Our highest administrators are not the ones who need a 20% pay raise. They don’t feel the squeeze of the affordability crisis affecting the Cal State community, especially at Cal Poly. This money should instead be focused on direct student services and base level faculty: two fundamental aspects of the Cal State system that often go overlooked and undervalued.
Author Archives: Landon Block
Landon Block is the Opinion Editor for Mustang News. He started in journalism as a guest contributor to his high school paper, the SDA Mustang, and has since joined the San Diego Union-Tribune as a Community Voices Project Contributor. His goal is to help people share their passions and inspire others through journalism. He was recognized as the Club Penguin "Penguin of the Day" on October 4, 2013.
Posted inOpinion
Mustang News will begin publishing endorsements
This change marks an expansion of Mustang News’ award-winning content to further serve the Cal Poly and San Luis Obispo community through thoughtful, intentional and thoroughly researched recommendations.
Posted inMay Print 25
Why we need opinion journalism
News is objective, but people aren’t. People are messy; we have emotions, biases and, worst of all, opinions. We need the news to reflect what’s going on in the world, but we also need opinion journalism to reflect how people are feeling about it.
Posted inOpinion
Sen. Schiff’s visit to Cal Poly was a big deal. It deserved bigger promotion
United States Senator Adam Schiff was on Cal Poly’s campus this Tuesday. He also held his first town hall as a senator alongside U.S. Representative Salud Carbajal at Cuesta College that evening. Why were there so few students there?
Posted inOpinion
Cal Poly must work to protect its students from federal attacks
Cal Poly must continue to ensure that students are free from legal repercussions, especially from the federal government, when they choose to peacefully exercise their constitutional rights.
Posted inSt. Fratty's '25
St. Fratty’s reimagined: What worked, what didn’t, and what’s next
This year’s St. Fratty’s celebrations looked unmistakably different from last year’s. The sea of rowdy celebrators decked in green was transplanted from the streets to an on-campus concert. Sure, there were hiccups, but I’ll be the first to admit that it seems to have worked.
Posted inOpinion
Did Cal Poly and SLO just set the stage for another St. Fratty’s disaster?
Unfortunately, it’s looking like Cal Poly blew their golden opportunity to reform St. Fratty’s day.
Posted inOpinion
CSU’s AI move feels less like innovation and more like overreach
The Cal State system is unjustly inserting itself in what should be a classroom-to-classroom dynamic. If professors want to encourage AI use for their assignments, great. If students decide on their own that the benefit is worth $20 a month, great. I believe it is not the Cal State’s place to provide these tools to students without meaningfully consulting faculty.
Posted inOpinion
Journalism’s excessive paywalls are leaving out young people. It’s going to kill the industry
I understand the need for paywalls in journalism. Everybody wants free news, but it takes resources to support the skilled writers who produce it. Excessive paywalls means journalism can’t reach those who need it most: young people.
Posted inObituaries
‘Tackling challenges with determination and love’: Cal Poly and extended community remember James Soulie-Washburn
First-year architecture transfer James was known for his creativity, artistic spirit and peaceful demeanor. In the aftermath of his passing on Dec. 2, his family shared a message to the campus community remembering his life.
Posted inOpinion
Elections aftermath: turning pain into purpose
Then I remembered the words of Colorado State Senator Tom Sullivan. I met Senator Sullivan last October in his home state. His son, Alex, was murdered in the Aurora Theater Massacre in 2012. Since then, he told me, he’s turned into “a ball of anger and frustration and lack of patience.” Oh, and he ran for office, won, and actually made change.