Cougars & Mustangs 

The Jack and Nancy Sullivan Fund, established in 2003 to honor the memory of former Cuesta College Student Michael Mihalakis, who lost his life in a Humvee accident while serving in Baghdad, has received a $3,000 donation from the San Luis Obispo Elks Lodge. The fund benefits local veterans by providing them with Cuesta parking permits, which, though required on campus, aren’t covered by Veterans Affairs educational benefits. A parking pass provided by this fund is referred to as a “Mike,” after the student.

Mihalakis was one of Jack Sullivan’s students. Sullivan, a former Cuesta professor, received an e-mail from Mihalakis asking to save him a seat in his class as he wouldn’t return before the semester began. Two weeks before Mike was supposed to return home, he was killed in the accident. Elks Lodge 322’s donation combines a $2,000 Elks National Foundation Gratitude Grant and a $1,000 Fundraiser.

In other news, the eagerly anticipated production of Xanadu has arrived to drag you back into the 1980s. This musical comedy featuring hits by Electric Light Orchestra (among others) is full of roller-skating, laughter, and talented Cuesta students. Fun fact: The play is a stage adaptation of a movie, which is in turn inspired by another movie, which in turn was a sequel to another movie, which is itself a film adaptation of a play. Though the film this play is immediately based upon was a critical box office failure, you can be assured that the play is a good time—the playwright charged with its adaptation recognized the flaws of the film, and when he signed on, saw it as an opportunity to bring out some wonderful parody while improving the actual story—and whatever flaws were present in the immediate source material, the soundtrack was a triumphant success. Combine what was already good with the new improvements, and bam! You’ve got a fun event. Tickets to Xanadu cost $10 to $15. Find them at the Cuesta CPAC Box Office or online at cpactickets.cuesta.edu. Performances are the weekend (including Friday) of the April 26, as well as the following weekend, at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays.

Intern Chris White-Sanborn needs to re-learn how to roller skate. Send your collegiate news to [email protected]
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