In letters: St. Fratty’s Day is a misguided Cal Poly ‘tradition’ | Opinion

Tribune got it wrong

Cal Poły got it right? (“What will Cal Poly do for an encore?” March 21)

So a few years of increasing numbers of students illegally drinking in the street, marauding neighborhoods and destroying campus property creates a “tradition” to be supported?

Budget cuts are on the table, so Cal Poly eliminates swimming and diving programs, and more. But plenty of money to provide a free concert with big name bands, free food and beer sales to accommodate those entitled to party. And the city helps by securing 24 law enforcement agencies. All at taxpayer expense.

It is St. Patrick’s Day, not St. Fratty’s. Yes, the fraternities began the shenanigans that have morphed into near riots in recent years. Perhaps they should pony up some of the expenses.

There were riots during Poly Royal some years back, and the event was canceled. A group of residents began presenting the city’s free Mardi Gras entertainment. But as the permitted parade became bigger, crowds grew, students and out-of-town young people became unruly, riots ensued, and the event was ended.

Now, when a bunch of kids just want to drink and “celebrate” a made-up holiday and make “life hell for residents,” the solution is, great, let’s make it bigger next year!

Christine Mulholland

San Luis Obispo

Sliding into dictatorship

President Trump’s use of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans is an authoritarian usurpation of legislative branch powers, not only an attack on the judicial branch and due process.

That law places two conditions on its use: A congressionally “declared war between the United States and any foreign nation or government,” or in the case of “any invasion or predatory incursion... by any foreign nation or government... against the... United States”.

There has been no congressional declaration of war on or an invasion or incursion by Venezuela. Trump’s March 15 proclamation invoking this law claims the Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang is “conducting irregular warfare... at the direction... of the Maduro regime in Venezuela” with which it is “closely aligned,” “perpetrating, attempting, and threatening an invasion or predatory incursion against the... United States,” and that “Evidence irrefutably demonstrates that TdA has invaded the United States” in “this plot against America”.

But two and a half weeks prior to it (Feb. 26), the intelligance community (CIA, NSA, etc.) issued its finding that TdA is not directed by the Maduro regime and that both are hostile to each other.

With this illegal concentration of legislative and judicial powers in the executive branch, we slide further into dictatorship.

David Broadwater

Atascadero

Signal fallout

I want to hear: “Pete, you’re fired!”

John Sherwood

Shell Beach

Environmental cost of space boom

As SpaceX accelerates launches off the Central Coast, a hidden crisis is unfolding — pollution from rockets and space debris. Despite warnings since 1990, no global regulations exist, leaving the final frontier vulnerable to unchecked environmental damage.

Space is becoming dangerously crowded. Over 11,000 satellites currently orbit Earth, with numbers set to soar. When old satellites burn up on reentry, they release metal particles, including ozone-depleting aluminum oxide. Starlink alone contributes 40% of this space junk, with daily reentries worsening the problem. In 2023, there were 211 successful orbital launches worldwide — 98 by SpaceX, a record it matched in 2024.

Vandenberg Space Force Base set a record 51 launches in 2024, with projections to double in 2025. While promoted as a national security necessity, most of these launches are commercial. Reusable rockets reduce waste, but their upper stages — each weighing four tons — burn up on reentry, releasing pollutants into the upper atmosphere.

Atmospheric scientist Connor Barker estimates that these megaconstellation launches already account for 12% of the space industry’s ozone depletion, a figure set to rise. Without oversight, commercial space activity risks causing lasting harm to Earth’s atmosphere. Urgent action is needed before it’s too late.

Jill Stegman

Grover Beach