Sonoma State STAR Issue 13

Stevenson Hall’s Reopening Represents Renewal

ADRIANA GONZALEZ STAFF WRITER

Sonoma State University Stevenson Hall’s long-awaited reopening was marked by a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday morning. The nearly 250 attendants of the event appeared to be in awe after hearing about and seeing the changes that will be brought to the campus following the remodel.

In the ceremony’s opening speech SSU’s Chief Planning Officer Christopher Dinno explained that this building should reflect teamwork and have more engaging learning opportunities. Dinno also revealed that over the course of the project SSU managed to save over 30% of the building’s total costs making it more sustainable than previously planned. This also equated to a lower carbon footprint for the project.

Following Dinno’s opening remarks, SSU Interim President Mike Lee took the po dium and offered the audience some inspirational statements. To Lee, the reopening of Stevenson Hall “symbolizes Sonoma State’s renewal.”

Dr. Lee cut the ribbon alongside the faculty and staff that supported the project.

Following the ceremony, Stevenson Hall quickly became crowded with project con tributors, faculty, students, alumni, and community members who raced to see the renovations.

Imagine entering an Apple tech store with brilliant lighting and cutting-edge equip ment, the experience of entering the newly rebuilt Stevenson Hall is comparable. The building’s architecture highlights clear glass windows and the high-tech “Silicon Valley vibes” that Dinno envisioned. Stevenson Hall’s new design is intended to be flexible for the next generation and those who follow.

Third-year student Jason Hill Jr. expressed his feelings about the new and improved Stevenson Hall. Hill stated this new building is “an incredible work of art” that SSU students now have access to. Hill said, “It is a blessing and a true honor to have some thing like this on our campus.”

Enrollment numbers expected to increase

JHERY MAE MONTEZA STAFF WRITER

Students struggle through continued supply shortages

NOAH CLARKE STAFF WRITER

As we near the end of 2022, parts of the US continue to struggle in its essen tial goods supply chain, leaving a variety of products feeling nearly im possible to obtain. These commodities in short supply range from prescription drugs to common food items and household items. Sonoma State students are beginning to experience the effects of these shortages first-hand.

Drug manufacturers are having problems keeping up with demands. Ac cording to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), some commonly used medications are currently suffering shortages, causing a lot of stress for patients and medical staff.

Some of these medications include Albuterol inhalers to combat respiratory issues like asthma. Others include Amoxicillin and Ozempic. Also, Adderall which is taken to assist people with ADHD is currently in short supply.

A third-year SSU student who requested to stay anonymous shared that Concerta, the brand of ADHD medication they take, is currently facing supply chain shortages. Normally, the student picks up about 180 pills for their pre scription and it lasts a few months. However, when recently picking up their prescription they only received 30 pills.

The third-year student said, “The downscale on my prescription has taken a toll on me, especially since it’s come so abruptly. It’s hindered my productivity and it has made it tough to get school work done.”

The student continued, “Since high school when I started picking Adderall

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Sonoma

State University has deployed several strategies to counteract the effects of multiple semesters of declining enrollment. The results from this work is now visible as, recently deposits and applications are starting to increase.

The increase in applications for Fall 2023 is largely because of the Strategic Enrollment team and campus’ hard work towards the same goal. The Academic Affairs Team stated, “For Fall 2023, new student applications are looking promising with 11,262 applications submitted as of November 30, 2022. This is 2,043 applications more than at the same point last year or an increase of 22% across student groups.“

In addition, the deadline has been extended to December 31,2022 to help persuade more students to finish their applications or develop a new interest.

By the end of Fall 2022, Student Outreach has planned to attend over 250 college fairs. They’ve reached out to 96 California high schools all of which have sent 30 or more student applicants to SSU per year over the past five years.

STAR// Adriana Gonzalez

A crowd of about 250 attended the ribbon cutting ceremony Friday morning, which marked the reopening of Stevenson Hall.

STAR/ Cec Fernandez

Empty shelves are common as supply shortages continue into the end of 2022. Some students stuggle to find the groceries, gifts, and medications they need.

STAR// Cec Fernandez

For the first time since 2016, SSU’s enrollment numbers are increasing. Student Outreach has been doing extensive work to ensure student numbers stay up.

sonomastat

THE STAR Editorial Board

Nicholas Roth, Editor-in-Chief Willow Ornellas, News Editor

Mikayla Fritzemeier, Opinion Editor

Cléa Upcher, Arts & Entertainment and Photo Editor

Rosalee Padilla, Student Life Editor Javier Hernandez, Sports & Health Editor

Corinne Asturias, Faculty Adviser Staff Writers

Nicole Awwad, Charles Barrett, Devon Bly, Noah Clarke, Zachary Gonzales, Tyler Meloan, Jhery Mae Monteza, Paul Munoz, Kayle Norris, Marie’sa Rumsey, Daniel Serrano, Chasity Spady, Calvin Zeljak

Photographers

Cec Fernandez, Adriana Gonzalez, Mariah Forster

Nichols Hall 323, 1801 East Cotati Ave Rohnert Park, CA 94928

Telephone: 707-664-2776

Business & General Inquiries: sonomastatestar@gmail.com

Corrections and News Tips: star@sonoma.edu

Publication

The STAR is published every Tuesday during the fall and spring semesters. The weekly publication of the STAR is made possible by Instructionally Related Activities Funding.

Opinions

Opinions expressed in the STAR are those of the writer and not necessarily those of the STAR or SSU. The editorial re flects the views of the STAR Editorial Board on issues it considers to be of particular rel evance to the campus community.

Editorial Policy

The commentary expressed in the un signed editorial represents a majority opin ion of the STAR Editorial Board on a topic facing the campus community in keeping with journalistic precedents of other major newspapers, and may not be shared by all staff writers.

Going home for the holidays: cheer or drear?

Winter break is just around the corner for all of us burnt-out college stu dents. Returning home can be a nice change of pace from school but stressful situations are bound to arise. Whether that be navigat ing through old friendships, getting over whelmed by family members or worrying about overspending on holiday gifts.

This is not an uncommon occurrence, this season is notorious for rises in stress lev els. A recent study done by the American Psy chiatric Association found that, “31% of adults say they expect to feel more stressed this up coming holiday season compared to last.” The question is; how do we combat this unwanted stress?

Alyssa Samuli, a fourth year at SSU, shared her tactics for staying sane through winter break, “I really just do things that I en joy. Although it’s important to make time for friends and family, I think it’s even more im portant to do things for yourself. I make a lot of time for myself to recharge because before you know it, the next semester begins.”

Making time for yourself can be as simple as going for a walk around the block while taking in the fresh air. Going for a drive and listening to music can also be an effective way to recharge. Watching your favorite com fort show or movie can also bring on some peace. You can even try something new and treat yourself to a movie. It’s important to find a method that works best for you.

Another difficult part of returning

home for the first time in a while can be navi gating through old friendships. College allows students to gain new perspectives and grow as individuals. Sometimes this can mean out growing hometown friends.

In an interview with the STAR, Hutchins major Amanda Lewis shared her experience with friends. “I think it’s import ant to remind yourself that you are constantly changing and adapting to your environment, which looks different for everybody.” Lewis then goes on to offer some advice. “I would definitely say to cut yourself some slack when it comes to losing friendships. It’s meant to happen, and outgrowing past friendships al lows you to pour more energy into your cur rent, evolving friendships.”

Despite the increasing stress lev els around the holidays there is still much to look forward to. Christmas movies playing on many channels all month long. The return of holiday themed Starbucks cups. Going to buy a fresh pine tree with your family or friends. And who doesn’t love seeing all of the houses decorated festively with Christmas decora tions?

The holidays can still be a fun and re laxing time, regardless of stressful situations that can arise. Many students miss their fam ilies when they are away at school, so try to make the best out of the time you have with your family. College goes by quickly so make the most out of every moment including vaca tions.

Letters to the Editor: Letters to the Editor are encouraged and will be considered for publication based on relevance, accuracy and timeliness . Submit letters of up to 300 words no lat er than the Friday before the publication date. Send letters to star@sonoma.edu, include your full name, year in school and city of residence.

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Students share how they power through finals week

Dennae Taylor, a communications major, shared what the transition from thanksgiving break to school was like, “I think the hardest part about shifting from Thanksgiving break is going from “rest” mode into “school” mode for only three weeks because I usually start to burn out at this point in the semester.”

can navigate through these final weeks. A student life blog by Meghan Jagnow gave 10 ways in which students can be less stressed during this time. Some mentions that seawolves should take into consider ation include: “Stay in the moment,” “Get organized,” “Be positive about yourself”, and “Reward yourself.”

mental health and listening to her body. Some solutions Freschi mentioned includ ed: working out, relaxing, and hanging out with her roommates. The sophomore added, “We only have 3 weeks left but I’m trying to put in all my effort to finish strong.”

STAFF WRITER MARIE’SA RUMSEY

As the semester slowly comes to a close, students are holding on for just a little while longer to study, finish any last few assignments, and complete final exams. Thanksgiv ing break gave Seawolves a little taste of relaxation, with no classes and time to spend with loved ones. Now it is the time to finish up the semester strong while maintaining healthy habits to get to the finish line.

Taylor, of course, is not the only one who feels this way. Lily Freschi, a sopho more, expressed the same concerns. The swift change in routine was challenging. Freschi described her holiday as enjoyable with “a break of no worries.”

The end of a course period can often feel like a marathon. Usually, during this time students find themselves feeling a bit overwhelmed. Sometimes between school, work, or other responsibilities, it can seem as though there is no room to unwind. It is essential for students to re member to make sure they also prioritize themselves.

There are plenty of ways students

Each one is a valuable tip to ap ply. Staying in the moment keeps you fo cused on one task at hand without worry ing about the future. By getting organized one can be aware of their set schedule which allows for better control of their time and energy. One that many forget is being kind to yourself, especially during this time. And rewarding yourself for the progress made is a must. Some of the sug gestions may not work for everyone but can be a startinag point for figuring out what works.

Freschi gave insight into how she will power through the rest of the semester. She went into detail about prioritizing her

For others like communications major Taylor Turner, the near end of the semester seems manageable. Turner described how she would approach the last demands of the semester, “I am going to take it step by step and get all the rest of my assignments done.” Turner further expressed what it will be like for her when wrapping up the semester, “The most satisfying feeling I’ll get is knowing I don’t have to worry about school anymore and having free time.”

Almost everyone is looking forward to that moment when they take their last exam or turn in a final assignment. Before Seawolves get there though, it’ll take a lit tle time. Take it one day at a time and the semester will be over soon.

Qatar uses World Cup to distract from human rights violations

Qatar had bribed voting FIFA members to support their ultimately successful bids.”

Many factors make Qatar a poor candi date for hosting such a massive event. CNN reports that the peninsula nation is smaller than Connecticut, with a population of less than three million residents, and lacked all the necessary stadiums and infrastructure.

TYLER MELOAN STAFF WRITER

Soccer fans around the world re joiced on Nov. 20, as the 2022 FIFA World Cup commenced in the host country of Qatar. But while the tournament has historically acted as a global celebration of the sport, and the diverse cultures of the countries competing, this year’s World Cup has begun amid great controversy.

Qatar was selected as the 2022 host back in 2010, becoming the first Middle Eastern country to be award ed the honor. Qatar’s win came at the same time as Russia’s, who was awarded 2018 hosting duties. Howev er, the shady dealings that facilitated these wins soon became public. FIFA, or the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, is soccer’s glob al governing body, and its officials are responsible for selecting each host. According to PBS, “the U.S. alleged in 2020 that officials from Russia and

Qatar had to build seven new stadiums, per PBS, and a whole new city, called Lusail, including hotels, an expanded airport, and homes, as the capital of Doha couldn’t ac commodate the event’s scale.

To make matters worse, the workers who built these structures, mainly migrants, were horribly mistreated. According to the Guardian, at least 6,750 died while building in Qatar since 2010. Many of the deaths were attributed to the extreme heat, which posed such a danger to the safety of players and fans, that the tournament, which is normal ly played during the summer, was moved to the winter, per NPR. Sebastian Contreras, a Sonoma State Men’s Soccer commit, said, “The world cup is a beautiful event, but this one will always be remembered for the peo ple that sacrificed their lives for our enter tainment.”

The nation has also shown a disgusting intolerance for LGBTQ+ individuals, and they enforce oppressive laws on women, making them an awful site for an event that typically celebrates diversity. According to CNN, women need to ask men permission

to marry, travel and study abroad in many cases. The Guardian reports that a Qatar World Cup ambassador described homo sexuality as “damage in the mind” in an in terview with the German broadcaster ZDF. LGBTQ+ individuals living in Qatar are regularly subjected to conversion therapy, harassment by authorities and imprisonment according to NPR.

Qatar and other repressive nations like China and Russia have arguably engaged in an act called “sportswashing,” a term that Yahoo describes as “the way in which sports can be used to distract from a country’s mis deeds.” CNN reports that, “By hosting the World Cup, Qatar wants to project a cos mopolitan image … signaling it is open for business, welcoming to tourists and a player in global politics.” For Sean Rohane, a 2023 MBA graduate student and SSU Men’s Soc cer player, Qatar’s attempt to ‘sportswash’ has completely backfired. “Before this year, I wasn’t aware of much about their country, if anything,” he said. “But now, with social media posts around the stadiums, and see ing people who promoted LGBTQ+ at the games being kicked out, it shows the world how oppressive the country is.”

Some have asserted that the U.S. and other western nations are partly responsible for Qatar’s backwards regime. According to the Guardian, “The processes of state for mation that brought the modern Qatari state into being are inextricably bound up with

histories of capitalism and western imperi alism.” The U.S. does continue to provide arms and other support to Middle Eastern countries, including Qatar, in exchange for access to their oil. However, the west’s well documented wrongdoings don’t excuse the despicable human rights violations still rou tinely committed by the Qatari government.

CNN reports that a group called Hu man Rights Watch has launched a cam paign, called #PayUpFIFA, which demands that FIFA and Qatar “pay out at least $440 million – an amount equal to the prize mon ey being awarded at the World Cup – to the families of migrant workers who have been harmed or killed in preparation for the tournament.” It’s crucial that fans and teams speak out and support this campaign. As CNN notes, “Our activism could also change the calculus for FIFA – which might be less inclined to award the World Cup to countries like Qatar if they know that doing so will result in years of boycotts, protests and damaging press.”

The honor of hosting an event like the World Cup should be awarded only to na tions that are willing to fairly make their bid to host, and who have existent infrastruc ture, safe climates and laws that reflect open mindedness. Providing countries like Qatar with the opportunity to portray themselves in a positive light compromises the spirit and integrity of the event, and lowers the ethical standards required of potential future host

Two Balenciaga ad campaigns backfire on company

Court decision on child pornography laws.

KAYLE NORRIS STAFF WRITER

Two new Balenciaga campaigns left viewers disgusted wonder ing if their campaign was promot ing child pornography and glorify ing violence against children. On Nov.16 Balenciaga published their campaign called Balenciaga Gift Shop, which featured images of young children with the handbags that looked like teddy bears wear ing what some say was bondage gear. Five days later, Balenciaga published their 2023 Garde-Robe advertising campaign, and when viewers zoomed in on the images they found that papers underneath the purse were from a Supreme

The Garde-Robe campaign had multiple images that had viewers con cerned and wanting answers. In one of the ads, a $3,000 Balenciaga x Adidas Hour glass handbag was on a desk covered with papers but one of them was the copy of the Supreme Court’s 2008 decision in the U.S. v. Williams case. This case looked over whether laws banning the “pandering” of child pornography was against First Amendment rights.

Another prop in the Garde-Robe campaign included the book “As sweet as It Gets” by a Belgian painter Michaël Bor remans whose paintings have been shown at the David Zwirner gallery. This gallery described Borremans painting as “Tod dlers engaged in playful but mysterious acts with sinister overtones and insinua tions of violence.”

Balenciaga made their first apol ogy post on Nov. 24 for the Gift Shop campaign. Balenciaga said,” We sincerely apologize for any offense our holiday cam paign may have caused. Our plush bear bags should not have been featured with children in this campaign. We have im

mediately removed the campaign from all platforms.”

Just hours later a second apology post came addressing the 2023 Garde-Robe campaign. Again, Balenciaga said, “We apologize for displaying unsettling docu ments in our campaign. We take this matter very seriously and are taking legal action against the parties responsible for creating the set and including unapproved items for our Spring 23 campaign photo shoot. We strongly condemn abuse of children in any form. We stand for children’s safety and well-being.”

Many feel like Balenciaga should be held responsible for their actions and even feel like maybe some celebrities should back out of their brand deal. Kait lyn Shellooe, a senior Hutchin major said, “I think that people try too hard to “make art” and don’t realize how weird and wrong somethings are. It’s a really weird concept to sexualize kids and put them in a BDSM situation and try to pass it off as “art”. It really doesn’t make sense to me. I agree with the celebrities that are backing out of the campaign, I would do the same, it’s just overall an uncomfortable thing to look at.”

Senior early childhood education major Jenny Siebuhr felt that if celebrities want to stay with the brand then they can face the repercussions themselves. Siebuhr said, “ I think that it was inappropriate that Balenciaga chose to promote the bondage bears with little kids. I’m not really sure about influencers because my thought is that they choose who they want to repre sent and it’s their choice. If they want the backlash and stuff like that then I don’t re ally care either way. I don’t think Balencia ga knew about the papers but they doesn’t mean that they don’t have have certain be liefs centered around child pornography.”

Lilia Alcazar, a senior sociology ma jor, feels strongly that Balenciaga is in the wrong. Alcazar said, “Honestly, the creator behind Balenciaga knew exactly what they were doing. They had no right to put chil dren in those conditions, much less adults because that type of propaganda is disgust ing.”

Overall we have to think about the safety of young children and what we sub ject them to. They all learn from us so we have to be great role models.

SSU strategies for increasing enrollment appear to be paying off

The Student Outreach team has also been able to increase the number of people visiting campus and tours are at their highest with 60 scheduled school visits for as many as 2,859 students and 431 families touring SSU. The tours last about 60 minutes, but plan on staying for about 90 including other activities. For the first step on scheduling a tour contact Kelley Kaslar at kaslar@sonoma.edu.

They described that the university is investing in a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to communicate with possible students through printed materials, email, text and voice message. It will allow academic depart ments to reach out to students that went on a campus tour and indicated an inter est in a specific major. Furthermore, the admissions page on the campus website will be resigned to provide clear information to potential students on why SSU should be their university choice. They are in the process of hiring a firm to pro vide a cohesive marketing, communication and advertising plan for the campus.

During Fall 2020-2021 there was a decline in enrollment due to the pan demic because students from the areas nearby were choosing to attend a school closer to home since class was mainly online. In Fall 2022, the total enrollment for continuing and new students declined 10% from Fall 2021. According to an article the Sacramento Bee wrote in August, “Over the past five years, enrollment fell at Sonoma State by 22.1% with a 16.9% decline from just 2019 to 2021.” In 2014 there were 9,400 students and enrollment decreased to 7,200.

Throughout this period, SSU has maintained the highest graduation rate among the other 23 CSU’s but are not enrolling as many new students. Many SSU students transfer in and graduate out which is part of the reason why there is a decrease in enrollment.

As a result of reduced enrollment over the last several years the annual tui tion revenue is about $15 million and the campus has carried out a plan that will balance the budget by the 2024/2025 year.

About 7,057 students reside in California while 101 are out of state and 28 are international.

As of Fall 2022 biology, business administration, BA in communication studies and Hutchins School of Liberal Studies are officially non-impacted ma jors which could be due to the school’s decreased enrollment. Also, by Spring 2023 the human development major will no longer be impacted.

Medication

food

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up on my own, I had never once received less than 90. So now with finals coming up, I just happen to only have around seven pills left. I had to email my Dr and request more.”

In some cases, unexpectedly stopping a prescribed medication can lead to detrimental health effects. Medical professionals state that a stimulant like ad derall can lead patients to experience harsh withdrawals if they stop cold-tur key or in an abrupt manner.

While pharmaceutical supplies appear to be lacking, some grocery store goods are also running low on the shelves. Although this is a common problem around the holidays, grocery store items seem to be exceptionally scarce this year.

Some grocery goods that have been identified in low supply are eggs, but ter, avocados and more. Alot of product shortages are a result of shifting econ omies, specifically changes in countries import and export measures.

SSU student Emma Liao said, “Just here in town at the Safeway, there were a few things I couldn’t find. Also if items weren’t completely out, they were very low. It’s strange because we always just expect common items to be available and all of a sudden they can be inaccessible due to bigger problems in our world.” Liao also elaborated that if low supply goods were available, they seemed a little more expensive than before.

Economics professor Florence Bouvet spoke with the STAR via email and provided some possible explanations for the continued supply shortages. “The drought has caused low water levels on the Mississippi River which is a key component in the transportation of some essential raw materials such as crude oil and fertilizers. If Midwest farmers have to pay more for getting fertilizers, this could lead to lower yields in agriculture and higher prices for food.”

It’s no secret that the pandemic took a strong hold on our economy back in 2020 and 2021. Professor Bouvet discussed the economy following the pan demic, “I believe the pandemic and the supply chain challenges we faced then have been eye opening for US companies and the government who have started to take measures to make the system more resilient and less dependent on a few actors such as China.

Bouvet continued, “While we cannot expect all these to be resolved over night, I don’t believe they will persist with the same intensity as what we ex perienced in 2020-21.”

Title IX committee seeks student representation

CALVIN ZELJAK STAFF WRITER

Sonoma State University’s Presidential Advisory Council (PAC) is looking for student representation on its Title IX Committee. This opportunity will provide student representatives the chance to serve as a direct line of communication between students, faculty and ad ministration. Representatives will assist in making policies that create fair opportunity, while also keeping in mind the best interests of the students as they relate to Title IX.

The Title IX program was enacted in 1972 and, since it was introduced, has saught to decrease discrimination targeted from the basis of sex in education and the work place.

SSU’s Title IX Officer and Senior Director of the Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination Julie Vivas is the or ganizer of the president’s committee on Title IX.“The PAC’s charge is to review and recommend enhancement to our policies, practices, procedures, and services for students, faculty, and staff,” Vivas said. Student representatives will help make recommendations to the president about potential policies that will increase campus commu nication and efficiency.

A page about the council on the sonoma.edu website further explains council members’ duties are to “Provide greater accessibili ty, communication, and transparency to the campus community and the general public by presenting and reviewing information, data, and promoting dialogue through public meetings, listening sessions, and social media opportunities to discuss experiences of community safety and community-centered approaches to improving and main taining community safety.” The page also added that “The Advisory Council does not serve as a police review or accountability council and does not review specific police personnel matters.”

This position would provide representatives with a chance to work alongside the president and other top ranking campus offi cials allowing them the opportunity to see the inner workings of a high-level institution and gain understanding of how big decisions are reached.

“The PAC is composed of many representatives from various groups on campus, including two student representatives who are appointed by the Associate Students,” said Vivas, who added “Cur rently, one of the AS representatives has been appointed and will be joining the next PAC meeting.”

Some of the council members include: Vice President for Ad ministration and Finance, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Diversity, Associated Students President or Designee, and even the Dean of Students.

The Advisory Council Chair and Co-Chairs meet annually to discuss and review council membership and make recommenda tions to the president. It is the president however, who gets the final say on the appointment of members.

According to the council’s previously referenced webpage, “Advisory Council members will serve no longer than two consec utive years unless approved by the president.” If a member discon tinues their affiliation with their organization however, they give up their spot immediately, and their organization will be contacted to appoint a new representative.”

and

shortages add layer of stress to an already stressfull time

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The Title IX PAC committee is seeking student represenation which will pro vide a variety of learning opportunities for whoever partakes in the com mittee. Student representatives will aim to make recommendations to the president about potential policies that will increase campus communication and efficiency.

SSU punk band performs at The Phoenix

STAFF WRITER DEVON BLY

Punk’s not dead, well at least not in Sonoma County.

On Friday, December 2, The Phoenix Theater, located in Petaluma, hosted a punk rock show featuring the bands Wild Metanoia, Rumble Pak, and Rat Bastard Radio (RBR).

One of the bands featured, RBR, consists of SSU students. They have been performing in the local punk scene over the past few months.

The show started at 8:15, with RBR opening with their song “Dirty Bowl”, set to a backdrop of shifting sources of light and a red curtain. Al though the crowd was smaller than usual, they still cheered and “moshed” throughout the setlist.

For those who don’t know, moshing is a staple of punk rock shows and is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as, “Dancing to rock music in a violent manner involving jumping up and down and deliberately colliding with other dancers.” In other words, it basically consists of people thrashing around in a cathartic, oftentimes physical manner.

During their set, full of heavy guitars, fast tempos, and stage antics such as throwing cheese, the crowd seemingly enjoyed themselves. Furthermore, it served as a nice display of the creativity of SSU students.

RBR closed with a cover of “Breed” originally by Nirvana, with audible cheers from the audience when the band announced the song.

One of the members of RBR, Ryan Busser, a third year marketing major at SSU, had this to say about the show, “The Phoenix is a great place for live music especially when the show is thoroughly planned out ahead of time. Sold out shows are the best, it’s not a huge venue where you sit in the stands far away from the action, I would call it the Golilocks of venues, it’s just right.”

After RBR wrapped up their setlist, Rumble Pak went on stage and filled the venue with the sounds of heavy guitars, distorted vocals, and lengthy guitar solos. Some of the highlights of their set included a heavy metal cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “Foxy Lady” and an untitled song featuring looped gui tar riffs and spacey sound effects. At one point they even decided to throw stuffed animals across the stage and invited members of the crowd on stage to mosh.

One of the members of the crowd, Rene Cassano, a senior communica tions major, had this to say about it, “I mean the bands really brought the energy and I enjoyed being able to see them in such a small venue. It’s cool to know that we have a local music scene in Sonoma County.”

After Rumble Pak finished their hour-long setlist, Wild Metanoia went on

and wooed the crowd with their Frights covers and their surf-rock inspired original tunes. They even got the crowd to sing along to their cover songs, with much of the crowd joining in to sing the backing vocals to the song “Tungs” originally by the Frights.

Their tunes served as a nice antithesis to the other two bands, as their music has a slower tempo and different timbre than that of RBR or Rumble Pak.

The Phoenix theater has been around since 1982, and has hosted many acts that went on to be very successful such as Sublime, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Greenday, and The Ramones.

Jack Feinstein, another member of RBR, had this to say regarding The Phoenix, “Love the energy and vibe of The Phoenix, good people working to create a unique and desperately needed space for the younger generation of musically-inclined folks. Whether it’s your first show or 200th show, The Phoenix always feels like home.

They encourage new bands to come out to play, and are very open to students coming in to express themselves through music.

ASP hosts monthly Free Bowling Night

STAFF WRITER CHASITY SPADY

E very first Thursday of the month, Associated Students Productions (ASP) holds free bowling events for students to interact with each other at the local Double Decker Lanes. The events have monthly themes for stu dents to participate in; this month was a festive “Ugly Sweater” theme for the upcoming holiday season and the last event of the semester. This come dic theme allowed for students to get creative.

On Thursday Dec. 1, ASP provided a safe space for students to enjoy outside of the campus environment. Double Decker works with ASP and SSU Student Involvement. ASP creates a relaxing and exciting atmosphere as the theme is not the only thing to enjoy, there is also the fun of having the

opportunity to win a prize by following the monthly themes.

Students gathered in small and big groups, either sharing lanes with oth ers or having one of their own. This was yet another chance for Seawolves to bond, and provided the ability to meet and communicate with new people that they may not have otherwise ever interacted with.

Double Decker Lanes and ASP have been very consistent in their monthly participation and collaboration. These free bowling events have been very successful for many years, and students are continually excited about the chance to go bowling and the arcade games they provide. As most college students already struggle financially, the fact that it is a fun activity and that it is free makes a lot of students happy.

From 10 p.m. Thursday night to 12 a.m., The Double Decker Lanes were filled with about 50 students, with many waiting in line to get in early. The wait to enter tends to get rather long depending on the time students arrive. When attending the event, students leave their homes early especially during the winter time as it becomes a more difficult time waiting in the line the colder it is outside. The event is worth it to Sonoma students because once they are inside the bowling alley everything lights up, the music is playing, lots of students they know are there, and there is good food to eat inside the event as well.

A Sonoma student described the experience of dressing up and bonding through the theme of the night, as the Ugly Sweater theme was a good start for the winter season, “Following the theme was fun, I personally enjoyed seeing others’ ideas of their ugly sweaters and having to dress up to the ugly sweater theme was one of the highlights to start off our Christmas break. It was also really fun looking for an old sweater that matched up to the theme,” said student Cielo Gonzalez.

ASP holds lots of events throughout the year for

to attend. Coming up next is another festive event in the

7 p.m. on Dec. 8, the Gingerbread Bash.

students

Student Center at

STAR // Cec Fernandez

Two Seawolves show off their sycronized attempt at a strike during ASP’s Free Bowling Night at Double Decker Lanes in Rohnert Park on Thursday, Dec. 1. This month’s theme was “Ugly Sweaters”, and students could win prizes for participating.

STAR // Devon Bly

Multiple punk rock bands played the stage at The Phoenix on Friday night, with band Rat Bastard Radio comprised of SSU students. This venue has hosted legends like Greenday, Sublime, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Ramones.

SSU Common Read Initiative: So you want to talk about race?

ZACHARY GONZALES STAFF WRITER

I

t is now the month of December, which means Native American Heritage month has technically come to a conclusion. However, American Indian & Alaskan na tives still live on, as well as their continuous efforts to decolonize the land that was originally theirs.

Wed Nov. 30 Academic Affairs and the Office of Diversity, Equity and In clusion organized an event to speak about race; they are always looking to support Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC). “The Common Read Initiative ‘’ has been happening throughout the Fall semester and will continue in the Spring. These talks are intended for all members of SSU. According to the Office’s website, the goal for the Common Read Initiative is,“ the hope that [SSU] will grow stronger as a community by increasing our understanding, empathy, and respect for one an other.” Previous speakers that have been featured on the lecture series this semester include: Professor Lauren Morimoto, Interim President Mike Lee, Don Romesburg as well as many more faculty of SSU.

On Wednesday, faculty member of SSU, Mary Churchill Ph.D, spoke to the audience about the status and experiences of American Indian & Alaskan na tive people through literature. Churchill spoke on what the term “decolonization” really means and explained the sovereignty of native americans (NA), “I think be ing informed about race and racism from knowledgeable people is so important… diversity, equity and inclusion is critical knowledge in order to be a good employer, coworker, manager or citizen.”

The lecture opened up with a brief historical background of the Americas prior to colonization and what happened when nations collided in the 15th century. When Christian nations such as Spain began conquering land, the concept of race began. In the lecture Churchill explained how race is inexplicably tied to the Doctrine of Discovery. While Christian nations began conquesting the Americas, the Doctrine of Discovery was an international law that stated once a nation “discovers” land, they

claim the rights to it. This law did not support the lives of indigenous tribes; the Doctrine of Discovery was theft of native american land on a large scale. As land diminished grad ually over the next couple centuries, so does NA heritage.

Throughout the “Common Read Initiative” lecture series, Churchill identifies problems that affect Native American nations today. One of the biggest issues that sup presses the identity of American Indian & Alaskan Native people is the Federal govern ment. The government limits Indigenous heritage. They have created laws that tell NA how to properly identify such as the ‘blood quantum rule’. In order to qualify as Native, someone must score a certain amount of Indigenous blood. Churchill emphasizes how this systematically racist practice is aimed to dilute Native American heritage and iden tity. The federal government has created a system where people need to carry around an identification card in order to be considered a part of an indigenous tribe. Churchill points out how sovereignty should not be awarded by the government; they should not be the gatekeeper of native heritage.

There were dozens of students, staff, and faculty in attendance of this presenta tion including workers from the HUB Cultural Center who assisted with the event. Many academic classes were present for the lecture. First year student Heidi Mathews was there with her UNIV 150 class, “A main takeaway I got from the lecture was learning how to decolonize correctly in order to help Indigenous people… these lectures help identify ways to combat racism, sexism, and other prominent issues.”

As the presentation ended, Churchill left the audience with a few ways to stay in formed about decolonization. Education is key to understanding this problem. Churchill recommended researching how people lived prior to colonization. How did the settler view differ from Indigenous peoples beliefs? Professor Churchill stated that it is critical to understand Indigenous peoples’ perspectives. The “Common Read Initiative” plans on continuing its lecture series for the Spring semester. These talks, “Engage with the uni versity’s core values of diversity, equity, and social justice for a transformative impact.”

Game on! ASP hosts ‘Mario Kart’ tournament

fun before the hectic finals week begins. The grand prize is a Nintendo Switch Oled, which is like a fancy version of the Switch. Second place is a $75 gift card, third place is $50, and then fourth is $25.” This event was a success as many students came out to compete and try to win the grand prize.

Sonoma State senior and communications major Tanner Ivey shared his thoughts on the event. “I came to the “Mario Kart” Mayhem event because it seemed really fun and potentially winning a Nintendo Oled or even some gift cards sounded very rewarding. They also provided pizza and drinks which is very generous but not out of the ordinary as Sonoma State is good about giving back to their students. This is always appreciated and made the event 10x better.” This event had a solid turnout and students seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the competition.

NICOLE AWAAD STAFF WRITER

Do you love video games? If so, be sure to check out the gaming events that Asso ciated Student Production hosts. On Friday Nov. 3, a “Mario Kart” tournament was put on in Ballroom A from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. This event was a real tournament that had many prizes to win. Free pizza and sodas were available for all the partici pants.

The event director was able to share some insight on the event, business marketing major Curtis Manley said, “This is called “Mario Kart” Mayhem. It is a “Mario Kart” tournament for the students. Kind of a way to de-stress and have some

PAUL MUNOZ STAFF WRITER

Fourth year communications major, Braeden Holliday had a blast at this event as he said “I always find myself playing “Mario Kart” when I have free time so once I saw this event, I knew I had to grab my friends and head over. I was doing good at first and was in 3rd place overall until someone beat me and I no longer was in the rotation. Regardless of the prizes, I had a great time and enjoyed pizza with my friends. I will definitely come back to another event like this if it gets put on.” Good news is there will be another “Mario Kart” event coming up.

If you missed out on this event, don’t worry because on Dec.14 come take a break from finals and chill out at the Stress Free Zone. Take a break with holiday orna ment making and “Mario Kart.” There will also be a craft station, board games, snacks and prizes. This event will be held in Weyden&Brewster from 8:30 p.m. until 10 p.m. This is another great opportunity to show off your “Mario Kart” skills while getting to know other fellow Seawolves who are most likely stressed with finals as well.

University Store offers holiday sale

The holiday season is in full swing, with Christmas very quickly approaching. Sonoma State held a huge sale, for nearly two weeks, at their university store where select brands were buy one get one free. This is the biggest sale of the year and it brings not just seawolves to buy campus merchandise but also visitors from nearby. Families stock up on SSU gear for the upcoming year or gifts for Christmas.

The promotion that is attracting more customers than usual, reads “With the holiday season right around the corner, who wants to miss a deal like THIS one! Grab some SSU gear for your family, friends, or yourself during this sale. There is a selec tion from over 45 brands like; Retro Brand, Cutter & Buck, and more. Get shopping Seawolves!” Students and others are excited about this listening of brands due to the average article of clothing costing around $40.

Students all over campus were rearing to take advantage of this annual deal. Seawolf Marcos Peech said this is the only time of the year he buys clothing from the university store, “ I really like the merch Sonoma State has but everything is usually so expensive. As a student, I can’t afford to buy anything from campus while barely getting by and paying for my classes.” Peech and other students in similar predica ments can only buy some things from the university store. This sale allows them to get the things they want at a more discounted price.

Sonoma County local Bania Martinez was overjoyed with the University Store sale, “ I love this sale. I’m able to buy way more clothing items than I usually can. I love showing my school spirit and what’s a better way than showing my love for school than representing SSU whenever I go somewhere.”

Some students believe that the sale should be permanent at least for students who already attend the school. Everything is so high in price nowadays, including the cost of student living.

Jason Altamirano and Finance major, said the school is becoming too expensive from general education to just a shirt. Altamirano spends around $200 a week just for the bare minimum of gasoline and food, “how am I supposed to buy a $70 hoodie when that same amount of money is more than half the price for filling up my car to commute to school?” Before attending Sonoma State Altamirano wished to live on campus to ex perience the “typical college experience” but after seeing the living prices he realized it is cheaper to live off campus. “The sale on campus is nice though, I can finally buy some clothing I’ve always wanted, and I was able to grab a shirt for $12.”

The University Store sale is in promotion for the holidays so students and fam ilies have the opportunity to purchase gifts for Christmas. Everyone is welcome to take some part of SSU with them for the holidays.

STAR // Adriana Gonzalez

On Friday SSU students in Ballroom A ate pizza and competed in a “Mario Kart” tour namentfor the chance to win a Nintendo Switch and other prizes

Wells earns first CCAA Player of the Week in over five seasons

DANIEL SERRANO STAFF WRITER

Jaylen does well yet again.

Sophomore and Business major, Jaylen Wells, explod ed in Sonoma State’s three game set last week, making himself Sonoma’s first CCAA player of the week since the 2015-16 season according to sonomaseawolves.com. During the Nov. 21-27 week, Wells was able to put up 77 points, 26 rebounds, and 13 assists throughout the three games they played. Despite losing on Nov. 22 against Humboldt in the CCAA opener, Wells managed to score a career high of 30 points against the Lumberjacks. Later in the week during the Thanksgiving Classic held at the Wolves Den, he managed 19 points, seven rebounds, and five assists against Fresno Pacific. In the last game, he came up with 28 points, eight rebounds, and five assists against Holy Names. Quite an impressive week for such a young, talented player.

Wells is very honored to be the recipient of the CCAA player of the week award. He did not know he won the award until his coach mentioned it at the end of their

practice huddle the following week. “I’m truly honored to receive this award and positively represent this school. Al though this award means a lot to me, and while it may be an individual award, it doesn’t take away from the importance of our team’s success going forward,” said Wells via Insta gram. He went on to say how thankful he is for having such a supportive team and coaching staff who instill confidence in him every day.

Wells’ life off the court is very much what you would expect a college athlete’s life to be. When he’s not practic ing or playing in a game, he is relaxing, taking a nap or doing homework. After his practices, he likes to grab food at the cafeteria with his teammates before going to his last class. He ends his day by going back to the Wolves den to put some shots up with some of his teammates. Him and his hometown friend run a youtube channel, SnoozeTeam, where they post skits and memes related to being a student athlete.

When asked what his plans are after college Wells re

plied by saying, “After college my goal is to be a pro fessional basketball player. Whether that’s the NBA or overseas. During my career I plan on having my own business to fall back on after my career is over.” Along with his youtube channel, he also helps run an Insta gram page, @Sleepnation, which sheds light on basket ball players who are overlooked or, “slept on.” The page has a little more than 1,300 followers and is steadily growing.

The 6 foot 7 inch, 200 pound small forward was very adamant on finishing the rest of the season strong. He mentioned that his body quite hadn’t been at 100% the last few games he’s played. Wells wants to get his body to its fullest potential so he can give it his all for the team. You can watch Wells and the rest of the team is during this week’s homestand starting on Thursday, Dec. 8 at 7:30 p.m. when the Seawolves take on Stanis laus State. As well as on Saturday Dec. 10 at 3:00 p.m. against our rival Chico State.

Two Seawolves earn All-American nominations

CHARLES BARRETT STAFF WRITER

The Sonoma State Wom en’s Soccer team had what most would consider a suc cessful season in 2022, win ning their third consecutive CCAA title. At the forefront of the successful season were two players who received All-American status, sopho more Lexi Zandonella-Arasa, and senior Julia Pritchard.

Why is this status such a big honor? How does one attain it? First, a committee of communications profes sionals from NCAA Division II schools and conferences makes the determination by selecting players from the re gional first team in each re gion according to sonomasea wolves.com. Therefore, Zan donella-Arasa and Pritchard’s names had to go through a multiple-step process. The process concludes with a to tal of three All-American teams, the First-Team, the Second-Team, and the ThirdTeam.

Zandonella-Arasa, named to the All-America FirstTeam, said the honor meant a lot to her. She attributes a lot of the success to her coach es and teammates and the

consistent competitive envi ronment that the team cre ates. The sophomore said she feels a sense of gratification after receiving the honor but intends to keep striving to accomplish more and never wants to settle.

Something that helped Zandonella-Arasa earn her All-America First team status was her ability to score. She led her league with 14 goals. When asked, she shared what she thought helped her score so many times, “For me, I think that the work I put in before the season started is the reason why I was success ful with putting the ball into the back of the net. Things don’t just happen that way overnight; I think it takes a consistent effort and mental ity of wanting to get better.”

She also credited her team mates, “Along with that, I couldn’t have scored all of those goals without my team mates. Someone was always on the other end of the goal, getting the assist. However, I am never satisfied and hun grier to come back better next season for my team.”

Pritchard, named to the

All-American third team in 2022, is no stranger to receiving the honor. She achieved the status in 2021 as well. Zandonella-Arasa noted that it is a significant accomplishment to earn this recognition once and even more impressive to do it in consecutive sea sons. She also said, “It is the cherry on top of an incredible career she has had here at Sonoma.”

Pritchard is known for her prowess on defense. Zandonella-Ara sa said she has all the traits of a great defender, including the timing of her tackles, aggressiveness, the ability to read a situation, communication with her teammates and the attitude of giving it her best regardless of what the cir

cumstance

might be.

Pritchard played her last season for the Seawolves in 2022. Zandonel la-Arasa shared her thoughts on how the team will move forward, “ With Julia leaving, there are some very big shoes to fill, but I have all the faith that the younger players on our team will really step up and fill them, in cluding myself. I admire Julia and the qualities she possesses, not only as a player but as a leader. I have learned a lot from her, and I know the team has as well, so as sad as we are to see her go, she has created a way for the next player, or players, to really step into that path.”

STAR// Nicholas Roth Wells passing the ball to his teammate during their game against Holy Names University.

COURTESY// @sonomaseawolves Zanonella-Arasa continues to rack up acco lades as she finishes the year with a FirstTeam All-American nomination.

STAR// Nicholas Roth

Wells bringing the ball up the court while looking out for open teammates.

STAR// Nicholas Roth

The Seawolves routed the Hawks for their first win of the season.

COURTESY// @sonomaseawolves Pritchard earned back to back All-Ameri can nominations to end her Seawolf soccer career.

Common Read Initiative: What is Race?

Ugly Sweaters at Double Decker Lanes

Mario Kart Mayhem

STAR // Mariah Forster

SSU professors Suzanne Toczyski and Anthony Rizzuto created the Common Read Ini tiative after setting up various lectures in Spring 2022 to assist professors in effectively teaching about race. This initiative is for all members of the campus community. (pg. 6)

STAR // Mariah Forster

The Common Read Initiative looks at the question, “What is race?” through the book, “So you want to talk about race,” by Ijeoma Oluo. On Nov. 30, professor Mary Churchill spoke about “Decolonizing and Indigenizing ‘Race Talk’”. (see more pg. 6)

STAR // Adriana Gonzalez

ASP put on Mario Kart Mayhem, giving Seawolves the chance to play against their peers, as well as win a Nintendo Switch and other prizes on Friday Dec. 2. (pg. 6)

STAR // Adriana Gonzalez

Six different screens were offered to ensure that all who were interested could partici pate in a game of Mario Kart. Prizes were on the line, including a Nintendo Switch.

STAR // Cec Fernandez

Nicole De La Fuente poses for the camera right before her turn during ASP’s free bowling night on Thursday Dec. 1. (see more on pg. 5)

STAR // Cec Fernandez

Double Decker Lanes in Rohnert Park was packed with Seawolves eager to have a fun, festive night out with friends and peers. The lanes were packed during the Dec. 1 event from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m. (see more pg. 5)

STAR // Cec Fernandez

A student smiles and points at STAR photographer Cec Fernandez while waiting for their turn at ASP’s free bowling night on Dec. 1. (see more on pg. 5)