Sonoma State STAR Issue 8

SSU student joins VP Harris in reproductive rights talk

TYLER MELOAN STAFF WRITER

State University undergraduate senior, Jessica Valdez, was one of 75 stu dents from colleges and universities across 33 states who were nominated to partic ipate in a roundtable discussion about reproductive rights with Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House on Oct. 14.

Sonoma

This unique opportunity allowed Valdez to voice her opinion on the United States Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade, and eliminated the constitutional right to an abortion.

The Vice President reminded those present that student activism has been the catalyst for many of the most important political movements, a sentiment Valdez said was echoed by one of her past chicano and latino studies professors.

As a Chicano and Latino studies major with a minor in history, Valdez is no stranger to recognizing discrimination and advocating for the rights of marginalized groups. Since 2019, she’s been an active member of The PUERTA Project, or Prepar ing Underrepresented Educators to Realize their Teaching Ambitions, which aims to increase the number of Latinx teachers working in K-12 public schools. She’s also an advocate for SSU’s Disability Services for Students, and engages in philanthropic work to help children with arthritis through her sorority, Alpha Omicron Pi, making her an ideal candidate to represent the University on a national stage.

In an interview for SSU News, the first-generation college student explained why reproductive health care is such an important topic to her following the reversal of Roe. Valdez said, “It’s very terrifying when someone doesn’t have control over their own body, and taking abortion rights away means people are no longer in control of see JESSICA VALDEZ on pg. 4

Accreditation has students excited for new opportunities

CHARLES BARRETT STAFF WRITER

The Sonoma State University bachelor’s degree program in Electrical Engi neering has been officially accredited and students in the program are look ing forward to the opportunities this will bring.

Ceara Sullivan, president of the society of Women in Engineering (SWE), said, “Engineers need their college degree to be accredited to be eligible for a professional engineering license, and some companies only recruit from ac credited school programs.” Sullivan went on to explain that the accreditation assures potential employers that Sonoma State equips its students with the skills necessary to be successful in the workplace.

According to the ABET Organization, “ABET accreditation provides as surance that a college or university program meets the quality standards of the profession for which that program prepares graduates.” This is important to students “because it adds weight and value to their higher education.”

Another positive result of the accreditation is that SSU will have the poten tial to draw more students to the electrical engineering program.

Sullivan explained that any potential SSU applicant can now be confident that they are applying to a school with an engineering program on the same level as that of any CSU.

Sudhir Shrestha, SSU engineering department chair, echoed Sullivan’s thoughts saying that SSU meets the global standard and that they are in the same spot as the other accredited programs in terms of quality.

The department has been working to achieve accreditation for the better part of a decade. Shrestha explained that the actual process of receiving the ac creditation is about three years, but many things had to be accomplished to put the department in a position to apply. Shrestha started at Sonoma State in 2017, a couple of years after the initial groundwork had been laid. He emphasized that this was a considerable team effort, not one that could be accomplished alone.

Shrestha explained that engineering at its heart is about building things, and you can observe the results of that in everyday life simply by looking at something that wasn’t constructed naturally and that electrical engineering is becoming increasingly important in an ever-growing remote world.

“Right now is the most exciting time to be an electrical engineer in the history of humankind,” Shrestha said. “You look at all the exciting things hap pening from computers, electronics, robotics, and space, AI. There has never been a more exciting time to be an electrical engineer.”

The field of electrical engineering opens up many opportunities for those who study it. Shrestha explained, “Electrical engineering is really broad. You can go to a lot of different places. You can become a design engineer; you can go into cells, marketing; they can work in the field. It’s really broad, and there are a lot of opportunities, and I think it’s really exciting.”

Highly anticipated reopening of Toast

KAYLE NORRIS STAFF WRITER

The Sonoma State University food venue that has been closed so long some students don’t know what it is, Toast, will reopen on Oct. 31. Culinary services are hopeful that the reopening of toast will combat the lengthy lines at Sip.

Located in between Darwin and Stevenson hall near the Bacon and Eggs sculpture, the kiosk will be open Monday-Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Toast will serve everything from coffee, to pastries, ba gels, grab n go sandwiches, salads, sushi, bottled beverages, and more.

With the addition of food trucks, options on campus have been get ting easier but you can expect it to get even easier. In an email exchange with the STAR, Lauren Antoni, Interim Director of Culinary Service wrote, “We will be accepting any tap-n-pay options in addition to wolf bucks, dining dollars, and bonus dollars.” Antoni also shared exciting news of a fun giveaway that is going to be Halloween-themed. The first 200 student customers will receive a Halloween treat on the day of the

COURTESY// news.sonoma.edu

Jessica Valdez, SSU senior, was nominated to speak about reproductive rights with Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House.

STAR// Cec Fernandez

The Toast food and beverage kiosk, closed since March 2020, will reopen on Halloween. Toast will be open every Monday-Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

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, 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.

current state of the world

Inot only dealing with school but are also having to consider the state of the world. The idea is that after obtaining a degree, we final ly get ‘real jobs’ and start a life for ourselves. We are sold this idea that a degree will se cure a bright future. This idea however, is not taking into consideration things like a global pandemic, climate change or a faulty economy.

In an interview with the STAR, Al yssa Samuli, a Hutchins liberal studies ma jor shared her thoughts on the future, “It’s been really stressful to be so close to grad uating and thinking about the future when the state of the world is dwindling right in front of me.” Samuli is a fourth year student at SSU. “While I want to be excited for life beyond college, I am often plagued by the uncertainty of what’s to come.”

pening across the world, I have definitely experienced more anxiety about what life will look like after college. I believe that a lot of college students, myself included, feel nervous about the consequences of certain events that have recently occurred, and how this might play into obstacles we will face in the near future. It feels like there is so much unease and anger, and I really hope that there can be solutions that prioritize the mental and physical well-being of groups that are affected by all of this tension.”

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.

The majority of incoming college students are part of Generation Z, which has oftentimes been noted as the coddled generation. Deemed as sensitive, it’s actu ally because of their transparency when it comes to mental health. Instead, the rea son ‘zoomers’ have created less of a stigma around seeking treatments for mental health could be due to the popularity of social me dia.

With this access to technology at ev eryone’s fingertips, it is not only easier to access information but to also express one’s emotions more openly. This creates a space for people to share and connect with others who are going through a similar situation.

Amanda Lewis, a fourth year at Sonoma State voiced her concerns with the

The spread of COVID-19 was a life chang ing event. No one could have predict ed that we would be living through a global pandemic in our lifetime. It’s important to acknowledge that we have shown incredible resilience. One of the most important things to do in these uncertain times is to preserve one’s mental well-being. Whether that be through seeking professional help or taking periods of time to step away from current events. There are simply some things that are beyond our control.

Emilia Torres, fourth year communica tions major said “It’s difficult being remind ed of the many issues going on in the world on a daily basis. While they are obviously all important, it feels like a daunting chal lenge to be up against because the issues are so huge.”

We must continue to live every day as we see fit. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by ‘impending doom’ but take solace in the fact that we are living through these events as a collective. The state of the world is not resting on your shoulders alone.

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 precedents of other major newspapers, and may not be shared by all staff writers. The board en courages readers to write letters to the editor about all topics, including the editorial.

COURTESY // flickr.com

Trump issued subpoena, must be held accountable

ference. If Trump fails to cooperate, he may be charged with contempt of court, something which is punishable by either a hefty fine or imprison ment.

maybe go away. We’ll see what hap pens.”

DEVON BLY STAFF WRITER

The House select committee responsible for investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection of the capital issued a subpoena on Friday, calling for documents and direct testimony from for mer President Donald Trump.

The subpoena calls for text messages, phone calls, letters, or other documents regarding the incident to be shared with the committee by Nov. 4. Further more, Trump must appear be fore the committee and provide a disposition testimony either in Washington or over video con

If we do not find a way to hold him responsible for inciting this riot, then we will set a precedent where the President of the United States can make fraudulent claims and incite violence without facing the conse quences of doing so.

Trump’s presidency has been largely controversial, and save for a twitter ban, he has made many claims without evidence and promoted them as “truth” without punishment, re gardless of the harm they have caused.

For example, despite evidence gathered by the top medical experts in the United States refuting the idea that Covid-19 would “go away,” Trump claimed, “It’s going to disap pear. One day — it’s like a miracle — it will disappear. And from our shores, we — you know, it could get worse before it gets better. It could

Two years, and over a million American deaths later, these claims have still gone unpunished even though they helped lead to the deaths of so many of our citizens.

Trump’s attack on the integrity of US elections at his rally the day of the insurrection undeniably helped spur his supporters into action. He made claims attacking our democrat ic process and urging his supporters to fight. He said, “You will have an illegitimate president. That is what you will have, and we can’t let that happen. If you don’t fight like hell you’re not going to have a country anymore.”

If Trump decides to dodge the committee, like his advisor Steve Bannon did, it will only serve as the latest example of the former President refusing to adhere to the basic laws and principles of being a public rep resentative.

Unfortunately the consequences

of ignoring the subpoena are rather tame, as Bannon was only sentenced to four months in prison. If Trump decides to do the same thing, he will likely only pay a fine or serve a short prison sentence. A seemingly small price to pay for inciting violence leading to rioting at the Capital.

Elijah Gerard, a fourth year An thropology major said,” I definitely think it’s important [to hold Trump responsible] and that he should be, but it’s abundantly clear that nothing is going to happen and he will ignore the subpoena, so it feels like a waste of time.”

We can only hope that this com mittee actually holds this man truly responsible for his actions and helps to combat this precedent where elect ed officials can get away with inciting violence or making fraudulent claims.

It is intrinsic to the very function of our political system to ensure that this man is held responsible for his actions, lest we forget what a true de mocracy is.

California drivers can switch to digital license plates

if wanted.

Emma Lopez, a junior majoring in Kinesiology stated, “I like the physical one so I can see it when I buy parking passes and making sure my registration is up to date. I wouldn’t have to worry about people stealing the stickers so that would be nice.”

Knowing that it’s a tablet-like plate won’t stop from stealing it and putting it on their own cars.

JHERY MAE MONTEZA STAFF WRITER

C alifornia is an area known for the boom of technology and high tech innovation, with advances ranging from Tesla to robots delivering your food or even making it. We are con stantly making new advances in technology and adding on to that list are digital license plates, made exclusively by the California company Reviver. Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a law legalizing the use of these digital license plates, which drivers can now switch

Many people are forgetful and it would be helpful to have a digital li cense plate that updates registration stickers automatically the moment it’s about to expire. There are mixed reviews for this, and many doubts come into mind when it comes to adopting this new invention.

Carmen Salgado, a freshman ma joring in Sociology stated, “I think the digital license plate is a good idea because hopefully it will re duce stealing because I know people sometimes steal stickers and the ac tual license plate as well. however, I feel like there is not a huge differ ence if you have one or not, I’m not too sure what the main purpose is.”

According to Reviver, GPS can be enabled allowing you to track the vehicle and mileage. Police will be able to locate a vehicle more easily because there is a built-in tracker. In addition to GPS, it can flash a mes sage if the vehicle is stolen or with an amber alert.

Angela Hall, a junior majoring in Computer Science stated, “From what I’ve heard though I’m not real ly sure it’s worth it. I think my main concern with it is that if you make something digital, you’re possibly making it hackable. Especially if the plates can be used to track cars, it raises some possible privacy and safety concerns. “

Hall doesn’t think it’s worth it considering the installation itself is already $99, the battery powered version costs $19.95 per month while hard-wired for commercial vehicles starts at $24.95. She describes that

she’s not totally opposed to the idea, but would have to research more about it to see what the benefits of having it are if it outweighs the con cerns. Hall stated, “I feel like we could be examining other ways to improve systems that need work that don’t require a large scale hardware change for the consumer. I do ques tion whether it is the best option for improvements right now. ”

Especially because it’s technol ogy, there are many privacy and safety fears. What happens when the digital license plate runs out of bat tery or gets wet? The main concern that arises is a possibility of being traced or hacked, and how are people supposed to find out they are being tracked by someone.

Hopefully, Reviver tweaks things people feel uncertain about. Seeing as California is full of technology, and people are always wanting to personalize their belongings, there’s no doubt that people will change their plates.

Are streaming services losing their appeal?

Hulu and Peacock that already offer plans with ads.

prices.

STAFF WRITER ADRIANA GONZALEZ

Can you count how many streaming services you are subscribed to? Right now we see more than 200 stream ing services available around the world, according to Cloud wards statistics. With all these streaming services, it’s hard to keep track of what content is on which platform, and the cost of having multiple sub scriptions can add up quickly.

Starting in November Net flix will offer a cheaper sub scription plan that will include ads and will be joining other streaming services such as

Since the launch of Netflix, the ap peal of these streaming services was that you could watch almost any movie or show on your own time with just a few clicks. Stream ing also meant no commercials, so subscribers could watch their fa vorite shows, uninterrupted. The streaming services that offer basic plans with ads play just about as of ten as commercials would, and now Netflix is one of them.

This new plan may be Netflix’s at tempt to gain back subscribers. The Washington Post explains why Netflix began to lose subscribers in the US and Europe, “because of competition, recession, inflation, and general fears about the econ omy.” This led Netflix to change their tactic, as explained in a Forbes article, to introduce a “cheaper ad-supported service in an attempt to regain momentum.” The reason Netflix wants to have ads on their platform is to gain both revenue and to appeal to consumers with lower

Shelby Silva, a junior at Sono ma State University said her fa vorite streaming service would be “Hulu because it has a good variety of shows but I don’t like the ads.” Silvia feels that ads ruin the experi ence of watching shows and movies, which many people would agree to.

With ads and options to bundle streaming services to save money, it seems like we are moving back in time to cable tv. Though many people have stopped paying for ca ble altogether, since streaming of fers hundreds of options, people are spending just as much, or more for multiple streaming platforms.

Customers are surprised to hear about this happening with Netflix. Danielle Reyes, a senior at SSU questioned, “Why are we paying and still getting ads?” Reyes also explained her frustrations with streaming platforms and said that it is an inconvenience to paying cus tomers like herself. “Ads will make me want to choose other streaming services over Netflix,” she said.

This is where customers get frus trated because they are already paying for the services themselves. The platforms just want to make more profit off of their customers because they know some would rather pay extra for an ad-free ex perience.

As we see Netflix improvis ing with new features we see other streaming services competing. HBO Max, Hulu, Apple TV, and Disney+ seem to offer more shows and mov ies that appeal to the public. Some also offer a student discount, specif ically, HBO Max offers a 20% dis count, Paramount Plus offers a 25% discount and Hulu is only $1.99 a month for students. Netflix does not have a student discount available but this new ad plan is a cheaper option for those who want to watch their content.

Overall Netflix is getting to the point where it feels like we are slowly going back to cable TV. Cus tomers should not have to pay extra for no ads.

Electrical Engineering students grateful for program accreditation

Shrestha also explained that northern California is one of the best places to be an electrical engineer, as there is no shortage of companies in the area.

Engineering student, Dean Xerogeanes appreciates the opportunities elec trical engineering opens up. “I think it can open you up to a lot of different pathways to take. My friend’s brother did EE, and he’s working for PG&E now. You could also work in tech. So I’d say it’s probably the versatility of the degree,” Xerogeanes said.

Seawolf takes part in reproductive rights discussion at White House

continued from pg. 1

their own bodies. Simple as that.”

She said the event included a meeting between the students and the American Council on Education, as well as representatives from Planned Parenthood, before culminating with a conversation with the Vice Presi dent.

According to an official readout of the event from The White House website, “The student leaders highlighted how young people are mobiliz ing to oppose restrictive abortion laws, and how these laws are creating confusion for individuals seeking reproductive health services.” The in tersection of attacks on reproductive rights with those on LGBTQI+ and voting rights were also discussed.

Paige Berendsen, a fourth year business administration major and friend of Valdez, shared her thoughts on the White House visit. “I think having Jessica represent a small school like SSU is amazing! It’s incredi ble for people to see the outstanding students we have here, and that even a small school can do big things!” Berendsen said.

Describing the intentions of the discussion, Valdez said, “Our over all goal was to use the opportunity of meeting as a group to reinforce and create networks so that when we go back to our respective campuses we can continue to advocate for these things and join together for united strategies.” One of the ways she hopes to do this is through eventually establishing a Planned Parenthood Generation Action chapter at SSU. “I feel that will be an effective way for SSU to get more connected with other college campus communities,” she added.

Like many Americans, Valdez is also worried about the potential out comes of future court rulings. “The message being sent by the Supreme Court taking away abortion rights is that this is not the end. This is the beginning. And we need to organize and take action to take control of our basic rights.”

With the pivotal November midterm elections fast approaching, and the 2024 election looming, the importance of voter registration was some thing the Vice President also highlighted. Veda Dean, a third year com munications and media studies major, cited the lack of political resources on campus as a potential cause for concern ahead of the elections, say ing, “I also haven’t seen much information about the elections in general around campus. How will first time voters know how to start voting and what they’re voting for?”

Hopefully, the reopening of Toast will combat the legnthy lines students have been experiencing in their attempts to get food on-campus.

Reopening of Toast further diversifies food options

continued from pg. 1

-reopening.

Toast originally opened 20 years ago but was forced to close in March of 2020 when COVID-19 hit. Delays with approval from the health department continued to prevent the reopening of Toast.

Students are ecstatic that SSU is opening more food options on cam pus. Jenny Siebuhr, an early childhood education major said, “I think it’s great that SSU is opening more food options for students, especially on different parts of campus! It would be nice to have more options to grab food before class starts or after.”

Many students are grateful for more food options. Kimberly Smithson, a junior communications major, always wants to grab a quick bite to eat before class but feels as if there is nowhere to go. With the reopening of Toast she now has a convenient option. Smithson said, “I’ve never been to toast before but I’m excited that there’s going to be more food places on campus.” Smith son also plans to attend the reopening.

Ian Anderson, a senior kinesiology major, is going to be a first timer at the reopening and is looking forward to Toast’s breakfast items. Anderson said, “It sounds like fun. I like that more stuff is opening on campus. It feels like things are finally going back to normal. I plan on definitely going to toast. it would be perfect for in between class food, which would be super convenient for me. Especially on days when I have class all day.”

Getting some normalcy is all a lot of students ask for. Senior Hutchins arts major Kaitlyn Shellooe is happy she can have another coffee spot on campus. Shellooe said, “The line for Sip sometimes takes so long. I think this will benefit students because a lot of stuff closed because of COVID-19 and getting some normalcy back on campus will just be really beneficial and also we won’t have to worry too much if the lines for coffee and stuff are disputed between Sip and Toast.”

Valdez said this problem was addressed. “There was one point where Vice President Harris was asking our group of student leaders what we felt was the most effective way for us to communicate with our genera tion. Of course, we emphasized use of social media – but we also felt that it’s important to not take for granted that people know about the issue of abortion rights.” She said educating students on the issue should be done in-person as well as online, through methods like tabling with flyers and stickers, and organizing marches on campus.

After completing her degree next year, she hopes to pursue a career working at a college, with a focus on making higher education accessible to more people through continued involvement in programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion.

COURTESY // @VP on Twitter

Jessica Valdez represented SSU as one of 75 students who were nominated to participate in a roundtable discussion about reproductive rights with Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House.

COURTESY// Noma News

The accreditation of SSU’s electrical engineering program is thrilling for students in the program and a symbol of success for the department.

continued from pg. 1

STAR// canva.com

Opening night for SSU Theatre’s ‘Water bythe Spoonful’

MARIE’SA RUMSEY

STAFF WRITER

The Theatre Arts & Dance department had opening night with its moving play, Water by the Spoonful at Evert B. Pearson Theatre.

The play, which was originally by Quiara Alegría Hudes, dives into the lives of characters who deal with their own share of adversities. According to the Theatre Arts & Dance department homepage on the Sonoma State University website, “The boundaries of family and community are stretched across continents and cyberspace as birth families splinter and online fami lies collide. “Water by the Spoonful” is a heartfelt meditation on lives on the brink of redemption.”

Within the program pamphlet were the director’s notes, where Marie Ramirez Downing gave insight, “This play explores finding your way to recovery after you have lost something of yourself, and the new path you choose may or may not lead to redemption.” Downing continued, “Directing this play has taught me that when faced with struggles beyond our control, we find our community and support can come from non-traditional mecha nisms such as the virtual world we live in today.”

Act I of the play introduced characters and gave the audience glimpses of what the story would involve. The characters’ first impressions were suc cessfully portrayed by each cast member, making it easy for the audience to engage. The emotion and passion within the cast members heavily translated into their performance. By the end of Act I, the play neatly uncovered small key layers of each character.

During the intermission Elena O’Kane, a sophomore at Sonoma State University, shared her thought process prior to the play, “I thought it was going to be an emotional play. I knew it was going to have some hard-hitting topics that are important to talk about.” She continued, “It has exceeded my expectations.”

Act II unfolded onto a deeper level. The audience was given a raw and honest depiction of the shared troubles of the characters, with topics like grief, addiction, and neglect, wreaking havoc on the characters’ lives..

The visual and sound effects worked cohesively with the story. While the char acters outpoured their emotions, the atmosphere within the theatre became silent and still. The emotions displayed through the actors’ tears seemed to impact the room the most.

Deja Crocket, a sophomore at SSU, shared moments that stood out to her, “I really enjoyed the switch back and forth between the online addiction

group and everyday life. It really showed the importance of building and having a safe space to openly share your problems with people who have been through common struggles.”

Crocket also shared some of her takeaways from the performance, “Don’t be afraid to get help. You might feel like you’re all alone but in reality there are thousands of people out there that are going through the same thing as you and are waiting for someone to listen.”

Crockett also expressed her appreciation and a new sense of gratitude for the theatre department. She stated, “They really embodied the life of a re covering addict and opened your eyes to the hidden truth about addictions.”

The embodiment felt by the audience was a goal for Downing, “I believe it is imperative that audiences learn from diverse perspectives and cultural voices different from their own so they can get closer to understanding how to cope with universal problems such as addiction.”

At the end of the play many cheered, clapped, and some even gave stand ing ovations for the exceptional portrayal and effort put into Water by the Spoonful.

Social Justice Film Series presents: CODA

STAFF WRITER PAUL MUNOZ

S onoma State held a showing of the film CODA on Oct.17 in Ballroom three, welcoming all students to enjoy the film and free pizza. The film was presented as part of the Social Justice Film Series organized by Sono ma State’s Student Involvement team. The films shown as part of the series are meant to give the Seawolves a view on unique perspectives of different cultures around the globe in an artistic and informative way.

The film CODA, which stands for a “child of deaf adult”, tells the story of Ruby Rossi, the youngest daughter of a non-hearing family, and the hardships the Rossis face in their everyday lives. The film is told from the point of view of Ruby as we follow her development of independence, learning along the way that she has a talent for singing.

The audience went through an array of emotions throughout the film, with audible sighs and weeps coming from the viewers for the more dra

matic scenes. When it came to the heart warming family and musical scenes members of the crowds would make small remarks such as “that was cute” and many “awws”. There was even a portion of the film during which the au dience is put in the perspective of the non-hearing characters. For about two to three minutes the cinema room was in complete silence as the audience put themselves in the shoes of the Rossi family, observing Ruby’s musical performance play out on screen in complete quietness.

Once the film was over, Mo Phillips, the director of Student Involve ment, looked to the audience for any questions or reactions to the film. Most of the viewers seemed to be in too much of an emotional shock to respond, all that could be seen were the watery eyes of the touched audience looking at the blank screen.

Phillips then welcomed a member of the audience as a guest speaker. Priscilla Saldaña, former SSU student who currently works in the Advising and Transfer Center. Saldaña told everyone in the audience her connection to the film and her perspective as someone who is also a coda.

Saldaña had viewed the film a number of times, including with her moth er who is non-hearing, and multiple times was almost brought to tears. She did state even though she enjoys the film very much there are some perspec tives she doesn’t personally agree with. She believes the representation of a coda portrayed in the film could apply to many other codas, just not herself.

Saldaña didn’t concur with how Ruby seemed to be weighed down by her role as interpreter for her family. “Deafness is also described as being budnesome to coda and for my story it’s not a burden that my mom is deaf.” Saldaña said it did take a lot of learning to best support her mother but in the end it only brought the two closer together.

After Saldana finished speaking, Philips addressed the significance of Amer ican Sign Language as not just a language, but as an art, “I hope you members of the audience use this learning opportunity as motivation to ei ther learn about a new form of language or art and interact with the different communities.”

COURTESY // chicagofilmscene.com

Student Involvement presented the movie CODA(Coda stands for “child of deaf adult”) to students as a part of the Social Justice Film Series.

STAR// Cec Fernandez

A STAR photographer holds up a program for SSU theatre’s performance of Water by the Spoonful, with the blue lighting of the stage glowing behind.

Seawolves fall under the spell of Brian Inbus

CHASITY SPADY STAFF WRITER

Hypnotist Brian Inbus fascinated Sonoma State’s families this past Satur day. People gathered to watch in amazement at how hypnosis works. Guest Entertainer Inbus put on a show involving many different tricks and skills he learned over the past 20 years. “I’m not a Psychic, I’m not a Medium, I don’t talk to dead people.”

Inbus started off his show introducing familiar tricks with the whole audience such as dice and card tricks. He invited audience members to come up so that he could attempt to read their body language and their minds. The first trick involved a dice and him having to guess the number that was picked randomly by one of the volunteers. Inbus figured out if the person was lying by asking many questions and was able to correctly guess the dice number twice in a row. The crowd applauded and cheered on his ability to easily identify if someone was being untruthful. Another member from the audience was invited onto the stage as Inbus intro duced his card trick. The person was trying his best to not give anything away, but as Inbus turned his back, and closed his eyes, he was still able to guess the volunteer’s whole hand.

During the show, Inbus had many volunteers who were willing to be hypnotized. He mentioned some people are more susceptible to becoming hyp notized than others. He gathered information by introducing a mind trick to the audience. It included the crowd’s eyes being closed with their arms stretched out. Audience members had to imagine that one arm was holding a weight of about 60 lbs and the other was holding a string with a balloon attached. As people opened their eyes and looked around them, there were some whose hands were further apart. Those were the people who were more likely to be hypnotized.

Inbus continued to amaze the audience throughout his show as he had many people hypnotized and following the instructions he’d given. The crowd was very impressed as there was lots of clapping and laughter.

In an interview with the STAR, an audience member shared their

thoughts on the show, “It’s like lucid dreaming, but in lucid dreams you may feel like you have control. This was more of I knew these things were happening but I couldn’t control the reactions. He told me how to react. It also felt completely safe. I didn’t feel scared at any point, but when he said I had to be irritated that he’d taken my nose each time I was even more angry at him. The whole performance was just amazing.”

Being a Hypnomentalist was not originally a dream of Inbus’. He was in fact also a skeptic at a young age until he witnessed what incredible things hypno tists did.

Inbus described to the STAR what first inspired his interest in hypnotism,“I was a skeptic before I saw a hypnotist perform. My friend got hypnotized in the audience and that is when it made me believe there was something there. So I went to the library the next day and I checked out every book on hypnosis and taught myself how to use hypnosis, not only for myself but for others as well. It was more of a hobby in high school, but about 23 years ago I made it my career.”

‘Horror through the Decades’-themed dinner

a pumpkin in hopes to win a prize. There were also two other games where you placed your hand into a box you couldn’t see through, with a random object inside. The objective was to guess what the object was. If you guessed correctly, you could win various prizes including pens, stickers, and other items.

Sarah Brown, a fourth year sociology major, won the competition. “It was a very different experience to say the least. I didn’t know what to expect going into it. I’ve seen a lot of videos online of people doing it with live animals and that was the only thing I could think of. It ended up just being a watermelon, but I just had that immediate instinct of something scary being in there,” said Brown.

DANNY SERRANO STAFF WRITER

Horror Through the Decades Themed Dinner was held in the kitchens on Thursday Oct. 20, in the spirit of Halloween being right around the corner. Aside from the horror movie themed food, the cafeteria was decorated with ghosts and ghouls on every wall with horror movie music playing from the speakers. Some of the tables were decorated with halloween themed cutlery and napkins with pumpkins in the middle of each table. There was also dif ferent lighting for every kitchen, varying from a dark blue to a bright orange.

Student involvement also hosted some games for students as they walked in. There was a guessing game where you could guess the weight of

Sophomore and political science major Avery Dana was in attendance for the horror through the decades dinner. Dana had no idea that this event was being held and was caught off guard as he was going to get dinner as he does every night. “I haven’t been feeling very halloweeny as I do every year, but this definitely helped me gain some halloween spirit,” said Dana.

This year Sonoma State has really cultivated some spooky energy. Student involvement even hosted a getaway trip to the Winchester Mystery House on Sat urday Oct. 22. They will also be hosting another getaway trip this Friday night, Oct. 23, to the Petaluma corn maze.

The horror through the decades dinner at the kitchens was a huge success. This dinner wasn’t an ordinary dinner for the normal cafeteria attendee. It had exciting Halloween vibes with a lot of student attendance. From the horror movie themed food to the vibrant lights filling the cafeteria, the theme was a perfect event to get students excited for the upcoming halloweekend.

M*A*T*H Colloquium talks portrayal of women in STEM

NICOLE AWAAD STAFF WRITER

The M*A*T*H Colloquium presented: How Do Film, Television, and Other Media Influence Girls to Pursue STEM on Wed. Oct. 19 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. via Zoom. This event was open to Seawolves of all backgrounds.

This workshop helped us understand what types of female STEM role models we see in television, film, and other forms of media today. As well as how they are represented, what types of roles they play, and which specific fields are represented. They explore what the current STEM media landscape looks like, what the plans are for the future, and how STEM and media profes sionals can work together to expand female STEM roles in media.

Emily Klunis, a biology major at SSU explained that “The lack of fe male representation in the STEM field portrayed in television and the media shows women to not be capable of pursuing this as a career. This should further drive women to encourage themselves to prove the media wrong.” Klunis then went on to describe how men are more often portrayed as the dominant gender in the STEM field, “...in actuality women are equally involved in the field. Seeing women in the media that pursue STEM is very motivating for me to be a part of that change.”

In an interview with the STAR fourth year math major Rosie King,

shared her experience working in STEM. “Seeing female representation through out the media and recognizing the effect it had on me has further motivated me to pursue a career in STEM and provide that effect to others.” King strives to create a presence for women in STEM through social media platforms. “Although I don’t have a large presence in the media, it’s important for me to be that source of moti vation for other women who may be intimidated by this male dominated field.”

Featured speaker and mechanical engineer, Kim Bishop, shared a personal story during the event, “My mom worked in I.T. and that was at a time when there were very, very few women working in I.T. When she was promoted at one point, she went in to lead a meeting, her first ever meeting in this new position. Then three of the men at the table turned their chairs around and refused to look at her while she talked.”

If you’re interested in furthering your knowledge in academics and career they are holding another event on Oct. 26 that is titled, M*A*T*H Colloquium Presents: “Uncertainty Quantification and Risk.” This event will consist of a gen eral survey of uncertainty quantification and risk topics, with examples from nu clear waste, fire risk, and space launch systems.

STAR // Zachary Gonzales Audrey King was convinced her shoe was a cellphone during a hypnotist show.

STAR // Zachary Gonzales

A group of spirited Seawolves dressed up for the ‘Horror through the decades’ din ner at the Kitchens.

Women’s basketball ready for a new chapter

CALVIN ZELJAK STAFF WRITER

The weather may be cooling off, but things are just heating up for the Sonoma State women’s basketball team, as they get ready for the up coming 2022-23 Season. This will be the team’s second season back since the Covid-19 pandemic cut short the 2019-20 season, and wiped out the 2020-21 campaign entirely. After finishing with an overall record of 1016, while also going 9-10 in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), the Seawolves believe this could be a special season.

One of the reasons for this is the hiring of Des Abeyta as head coach. Abeyta brings a wealth of experience to the position, having coached for close to 20 years at various levels of competition. Most of her experience was as an assistant at the Division I school UC Davis, where she had the opportunity to work under Head Coach Jennifer Gross, who in her time at Davis, has turned them into a regular championship contender within their conference through her dynamic offense and focus intensity.

Abeyta hopes to have a similar effect for the Seawolves, saying at the time of her hiring “the Seawolves program is primed to make noise in the CCAA.” The team could be poised to do that this season. With a good mix of returning upperclassmen, and exciting new lowerclassmen, the Sea wolves may have just the right recipe for success. This was a sentiment shared by one of the team’s senior leaders, Camille Johnson who said, “I have high expectations for our team this season. I think we’ll make it deep into the postseason.” When asked about the specific impact Coach Abeyta has had, Johnson said “Our understanding of our goals and the intricacies of our offense have really improved.” She continued by emphasizing “We have a strong culture within the players…Coach Abeyta, she’s brought a new intensity and expectation of success for us.”

These could be the perfect changes needed for the Seawolves to make the jump to contenders. Coming off a season in which the team lost nine of its 16 games by less than ten points. This means the team had a lot of games where only a few possessions were the difference. One less turn over leading to a fastbreak for the other team, and a couple more posses sions resulting in quality looks could have turned a few more games in the Seawolves favor. This leaves plenty of optimism that Abeyta’s attention to detail and offensive prowess, mixed with the team’s returning experience,

could be the magic touch needed to unlock the squad’s full potential. It’s important to be realistic with expectations, but the Seawolves aren’t shying away from the fact they want to compete at the highest level, a point made clear by Johnson when she said “stay on the lookout for us this year! We’re coming up!”. Besides it wouldn’t be the first time a first year coach in basketball has taken over and had a large impact on the team. In the past decade we’ve seen first year coaches Nick Nurse and Steve Kerr win championships in their first years as head coach for the Toronto Raptors and Golden State Warriors, respectively. Students need to get behind this team because they are poised to be good. Johnson made this loud and clear claim ing “The men’s and women’s basketball programs want students to come out and watch! We love having our fans there to support and cheer us on as we win.”

Mens soccer wins two on the week to help keep playoff hopes alive

ond half, eager for a comeback. The Seawolves combatted the Yotes aggressive play style and found the net in the sixty seventh minute of the game to further their lead. Defender, Elliot Stanley found himself just outside the goal box and asissted teammate Bryan Rosales who scored his third goal of the season.

Headcoach Marcus Ziemer, shared what the Friday win meant to him and his team, “This was a huge win for us. San Bernadino is a very good team and we have had several injuries so I was really hap py with our effort and work-rate. In addition we played great soccer and scored two beautiful goals.”

Ziemer continued, “Because of injuries we didn’t have a lot of players on the bench, but we used all of our field players and they all contributed. Oliver Ziemer worked hard and had his best game and assisted on Jvon Cunningham’s incredible goal.” The win against San Bernadino gave the Sewolves a hope they needed heading into Sunday’s game.

On Sunday, October 22, the team faced Cal State San Marcos in their second to last regular season match. The Seawolves would carry over their strong performance to Sundays match winning 2-0 and re cording two consecutive shutout wins. Senior Captain, Sean Rohane in the thirty fifth minute broke the seal and hammered a free kick for the Seawolves first goal.

NOAH CLARKE STAFF WRITER

The Sonoma State Men’s soccer team came out to play last weekend fac ing two opponents on home turf. Now on the tail end of their season, the Seawolves met both Cal State Bernardino and San Francisco State this past weekend.

On Friday, October 21, the Seawolves triumphed against San Ber nardino with a score of 2-0. SSU got on the board early with a strike by sophomore midfielder, Jvon Cunningham in the thirteenth minute of the game. A centering pass by teammate, Oliver Ziemer setup the shot that beautifully found the top left hand corner of the net and gave the team an early lead.

Cunningham’s second goal of the season gave the Seawolves a spark early on in the game, resulting in strong follow up chances and fluid team chemistry for the rest of the match. Sophomore goalkeeper, Reinier Ter Riet made crucial saves in the first half and carried on his strong performance to secure a shutout recording a total of eight saves.

The Seawolves faced a determined San Bernadino team in the sec

The Seawolves faced a shorthanded San Marcos team in the sec ond half following a red card ejection. The team played a strong sec ond half and sealed the deal in the 89th minute with a goal by fresh men winger Michal Gray.

Midfielder Jose Rios Lara expressed his thoughts following the back to back wins, “I feel good about us closing our season as we are very much motivated. I think we excelled because we all believed in each other as a team and held each other accountable.”

Rios Lara continued, “As the season is coming to an end and we are still fighting for a playoff spot, the strategy is to win out this last game to put us in playoffs.” The Seawolves Men’s soccer team wrapped up the weekend with an overall record of 7-7-3 and gathered 6 points between the two games. The SSU men’s soccer team face crucial circumstances heading into their last match.

The Seawolves need either a tie or win in their match against San Fran sisco State to secure a spot in the CCAA conference tournament. It was last season where the mens team faced a familiar position and won their final four games to make the postseason. The Seawolves will face San Fransisco State this Thursday on home turf at 2 p.m for their final game of the season and battle for playoff hopes.

COURTESY // Sonomaseawolves.com New Head Coach, Des Abeyta is ready to bring her winning culture to the wom en’s basketball program as the season approaches.

STAR// Cec Fernandez Defender, Miles Hodgson dribbling the ball foward between two Cal State San Ber nardino players.

The Kitchens hosts Halloween horror-themed dinner

SSU Men’s Soccer downs San Marcos and San Bernardino

Theatre performs ‘Water by the

STAR // Cec Fernandez

The stage is set for SSU Theatre’s performance of Water by the Spoonful, which ran from Oct. 20-23 in the Everet B. Pearson Theater. (see more on pg. 5)

STAR //Cec Fernandez

Students wait in anticipation for the play Water by the Spoonful to begin. Students seemed to be moved by the show, which explores difficult topics. (see more on pg. 5)

STAR // Zachary Gonzales

A table full of happy Seawolves pose for the camera while enjoying their “Horror Through the Decades” themed meal at the Kitchens on Oct. 20. (see more on pg. 6)

STAR // Zachary Gonzales Chefs at the Kitchens smile behind the bloody, handprint adorned glass during the “Hor ror Through the Decades” themed dinner on Thursday night. (see more on pg. 6)

STAR // Mariah Forster

A Seawolf attempts to drive past a San Bernardino defend er during their game on Oct. 21. (see more on pg. 7)

STAR // Mariah Forster

SSU Men’s Soccer spread out on the field, looking for a victory against San Bernardino on Friday’s game.

STAR // Mariah Forster

A Seawolf squares up to a San Bernardino player as he zones in on the ball looking for a steal. (see more on pg. 7)