New IMAX to vamp up downtown movie scene. ARTS, pg. 4 Volume LXXVI, Number 118
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
www.mustangdaily.net
Stress more or less WORD ON THE STREET What’s the most stressful thing about your life in college?
“Tests, because they’re very tedious.” • Derek Morefield wine and viticulture freshman
ERIN HURLEY
erinhurley.md@gmail.com
Students, professors discuss the different stress levels in semesters versus quarters. Discussions are currently underway within the California State University system about the possibility of transitioning universities on quarter systems to semester systems — which might directly affect Cal Poly. If implemented, this new academic system could affect students’ experiences at Cal Poly in a variety of ways. One could be a possible reduction in stress, counselor Mary Peracca said. Peracca is no stranger to stressed students — she runs the Student Success Seminars on stress management each quarter through the Academic Skills Center. Peracca said during the past four or five years, Cal Poly students are more anxious and over-
whelmed; she attributes this to events such as 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina that raised national anxiety, as well as the state of the economy. She’s seeing more students with higher course loads trying to finish their degree sooner and more with jobs trying to support themselves or help pay for school. “When you add any other kind of stress in your life, it becomes cumulative,” Peracca said. “There’s only so much time in the week.” And stress doesn’t just mean academics — it’s a “big umbrella word,” Peracca said — a student saying they’re stressed could mean they’re depressed, angry or overwhelmed. Stress related to academics is one of the top five reasons students come to Counseling Services, along with anxiety, depression, relationship issues and drug and alcohol issues, she said. Stress can lead to obsessive thinking, Peracca said. Students tell her they spend up to 90 percent of each day thinking about all the things they have to get
done. Academic stress can be a focus of that, Peracca said, but often it’s more generalized. “They have a hard time focusing on the present moment or what they’re doing because there just seems like so much that still needs to get done,” Peracca said. Cal Poly’s quarter system can contribute to that academic stress in multiple ways. The length of the quarters is too short, Peracca said: It doesn’t allow for repetition and for information to soak in, and students get anxious early on. Illness, injury or family tragedy can have an impact too — if students lose a week or two, “the quarter’s pretty shot.” “There’s just no room for personal or medical problems or emergencies without it being pretty impactful on their academics,” Peracca said.
QUARTER SYSTEM GRAPHIC BY MELISSA WONG/MUSTANG DAILY
“Midterms. I don’t like to study.” • Jody Chan food science freshman
• John Davidson business administration freshman
see STRESS, pg. 2
Get ‘frappy’ with Starbucks happy hour AMBER DILLER
amberdiller.md@gmail.com
Coffee lovers are celebrating as “Frappy Hour” returns to Starbucks this week. The 10day event offers half-off any frappuccino between 3 and 5 p.m. Cal Poly’s Starbucks has taken extra measures to prepare for the inf lux in customers. These include assigning three to four employees to the frappuccino station and doubling up on all supplies.
“Grades. You only get one shot.”
“We basically make sure we have extra of everything,” Starbucks employee and business administration freshman Eric Bodenbach said. “We have lots of extra whipped cream, and we make sure we have milk everywhere.” The three to four people at the frappucino station each have individual jobs to make the process quicker. The first person pumps liquid into the cup, the next person adds ice, then someone blends and so on. Last year, Cal Poly’s Star-
We basically make sure we have extra of everything. ... We have lots of extra whipped cream.
bucks made a record-high 284 frappucinos in two hours. So far this year, the 205 drinks made on Friday is the highest, with 194 drinks on Saturday close behind. Not everyone thinks halfoff frappuccinos are exciting, though. Wine and viticulture freshman Nina Carruesco didn’t know it was Frappy Hour until she arrived at Starbucks. “Health-wise, it’s better to get a coffee,” Carruesco said. “I’ll probably get here sooner if I want coffee the rest of the week. Or I’ll just make some in my room.” But “Frappy Hour” has more than just the perk of half-priced frappuccinos. The Starbucks website links to a “Frappuccino Happy Hour” page dedicated to the 10-day event. And according to the
ERIC BODENBACH STARBUCKS EMPLOYEE
CHECK OUT
SPORTS, pg. 8
MUSTANGDAILY.NET
Poly students race through Wildflower weekend.
for articles, videos, photos & more.
SEMESTER SYSTEM
see FRAPPY, pg. 2
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“Frappy Hour” returns to Starbucks for 10 days, where all frappuccinos will be half-off until Friday at 5 p.m.
INDEX News.............................1-3 Arts..............................4-5
Opinions/Editorial...........6 Classifieds/Comics..........7 Sports..........................7-8
MDnews 2 STRESS continued from page 1
If Cal Poly switched to a semester system, Peracca said she thinks it would reduce students’ academic stress — and by reducing stress in that area, it would hopefully help in other areas of stress. The longer semesters would also allow students to have more time with the therapy groups Counseling Services offers, which cover a variety of areas including depression, stress management and substance abuse. Stress management seminars are held once a week for four weeks around the middle of the quarter, and Peracca said the attendance varies each quarter. Psychology emeritus professor Charles Slem, who created the psychology department’s class on stress in the ‘80s, said stress is a response from the body and the person to a demand placed on it. That demand can be good or bad, but the critical issue for psychologists is how people interpret those events: neutral, somewhat negative or extremely negative. And several things can affect the way individuals interpret stress, according to Slem, such as the environment, past experiences and biology.
When looking at how students deal with a semester system versus a quarter system, the demands of each must be looked at as well as how each individual fits those demands, Slem said — and it’s different for every student. “For each individual, there is an optimum kind of situation,” Slem said. For Cal Poly students coming from high school or junior colleges with semester systems, the quarter system is a faster pace, Slem said. He also said block scheduling can intensify the stress caused by the quarter system — and there are university and parental pressures for students to max out the number of units they take per quarter. If Cal Poly were to change to a semester system, the effect would be different for each class level, Slem said. Juniors and seniors used to the fast pace of a quarter would get bored, but semesters would ease freshmen into university life. Slem said the semester system is like a soap opera: getting up to speed after missing a few days isn’t a problem. “That’s the semester system — it moves very slowly. People disappear, they leave for a week and come back and they’re at just about the same place as they were before,” Slem said. “You do that at Poly — you miss
You do that at Poly — you miss two days, and it’s like they’ve covered 12 chapters and there’s been two chapters assigned. CHARLES SLEM PSYCHOLOGY EMERITUS PROFESSOR
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
ERIN HURLEY/MUSTANG DAILY
Psychology emeritus professor Charles Slem (above) said if Cal Poly were to switch to a semester system, the effect on students’ academic experiences would be different depending on the class and the individual student’s life. two days, and it’s like they’ve covered 12 chapters and there’s been two papers assigned.” It’s difficult to say what the impact of switching to a semester system would be on individual Cal Poly students, but Slem said he does anticipate a drop in the “frantic demand” of classes in the short run because things such as midterms or papers would be more spread out in semesters. On the other hand, Slem also said he’s met Cal Poly students who “eat up the quarter system” — especially because they only have to be in “bad” classes for 10 weeks, compared to 18 or 20 weeks in a semester. It depends on the individual, he said. Leland Swenson has also taught the psychology class on stress and been an instructor in the semester system — he currently teaches at Cuesta College. There are pros and cons to both systems, he said. Students in the semester system take longer to get motivated, Swenson said — and some peak early but burn out faster. There’s also a higher chance of dropouts in a semester system than in a quarter system because there’s more time to choose to leave a class, he said. In contrast, Swenson said he thinks students perform at a higher level in the quarter system because “things start fast” and students stay at a higher
FRAPPY continued from page 1
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level of stress throughout the quarter. However, being stressed all the time is more exhausting, he said. “When you’re on all the time, your body never has a chance to rest and repair itself,” Swenson said. “My feeling is when students finish a quarter they’re pretty exhausted.” If Cal Poly switched to a semester system, it would lower overall stress but would also do the same for academic performance, Swenson said. It isn’t unusual for kinesiology professor Kris Jankovitz to see stress among students either. She said it changes depending on the week of the quarter with a peak in the first week, another at the fourth and another from weeks eight to 10 where students develop a sense of desperation. “If you had no other gauge other than looking at students, you can guess what week of the quarter you’re in,” Jankovitz said. Although there are those more intense times of stress, Jankovitz said she sees “a pervasive feeling of being overwhelmed” in Cal Poly students. When students feel overwhelmed, sometimes they focus on what they have to get done rather than recreational activities they like to do. Doing those things can give time away from daily stress and keep students focused and
on task, she said. Being overwhelmed can also lead people to neglect caring for their physical health through habits such as healthy eating or exercising, Jankovitz said — that can contribute to the wear and tear caused by stress. The effects of stress aren’t just limited to psychology — it can lead to a range of physical symptoms, said Jankovitz, including headaches, stomach problems, change in eating habits, muscle tension and an inability to sleep. The quarter system can be an “unforgiving pace” amongst a very competitive peer group, Jankovitz said, and echoed the idea that something unexpected such as a week-long illness or family emergency makes it hard to catch up. The semester system (which she has taught) allows for more time to recover from something like that, she said. And unexpected life events don’t just happen to students — faculty deal with them too, Jankovitz said. Under a semester system, students will still be in school the same number of days and learn the same things as in a quarter system, Jankovitz said — the things that will change is “the mechanical part of it,” like how many times students have to sign up for classes, buy books or prepare for finals.
drinks on Twitter using #frappuccinohappyhour for the chance to win prizes. “Daily challenges” are listed on the website to inspire the pictures. For example, the challenge for May 8 is: “Despite the thousands of ways to make it totally your own, every Frappuccino®
blended beverage has one thing in common — the iconic green straw. Show us something truly iconic from your own neighborhood, town or city.” The daily challenges continue through May 13 when “Frappy Hour” ends at 5 p.m.
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“I don’t know that it will be less stressful on people’s lives, all I know is that their calendar is going to be different,” Jankovitz said. “And where I think a semester could potentially be more favorable is when you have those unexpected things come up.” Business administration junior James Kirschner is also no stranger to the semester system. Kirschner transferred to Cal Poly from a college with semesters and said students aren’t moving at such a fast pace, so they have less periods of stress from midterms and finals. However, Kirschner said he was more stressed with semesters, and in the long run, it would be more stressful if Cal Poly switched because of the “slack-off factor.” “Since it was a semester system, you kind of slacked off for the first few weeks, and then it all kind of hit you at once,” Kirschner said. “Whereas here, since you expect it to be fast paced, you kind of can prepare for having a final every nine or 10 weeks instead of every 17.” It remains to be seen whether Cal Poly will make the move to a semester system, but one thing seems clear — student stress levels won’t be immune to the transition.
e e b s it ou r w on V i s it e r o f o r m Ho u r ” py “ Fr a p
MDnews 3
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
NATIONAL
SLO COUNTY
STATE
GROVER BEACH —
CARSON —
WASHINGTON, D.C. —
YEMEN —
The Grover Beach City Council plans to lay off six city employees to balance an estimated 10-percent deficit. The council discussed which positions will be eliminated Monday night. The layoffs would reduce Grover Beach’s number of full-time employees, which is already the lowest in the county, to 49. The city is also planning on combining the Parks and Recreation Department with the Community Development Department.
A 14-year-old boy accused of killing his father, federal ICE agent Myron Chisem, did not enter a plea to a murder charge at his initial juvenile court appearance Monday and will face a May 21 hearing on his fitness to be tried as an adult. The boy, whose name has not been released by authorities, is accused of firing a single shot that struck Chisem in the head as he sat watching TV in the family room of their home in Carson.
Intent on taking his presidential campaign all the way to the GOP convention this summer, Texas Rep. Ron Paul has mounted an offensive in key caucus states, swiping would-be delegates from presumed nominee Mitt Romney in an effort to gain relevance in a race that is generally considered over. While there does not appear to be a path for Paul to win the nomination, that isn’t stopping the Texas congressman’s fervent supporters.
The CIA thwarted a plot by alQaida’s affiliate in Yemen to destroy a U.S.-bound airliner using a bomb with a sophisticated new design around the one-year anniversary of the killing of Osama bin Laden. The plot involved an upgrade of the underwear bomb that failed to detonate aboard a jetliner over Detroit on Christmas 2009. This new bomb was also designed to be used in a passenger’s underwear, but this time al-Qaida developed a more refined detonation system, U.S. officials said.
INTERNATIONAL
American kidnapped by al-Qaida pleads for life in video SAEED SHAH
McClatchy Newspapers
An American aid worker kidnapped last year by al-Qaida militants in Pakistan has made an impassioned video appeal to President Barack Obama to save his life. Seventy-year-old Warren Weinstein, abducted by a squad of armed men from his home in the eastern city of Lahore in August, begged Obama to meet his captors’ demands in the video released by al-Qaida’s media arm — the first footage of Weinstein to surface since his capture. “My life is in your hands, Mr. President. If you accept the demands, I live. If you don’t accept the demands, then I die,” Weinstein said in the recording, which was released late Sunday and made available on YouTube. The video — whose recording date was unclear — followed an audio recording released in December in which al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahri acknowledged holding Weinstein and demanded that the United States end airstrikes against his group and release its prisoners being held in American jails. Among those held is Khalid Sheik Mohammed, who was arraigned at the Guantanamo Bay detention center Saturday along with four other defendants accused of orchestrating the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Weinstein spoke calmly, dressed in a traditional Pakistani outfit of baggy trousers and shirt, and appearing against a plain white backdrop. He said he would like his wife, Elaine, to know that he was well and receiving his medication for heart problems he suffered from before his capture. In front of him was a table with books and some
food, which Weinstein ate as he spoke, as if to show he was being fed. Addressing Obama directly in the video, Weinstein said, “I know that you have two daughters that you enjoy. You are with them, you spend time with them, but I get the feeling that you’re not paying any attention or care about my problem or my needs, and you’re not paying attention and you don’t give much importance to my situation.” In Washington, White House spokesman Jay Carney said that Obama was aware of the video but didn’t believe that the president had seen it. He said the White House was “greatly concerned for Mr. Weinstein’s safety and his well-being” and called for his immediate release, but he said, “We cannot and will not negotiate with al-Qaida.” Humanitarian work in Pakistan has been rocked by a series of kidnappings of locals and foreigners, including the beheading last month of a captured British aid worker in the western city of Quetta, who was presumed also to have been in the hands of Islamic extremists. While the abductions often have ideological motives, they are also a means for Pakistani militants to raise money. American aid professionals in Pakistan help oversee a wide array of programs funded by $1.5 billion in annual U.S. civilian assistance to a country that is supposed to be a key strategic ally of Washington. Weinstein, who has a home in Rockville, Md., and was working at the time of his capture for a private American aid contractor, J.E. Austin Associates, also spelled out a career in public service that includes a stint with the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. government body dedicated to humanitarian assistance. “I’ve done a lot of service for
my country, and I would hope that my country will now look after me and take care of me and meet the demands of the mujahedeen,” or holy warriors, Weinstein said. “I think that it is important that you act quickly.” Analysts believe that Weinstein is being held in Pakistan’s tribal area, the lawless border zone that runs along the border with Afghanistan and where U.S. officials have suggested that al-Zawahri also is hiding. Missile strikes by unmanned U.S. drone aircraft in the tribal belt, which continue despite opposition from Pakistan, have killed more than three dozen highand mid-ranking al-Qaida operatives in recent years. Last week marked the anniversary of the U.S. raid that killed al-Qaida founder Osama bin Laden in a town north of the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. Speaking Monday during a visit to India, Pakistan’s archenemy, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called al-Qaida’s presence in Pakistan a top concern. “We want to disable al-Qaida and we have made a lot of progress in doing that,” Clinton told an audience in the city of Kolkata. “There are several significant leaders still on the run. Zawahri, who inherited the leadership from bin Laden, is somewhere, we believe, in Pakistan.” In response, Pakistan’s foreign minister, Hina Rabbani Khar, said that Pakistan had no information on al-Zawahri’s whereabouts. “Al-Qaida is a mutual enemy of Pakistan and the U.S.,” Khar told a parliamentary committee. Al-Qaida works closely with the Pakistani Taliban and other domestic extremist groups, which analysts say are more likely to carry out kidnappings. While Pakistan’s government cooperates in the fight against al-Qaida, it has a more am-
MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
Warren Weinstein, 70, was kidnapped Aug. 13, 2011. bivalent attitude toward other jihadist groups and is currently seeking a peace deal with the Pakistani Taliban. Separately, on Sunday, Pakistani militants captured soldiers and executed two of them, sticking their severed heads on poles in Miran Shah, the main town in North Waziristan, part of the tribal area.
MDarts 4
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
IMAX brings new life to downtown SLO
COURTESY GRAPHIC
The proposed Fremont Square will connect the two already existing theaters, Fremont and Mission Cinemas, to a new IMAX theater that will face Higuera Street in downtown San Luis Obispo. DAVID YRIARTE
davidyriarte.md@gmail.com
Downtown San Luis Obispo may be getting an upgrade. Local developers Rob Rossi and John King are working to potentially bring an IMAX movie theater to the area. The proposed theater would be built in the small parking lot behind the already existing Fremont Theater. The two cinemas would be connected to create The Fremont Square Entertainment Complex. “The backside of that lot is dead at night, we would like to create a great venue to liv-
en up Higuera Street,” Rossi said. “It would be more than an IMAX; it will be a multipurpose building.” IMAX is known for larger screens, superb sound quality and immersive technology. There are approximately 600 IMAX theaters around the world, and the closest one to San Luis Obispo is at the Hearst Castle Visitor Center. With a new IMAX, the Fremont Square will be a focal point of entertainment downtown. Rossi said he wants construction to begin in 2013. The plan for the new entertainment complex is already submitted
and awaiting the outcome of an administrative hearing that should take place in June. If constructed, the proposed theater would be used for IMAX films, live performances, private meetings and educational exhibitions, Rossi said. IMAX has an extensive library of education films that would be available to use in the proposed theater, which will seat approximately 300. Such events could be held at the neighboring Mission Cinemas, but at a smaller level. The Mission Cinemas, neighboring the Fremont, was built in 1984 and is in dire need of re-
pairs, Rossi said. The proposed plan will include renovations to the three screens, allowing a smaller theater experience with approximately 90 to 100 seats, Rossi said. “We just want to dress up this great venue,” Rossi said. “When it is done, it will be perfect for private events and meetings.” Though downtown will get a new building and old ones are being upgraded, Rossi said he wants to keep the vintage feel of the Fremont alive. He purchased an old Warner Brothers fully neon marquee that was once on the Granada Theatre in Santa Barbara. The
sign is the same vintage as the Fremont’s, but significantly different, he said. According to Tim Ronda, the principle architect at SDG Architects, one main lobby will connect the three theaters: IMAX, Fremont and Mission. This allows access to all of the theaters from either Monterey or Higuera streets. Another interesting feature of the proposed IMAX theater is a sawtooth roof. The roof is designed to support photovoltaic solar panels and to enhance the acoustics of the theater. “There is a big buzz going around about this theater,” Ron-
da said. “We submitted it earlier this week and have gotten a favorable response from the city.” The locals are also excited about the proposed Fremont Square. San Luis Obispo resident Nate Christian said he thinks a new IMAX will improve the moviegoing experience and is interested to see the neon marquee. “I’ve been to IMAX a few times now and love it,” Christian said. “It’s a different experience — seeing a movie or documentary on a such a large screen with perfect sound. It would be an awesome addition to downtown.”
MDarts 5
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Celebrate Mom’s Day with edible flowers Heather Rockwood is a food science senior and Mustang Daily food columnist. This Sunday marks a very special day: A day in which we recognize Mom for all the things she did, and still does, for us. As I was perusing the many gift ideas Google has so graciously provided, I saw two recurring gift ideas: flowers and food (more specifically, brunch). As a food columnist and avid proponent of all things food, one would assume I would automatically go for the food gift, but I’ll have you know there is a special place in my heart for flowers as well. So, I’m left with a tough choice, but being the bright Cal Poly student I am, I did what any other Mustang would do; I combined them and went for the best of both worlds — edible flowers. At first glance, eating flowers sounds a tad absurd, but when you get down to it, we eat fruits that are part of flowering plants, and dried flowers can often be found in many teas, which makes the idea not too farfetched after all. Although, like any foods that are gathered from the floor of nature, there is a potential danger as not all flow-
ers are edible. Take a moment to discover the world of edible flowers in order to give Mom a gift that is not only delightfully beautiful but will also make her taste buds sing. Dating back to cultures in 140 B.C., eating flowers is old news to humanity as a whole. But if you’re anything like me, I’m a flower-eating novice — though I do distinctly remember growing up on sweet honeysuckles (but not the berries which are actually poisonous). As a flower novice, it is vital to research the flowers you plan to eat and make sure they are indeed a safe variety. These edible varieties do not include flowers from your florist. They also don’t include any buds sprayed with pesticides. One of the best ways to obtain edible flowers is to actually grow them yourself (this method may have to wait until next Mother’s Day for some of us). If you don’t have the time or will power to grow your own edible flowers, they are increasing in culinary popularity, and some varieties are easier to get a hold of than others. One popular type, the squash blossom, is commonly found during
its season right here in the streets of San Luis Obispo at Farmers’ Market. This particular blossom actually ends up tasting like the squash it comes from; just as if you let a basil plant blossom, it tastes like basil, but with a little more spice. There are many common herbs that if allowed to blossom, add quite a style to salads and other dishes; however, I am particularly drawn to the flowers that seem too pretty to eat, but actually are. Some of these include roses, violets, pansies, hibiscus and even dandelions. These flowers can be candied, placed on top of cakes, cookies and ice cream and add not only decorative beauty but delicious flavor. Many of these flowers are not uncommon and are not too hard to get your hands on, but I do want to remind you that before you go picking the flowers on the side of the road or from your neighbor’s garden, do some research and be sure it is a bud that will tickle your tastebuds and not turn your tummy. This Mother’s Day, I encourage you to remind Mom just how much you appreciate her by giving her the flowered cake and letting her eat it too.
MD op/ed 6 MUSTANG DAILY Graphic Arts Building Building 26, Suite 226 California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Doing the staff shuffle
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WRITE A LETTER Mustang Daily reserves the right to edit letters for grammar, profanities, and length. Letters, commentaries and cartoons do not represent the views of the Mustang Daily. Please limit length to 250 words. Letters should include the writer’s full name, phone number, major and class standing. Letters must come from a Cal Poly email account. Do not send letters as an attachment. Please send the text in the body of the email. EMAIL mustangdaily@gmail.com mustangdailyopinion@gmail.com ADVERTISING EMAIL advertising@mustangdaily.net
KARLEE PRAZAK
karleeprazak.md@gmail.com
Throughout the year, current Mustang Daily staff is constantly reminded of past staff. Whether it’s telling someone to check an article written by a former reporter or hearing from a potential source that “in the past the Mustang Daily has done (fill in the blank), so I don’t want to be quoted,” we’re constantly reminded of the past. One thing most people around campus (and new staff members) probably don’t realize is that the Mustang Daily staff turnover rate is extremely high. Each year, Mustang Daily gets basically an entirely new staff. Some of the people might be the same, but they are typically in entirely new positions. Take myself for example. I started out as a copy editor during Summer 2010, and this year, I found myself with my own desk in an office as the managing editor. And this is the best example of why the top editors sometimes need to be filled in or do some research on what Mustang Daily did four, five or six years ago. Our general manager has stayed the same, but for as long as I’m aware, the two “management” positions on the editorial side of the paper — the editor-inchief (EIC) and their right-
It had to happen sometime, and it should help me overcome the stage of denial I’m in about graduating in less than a month. hand-(wo)man, the managing editor — change every single year. Even the Mustang Daily adviser position has done some shuffling amongst professors in the past five or so years. The yearly staff shuffle, hiring of new staff members and, most importantly, hiring of the two top editor positions comes every spring quarter. So it’s that time of year again. On Tuesday of last week, I was able to sit in on the EIC interview process and give my two-cents because of my current position at the paper, and the fact that I’m graduating in June. The three candidates presented themselves amazingly considering they were faced with seven journalism faculty members and myself (probably the least intimidating of the bunch), and each of them survived the Q-and-A portions of the interview. But like any hiring process, only one person can be chosen. So on Wednesday — after letting the hopefuls sweat it out for a night and probably run through their individual interviews a million
times — the position was offered to journalism senior Brian De Los Santos, who accepted. The way the process works is that next year’s EIC offers the managing editor position to someone they feel is fit for the position. It’s only a matter of days until De Los Santos completes this task. And once that happens, I will enter my dreaded lame-duck period. It had to happen sometime, and it should help me overcome the stage of denial I’m in about graduating in a month. After the managing editor is chosen, he or she and the EIC conduct interviews to hire next year’s staff. For anyone — no matter your major — who is interested in applying for a position at the Mustang Daily, now is the time to polish up your résumé and decide where you’d fit best on the staff. And if you have questions, feel free to stop by the newsroom; someone should be here to help you out. Until then, I’m going to go try to enforce a bunch of policies to prove I’m not a lame duck.
Letter to the Editor I am writing in regards to the article titled “Sexual Assault Report Explained.” This article was quite alarming to read as the coordinator of Safer at Cal Poly and someone very involved in the movement to prevent sexual assaults at Cal Poly. My main concern is how reporting of sexual assault was portrayed in the article. This article made the reporting process at Cal Poly seem very confusing, long and too much work to even consider. This is the opposite feeling Safer would like to have when considering reporting a sexual assault or any other crime. First, I would like it to be known that if a student would like to talk to someone regarding a sexual assault, Safer is the best first-stop resource. Everyone working with Safer are state-certified rape crisis counselors and are trained people on campus on how to be effective first responders to sexual assault victims. Safer acts as advocates for the survivor as we plan for next steps for the survivor. Safer students do not need to report anything and are safe people to talk to if you are concerned with talking about your situation. Second, I would like it to be known that reporting a sexual assault to any faculty or staff is not an overwhelming and difficult process. The Title IX officer/Jean Decosta’s main function is to support and protect the educational environment for all students. This means giving students all resources available to them. Safer would like the student body to understand that reporting a sexual assault is not a treacherous process. It is something that can empower survivors and give them the support and safety to succeed after the incident. Everyone has a choice to do what is best for him or her to heal and Safer supports any decision the survivor makes. Although, the more reports we receive, the more we cannot ignore the need to change behaviors and attitudes around sexual and relationship violence. Recapping the information: • • • • • •
Safer is the first stop resource for anyone affected by sexual assault, relationship violence and stalking. Safer has advocates for all the Cal Poly community. Safer can talk to you about hypothetical’s and discuss any options for survivors and loved ones. Safer has a six-week program for accused perpetrators. Reporting a sexual assault is not a complicated process. Call 805-756-2282 or email safer@calpoly.edu for any more information
Christina Kaviani ckaviani@calpoly.edu (805) 756-2282 Staff Member Mustang Daily reserves the right to edit letters for grammar, profanities, and length. Letters, commentaries and cartoons do not represent the views of the Mustang Daily. Please limit length to 250 words. Letters should include the writer’s full name, phone number, major and class standing. Letters must come from a Cal Poly email account. Do not send letters as an attachment. Please send the text in the body of the email.
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Tax reform: how many times do we need to call for it?
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The following editorial appeared in the Los Angeles Times on May 4.
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Tuesday, May 8, 2012 Volume LXXVI, Number 118 ©2012 Mustang Daily
“He’s like the journalism slut ... he tries all the concentrations.”
Republicans and Democrats agree the federal tax system is broken, but they couldn’t disagree more strongly about how to fix it. That’s true largely because each side clings to a different set of theories about how taxes affect the country, only some of which bear much relationship to reality. Hoping to dispel a few of the myths pervading the debate, a Washington think tank offered a report this week laying out a dozen facts about tax reform. The bottom line: Good fiscal policy
WILDFLOWER continued from page 8
again. We eat promptly so we can digest our food before the race starts at 9 a.m. We put on uniforms, double check we have everything we need in our transition bag and bike down to the lake marina. The area is full of racers, volunteers and spectators, and I can feel the excitement building inside of me. We set up our transition stations, get our race numbers written on our bodies, go to the bathroom one last time, then slip on our wetsuits and head down to the boat ramp for the swim start. As the race announcer prepares us for the hours to come, we were told that Ironman World Champion Chris McCormack and Julie
comes at a steep political cost. Because the report was released by the Hamilton Project, an economic policy initiative by the left-of-center Brookings Institution, conservatives may find it easy to dismiss the findings. Nevertheless, there’s ammunition here for policymakers on both sides of the partisan divide. For example, the report notes that eliminating tax breaks for oil companies, corporate jets and corporate takeover artists — three frequent targets for Democrats — would have a trivial impact on the federal deficit. On the other hand, the report rejects the conservative Repub-
lican notion that tax cuts yield so much economic growth that they practically pay for themselves. Rounding up data from all U.S. income tax cuts since the Kennedy administration, the report states that reducing individual tax rates leads at best to modest increases in income, employment and work effort. And when the reductions are financed by more government borrowing (as the tax cuts in 2001 and 2003 were), the data suggest that the economy grows more slowly than it would have otherwise over the long run. The most commonly touted tax reform these days is one that would lower rates while
reducing the number of credits, deductions and exemptions. Such “tax expenditures” not only cost the government more than Social Security, Medicare or defense, the report observes, but they distort the market by favoring selected industries, investments and funding sources. But many of these tax expenditures were designed to promote things society values, such as health insurance, homeownership and capital investment. And unless policymakers are willing to curtail such popular breaks, they won’t be able to lower rates much without raiding the Treasury. For instance, to cover the cost
of lowering individual income tax rates as far as GOP candidate Mitt Romney has proposed, Washington would have to roll back the mortgage interest deduction and health insurance subsidies, raise the tax rate on capital gains and eliminate all itemized deductions. Romney and President Obama have both spoken blithely about tax reform without specifying how they would accomplish it. The Hamilton Project’s report should make voters skeptical of such promises. Just because the two parties agree that the tax code needs to be overhauled doesn’t mean it will be easy to do so.
Moss (famous for crawling across the finish line at the Kona Ironman Championship race in 1982) are joining the racers. Then, it’s time. We holler out our last team cheer in the remaining minute before the start. Ten, nine, eight … three, two, one. Go! The water is a flurry of legs, arms and white water as swimmers push and shove their way to the front of the pack. I have to keep my head out of the water (to avoid the misfortune of being kicked in the face) until the pack breaks up and I have a clear area in front of me. Then, I’m able to speed up. The buoys seem so far apart, and halfway through the swim I feel like I have been swimming forever. Finally, I see the last turning buoy and make my way to the shore. My arms are tired and my heart rate is high. But as I drag myself up the boat ramp,
I hear my teammates cheering for me as I run to transition. I strap on my helmet, slip into my bike shoes and grab my bike. Go time! I try to slow my heart rate as I begin the ascent up the dreaded mile of Lynch Hill. When I finally make it to the top, I am exhausted, but I steady my breathing and carry onward. The hills are rough, but I use the downhills and flats to my advantage. As I pass by the volunteers I hear cheers for Cal Poly. I see my teammates go by as I encroach upon the turnaround. By the last uphills of the bike course, my legs are worn out and I still have an hour-long run ahead of me. OK, this is going to be the hard part. When I get into transition, I hoist my bike back up on the rack and grab my running shoes. It is now 11 a.m. and 82 degrees, and I am exhausted. All I think about is
moving one leg in front of the other. It takes every effort I have just to do this. When I hit the long hill at Mile 3, I decide to walk since my run would be about the same pace as my walk at this point. I need to conserve my energy if I am going to finish. All I can think about is how much I want to quit the race and sit down in the shade. But I carry onward. As I reach each aid station, I force myself to keep going and the volunteers’ cheers make all the difference. When I finally reach the last uphill, my teammates are there once again to cheer me on. This is it. All I have to do is run the last mile down Lynch Hill. I can do that. I feel out of control as I hurtle myself downhill. And as I reach the last turn of the hill, I hear the announcer and enter the finish chute. Most people sprint this last portion of the race, but I have one pace left:
slow. I finish in 3 hours and 15 minutes. I’ll take it! The only other time I have felt so relieved was when I ran under the finish arch at last year’s Wildflower. Wildflower is ironic. For being such a painful race, I will always think of it as my favorite race. At the end of the day, I forget the pain of those last 6.2 miles. I remember how pumped I felt cheering for my teammates racing the Long Course. I remember the cheering crowds and the passing athletes telling me “Good job” and “You can do this.” I am inspired by the disabled athletes that are missing limbs and are not only still able to race, but annihilate me on this course. Most of all, I love the positive, motivating and uplifting atmosphere of Wildflower. Even though this course puts me through so much pain, I just can’t stop racing it.
MDsports 7
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
TRACK continued from page 8
took second in the men’s 1,500 in a dual meet against UC Santa Barbara earlier this season hopes his strong performances in his main events — the 1,500 and 5,000 — translate to postseason success. “I want to set a time for regionals,” Cardona said. “Somewhere near 3:46 to 3:48. We’ve gotten a lot of guys to step up to the plate this season. We all know each others’ strengths and weaknesses. We all work together and strive to help each
other improve.” Derek Thomas, a junior out of San Leandro, holds the Big West’s fastest time of 3:46.08 in the 1,500. Thomas and Cardona look to headline a championship push for the Cal Poly men’s distance runners. Team captain Eric Surprenaunt also has high hopes for his performance in the 400 meter hurdles. Surprenaunt, who went to finals last year with a time of 52.80, has improved to a 51.93 time this year, seeding him at third overall in the event. Surprenaunt said he hopes his run doesn’t end at regionals, but continues on to
nationals and then, eventually, the Olympic trials. Chris Frias and Sean Davidson both are aiming to advance to regionals for the longest race, the 10,000-meter run. Frias holds the second best time in the conference at 29:44.14 with Davidson sitting comfortably at 29:56.38. Pole vaulters Kyle Inks and John Prader went back and forth, both setting personal records during the dual meet against the Gauchos. Inks cleared 17 feet 8.5 inches, while Prader cleared 17 feet 2.5 inches. As for the sprinters, earlier this season Jamison Jordan posted
a 10.56 which tied him with Cal State Northridge’s Thomas Henry for the fastest time in the Big West. Jordan pulled out of the 100-meter dash against UCSB after he suffered from a cramp in his calf and will attempt to rebound in Irvine “Anything can happen,” Conover said. “Everyone stands a chance. You never know until they run the race or go out on the field.” On the women’s side, Cal State Northridge has dominated the conference in the last decade and will attempt to win their seventh straight Big West title this weekend. The team had a disappointing sixth place finish last year. “We are very young,” Conover said. “A lot of people will be getting some experience. We have some seasoned veterans, but we also have some younger women who have a chance to do very well.” Freshmen mid-distance runner Annie Whitford has benefited from the leaders on the team and expects they will be successful over the weekend. “Our girl’s team is extremely close,” Whitford said. “We are all there to support each other and we have a lot of chemistry.” Freshman Jenna Davis headlines the youthful Mus-
tangs. Davis has posted the fastest times in the 600- and 800-meter races for the Mustangs coming in at 1:33.98 and 2:13.03, respectively. Alongside Davis, Jessica Williams looks to make a mark at conference. With strong times in the 100 and 200, she hopes to advance past conference and onward to regionals. Cal Poly opened the multievents on May 4 to 5 in Irvine to start off the conference meet.
In the multi-events, Whitney Sisler placed sixth overall in the women’s heptathlon. Calynn Stanford placed 11th overall. UCSB’s Barbara Nwaba took first overall in the end. Sisler is a top high-jumper nationally, making it to nationals last year. Her development has allowed her to compete in the heptathlon, where she placed sixth at the multi-event Big West Championships last weekend.
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Derek Thomas (left) claims the Big West’s top 800-meter mark; he clocked a 3:46.08 in the two-lap race. He and David Cardona will race in the 1,500 meter this weekend. TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED AD:
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MDsports 8
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Wild times at Wildflower event Wildflower 2012 — the Woodstock of the Triathlon Community. RENEE HAMILTON
Special to the Mustang Daily
As we pull into the campground entrance at Lake San Antonio on Friday afternoon,
my fellow triathletes and I are in our element. Cyclists dominate the roads, warming up for the big races ahead. Three of us have been squished together in the cabin of a small Tacoma for the hour-long drive to the lake. There is not much room to stretch out, considering we also have five race bikes, two tents, three sets of race gear
and an unprecedented amount of fuel (food) to get us through the next couple days. This year more than 900 Cal Poly students came to volunteer for the weekend. Many come to cheer on the athletes, party and generally have a good time. I would say this is a pretty wellknown fact. However, what
COURTESY PHOTO
Renee Hamilton (above) competes with the Cal Poly triathlon club and raced in the Olympic Distance event at Wildflower, an annual triathlon event held last weekend, at Lake San Antonio.
most people at Cal Poly don’t think of when they hear “Wildflower” is the team of 80 or so athletes who devote more than 10 hours a week during the entire school year to training for this event. The pain, the suffering and the intensity these athletes experience on race day starts long before Wildflower. The Cal Poly Triathlon Team is the biggest sports club on campus and was recently awarded “Sport Club of the Year” by Associated Students, Inc. Coming from a mixed array of sporting backgrounds, the members of our club fuse together to train roughly six to nine times a week for several collegiate triathlons, which culminate in our USA Triathlon (USAT) Nationals race as well as Wildflower. For those who have never volunteered at, raced or even heard of Wildflower, Saturday’s event features a Mountain Bike Course (400 meter swim, 9.7 mile bike and 2 mile run) and a Long Course (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run). Sunday’s event, in which most of our Cal Poly triathletes participate, is the Olympic Distance race (0.9 mile swim, 24.8 mile bike and 6.2 mile run). Known for being one of the hottest and hilliest courses in California, Wildflower has the reputation of one of the most challenging triathlons in the U.S. This year, I took on the Olympic Course for the second time in a row. As a Cal Poly triathlete, I will break our Wildflower weekend up into three different parts.
Part 1: We cheer.
Saturday morning we wake up around 6 a.m. with the sun. Our brave long-course athletes are preparing for their race. As the racers prepare their spots in the transition area (the place where athletes go to switch out belongings between each leg of the race), the rest of the team treks down to the start of the swim course to cheer them on as they exit the swim. After picking up our packets in the expo, the other Olympic Distance competitors and I head back up to the campground to cheer for our racers (and others) on Mile 8 of the run. Part 2: We feast. Once all of our long-course athletes have finished their race (imagine a seven-hour workout), it is time for us to eat the amazing food our team parents kindly prepared for us. After dinner, we take a team photo and then engage in a traditional team run around the campground to get ready for the next day. During this year’s run we were even paid a nice visit by Long Course winner Jesse Thomas. As the night rolls in, we get to bed early, but I am usually too excited and nervous to fall asleep right away. I visualize what is to come the next day and run over lists in my head of everything I will need for my race. Part 3: We Race. We wake up at 6 a.m. once see WILDFLOWER, pg. 6
Track & field preps for Big West finals CONOR MULVANEY
conormulvaney.md@gmail.com
Cal Poly men’s and women’s track teams are set to compete in the Big West Conference Championship on May 11 and 12 in Irvine where they aim to improve on their third and seventh place finishes in 2011, respectively. “There will be a lot of strong competitors this year,” head coach Mark Conover said. “A lot of programs are really loaded up this year. There is going to be great competition all around.” Long Beach State, the defending men’s champion, retained a strong team, Conover said, and will be a main source of competition for the Mustangs. “We bring an outstanding group of individuals in a variety of events,” he said. “It’s where we have been at for some time.” The men’s long distance runners provide the backbone to the Cal Poly lineup and are expected to score well for the Mustangs. Sophomores Chris Frias and Sean Davidson both aim to advance to regionals barring strong performances in the 10K. Specifically, the men’s 1,500-meter run looks to be a strong spot for Cal Poly. David Cardona, who see TRACK, pg. 7