Why am I sneezing?

continued from pg. 1

203 cities studied developed longer freeze-free seasons and the longest extension of the season occurred here in the West, approximately 27 days.

On whether his own allergies have been worse this year, SSU Senior Andrew Olson said “They definitely have been, I’ve been taking allergy pills every day now.” Junior Chris Strouse relayed a similar experience of dealing with a more severe runny nose than usual.

Alongside droughts, rising sea levels, and the zombie-like infection from The Last of Us, exacerbated pollen allergies can also be attributed to climate change. Speaking to Boston 25 News, Kari Nadeau, MD, PhD, Chair of the Department of Environmental Health at Harvard School of Public Health explained that due to global warming, plants are now releasing pollen earlier out of confusion and colder climates are becoming more habitable to pollen-producing plants. Higher emissions of CO2 also help pollen-producing plants grow.

In addition to the possibility of infections in serious cases, allergies can welcome viruses in a terrifying way, according to Nadeau. “Mucus is basically sugar water. Bacteria love sugar and because you’re so exhausted fighting these allergies, people can get viruses, as well.” continued from pg. 1

In terms of what allergens are primarily to blame, grass and trees work differently from one another. Species of grass have a wider effect because they cross-react. “You can be allergic to oak but not to sycamore. But our grasses, called northern grasses, have a common allergen.” that is how Santa Rosa allergist Michael Martin explained it for The Press Democrat.

Recent rains have shielded the North Bay from the onslaught of allergy season but with now dry soil and clear skies, the stage is set for pollen to reach its full effect. The seasonal time for grass pollen in particular is only just beginning.

Grass can be prevented from creating pollen by mowing, but trees are more difficult to curb. , and according to Pollen Library, significantly severe tree allergens in Springtime Sonoma County are species of oak, willow, ash, and walnut.

In the same article as Dr. Martin, Santa Rosa family practice physician Michael Carlston says if somebody finds their allergies are acting up, the first thing to do is remove themself from the allergen. Go somewhere with air conditioning and close the doors and windows. Weather conditions like high winds and temperatures facilitate the spread and acceleration of pollen production, so be conscious of those.

For smaller preventative steps, Dr. Carlston recommends: “Wear a mask when gardening. Wash your hair at night to get rid of pollens that hang onto gel and mousse.” He recommended Omega-3 oils for inflammation, and for natural treatments he named nettle, butterbur, and bioflavonoid quercetin.

Students can find prescription and non-prescription medicine at the Student Health Center in the pharmacy. Only prescriptions made by SHC medical providers can be refilled. For more information, students can call the SHC at (707)-6642921.

API-Serving Institution.”

Promoting diversity on campus is something that Olivia Blades, a fourth-year psychology major, hopes to see, “I think as a person of color, actually bringing in diversity is so important because it’s so emphasized here. There should be more of a black presence at this school. If diversity in enrollment increases, a lot of students would feel more comfortable.”

While it will take some time to see if diversity at SSU increases, enrollment in general is important to many college campuses currently. The May 2023 graduating class is nearly 37% of the total student body. Lee states that it is something worth celebrating, but that enrollment will likely be lower next year and won’t see increases until 2024-25. This is not a problem unique to SSU as the CSU system has seen enrollment decreases as a whole due to the pandemic and other factors.

With the current enrollment goal of 7,810 students by 2026-2027, Lee has decided to elevate the Vice Presidential position in Strategic Enrollment to a cabinet-level position. He states, “The position will report directly to me to emphasize the importance of enrollment management to the future success of the campus and to ensure that the campus leadership team works interdivisionally to support recruitment and retention.”

There has been a lot of discussion about enrollment around campus among students and faculty, but Marisol Berta, a second-year psychology major, seems confident in this new shift in leadership, saying, “It seems like Dr. Mills has a lot of experience, so I feel comfortable putting some trust there. I would like to see more students here so that tuition and fees won’t increase.”

Mills will be supervising Outreach and Recruitment, Office of Records and Registration, and Admissions, as well as work closely with Strategic Communications, the Advising Center, Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Advancement and others to maximize enrollment efforts.

Until his first day on August 20, Provost Karen Moranski will be supervising the units in Strategic Enrollment.

Lee states, “We look forward to welcoming Dr. Mills to our campus and leadership team in the fall. We are making progress on enrollment, and I appreciate the efforts that faculty, staff, students, and administrators have made to increase our student population.”