Laura Pezzini
lpezzini@mustangdaily.net
Students walking alongside the University Union may notice the new signs that have been placed at each end of the path, labeling it the “Mustang Way.” It’s not just a street name, though, it’s a reference to an initiative which began in athletics and quickly moved through administration and the Cal Poly student body.
The Mustang Way, as the document is called, calls Cal Poly students to take responsibility for their actions and adhere to the three main tenets of pride, responsibility and character.
The idea started in the athletic department at a meeting of head coaches. The athletic department felt the need to put the characteristics they valued into writing, according to athletic director Don Oberhelman.
“It’s good to have it in writing so we can look at it and say these are the things that we believe in, and these are the things that we stand for,” he said.
The document, drawn up by athletics, consists of twelve characteristics Mustangs hold themselves to, centered around the idea that being a Mustang is a privilege that is not to be taken for granted.
“I want our students and student-athletes to understand what a tremendous honor it is to be here,” Oberhelman said. “You have to go out every day and prove yourself on the field, on the practice field and in the classroom. Being here is just the beginning.”
After seeing its success in athletics, former Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) President Kiyana Tabrizi sought to take the Mustang Way school-wide. The idea was brought up to school administrators, who loved the idea not only because it set out the ideal qualities of Cal Poly students, but also because it came from the students themselves. For this reason, administrators decided to leave its adaption in the hands of the students, according to current ASI President Katie Morrow.
“(The administration) didn’t even touch it,” Morrow said. “They said that it was awesome and that they were so glad it was by the students; they weren’t going to mess with any of the words, and that’s how it is today.”
Tabrizi brought together a group of students to adapt and expand the ideas the student athletes initiated. The Mustang Way was soon adapted for the non-athletes of Cal Poly, though its ideas are clearly derivative of the original document. President Jeffrey Armstrong signed off on the Mustang Way in June, officially delineating the expectations of students at Cal Poly.
The Mustang Way centers on building a community at Cal Poly — that Mustangs are responsible not only for themselves but for one another as well. Morrow said she has seen students live up to these expectations in a number of ways and has received numerous emails from students telling her stories of their friends and classmates showing pride, responsibility and character.
“It’s the simple little things,” she said. “There aren’t these grandiose stories, but they’re simple.”
According to Morrow, there are also plans to make a page on the Cal Poly website where students can nominate others who they believe are acting out the Mustang Way for a potential “Mustang of the Week” spotlight.
Though it may not be quite as impressed in students’ memories as other Cal Poly slogans (think “Learn By Doing” and “Study 25-35 Hours a Week”), the Mustang Way is on the path to becoming one of the traditions Cal Poly students learn as freshmen and never forget. One of the actions taken to make sure this becomes a reality is the sign dubbing the path from the dorms to the Recreation Center “Mustang Way,” in addition to the phrase being printed on the back of T-shirts. The athletic department has the entire document posted on its walls, according to Oberhelman.
“That Mustang spirit is something that should be permeating through the whole student body,” he said.
Both Oberhelman and Morrow made it clear that the point of the Mustang Way is not to change the behavior of students. In fact, Morrow explained that she veers away from calling it a “code of conduct.”
“I don’t think they need a code of conduct, I think they need kind of a more personal challenge to themselves,” she said.
That idea is what makes the Mustang Way unique — it is a challenge to Cal Poly students to make the university the best place it can possibly be.