Their brief, buzzword-full rushed pitches aren’t great indicators of credibility. These types of petition booths on Cal Poly’s campus, while not all necessarily harmful or badly intentioned, should be treated with caution and skepticism upon encounter. These booths are trying to receive as many signatures as they can, and if they can rush you into signing something, they will, whether or not you even know what you’re supporting.
Category: Opinion
Posted inOpinion
Charge your brain’s battery: Taking a nap is a smart, productive move for college students
Yes, I know taking a nap feels wrong because you should be busy with school or “making the most” out of college. It feels like college is a constant competition between Google Calendar schedules, comparing who’s taking the hardest classes or who’s more booked and busy — so it can easily feel like taking a nap means you are lazy, not taking enough classes or not having enough club meetings.
However, if you keep pushing yourself through the day on little fuel, you’re going to burnout and there will be catastrophic consequences on your health. Naps can actually be productive and help you become more creative.
Posted inOpinion
Re-adjusting after study abroad: The challenge nobody warns you about
Everyone warns you about culture shock before you go abroad. They tell you about language barriers, homesickness and the confusion of navigating a foreign country. What nobody prepares you for is the reverse culture shock of returning back home.
When I returned to Cal Poly after a semester in Spain, I expected a seamless transition back into my old life. Instead, I found myself struggling with something I never anticipated: the amount of time school demands here in comparison to abroad.
Posted inOpinion
Cal Poly 2026 ins and outs: Class crushes, morning classes and more
As January flies by and February rolls in, many of our New Year’s resolutions are quickly fading. You might have already turned in assignments late or gone to the Rec Center fewer times than you promised yourself. But there are things even more essential for Cal Poly students to bring into the new year, things that would benefit every Mustang.
What’s on my vision board for 2026? Read for inspo on everything essential to our next chapters and what we need to turn the page on.
Posted inOpinion
A senior’s guide to the best coffee shops on the Central Coast
There are so many things that make a great coffee shop: roast, variety of seasonal flavors, grade of matcha, ambiance, food, location…but honestly what matters most to me is the vibe. Is it good? If yes, I’m there.
Posted inMonday Manure - Satire
The let them theory: Cal Poly edition
The self-help novel The Let Them Theory by life coach Mel Robbins has revolutionized how to approach conflict. It opts for spending less time worrying about others’ motivations and letting go of the need to control what is out of reach. I am excited to announce her latest work: an exclusive partnership with The Manure to curate a new version based on our wonderful Cal Poly community.
Posted inOpinion
Exploring sexuality could be the most important learn by doing opportunity
The concept I didn’t understand at the time was that there is no “right” way to figure out that you may be into the same sex. Moreover, exploring your sexuality doesn’t require instant labeling.
Posted inOpinion
Social media platforms have all become the same thing, and I’m tired of it
Ash Pickett is a Business Administration Senior and opinion columnist for Mustang News. The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of Mustang Media Group. I deleted TikTok about four years ago. I got tired of the endless scrolling on the app and felt like it drained my energy more than anything […]
Posted inOpinion
The PAC stage was Morgan Jay’s playground: A review
On Tuesday, Jan. 13, Jay performed at the Performing Arts Center, and he gave me the laugh I needed while gearing up for winter quarter. In the first five minutes of his performance, Jay walked into the audience with his cameraman and autotuned microphone, a staple of his performance students may know from viral TikTok or Instagram videos.
Posted inOpinion
Girl Talk: The ‘girls’ girl’ label needs to go
The first time someone called me a “girls’ girl,” I took it as the ultimate compliment. It meant I was doing something right in the complicated landscape of female friendship. But lately, I’ve been wondering: when did supporting other women become a title we have to earn instead of just something we are expected to do?
Somewhere between the third wave of feminism and TikTok, we decided that supporting other women needed a rebrand. Enter: the “girls girl.”
Posted inOpinion
Everything journalism has taught me about friendship
As I enter my last year as a journalism student, interviewing all kinds of people has helped me strengthen my friendships and relationships in my personal life.
Here are some of the journalistic tips that I was able to use for my friendships.