Talk:California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

Bias

I do have some concerns regarding some bias in this article. While the information is fairly accurate for the most part, there are areas that have a very positive tone overall.

While I would not want a negative tone either, I do think it must be considered that a lot of information regarding the school is obtained from information Cal Poly SLO itself puts out, or from the 86 percent of students who are affluent that the article discusses.

One of the most stand-out areas is in relation to housing. The section on the residence halls seems very positive. It is not until several sections later that housing issues are discussed.

Considering how long the article is and how much it praises the school, it's a bit odd that the controveries are so glazed-over. This is not to say that the school is terrible, just to point out that, even if unintentionally, the article feels like it is intentionally glazing over issues and casting things in a sunny light.

Something that might help is significant reordering of sections. Instead of including race and class issues in just a couple of small areas, if the information were scattered around the article more it may give a better picture of what the school is like (for example, when dicussing future employment benefits, also discuss the L.A. Times article that says "was ranked one of the nation’s worst serving institutions for Latino student success." Charlie Teuthis (talk) 00:37, 12 October 2023 (UTC)

Relations with the Local Community desperately needs an edit

San Luis Obispo along with many other places in California has issues with housing. Despite this it seems a bit unbalanced and indeed a bit slanted to blame the school for the issue. Though of course there is some exacerbated issue of supply due to a large population the issues, as ever, are due to lack of supply of affordable housing and other stock in the city rather than the student's fault. 73.70.101.72 (talk) 04:15, 28 March 2024 (UTC)

University Name

The correct use of the california polytechnic state university or cal poly name is important as it creates confusion between universities. I have attached the official university branding guidelines. [1]. The title of the article also has the incorrect name, which should follow university branding guidelines and should be corrected later.Mikecurry1 (talk)

You may be interested in the various talk page discussions on the name usage (see Archive 1.) That archive also includes how the consensus to use this article title was arrived at. Bahooka (talk) 17:43, 28 June 2024 (UTC)

The university does not control this article or dictate its content. If you'd like us to change something in the article, you'll need to convince us that it should be changed in accordance with Wikipedia policies and community norms. ElKevbo (talk) 21:32, 28 June 2024 (UTC)

I was interested in that archive. I see there was a discussion on this from 20 years ago. Wikipedia has evolved since then, so I believe a new conversation would be appropriate.

Yes, I agree that the university should not control Wikipedia articles, and I agree that content should adhere to Wikipedia’s policies and community norms.

It appears that Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo and Cal Poly Pomona have distinct official brand guidelines, which should be followed to properly differentiate the two schools and prevent confusion. This distinction benefits both universities. According to Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo’s official branding guidelines, the university’s name is simply Cal Poly, whereas Cal Poly Pomona includes “Pomona” in its branding to distinguish itself (as outlined in their Cal Poly Pomona Brand Guidelines).[2]

Furthermore, Cal Poly is a protected trademark under California State Statute, as outlined in Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo’s branding guide Cal Poly Name Guidelines. Therefore, Cal Poly Pomona cannot legally use the standalone “Cal Poly” name without “Pomona.” Wikipedia should ensure that it adheres to these legal standards.

For the sake of clarity, to respect both institutions’ identities, and that it is best for both universities to differentiate, I recommend using each university’s official brand name according to their guidelines. This would prevent confusion and ensure accurate representation of both schools on Wikipedia, while also adhering to trademark law for registered trademarks. Mikecurry1 (talk) 13:55, 24 September 2024 (UTC)

@Bahooka: Hi Bahooka, thank you for bringing up the discussion about the name usage of Cal Poly. I believe it’s important to adhere to the official guidelines of both Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo and Cal Poly Pomona when referencing these institutions on Wikipedia.

I recently edited the Cal Poly Pomona page to align with their official brand guidelines and clarified the section regarding the name. According to Cal Poly Pomona’s guidelines, the preferred name is “Cal Poly Pomona,” or secondarily, “CPP.” Their guidelines explicitly advise against using “Cal Poly” alone to refer to CPP. This distinction helps avoid confusion between the two institutions and benefits both.

For Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, the official name guidelines are available here: Cal Poly Name Guidelines. These state the preferred names are “Cal Poly” or “California Polytechnic State University.” When clarification is needed, terms like “Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo” can be used in narrative text but should not appear in titles or headers.

Following the official branding guidelines of both universities will help ensure clear and consistent communication. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.

Here are key points from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo’s guidelines for reference:

“Our Preferred Name(s) - When communicating about campus, use the following:

* Cal Poly

* California Polytechnic State University

Secondary Name Options (when clarification is needed):

* Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo

* Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA

Name Usage to Avoid:

* Cal Poly State University

* Cal Poly State

* Cal Poly SLO

* CalPoly

* California Polytechnic University"

Brand consistency is crucial for clear communication. Additionally, both “Cal Poly” and “California Polytechnic State University” are protected by state statute.

I believe that following both schools’ official guidelines will improve clarity and avoid confusion in referencing each university, as well as their subsequent public use. I appreciate the discussion and look forward to your input! Mikecurry1 (talk) 20:06, 5 October 2024 (UTC)

Thank you for your feedback. As you probably know, Wikipedia does not go by the style guides of individual organizations. In this case, the Chancellor's Office even refers to the university as California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, probably because there are now three Cal Poly campuses. I believe we should follow the wording of the CSU. Bahooka (talk) 20:40, 5 October 2024 (UTC)

In addition, the formal name of the university as California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo is stated here to be the formal name. Cal Poly is noted as the abbreviation. Bahooka (talk) 21:18, 5 October 2024 (UTC)

Mikecurry1, it appears we have reached an impasse as to whether to refer to the university as Cal Poly or California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. At this point perhaps we should seek a third opinion. Are you okay with me seeking this solution? Bahooka (talk) 21:01, 10 October 2024 (UTC)

Thank you for your mediation, Bahooka. Indeed, a consensus of sorts had been reached multiple years ago and the inclusion of both the naming conventions of the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Communications & Marketing department and other common names such as Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Cal Poly SLO were on the article leade for years before this renewed push to change it again based on no new developments or changes other than another user wanting to change them. Usage of the term "Cal Poly" in the LA region may typically also refer to the Pomona campus (See this recent CBS article headline, this recent MSN headline, this recent Daily Bulleting headline, etc.) and in the Arcata, California or Northern California regions may refer to Cal Poly Humboldt (See this recent ABC article). Heck, even the local media in San Luis Obispo sometimes do not use the prescribed naming convention for their local CSU campus see the headline on this San Luis Obispo Tribune article. "Cal Poly", "Cal Poly San Luis Obispo" and "Cal Poly SLO" are all common names for the CSU campus in San Luis Obispo, California. We used to have them all on the leade for years and I think we should include them now as this discussion highlights ambiguity over terms. Also, Cal Poly is a disambiguation page here on Wikipedia based on years and years of back and forth (see respective talk page). Also, Cal Poly Universities Rose Float exists.

What we would appreciate from a third way group would be a consensus on inclusion of all these common names for all these sister campuses, so that we don't have to revisit these changes that seem to crop-up on a two/three year schedule or whenever some new editor wants to make the ambiguous term Cal Poly exclusive for Cal Poly SLO.--Chlorineer (talk) 14:52, 11 October 2024 (UTC)

Thanks, I will seek this solution. BTW, I think what has changed is that the CSU Chancellor's Office is now putting San Luis Obispo in the official name, probably because they recently added a third Cal Poly up in Humboldt and need to differentiate. Oh, the locals near Cal Poly Pomona just refer to it as Cal Poly, also. Thanks, Bahooka (talk) 15:44, 11 October 2024 (UTC)

Sorry for the slow response, I just saw you wrote your response 5 days ago, Bahooka.

Thank you all for your patience and for continuing this important discussion.

Resolving the Naming Impasse @Bahooka,

Given the two options you listed—“Cal Poly” and “California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo”—I respectfully propose adopting “Cal Poly” as the primary name for the San Luis Obispo campus. This recommendation aligns with the university’s official branding guidelines, ensuring consistency and recognition.[3] Additionally, “Cal Poly” is a protected trademark under California State Statute, which supports Wikipedia's adherence to trademark policies.

Updates Since 2018 @Chlorineer

I appreciate your insights and would like to highlight two significant changes that have occurred since those previous discussions in 2018:

• Importantly, Cal Poly Humboldt was introduced as a polytechnic in 2022 and officially rebranded as “Cal Poly Humboldt” or “Humboldt,” with clear guidelines advising against using “Cal Poly” alone.

• Also, Cal Poly Pomona has been rebranded as “Cal Poly Pomona” or “CPP,” explicitly advising against using “Cal Poly” alone.

These rebranding efforts by both campuses ensure that each of the three polytechnic institutions has a unique identity. This reduces confusion and adheres to their respective official branding guidelines, fostering clear differentiation among the campuses.

Relevant Wikipedia Policies:

• Manual of Style (MOS) - Proper name: Use the official name given for each university.

• Wikipedia:Trademark: Ensure trademarked names are used correctly.

• Wikipedia:Disambiguation: Clearly differentiate between similarly named entities.

Proposed Action:

• Adopt “Cal Poly” as the primary name for San Luis Obispo in the article title and content.

• Incorporate each university’s official naming guidelines into each campus’s article to maintain consistency.

These rebranding changes, updated by Humboldt's addition Cal Poly Humboldt Stylebook and the rebranding by Cal Poly Pomona, as outlined in Stylebook for 2024 (pg 4), ensure that each campus has a unique identity, reduces confusion, and adheres to their respective branding guidelines.

Thank you all for collaborating to maintain the accuracy and clarity of Wikipedia’s content. Mikecurry1 (talk) 02:00, 12 October 2024 (UTC)

My request at WP:3O was declined because a third editor has joined the discussion. I think the next step in resolution is to go to the appropriate WikiProject, in this case WP:UNIGUIDE, to get more feedback, particularly from those who are not alumni of the university. I will address our discuss there in the next day or so. Thanks all for your comments and civil approach. Best, Bahooka (talk) 00:41, 13 October 2024 (UTC)

Thank you for your work, @Bahooka. I'll certainly be participating in that discussion.--Chlorineer (talk) 23:34, 13 October 2024 (UTC)