Category: Cal Poly

Cal Poly and their foibles

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John Madden and Cal Poly’s Warren Baker

John Madden the great and Warren Baker the Clown

There’s no way anyone can show their displeasure with someone better than sending them a clear message. Nothing can be clearer than what  Football legend John Madden allegedly does every year to Cal Poly President Warren Baker. There’s a story that came out that says Coach Madden sends Cal Poly President Warren Baker a one way airplane ticket that essentially tells Warren to ‘go back where he came from!’

Here’s the story!

Although there are those who will talk with funerary tones about the great Baker legacy when and if WB ever retires, there is another story that will surface that the story above only touched on.

In the meantime, thank you John Madden.

Roger Freberg

PS. Now, I know that Yahoo will post Warren’s Clowny image… but let’s see if Google will… stay tuned

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Getting together with Old Friends

Laura Freberg and Pam Lynd having a Good Laugh!

GOTCHA! MADE YOU LAUGH!

Well, it’s always fun to catch up with old friends separated by time or distance. This week Laura caught up with an old friend since kindergarten, Pamela “Pam” Lynd Fink. Fortunately, special precautions were taken to keep San Luis Obispo and the surrounds safe for the locals.

Jordan (JJ), Laura, Pam and Rod

JJ , LAURA, PAM and ROD 

We went to dinner at one of our favorite places in the area… the Ol Port inn on the Pier in Avila beach, California. If you get a chance try it out and you won’t be disappointed, especially with a little Pinot Noir from local Talley Vineyards!  JJ is looking at colleges to attend and the fam came up to check out Cal Poly (Rod’s alma mater).

Laura smiled and that made it all worth while.

Roger

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So, who’s stirring up the world’s violence?

Cal poly and Saudi Arabia

It’s hard to pick up today’s newspaper and not find some trouble spot and various trouble makers stirring things up around the world.

We hear problems are happening in some far off place Called Georgia and in Western China… and we wonder what is going on?

Of course, there are the typically disturbing news from the middle east and the saber rattling of Iran and Syria trying to shake the world with their sparks and magic.

But, I have to ask: what connects all of these folks together?

Russia just sent more troops into an area that has been ‘having problems with violence’ called North Ossetia (Georgia) and China has been dealing with basic assassinations in the Western provence with the Uighur … ah… these are areas with a high muslim population.

The strange thing is all the protests from the West… read on. 

If you run along the CIA web sites that cover these areas you get a better picture. The so-called ‘break away province’ of Georgia that linked back with Russia is Christian… the other part of Georgia… is not… it is Islamic.

Oh yes, I am sure that there are some really good muslims in the world… but everywhere you look there seems to be issues involving people who just happen to be muslims. However, we are not supposed to speak of it…. especially, ‘he-who-shall-not-be-named.’

Now why is Cal Poly doing deals with Saudi Arabia?

Roger Freberg

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Google Censors?

Warren Baker Aging President of Cal polyWell, for those who haven’t noticed… tech savvy folks have been trying to lower the boom on opinions they do not like by getting folks like Google to drop their site.

My wife’s site ( http://www.laurafreberg.com ) hasn’t been visited by Google since June… and here we are in August 2008. Why is this? Laura’s site has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with Psychology, but it seems that everyone is getting whacked here.

The biggest problem is Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and I would like to lay the problem at their door and … there seems to be some evidence. The picture you see on the left appears to be a parody of Cal Poly’s aging President… the great Warren Baker. Well, there was a time when you could do a ‘Google Search’ and find this picture when you searched : Cal Poly, Cal Poly & Saudi Arabia or Warren Baker.

Today, nothing comes up on the search. Why is that ol Googly eyes?

There was another picture of Osama Bin laden in a Cal poly engineering sweater that can’t be found… it is very funny…

There is a story of how Google is suppressing blogs that use their site… but I will leave that to your reading….(Hint) it’s on one of the YAHOO lists.

So, here are a few things you can’t find on Google:

Cal Poly Graduation: Be ‘coul’ dude

Who’s really embarrassing Cal Poly?

Cal Poly & Saudi Arabia: Send in the clowns!

Behind the Cal Poly & Saudi Arabian Green Door

ssshhh… Saudi Arabia is watching you!

Cal Poly degrees for Sale? (contains a picture of Osama Bin Laden in a Cal Poly Engineering Sweater)

Want more fun? Check out all the posts under Cal Poly!

So…. Google…. let my bloggers go!

Roger Freberg

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Cal Poly needs more than a PR makeover

Cal Poly has a lot to learn by doing right
Years ago, I had an opportunity to review one of the first “Yankelovich Monitors” in the 70’s. Daniel Yankelovich is brilliant. I think his strength has always been in identifying trends, not necessarily how these trends can best be used to help your business, political strategy or public relations effort. The best person to apply his observations is the person or company involved.

So, what does Daniel Yankelovich have to do with making Cal Poly better? Actually, he has published in a couple of areas that would help them a lot… if they thought honestly about some of their problems.

The Role of Colleges in an Era of Mistrust. With Isabella Furth.
The Chronicle of Higher Education/Chronicle Review. September 16, 2005.

Ferment and Change: Higher Education in 2015.
The Chronicle of Higher Education/ Chronicle Review. November 25, 2005.

The trends and issues faced by Cal Poly appear clearly in these two articles… here are his 10 points ( check out the first article posted above for a further explanation):

1) Avoid ethically neutral or value-free stands, which in a climate of mistrust are viewed as deceitful.

2) Recognize that more is expected from privileged institutions.

3) Recognize that silence, denial and closed doors are almost always interpreted as evidence of bad faith.

4) Do not believe you will be given the benefit of the doubt.

5) Work out your positions on emotionally laden issues in advance and communicate them within the institution.

6) Be mindful that anything but plain talk is suspicious.

7) Recognize that being ‘good people’ and ‘good motives’ are not enough.

8) Respond to the public’s genuine hunger for information.

9) Build Trust.

10) Make a genuine effort to making the institution better than you found it.

I don’t know whether or not Cal Poly can escape the problems that are ingrained in their campus culture… but if they could, this is where they need to start… and here is a starting reading list.

Roger Freberg