Category: San Luis Obispo

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University of Southern California & Trojans

Trojan sports just like the University is first class!
The other night we traveled three hours one way to watch the Southern California Trojans ‘school’ the puppies from San Luis Obispo. To be honest, Cal Poly did put up a valiant fight for as long as it lasted… but the end was never in doubt.

Some small schools like to crow about how they really are as good as the major universities (believe me I have listened to folks from Cal Poly for years), but there are too many systemic differences to make any serious comparisons. Many who traveled down from San Luis Obispo for the game left wide eyed and bewildered.

First, I am not here to talk badly about Cal Poly… my Laura teaches there now and I did for a time as well. However, I really believe that accurate comparisons start with accurate perceptions and I think the Cal Poly Basketball team learned part of that hard lesson the other night.

The truth is that every university has a few academic and athletic ‘gems’ that they are justifiably proud … in my less than humble opinion, Cal Poly’s Professor Laura is certainly one of them… unfortunately, there just aren’t very many like her. By contrast, the academic community of Southern Cal vibrates with talent.

So, you can’t compare schools that have doctoral programs and well respected masters and professional degrees and real athletic programs with schools that have… well… much less.

Fight on!

Roger Freberg

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The Best Christmas Presents are the ones you remember

I think there are very few children that don’t love the Christmas as it approaches… especially the gifts and the exquisite food prepared once a year!

Certainly, I am one of the biggest kids around. I have never really been much for receiving presents… although that is always appreciated… I have enjoyed giving them and watching the smiles erupt from little happy faces!

When our children were young, I would ask them to make a list and then rank them in order as to which one they wanted most. Interestingly enough, more often than not the top presents were not the most expensive. I would start buying at the top and then stop when the ‘budget’ ran out…. they understood that ‘Santa’s” purse wasn’t limitless and it gave them a chance to make choices.

The biggest present that I enjoy the most… a phone call.

Roger Freberg

PS. My happiest memory… when they still thought I WAS Santa.

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Cal Poly University’s Administration has Problems… again

sheldon awardee President Warren BakerIt goes without saying that some people learn from their mistakes… then others never learn… while other people know what’s right but do wrong anyway.

Cal Poly’s administration has a real problem. Sometimes one has to hit the mule in the forehead with a two by four just to get it’s attention. Maybe this is again one of those times.

Historically, Cal Poly has had trouble with freedom of speech issues and although this is not news to anyone following the academic community in America… it just seems to be happening all the time at Cal Poly.

Today, FIRE ( the organization supporting Academic Freedom in America) came out with a huge commentary on Cal Poly San Luis Obispo…. and it wasn’t good. Here’s a small excerpt:

“Unfortunately, Cal Poly is at it again. This time, the victims are the students in the improvisational comedy troupe Smile and Nod, who posted a constitutionally protected image on flyers advertising their upcoming comedy show….According an October 25 article Mustang Daily, theatre department officials began removing the flyers because the flyers could be “construed as racist.” Smile and Nod was required to remove remaining flyers, “send a formal apology to all students via the Mustang Daily, and participate in a sensitivity meeting with faculty and staff from the theatre department and the ethnic studies department.””



We’ve all been here before… this sounds like exactly the same sort of thing that landed them in Federal Court the last time… and Cal Poly lost and was savaged in the National Press.

It is inappropriate for our universities to abridge the rights we have in this country simply because they do not agree with what is being said. No one has a right to not be offended. The best action is to counter free speech that you disagree… with free speech of your own.

Roger Freberg