Sonoma State STAR Issue 7

SSU nursing ranks No. 7 in California after threat of budget cuts, discontinuance

TYLER MELOAN STAFF WRITER

In a congratulatory message sent out to students on Oct. 11, Sonoma State University praised its Department of Nursing for ranking No.7 out of 131 nursing programs in California. SSU’s nursing program was rated the second highest among all CSUs. SSU’s score of 98.50 bested those of all CSUs, except for CSU Long Beach, which secured a No.4 spot with a score of 99.19.

The rankings were determined by RegisteredNursing.org through a rigorous evaluation to assess student preparedness. These evaluation factors include analyzing past and present first-time pass rates on the National Council Licensure Examination [for] Registered Nurses, or the NCLEX-RN.

SSU earned this ranking only one semester after the discontinuance of the nursing program was proposed. Last spring, a leaked budget work ing group document informed the campus of an appointed committee’s proposed plans to implement $5.5 million in budget cuts. This would be accomplished partly through the merging of some schools, and subse quent discontinuation of many programs, including nursing.

The document, which was anonymously leaked to the STAR on

March 30, stated, “The nursing program needs to be seriously evaluated for discontinuance. The cost of the program compared to students served, inability to hire tenure-track faculty, and the cost of equipment, programs, and facilities are the major reasons for evaluating this program’s discontinuance.” The majority of data included in its 29 pages was uncited, inaccurate, and directly contradicted data later provided by department chairs in response to the document.

Want to study abroad? Now’s your chance

CHARLES BARRETT & WILLOW ORNELLAS STAFF WRITER & NEWS EDITOR

Did the pandemic derail your study-abroad plans? If so, your window of opportunity has returned. The Sonoma State University study abroad program has been back up and running since the Fall 2021 se mester and is hoping for more applicants.

SSU is currently receiving international students through campus exchange programs and the visiting international student program, Se mester at Sonoma. SSU is currently hosting multiple international stu dents seeking their degree. Additionally, there are exchange students participating in the school’s American Language Institute.

International students live both on and off campus, although the study abroad program highly encourages students to live on campus. Also, international students are not eligible for federal or state-based financial aid, but can apply for Scholarships from SSU.

Solar panels to light up SSU

KAYLE NORRIS STAFF WRITER

Sonoma State University is getting a move on sustainable energy by installing solar panels across campus. The project, which will be started over the sum mer of 2023, should be completed by summer 2024. Students are excited to see the change of renewable energy coming to campus.

Fifth-year business administration major, Kyle Synder, loves the idea of SSU bringing solar panels to campus and was surprised to see how many pan els are planned for the project Snyder said, “Actually it’s funny because literally the year after I graduated, my high school got solar panels and I thought, ‘oh wow this is so cool’, because my car would get so hot sitting there while I was in class all day. It’s nice to have the shade and it’s actually practical.” Snyder continued, “I also just think it’s a great idea and obviously the goal is to become completely sustainable. With our school progressing I think it will help. I was surprised to see how much coverage there will be.”

Vladimir Bienvenue, a senior wine business major gives recommen dations on other ways SSU could become even more sustainable. Bienvenue said, “SSU can utilize a variety of tactics to add to its energy sustainability like Wind Energy, Solar Hot Water, Hydrogen and Fuel Cell, and Green Heating and Cooling with systems like Air Source Heat Pumps or Ground Geothermal Pumps.”

SSU is in a 30-year contract with a company named Sun Power. Dana

The COVID-19 pandemic was particularly hard on the study abroad community. The broader community faced challenges like downsizing, reassigning staff, students missing their opportunity to study abroad, and international students faced complications such as not being able to return home due to COVID-19.

While the school hasn’t caught up to its pre-pandemic numbers in the study abroad program, based on current trends, University staff are confident that will change.

Hope Oritz, SSU’s Global Engagement Coordinator said, “The Pan demic provided the field of international education, study abroad, and myself with the opportunity to learn and create new or different pro cesses for delivering our services, but it was a steep learning curve. Our number one priority is always to ensure the safety and well-being of our students.”

Ortiz is optimistic about the future of study abroad, “I am very hap py to see a resurgence in interest in studying abroad from students. The fear and hesitancy to study abroad that I saw in many students as a result of the Pandemic is much less now. I hope to see a renewal in the efforts that we have been making at SSU over the years to make study ing away even easier and more efficient for students.”

Paige Berendsen, fourth-year business administration major, is the Social Media Coordinator for the Global Engagement Office Student Ambassadors. Brendsen was applying to programs during COVID-19, hoping it would work out. “Studying abroad is an amazing opportunity. Since coming back from being abroad, I’ve had a lot of opportunities,

COURTESY// Noma News

nursing program was ranked seventh highest in the state of California out of 131 schools only one semester after the program was under consideration to be cut.

COURTESY // housing.sonoma.edu

SSU’s solar panel project will take place over the course of a year thanks to a 30-year contract with Sun Power. After completion, most of the on-campus parking will be shaded.

THE STAR

Editorial Board

Nicholas Roth, Editor-in-Chief

Willow Ornellas, News Editor

Mikayla Fritzemeier, Opinion Editor

Cléa Upcher, Arts & Entertainment 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, Adriana Gonzalez, Tyler Meloan, Jhery Mae Monteza, Paul Munoz, Kayle Norris, Marie’sa Rumsey, Daniel Serrano, Chasity Spady, Calvin Zeljak

Photographers

Cec Fernandez, Zachary Gonzales, 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.

Sonoma sets benchmark for student voting

The right to vote when a person turns 18 is not something that is always exercised as an American citizen. We as the student body have the power to make collective change in the right direction with the power of voting. In the 2016 Presidential election the national student voting rate was 52 percent. In the 2020 presidential election there was a significant rise in voter turnout on the student level to 66 percent of the 83 percent registered to vote, according to The Institute for Democracy in Higher Education (IDHE) at Tufts University.

Here at Sonoma State however, the voting rate of registered students smashes the national average with 88 percent of registered voters casting their ballots in the 2020 election according to Tufts University NSLVE Campus Report for Sonoma State. This was a massive increase from the 2018 midterm election turn out of 57 percent. There were especially large jumps in voter turnout between 2018 and 2020 in the age groups of 18-21 and 22-24. For 1821 year olds it increased from 37 to 76 percent, and for 22-24 the jump was from 44 to 73 per cent.

“It is a big deal to have voting rates above 80 percent – the country doesn’t have that. Re search shows that people who vote in college

will continue to vote for the rest of their lives,” said Merith Weisman, SSU’s Director of Com munity Engagement and Strategic Initiatives in Professor Aja Laduke’s Blog about Sono ma’s voting turnout. Getting people to actual ly utilize their right to vote is far easier when as a government and society we are willing to remove the barriers to cast ballots.

One major block for many people to get their vote cast and voice heard is having a con venient place to vote or cast a mail-in ballot.

At Sonoma State we have a mail-in ballot box right here on campus for the use of anyone looking to mail-in their ballot, not just stu dents. This accessibility is one of the reasons Sonoma State’s voting numbers are so high.

“I am so proud of our students for getting out there and making their voices heard. Voting is an important indicator of civic responsibility. Let’s set an ambitious goal and increase our numbers in the next election.” Said Weisman in Dr. Laduke’s blog.

If you haven’t registered to vote, do so as soon as possible to let your voice be heard this November for the midterm election. Let’s see if we can top our previous record and be a standout campus for student voting once again.

Letters to the Editor

Opinions

Opinions expressed in the STAR are those of the writer and not necessarily those of the STAR or SSU. The editorial reflects the views of the STAR Editorial Board on issues it considers to be of par ticular relevance to the campus community.

Editorial Policy

The commentary expressed in the unsigned editorial represents a majority opinion of the STAR Editorial Board on a topic facing the cam pus community in keeping with journalistic prec edents of other major newspapers, and may not be shared by all staff writers.

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he Borgen Project is a nonprofit organi zation working to end world poverty by working to make foreign aid a focus of US foreign policy. The world and our lives ex tend far beyond ourselves. We can have a positive impact on others who live on this planet by becoming global citizens. As a global citizen, you recognize that you are not just an American, but a citizen of the planet, and because of this, it is your duty to help other citizens in need. One of the pieces of legislation our organization is working to pass is the Mental Health in In

ternational Development and Humanitar ian Settings (MINDS) Act. This act will put investments into international mental health programs and help break the cycle of poverty abroad. I choose to become a Borgen Project Ambassador because I want to see change actually be made. I want to be proactive in the future of this planet. You can help by going to https:// borgenproject.org/legislation/ to email and call your congresspeople about the legisla tion that needs to be passed in order to help our fellow humans.

Rachel Burson

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.

STAR // Nicholas Roth

Biden’s marijuana pardon is a step in the right direction

Cheyenne Dredge, a Sonoma State junior majoring in Wine Business stated, “ I think it’s great and a step in the right direction. I don’t think anyone should be in jail for using marijuana.”

JHERY MAE MONTEZA

WRITER

For decades, the POC commu nity has been a target when it comes to getting arrested for the possession of Marijuana even for the smallest amounts. It’s no secret that the state of California is the largest Cannabis market in the nation, and it’s a multi-bil lion dollar industry. Since 1996, the medical use of Marijuana has been legalized in California and recreational in November 2016.

President Joe Biden, under federal law, has pardoned people who have been convicted of mar ijuana possession. This will clear everyone who got charged with simple possession since it became a crime in the 1970s.

During 2020, roughly 350,000 peo ple were arrested on marijuana-related offenses and 91% were only for pos session. One exception of the pardon is if you’re charged with marijuana and cocaine possession under a single of fense, you don’t qualify.

Some people who have been caught with marijuana receive harsher punish ments that are typically reserved for vi olent crimes such as rape and murder, even though they present no threat to society.

An SSU junior majoring in Busi ness, Mia, stated, “ From my current understanding marijuana is legal now so why keep people who are in jail for using then? I really feel that it’s a good thing especially for the federal pris on so other people more deserving of going to federal prison now can. They shouldn’t be in jail for something legal even if it was illegal at the time. I be lieve that keeping them in jail just isn’t worth it.”

Biden’s pardon power is lim ited to only the federal criminal cases which doesn’t include state, but he’s encouraging state governors to do the same. Hopefully, governors will take this into consideration because it’ll make a big breakthrough in our cor rupt prison system.

In a video announcing his ex ecutive decision, President Biden said, “And that’s before you address the ra cial disparities around who suffers the consequences. While White and Black and Brown people use marijuana at similar rates, Black and Brown people are arrested, prosecuted and convicted at disproportionate rates.”

Jocelyne Gerardo, a Spring ‘22 graduate who majored in psychology stated, “Biden’s decision to pardon all prior federal offenses of simple mari juana possession was the right decision. Majority of the individuals arrested for this crime were Black and brown.”

Gerardo, a POC, grew up in a low-income community where this problem was prevalent and exposed to this at a young age. Gerardo stat ed, “This drug is considered to be on the same level as heroin. This doesn’t

make any sense when you take the time to research both drugs. Biden had promised this when he was running for presidency, so it’s nice that he kept his side of the deal.” Currently, the feder al government classifies marijuana in the same category as heroin and LSD, which is more serious than fentanyl, but his administration is reviewing this.

In low-income neighborhoods, many are exposed to the idea marijua na due to it being a booming business. They either turn to growing or selling because of how high in demand it is es pecially in California.

Approximately 2 million peo ple have been expunged or pardoned. For people who have been previously charged it won’t appear on their felony record and can now rent an apartment or buy a house without having that bag gage on their shoulders. This is such a huge step in our government for all those members of the POC community who have been wronged. It doesn’t get rid of the fact that most of their life was taken away from them, but now they can start fresh.

Recent charges hint at a larger problem in the music industry

fourth-year human development ma jor said, “I am very disheartened by these allegations for a few reasons. One of the biggest reasons is that Rex Orange County has been seen as such a wholesome figure in the music in dustry, and his music is associated with such positivity, and provides happiness for so many people.”

they are never charged for their ac tions.

Singer-songwriter Alexander O’Conner, known by his stage name, Rex Orange Coun ty, appeared in court in London, England after being charged with six counts of sexual assault on Oct. 10.

According to The Sun, “The singer’s accuser alleges he sexually assaulted her twice in West London on June 1, and an additional four times the fol lowing day, including once in a taxi and the other three times in his Notting Hill home.”

Melina Osmundson, a

This only serves as the most re cent example of how prevelant sexu al abuse is in the music industry. For years women have been sexually ex ploited or harrassed by popular mu sicians, and these perpetrators often times face no consequences for their actions due to their popularity within the industry.

According to a survey conducted by Yougov in 2018, 40% of women report being sexually harassed at live music events, and 60% of industry professionals who are women have been subjected to sexual harrassment.

While these musicians are some times held accountable for their ac tions, in many instances they either get away with it for years before, or

For example, the singer Kesha sued her producer at the time, Lukasz Sebastian Gottwald, for, according to billboard, “Sexual assault and bat tery, sexual harassment, gender vio lence, civil harassment, violation of California’s laws against unfair busi ness practices, infliction of emotional distress, and negligent retention and supervision.”

Despite these allegations, and testi mony from others, this case was thrown away by a judge due to lim ited jurisdiction. This allowed Gott wald to practically get away with these alleged crimes, and he currently produces for popular artists such as Doja Cat.

The fact that he was in a position of power over Kesha is what enabled him to get away with this abuse, and serves as another example of men abusing their positions of power in the music industry to sexually abuse women with little to no repercussions for their actions.

“Sexual assault has been such a huge issue in the music industry, so this just feels like a bigger slap in the face. It’s another slap in the face knowing that there is yet another vic tim that has to deal with their trauma being so public,” said Osmundson.

These power dynamics allow both musicians and producers to get away with abuse, as their power allows them to cover up their wrongdoings and silence their victims by threaten ing their reputations.

Recently, with the rise of the #metoo movement, this has started to change. This movement encour ages women to speak up about their experiences, and has led to the incar ceration of powerful figures, such as Harvey Weinstein, a producer who sexually assaulted women for de cades. This movement has provided a platform to give sexual assault vic tims a voice, however with the recent charges against O’Conner, it shows that we still have a long way to go if we are to eliminate sexual abuse in the music industry.

Education costs limit students from the American dream

law schools charging over $70,000, it is no surprise that people are ques tioning going to college.

dream. Our society is increasingly be ing divided by money. An Investope dia article states “As income inequali ty has increased, the American dream has seemed less attainable.”

college students.

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he first thing you hear when you graduate from high school is, “Where are you going to college?” or “What is your next step in life?” Many students feel the pressure of going to a four-year college straight out of high school, with the assumption that they must go to college be cause that is the only guarantee that they will earn more money in the future, and achieve the American dream. With colleges costing over $60,000 and some

The pressure to go to college stems from the idea that you have to be educated to live a successful, finan cially stable life and live the Ameri can Dream. An article from the Econ omist Intelligence says, “Those with degrees are more likely to say they are fully living the American Dream (65%) and are financially satisfied (63%) than those with no college or only some college (28%, 30%).”

Vic Lopez, a junior at Sonoma State University believes the Amer ican dream is achieved if, “based on what my parents told me, if I am fi nancially stable, happy, and get my degree, so I do not work as hard as my parents do.”

Ultimately the high cost of edu cation right now is what discourages those who do want to have a financial ly stable life and live their American

Brenda Guzman, a junior at SSU described the American dream as a restriction. Guzman explained, “I do believe in it to a certain extent.” Guz man believes that there are many lim itations that students face and some people will never live up to the idea of the American dream. Limitations could include access to resources, so cial class, race, and gender.

With these limitations comes find ing new ways to achieve the American dream. For college students that means finding scholarships or having to take out loans to continue their education. The current U.S. student loan debt is an estimated $1.75 trillion, according to Nitro data. Things like the Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility can help take some of the stress from

Ultimately, the rising cost of liv ing and the burden of college debt are major limiting factors to achieving the American dream for future gen erations. Being a college student is a privilege and being able to further your education is no joke.

The American dream is perceived as some magical ideal that as long as you are working hard you can achieve anything in America. Unfortunately, that is not how it actually works in America. Those who do not have the resources to continue their education have a harder time trying to achieve this unrealistic belief.

The idea of the American dream itself is an outdated idea that is not achievable for everyone. Although the American dream will always be a part of what America stands for there will always be limiting factors of social class, gender, and race.

Sonoma State’s study abroad program is still looking to get it’s post-pandemic enrollment numbers up but students are excited for the opportunity to study internationally again.

SSU students grateful for study abroad opportunities

continued from pg. 1

- especially with the Global Engagement Office. I was able to meet people abroad and connect with others when I got back thanks to the exchange oppor tunity and I would do it again in a heartbeat.”

SSU campus moving forward with sustainable energy

continued from pg. 1

Twedell, Associate Vice President for facilities management elaborated fur ther on the project. Twedell said, “During the 30 year contract we will pay Sun Power a fixed flat rate for the energy the solar array produces. We can only as sume PG&E rates will continue to increase over the next 30 years. With this in mind we anticipate campus utility savings, being that we’ll have a 30 year fixed rate with Sun Power which is currently at a lower rate than PG&E’s rates today.”

Twedell continued to explain the savings as a result of this project over the 30 year contract, SSU estimates a campus utility savings of approximately $6 mil lion dollars. The project is being designed, constructed, and commissioned by Sun Power. For the term of the contract, the solar array, and all its maintenance upkeep, will belong to Sun Power. The only expense SSU will have would be the monthly fee for the solar energy the campus consumes.

This project will begin after commencement ceremonies summer 2023 and with hopes to be completed before students return in the Fall 2023. SSU will be only taking one parking lot offline at a time to help minimize inconvenience for students. Once finished, students can expect to have covered parking lots that are multipurpose and produce renewable energy.

SSU is also embarking on other projects which support sustainable energy. According to the SSU Climate Action Plan presentation on transportation goals, in the future, the school will also replace all 36 fleet passenger vehicles with electric vehicles by 2035. The Climate Action Plan outlines an average of three vehicles will be switched out per year. SSU will also implement an “EV-first” vehicle purchasing policy to ensure that EVs are considered as the primary re placement option for every vehicle.

SSU Department of Nursing scores top 10 ranking in CA

continued from pg. 1

While the budget advisory committee didn’t follow through with these cuts, the lack of transparency throughout the process on the part of the committee, who neglected to inform or involve deans, chairs, profes sors, and students from the departments in question left a bad taste in the mouths of many involved.

Anna Valdez, Chair of the Department of Nursing wrote in an email, “Our programs are always filled to capacity, our retention rates are over 90%, and our students graduate with the knowledge and skills needed to be successful nurses.”

Offering her thoughts on the new ranking, Valdez wrote, “We are proud to be recognized. I believe what sets us apart is excellent faculty who are committed to student success. Our faculty are truly invested in our students’ learning.”

Jordan Rose, the Family Nurse Practitioner Program Director is also excited about the program’s recognition. Rose said, “We have extremely devoted faculty and very high-quality curriculum. 20% of applications to SSU are for the Pre-Nursing program. Students who graduate from our program immediately contribute to improving the health of patients all over northern california. “ She continued, “Our masters program also graduates more family nurse practitioners than almost any other program in Northern California. We have 100 graduates in our FNP program. As the baby boomer population continues to age, there will be an even larger demand for nursing and nurse practitioner care over the next two decades. It is critical that programs like ours continue to fill the need with capable and caring medical providers.

Kaija Freborg, an associate professor of nursing, said, “The local, sur rounding communities depend on SSU’s Nursing Department to prepare future nurses to care for people in Sonoma County,” Freborg said. “If these programs were cut, what would happen to the community?”

For Shannon Doyle, a second year biology major planning to pursue nursing, the top 10 ranking for the department highlights the strange pri oritization of certain departments over others. “I truly think the nursing program was one of the last programs that should’ve been considered in the budget cuts,” she said.

Doyle emphasized that this would’ve been a game changer for her had it come to pass, adding, “If I were unable to get the classes I needed, I would’ve most likely transferred schools, as it would have impaired my learning experience for my nursing career.”

The No.7 ranking is a win for both the Department of Nursing and the University. Students and faculty alike want this recognition to serve as a reminder that departments which are essential to our health and survival should never take a backseat to others when it comes to budget cuts.

This ranking marks SSU’s nursing program as the second best of all CSU’s. Last spring, the nursing program was almost discussed for discontinuance by a highlevel campus working group.

COURTESY

@ssunursingclub

COURTESY

Arts & Entertainment

Latinx Heritage Month closes with Bomba Workshop

STAFF WRITER MARIE’SA RUMSEY

As Latinx Heritage month comes to an end, some celebrated the final days by attending the Aguacero and Bay Area Bomba y Plena Workshop in the Hub Cultural Center on Oct. 13. The performance and educational project, Aguacero, was beautifully taught and performed by guests Shefali Shah, Hector Lugo, and Roman “Ito” Carrillo.

Attendees were immediately pulled in by the sounds of the instruments and singing voices of the performers. The delivery of the performance resonated with the audience as their heads nodded and shoes tapped along to the beat. Shah and Lugo demonstrated the styles and rhythms of bomba, a traditional dance and musi cal style hailing from Puerto Rico, through each step in accordance with the rhythm of the lead drum, the primo, played by Carrillo. The audience cheerfully clapped after they finished. The performance gave a glimpse of what participants would learn how to do later on.

According to the Aguacero site, “Aguacero is an artistic, educational, and cul tural project that focuses on the traditions and creative expressions of Puerto Rican Bomba music and dance.”

After the demonstration, Shefali Shah shared the history of bomba and what it means for Puerto Rican culture and heritage. Bomba is one of the oldest living traditions of Puerto Rico which originated in the sugar cane plantations. According to the Hub event page, “Bomba has been practiced and passed on from generation to generation as a critical form of collective expression, cultural affirmation, and artistic pleasure, for well over three centuries.” Shah described the elements of the dance and music practices as a form of resistance and healing.

Later on in the event, participants were given a chance to engage by learning how to play one of two key Bomba instruments of their choice: the maracas and the cua. Once the ringing of the instruments became cohesive, the guest performers

sang along and encouraged the audience to as well. To tie everything together, Shah thoroughly showed, explained, and repeated the step styles and rhythms of bomba. As participants mimicked Shah, their nervousness and shyness seemed to slowly drift away. Smiles appeared on some of the participant’s faces while they became familiar with the rhythm and movements of bomba.

Carrillo shared what it meant to have the audience participate, “Participation is always great, especially if it is not a part of their culture. The interesting part is drawing people in to participate, enjoy, and ask questions.” Carrillo continued, “It is important to get them involved without them feeling embarrassed or ashamed, making them feel a part of the presentation.”

Toward the end of the workshop, a circle was open for the participants to show what they learned. This was encouraged by Shah as she welcomely motioned for participants. A few came forward and seemingly had fun with it.

Alice Tikoibau, a senior at Sonoma State, shared her favorite part about the workshop, “I think the dancing, surprisingly. I didn’t expect it but I really enjoyed it. The moves were actually more simple than I thought but it was easy to keep up with her [Shefali Shah] teaching style.” Tikoibau later added she would like to see them again.

Nicole de la Fuentes, a senior at SSU, explained what she enjoyed. “The cultural experience as well as cultural exposure. I was looking forward to hearing more stories about the history of their culture, why they do things, [the] meaning, significance culturally, and how it transforms to the twenty-first century,” Fuentes continued, “They are keeping the significance alive while honoring their own cul ture.”

For more information about the performance and education project please visit bomba-aguacero.org/aguacero.

German Film Series helps Seawolves learn about international history, culture and language

In preparation for the upcoming International Week, Sonoma State’s German Club hosted a cultural movie night where the foreign film Nowhere In Africa was shown free of charge on Tuesday, October 11 in Darwin Hall. Nowhere In Africa was also the third movie shown on campus as part of the German Film Series which consists of a total of seven German-based films to be presented throughout the Fall 2022 se mester. The members of the German Club wished to give students an opportunity to learn not just about German cinema but also about gaining a grasp on the country’s history and culture in what they see to be a more entertaining manner.

The film tells the story of a Jewish family fleeing Germany in anticipation of what was to come after Hitler’s invasion of Poland and the beginning of the sec ond World War. The family moves to Africa where they manage a farm, however, not all members of the family agree on their new lifestyle causing drama between them. Throughout the film, members of the audience displayed strong emotions whenever presented with dramatic scenes where the protagonists seemed to be

falling apart due to the hardships they were facing.

The cinema room was filled with the sounds of loud gasps and other remarks from beginning to end, till the screen shut down concluding the film, and then there was a quick moment of silence which was followed by clapping from an inarticu late audience.

After the film ended, Laurin Ritter, the member representing the German club for the event, said a couple of words regarding what made the film and the German Fall Film series as a whole significant. Ritter also spoke about upcoming events for the different global culture clubs on campus.

Ritter is an exchange student here for the Fall 2022 semester and is happy to be a part of the German Club. “I think it is quite nice to watch movies and learn more about culture rather than learning about it in plain academic methods, which we are usually taught.” He explained how using international cinema makes it easier to learn a new language and is more interesting and engaging rather than traditional education which he believes makes learning feel like “hard work”.

Ritter also expressed his excitement for International Week starting Nov. 14 where he and the rest of the German Club, as well as a variety of school clubs all across the United States, will take part by giving presentations about the countries they were born in and their culture. Ritter will present the German Films series as part of his speech where he plans to promote the event to build a larger audience for the rest of the semester’s showings of German films. Ritter, as well as the rest of the German club, wishes to attract more club members to participate in their other events. The German Film Series is set to continue for another four films, with the last film being presented

STAR// Mariah Forster

Shefali Shah, Hector Lugo, and Roman “Ito” Carillo showcase their talents to attendees at the bomba workshop.

STAFF WRITER PAUL MUNOZ

STAR // Zachary Gonzales

Students gathered around the big screen for SSU’s German Club’s screening of, “No where in Africa,” produced by Constantin Films.

STAR// Mariah Forster Students and faculty alike stand around to participate in a song with the group.

Spotlight: Mixed Martial Arts club

With all the craziness that has happened so far this semester in Rohnert Park, from creepy clowns to on-campus stabbings, I think it’s safe to say that we could all learn some self-defense techniques in case we find ourselves in a dangerous situation. The Mixed Martial arts club offers just that. With practices every Thursday at 7 p.m. in International hall 104, the MMA club offers a variety of self defense techniques through different forms of martial arts. Brazilian jiu-jitsu, wrestling, kickboxing, and Muay Thai are some of the main focuses of this semester.

The STAR was able to interview the president and coach of the MMA club, senior and wine business and psychology major, Shaemus Cullen. Cullen has been in volved in the MMA club since he was a freshman. He has been doing jiu-jitsu since he was three years old, but did not start competing until four years ago. When asked what types of martial arts the club will focus on this semester, this is what he had to say, “We are training mostly Brazilian jiu-jitsu, but I like to throw in a little kickboxing, Muay Thai, and wrestling every once in a while. I mostly teach BJJ because that is what I have the most experience with and that is what I am the most comfortable with teaching to others.

An added bonus is that BJJ is the safest martial art to practice since there is no striking, it’s just grappling and it focuses a lot on technique.”

Although the club is up and running now, it did have its struggles through these last two years because of the pandemic. Obviously, because of the physical contact be tween club members, the pandemic made it extremely difficult to hold practices without breaching COVID-19 regulations. The club was previously known as the Brazilian jiu jitsu club and had to be relaunched as the mixed martial arts club, as other martial arts like kickboxing require less physical touch and can be performed on punching bags and dummies. Cullen went on to discuss what the club has turned into since the pandemic, “ The MMA club has had a lot of struggles since the pandemic. Pre-Covid the MMA club was the Brazilian jiu jitsu club and it actually won club of the year multiple times in a row. When I took the club over in 2021, I knew that we were going to have issues with maintaining Covid guidelines, so I transitioned and rebranded the BJJ club to the MMA

club to allow for COVID safe Kickboxing practices, until restrictions began to relax.”

Lastly, Cullen spoke on the benefits of joining the club, “The benefits of joining this club are finding a community that will embrace you no matter who you are, and taking on the challenge of a new hobby. I think that BJJ and MMA have a lot to offer to people in their per sonal development if they take on the craft wholeheartedly. Personally, I think that MMA has made me a much stronger and more consistent person than I ever was before the sport. I also have made almost all my best-friends through the sport and some of my favorite memories. It is very fun to train, compete, and create friendships on the mat.”

Bryan Peeso, Junior and GEP major, said he is looking forward to learning more about MMA through the club. Peeso has wrestling experience but not a lot of other martial art experience. He said that he’s looking forward to adding more knowledge in other martial art categories and pushing himself to his limits. Peeso also said, “ I hope to not only gain experi ence, but I really want to gain some more friendships. I hope to maybe even gain connections to maybe join a local gym or dojo and spar there and potentially further my MMA career.”

The club has hopes to submit competitors in a few different competitions this year, along with the usual practices on Thursday nights. The MMA club has a lot to offer, with self-defense and a strong community.

SSU’s Black Student Union talks voting

State’s Black Student Union met in The Hub Tuesday, Oct.11 to discuss import ant topics that black people have endured in the past and how it has changed since then. Students learned more about the era of Jim Crow laws and how it legalized racial segregation. One of the main focus points of the event was discussing how the Jim Crow era sought to prevent Black people from voting. BSU also provides a safe space to discuss other controversial subjects.

Sonoma

BSU introduced a game in which three presidents would have certain topics and have to propose the solutions in a political debate setting. A debate topic discussing repara tions for black people was an important issue many students in BSU felt strongly about. One student in particular shared a heartfelt and informative speech that talked about the topic within reparations that led toward a potential solution.

“Black people had a lot of businesses and success in that community. In 1921, The Tulsa Race Massacre occurred when white mobs destroyed black communities and busi nesses by setting them on fire. After the occurrence, what do we ask for? Are we really asking for money? No, we want equity and equality. We need to be able to get home loans and do something with it. It’s not just the money but being able to make/build within our communities. We are not put in a place where we can grow and build generational wealth. We want fairness and we need financial literacy.” Said Carlos Perry.

The BSU meetings have been very successful and informative for all the students who attend. The Hub Cultural Center manager talks about how these meetings have been very impactful, especially this year in comparison to the past.

“The events have been going really well. I received some feedback from a couple

NICOLE AWAAD STAFF WRITER

students that this year’s BSU has meant so much to them with the space being open. They feel like they can be themselves. They also talk about opening up and I think that’s great so it’s been super beneficial.” Said Tramaine Austin-Dillion.

The BSU Co-President was very excited as well for the new turnout of their club this year with the new amount of support being received, and their capabilities of communicating more influential topics for the community.

“I think today’s meeting went very well. It was a mix of actual important content and having fun talking about topics that are really relevant to us,” said Amanda Luckett. These BSU events have been happening every other Tuesday. The people who attend these meetings are also a mix of all different communities who join together for a purpose and also for a fun time.

Alpha Xi Delta hosts annual Xi Man pageant

Alpha Xi Delta presents Xi Man 2022! This yearly event consists of seven different boys, one from each fraternity on campus and two from sports teams who all com pete in a pageant. Basketball and lacrosse volunteered to participate this year for their sports. This event took place on Saturday Oct.15 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The show has multiple categories that they compete in, one being a talent portion and another being “Miss Congeniality.”

Some students in the audience were really passionate about their fraternity or sports team winning. It gets really competitive and it is definitely more exciting to have a loud and enthusiastic support group per contestant. Dominic Salerno who is a senior and business major shared why he showed up to Xi Man, “I came out to Xi Man to support one of my best friends Claudel Garcia who was a contestant for my fraternity, Pi Kappa Phi. He put in a lot of work in the last three to four weeks so I decided to come out with a lot of members from my fraternity to cheer him on and be as loud and supportive as I can. We ended up winning the whole competition and Claudel from Pi Kappa Phi is the new Xi man which is really exciting and he put on a really good show for the boys.”

Other students came out to support some of the girls who are in Alpha Xi Delta that had a role in the event. Senior Danielle Romero, business major with a concentration in marketing shared her experience, “I went to Xi Man because I wanted to support my friends that were emceeing and the philanthropy that Alpha Xi Delta represents which all proceeds went to. The organization is called Kindly Hearts which helps children who are experiencing foster care.” Two girls from the chapter were emcees and they added a hu morous side to announcing the contestants. Along with the event all going towards Alpha

Xi Delta’s philanthropy, the event was sponsored by BeReal. This is a newer app that is very popular these days and they offered to donate $6 to every person who signed up for BeReal at the event.

Julian Bryant, junior and marketing major explained his experience at the Xi Man. “I came to Xi Man to support my friend Jaylen Wells who was a contestant and is on the basket ball team. I also came to have a good time and experience some Sonoma State culture. I’m a transfer student and I really wanted to get more involved with campus life and Seawolf Living and all the events going on… I thought it was a good way to meet new people and to, you know, enjoy my time here. It was really fun and I hope to be the contestant for the basketball team next year.” Be sure to come out to Xi Man 2023 next year if you missed it!

STAR // Nicole Awaad

Seven contestants compete in Alpha Xi Delta’s annual Xi Man competition.

COURTESY // @ssu.mma.club on instagran Spirited group of Seawolves gather for a picture after practice.

STAR // Zachary Gonzales

Student leader Nyree Johnson participating in a community discussion.

Pace wins, Sonoma ranked nationally

The SSU mens golf team marched into opponent territory last week and competed in the Chico State Wild cat Classic, held at Peachtree Golf & Country Club. Another NCAA Regional preview tournament presented the Sea wolves with an opportunity to put their game to the test in competition format.

The Seawolves placed third overall out of 11 other teams. The 5 man group of golfers combined for team scores of 282 in round 1, 275 in round 2 and 284 in round 3. Paving the way for the Seawolves was senior Griffin Pace who finished in first place individually recording a tournament score of 13-un der-par 205 and capturing his first colle giate victory.

On Oct. 10, Pace kicked off the first day of play shooting a pair of tour nament low rounds of six-under-par 66. The following day on the final round of the tournament Pace shot one-over-par 73 strong enough to fend off the field’s competitors. He recorded a season high 16 birdies over the course of the 54-hole tournament resulting in his best career finish.

Pace shared his thoughts on his win last week, “Honestly it just feels really good to finally get the job done. I felt more relaxed on the course than I have in the past, and I kind of just kept the

pedal down both rounds and didn’t let up.”

Within distance of Pace was fellow teammate Colin Huang. The freshman would continue his strong crusade re cording back to back top five finishes and landing in a tie for fourth at nine-underpar 207. Huang complimented Paces’ score in the second round with a six-un der-par 66 of his own. “Colin is an over all great guy to be around, and an even better player. His attitude on the course separates himself from the crowd.” said teammate Pace about Huang.

Sonoma State fell short two strokes to the tournament winners Chico State and one stroke to runner-ups Simon-Fra ser. Head Coach, Valentine Verhunce expressed some thoughts on his team’s performance, “I was excited for Griffin as this is a long time coming. The team played well but left too many opportuni ties out on the course for us to win this event.” Updated rankings following last week’s tournament leaves SSU ranked No. 25 in the nation for NCAA division two golf.

Peach Tree Golf Club located in Marysville, CA plays as a par-72 and length of 6898 yards. The tournament was formatted where rounds one and two were played on Monday, leaving the final round to be played on Tuesday.

It was apparent that the condi tions were more favorable on Mon day than they were on Tuesday, pre senting the field with a more scorable track in the first two rounds. Pace elaborated on the difference in play between the two days, “ The course on Monday was set up great, thick rough, tight fairways and fast but re ceptive greens. It was premium for scoring if the players found the fair ways off the tees. Tuesday the greens

firmed up a bit and it became more difficult to access certain hole loca tions. Very tough second day.”

The SSU mens golf team is cur rently competing this week in the Otter Invitational hosted by Cal State Monterey Bay. The team will put their game to the test at Bayonet Golf Course, a track steeped in rich tradi tion and that has played host to PGA Tour events in the past.

Club Sport Spotlight: Rugby

point, and in Rugby worth two. They also both have the option for a three point kick, in football known as a field goal, and in rug by as a free kick. The term “free kick” probably rings a bell for soccer fans, which is another sport rugby is similar to. The two sports are played on the same size field, each is free-flowing, forcing play ers to play both offense and de fense, but also requiring creativi ty from players to create offense. Finally, rugby has similarities to team handball as well. Primarily being that they are played by pass ing the ball between teammates using hands, but also in that there are different versions of each one. Team handball can be played in an 11 on 11 or seven on seven style, while rugby is played in either a 15 on 15 or seven on seven format.

Bay. The thing that stands out about this year’s team is “bal ance,” according to senior John Gblah. “A lot of the returners we have are really good,” continued Gblah “and our new guys who ha ven’t played before are doing a re ally good job of picking it up and listening to us.”

Since 2011 the Sonoma State Rugby Club has given male students the option to play a sport that promotes the highest levels of community and teamwork. On top of that, since there hasn’t been a football team representing the school since 1996, it’s perfect for those who love running and tackling. Rugby is most popular in places like Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and South Af rica, but has been gradually grow ing in the United States through the success of leagues like Ma

jor League Rugby (MLR), which since its inception in 2018 has seen its number of teams grow from seven to 13.

Rugby can be best described as a combination of football, soc cer, and team handball. The tack ling element is the most relatable part to football, but the scoring in rugby is similar as well. Instead of being called a touchdown, it’s a try, and instead of being worth six points, it’s worth five. How ever both are followed by kicks, in football worth one additional

The student run club here on campus plays 15 on 15, in the Fall, and seven on seven, in the Spring. The Seawolves are a part of the National Small College Rugby Organization (NSCRO), which features teams from all over the country, but SSU’s league consists of teams like: Cal Maritime Acad emy, CSU Monterey Bay, Cal Poly Humboldt, University of Pacific and Santa Rosa Junior College.

This year’s 15s season got un der way on Saturday, October 8 with the Seawolves picking up a 46-20 victory against Monterey

This ties into one of the most unique aspects of rugby. The sport’s growing popularity means the player pool isn’t as deep as other sports, and because of the skills it borrows from other pop ular sports, it can be picked up relatively quickly. Therefore those who haven’t played before shouldn’t shy away from giving the sport a try. This was some thing that was emphasized by Senior Devon McGee who said of new players “we started the same way they did. We took that first step to learn a new sport and had those same fears about maybe getting hurt, or did I do this right or that right, but that’s the beauty of life pretty much, being able to start new things and having fun and make new memories.”

The Seawolves next game will be on Friday, October 21, at Cal Maritime. This will be followed by a few more games before play offs begin in Utah in November. In January the club will begin pre paring for their 7s season in the spring.

COURTESY // Evan Roehrig Senior Griffin Pace dominated the competition last week as he took home his first collegiate victory after placing first individually at the Chico State Wildcat Classic.

CALVIN ZELJAK STAFF WRITER

COURTESY// @ssurugby on Instagram

The rugby team huddles up during during a game to go over tactics and strategy.

NOAH

Bomba music and dance workshop gets Seawolves moving

SSU’s Black Student Union meetings impactful and informative

Sustainability Fair brings climate issues into focus

STAR

Mariah Forster

A Seawolf stops by to learn

about the ins and outs of composting,

impact on our environment today.

STAR // Mariah Forster Students check out the CAPS table to learn more about what is offered from SSU’s Coun selling and Psychological Services during the Sustainability Fair on Oct.

STAR // Cec Fernandez Shefali Shah, Hector Lugo, and Roman “Ito” Carrillo perform bomba for attendees at the Hub’s bomba workshop. (see more on pg. 5)

STAR // Cec Fernandez Students and faculty join in a bomba lesson taught by Shefali Shah. Bomba is a traditional music and dance style which hails from Puerto Rico. (see more on pg. 5)

STAR // Zachary Gonzales BSU club members Ashante Lacy (left) and Taneesha Porter (right) pose for a photo at The HUB. (see more on pg. 6)

STAR // Zachary Gonzales

Members of BSU gather togehter for a discussion in the HUB on Tuesday, Oct. 11. (see more on pg. 6)

STAR // Zachary Gonzales

BSU member Carlos won an outdoor bag worth up to $300 for participating in last week’s club activity.