COURTESY // Timely Warning Crime Bulletin SSU email Facial composite sketch of the stabbing suspect.viareleasedemail.
“When I was a CFO at Sac State, we had to go through a number of pretty difficult budget situations. The problem with structural deficit is that your revenue, on a regular basis, is not able to support your expenses,” Lee said. “But long term budget cuts or structural deficits force the university to really face reality. You simply cannot just continue to debate actions to be taken. Budget situations like this [are] also sometimes an opportunity for an organization, or university, to really very deeply reflect on what our core missions are. What are the most essential functions that we need to perform, identify those, and make sure that resources are flowing to those areas.”
The incident was addressed by SSU president Mike Lee via email. In his message, Lee said, “As someone who lives on campus, I understand how disconcerting and even frightening these incidents and alerts can be, especially in the middle of the night. But I am also extremely grateful for the expertise and experience of the Sonoma State University Police Department (SSUPD), along with additional campus emergency services’’
see NEW PRESIDENT on pg. 4
Five days following the assault, on Sept. 8, additional information describing the suspects appearance was shared with students via email.
O
COURTESY // Cec Fernandez
KAYLE NORRIS STAFF WRITER
The Sonoma State Crime bulletin said, “This is an ongoing investigation, but it appears that this incident stemmed from a possible case of road rage that occurred on Old Adobe Road.”
The email update sent by SSU included a tip that the suspect may also have a laceration or wound near his left eye. Ad ditionally, the report updated the suspect’s vehicle description, “The suspect fled the area in an older model, possibly 2010 or 2011, dark gray Toyota Camry heading west on E. Cotati Avenue from Cypress Drive. It is believed that there was either a
Upon arrival, officers located a juvenile victim with a nonlife threatening laceration to the arm. The victim was transported to a local hospital by ambulance and was later released.
Bob Owen, a junior Electrical Engineering Ma jor, would like to see the campus do more for students during this heatwave and offered advice for anyone struggling with the weather. Owen said, “SSU should rent swamp coolers for students who register for one.”
New interim SSU President MingTung “Mike” Lee values ‘being transparent’
Bailey Rodriguez, freshman Criminal Justice ma jor has been having many restless nights due to this heat wave. Rodriguez expressed how it is hard to cir culate the air in the dorms. Rodriguez said, “One thing that I have been doing to stay cool is going to Star bucks. It’s very cool there and it’s a nice way to get a cold drink and get some homework done.”
-spect exited his vehicle, approached the victim, challenged the victim to fight, and subsequently stabbed at the victim with a knife.”Second-year SSU student, Julian Finley lives in Tuscany Village and was awake when the incident occured. Finley said, “All of a sudden I saw a few cop cars with their lights on driving pretty fast down the street. Me and my roommate tried to get a better view from outside our door but we were too far out of range to see or hear anything” Finley continued, “It’s scary that something like that happened on our quiet little campus, but I’m glad to hear the victim managed to avoid any major injuries.”
see HEAT WAVE on pg. 4
@SONOMASTATESTAR SEPT. 13, 2022 - SEPT 20, 2022 VOLUME 87 // ISSUE 2 THE UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT RUN NEWSPAPER IN ISSUETHIS The Women of Color Collective provides a safe space for women of color PAGE 6. Two womens soccer players earn weekly awards PAGE 7. SINCE 1979 WOCC, what is it? Womens Soccer
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On Sept. 7, a Sonoma State STAR reporter had the chance to talk to the new president. Lee said, “I really believe by being transparent, by sharing information, by asking for advice, we end up with better decisions.” He continued, “There are people that know the history, know the people, know the culture way better than I do. So if I’m not listening to them, if I’m not even asking for their advice I would not be very wise. I do think that over the years I learned a lot from people from all different backgrounds. And students as well because you get to see a lot of things that we don’t see.”
Ming-Tung “Mike” Lee, Ph.D., came out of retirement to serve as interim president of Sonoma State University following the resignation of former president, Judy Sakaki, on July 31. Lee’s interim appointment began on Aug. 1 and will span the 2022-23 academic year.
The University emergency alert system sent out both a phone call and two emails to students notifying students of the assault. The first email presented an overview of the altercation and provided a simple subject and car description. A second email followed and provided more detailed information. The second email described the suspect as a 5’6’’ Hispanic male in his late 20’s or early 30’s. He has buzzed hair, a thin mustache, tattoos on his arms, and was driving an older model, Toyota Camry. Both emails were sent out roughly around 1 a.m., about an hour after the attack took place.
n Saturday, September 3, at approximately 11:50 p.m, offi cers from the Sonoma State University Police Department and City of Cotati Police Department responded to a 911 report of a stabbing in the R12 parking lot near Tuscany Village. The search for the suspect is still under investigation by local law enforcement, they are hoping this sketch helps find the suspect.
Police still seekingsuspect in stabbing
Recordcooksheatwavedorms
COURTESY // news.sonoma.edu
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The crime bulletin continued, “The suspect followed the vic tim’s vehicle, which came onto campus from E. Cotati Avenue at Cypress Way, where they drove into the R12 parking lot. The su-
see STABBING on pg. 4
Toxic Masculinity
Concerns about transparency and accountability have been consistently raised at SSU and Lee plans to address it. Lee has a commitment to communication and removing any barriers that may prevent that.
DEVON BLY AND WILLOW ORNELLAS STAFF WRITER, NEWS EDITOR
The weather app displaying SSU’s temperatures on one of the cooler days of the heat-wave.
New trends on social media may be putting us back in old ways
With the recent record high temperatures in Sono ma County, SSU Residents slowly melt as dorms do not have A/C. During the third week of school, Sonoma county set some record high temperatures. On Tues. Sept.6, Santa Rosa recorded temperatures of up to 115 degrees, melting the previous record high of 113 degrees on July 1. 1913
Lee has a long history of service to Sacramento State University, where he worked in leadership roles over the course of his 28-year career there. During his time at Sac State, the school underwent budget struggles while Lee was the Chief Financial Officer, so entering SSU after a budget reduction is something that Lee is prepared for.
New Interim President , Ming-Tung “Mike” Lee will be with Sonoma State University through the 2022-23 academic year.
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Looking at the big picture, Oweis is not sure exactly what number of cameras will hit the sweet spot at SSU, and says that the infrastruc ture will come first, and from there, his team will evaluate how many cameras that infrastructure can handle. Most importantly, the addition of cameras will provide peace of mind for every one that attends, works, visits, or even passes through our campus, “... From a crime prevention perspective, [this system] helped reduce crime, and it made people feel safer,” said Oweis.
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What is the first thing you would think of, if you came back to your vehicle after class and found the window smashed, possibly even missing some of your belongings? For most, the first thought that comes to mind is, “Did anyone see what happened, or who did this?.” Often times, when a crime is committed, it is a crime of opportunity, meaning there most likely will not be a witness to help you get to the bottom of the incident. This example is perfect in illus trating the importance of having a good cam era system in place, especially when consider ing the hustle and bustle one finds on a college campus.It’snot just about the cameras, though, we learned from University Police Chief Nader Oweis. When considering the safety of our cam pus, Oweis has a plan to overhaul the SSU sys tem and introduce new forms of physical securi ty, as he calls it, forms that he has already put to the test at his previous campuses. “The issue we are trying to improve upon, first and foremost, [is that] system-wide, the chancellor’s office created a policy on cc cameras a while back. It was okay, it allowed for some cameras, but it wasn’t neces sarily the most robust policy out there. I’ve been working with other chiefs in the system, and we are trying to get some of that language improved upon,” Oweis said via Zoom interview.
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.
Adriana Gonzalez, Cec Fernandez
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A chat with the Chief
Nicole Awwad, Charles Barrett, Devon Bly, Noah Clarke, Mariah Forster, Zachary Gonzales, Tyler Meloan, Jhery Mae Mon teza, Yareli Moran-Arteaga, Paul Munoz, Kayle Norris, Marie’sa Rumsey, Daniel Serrano, Chasity Spady, Calvin Zeljak
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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 particular relevance to the campus
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TheSSU.key to successfully installing cameras on the SSU campus starts with the infrastructure needed to run a system like this, thinking about how it will be powered, as well as preparing for
With tangible results shown at previous campuses when adding cameras, it is safe to say that SSU is heading in the right direction consid ering these additions and updates, “ [At previ ous campuses], it gave us more visibility, it was a huge deterrent for people who might want to commit a crime… What it really did was it gave us a whole bunch of investigative tools, so that after the fact, we could go back and look at all of those cameras and see if we could capture any thing.”
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Letters to the Editor are encouraged and will be considered for publication based on relevance, accuracy and timeliness. Letters of up to 400 words will be allowed and must be submitted no later than the Friday before the publication date. Published letters must be free of libel, since the publication is held legally accountable for all content. Although personal controversy will be tolerated, it is the re sponsibility of the editor to check statements pur porting the facts.
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cases where backup power would be necessary, “... Do we have the right cabling, do we have the right storage; [it’s about] all the bits and pieces to ensure if we put cameras up they will work properly and function well,” Oweis said.
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Our campus does currently have cameras in place, in places one would expect, like the GMC, the Student Center and the Rec Center. Howev er, the system that Oweis has in mind, one that will mirror the changes he was responsible for at his last campus, UC Santa Cruz, is much more connected. At UC Santa Cruz, under Owies’ leadership, the campus went from 100 cameras to 1200 cameras by the end of Oweis’ time there. “None of this happens overnight. I was there for 10 years, and it took 5-6 years to get the system where I wanted it to be. I see the same [timeline] here at SSU,” Oweis said when asked about the parallels between the systems at UC Santa Cruz and
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It’s not just cameras that are in Oweis’ vision for a safer SSU, “... We want more physical secu rity systems. That includes access control, like swipe cards, [as well as] upgrading fire alarms, and burglar alarms… a whole physical security program… we are trying to better the physical security program and make it more robust so that there are Physicaldeterrents…”security encompasses more than one might assume, with standards for lighting, pathways, signage, and wayfinding through Google. It can even include landscaping, some thing that was more unexpected to hear. “Physi cal security also means landscaping [crime pre vention through environmental design]… there are certain principles around landscaping that we followed, we trimmed up trees, we purposely didn’t put trees, and we didn’t put certain kinds of landscaping because it would create other problems for us,” said Oweis.
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Critical race theory: What is it?
Toxic masculinity surges across social media
Many fear that teaching the horrors that occurred in our history will make children uncomfortable. But being uncomfortable with injustice is not bad, rather it is what inspires people to use their voice to fight for equality.
“You stay with someone, you turn them on their side, you don’t put anything in their mouth, and you time it. That’s all. After three minutes [if the seizure persists] you can call an ambulance,” Levin instruct ed.
Without frequent or accurate depic tions in TV shows or films, many are unfa miliar with the condition, or even with how to respond to a seizure. And while life-sav ing measures like CPR are regularly taught in schools and shown in the media, seizure first aid has received little attention. Lucki ly, the steps are fairly straightforward.
“If we’re not teaching the honest and brutal history of how we got here on this land, then I feel like we’re doing our kids a disservice and are border-line teaching them lies. I think it’s important for students to be aware that not everything in Ameri ca has always been clean and nice,” stated Robert Wiles, third year psychology major.
Levin is actively seeking donations to help fund the production of the full-length version of ‘Under the Lights.’ Readers are encouraged to visit www.underthelights film.com to view the short film, donate, and learn more.
history of the United States rather than the version that presents us as the heroes.
Students at SSU believe it’s important for younger children to be taught the full
Seeing this kind of content can not only be harmful to youth but also to wom en. The promotion of behavior and expec tations can leave a variety of emotions for any woman. Some on TikTok decided to take matters into their own hands and make parodies, which later turned into a trend.
“People wonder why we are angry,” said Shelly Gomez, senior and executive di rector of the HUB cultural center program. “It’s because we have been given a false hood on what our history is in this coun try…this falsehood about our history blinds us to the reality of discrimination that exists today,” said Gomez.
‘Under the Lights’ was initially re leased as a 10-minute short film in 2020, but the overwhelming support Levin re ceived ever since has facilitated his abil ity to now work on turning the short into a full-length movie. The script placed in the top 1% of 8,200 scripts in the world’s most prestigious screenplay competition, the Academy Nicholl Fellowship. It also won Tribeca’s Fan Favorite Award at their Untold Stories Competition, and with it, a prize of $50,000.
Wiles believes that not teaching the full history of the US is what fuels racism in our country.When it comes to learning the full truth about the history of our country, represen tation“Itmatters.couldbe just having more diverse books for our kids in K-12,” says Gomez. ”Diversifying your curriculum can be a start.”We must be open to learning about our history, even if it makes us uncomfortable. We have to be honest about our past if we want to move forward. It’s not about blam ing people for the past, but rather under standing the horrors of our past that affect our present - and then working to do better.
forms of masculinity (such as toxic mascu linity and masculinities roots in suprema cy), it can be much more exciting to uplift men who are engaging in intersectional feminism...”Itisnecessary to recognize men who are actively doing their part in dismantling toxic masculinity and know that they do exist.McQuade further explained what we should do collectively, “Something we can all do to work against toxic masculinity is to reduce this content in our feeds. Replace it with men working against patriarchy, racism, and forms of supremacy. Follow all the men from Success Stories and the National Organization for Men Against Sexism.”With the way algorithms work, it is easy to keep track of what seems like end less clips of toxic masculinity. But it is more important to not allow those messages to completely take over social media feeds. By reposting and entertaining it, we are only expanding their platform. Our atten tion should be shifted to content we know is actually resourceful and making a differ ence in our society.
grader. The full history of this country should be taught, including slavery, every thing,” said Dillion.
Lakew said, “I got pretty sick of it. And so when I saw that filter on TikTok and used it, I immediately thought of these podcasts guys. Since we couldn’t fight logic with il logical takes, parodying them was the next best Othersthing.” have different reactions and deal with said content in their own way. While it is always up to the person, the question of what is actually the “best” way to approach it may come up.
In the current state of our nation, one of the many issues Ameri cans are divided over is the concept of critical race theory (CRT). But this conversation lacks information about what Critical Race Theory is, and isn’t.Part of the reason why CRT is controversial is because people don’t know what it is and confuse it with teaching the horrors of U.S histo ry that often does not get properly taught in Accordingschools.to Purdue Online Writing Lab, critical race theory “is a theoretical and interpretive mode
Tessa Bradley, a senior at Sonoma State, offered her initial reaction to his con tent. “Horror,” she said, “followed by in tense sadness as he is a role model for many young boys. I could barely sit through a full clip without feeling disturbed.”
More and more youth are turning to social media as a credible source of infor mation. They often see and mimic behavior based on popularity. The rise of media in take will continue to widely shape and im pact newer Bradleygenerations.added,“I see a perpetuation of toxicity being magnified through the younger generation. These videos are be ing pushed and promoted to young boys and they are telling them that women are objects and in turn further the narrative that
That’s just what local filmmaker
“Epilepsy is more common than cerebral palsy, MS and Alzheimer’s combined,” Levin said. “The only reason that we’re not treated with the same empathy that those conditions have achieved is that we’re afraid to talk about it.”
In addition to writing and directing the film, Levin sits on the board of the Epilepsy Foundation of Northern California, which offers a wide range of resources, including in-person or virtual seizure first aid train ing.
Local filmmaker works to end harmful epilepsy stigma
that examines the appearance of race and racism across dominant culture modes of expression.” Critical race theory attempts to expose how systemic racism affects cultur al perceptions of race by tracing the history of racism in the U.S.
Opinion 3SEPT. 13 - SEPT 20, 2022 S onoma STaTESTar com
It is harmful to paint a perfect picture of our history to children and to not examine our darker moments - not just to children of color, but also to white children.
Miles Levin is aiming to do with his new film, ‘Under the Lights,’ which tells the sto ry of a high school student with epilepsy, who attends prom despite the knowledge that the lights will cause him to have a sei zure.Levin, a Santa Rosa Junior College graduate, has epilepsy himself, and hopes his film will raise awareness by accurately depicting and humanizing the condition for the first time, as many films have historical ly failed to Describingdo. these harmful representa tions of epilepsy, Levin said, “When you’re telling a story, and you need something wild and scary to happen to your charac ter, the easiest thing to do is to make them have a seizure. The problem with that is that it’s been so exaggerated that when you tell someone you have epilepsy, the image that comes to mind is one that’s really, re ally Thescary.”misconceptions that many people have about the condition cause those who live with it to often feel ostracized and misunderstood. “[Epilepsy] is also often conflated with other stigmas, such as drug
Morgan Sung, a trends report er for NBC shares the kind of guid ance offered, “Common themes include aggressively pursuing
“It might make them feel that way (up set), and that’s ok,” said Dillon.”If you have a heart and a mind, it’s not right and you will be affected by it.”
Although some might argue that wide spread implementation of this sort of train ing is excessive, the data proves otherwise.
“It’s a lens we can use to identify in justices in the law,” said Tramaine Austin Dillion, interim manager in the HUB and program and policies specialist in the pres ident’s office.
The starter of the trend, Elsa Lakew, gave NBC insight into why she decided to do it and her reaction towards the mentality of the men who create the content.
TYLER MELOAN STAFF
According to Brent Boyer, Sono ma State University’s director of dis ability services for students, “Stigma often comes about when others are unaware of particular conditions such as epilepsy. The best way of combat ing stigma is with education…”
In an email, Lena McQuade, professor and chair of Women and Gender Studies at SSU shared an approach others should take when it comes to this content. She stated, “Rather than give more air-time to old tired
Dillion, who does social justice work that impacts the entire campus, explained that we can use this theory to examine how laws are “designed to impact the marginal izedOnefolks.”of the common misconceptions about CRT is that it’s being incorporated into K-12 education.Those against CRT are claiming that teaching the unpleasant truth about our history to K-12 students is what critical race theory is, however, this is not the truth.“CRT is not for K-12, it’s for college students…the theory is so beyond that level that it wouldn’t be a service to anyone and could confuse a Kindergartener or First
Aare….”content creator whose clips have rapidly surfaced is Andrew Tate. His fame grew from his advice to men about finances and misogynistic views. His videos and so cial media accounts have since been banned for violating policies of violent speech.
abuse and mental instability,” Levin said.
Some SSU students would like to see this sort of training offered on college cam puses. Jorge Romero, a third-year electrical engineering major, stated, “I believe sei zure first aid should be taught, but it should be embedded in the CPR class.”
society is already built around.”
One in 26. That’s the number of people who will develop epilep sy during their lifetime. For many living with the condition however, the lack of public awareness and the resulting stigma can make it feel like that number is far less.
MARIAH FORSTER STAFF WRITER
MARIE’SA RUMSEY
Anew trend to instill outdated standards for men and wom en spreads on social media by male content creators. Although these viewpoints have always been around, we now categorize them as toxic masculinity. The continuous spread causes concerns and seems to be harmful to others.
Most of their content offers ad vice for men on how relationships with women should be.
women regardless of consent, treating rela tionships as transactional and basing wom en’s value on how conventionally attractive they
SSU Police Officer Jason Hight said, “It is super important for the students to be able to use it to voice their opinions or voice concerns if they have any with their interactions with an officer.” He tries to remember to give it out to every person, but there are often times where, depending on the crime, it may not be appropriate to give out; especially when speaking to a victim about an uncomfortable situation. Hight has tried to give one to every person and has provided services such as during escorts, traffic stops, and smoke alarm calls. He even gave one out when he was at the Campus Recreation Center Expo (REXPO) playing ping-pong with some stu dents attending the event.
Jayson Tong, a fourth year history major, responded positively when he heard about the new president’s infrastructure upgrades. “Remodeling the power grid is great, some kind of upgrade to the dorms would be nice, if they could give the dorms ethernet or something that would be great.”
SSU cares about student safety and has provided students with some resources to stay cool if needed.ErinHunter, Residential Education and Campus Housing (REACH) Director, recommends students who need to cool off go to various cooling centers. Hunter also pointed students in the direction of the University Library and/or the Student Center and Student Center Valley Rooms. Both are open from 7:30a.m.-10:00p.m.
4 News SEPT. 13 - SEPT 20, 2022 S onoma STaTESTar com
SSU GEP Professor Jeffery Baldwin responded to questions regarding these power spikes as well as why transformers in power lines overheat.
The pilot program is through Guardian Score which is a survey solution devel oped because police departments do not have an easy way to measure their officers’ customer service skills in the field.
New president has plans to improve SSU’s infrastructure
continued from pg. 1
Lee wants to bring unity to SSU as the school combats budget issues. Sharing resources and functions between departments, where applicable, is an idea that Lee supports; however, focus is put on allowing other people to think and respond to budget strategies. “This is a com mon issue that we all kind of deal with. By way of doing that, you’re also letting people realize the magnitude of the situation, and more importantly they can become part of the solution,” Lee said.Leealso wants to focus on the school’s infrastructure. During Lee’s time at Sac State, he helped open the Ernest E Tschannen Science Center, a building worth $91 million. He said,”Right now our focus is on infrastructure, I mean you see all the digging around. It’s because we have an electronic system that’s older than sixty-years, and you can imagine this is what supplies all the power.”
high heat is not common as we had not hit that high of temperatures in de cades. Dr. Daniel Soto, Global Environmental Planning (GEP) Department Chair and Asso ciate Professor explained why local temperatures were so high in an email. Soto wrote, “We are experiencing a weather effect called a heat dome where our air is trapped and compressed, leading to unusually high temperatures.”
Baldwin wrote in an email, “Often transformers in power lines fail because they get over heated from too much electricity and for too long a time period so they don’t have a chance to cool down.” If not cooled down properly transformers can cause a power outage or even worse a fire.
If students are not on campus, there are some cooling centers nearby. Petaluma Community Center, 320 McDowell Blvd. Rohnert Park Senior Center, 6800 Hunter Drive. Santa Rosa Finley Community Center, 2060 College Ave. Additional cooling centers can be found on the PG&E website.Julian Finley, a sophomore Business Administration Major, would like to see the campus do more in regards to helping students stay cool. Finley said, “It would be cool if they put misters like at six flags around campus, but we’re also in a drought. Maybe some kind of free shaved ice
The Sonoma State University Police Department has implemented a pilot pro gram that will last from Aug. 8 until Nov. 8 designed to help police adminis trations use real-time data analysis and insights to understand the community per spective toward their police interactions.Depending on how successful it is within the community, and if it’s worth the cost, they will decide whether or not to continue the program.Thisisavailable to anyone they serve in the community, not only SSU students, anytime they have more than a question and answer interaction with an officer
Guardian Score is different from other platforms because it is not designed for members to complain, rather, its purpose is to help leaders identify areas they need to strengthen in their department so they can better serve their community.
continued from pg. 1
664-4444.You
The Sonoma State Police Department encourages students to report any suspected crime, suspicious persons, or activities by calling 911 or the non-emergency line at 707can rate your experiences with campus police
In his closing remarks Lee said, “I like to see things work right. So when I see something that’s worthwhile, that’s good, it just gets me, especially when I’m capable. If there are things to fix, I’d love to do it.” He continued one thing he missed in his retirement was the students. “Look at all these students, walking dreams coming true,” Lee said.
JHERY MAE MONTEZA STAFF WRITER
white colored rosary or white shell necklace hanging from the rearview mirror.” Included in the email as well was a facial composite sketch of the suspect.
Suspect is still at large after
continued from pg. 1
According to Police Chief Oweis, the response rate for these surveys is 19%, which is high compared to other units that have implemented similar systems. Usu ally, the average response score ranges from 4.7% - 4.9%
If students know that these cards exist, they can ask for one for future cases if an officer forgets to distribute them.
Lee said, “Very early on when I was a teaching professor, I was able to really see that there were a lot of students out there just like me.”
Baldwin also elaborated on the inner workings of in-home air-conditioning. When a home is weatherized, the structures retain thermal energy better which means they stay cool more easily when it’s hot. Modernization such as weather-proofing can be very beneficial for a home. There are other, newer technologies, such as heat pumps and heat exchangers, that are more energy efficient than older cooling systems. This efficiency can actually decrease energy use. “Rooftop solar, which will soon be required for new residential construction in California, can produce enough electricity to power cooling and heating for a home. So, modernization can make homes safer/more comfortable, and decrease strain on energy systems.” Baldwin said.
SSU Police Officer Hight with their QR Code card. These cards will be available to anyone served by SSU Police allowing for community feedback.
He continued, “We have a lot of people [enrolled] who are second generation, their parents came from Mexico for example, and their mother and father sometimes don’t speak english. If you’re the older person in the family, [oftentimes] you have to care [for your siblings]. I really admire the students who have that kind of perseverance and determination.”
According to The Press Democrat, Tuesday set a record for the hottest daily temperature and the hottest Sept day.
David Rodriguez, a first-generation fourth year sociology major, thinks it’s awesome the president was a first-generation student. “It’s incredibly difficult to do. It seems like he built his empire by himself.” Rodriguez said. “From my point of view, my mom and dad told me being a first generation student means I should be proud of myself, it’s a privilege. It’s nice to have a school president I can relate to.”
Owen also worried about not being able to use his computer for homework with concern of it overheating.Thisrecord
The questions are based on procedural justice principles to rate the experience a user had with an officer. Users have the options to rate their interaction with an officer from one to five stars, five being the highest. The results of this survey are delayed five to seven business days, at which point police leaders and officers can check their dashboard to review their customer service scores. The data isn’t avail able to the public and only the campus police department has access to it.
In the STAR’s interview with the president, Lee also discussed some of his childhood experiences and schooling. He was born and raised in Taiwan by parents who received no formal education. His mother was illiterate and his father only received three years of infor mal-school. These experiences inspired Lee to work in education from a young age. He went to school and became the first one to go to college in his family.
When a police officer gives the card to a community member they have served, on the back there is a QR code that takes you to a digital survey about your interac tion. It is anonymous, takes less than one minute and explores the officer’s profes sionalism, listening skills, fairness, and explanations.
The Guardian Score website states that in America there are currently 150 police officers being evaluated through these QR Codes. Around 10,000 community mem bers have access to this program and more than 5,000 surveys have been submitted nationwide.PoliceChief Nader Oweis (NAH-der, OH-ways) spoke to the STAR last week about new things happening at the police department.
SSU students brave the excessive heat
Many emergency energy alerts were sent out to the county as the use of power increased. As temperatures rise, air conditioners have to consume more electricity to keep homes cool. Soto explains, “The alert was sent because the electricity used by California was going to be greater than the electricity available, which would have caused a blackout. Enough folks responded by reducing electricity use that we avoided a large blackout.”
COURTESY // Cec Fernandez
One of the Peaps who directed the Paint By Numbers, Libby Sarto, said, “I re ally like the DIYs every week! I think it’s a great stress relief space and just some thing fun in general where you can meet new people or go with friends.” Sarto
then went on to say, “I think DIY events are something more students should take advantage of. It’s a great way to start becoming more involved on campus which is so important for enjoying your college experience.”
The sun was out and Seawolves were active at the Club Fair and Hotdog Giveaway event, which seemed like a hit. The Seawolf Plaza was packed with students checking out all of the booths and what they had to offer. This event was held on Wednesday, Sep. 7, from 11:30 a.m.- 1:00 Althoughp.m.. a heat wave was in the making, many clubs and Greek organi zations came out to spread information about their programs and encourage people to sign up. Clubs such as Women’s Ultimate Frisbee, Volleyball Club, and Rugby Team, were present. Greek organizations that participated were Alpha Xi Delta, Gamma Phi Beta, Pi Kappa Phi, and Phi Delta Theta. With recruitment being right around the corner, it is important to bring as much attention as possible to all of Greek life. The enthusiasm of this event was apparent, as many of the club coordi nators were stoked to share information about their organization. SSU junior and kinesi ology major, Mikayla Rudis, said, “In order to join the volleyball club, experience
is recommended but not required, although we do have a GPA requirement of 2.5 which is usually attainable for students. If anyone is interested in joining, tryouts are being held on Oct. 4 and 6.”
STAR // Adriana Gonzalez Students enjoy the Club Fair and free hotdogs on Wednesday in Seawolf Plaza.
Now that the Sonoma State campus is an environment that doesn’t require a constant face mask, weekends are turning into social nights. Our Sonoma State Seawolves have begun to rebuild that campus community life that was missed during the pandemic. First year students are particularly benefiting. More on cam pus events means more opportunities to meet new people and participate in some fun Ifactivities.youwould like to stay updated on campus events, you can follow Student Involvement on instagram (@ssu.studentinvolvement).
STAR // Cec Fernandez Actors participate in a live table read for the upcoming play ‘Water by the Spoonful’.
PAUL MUNOZ
The play, written by Quiara Alegría Hudes, and directed by Marie Ra mierez Downey, is based on a family that has struggled through substance abuse and dys functionality. When an Aunt that the main characters, Elliot and Yaz, looked up to passes away, the audience gains insight into the hardships that their family must face together, with their biggest supporter, someone they considered to be a moth er, gone. Each character has their own setbacks and flaws they must deal with.
This event was not only a great opportunity to meet the club coordinators, but also to meet other students who may end up joining the same club. With the new school year just starting, it can be hard to make friends, events such as this are perfect opportunities to find your lifelong friends through a club or Greek orga nization.Free meals were also being offered to any student who walked through the Seawolf Plaza. Students definitely enjoyed the meals as junior and psychology major, Kaila Vasconez, said, “ I came out to the club fair to support my sorority, Alpha Xi Delta, and get a free meal, which was a hotdog, choice of chips, a cook ie, and beverage. They had plenty to go around for the entire duration of the club fair.” Students always appreciate a meal and an opportunity to mingle with their friends on campus.
NICOLE AWWAD STAFF WRITER
Seawolves get creative with paint-by-number STAFF WRITER
The Sonoma State Theatre Arts & Dance program reached new heights on September 6, when the performers in the upcoming play “Water by the Spoonful” did a live table read ing of their on-stage roles, a first for this SSU program. With the play premiering October 21, the Theatre program wanted to promote and prepare for the event, as well as strengthen their bond as a team.
5S onoma STaTESTar com SEPT. 13 - SEPT 20, 2022
Many of the clubs featured had few requirements, and were accepting of any student who is interested. Grace Hansen, fifth-year student at SSU, and Women’s Ultimate Frisbee Club coordinator said, “In order to join our club, [there are] no requirements or experience needed. Just show up, and we’ll teach you everything you need to know, we are a very inclusive club.” This is a great way for a student to try out something new that they may not have experienced before, but could end up really connecting with, in a low-stakes environment.
The play will be put on throughout the weekend of October 21, starting at 7:30pm each night, until October 23 (Sundays beginning at 2:00pm). Admission to the play will be $12 or free for any SSU student.
SSU Theatre holds first live table read of ‘Water by the Spoonful’
STAFF WRITER ZACHARY GONZALES
we get to see emotions fly… [by doing a live table read] we realize, ‘Yo, we’re ac tually doing this.’ It doesn’t really hit until you say the lines or you hear everyone else say the Azucenalines.”Ferrusca Lopez, a fourth-year student at SSU, commented on par ticipating in the reading, “The sense of community [and] the support is there, and it feels like a family. I’m excited [and] up for the challenge with the people I’m doing the play Ferruscawith.”Lopez stars opposite Ramos as his cousin, Yaz. The char acter is faced with the challenge of living without their Aunt and filling her shoes within the family.Ferrusca Lopez is new to the theatre scene, but has long had a con nection to it, “Growing up watching telenovelas, I’ve always wanted to be on stage but I never had the time or opportunity to [until now].”
STAR // Paul Munoz Students are focused on their paint-by-number masterpieces at the Sept. 3 DIY event.
This DIY painting event took place on Sept. 3 in the W&B room, where art materials were provided so that students could sit back with a canvas, enjoy the music playing and paint just about anything. There were various painting options from landscapes and animals to famous video game characters like Nintendo’s Mario and Pikachu.
Arts & Entertainment
Ethan Humphreys, a Seawolf with an art degree, said that Paint-By-Numbers was a good relief for the end of a busy week. “It’s nice to see that art is not just being promoted on campus, but bringing people together. Everyone was very kind, I was welcomed with open arms.” Humphreys and other students that attended the event said they plan to go to future DIYs and are looking forward to what is to come throughout the year.
To put on a stage production, there are tasks that must be completed before the first premiere. Fourth year acting student Ally Liberty is the Assistant Director for the play. Liberty helps Ramierez Downey coordinate the performance. “I’m really excited to see the set. The play takes place in real life as well as the cyber world. It’s going to be interesting to see how Marie and I can make [the play] come to life on Armandostage.”Ramos is a fourth year SSU acting major who began perform ing in highschool. For the upcoming play, Ramos is playing the lead character named Elliot. Ramos stated one of the most difficult parts of performing is, “...Making sure emotions stay on the stage because they’ll get stuck with you. Next thing you know, you start to become the character, and that’s not always the right thing to do.” Ramos explained the process of preparing for the performance, requiring up to seven or eight weeks of rehearsal, and rehearsing lines for up to four hours each night.
When asked about the live table read, Ramos said, “This is the first time
Sun’s out, buns out: Free hot dogs at the Club Fair
With the 2022 semester now in progress, Sonoma State’s Student Involvement depart ment invited Seawolves to participate in one of their weekly do-it-yourself events. Or ganized by the Peaps, a group of student workers who coordinate the events held on campus, the DIY weekly activities consist of different options from art projects to trivia nights. These events help students relieve stress from the week’s work and provide fun for all.
Students did not only participate in painting but also in interacting with one another. Everyone compared their unique choice of images to paint. This painting session lasted for several hours, some of the images had almost 1000 little spaces to fill.
For almost a decade the Woman of Color Collective (WOCC) has offered a confidential space for Sonoma State’s women of color (WOC). With SSU being a Predominantly White Institution (PWI), the WOCC plays an important role in making sure WOC have a safe space on campus to be both vulnerable and authentic. Each week the collective meets on Wednesday’s at noon to have a discussion co-facilitated by WOC Counseling and Psychological Services staff, as well as staff from the HUB.
I spoke to a few different students who were volunteering for this JUMP event. Fourth year psychology major, Vanessa Gonzalez, offered her thoughts on the event, “I thought it would be fun to come out and volunteer. This is my first time at the food bank. I have experience in other forms of [volunteering], like Lobo’s pantry, but I have never been to a JUMP event before.”
While being a WOC provides a commonality amongst the group mem bers, each member has been impacted differently. Avila made this clear, em phasizing “The experiences of SSU’s WOC students is a unique one that can both embrace similarities and differences among group members. The group talks about topics and experiences specific to the intersection of being a woman and a person of color on a Predominantly White Campus.” She also explained
how the cohesion and safety of the group is reliant upon confidentiality because of the personal feelings and stories being shared.
STAR // Adriana Gonzalez JUMP members help package food at the Redwood Empire food bank.
Seawolves JUMP into service
STAR // Adriana Gonzalez Students at the Women of Color Collective (WOCC) discussion at the HUB.
According to an excerpt about the group’s meeting on seawolfliving. com, they aim to “share and be inspired by our collective stories as WOC SSU students.” The website adds that “This group is for all Cis and Trans women, as well as non-binary SSU students who are comfortable in a space that centers on the experiences of women.” Beyond meetings amongst students, the collective does other things to help out the campuses WOC. Such events include inviting “WOC Mentor Speakers”, a couple times a semester, and even one time a trip to UC Berkeley for the “Empowering Women of Color Conference”.
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King oversees the operations of JUMP and makes sure everything runs smoothly in order to properly and safely give back to the community. He stated that there is a great deal of preparation that goes into taking care of the food they give out, as well as the transportation of the food. I asked what the standard procedure for preparation is, King said, “We start the night before. We pull out the produce and what other food we’re going to use in the morning, as well as the rest of the ingre dients used to assemble the meal. After everything is sorted, we load up the trucks with the food and it is given to each distribution site throughout the next few days.”
Avila highlighted how adjusting to the needs of its students is an im portant element to the collective’s success, saying “WOCC will continue to flex to the needs of WOC SSU students who find community and support through this group.” The adaptability of the group helps provide SSU’s WOC a constant level of support on campus, but perhaps most important is the confi dentiality of the group.
CALVIN ZELJAK STAFF WRITER
Different forms of the collective have existed on SSU’s campus, but “The WOCC in its current format is entering into its ninth year,” according to an email from staff psychologist Isabel “Isa” Avila Saiter, who also helps facilitate the group alongside Senior HUB Program Director Shelly Gomez. This rendition of the WOCC has moved in a continuously positive direction. In fact, the collective has grown so large that they will be extending their sessions from 60 to 90 minutes. Avila said via email that “Over the years, WOCC has developed into a well established and attended drop-in discussion and support group with a diverse group of participants.”
The environment at the food bank was upbeat. Men and women of all ages were volunteering. The lobby had a big, open room with windows over viewing the assembly line and other packaging rooms. The coordinators were very friendly and seemed to be very excited about the turnout from the group.
I was able to speak with the AmeriCorps VIP and volunteer at JUMP, Schaefer King. He has been working at Redwood Empire for a little over a year now and has overseen dozens of food drives. King started working for Red wood Empire last year in the midst of the pandemic. Since then, COVID-19 related regulations have been loosened. Over the pandemic they had a station outside of the building and they had mandatory mask policy in place. I asked King about their current COVID-19 regulations, and about their move from outside back to inside, “We just recently moved everything back inside at the end of July. We have eased out of our COVID-19 regulations. We don’t require masks or anything like that, [but] we ask if you are not vaccinated, that you wear a mask inside. Other than that we don’t have any strict COVID-19 poli cies.”
The Join Us Making Progress (JUMP) community service program of the Associated Students, hosted a food drive at the Redwood Empire Food Bank in Santa Rosa on Saturday, Sept. 10. Nearly fifteen Seawolves were brought to the food bank. They managed to package dozens of meals to sup port less fortunate families all over Sonoma County. The meals can also make it to various places in Northern California such as Humboldt and Lake County. But, they’re primarily in Sonoma County helping local people in Rohnert Park, Petaluma, and Santa Rosa.
DANNY SERRANO STAFF WRITER
SSU’s WOCC provides safe space for women of color
Student Life sonomastatestar . 6com
JUMP will be holding another event this coming Saturday in collaboration with N.O.A.H. Food Pantry in Rohnert Park at 10:30 a.m. if you would like to par ticipate in the next day of service with fellow SSU students.
The WOCC’s energy and positive attitude is what helps make it such a safe space for SSU’s WOC. Avila reflected on her experience as a facilitator saying, “it is one of our favorite times of the week and we get a lot of positive feedback from our members about the safe container the group provides.” SSU’s WOC, Cis and Trans Women, and non-binary students who are looking for a safe space to be au thentic and vulnerable, can reach out to Avila about attending future meetings via email at avilai@sonoma.edu.
Seawolves winning streak comes to an end
Sports 7
Two women’s soccer players earn awards
lent offensive game. She has been an immediate impact for the Seawolves and the team can only hope she can keep it up for the whole season.
has started the season off with clinical finishing. She has scored 3 goals so far this sea son including the game winner against Western Washington University and 2 more com ing against Academy of Art University. This freshman has come out of high school be ing a four year varsity soccer player and track & field ath lete. In 2021, she was named Offensive MVP for Mission Hills High School. Sotelo’s transition from highschool to college has gone very well as she has carried over her excel
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of back and forth. The first set started fairly even, but CSUEB would eventually take com mand, winning it 25-17. The second set was the opposite. SSU got on a hot streak and won 25-15. The third match was the closest, but the Sea wolves got edged out 25-23. CSUEB won the contest in the fourth set, 25-14.
COURTESY // @sonomaseawolves on Instagram Senior Julia Pritchard and Freshman Annette Sotelo took home sliverware this past week.
The result was less than desirable for the Seawolves, but the team believes Satur day’s match was a good reality check. The Seawolves had won their last seven games handi ly. Grassl said, “You’ve gotta play like you think you might lose.” Rogers agreed, “I think it’s kind of a wake-up call when we lose. It doesn’t feel good. It never feels good to lose, but this is kind of the point where we can have a turning point after losing, and we can win a bunch of matches and work re ally hard.” Krist felt the same way, “I think this is gonna set us up for a good next game. We’re gonna work really hard in practice this week and try to come back, but yeah, I think this is good for us. You’ve got ta be humbled every once in a while.”
that mindset, emphasized a lot of the struggles were fixable, “It’s an interesting match when they only scored 64 points, we scored 63; we had 53 kills, they had 42, but we really shot ourselves in the foot a lot, we missed the 10 serves, we got aced 10 times- 11 times. They really hurt us in serve and pass, and that’s the first time that’s happened to us in a while. This is the classic you lose third game in a close one, and in the fourth, you Sophomorecollapse.”Abri Rogers shared the team’s attitude when times get tough, “I think we’re really good at supporting each other and lifting each other up when things are hard, we talk, we communicate.” Redshirt Ju nior Jaden Krist echoed Rog ers’ thoughts about positivity, “I think we gave a lot of effort; we’re always super good about being positive and staying pos itive.”While maintaining a pos itive mindset, the team also understands that some things must be cleaned up. Grassl shared some thoughts, “You’ve gotta handle the ball better; af ter three games, we had held them in every way you could hold a team and still were be hind 2 to 1.”
she never played this position before. So for her to become an All-American never play ing that position speaks to her incredible leadership and tal ent. She has so much enthusi asm, and high moral integrity. Julia is an exceptional leader, and human being,” said Head Coach Emiria Salzmann. “She puts it all out on the line. She’s an absolute dream. Julia is a kind of player that once you lose her there’s no replac ing her, she’ll always be Julia and always will be Freshmanmissed.”Sotelo
S onoma State Women’s Soccer is back after a very successful 2021 campaign that included winning the CCAA Championship. The defending champions have come out this year staying on top with a current overall record of 3-1. The Seawolves biggest win so far this season was against nationally ranked Western Washington. All this early success has been a com plete team effort but 2two certain players have been on another Seniorlevel. Julia Pritchard and freshman Annette Sote lo contributions to the team were both highlighted this past week. Sotelo was named CCAA Offensive Player of the Week while Pritchard was named CCAA Defensive Play er of the Week. These athletes are making their mark early against tough competitors as they look to repeat as CCAA league champions.“Juliaisacaptain and returner All-American. I don’t know how I can truly express my respect for her. She was an All-American Centerback but
“We begin preparing our ath letes mentally in the spring to create the understanding of how to carry on the tradition for the freshman by: help ing continue the culture, and managing the responsibilities of what it takes to win. We continue through the summer by mentoring them so they have expe rience of running or training. Mainly to try to take away the nervousness before coming in, especially being a fall sport,” said Salzmann. “The girls really respect what we have built and they honor what we have. The respon sibility coming in is so high but the freshmen have done a great job of listening and it all stems back to the good leadership on the team.”
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CHARLES BARRETT STAFF WRITER
These athletes have had a great start to their season. The Seawolves are hoping to keep up their recent suc cess in their upcoming games as they look forward to another stellar sea son under Salzmann. Coming up this week, they will be competing against Point Loma in San Diego Calif. on Wednesday. For more information on the team and upcoming games, make sure to head over to, seawolves.com/sports/womens-soccerhttps://sonoma
The team made an effort to stay positive after the loss. Head Coach Bear Grassl, with
SEPT. 20 2022 onoma STaTESTar com
Rogers shared a player’s perspective, “Communicating more and bringing each other’s energy up, even on the bench or on the court, saying positive things to each other and work ing together.” Krist expanded on the player’s point of view, “I think we had some service errors, and serve-receive errors that we can control more. We could also just work on our at titude too when we get down.”
T he Wolves Den was full of en ergy as “Enter Sandman” by Metallica played just before the SSU women’s volleyball match vs. Cal State East Bay on Saturday afternoon. This game featured two teams riding in with a lot of momentum, with SSU on a sev en game winning streak and Cal State East Bay on a six game win streak. The SSU women were not on the winning end in this one los ing 3-1. After being “humbled,” the team is ready to turn the page.
STAR// Cec Fernandez Seawolves and Pioneers battling out an intense point during Saturday’s highly anticipated match
CHASITY SPADY STAFF WRITER
The contest featured a lot
Senior Jen Trephan returns the ball to Eastbay during the Seawolves 3-1 loss Saturday.on
JUMP hosts food drive at Redwood Empire Food Bank
WOCC provides women of color a safe space on campus
STAR // Cec Fernandez
STAR // Adriana Gonzalez
Boxes of cans and fresh produce await pickup at the Redwood Empire Food Bank.
SSU’s WOCC provides students and faculty a place where they can meet and discuss prevalant issues.
Photo8 SEPT. 13 - SEPT 20, 2022 S onoma STaTESTar com
STAR // Cec Fernandez
STAR // Adriana Gonzalez
Leilani Hallman executes a kill during the Seawolves loss to East Bay on Saturday. This ended the Seawolves seven game win streak.
Seawolves downed by East Bay Pioneers
