Mike Miller battles back. SPORTS, pg. 8
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Wednesday, May 2, 2012
WORD ON THE STREET What is the maximum amount of units you’ve taken in a single quarter?
“Sixteen. It went really well.” • Ronald Williams political science sophomore
“I’m a freshman, so the most I’ve taken is 17. It was fine.” • Ellen Kwak business administration freshman
Volume LXXVI, Number 115
www.mustangdaily.net
Unit cap to begin in fall SEAN MCMINN
seanmcminn.md@gmail.com
Thousands of students registering for Cal Poly classes next fall will see firsthand a new result of California’s budget woes: a 16-unit registration cap. A California State University (CSU) memo issued in early March will standardize a unit cap for all schools in the system, regardless of their respective financial situations. The mandate was prompted by the struggling California budget and the uncertainty of how it will affect state universities’ finances next year. “I don’t see any positive for Cal Poly in having this cap,” Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong said. “This cap is there because of the state budget trials. That will save money. It’s going to mean some students don’t take some classes because of the looming $12 million cut we have. So what the CSU is saying is, ‘We have to implement some steps now.’” But early estimates predict the measure will impact only a small amount of students out of the university’s total population. This is due to several exemptions Cal Poly chose to enact for its students after approval by the CSU, Chancellor’s Office Spokesperson Liz Chapin said. Students who are considered to be seniors by the university, or those who have completed at least 135 units, are exempt from the unit cap, associate vice provost Kimi Ikeda said. Additionally, Ikeda said students in majors that require science or language classes, or more than 180 units to graduate, can surpass the 16-unit cap. “We’re trying not to negatively impact students’ progress to degrees or their plans,” Ikeda said.
After running evaluations of students’ classes this quarter and examining how they would be impacted by the unit cap, the vice provost found that approximately 2,300 Cal Poly students, or 12 percent, would not fall under one of the exemptions. Of those who would not meet the criteria of an exempt category, Ikeda’s estimates predict only 300 would try to register for more than 16 units. University administrators said they are happy this number is much smaller than the thousands of students who take more than 16 units. “We can’t send the message that it’s not a big deal,” Armstrong said. “It may be a big deal. But it’s going to be a big deal for a limited number of students.” There are no plans as of yet to determine how the unit cap will be enforced, Ikeda said. Since students traditionally are only able to register for up to 16 units during the initial enrollment cycle, she predicts no change will be made until open enrollment becomes available in the summer. Provost Kathleen Enz Finken, who is in her first year at Cal Poly, said she too believes students will not notice a large change because of the exemptions allowed in the mandate. Still, Enz Finken said the unit cap will work better for other schools in the CSU system, but has the potential to hurt some students at Cal Poly. “We just decided our best way to move forward is to do what we’ve been doing, which is to allow the students to enroll as they see fit,” Enz Finken said. “And then, if there are situations where a student who doesn’t meet those stated criteria wants to take additional credits, then we would have to look at those and consider whether there should be an exception.”
GRAPHIC BY MELISSA WONG/MUSTANG DAILY
Armstrong echoed Enz Finken’s sentiments that setting a 16-unit cap is not ideal for Cal Poly. But because it comes directly from the CSU, the university has no choice but to follow the system-wide restriction. “We did ask questions, and they said, ‘Sorry, this is the best we can do. This is a tough time,’” he said. “Again, plan for the worst, hope for the best.” After discussions with the CSU, Armstrong said he felt comfortable the university would be able to reduce the
negative effects on students. Students who do not fall into one of the preapproved exemptions will be allowed to petition on a case-by-case basis to take more than 16 units, Enz Finken said. Though no system is in place to address these requests, the provost said more details will be determined as open enrollment approaches. “Let’s just do business as usual, and when we see there’s a questions then we’ll address it,” she said. “So I think we’ll be fine.”
Student called up to big leagues in Washington D.C. ERIN HURLEY
erinhurley.md@gmail.com
“Nineteen. It was lower division classes, so it wasn’t that bad.” • Jeff Georgette mechanical engineering graduate student
“Eighteen. It was challenging.” • Jackie Mozek ethnic studies senior
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In seventh grade, Anna Consani was awarded “Most Likely to Become a Senator” by a classmate. The distinction didn’t mean much to her then. “I got that thinking, ‘Okay, first of all, I don’t even know what a senator is,’” Consani said. “I hadn’t even been through American History yet, and so I was like, ‘Okay, maybe she sees me as a leader or whatnot — I had done honors society, but that’s about it.’” The political science junior has come a long way since then. Two weeks ago Consani received another distinction — an opportunity to represent Cal Poly at the Panetta Institute for Public Policy Congressional Internship Program in Washington, D.C., which gives college students an opportunity to get hands-on experience working as interns for California Congressmembers.
This program worked with Consani’s plans — she intended to go abroad or have an internship this fall, so when she heard about the program from her department head, “I said, ‘Hey, this looks like a great opportunity.’” The Congressional Internship Program selects one student from each California State University, as well as Santa Clara University and Dominican University. Students first attend a two-week course in late August at the Panetta Institute of Public Policy in Monterey, Calif., where they learn about the legislative process and current national issues, and then travel to Washington, D.C. for the next two-and-a-half months. The Panetta Institute for Public Policy covers students’ orientation and living costs during the internship, such as lodging and transportation, as well as a stipend. After applying for the program, Consani interviewed
ARTS, pg. 4 Clothes for a cause.
with the provost’s office and met with President Jeffrey Armstrong, who selected her and one other student from Cal Poly to move forward in the process. Consani then went to Monterey to interview with the Panetta Institute of Public Policy’s Director Sylvia Panetta. Panetta said Consani answered the questions well and described her as “eager, enthusiastic and bright.” “She wanted to learn about government by being there,” Panetta said. Interns in the program do tasks such as answering phones, doing research and attending meetings, Panetta said, but they also “get to learn all about Congress.” Consani was “so happy” when she got the good news that she had been chosen for the program — but said being chosen as a finalist from the Cal Poly applicants was the see CONSANI, pg. 2
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Political science junior Anna Consani will travel to Washington, D.C. later this year for an internship with the Panetta Institute for Public Policy’s Congressional Internship Program.
INDEX News.............................1-3 Arts..............................4-5
Opinions/Editorial...........6 Classifieds/Comics..........7 Sports..........................6-8
MDnews 2
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Unique meat processing center gives students farm-to-table experience MERCEDES RODRIGUEZ
mercedesrodriguez.md@gmail.com
The food students eat is about to get a lot more local. Beginning in September, San Luis Obispo meat-lovers will have access to some of the freshest, locally-sourced meat around. During fall quarter, classes will be taught in the J and G Lau Meat Processing Center, the newest meat processing plant in the country and the only one in history to be 90 percent privately funded, ac-
cording to animal science department head Andy Thulin. The center cost more than 6.5 million dollars — 5.5 million of which came from private donors. The facility had its grand opening Oct. 22, 2011, but is still waiting on implementing several programs, such as the Food and Drug Administration’s Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) food safety management system, before opening for instruction. HACCP and various animal science classes will be taught, but students from other col-
leges also stand to gain from the new center. “The Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena has expressed an interest in possibly partnering with us,” Thulin said. “Companies in product development are looking to hire, and food has become top of mind across the country. That’s another aspect that we’re now able to capture.” Thulin said, adding that the building’s new packaging facilities will allow them to work with the Orfalea College of Business’ packaging students as well.
The nearly 15,000-squarefoot plant contains everything from a harvest floor to a commercial-grade kitchen. “We wanted Cal Poly to take leadership and provide food for a local population,” Thulin said. “This is also the first time that (animal science) students will have the opportunity to learn product development.” The facility will help produce two new Cal Poly brands. “Cal Poly Produced” products, Thulin said, are meat products made with meat from our animals and processed in the lab. He said some of the incentive for creating this brand came from a high demand from local restaurants for local meats. “We would control breeding, birthing, producing, harvesting, processing — everything, all the way to giving someone a pleasurable dining experience,” Thulin said. The second brand, “Cal Poly Processed,” might deal with meats from other, larger distributors but would allow students the opportunity to learn how to work with the product, possibly through marinades or trimming. Thulin said he hopes the facility will create opportunities for endowed professorships, but has worked closely with current faculty to make the facility a reality. Robert Delmore oversees the meat processing facilities and teaches meat science courses. Delmore will teach the HAACP class in the new building. “Anything I do has to have student benefit, or else I’m not interested,” he said. “With the new facility, students will be able to complete broader types of projects. It’s a better, more realistic setting.” Delmore also serves on the National Meat Association’s Education Committee; several corporate donors for
the new facility are members of the National Meat Association’s Board of Directors. Thulin and Delmore worked closely together in the fundraising process, a process that Thulin said took four years. “Did it take a little longer? Sure,” Delmore said. “But we did something that, in my mind, is unheard of. We raised enough to build this facility and for a small university, that’s unbelievable.” Yosemite Meat Co. Inc., a company founded by John and Gay Lau in Modesto, Calif., contributed more than $1 million to the center which now bears their names. Other donors include Agri Beef Co. and Foster Farms. However, the funding process was not without controversy. One donor, Harris Ranch Beef Co., was in the process of reconsidering a $500,000 donation in 2009 when controversial food writer Michael Pollan was asked to speak at Cal Poly. A letter from Harris Ranch Beef Co. Chairman David Wood to former Cal Poly President Warren Baker asked that Pollan’s views not be presented unopposed. The letter also expressed anger at the personal viewpoints of professor Robert Rutherford, who Wood said called grainfed systems such as the one used by Harris Ranch Beef Co. “unsustainable.” After similar calls for balance came from other university donors and agribusinesses, Pollan agreed to take part in a panel discussion, and Rutherford later voluntarily discontinued his teaching of Issues in Animal Agriculture (ASCI 476). Thulin said at the time of the speech, Harris Ranch Beef Co. had not yet pledged
any money to the facility. “At that time, there was no paperwork,” Thulin said. “A year after that event, they still came forth with their funding. They still believed in it.” Thulin said he personally has no problem with private funding for public universities. “I don’t have a concern, as long as you manage the process,” Thulin said. “A donation is a donation, there should be nothing given in return.” Rutherford, who is Cal Poly’s sheep specialist and teaches sheep management, animal agriculture and holistic management said he considers the controversy water under the bridge, and he made the decision to discontinue teaching the issues in animal agriculture course. While he won’t be using the facility for instruction, he calls the facility a “critical linkage in the marketing of our lambs.” Rutherford said the nearest meat inspection plant is Creston Valley Meats in Paso Robles, a facility more than 20 miles from Cal Poly. “It’s very expensive to take three or four lambs to Creston Valley Meats,” Rutherford said. “Now we can have lambs processed on campus. It has come to me that the more we can do to reduce stress on animals before harvest, the better.” Rutherford said he believes this plant, while relatively small, could function as an example of a “well-designed, well-constructed building that’s heavily used in education, food processing, food safety and the entire process.” The J and G Lau Meat Processing Center is building 155, located past the Poultry Science Facility on Stenner Creek Road. It is expected to be open for instructional usage by September.
CONSANI
been involved with the Model United Nations and the Political Science Club. Her experience at the National Young Leader’s Conference along with Cal Poly’s Model United Nations made her choose political science as her major, she said. Political science department head Craig Arceneaux is also the adviser for Cal Poly’s Model United Nations, and said Consani has been involved for the past two years. She was the head delegate for Cal Poly’s representatives at the Model United Nations conference in New York at the beginning of April. Consani has been very active in the political science department, Arceneaux said, and has always been a good student. While Arceneaux said it’s exciting Consani was chosen for this internship opportunity, it “wasn’t all that surprising.”
“If I had a list of students who were deserving of the award, she’d certainly be there,” Arceneaux said. Consani’s experience with Model United Nations has fueled her interest in a career as an ambassador or in the United Nations, she said. This opportunity with the Panetta Institute is a step on the way to that, she said. So far she has “kind of ignored” domestic public policy, but she said she knows it’s an important area to get involved with in order to get into international relations. Her leadership interests at Cal Poly aren’t limited to political science — she’s been involved in a number of other campus groups, including the Week Of Welcome orientation team and serving as co-chair of the Open House committee
continued from page 1
biggest accomplishment. This opportunity was perfect timing, she said — it’s an election year, and she’s also deciding what she will do after graduation. Her interest in politics didn’t really start until high school, Consani said — she attended the National Young Leader’s Conference in Washington, D.C. when she was 15 and met other students from around the country. Her experience there made her “fall in love” with leadership and want to make a change, she said. And she didn’t stop there. Consani was also involved with the YMCA Youth in Government program in high school, and at Cal Poly she’s
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MDnews 3
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
5 arrested in plot to bomb bridge CONSANI
continued from page 2
Five men, including three “self-proclaimed” anarchists, have been arrested in connection with a plot to blow up a bridge over the Cuyahoga Valley National Park south of downtown Cleveland, federal officials said Tuesday. The men were arrested Monday and charged with conspiracy and attempted use of explosive materials to damage physical property affecting interstate commerce, according to a criminal complaint filed in Ohio. All are scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Cleveland on Tuesday. “The complaint in this case alleges that the defendants took specific and defined actions to further a terrorist plot,” U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach said in a prepared statement. “The defendants stand charged based not upon any words or beliefs they might espouse, but based upon their own plans and actions.” Federal officials in Cleveland said the public was never in danger because the explosives were under the control of an FBI employee. But the arrests came just before the annual celebration of May Day, the day of international demonstrations in honor of workers and leftwing movements. According to federal officials’ announcement, Douglas Wright, 26, Brandon Baxter, 20, and Anthony Hayne, 35, were arrested Monday evening by members of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. The three are “self-proclaimed anarchists who formed into a small group and considered a series of evolving plots over several months,” the complaint alleges.
MCCLATCHY TRIBUNE
Also arrested were Connor Stevens, 20, and Joshua Stafford, 23, the government said. Originally, the group had planned to use smoke grenades to distract law enforcement in order for the coconspirators to topple signs for financial institutions atop high-rise buildings in downtown Cleveland, according to the complaint. But the plot escalated to include explosive materials, the government alleges. The defendants conspired to obtain C-4 explosives for use in two improvised explosive devices, according to investigators. The group discussed various targets in the Cleveland metropolitan area before targeting the Route 82 Brecksville-Northfield High Level Bridge. The bridge goes from Brecksville, Ohio, to Sagamore Hills, Ohio, over the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, according to the complaint.
this year. If she hadn’t had that position with Open House, she would not have had as much confidence and skills to pursue the Panetta Institute internship, she said. “I don’t do anything that I’m not 100 percent committed to and that I don’t love,” Consani said. “Everything I’ve done has kind of linked together in some sense.” One thing Consani wants to do again with this internship is surround herself with people who are different from her and who challenge her, and see “how they operate on different levels.” She also wants to “see the pace of things” in government. “A huge problem today in the United States is that people don’t either trust the government or really know what’s going on — they get biased news, the media skews things one way or another,” Consani said. “So actually going there and learning the processes of things and how they’re working on the other side of the news is what I’m most looking forward to.” Consani said she still has work to do before August, though. She wants to learn more about current events and what’s happening in Washington right now. Plus, she has “a lot of school the rest of this quarter to get through.” But she has a lot to distract her now, she said. Once she gets it all done and when summer comes, she can prepare herself and look forward to the internship.
NATIONAL TEXAS — The brinkmanship continues as Texas battles to cut government funding to Planned Parenthood. Texas legislators passed a law last year to effectively remove Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers from the Texas Medicaid Women’s Health Program as of Tuesday. Planned Parenthood clinics had sued the state to maintain funding and appeared to have won a victory Monday when a federal judge in Austin issued an injunction that prevented Texas from withdrawing funds from 49 clinics. But early Tuesday, a federal appeals court judge stayed the injunction, pending an appeal by the state filed late Monday.
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MDarts 4
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Saving the sea one shirt at a time
SAMANTHA SULLIVAN
samanthasullivan.md@gmail.com
It all began in sixth grade, when Caine Fair started a skimboarding competition to save the sea. That skimboarding competition lasted until he was a junior in high school and went on to raise $6,000 for the Surfrider Foundation, an organization dedicated to protecting oceans, the business adminis-
“Basically, when you see them rip, you see CMNTY rip,” Roley said. “They are two good people we like to hang out with and have on our team.” Fair has a long history with fundraising, as well as a background in clothing and design. Fair used to work for Quiksilver and Hurley designing clothing. Roley also worked at Hurley in the customization department. For CMNTY, he does the mar-
The ultimate goal is for our profits to be at a point where what we donate can actually make a dent. DYLAN ROLEY CMNTY BUSINESS PARTNER
tration junior said. Growing up in Laguna Beach, Calif., the ocean has been a huge part of Fair’s life, he said. Last year, Fair founded CMNTY (pronounced “community”), a brand whose purpose is to fight ocean pollution and promote the education of marine conversation, he said. CMNTY does this by selling shirts: 15 percent of all proceeds from clothing sales go to organizations that aid in the fight as well as fund ocean pollution research. “I wanted to help in a unique kind of way,” Fair said. He called his idea a “TOMS Shoes scheme.” Two skimboarders, professional Tim Fulton and amateur-about-to-turn-professional John Salta, are a part of a sponsored team for CMNTY. They promote and are a face for the brand, Fair’s partner, public relations junior at Chapman University Dylan Roley said.
keting and street-team work. Both Fair and Roley grew up in Southern California where the ocean was a huge part in their lives, Roley said. This led to their decision to help save both beaches and the ocean. “We both plan to live in Laguna (Beach) when we are older,” Roley said. “So we want the beach and ocean to still be there.” CMNTY doesn’t run on a pyramid structure, Fair said. While Fair, his brother Ryan (who also works with CMNTY) and Roley all have their own specialties. No one is on top, Fair said. “That’s how we want it now and in the future,” Fair said. “In a creative environment, it’s better to bounce ideas off each other rather than it be one guy, because then it doesn’t go any farther than his vision.” As for the future, Roley hopes the company grows and expands to become a household
About the founder Name: Caine Fair Major: Business administration Year: Junior Hometown: Laguna Beach, Calif. Hobbies: Skimboarding and fighting ocean and beach pollution Founded: CMNTY Goal: To raise money for organizations that fight and research ocean pollution How: Donating 15 percent of proceeds
COURTESY PHOTO
Caine Fair (above) founded his brand, CMNTY (pronounced “community”), a year ago to promote marine conservation. name, he said. He also hopes their profits reach a point where they can easily donate to multiple organizations or create their own conversation effort. “What we donate now, it helps but it’s not a big deal because we’re a little company,” Roley said. “The ultimate goal is for our profits to be at a point where what we donate can actually make a dent.” CMNTY promotes events such as beach clean-ups, where
people go and pick up trash along the beaches. Fair said they make a day out of it by bringing food and barbecuing. Fair said it’s important to get the younger generation involved so they are more open-minded about the ocean conservation. Fair said he’s been talking to the Surfrider Club on campus about teaming up with them. The club hosts many Coastal Clean-Up Days, club president Greg Salas said. He said the
club brings information about Surfrider, which is actually an international organization, as well as a sign in sheet and bags for the trash. Currently, the club is focused on the Rise Above Plastics campaign — which aims to lower the use of plastics — as well as a cigarette butt campaign, since they’ve been noticing lots of those on the beach. “Normally, our club will let everyone know what beach
we’ll be at and go early and surf together,” Salas said. If students wish to get involved, they should contact Fair through the CMNTY website. Fair said the company is trying to get a larger group of people involved on campus, as well as representatives along the coastline. “We’re always open to help and advise whether it be about the business, creativity or social aspect,” Fair said.
MDarts 5
Wednesday, May 2, 2012 COURTESY PHOTO
Chicano theater group to offer political satire DAVID LIEBIG
davidliebig.md@gmail.com
From rising gas prices to terrorism, Chicano theater group Indigenous Chaos will discuss controversial topics using comedic poetry, songs and skits in Philips Hall on Friday. The group — comprised of three generations of the same family — formed in 1999 after its members spent years working with El Teatro Campesino, the acclaimed theatrical segment of United Farm Workers of America. Indigenous Chaos is led by Graciela Serna-Nutter, whose father, Guadalupe Serna, protested alongside Cesar Chavez in support of civil rights for farm workers in the 1970s. Serna is known for his political songwriting and acting, which paved the way for Indigenous Chaos’ sociallyconscious attitude. Serna-Nutter said although Indigenous Chaos’ show is politically charged, it is not meant to advocate a specific cause or agenda. The group, which is made up of Serna-Nutter’s two sons and three grandchildren, does spoofs and parodies regarding all kinds of issues, such as budget cuts and business ethics. “It’s very hard-hitting and comical,” Serna-Nutter said.
“No one is safe. We’re not leaning toward any one direction. We go for it all.” She said she has even seen offended audience members get up and leave during past performances. “We welcome that,” SernaNutter said. “We just want people to come out and to listen to a different perspective (and) to walk away with nothing or something.” Although some of the issues Indigenous Chaos presents are controversial, academic adviser Maria Arvizu-Rodriguez said a comedic approach makes them more manageable. “A lot of times, we say those things we fear or don’t understand are good to bring laughter to,” Arvizu-Rodriguez said. “It kind of makes the topic a little bit lighter.” Arvizu-Rodriguez helped found Cal Poly’s Chicana Latino Faculty Staff Association, which is sponsoring the event along with the modern languages and literatures department, the ethnic studies department and other campus organizations. She said the performance will benefit the campus population by offering a perspective students cannot only learn from but relate to as well. “Students that are from diverse backgrounds can really
feel like their culture is being honored, validated, acknowledged,” Arvizu-Rodriguez said. “It gives — especially the Latino students — a certain sense of belonging and validation above and beyond what they would receive if they would constantly be seeing presenters that are from a different ethnic background from them.” Indigenous Chaos’ Chicano background is part of what prompted modern languages and literatures professor Gloria Velasquez to organize Friday’s event. Velasquez said she wanted to bring a well-known Chicano theatre group to Cal Poly that could address diversity and Latino issues in the United States, which Indigenous Chaos does in a fun and exciting way. “What impresses me the most about them is that they use satire a lot,” Velasquez said. “They use a lot of political satire, like ‘The Daily Show.’” This is the second time Velasquez has invited Indigenous Chaos to perform at Cal Poly. She said the group’s first visit two years ago was a success. “They were phenomenal, and I wanted to bring them back again,” Velasquez said. The free event is Friday from 6:30 to 10 p.m. in the Christopher Cohan Performing Arts Center, room 124.
MDsports 6
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Graphic Arts Building Building 26, Suite 226 California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
Club water polo heads to nationals
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The Cal Poly women’s water polo club team anticipates winning a fifth consecutive national championship in May, attributing its accomplishments to a close-knit and easygoing team environment. The Mustangs won their eighth consecutive division championship April 15, earning the first seed in
the 2012 National Collegiate Club Championship. A key factor to the team’s success is bonding as well as hard work, biomedical engineering sophomore Leah Ashley said. While focusing on improving and doing practice drills, the girls’ relationships help keep them motivated. “It’s not like one of those teams where the coach is super intense and you can’t laugh and you can’t have
fun,” Ashley said. “We just all love each other, and (practice) is honestly the best part of my day.” To prepare for nationals, the team is undergoing intensive cardio training to get in top shape and to keep their opponents swimming up and down the pool, Ashley said. They focus on a different aspect of the game each night, such as counterattacks, defense and offense.
The Mustangs have built their reputation as the team to beat since it was first established, and the players look forward to nationals with a motivation to beat out difficult competition, Ashley said. Nationally, the University of Michigan is their biggest opponent, while San Diego State University (SDSU) is their biggest competition within their league, she said.
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Wednesday, May 2, 2012 Volume LXXVI, Number 115 ©2012 Mustang Daily
“Pause.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF DENA SPARKS
The Cal Poly women’s club water polo team (including Sophie Calhoun pictured above) travels to Florida this weekend to compete in the National Collegiate Club Championship where the team will attempt to win its fifth consecutive title.
The women secured their place in nationals when they beat SDSU 8-6 last week. Earlier in the season, during the league finals, SDSU beat the team by one point in overtime. “They were the only team that’s beaten us in quite a long time … so that game right there was a little bit of a disappointment,” Ashley said. “So playing them last weekend in league finals was a really big deal too. We wanted to take them and show them that that was just kind of a fluke game.” The team made up for this loss when it won against UCLA in February with a score of 14-5, gaining momentum to win its way to nationals, said head coach and civil engineering senior Joshua Combs. “(UCLA) is traditionally a very strong team and our No. 1 rival,” he said. “Seeing the girls still own that situation … and playing almost a perfect game in my opinion, it shows that when they want something — when they’ve got that driven mentality — this team is unstoppable.” Despite losing four of seven core starters when they graduated last year, the team still expects to continue the tradition of winning nationals, Combs said. “We definitely lost a lot of quality when you’re just looking at that,” he said. “It was very interesting to see the younger girls from last season really step it up and really take ownership of their new roles on the team. They just said, ‘We’re going to make it our team and continue the tradition of success Cal Poly has had.’” see NATIONALS, pg. 7
MD op/ed
War of 1812: 200-years later, forgotten Hugh Howard is the author of “Mr. and Mrs. Madison’s War: America’s First Couple and the Second War of Intelligence.” Two hundred years ago this month, the administration of President James Madison dealt with what in our time might be dubbed “Henry-gate.” He and his secretary of state, James Monroe, were being accused of manipulating intelligence as rumors of war roiled the Federal City. According to the Federalist opposition, they were guilty of “a most pitiful electioneering Manoeuvre.” As we prepare to commemorate the bicentennial of the War of 1812, when, for the first time in its history, the United States would declare war, on June 18, 1812, I think it is revealing to revisit both what historians call the HenryCrillon affair and the surprising ways in which the Second War of Independence inform our time. The affair began in January when the president received a letter of reference that, though it seemed altogether innocent, would prove to have a Pandora-like power. The man who penned it was Gov. Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts, a gray eminence (he had signed the Declaration of Independence) who wrote to speak for the character of a French count named Crillon and for “John Henry formerly of our army in every point truly respectable.” With Secretary of State James Monroe, Madison learned that the Comte de Crillon and Capt. Henry possessed diplomatic dynamite. A sometime spy for the British, Henry had entrusted to his intermediary some 40 pages of handwritten letters to and from British officials that,
Crillon claimed, contained evidence of a plot hatched by disaffected New England Federalists to divide the Union. At a moment not unlike our own — the opposition party appeared to the Republican chief executive to be more interested in obstruction than legislation — Madison and Monroe were quick to believe the Federalists guilty of such intrigues and even of sedition. In the weeks after Gerry’s letter arrived, Dolley Madison had found the Comte Emile Edouard de Crillon, a star of Knight of Malta hanging at his breast, seated at her dining table in the president’s house. For their part, Messieurs Madison and Monroe scrambled to find the funds to purchase the papers that would, Henry promised, give them the “power at any time, or upon any emergency, to extinguish everything worth the name of opposition to the Government.” After handing over the nation’s entire secret service fund ($50,000, in gold), Madison found the sheaf of correspondence hardly amounted to proof positive of Federalist perfidy. The letters named no names, having been, in today’s parlance, heavily redacted. When the papers were made public, the Federalists cried foul. A bitter newspaper and pamphlet controversy ensued. A key opposition congressman from Massachusetts insisted that “the honor of New England Federalism was unsmirched.” To the embarrassment of the administration, Monroe received a letter some weeks later from the U.S. Minister to France, Joel Barlow, who advised that the so-called de Crillon, on his return to France, had been un-
masked; in fact, the “Comte” was an impostor and a wanted man, sought by the French government for an attempt to swindle the Banque de France. The momentum of events, however, was unstoppable. Madison remained confident that he understood Great Britain’s intentions, as he advised Congress in his special message of June 1, 1812. His desire was passage of a formal declaration of war, based on a litany of complaints. The essential ones were the kidnapping of 5,000 U.S. citizen-sailors from the decks of American merchant ships (“impressment”); the capture by the British of nearly a thousand ships and the confiscation of their cargo without compensation to American owners; and the British role in riling discontented American Indians in the Northwest Territory. Also cited was the “secret agent” that the government of “His Britanic Majesty” had dispatched with the dual objects of “subversion of our Government, and dismemberment of our happy union.” Although the Federalists voted as a body, 39-0, against the war, a majority in Congress passed, and Madison signed, the declaration of war. From the vantage of the 21st century, we understand the war that followed would not be the last war launched on the basis, at least in part, of false intelligence. In looking back upon that 32-month war, we encounter other events, as well, that reverberate as familiar and important. The war the United States embarked upon was supposed to be an easily accomplished mission; Madison’s mentor and friend Thomas Jefferson predicted the capture of
The dramatic events of the War of 1812 offer both exciting reading and a means for thinking about America’s place in the world, then and now. Canada would be “a mere matter of marching.” But events did not unfold as predicted — the Canadian invasion in 1812 was an utter failure, and the military action in 1813 consisted of little more than minor victories and losses for both sides. But with the end of the Napoleonic wars the following spring, the seasoned British military turned its attention to the only remaining declared enemy of the crown. When the British marched on Washington in August 1814, American militiamen charged with defending their capital fled. A small detachment of 150 British soldiers and marines then burned two iconic buildings — the undefended Capitol and the president’s house (as the White House was then known) — along with other public buildings. Their actions, given the negligible significance of the Federal City as a military target, can only be described as terrorism. Certain events of the War of 1812 would assume the status of legend. James Lawrence, the dying captain of the USS Chesapeake, left us with the Navy motto “Don’t Give Up the Ship.” After an 18-pound cannon ball bounced off the live-oak bulwarks of the USS Constitution, the frigate became world-renowned as “Old Ironsides.” The bombardment of Baltimore from the Patapsco
River produced a poem, “The Defence of Fort McHenry,” that, retitled and set the tune of a well-known drinking song of the day, became “The Star-Spangled Banner.” And Dolley Madison earned great fame when, as the British prepared to sack Washington, she saved the life-size portrait of George Washington that hung in her dining room. Later in life, James Madison would admit to puzzlement at the unfolding of “great events aris(ing) from little causes.” No doubt he had in mind more than the odd-looking man, short and bear-like with “monstrous thick legs,” whom he knew as the Comte de Crillion, or the role that handsome Capt. Henry had played in kindling what many Federalists dismissed as “Mr. Madison’s War.” Today that war is poorly remembered; for the casual student of history, its causes and outcomes blur in a way that those of the Revolution, the Civil War, and the conflicts of 20th century do not. Yet given how the goals of our most recent wars have devolved — the focus has become less on winning, more on going home — such forgetfulness seems strangely contemporary. The dramatic events of the War of 1812 offer both exciting reading and a means for thinking about America’s place in the world, then and now.
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Wednesday, May 2, 2012
MILLER continued from page 8
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY NHA HA/MUSTANG DAILY
Senior shortstop Mike Miller went 5 for 5 Saturday against Pacific and hit a home run the next day.
NATIONALS continued from page 6
Team goalie and biological sciences junior Morgan Rollo in particular has been a huge contributor to the team, Combs said. Rollo never played water polo before joining the team last season but has become integral to the team’s success. “She’s been a brick wall in that cage for us,” Combs said. “She really produced some phenomenal games at the beginning of the season, and she just fit into that spot perfectly well. She knows the team well after being on it last year, she knows the game well and she’s, in my opinion, one of the best goalies in the nation, hands down.” Rollo attributes her success as goalie to working with last season’s goalie throughout the fall to get in shape before the season started. Her past expe-
rience as a soccer player was helpful as well. “I just feel really comfortable being in a cage,” she said. “The team is super encouraging and supportive of it being my first season, but I put pressure on myself to live up to (the last goalie’s) level.” With a solid netminder and players in top shape, the Mustangs will face their competition May 4 to 6 at Florida State University. The team will compete against 15 others including UC Santa Cruz, University of Michigan, University of Oregon and University of Florida. Team captain and mathematics senior Ciani Sparks said she looks forward to nationals, as it is her last year playing Cal Poly water polo. The pressure of fully showcasing each player’s talent and maintaining national success is no big deal, she said. “I think we always expect it to be tough because we do have a big target on our back,” she said.
student loans at Cal Poly, meaning he had to stay enrolled while still taking classes and playing baseball at Cuesta. When Cal Poly shortstop Kyle Smith signed with the Cleveland Indians organization the following summer, Miller got a call from Lee recruiting him to join the Mustangs in Fall 2009 as a walk-on. Passing up an opportunity to play in the Atlantic Coast Conference for Virginia Tech, Miller became a Mustang both in the classroom and on the field. Initially, Miller struggled. He batted .160 with no extra-base hits throughout the season. “He was a little overwhelmed at the (NCAA) level, especially the pitching,” Lee said. “He needed to grow with confidence. He had a rough start right off the bat.” His struggles didn’t stop there. He’s considered to be small for his position and possesses medium power and speed. “Being an undersized guy there’s al“Everybody wants to beat us. Every team really has it out for us, so we always go into nationals expecting to play the four hardest games of the season.” To prepare for a difficult competition, the team meets for two-and-a-half hours a night, five nights a week and meets twice a week in small groups to complete additional swim sets. Fundamentals are a crucial part of training, Sparks said. “We really worked on the small aspects of the sport,”
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ways a little chip on your shoulder because there’s a lot of people saying you can’t do it,” Miller said. “I decided I wasn’t going to let my size stop me.” Miller rebounded from his inaugural stint with a solid year in 2011 starting 40 games at the shortstop position. But, luck wasn’t on his side. Taking batting practice between games of a doubleheader versus Loyola Marymount in March of last year, Miller took an awkward swing and felt a pop in his wrist. He finished the doubleheader and played a portion of the following day’s matchup against the Lions before being taken out. As a result, the starter missed the second half of March. A month later, he was sidelined again — he was out as quickly as he had returned. This time it was a battle with an illness, which forced Miller to miss considerable playing time in late April. After missing another half month, Miller returned to the diamond. “It affects a player quite a bit,” Lee said. “You’re talking about a three-and-a-halfmonth schedule, and Mike was missing
she said. “When you fine-tune them, it really helps you in the long run. The small things really do make the difference, like passing or using your legs.” The team is confident and fully expects to continue its tradition of winning a national title, Sparks said. “We just have to stay focused and motivated for the next two weeks,” she said, “But I think we have a very talented team this year and we definitely have the potential to win.”
three weeks at a time. Once you come back, you don’t come back 100 percent.” But in 2012, he’s been healthy and has provided a spark hitting in the leadoff spot for the Mustangs, Lee said. “He’s definitely one of those guys you want up (to bat) with the game on the line,” Lee said. Miller is back to his full potential, as he’s tops on the team batting .358 while leading the squad with a .418 on-base percentage figure for the year. Miller’s perseverance through his unique beginnings at Cal Poly and his health has proved he’s an asset to the team, according to friend and teammate Mitch Haniger. “Watching him go through all this it’s definitely all about the hard work he’s put in in the (batting) cages,” Haniger said. “If I had to say how Mike Miller hits so well, it’s because he’s a real hard worker.” Whether or not its luck, Miller won’t let any setbacks affect his play on the field. “I don’t leave anything on the table,” he said. “I’m going to get my full potential out just through hard work day in and day out.”
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Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Finally, it’s Miller’s time PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY NHA HA/MUSTANG DAILY
STEPHAN TEODOSESCU
stephanteodosescu.md@gmail.com
He jump-stepped out of the batter’s box, throwing his bat confidently to the side with his eyes peeled on the baseball. There was no doubt this shot was heading over Baggett Stadium’s outfield fence and into the parking lot — the only question was: fair or foul? Among the statistics that formulate every at-bat in baseball down to a science, there still seems to be an element of chance in senior shortstop Mike Miller’s game. “Sometimes it feels like if I don’t have bad luck, then I don’t have any luck at all,” he said.
Earlier in his career, this towering drive to left field might have drifted foul — but on this day, fortune was on his side. His two-run home run cleared the fence just inside the foul pole, putting the Mustangs up by one in the final game of a three-game sweep of Pacific on Sunday. He would eventually get another base knock in the game — pushing his total to seven hits in the series — following an offensive outbreak that saw him collect a careerhigh five hits in as many at-bats the day before. But like Miller said, luck isn’t always on his side. He has battled sporadic injuries and sickness throughout his career.
Sometimes it feels like if I don’t have bad luck, than I don’t have any luck at all. MIKE MILLER SENIOR SHORTSTOP
After graduating from De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif., in Spring 2008, Miller wasn’t offered a lucrative scholarship to play baseball at the NCAA Division I level. He was scarcely recruited because of a nagging injury to his back suffered in his junior year. Unwilling to pass up an academic opportunity, Miller enrolled at Cal Poly in Fall
2008, a year in which he was away from the baseball diamond for the first time since he can remember. The 5-foot-8 dynamo wanted more than just an education, though. He said he couldn’t stand the thought of not playing the sport he loved for the rest of his life. “Halfway through my first year at Poly, I really missed
baseball,” Miller said. “I was really itching to get on the field and do something.” After playing summer ball following his freshman year, Miller called nearby Cuesta College coach Bob Miller asking for a shot to join the junior college-level powerhouse squad. Bob Miller obliged and asked to see how good the middle infielder was. “I had to earn my spot,” the shortstop said. “I started off as the backup second baseman, and throughout the fall, I just kept working and was able to earn the starting shortstop spot.” As a Cougar, Miller excelled, hitting .392 with 34 RBI and
garnered multiple honors including first-team All-Western State Conference North Division. His success warranted notice by Cal Poly head coach Larry Lee and his scouts. As per NCAA regulations, governing transfer students from a two-year to a four-year institution, Miller had to first earn his associate’s degree from Cuesta in order to be eligible for a four-year athletic program at Cal Poly. At the time, Miller was dual enrolled, taking 20 units total — eight at Cal Poly, 12 at Cuesta — in his first season on the field with the Cougars. He also had see MILLER, pg. 7