Month: March 2008

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Cal Poly Students Unite to protest Cal Poly -Saudia Arabia deal

Cal Poly Engineering's new BuddyI always like to hand accolades out when the media help out a socially worthwhile story.

A Protest at Cal Poly over their proposed association with Saudi Arabia is hitting the news. We all know Saudi Arabia’s second leading export is terrorists, so why is Cal Poly’s Warren Baker & Mohammad Noori pushing this deal? Some suspect that it represents ‘big money’ and a sacrifice of a few seldom used American values.

It’s American blood for money.

Here’s what the local paper wrote about the upcoming protest:

Cal Poly College
Republicans to protest pact with Saudi university

“Cal Poly’s College Republicans have organized a protest set for Tuesday afternoon against the school’s plans to help a Saudi Arabian university create an engineering program.

The pact with University College of Jubail has been met with controversy because of Saudi Arabia’s record of discrimination against women, Jews and gays. Saudi women would not be admitted initially to the Jubail engineering programs.

Members of the Republican club plan to demonstrate opposition to the partnership at Cal Poly’s Academic Senate meeting, set for 4:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. in room 220 of the University Union. The Senate is expected to question university President Warren Baker about the Saudi pact.

Club members said they are gathering at the mustang statue near the Union at 4:15 p.m. to make posters and organize the demonstration.

Protest organizers said that members of other student clubs, including the Cal Poly Democrats, also plan to attend.”

— Antonio A. Prado

Roger Freberg

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thinking about desserts

Neiman Marcus and the Grand Marinier Truffle Cake
Even if you offer a simple main course a knock out dessert will always save the day!

I found this in a December era catalog at Neiman Marcus (where else?)… it contained all the basic food groups: chocolate, chocolate sweet wine, Grand Marnier and did I say chocolate?

There are a few knock off recipes on-line should you wish to try your hand at it… we did with an ‘extra base layer’… much like you would assemble a Black Forest Cake… but instead of cherries… we had berries soaked in the appropriate liquor.

Yum.

Roger Freberg

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How do Cal Poly and Saudi Arabia make it a better world?

Few students have ever seen Warren Baker ... he's unknown to most facultyAt Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the student newspaper the Mustang Daily once ran a contest with a significant prize to anyone who could take a picture of the elusive Cal Poly president Warren Baker. As I remember it… no one won!

so, Where’s Warren?

Before he ‘disapparates’ once again, you might get a glimpse of ‘he-who-nobody-has-ever-seen’ at Cal Poly:

the University Union room 220
3:00 – 5:00 pm

Tuesday, March 4th

Subject: the Saudi – Cal Poly deal or “how I learned to love a world without professional women.”

There are many problems with the contract… the one that bothers me is the apparent ‘veto’ capability of the Saudis on any hire… this basically means that the Saudis are not bound by any of our ‘idealistic notions.’ One passage of an analysis provided in a link below states:

“These ideals should be America’s gifts to the world. Seek to include them in any educational contracts that Cal Poly makes with educators in all parts of the world!”

Here is a fuller analysis of the ‘deal’ presented by a long time esteemed member of the university and passed along for your consideration. Also provided is Cal Poly’s own non-discrimination policy! Do we see a conflict here?

Roger Freberg

Cal Poly is not the only one willing — in my opinion — to sell American values for gold… but that doesn’t make it right.