This is a black-tie event–but not the kind you’re thinking of. “Five, six, seven, eight!” Seina Haruta, president of MERGE, shouts as she counts the dancers in with music bumping against the walls of studio 2. Black ties lay across dancers’ chests, draping over their leggings and Nike sports bras, as they prepared for Illuminate […]
Category: Features
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Cal Poly’s United Movement gives dancers a home away from home
Ten years ago, Katrina Swenson-Aguirre locked herself in her bedroom, determined to teach herself how to dance with nothing but YouTube and a dream. “I always wanted to dance, but I was a really shy child,” Swenson-Aguirre said. Now, English senior Swenson-Aguirre is the co-president of one of Cal Poly’s largest dance teams: United Movement, […]
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ShanWu’s last dance
Rumor has it the traditional Chinese dance group, ShanWu, is performing for the last time. “That is what is going around,” Shanwu coordinator Syd Tan said. But they are hoping somebody will step up and change that after they graduate. The group was formed four years ago to make traditional Chinese dance more accessible at […]
Posted inFeb Print 2025
Nature’s Hollywood species needs help
When Danielle Bronson was a little girl, Pismo Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove was home to about 250,000 monarchs. Now the state park interpreter at Pismo Beach, Bronson’s grove only welcomed 500 butterflies this year. Western monarch butterflies experienced their second-lowest population count in history this season, according to Bronson. The all-time low occurred in 2021. […]
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Valentine’s Day: Trading out flowers for fright
The typical elements of Valentine’s Day are tried and true – flowers, gourmet chocolates and fancy dinners. For those looking for an alternative way to spend their evening, a haunted house awaits lovers (or friends) in Atascadero. The Haunt operates primarily during Halloween, but during this season of love, members of the volunteer team put […]
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From Prague to Print: Cal Poly Alumni Write a Guide for Future Study Abroad Students
Jessica Sharpe and Madison Somerday remember the panic of being stranded in Naples without a hotel room, after accidentally booking the wrong dates. “We had to split up the group and there were too many people in our room with no other hotels,” Somerday said. “They were trying to kick us out on the street,” […]
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San Luis Obispo’s Chinatown is down to its last block. Original signs remain, keeping the history alive.
Mee Heng Low is one of the last original buildings in San Luis Obipso’s Chinatown. Nearly 75% of the street was once dedicated to businesses and homes for the Chinese, Japanese and Filipino people. Now, 1.5% of its structures survive, with much of its history physically reduced to a few buildings. One of those buildings […]
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GPS collars shape the future of grazing at Cal Poly
Five miles northwest of Cal Poly, cows equipped with tiny GPS trackers are munching away in a golden field. In this quiet scientific revolution on Cal Poly’s pastures, GPS collars transform livestock into high-tech data gatherers, revealing their every step and bite. Researchers and cattle managers then analyze the data to understand their behaviors. Simply, […]
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In KINE 307, students give back to the community. But they say it changed their lives, too.
Paige Rightmire thought that she was in charge of directions. Her partner was blind, after all.
But on the front half of the tandem bicycle, Rightmire was lost. She had led them both onto Los Osos Valley Road, as cars whizzed past them.
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Breaking Taboos: English seminar sparks conversations on pornography and American literature
On the whiteboard in Steven Ruszczycky’s class, Anastasia Steele, Christian Grey and other character names from pornographic literature were written. The question the class pondered was: Is Anastasia Steele a pick-me girl? While more light-hearted than most discussions in the class, this is an example of how the course aims to study pornography through an […]
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The Nutcracker: A magical tale with Central Coast flair
Imagine waking up on Christmas Eve, the soft glow of moonlight filtering through the window. But instead of being transported to a magical land of sweets, you find yourself in the bustling streets of historical San Luis Obispo. Clara, our heroine, embarks on a journey that weaves through the city’s own Chinatown, past the railroad […]