted to include the San Luis Obispo community as much as possible, Tooley said. Shortly after, Tooley spoke about the event on KCPR and someone called in to suggest the students help clean up his mobile home neighborhood. “We want to know what the community thinks is important,” media coordinator and mechanical engineering sophomore Melinda Phan said. The inspiration for the event came from the need for funding international projects. “Fundraising is a really hard thing that we struggle with, especially when we are trying to raise the amount of money that we need,” Tooley said. Solar Turbines, a San Diego-based company of Caterpillar, Inc., became EWB’s first “gold level” sponsor with a $5,000 commitment. Lockheed Martin, a global “security, aerospace and information technology” com-
pany according to its website, has also agreed to fund the organization’s summer projects. “We are really excited to continue our partnership with our corporate sponors as we continue our work abroad and now begin implementing local projects,” Tooley said. Through partnerships with the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce, the dean of the college of engineering and the San Luis Obispo mayor and city manager, EWB has created a variety of different community service events. “Last weekend was a really great experience,” Tooley said. “We finished off with 670 hours last weekend, and we’re expecting for at least the remaining 1,300 coming up this weekend.” There weren’t just EWB members at the events. Other Cal Poly clubs helped out, including Invisible Children, Chi Epsilon and SLO Cru. There are currently 10 service events scheduled for the upcoming weekend, some of
which will include the help of other Cal Poly organizations, including Panhellenic. The community service is not only generating funding for EWB, but it is also making a difference in the lives of community members, 24-year-old Josh Andrews said. Andrews was present on Saturday morning at the Prado Day Center breakfast. EWB members and volunteers arrived at Prado Day Center, a local homeless day-shelter, at 7 a.m. to serve breakfast to the community’s homeless population. “Without events like this, hundreds of people would go hungry a day,” Andrews said. “I know people who can’t even make it this far so they just eat out of garbage cans and without something like this there would be a lot more of that.” The next volunteer opportunity begins at 3 p.m. on April 27 in Arroyo Grande. Students, faculty or community members who want to help can visit the Cal Poly EWB chal-
fects on students? That’s kind of a hard thing to do. Because if it’s coming down from the top, it has to be redirected to the top. So what I would try to do is petition with as many students as possible from our school’s and other CSUs to say, “Hey, don’t do this to us, because you’re just inhibiting our learning.”
It’s about how do we get more jobs, more money, where that income’s going to come from. Do we raise taxes? There’s a lot of factors that come into it, so it’s a hard decision to make.
It’s important the ASI president talks to the teachers and gets the feel of what they’re feeling, what issues they’re having, to let them know this is a big impact to students.
But what would you do?
Do you think they should be striking if they’re not able to negotiate with the CSU — even if that would directly impact students?
Let’s say for a minute you’re Governor Ha. What would you do to get money back into the CSU?
We have to judge how the California schools are doing. If they’re not performing up to par, then it’s no use throwing money into a broken system. If the system’s broken, then we have to restructure them.
We’d have to look at the financial reports of the whole state in general. It’s a broader situation than just looking at giving money back to school.
Faculty union negotiations are at a virtual standstill with the CSU. What role does the ASI president have in helping these two parties?
minority representation to create these clubs at Cal Poly. In contrast, University of California, Berkeley, there are 235 cultural student organizations. The Center, located upstairs in the University Union, has hosted successful programs to increase dialogues about diversity since Harkins started. It also offers Diversity Advocate Training, which works to raise awareness about cultural issues and support populations that may be underrepresented on campus. These trainings are modeled after Pride Ally trainings. Harkins said she is especially proud of a program offered during fall and winter quarters called Civic Ref lection. “Civic Ref lection is a one-hour discussion about a shared reading,” Har-
kins said. “It can be about diversity, religion, values and spirituality. We held them once a week and they were very well attended.” Architecture sophomore Matthew Truss is a cross cultural coordinator at the Center. “At Cal Poly, there are mostly white students from mostly white neighborhoods,” Truss said. “The world doesn’t necessarily look like that and there’s a preparedness that needs to come before that shock.” Truss himself is from Chicago and said he knows that a campus is only as diverse as the students who attend it. “I want Cal Poly to get out of its box,” Truss said. “It won’t be that hard actually. It takes initiative, realizing there’s more. Once you achieve that, everything else should follow.”
I believe that if the teachers feel strong enough about it, then they should. It’s their right. But at the same time, they should think about their positions as teachers and how it will affect us as students. You’re relatively new to ASI.
THE ‘P’ continued from page 1
to paint the landmark back to white as well. Popham said Associated Students, Inc. presidential candidates, such as Katie Morrow, have requested the “P” during their campaign. Cal Poly Athletics Director Don Oberhelman said approximately a year ago, the Mustang Maniacs brought a generator up to the “P” and put lights around it after there was a school victory in athletics. He said when Cal Poly won a game, the whole town knew even if they weren’t there because they could see the glow around the “P.” He said he doesn’t know why they stopped doing it, but hopes to bring the tradition back. Oberhelman also said he hopes to bring management of the “P” back to the Mustang Maniacs. He said he hikes up there twice a week, and if he
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Cal Poly students participated in a “Think Globally, Act Locally” event on Saturday morning at the Prado Day Center. lenge website for dates, times and locations of the planned community service events. “Next year, we hope to start planning a little earlier, that way we can expand our impact past where we’ve been able to this year,” Tooley said. “We haven’t set any set-instone goals for next year, but a
number we’ve been throwing around is 10,000 hours.” This year’s “Think Globally, Act Locally” Challenge will conclude with a reception on April 29 at 6:30 p.m. in the Christopher Cohan Performing Arts Center. The function will give information about international project opportunities.
Why are you running and why do you want to get involved with the organization?
money. I feel that students, in this day and age, they care to an extent. They don’t really think about it until two to three days leading up to it, so the best time to speak to them will be Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Tomorrow I’ll be speaking at the WOW (Week of Welcome) leaders-in-training meeting. I’ll be telling them a little bit about my platform and how to vote. In between, I might be speaking to the classes I’m in. Just letting different groups of people know there’s another candidate running. Keep an open mind.
I believe that ASI plays a big role in student life and that the best way for me to give back to Cal Poly and my fellow students is to run for office. Do you have any secret weapon to take this election? No, no secret weapon. Just my faith in students. Do you care if you win? Yeah, I care. At this point in the campaign, it’s kind of a waste of resources to set up posters, buy all the stuff, waste all that
can do it, the young students should also be able to because it’s only a 10-minute walk up. There are a variety of paths to get to the “P,” but a lot of people take routes they’re not supposed to. Paths Facilities Plan Room Coordinator Rex Wolf requests students take one of two trails to access the “P” rather than walking straight up to it in order to help minimize future erosion. “The direct way to access the ‘P’ is to start at the parking lot at the top of campus known as Residential-1,” Wolf said. “Go to the very top level of (R1), and you’ll see a gate and a dirt road. Follow the dirt road to a reservoir where a trail starts.” Wolf said the last time he hiked up to the “P” he approached it from behind on the other trail. There’s another way to ac-
ASI voting begins 7 a.m. Wednesday on students’ My Cal Poly Portals.
cess it, Wolf said. You go to Poly Canyon, walk up and there’s a bridge that goes across the creek, then there’s a trail that will take you up the hillside and through the back, he said. Wolf said he’s hiked up to the “P” three or four times and there was never anyone up there. San Luis Obispo resident Josh Smith prefers to mountain bike on the trails instead of hiking them, and he also said that he rarely sees people up at the “P.” He said it’s decent riding terrain, and he goes up to the top for the nice view. He advises that beginning mountain bikers don’t go past the “P” for riding. “Once you get past the ‘P,’ it gets kind of rocky,” Smith said. “I sat up there for probably 20 minutes, just looking, watching the view; you can see the whole town and then some. I haven’t really seen very many people up here, it could use some brighter colors to get it to stick out some more.”
MDnews 3
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Heart Attack Grill serves up another ‘brush with death’ NATIONAL
SLO COUNTY
STATE
SAN SIMEON —
MODESTO —
NORTH CAROLINA —
SUDAN —
A dead gray whale was found on the coast near San Simeon on Saturday. On Monday, the whale’s body, which measures more than 30 feet in length, was reported decomposing and giving off an unpleasant odor. The whale was evidently a female, two years old and shows no signs of being attacked or struck by a boat, Wayne Perryman, leader of the Cetacean Health and Life History Program for Southwest Fisheries Science Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told the Tribune. The carcass will be left on the beach to decompose, State Parks said. Beachgoers are advised to steer clear of the stench.
Modesto police are looking for two men believed to be responsible for two shootings and attempted robberies early this morning. The first incident occurred at 4 a.m. at Encina and Rowland avenues in central Modesto. Two men on bicycles were approached by two men, one of whom was armed with a gun, Det. Steven Stanfield of the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department said. The suspects ordered the men to the ground and demanded money. The men told the suspects they didn’t have any money, jumped up and started running. The armed suspect opened fire on the fleeing men. One man was stuck and suffered nonlife-threatening injuries, Stanfield said.
Two portraits of John Edwards emerged in opening arguments at the trial of the disgraced politician, who is accused of breaking campaign finance laws by accepting more than $900,000 in illegal contributions to help hide an extramarital affair during his 2008 campaign. The prosecution on Monday portrayed Edwards as a liar and a deceiver who went to great lengths to cover up his affair in order to protect his campaign image as a family man. The defense portrayed him as a man who committed a sin — a sin Edwards acknowledges — but did not break the law. The former senator from North Carolina has pleaded not guilty to six criminal counts related to campaign finance violations.
Sudanese aircraft bombed a South Sudanese town Monday, killing at least one person, as Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir ruled out a resumption of peace talks. “We will not negotiate with the South’s government because they don’t understand anything but the language of the gun and ammunition,” Bashir, who was visiting soldiers in Heglig, said Monday, according to news agencies. Relations between Sudan and South Sudan reached rock bottom when South Sudan seized Heglig, Sudan’s most important oil-producing area, earlier this month, only to withdraw Friday.
INTERNATIONAL
College Board reaps benefits of education goals SARAH BUTRYMOWICZ
The Hechinger Report
The national push to increase the number of Americans who have college degrees is enriching at least one key beneficiary: the College Board, the nonprofit organization that’s best known for administering the SAT. Eleven states and the District of Columbia each have agreed to pay the College Board anywhere from several hundred thousand dollars to more than $1 million a year to test students in hopes of boosting their college-enrollment numbers. The tests cost students nothing. The College Board is actively promoting its products in other states. These deals are likely to further increase the College Board’s net revenues, which hit $65 million in 2010 — the last year for which the figure was available from tax filings — up from $53 million the year before. The test supplier pays a quarter of its employees at least $230,000 a year, while its president, Gaston Caperton, earns more than $1 million annually — almost double what he made in 2005 — and has a $125,000 expense account. “They’re a very profitable nonprofit organization,” said
Brad MacGowan, a college counselor at Newton North High School in Newton, Mass., a Boston suburb. “They always seem to be coming up with a new product or service to push testing into younger grades or make states give the SAT to every student.” Ten states — Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Maine, New Mexico, Oregon and Texas — and the District of Columbia pay for the College Board’s PSAT test to be given to their students at no cost. In addition, three states — Delaware and Idaho since last year and Maine since 2005 — require and pay for all high school students to take the SAT. Last school year, Texas required school districts to pay for the exam for every student who wanted to take it, although it eliminated the program this year because of budget cuts. Officials in Delaware and Idaho said the legislation requiring all students to take the SAT passed with no input from the College Board. But documents show that the group has a lobbying presence in a number of other states. In Massachusetts, the College Board paid a lobbying firm $24,000 last year to support “general outreach on education issues, specifically Advanced Placement, PSAT
and college-readiness matters,” according to lobbyist disclosure forms. Last year in Indiana, a College Board lobbyist pushed for a bill to allocate $500,000 for ACT/SAT test preparation. And the College Board, which also administers advanced-placement exams, has tried to make AP classes mandatory in every California high school. “They’re out there freewheeling, doing whatever they want, doing it however they want to do it, and no one is telling them ‘no,’” said Kenneth LaValle, a Republican in the New York state Senate and the chair of its Higher Education Committee. The College Board acknowledged that it often talks with policymakers. “We regularly speak with state education officials and district administrators about how our programs and services can help them increase college readiness,” College Board spokeswoman Kathleen Steinberg said. Nationally, in the Class of 2011, more than 1.6 million high-school seniors took the SAT, a 30 percent increase from a decade ago. The test costs $49. Sending SAT scores to up to four colleges is free, after which it costs a student $10.50 for every additional college. Rush delivery is another $30 per school.
AP exams cost $87 each, and students took 3.1 million of these tests in the 2009-10 school year. Caperton’s salary increase since 2005 could have paid for the PSAT to be given free to almost 34,000 students. And the College Board’s revenues in excess of expenditures last year were enough to have provided a refund to every student who paid full price to take the SAT. The College Board said it put its earnings toward new products, services and advocacy. Last year, for instance, it spent $54.2 million on fee waivers for low-income students. Some higher-education officials have criticized the SAT, calling it a narrow measure of college readiness. Others have charged that it favors students from wealthy school districts. A small but growing number of colleges are moving away from requiring standardizedtest scores for admission. Legislators, though, hope that offering the SAT and PSAT for free will improve college-going rates. “I think those programs can be really valuable in that they emphasize a college-going culture,” said Robert Laird, former undergraduate admissions director for the University of California, Berkeley. But Laird added that if a student is required to take one of the exams and does poorly, such programs also can backfire and discourage students.
RENE LYNCH
Los Angeles Times
The Heart Attack Grill in Las Vegas would appear to have lived up to its reputation for the second time in as many months: On Saturday, a woman collapsed at the restaurant known for gleefully serving up artery-clogging entrees. Owner Jon Basso said Monday that he wishes the customer a swift and full recovery. But, he added, the woman got exactly what she asked for: a brush with death. “We attract an avantgarde clientele — thrill seekers, risk takers,” he told the Los Angeles Times, adding that his restaurant is a “bad for you but fun” restaurant that “attracts people who don’t really take good care of their health.” The condition of the woman was not immediately known; she was wheeled out of the restaurant by paramedics. She had been downing a margarita and smoking a cigarette before she was stricken, Basso said. “She was eating, drinking, smoking, laughing, dancing, having fun,” Basso said of the restaurantgoer, who fell unconscious Saturday night. “But when you treat your body like that day in and day out, eventually your body is going to give out.” The Heart Attack Grill is a hospital-themed restaurant that belly laughs at doctors’ orders to steer clear of excessively caloric and fatty meals. Waitresses wear skintight nurses’ uniforms, and Basso dresses as the cardiologist on staff, complete with doctor’s coat and stethoscope. Diners are called patients. And on the menu: “Flatliner” fries cooked in lard, shakes
made with pure cream, and four f lavors of “bypass” burgers, as in single, double, triple or quadruple bypass. The Quadruple Bypass Burger can top 10,000 calories. Basso said the Guinness World Records book contacted him Friday to say that the burger was being crowned the most caloric sandwich on Earth. The restaurant also offers free meals to people weighing more than 350 pounds. The popular restaurant was in the news in midFebruary when a man fell ill while eating a “Triple Bypass Burger” and had to be wheeled out of the restaurant by emergency workers (real ones, not staffers playing dress up). Basso, who calls himself a “board-certified burgerologist” working on the front lines to rid the world of anorexia and sobriety, says he doesn’t really worry about liability issues or one of his “patients” suing him. “Unlike cigarettes, I have had warnings labels since Day One when we opened in 2005 telling people how bad our food is for you. I think that skirts any liability we might have,” Basso said. As for his critics, Basso says that the restaurant says more about the diners than it does about the ownership. He said he is posting signs throughout the restaurant promoting the new spot in the Guinness World Records book, and he makes no secret of the burger’s eye-popping calorie count. “So what is it about someone who sees that sign and sees that this burger has 9,993 calories in it, and that person says ‘I want one of those.’ I tell you, we attract that very bleeding edge, that avant-garde of risk takers.”
Unlike cigarettes, I have had warnings labels since Day One when we opened in 2005 telling people how bad our food is for you. I think that skirts any liability we might have. JON BASSO HEART ATTACK GRILL OWNER
MDarts 4
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Charlie’s: A new place in town
SAMANTHA SULLIVAN
samanthasullivan.md@gmail.com
A new name has come to San Luis Obispo’s restaurant culture. Charlie’s Place arrived with 34 years of experience, a full-service bar and grill ready to serve up American- and Mexican-style flavor. Charlie’s Place opened in San Luis Obispo on March 28. However, Charlie is no stranger to the area. Charlie’s Place has been in Los Alamos, Calif., approximately 45 min-
Gonzales said Charlie’s Place provides a comfortable atmosphere that isn’t too chaotic. She said it is also a good place to bring friends, take someone out or even just visit as a party of one. “(Charlie’s Place) has a little bit of everything for everyone,” Gonzales said. Charlie’s Place offers a fullservice bar and grill as well. “Charlie’s Hour” is from 4 to 9 p.m., and customers can get half-priced appetizers when they purchase a drink from
It’s a good location and a good way to branch out the business. CECILIA GONZALES CHARLIE’S PLACE MANAGER AND OWNER
utes south of San Luis Obispo, since opening in 1978, manager and owner of Charlie’s Place Cecilia Gonzales said. Her father, Charlie Gonzales, wanted to start a business and found the property in Los Alamos, she said. Before that, he helped his parents with their business, the Los Alamos Meat Locker. Because he knew about food and meat products, Charlie decided to open a restaurant, she said. Charlie’s Place moved to San Luis Obispo with the help of a customer. Gonzales said the customer owned the property and offered it to them a few times before they were finally convinced. “It’s a good location and a good way to branch out the business,” she said.
Charlie’s specialty cocktail menu. On Sundays, Charlie’s Place offers $12 bottomless mimosas from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Gonzales said the menu for the San Luis Obispo restaurant is the same as the menu in Los Alamos. The difference between the two places is the size: There are 18 tables inside the San Luis Obispo restaurant and eight outside, rather than eight tables all together at Los Alamos. And Gonzales said the item most seen on those tables is Charlie’s chili verde. The chili verde contains pork meat chunks and starts out green but turns red by the time it hits the plates, she said. In San Luis Obispo specifically, Gonzales said the super burrito has also been very popular.
SAMANTHA SULLIVAN/MUSTANG DAILY
“(Charlie’s Place) has a little bit of everything for everyone,” manager and owner Cecilia Gonzales said. The restaurant offers “Charlie’s Hour” between 4 and 9 p.m., during which customers receive half-off appetizers with purchase of a drink off of Charlie’s specialty cocktail menu. So far, Charlie’s Place is doing fairly well in the city, according to Gonzales. She said the restaurant is seeing more and more people. She also said returning customers are bringing in friends, exposing the restaurant to more people. She said Charlie’s Place didn’t advertise its opening as much as other businesses because she wanted the restaurant to
take time to settle in. “We wanted to prepare our employees to act as we’d expect them to act,” Gonzales said. Morning manager Jane Arreguyn got her job at Charlie’s Place via a friend who’d been with the restaurant for seven years. Arreguyn worked for Starbucks for six years, and when Charlie’s Place wanted to add espresso to its menu,
she was asked to help. That help she gave turned into her current position. “(Charlie’s Place) treats their customers and their employees right,” Arreguyn said. “Treating both right is very important to me.” Liberal studies sophomore Emily Dewey works as a server at Charlie’s Place. She said she saw the “For Hire” sign outside Charlie’s Place’s door and went in with a résumé. After a few interviews, she was hired.
According to Dewey, the job is very flexible and works well with her schedule. “It’s a good college job,” Dewey said. “The food is good and makes me want to serve it.” Charlie’s Place is located at 981 E. Foothill Blvd. On Monday, Tuesday and Sunday the restaurant is opened until 10 p.m., and that time is extended until midnight on Wednesday. Thursday through Saturday, Charlie’s Place stays open until 1 a.m.
HOROSCOPES TUESDAY, APRIL 24 TAURUS (April 20-May 20) — You may not understand the reasons behind certain instructions today, but you will have to follow them to the letter. GEMINI (May 21-June 20) — Keep yourself in tune and ready for what comes. You cannot afford to do anything in a way that could easily be bested by another at this time. CANCER (June 21-July 22) — You may have reason to get in touch with someone who played a pivotal role in your life some time ago. Changes are in the wind. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) — Put yourself in another’s shoes today and you’ll benefit from a broader, more detailed perspective. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — You won’t have much time to get everything done today, so you will want to take advantage of every one-on-one opportunity. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — Others are likely to gravitate toward you simply because you have the kind of energy that attracts attention — and loyalty. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — You may see those around you shaking their heads — but don’t misinterpret! They are astonished by your creativity, not put off by your manner. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — It’s time to get yourself in better shape — and you know it. Physically and mentally you have been a bit too lax. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — You’ll be able to look back on the day and smile — but only if you take care of a certain personal issue as early as possible. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — Others may not want you to go off on your own at this time, but you know that it is necessary to your mental and emotional well-being. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) — You can show others just how well you can perform under pressure today. Indeed, you can make it look very easy! ARIES (March 21-April 19) — You’ll know just where you stand today after speaking with one or two individuals in charge. Things are looking up, certainly.
MDarts 5
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
CSA supports local agriculture Heather Rockwood is a food science senior and Mustang Daily food columnist. Eating food is at the heart of almost every community. Think about it — there is food at almost every social function we attend. Clubs effectively use food to bribe members to attend weekly meetings, businesses use food to encourage employees to get through the dreary hours of team meetings and college students congregate with friends around pizzas in an effort to momentarily forget the piles of papers due tomorrow. Yes, eating food comes naturally, but here in America, the actual growing of food and knowing where your food comes from has become as rare as an “A” on a dynamics midterm. In an effort to bring Americans back in touch with their food, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) boxes came about. The boxes originated in the 1960s in Switzerland and Japan, but didn’t become popular in the United States until the mid1980s. Currently there are a little more than 400 CSA programs across the nation — and lucky for us in San Luis Obispo, plenty to choose from right in our own county. The idea behind CSA pro-
grams is to reconnect everyday Americans with the process of obtaining food, including both the benefits and risks. “Shareholders” buy into the program at the beginning of the season and then receive weekly boxes of fresh produce. By paying up front, the farms have an improved cash flow to help throughout the entire season. It also allows the farmers to spend more of their marketing efforts early in the season before the long hours of harvest begin. Clearly in this model there is a benefit for the farmers, but as any good consumer, you must be questioning, “What is in it for me?” As a shareholder, you receive weekly
boxes of the freshest and most delicious crops from the farm, get exposed to a variety of new in-season foods you may have previously passed up when strolling down the supermarket aisles and, most importantly, get to know the people and places that grow the food you daily consume. The beauty of this model is that it invariably grows deeper roots and dedication to the community. As a shareholder in a farm, you get to celebrate in the bounties of the season, and be invested in some shared risk. At first glance, risk never sounds good to a potential buyer, but in taking this risk, you are linked to the food in a way that a box on
the grocery store shelf could never offer. Not to mention, rarely are you disappointed. Occasionally there are seasons that are more strenuous on some crops than others, but by investing in the farmers and farms, you accept in good faith they will be good stewards and keep your best interest and the lands in mind. As the new season approaches (a most delicious one full of fresh strawberries might I add), I would encourage you to think about the journey your food took from farm to fork next time you sit to eat, and consider if it would be much more delightful to dine on if you knew both the farmer and farm that it came from.
“Peek-a-boo!” • PHOTO CREDIT Krisha Agatep •
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Tuesday, April 24, 2012 Volume LXXVI, Number 110 ©2012 Mustang Daily
“We’re at the mall right now.”
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
A factual obituary Rex Huppke is a writer for the Chicago Tribune.
and began to develop a new way of thinking. “There was a shift of the word ‘fact’ to refer to empirical observations,” Poovey said. Facts became concrete observations based on evidence. It was growing up. Through the 19th and 20th centuries, Facts reached adulthood as the world underwent a shift toward proving things true through the principles of physics and mathematical modeling. There was respect for scientists as arbiters of the truth, and Facts itself reached the peak of its power. But those halcyon days would not last. People unable to understand how science works began to question Facts. And at the same time there was a rise in political partisanship and a growth in the number of me-
candidate Mitt Romney’s campaign was using an expression once used by the Ku A quick review of the long Klux Klan. and illustrious career of But friends and relatives of Facts reveals some of the Facts said Rep. West’s claim world’s most cherished absothat dozens of Democratic lutes: Gravity makes things politicians are communists fall down; 2 + 2 = 4; the sky was simply too much for the is blue. aging concept to overcome. But for many, Facts’ most As the world mourned memorable moments came Wednesday, some were unin simple day-to-day realities, willing to believe Facts was from a child’s certainty of its actually gone. mother’s love to the comfortGary Alan Fine, the John ing knowledge that a favorite Evans Professor of Sociology television show would start at Northwestern University, promptly at 8 p.m. said: “Facts aren’t dead. If Over the centuries, Facts anything, there are too many became such a prevalent part of them out there. There has of most people’s lives that been a population explosion.” Irish philosopher Edmund Fine pointed to one of Facts’ Burke once said: “Facts are greatest battles, the debate to the mind what food is to over global warming. the body.” “There are all kinds of studTo the shock of most senies out there,” he said. “There tient beings, Facts is more than died Wednesday, enough informaApril 18, after a long tion to make any Fine’s insistence on battle for relevancy case you want with the 24-hour to make. There Facts’ survival may seem news cycle, blogs and may be a preponthe Internet. Though reminiscent of the belief that derance of evifew expected Facts to dence and there rock stars like Jim Morrison are communipull out of its yearslong downward spities that decide are still alive. ral, the official cause something is a of death was from fact, but there injuries suffered last are enough facts week when Florida Republi- dia outlets that would dissem- that people who are opposed can Rep. Allen West stead- inate information, rarely rely- to that claim have their own fastly declared that as many ing on feedback from Facts. facts to rely on.” as 81 of his fellow members of “There was an erosion of To some, Fine’s insistence the U.S. House of Representa- any kind of collective sense of on Facts’ survival may seem tives are communists. what’s true or how you would reminiscent of the belief that Facts held on for several go about verifying any truth rock stars like Jim Morrison days after that assault — claims,” Poovey said. “Opin- are still alive. brought on without a scrap ion has become the new “How do I know if Jim of evidence or reason — be- truth. And many people who Morrison is dead?” Fine fore expiring peacefully at its already have opinions see in asked. “How do I know he’s home in a high school physics the ‘news’ an affirmation of dead except that somebody book. Facts was 2,372. the opinion they already had, told me that?” “It’s very depressing,” said and that confirms their opinPoovey, however, who knew Mary Poovey, a professor of ion as fact.” Facts as well as anyone, said English at New York UniverThough weakened, Facts Facts’ demise is undoubtedly sity and author of “A History managed to persevere factual. of the Modern Fact.” “I think through the last two decades, “American society has lost the thing Americans ought to despite historic setbacks that confidence that there’s a single miss most about facts is the included President Bill Clin- alternative,” she said. “Anybody lack of agreement that there ton’s affair with Monica Le- can express an opinion on a are facts. This means we will winsky, the justification for blog or any other outlet and never reach consensus about President George W. Bush’s there’s no system of verification anything. Tax policies, presi- decision to invade Iraq and or double-checking, you just dential candidates. We’ll nev- the debate over President say whatever you want to and it er agree on anything.” Barack Obama’s American gets magnified. It’s just kind of a Facts was born in ancient citizenship. bizarre world in which one perGreece, the brainchild of Facts was wounded repeat- son’s opinion counts as much as famed philosopher Aristo- edly throughout the recent anybody else’s.” tle. Poovey said that in its GOP primary campaign, Facts is survived by two youth, Facts was viewed as near fatally when Michele brothers, Rumor and Innu“universal principles that Bachmann claimed a vaccine endo, and a sister, Emphatic everybody agrees on” or for a sexually transmitted Assertion. “shared assumptions.” disease causes mental retarServices are alleged to be But in the late 16th centu- dation. In December, Facts private. In lieu of flowers, the ry, English philosopher and was briefly hospitalized af- family requests that mournscientist Sir Francis Bacon ter MSNBC’s erroneous re- ers make a donation to their took Facts under his wing port that GOP presidential favorite super PAC.
First World Problems
JOSEPH CORRAL/MUSTANG DAILY
A few more interesting facts: As alumni, greeks account for 75 percent of all donations to universities. Since 1825 (birth of fraternities) all but three U.S. presidents have been fraternity men. Eighty-five percent of Fortune 500 executives are greek. All this is done by a group which represents less than 3 percent of the U.S. population. — Anon
In response to “Fraternity faces social probation after party”
Sarah Ortiz is the Vice President of Special Events on the Panhellenic Executive Council. The article presumes Sarah is the President of the Executive Board when that is incorrect. It’s actually quite ironic that this “prestigious” college newspaper can’t execute an entirely correct article. If the authors of Mustang Daily want to be taken seriously, both as students and as journalists, then they should consider paying attention to the content of their work. — Anonymous
In response to “Greek Week not just fun and games”
I had a roommate in the fall of 1959, who was an engineering major and an avid surfer from San Diego County. We lived in an old house across from the SLO railroad station and the Park Cafe, where I ate dinners for $1.10 to $1.20 per meal complete. My roommate would go out surfing at Pismo Beach late at night. The next quarter I was able to move into the new brick Sequoia Hall. I don’t know what happened to him after that. I always wonder about him. I hope he was able to graduate and his life was happy and successful. I hope your club members have a good year and a successful next year. — Gaylord Mc Cool In response to “Cal Poly surf club hits San Luis waves” … Gerhart believes Cal Poly has all the tools to take the program to the next level ... Cal Poly softball WAS at “the next level” having had tremendous success and a top-30 national ranking only three years ago. At that time, the Mustangs were Big West Conference Champions for the second or third time in three years and were making their second appearance in the NCAA post-season regional tournament. Since that time, the program has gone into a free fall. For Cal Poly softball, it’s not about getting to the next level, it’s about getting back to the level of excellence the program experienced during Coach Condon’s first four years. — Bob
In response to “Whitley Gerhart goes her own way”
Do you know why Earth Day is April 22? Hint: It didn’t start as celebration of butterflies, recycling and solar energy School children, busi-
nesses, clergy, politicians and even the United States military soon will honor the birthday of Vladimir Lenin, founder of the Soviet Union. Of course, they will call it Earth Day. Brian Sussman points out in his new book, “Eco-Tyranny: How the Left’s Green Agenda will Dismantle America,” that the first nationwide Earth Day was held April 22, 1970 (my junior year in high school), the 100th anniversary of the birth of the communist Bolshevik leader. Therefore, be advised and be careful what your mind embraces and thoughts put into action. — anonymous alumnus In response to “Sustainability at Cal Poly: Putting the green in green and gold” I wonder if professor Algos has considered bringing in Cal Poly grad, Monty Roberts, as a guest lecturer for this class? Roberts, probably the most famous wild-horse trainer in the world has had a New York Times best selling book on horse training and even provided instruction to the Queen of England. Best of all, he lives only an hour away from campus in Santa Ynez. — Dan
In response to “Learn by Doing outside of class — way outside”
This is a sad comment. At a university committed to developing lifelong learners (i.e., students who will not just do the book learning but will practice what they learn), this comment only chooses on a (misguided) piece of information that has no relevance to what Cal Poly students (who, may I add, have lived their lives during a period when the Soviet Union was no longer in existence) are doing to make their world a little better. — Neal MacDougall In response to “Sustainability at Cal Poly: putting the green in green and gold” Notice how the study only mentions socially-conservative views? Because you don’t need a study to show that. Obviously, social conservatism is an ideology that is stuck in the 1800s. In a modern society, social conservatism cannot survive, due to its closedminded lack of tolerance. Also notice how FISCAL conservatism is never once mentioned in studies like this? Yeah, because FISCAL conservatism has been proven over the generations to be the only form of fiscal theory that actually works. Free markets = free people. Look up Austrian economic theory. Everyone blasts believers of Austrian economic theory without actually researching it themselves. Oh, and Ron Paul 2012. — Wow.
In response to “Clinical evidence suggests conservative intelligence”
NOTE: The Mustang Daily features select comments that are written in response to articles posted online. Though not all the responses are printed, the Mustang Daily prints comments that are coherent and foster intelligent discussion on a given subject. No overcapitalization, please.
MDsports 7
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Tennis clinches top seed MUSTANG DAILY STAFF REPORT
mustangdailysports@gmail.com
The Mustang men’s tennis team continued its Big West success with two 5-2 victories this weekend. The wins capped a perfect 5-0 season in Big West play and Cal Poly (12-7, 5-0) will enter the conference championships in In-
dian Wells, Calif., as the topseed this Friday. The team, which is ranked No. 58 in the nation, faced UC Irvine on Saturday where the Anteaters took the doubles point despite the No. 54-ranked team of Andre Dome and Matt Fawcett defeating Sam Gould and Jacob Jung 8-2. Dome, who claims a No. 34 national ranking, went on to
MAX ZERONIAN/MUSTANG DAILY
Cal Poly’s Andre Dome claims a No. 34 national ranking.
defeat No. 93 Fabian Matthews in straight sets, 6-0, 6-4. The victory halted a two-match losing skid for the junior from Arroyo Grande who last won against Pacific on March 31. The only Mustang to fall in singles play on Saturday was Fawcett who dropped two sets to Sam Gould, 6-1, 6-3. Fawcett didn’t play against UC Riverside on Sunday, but the Mustangs still triumphed using wins from Dome, Jurgen De Jager, Marco Comuzzo and Sebastian Bell. Cal Poly’s undefeated record in conference marks the second time the Mustangs have had a perfect Big West season; the last time came in 2007 when the team was 4-0. UC Irvine is the only other Big West team to finish conference play without a loss; a feat the Anteaters accomplished last year. The Mustangs will benefit from their top seed with a first-round bye, and the winner of the tournament will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships.
TROESCH continued from page 8
stressful situations that an athlete may face during a game-time performance. He finds many Cal Poly athletes entering college worrying too much about their outcomes such as batting average, track times, points scored, etc. He stressed success should begin with mental discipline and improvement on a daily basis instead. “For me, it’s about disciplining one’s mind and one’s thought process,” Troesch said. “Once an athlete real-
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izes that through mental discipline with a one-day-at-atime approach, they will give themselves the best chance to get the outcomes they want.” His philosophy is simple: “The mantra that I use is: ‘Get one day better every day,’” Troesch said. “Over the course of a year, you’re going to be 365 days better if you do that.” When junior pitcher Kyle Brueggemann had a rough outing early in the season, he decided to consult Troesch and his philosophy to help with his mental approach on the mound. “It gives you confidence in yourself talking to someone
that you know they know what they’re talking about,” Brueggemann said. “It’s not going to change your whole world, but it’s little things that will help you in certain situations. Baseball is such a mental game. Having that mental advantage can help put you ahead of the competition.” Troesch is an internationally-recognized expert and accomplished speaker on mental health who has been featured in numerous magazines, but for him, a makeshift office in The Avenue or his impromptu desk inside the Baggett Stadium dugout are more than enough to get his job done.
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MDsports 8
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
One day at a time, Troesch aids athletes STEPHAN TEODOSESCU
stephanteodosescu.md@gmail.com
He works regularly with Cal Poly athletes, but because he’s not an official employee, he doesn’t have an office, or even a desk, in Mott Gym. He regularly conducts interviews in one of Cal Poly’s busiest locations, The Avenue, but is still relatively unknown to the public eye. He’s worked with the NBA, MLB and professional golf and tennis, among other prestigious organizations in the sporting world, but prides himself on modesty and the satisfaction he gets in making an impact in his clients’ personal lives. He’s Jeff Troesch, a licensed mental health counselor contracted by the Cal Poly athletics department, and despite the lack of on-campus office space, he ensures that every Mustang athlete he works with has the mindset to succeed both on and off the field. “Some players have it naturally and others need help in developing the mental side,” Cal Poly baseball head coach Larry Lee said. “Jeff has been very valuable for our program. He’s very good at what he does, he’s very believable, and he has a track record in a number of different sports at their highest levels.” Troesch, 51, has worked in sports psychology for the past 25 years, a profession that today has him traveling up and down the California coast to lend a hand to athletes in a slew of different sports. His clientele ranges from amateur
collegiate athletes and major tournament winners on the PGA Tour to world No.1ranked tennis players and gold medal Olympians. He currently works with 14 sports at Cal Poly as well as collegiate programs at UC Berkeley, UCLA and Stanford, in addition to owning a private practice in San Luis Obispo consisting of elite, amateur and professional athletes. Sports have always held a special place in Troesch’s heart. He excelled as a baseball player growing up in Seattle, Wash., until an injury in college abruptly ended his playing career. With a marketing degree from Washington State, Troesch earned a media relations position with the Seattle SuperSonics where he spent four years traveling with the team, immersed in the culture of the NBA. His experience, along with the emotional toll suffered from his career-ending injury, inspired Troesch to go back to school and earn advanced degrees in counseling psychology and education. Troesch found a passion for the mental component of sports while working for the Sonics. Since then, he’s worked with MLB’s Seattle Mariners and Detroit Tigers as well as other professional organizations and academies before he settled in California. In 2004, Troesch decided to move his family to San Luis Obispo to continue his private practice where, by chance, he stumbled upon now former-Cal Poly pitching coach Jerry Weinstein at
the baseball team’s fundraiser golf tournament. Weinstein, a former employee of the Anaheim Angels, recognized Troesch, who was volunteering at the event, and introduced him to Lee. As it turned out, Troesch
and Lee were new neighbors and the head coach admittedly welcomed the help of the psychologist inviting Troesch to be the mental consultant for the Mustangs. “We wanted him to get involved early with the team
and individuals to create a good support system and create some routines,” Lee said of Troesch’s role on the baseball team. “What you don’t want to do is only utilize him in what we call a ‘911 call’ when things are hitting rock
bottom (for the players).” For Troesch, sports are often measured in tangible ways and with quantitative statistics — but not enough emphasis is given to mimicking the see TROESCH, pg. 7
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MAX ZERONIAN/MUSTANG DAILY
Jeff Troesch, a sports psychologist who has worked with professional athletes, is contracted by the Cal Poly athletic department to counsel athletes and help them find and practice a mindset that is productive to their sport.