Landon Block is a political science junior and the Opinion Editor at Mustang News. The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of Mustang Media Group.
As somebody who has never participated in St. Fratty’s festivities, I was excited about the Morning on the Green festival. This was a great opportunity to shift St. Fratty’s away from a crowded, chaotic block party into a contained (and still fun!) concert. Hopefully, this could build into a more sustainable tradition that attracts big artists to our college town.
Unfortunately, it’s looking like Cal Poly blew their golden opportunity. Students didn’t know about key information, and there weren’t enough tickets to satisfy demand. Off-campus guests will be getting in before thousands of Cal Poly students. I’m truly scared that even more police presence without a “safe” space for most students to celebrate will lead to a return of police violence seen in the 2004 Mardi Gras riots.
Let’s start with the obvious: Cal Poly wasn’t clear on how students could get into the event. While a city council meeting quietly revealed that the Morning on the Green would be a ticketed event limited to 5,000 spots, it wasn’t until today that Cal Poly announced that students needed to secure tickets beforehand.
Mustang News broke the news about the event’s headliners and included the ticket link at 11:20 a.m. Cal Poly and ASI posted the ticket link on Instagram at 11:50 a.m. The tickets became available at noon and sold out three minutes later.
I understand the desire to build hype for the event by slowly revealing key details like the headliner. But this is beyond absurd. Students in 11:10-12:00 classes could have never known they needed a ticket until it was too late.
Students should have known earlier so we could have prepared better.
But even so, I acknowledge 5,000 tickets would only cover about 22% of Cal Poly students. We knew not everyone could get a ticket.
So why, then, did every student reservation also come with the option to reserve a “guest” ticket that the University explicitly stated did not need to go to a registered Cal Poly student? I don’t see any reason not to pick up an extra unrestricted ticket if given the chance.
I’m baffled by the differences behind some of the University’s actions. On one hand, they’ve said “Out-of-town guests should not plan to come here” and will ban overnight visitor parking and dorm guest stays. Yet they’re also encouraging us to bring non-student guests to the Morning.
“But you’re not all out of luck,” Cal Poly is seemingly telling us. There will be an in-person waitlist line to fill in for any no-shows.
Unfortunately, this line will start letting in people at 7 a.m. To me, this practically reads as an endorsement to pregame the festival with the block party.
All of this is going to make a lot of students very mad. And what will many do with this anger? Exactly what the University and City don’t want them to do: flock to the block party.
At the same time, the City of SLO and Cal Poly are increasing police presence on the street and on campus. Both the City and the University have emphasized their “zero tolerance” outlook on this year’s celebrations.
“Make a B-line to the intramural fields because SLOPD, UPD—they’re going to be out. We work hard without warning,” Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong told Mustang News.
San Luis Obispo Mayor Erica Stewart shared a similar sentiment: “This is not a year we’ll have warnings.”
We knew there would be more SLOPD and CPPD around, but at the Feb. 4 City Council Meeting, the Council discussed bringing in reinforcements from neighboring police departments.
This mirrors much of the messaging around SLO’s Mardi Gras celebrations in the early 2000s. In 2004, when police were met with an unruly crowd, they fired nonlethal beanbags and tear gas into a 5,000-person crowd.
That year, 200 police officers were brought in (many from Santa Maria and Santa Barbara), 155 people were arrested, six police officers were injured, and thousands were caught in the chaos.
I’m terrified that 2025 might not only be a repeat of 2015’s property damage but also of 2004’s violence and 2005’s use of police intimidation to deter the community.
For those who need help, PULSE is offering an on-campus wellness booth & wagon the morning of the event, as well as pre-event alcohol training.
I had high hopes for the Morning on the Green. After last year’s damage, I saw the vision to turn St. Fratty’s from an unruly and disruptive party in a neighborhood to an exciting attraction contained to campus.
Today’s events foreshadow the University and the City failing in their goal to reform St. Fratty’s in one year.
I still believe in the chance to turn things around. However, the alternative event requires a compelling activity and capacity for more than just a fraction of interested students to attend. The Morning on the Green, unfortunately, satisfies only one of these.
If we want to get students off the streets, we need to give them incentives like accessible concerts, not punishments like fines and tear gas. Amidst the background of budget cuts, student fee increases and high cost of living, Cal Poly and the City of SLO have to work to gain students’ trust.
This year’s St. Fratty’s will put students’ and city leadership’s relationship to the test. Will we be able to celebrate safely and without disruption, or will limitations push students over the edge and into violent conflict?
Update: It was announced at the Student Town Hall that the waitlist line now would begin admitting students at 6 a.m., not 7 a.m.