October 27, 2004
For Immediate Release

Contact: Jason Tolvtvar
(805) 756-1268

Cal Poly Students to Transport Rose Float to Pomona Nov. 5

SAN LUIS OBISPO -- In an annual tradition, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo's half of the Cal Poly Rose Float, currently located at the San Luis Obispo campus, will be loaded onto a trailer for transport to Cal Poly Pomona on Friday, November 5.

Every year each campus works on its half of the frame, and the parts are joined in November on the Pomona campus. This year's float, "Elefun Time," depicts a family of elephants enjoying a bicycle outing. The mother and father elephants ride a tandem bicycle while towing the little sister elephant in her red wagon. Meanwhile, little brother elephant rides his Big Wheels and big brother leads the way on his scooter. This scene is in celebration of the 2004 parade theme "Celebrate Family."

This year the winning design concept came from Cal Poly alumni Steve and Shirley Rutland. The couple, now married with two young children, met while working on the Rose Float in 1984. He was a student in manufacturing engineering and she was a student in art and design. Both helped build Cal Poly rose floats in the 1980s before graduating, and both served on the campus Rose Float committee. The couple's daughter, Sarah, 7, helped with the family's entry in the Rose Float design contest at Cal Poly earlier this year. Steve Rutland, who also earned an M.B.A. from Cal Poly, works for Cal Poly Information Technology Services department.

This marks the 57th consecutive entry in the parade for Cal Poly and sister campus Pomona -- originally a satellite campus to San Luis Obispo before becoming a separate CSU campus in the 1970s. Students at Cal Poly and Pomona work year-round to produce the float for the annual Tournament of Roses parade held annually on New Year's Day. The Cal Poly float is the only float entry in the parade that is designed, built, decorated and financed solely by students.

Separated by 225 miles, both universities build portions of the float on different campuses. The two halves are joined together on the Pomona campus just weeks before the parade. The float is moved to the Pasadena area about 10 days prior to the start of the parade.

The final stage of the float building process is the floral decorations applied by Cal Poly students, parents, alumni, faculty and community members in the days just prior to the Rose Parade, held annually on New Year's Day.

Cal Poly won the "Founder's Award" trophy in the 2004 Rose Parade for the most beautiful entry built and decorated by volunteers from the sponsoring community or organization.

More information about the Cal Poly Rose Float is available at
www.asi.calpoly.edu/rosefloat.

###

NOTE TO EDITORS: For information about the time and place media can
view the float's departure, please contact Amie Hammond at
akhammon@calpoly.edu (805) 756-1113. A color sketch of the Cal Poly float is available by emailing a request to akhammon@calpoly.edu.


The Cal Poly Rose Float Program is a program of Associated Students, Inc.
Michelle Broom, Public Relations and Marketing Coordinator, Associated Students, Inc. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, CA 93407 (805) 756-2211