Recent News
Journalism student Omar Rashad offered paid fellowship at the CalMatters College Journalism Network
Nov 17, 2020
By Sophia Lincoln
Cal Poly journalism student Omar Rashad is one of 14 college journalists to be selected for a paid fellowship with the CalMatters College Journalism Network.
Omar Rashad joins CalMatters College Journalism Network
CalMatters first launched the network earlier this year with the intention of both improving their higher education coverage by focusing on student voices and providing training and career opportunities for student journalists from underrepresented communities.
Rashad has been a part of the CalMatters team since March of 2020, and he was also selected for one of their summer 2020 internships through the Dow Jones News Fund.
According to Rashad, the network has been focusing on the varying impacts of the pandemic as well as state legislation on higher education since he was first selected in March.
“Since March, I’ve been reporting on California higher education,” Rashad said. “I’ve written about several topics, many of them focusing on students underrepresented in the media.”
Some of Rashad’s articles have also been distributed to other news organizations including CAP Radio and KCRW.
Rashad also had the opportunity to speak at and co-moderate CalMatters panels focused on community college education during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rashad says the fellowship has given him the opportunity to report on under-reported topics. “You don’t typically see stories about community college students in the mainstream [media],” Rashad said. “Community college is not covered as much as it should be in California. So, a lot of these stories just go untold.”
Rashad also covered a story about Muslim students practicing the month of Ramadan during the pandemic, the ethnic studies requirement disagreement between state legislators and the California State University system, and the University of California suing the Trump administration over its visa guidelines.
“I think much of my coverage at CalMatters follows that baseline of writing about people and issues that aren’t discussed enough in the media,” Rashad said. “I think it’s important to intentionally ask yourself what stories are missing from today’s coverage and which communities are not represented well when we talk about education.”
As a journalism major, Rashad is grateful for the real-life reporting experience he is able to gain through his fellowship. He hopes to continue to communicate with students across California and listen to their differing experiences and perspectives.
“Colleges and universities are microcosms of everything going on in the world right now,” Rashad said. “There’s something about the news gathering and reporting process that is equal parts educational and grounding.”
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Two College of Liberal Arts students have been selected to represent Cal Poly on the Western Psychological Association Student Council
Nov 17, 2020
By Sophia Lincoln
In October, Cal Poly psychology students Rebecca Luenser and America Romero were selected by the Western Psychological Association (WPA) Student Council Executive committee to represent Cal Poly on the WPA Student Council for the 2020-21 academic year.
The WPA is an academic and professional association and a regional affiliation of the American Psychological Association (APA), according Luenser. The association hosts an annual conference where students and academics may present papers, check out various presentations and listen to distinguished guest speakers. This year, the multi-day conference was held virtually from Oct. 28-31.
"It is unusual to have two members of the council from one campus," wrote a member of the WPA Student Council Executive Committee. "The committee was impressed by both of you, and after discussion we decided to experiment with two representatives."
“This is the first time they’ve had two representatives, and I think it’s great to have a partner where we share ideas in promoting interest and supporting students' experiences,” Romero said.
Romero first heard about the opportunity from her Beacon Scholars mentor Professor Kelly Bennion, whose previous research assistant was chosen for the position last year. Similarly, Luenser heard about the position from Professor Laura Freberg.
Both students have the role of representing the WPA at Cal Poly, which includes speaking to students about the WPA and their resources, hosting workshops to prepare for the conference, attending the WPA Student Council meeting at the convention and innovating new methods to highlight what the WPA has to offer, according to Luenser.
Luenser and Romero both hope to expand their experience with psychological research through this opportunity.
“Personally, my biggest hope in joining the WPA is to extend my professional network, whether at Cal Poly or outside of it,” Luenser said. “My undergraduate years are quickly coming to an end at a strange time. As I begin the process of applying to graduate programs and planning my next steps, it is important that I pass on the insights and knowledge that I've learned along the way. The world of academia can be quite daunting as a first-generation student, and it is my goal to make the path a little smoother for those who travel behind me.”
Romero is particularly interested in cognitive psychology and specifically memory while Luenser is interested in studying animal behavior and cognition.
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Cal Poly’s Mustang Media Group Wins 19 National Awards
Nov 3, 2020
SAN LUIS OBISPO — Mustang Media Group, the Cal Poly Journalism Department’s student-run integrated media organization, recently won 19 national awards at the Associated Collegiate Press (ACP) and the College Media Association (CMA) virtual awards ceremony.
The group’s honors included three first-place awards, two second-place awards, one third-place award, and four honorable mentions from the ACP. The CMA awarded the group two first-place awards, five third-place awards, and one honorable mention.
“The students at Mustang Media Group have done amazing work all year in all multimedia formats,” said Jon Schlitt, Mustang Media Group general manager. “I’m thrilled to see their efforts from before the onset of the pandemic recognized — and especially pleased to see many of their efforts after the onset of the pandemic recognized. It shows amazing versatility and the ability to put forth nationally recognized work no matter the circumstances and challenges in front of them.”
ACP is a national organization consisting of collegiate journalists and journalism advisers. It has more than 570 members that focus on supporting students and teachers through journalism education and professional development. The awards that Mustang Media Group received from ACP are:
- First Place, Best Audio Ad — Sylvester’s
- First Place, Best Special Section — Adventure Awaits
- First Place, Best Rate Card — Steven Nguyen
- Second Place, Best Multimedia Sports Story — Adam Birder
- Second Place, Best Video Advertisement
- Third Place, Best COVID coverage — Samantha Spitz
- Honorable mention, Best Print Ad — Von Balanon
- Honorable mention, Best Newspaper Design Spread — Solena Aguilar
- Honorable mention, Best Interactive Graphic — Lauren Walike
- Honorable mention, Best Breaking News Story — Aidan McGloin
CMA’s Pinnacle Awards focus on honoring various college media organizations and individual projects. All print, broadcast and online outlets that were produced by college media organizations can be entered to win. CMA is a national organization with more than 700 members that help advise collegiate media across the U.S. The awards that Mustang Media Group received from CMA are:
- First Place, Best Special Event Audio Coverage — KCPR
- First Place, Best Video Sportscast
- Third Place, Best Feature Photo
- Third Place, Best Sports Multimedia Story
- Third Place, Best Video Entertainment Program
- Third Place, Best Video Promo
- Third Place, Best In-House Advertisement
- Honorable Mention, Best Newspaper Photo Page Spread
At the virtual awards ceremony, Mustang Media Group earned the following Best of Show awards:
- First Place, Multimedia News
- Sixth Place, Website (enrollment higher than 10k)
- Ninth Place, Newspaper (weekly)
- Ninth Place, Social Justice Reporting
Mustang Media Group is Cal Poly’s award-winning student-run media organization, which includes Mustang News, KCPR-FM, MNTV and MN Public Relations. For more information about Mustang Media Group, go to www.mustangnews.net.
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Cal Poly Sets Virtual Bandfest for Nov. 15
Nov 3, 2020
SAN LUIS OBISPO — Nearly 300 Cal Poly students virtually presented the annual Bandfest concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15.
Cal Poly’s Wind Ensemble, Mustang Marching Band and Wind Orchestra performed works ranging from the sublime to the evocative. Bandfest began with the Wind Orchestra’s performance of Julie Giroux’s “One Life Beautiful” and John Philip Sousa’s “Hands Across the Sea.” The Wind Ensemble then continued with Jennifer Jolley's “Lichtweg” and Richard Strauss’ “Serenade for Winds,” Op. 7.
The Mustang Band concluded the concert with Cal Poly school songs and other examples of work they have been rehearsing this quarter.
The Wind Orchestra was conducted by Nicholas P. Waldron, Cal Poly’s associate director of bands. Director of Bands Christopher J. Woodruff conducted the Wind Ensemble.
“Fall quarter has brought significant challenges to how we normally operate,” Woodruff said. “Our students and faculty have moved mountains to meet those challenges — not only with social distancing and extra personal protective equipment — but with a sincere eagerness to make music and share it with one another.”
Tickets to the virtual event were $5 and could be purchased online from the Performing Arts Center.
To order by phone, call 805-SLO-4TIX (805-756-4849) between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The event was sponsored by Cal Poly’s Music Department, College of Liberal Arts and Instructionally Related Activities program.
For more information, visit the Music Department’s calendar website , email music@calpoly.edu or call 805-756-2406.
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Cal Poly Collaborative Seeks Pandemic Stories from Underrepresented Community Members
Nov 3, 2020
SAN LUIS OBISPO — A group of Cal Poly faculty and staff members have established the Central Coast Public Humanities Collaborative to support storytelling projects that cultivate greater understanding of communities on the Central Coast, especially from those whose voices have not been heard historically.
The team includes Farah Al-Nakib of the History Department; Padma Maitland of the Architecture Department; Steven Ruszczycky of the English Department and the Women’s, Gender and Queer Studies Department; Tom Trice of the History Department; and Grace Yeh of the Ethnic Studies Department.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the collaborative focused on gathering and sharing Central Coast residents’ stories during the outbreak through its Central Coast COVID-19 Snapshots project.
The team is inviting community members to share their experiences through interviews, online submissions or a collective journaling project to help create a space for communities to process such a significant and world-altering period.
Additionally, the team offers community members workshops in which they can learn about resources and receive guidance on ways to document their experiences.
Community members can sign up for the journaling project, submit stories and learn more at centralcoastsnapshots.online.
“How people have experienced the last few months with the pandemic, the stay-at-home orders, and the different working conditions is incredibly varied based on race, economic status and where they live,” said Yeh, who coordinates the Central Coast COVID-19 Snapshots project. “There is no singular experience during this time, and we need to be sure that we understand how our underrepresented and marginalized communities have been affected.”
Looking forward, the team hopes to the lay the foundation for a stronger culture of collaboration within the humanities at Cal Poly, with other academic fields at the university, and with the community at large.
The team is also collaborating with the Kennedy Library’s Special Collections and Archives and Creative Works.
Through work with students and community researchers and storytellers, who will be trained to share their practices with their fellow community members, the collaborative will ensure that their work is done “with” rather than “to” the groups that they serve.
“As the Central Coast has become more well-known over the years, we have been lax in sharing the experiences and voices of individuals from historically marginalized communities,” said Renee Reijo Pera, Cal Poly’s vice president for Research and Economic Development. “Amplifying these voices is central to our efforts to create a more diverse, equitable and inclusive community that reflects and serves the diverse people of California.”
The project is funded through Cal Poly’s Strategic Research Initiatives (SRI) program, a partnership involving Academic Affairs, Research and Economic Development and University Development. The SRI program identified proposals from Cal Poly faculty and staff that addressed problems facing the Central Coast, California and the world as a whole that also placed an emphasis on the role of undergraduate and graduate student research experiences. For more information about the SRI program, visit https://research.calpoly.edu/strategic-research-initiatives.
What Does a Congressional Internship Look Like Without Trip to D.C.? Panetta Intern Shares What He Learned
Oct 27, 2020
Panetta Institute Virtual Internship
WRITTEN BY KEEGAN KOBERL
Earlier this year, Imahn Daeenabi, a fourth-year political science major from Menlo Park, California, was selected as Cal Poly’s 2020 representative to the Panetta Institute’s Congressional Internship Program.
The Panetta Institute, founded by former United States Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and his wife, Sylvia, provides a variety of study opportunities to students in the California State University System and other schools.
Since 2001, a Cal Poly student has represented the university in the internship program, which includes two weeks of training at the Panetta Institute at CSU Monterey Bay and 11 weeks in Washington, D.C., working in the capitol office of a California congressional representative.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s Washington, D.C., portion of the internship was canceled, and the two-week session was moved to a virtual format.
Despite the change, Daeenabi found the experience to be a positive one.
Cal Poly News spoke to him about the experience.
Fourth-year political science major Imahn Daeenabi recently
completed the Panetta Institute's Congressional Internship
Program virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
What was your reaction to having the Washington, D.C., portion of the internship canceled?
It was disappointing for sure, but not completely unexpected given the circumstances. I could tell that the institute was doing everything it could to try and make the experience happen for us safely, but ultimately going to D.C. wasn’t possible.
The Panetta Institute moved all of the speaker sessions and seminars typically offered over a 13-week period into the two-week virtual session. What was that experience like?
It was an incredible learning experience! We had four speakers a day over the two-week period, and they covered all the topics that we would’ve gone over in our seminars in Washington, D.C. We heard from Secretary Leon Panetta, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, the House of Representatives Parliamentarian Thomas Wickham, former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, multiple members of Congress, representatives from federal agencies, former Supreme Court clerks and so many more great speakers. I was able to soak in so much information, and I feel like I learned just as much as I would have being in D.C. Getting to hear so many viewpoints, sides of issues, and facts about our government in such a short amount of time is really a credit to the institute and the Panettas.
Was there a speaker or presentation that stood out the most to you?
Hearing from Admiral William McRaven on national security and defense policy was fascinating. He had worked on the Osama Bin Laden raid and had a lot of great insight on leadership and decision-making. All the speakers really were fantastic though, and they covered an incredible range of topics, from social justice reform and the Supreme Court, to the role of a free press in democracy. It was a great opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of issues and get a start on issues that I hadn’t really thought about or researched before. One of the highlights of the experience is meeting all the representatives from around California.
Were you able to make some connections with your fellow interns virtually?
Absolutely. We’re able to stay connected via group chats and on social media and talk about how our classes are going this year and what we’re looking to do in the future. We are also connected to the network of former Panetta Interns, and it’s really a benefit to know so many individuals across the state who are motivated by public service.
What are the next steps for you?
I’ll be graduating from Cal Poly in June 2021 with my B.A. in political science, and I am planning to attend law school. This has always been my goal, but my time with the Panetta Institute has really solidified and reaffirmed that. I absolutely want to get involved in government as well, and I feel so much better prepared and even more motivated to get engaged sooner now. Even though I didn’t get to go to Washington, D.C., this year, I know that I want to be on Capitol Hill in some role or another one day. I’m truly grateful for the Panettas, the Slevin family, and everyone at Cal Poly and the institute who made this experience a positive one.
Story originally appeared in Cal Poly News
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Cal Poly Alumnus Selected for CSU Program to Support Doctoral Studies and Prepare for Faculty Opportunities
Oct 23, 2020
Gabriel Medina-Kim (Computer Science, '20)
Gabriel Medina-Kim, who graduated from Cal Poly in June 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in computer science and minors in gender, race, culture, science and technology and women’s and gender studies, was selected to the Chancellor’s Doctoral Incentive Program (CDIP) through the California State University (CSU) earlier this year.
Medina-Kim is pursuing his doctorate in science and technology studies (STS) at Rensselear Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. He plans to focus his studies on imagining anti-oppressive futures in computing and how the field of computer science can be taught, studied and performed in a way that centers on justice and equity.
“Before learning about CDIP, I had never considered pursuing a Ph.D., but I’m very fortunate to receive this support as well as support from Rensselear Polytechnic Institute to have this opportunity,” Medina-Kim said.
The goal of CDIP is to increase the number of faculty with the qualifications, motivation and skills needed to teach the diverse students of the CSU. Through the program, there will be workshops to help the scholars adjust to their doctoral programs and help them apply for faculty positions in the future. Additionally, certain loans will be made available exclusively to the CDIP scholars. Medina-Kim is one of 85 scholars selected by the CSU Chancellor this year. Cal Poly has now sent a graduate to the program three years in a row.
Medina-Kim will also work with a CSU faculty mentor throughout the five-year fellowship. Jane Lehr, director of Cal Poly’s Office of Student Research and a professor in ethnic studies and women’s, gender and queer studies will work with Medina-Kim in this role. Medina-Kim previously served as a teaching assistant for Lehr and worked with her on multiple research projects at Cal Poly focused on science, technology and society.
“I am thrilled that Gabriel is receiving this well-deserved support and recognition from the CSU and that he is able to continue his innovative and transformative work to reimagine the perspectives, goals, meanings and practices of computer science education via STS,” said Lehr. “I have already learned so much from and with Gabriel, and I’m looking forward to our continued partnership through this program and as faculty colleagues in the future.”
Although now in New York, Medina-Kim will continue to collaborate with Lehr and current Cal Poly students on a research project, “Engineering Social Good,” which looks at student-led humanitarian engineering projects in communities outside of the U.S. that are considered “impoverished” or “underdeveloped.” The project explores tensions between and the intentions and perceptions of students working on these projects and those whom the projects are meant to assist. In addition, the research is examining efforts by Cal Poly students and faculty to remake “engineering for good” projects to prioritize what the Design Justice Network describes as “sustainable, community-led and -controlled outcomes” that lead to “liberation from exploitative and oppressive systems.”
Originally from San Francisco, Medina-Kim hopes to return to California after the completion of his doctoral program and pursue faculty opportunities in his home state. Specifically, he hopes to work at a university where teaching is a focus and in balance with research.
“I love teaching, and I hope to be fortunate enough to continue that focus in my future faculty position,” said Medina-Kim. “I especially hope I can be teaching and researching in the areas of computing, science and technology studies and feminist studies – these fields need to be in conversation with one another, and I feel like this would be a benefit to both myself and my students.”
“I am lucky to have met people who share my research interests, and I hope I can be a similar kind of resource and advocate for my students in the future,” he added.
For more information about the Chancellor’s Doctoral Incentive Program, visit https://www2.calstate.edu/csu-system/faculty-staff/cdip
Story originally appeared in Cal Poly News
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An Update on Student Media: How Is Mustang Media Group Continuing to Operate Virtually
Oct 20, 2020
By Sophia Lincoln
The Journalism Department has gone virtual, and Mustang Media Group continues to innovate in the ways they bring news to the campus community.
Mustang Media Group (MMG) consists of Mustang News editorial teams across all platforms – print web, radio, and video – and the business team, which sells advertising on MMG outlets. Student journalism moved to this multimedia model a few years ago in order to reflect the increasingly interconnected worlds of broadcast and print media.
MMG is an independent student-run organization with a lot of support from Journalism Department faculty, staff and resources. In addition, the Advanced Newspaper Reporting Practicum and the Advanced Broadcast Journalism Practicum courses occasionally create content for MMG. Students are working on moving all content produced by the different platforms, including stories produced for KCPR and MNTV, on to mustangnews.net.
MMG Staff Meets on Zoom
Newspaper
In September, Mustang News distributed their first print newspaper since spring, when COVID-19 caused the print operation to shut down abruptly.
According to Mustang News Editor-in-Chief Sabrina Pascua, the Mustang News staff plans to continue printing a monthly edition for the time being. It will be distributed throughout campus and nearby areas.
“I think the newspaper allows our staff – designers especially – to put their skills into another platform, and I think the newspaper is just something that we all miss being a part of or being able to see on a weekly basis,” Pascua said.
She said it is unlikely they will return to publishing weekly editions anytime soon since classes and extracurricular activities are still mostly remote.
“Mustang News is one of the few college media organizations that is even doing a newspaper,” Pascua said. “A lot of other schools and universities are just not printing their papers at all, and I think the fact that we are able to print a monthly one just goes to show the commitment of our staff, both on the editorial and the advertising side, to put out this product for our community and our readers.”
Mustang News Video Team
During fall quarter, Mustang News’ video team has mostly been using Zoom recordings of interviews with sources and “vlog-style” self-recordings for video content.
“We are starting to do in-person [interviews] with masks if people feel comfortable,” video team member Daisy Kuenstler said.
Additionally, the video team just got individual green screens which they plan to use to bring back their “MN Now” shows which would be recorded at reporters’ homes.
Traditionally, the “MN Now” shows were recorded in the broadcast studio and would feature one to two-minute video broadcasts in which Mustang News staff cover the week’s top stories.
Kuenstler said that in addition to filming at home, the video team might also film outdoor on campus and around San Luis Obispo.
The video team’s next big project is a live election night show and a live mayoral debate, which can be viewed on the Mustang News website under “Watch” or listened to live on kcpr.org.
Journalism 353/MNTV
In contrast to the video team which produces supplemental video content for the news site, the Advanced Broadcast Journalism class, Journalism 353, produces a live weekly MNTV broadcast news show.
Students in the class are currently using advanced technology to connect to the broadcast studio remotely and to continue to produce the shows.
According to journalism senior Ruby Tincup who is taking the course this quarter, the broadcast students have been using Zoom and Zello, an app that emulates push-to-talk walkie-talkies over cell phone networks, to produce the shows virtually.
Students can log onto the broadcast studio computers remotely and access controls and playbacks using a virtual private network (VPN).
This allows students to have experience with all the technical production roles that they would use in a typical newsroom.
“[The Journalism Department] really tried their best to make it as real-deal as it could be, and it’s been going pretty well,” Tincup said. “I’m definitely learning a lot.”
While they are currently unable to broadcast directly to the campus channel via Zoom, the class still records their shows in one take as though they are live and broadcasts on the campus channel later in the day.
MNTV weekly shows can be viewed on the campus channel, on local channel 19 and on the Mustang News website under Mustang News TV.
Cal Poly Journalism’s Broadcast Engineer Specialist Thomas Morales created most of the virtual tools that Journalism 353 and radio station KCPR are using, according to Tincup.
“I learned how to do playbacks last week, which I had no idea how to do before,” Tincup said. “It was as if I was in the studio.”
KCPR Radio Team
When campus first moved to a virtual format back in spring, KCPR staff were able to quickly switch over to remote newscasts using online software including Cleanfeed and Zetta2Go.
This quarter, KCPR is still using these online tools to provide daily live news shows, but a few things have changed.
According to KCPR News Director Lauren Walike, KCPR is bringing back prerecorded wrap stories to the daily newscasts which she is also planning to publish on the website so that listeners can access them anytime, not just during the live shows.
“KCPR is really doing cutting edge things in terms of technology, and it’s been a great experience learning and adapting to the pandemic,” Walike said.
“I’m so fortunate to have such a great team of reporters to work with, everyone has been really flexible and putting in a lot of hard work to make our newscasts sound consistent and enjoyable for listeners,” Walike said.
KCPR news shows air live on weekdays from 9 to 10 a.m. and from 6 to 7 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday on KCPR 91.3 FM in San Luis Obispo and world-wide at kcpr.org.
Mustang Business Team
The business team, which includes marketing and advertising, is also working hard to sell ads and provide the revenue necessary for Mustang Media Group to function.
Advertising Manager Brynna Barton says the advertising team is selling ads virtually, and they have created a new distribution plan to reach students as well as the local community.
“We have been coming up with innovative ideas for editions and creating sales strategies to navigate the market,” Barton said.
Mustang Business is also very much involved Mustang Media Group’s special edition publications which include featured content purchased by clients and written by Mustang Media Group’s team of special sections writers.
Over the summer, the special edition publication “Go SLO” was published, printed and sent out to all incoming freshman and transfer students.
It included informative articles purchased by various campus organizations. According to Barton, Mustang Media Group also plans to publish a print “Re-opening Guide” in January.
Other parts of MMG that work behind the scenes to help produce content include the Graphic Design Team, web development teams, MMG’s The Hill Data Team, the Special Sections Team and MMG’s The Hoof Team.
From Bell Covers to Virtual Rehearsals, Mustang Band Adapts to COVID-19
Oct 20, 2020
WRITTEN BY ROBYN KONTRA TANNER
Cal Poly kicked off the new academic year with commonsense adaptations to the coronavirus pandemic: a hybrid learning plan, postponed athletics competitions, and virtual events, among many other changes.
PHOTOS BY JOE JOHNSTON
But a quieter campus doesn’t mean school spirit is gone.
Even without the usual fall fanfare, the university’s largest and loudest league of supporters, Mustang Band, plays on — thanks to some creative modifications.
“Our leadership team has put in hundreds of hours of work to develop a plan that allows Mustang Band to meet in-person safely and continue to grow musically,” says Nick Waldron, Mustang Band director.
The band, which has more than 210 members, only learned they would be able to meet in person a few weeks before classes began.
In order to practice together, they split into six sub-groups: four with equal instrumentation of brass and woodwinds, one featuring drumline and one with colorguard performers.
These mini-bands, which practice both musical pieces and marching in formation, rotate between outdoor rehearsal spaces multiple times a week.
In any other year, the musicians bond during band camp in September, an intense week of instruction and rehearsal to prepare for fall sports and campus events. Without the typical fall schedule, band members have doubled down on efforts to welcome new Mustangs into the musical and social fold.
“Our biggest opportunity to foster community within the band happens during band camp, and I think a lot of our success depends on our community itself,” says Madi Glozer, Mustang Band’s chief executive officer and a fourth-year tuba player. “What we’re doing now acts as those first couple days of band camp spread over a few weeks.”
After the first week of rotating rehearsals, the band’s associate executive director Katherine Hanson says the magic was still there.
“It still felt like band, and I wasn’t sure that it was going to with all the changes this year,” said the third-year clarinet player and political science major. “But it still felt like this energy was there.”
The group takes necessary precautions during rehearsals: musicians maintain strict physical distancing; MERV-13 filtration material now adorns bell covers; and members wear special face coverings fitted with a small, closable hole that allows for the mouthpiece of their instrument. The band also has a detailed COVID-19 testing plan that screens members multiple times throughout the quarter via Campus Health and Wellbeing. The core leadership team of staff and students is tested weekly because they have more contact with the rotating mini-bands.
“We just had the first opportunity to play together, and I was living for it because I’ve been anticipating it for so long,” exclaims Glozer. “I think that’s my favorite thing about Mustang Band — I just love playing the music.
“Having an opportunity finally to do it safely and be in a group and play together has been the biggest thing pushing me through all of this.”
While on-campus rehearsals press on, dozens of band members participate virtually via Zoom. During music rehearsals, Hanson says she sets up her laptop near conductor Nick Waldron to ensure everyone practicing remotely can see and hear the instruction. Virtual players mute themselves to avoid any lag in the video feed, but can hear the rest of the band.
On the other side of Hanson’s screen are student musicians like Tomy Stankiewicz, who plays trumpet from his home the Bay Area. Now in his third year with Mustang Band, the architecture student is used to a packed fall schedule with six hours of weekly rehearsal on top of 12-hour Saturdays supporting home football games. At home, he has one hour of structured rehearsal per week with a lot more independent practice. The extra time means he can delve into a wealth of video and written guides the band’s drum majors crafted to keep technique sharp.
“I feel like I’m more eager to play at home,” says Stankiewicz. “I’m not in the middle of 50 other trumpets, so I can hear myself when I practice.”
Though Stankiewicz isn’t physically with the rest of the band, he still makes time to mentor new members of the brass section.
“I’m an upperclassman so I answer questions from the freshmen who are virtual,” he says. “They have questions about warmups or specific things that we do within our alma mater and fight songs.”
After rehearsals, members of the band find ways to connect and have fun. Stankiewicz says he stays motivated because his closest friends are playing with him, even if it’s from afar.
“We have this culture of hosting socials between sections or just band itself,” he says. “Trumpets get together, or we have a whole band movie night, or just a game night led by our music fraternity. I think that just comes with the community with band.”
Still, leaders of the band can’t help but think about what it will be like to have everyone back together and playing at full volume for the campus community. Conductor Nick Waldron says imagining that moment has helped him stay optimistic since March.
“When that moment comes for our first performance, I will be the proudest person at Cal Poly,” Waldron says. “So much of what we do in music is delayed gratification already — countless hours of practice for one moment — so all this feels like one big delay to a great performance.”
Story originally appeared in Cal Poly News
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'An Incredible Experience for the Children.' How the Preschool Learning Lab Went Virtual
Oct 20, 2020
An update from Preschool Learning Lab Director Patty Clarkson:
The Lab reopened Fall quarter with a group of Lab families to form a small, consistent cohort. The children (and parents) are so happy to be back at preschool! We have implemented the most efficient COVID-19 protocols and practices within our daily routine and the children and staff are adapting well to this new way of being together safely. We have exceeded our state licensing recommendations and have been recognized as a model program for our area by our licensing office.
The CD 230 lab course, which ordinarily participates in-person in the Learning Lab activities, is being held virtually. College students periodically participate in "live" circle time with the children via zoom and students also contribute to our Learning Lab Google classroom where we share photos, videos, and resources for preschoolers and families. In addition, students have the opportunity to discuss real-time pandemic impacts as it relates to children and families during our weekly synchronous lecture times. The Lab is currently developing our own video library of best practices to be used for this class!
ORIGINAL STORY
WRITTEN BY GABBY FERREIRA
When the coronavirus pandemic necessitated a switch to online learning, the staff at the Preschool Learning Lab thought long and hard about how to keep the program going.
Preschool student Edro sits in front of a laptop during one of the
Preschool Learning Lab's virtual sessions. Courtesy of Peggy Osborn
The Preschool Learning Lab, which is part of the Psychology and Child Development department, is a functioning preschool and part of a lab class for students in the child development major.
The staff decided to move the preschool online, hoping to facilitate the Child Development Preschool Lab course (CD230) as well as provide structure for the preschool-age children and their families, whom the staff had built relationships with since the fall.
“We wanted to make sure our CD230 students could have access to the children and the families could participate and maintain relationships during the shelter-in-place order,” said Patty Clarkson, director of the Preschool Learning Lab. “We didn’t have a framework for offering a fully-online preschool program because preschool is based on in-person relationships and hands-on activities. However, we knew that our preschool families wanted to stay connected and wanted their children to be engaged in learning activities.”
The Preschool Lab’s team surveyed families and asked them about their needs and timeframes, using those responses as a guideline.
“We wanted to emulate the foundational building blocks of our day as much as we could,” Clarkson said.
Clarkson and the preschool’s two full-time teachers, Kari Applegate and Shondrela Braggs-Jones, came up with a plan: a virtual group meeting every morning, along with music and movement time, which lasted about 30 minutes to an hour.
In the afternoons, they hosted half-hour Zoom sessions where they would read to the kids from a chapter book before their rest time.
“These two daily activities gave the children a sense of normalcy and routine, during which they could connect with their teachers, see their classmates and continue their explorative learning through daily challenges and activities,” Clarkson said.
None of the Zoom sessions were required for the preschool children, and were meant to act as a structure that they and their families could take advantage of as needed.
Applegate brought some of the items from the preschool, such as a whiteboard that they wrote their daily agenda on, to her house to mimic the school setting.
“Parents told me, ‘Once we saw the agenda board, we felt like everything was okay, that there was a sense of normalcy,’” Applegate said.
The teachers also offered one-on-one sessions to children and families.
“Some kids get overwhelmed by so many people on a Zoom call, and some families have limited screen time expectations, so the children could make virtual appointments with us individually,” Clarkson said. “The children were free to just hang out with their teacher and have us along with whatever they were doing in that time frame.”
Applegate and Braggs-Jones also offered the children “challenges” to complete between classes, which included things like exploring outside to identify creatures or plants around their homes, or drawing a family portrait.
The next day, the kids would then take turns sharing their work with the whole group.
“We were thoughtful about doing things that didn’t require a lot of material or things parents would have to work to gather,” Applegate said. “It was however they wanted to do it; it was flexible. It was okay to not have the work done, we just appreciated that everyone was feeling connected.”
The virtual setting also had an unexpected benefit for the college students who would usually be interacting with the children and staff in person, as they were able to participate in the Zoom sessions and then debrief with staff afterward, Applegate said.
“It was a neat experience to get to know the college students better,” Applegate said. “By the end of the Zoom quarter, they were helping us with the challenges and got to be part of that process.”
Peggy Osborn, whose grandson, Edro, attended the preschool this past year, said she was impressed with how the preschool handled the move to a virtual environment.
“As a retired teacher, I thought, ‘How is this ever going to work?’” Osborn said. “I can’t praise the Learning Lab enough. It’s been an incredible experience for the children, every morning they got to see each other and every afternoon they got to see each other.”
Edro adjusted well to Zoom, and it was an “amazing experience” for the both of them, Osborn said.
“He doesn’t always have the best time with changes, but he was okay,” she said. “He did well. I’m proud of him.”
Osborn added that she didn’t think the virtual preschool would have been nearly as successful if it weren’t for the caliber and dedication of Clarkson, Applegate and Braggs-Jones.
“They are remarkable teachers and they are so kind and gentle with these children,” Osborn said.
Anna Brannen’s daughter, Evelyn, thrived in the virtual learning environment.
Originally, she attended the Zoom sessions twice a week, but soon asked to go every day.
“It offered the kids a lot of social time. They got to talk to each other and see each other, and it gave Evelyn a lot of structure,” Brannen said.
She added that she noticed her daughter’s artistic side coming out during the challenges as well.
“Everything was built upon the skills she had,” Brannen said. “It brought out a lot of creativity in her and brought out a lot of questions. She really thrived in this type of environment, which I wasn’t expecting.”
Brannen was also complimentary of the preschool’s staff and the college students.
“Their lives got uprooted as well but they really took the time to make sure every day had a plan, a follow-up plan for homework, and they showed up how you would expect them to at school,” Brannen said. “I don’t even know how to verbalize how much it helped us get through the last three months.”
Story originally appeared in Cal Poly News