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Casey Lieberman

Editor, Reporter, Storyteller

The Cuestonian •

What’s next for Cuesta’s Cafeteria? A farewell to Tiny Café

The Cuesta College cafeteria, a once bustling spot on the SLO campus, became a ghost town after the decision to not reopen food services after COVID-19. For the last five years, students and faculty have relied on food trucks, coffee carts and vending machines to fill the food and beverage gaps that exist on campus. 
This drastically changed Oct. 15 when local mobile coffee business Tiny Café opened in the cafeteria. 
Tiny Café was hired to help fill the gaps in the coffee services at Cuesta aft...
The Cuestonian •

How SLOcally Made is helping to redefine consumerism

The term “shop local” can be found in most places these days – social media campaigns, posters in grocery stores, local banks, and even your credit card companies are pushing you toward localizing your money. But without an understanding of the impacts that occur when you choose to spend your money in your own community rather than with a large corporation, “shop local” can sound more passive than it truly is.
“Choosing to shop small — instead of at big box stores or online — guarantees that the...
The Cuestonian •

EDITORIAL: Cuesta is disrupting student journalism on its own campus

A concerning new trend has emerged on the Cuesta College campus: Cuestonian reporters are being directed to the Cuesta Marketing and Communications Department when they request interviews with campus staff.
In the last month, seven Cuestonian reporters have been told by different Cuesta staff members that they must now go through the marketing department to schedule interviews and that their interview questions must be screened in advance.
To say this has been disruptive to the newspaper’s funct...
The Cuestonian •

Cuesta’s Children’s Center thrives with national accreditation

The Cuesta College Children’s Center received accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children in December 2025. The NAEYC accreditation puts Cuesta’s Children’s Center on a small list of preschools in the area, and signals to families, educators and policymakers that their program prioritizes high-quality learning experiences and that they are continuously working to improve. 
The Cuesta College Children’s Center opened in spring 1974 and was created as a laborato...
The Cuestonian •

EDITORIAL: Students lack trust in Cuesta’s communication

Students often feel left out of the loop on Cuesta College’s campus.
From missed opportunities to attend political events to an overall lack of knowledge about campus resources, students at Cuesta often feel like they don’t know what is happening at their own school.
For some students, this works well. They come to campus to attend class, get the grade and go home, counting down the days until they graduate and are off to their next endeavor. However, for students who want to connect more and bu...
The Cuestonian •

Cuesta’s Canvas has been hacked

The criminal extortion group ShinyHunters has breached Cuesta College’s Canvas. Starting this afternoon, when students and faculty tried to log in to their Cuesta Canvas accounts, they were met with a black-and-red screen that read “ShinyHunters has breached Instructure (again).”
The Cuestonian reached out to Cuesta Information and Technology and they did not want to speak on the record about the situation. 
Instructure is the company that runs Canvas and is used by over 40% of higher education...
The Cuestonian •

Last call to cast ballot for ASCC student government elections

Election season at Cuesta College is winding down for the Associated Students of Cuesta College 2026-27 term. Voting opened on April 20, with a link to the ballot being sent to all students via their Cuesta email, and ends on May 5 at 8 a.m. The ballot offers background and photos of the 15 candidates running for different positions for the 2026-27 term. 
ASCC is Cuesta’s student government and works to promote the general welfare of Cuesta students through advocacy and change on campus.
This ye...
The Cuestonian •

Okey Ndibe – author, speaker, professor – is coming to Cuesta

Okey Ndibe, a Nigerian-born and Connecticut-based author, novelist, speaker and professor, will be speaking at Cuesta College on Friday from 10 a.m to noon in room 5400 on the San Luis Obispo Cuesta campus. The event is free and open to the public.
Ndibe has an extensive list of published works, including his memoir, “Never Look an American in the Eye,” several novels, including “Foreign Gods Inc.” “Colonial Ghosts,” and “Arrows of Rain,” as well as opinion pieces that have been published by num...
The Cuestonian •

Cuesta announces Campus Center move-in date

The Cuesta College Board of Trustees voted this week to accept the final construction work for the San Luis Obispo Campus Center, marking the official move-in date for select offices as May 11. 
The much-anticipated move will begin with only the second floor, which houses the college administration, human resources,  board of trustees and foundation offices. “It is unlikely our more student-facing groups will move before commencement, and Drip Coffee will remain in their current location through...
The Cuestonian •

OPINION: We’re unplugging this spring break – you should too

The week we’ve all been waiting for has arrived. Spring break ‘26 is upon us, and at The Cuestonian, we have decided to honor it this year by going dark.
This might seem like a “well of course” kind of moment that we will not be publishing articles over the week, but in an increasingly online world, the concept of taking a week off from tending to one’s online presence can feel quite radical. 
Research shows that excessive screen time can have negative effects on both your physical and mental he...
The Cuestonian •

Finding freedom in disability identity

In a quiet room on the bottom floor of a hotel conference center, a small group of student journalists from across the country gathered to learn about disability reporting at the 2026 Associated Collegiate Press Spring National College Media Conference on March 6.
The breakout discussion was moderated by Julia Métraux, Mother Jones’ first disability reporter, who covers issues, policies and stories that are specifically related to the disability community and public health. 
Disability reporting...
The Cuestonian •

Cuesta College student email down over weekend

Cuesta College’s student email, my.cuesta.edu, was down Friday evening through Monday morning, officially being restored around 8:40 a.m. Monday. 
When students tried to use their emails over the weekend, they received a message with the subject “Undeliverable: ” when attempting to send.
“The network team is working to restore email functionality for the college,” said Keith Stearns, Cuesta’s Executive Director of Information Technology in an email to Cuesta staff and faculty obtained b...
The Cuestonian •

Cuesta’s women’s wrestling program is leveling up

Cuesta College’s women’s wrestling team was officially approved to move from club to intercollegiate status in November 2025, marking the start of the program being recognized as an official sport at Cuesta just in time for its 2026 spring season. 
This change in status transitions the team into a more highly structured program with increases in funding, administrative oversight and, most importantly, a significant increase in competition level, as the team can now compete as part of the Califor...
The Cuestonian •

Sheriff: Cuesta student died of natural causes in campus parking lot

The Cuestonian has received the coroner’s and investigative report for the student death on Cuesta College’s SLO campus that occurred on Jan. 21, 2025 from the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s office per a California Public Records Act request.
The cause of death was ruled as idiopathic cardiomegaly, which is the enlargement of the heart that makes it more difficult to circulate blood. Cardiomegaly can be temporary or permanent, depending on the cause, and is often a reaction to something that f...
The Cuestonian •

Feeling overwhelmed? Cuesta has free student mental health resources

College students continue to be one of the highest-risk groups to develop mental health problems in the U.S. due to the unique mix of stresses they face, often including intense academic pressure, social stress and developmental transitions. 
Cuesta College students are no different. Over 50% of California Community College students work while attending classes, showing that the stresses go beyond campus.
According to findings from a 2024-2025 study of student mental health by the Healthy Minds...
The Cuestonian •

Protesters attend TRUTH forum to discuss ICE in SLO County

Over 100 protestors gathered outside of the Katcho Achadjian Government Center in San Luis Obispo on Tuesday to attend a San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors forum discussing the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Department’s interactions with federal immigration officers.
Cesar Vasquez, a rapid-response organizer for 805UNDOCUFUND, a California non-profit that provides short-term financial relief to undocumented residents, spoke to the crowd before the meeting.
“Today cannot be the only tim...
The Cuestonian •

Cuesta’s newest addition: Drip Coffee opens its doors in the cafeteria

Cuesta College’s SLO campus cafeteria is now home to a new coffee shop. Drip Coffee, a Northern California-based company that has been providing coffee and food services to California community colleges for almost 34 years, welcomed Cuesta students Tuesday for the first day of the Spring semester. 
The cafe was approved to open at Cuesta by the Cuesta Board of Trustees in the fall of 2025, with plans to open in the new Campus Center, which at the time was expected to be open in January 2026. 
Wi...
Photo by Yury Kim on Pexels
Cuesto •

SLO campus center completion date now uncertain

Cuesta College’s newest building, named the Campus Center, originally expected to open in spring 2025, has now had its completion date removed due to construction and supply chain delays. 
“The building’s most significant procurement delays at present are attributable to fiber optic cabling and precast stair treads,” Cuesta’s Vice President of Administrative Services, Todd Hampton, said via email.
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