Victoria Billings
154 Articles0 Comments

New laws mean new protections for students

A new year means new resolutions, a new calendar and a whole bevy of new laws taking effect. More than 40,000 new state laws went into effect throughout the U.S. at the start of 2012, with 747 new laws in California…

New man on the job: SLO chooses new police chief

The City of San Luis Obispo has selected a new police chief to replace retiring chief Deborah Linden. Stephen Gesell, a 22-year law enforcement veteran, served the community of Atascadero as interim police chief in 2011, and will take office…

Student creates support group

Kirsten Mortenson’s life was irrevocably changed three weeks before her first quarter at Cal Poly when her father was diagnosed with stage-four kidney cancer. Mortenson, now an environmental management and protection senior, said she was left to battle not only…

Cal Poly Creamery recalls contaminated egg nog

Several hundred gallons of Cal Poly egg nog were recalled this week after routine testing discovered E. coli in the egg nog batches at the Cal Poly Creamery. Cal Poly then elected to collect all egg nog dated with expiration…

New fee proposed for 'student success'

A newly proposed “Student Success Fee” would help Cal Poly students get the classes they need and finish their degrees on time, Cal Poly vice president for finance Larry Kelley said. The fee was proposed as a solution to state funding…

Provost denies privatization

Questions arose about Cal Poly’s future as a public university after a talk given by Cal Poly Provost Robert Koob last Wednesday at a retired faculty and staff luncheon. Koob discussed increasing cuts to funding and tuition hikes as signs…

Day in the Life: Horsing around in the Cal Poly Equine Center

At 5:30 on a Thursday morning, the lights in the office of the Cal Poly Equine Center are already on. Fletcher Gales is inside, brewing coffee and going over paperwork before the morning feeding. Gales, an agribusiness junior, is co-manager…

Veterans 'invisible' on campus

Offices were closed and classes canceled Nov. 11 in honor of the men and women who have served in the armed forces. For many Cal Poly students, Veterans Day was a chance to sleep in or catch up on homework,…

California Faculty Association loses suit against CSU

The California State University (CSU) did not violate any public meetings laws in approving the salary of Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong, the highest CSU president salary to date, according to a ruling by a Los Angeles judge last week.…

San Luis Obispo caught between local and large chain stores

San Luis Obispo’s downtown area makes up the well-traveled center of the city and is home to dozens of locally-owned businesses, as well as larger national chains. Retail centers, such as the downtown area, make up the backbone of San…

Oberhelman striving for student athlete success

Anyone walking into the office of Don Oberhelman would know right away that he is the traditional “sports guy.” Calendars for Cal Poly men’s and women’s basketball teams hang on the walls, across from photographs of Alex G. Spanos Stadium.…