Sonoma State STAR Issue 5

New themed and cultural meals are coming to SSU

KAYLE NORRIS STAFF WRITER

Over the course of this semester, the Sonoma State University kitchens will be having a variety of themed dinners and informational heritage representation.

This month the kitchens have been participating in Hispanic Heritage representation for Hispanic Heritage month which is from Sept.15 to Oct.15 every year. The last day for Hispanic Heritage Month in the kitchen will be Oct.13.

October will bring with it some holiday themed meals. Sip will be participating in national cinnamon roll day, offering a free cinnamon roll with a purchase of coffee on Oct.4. There will also be a drink special for the month of Oct., at Sip. The kitchens will also be hosting a pumpkin explosion monotony breaker lunch on Oct.5.

Later this month, on Oct.19 and 27, the kitchens will be hosting another special dinner for the Lesbian, gay, bi sexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, asexual (LGBTQIA) community.

Students have been loving the themed meals. Ally Buechler, a Freshman Theater Arts Major, a regular at the kitchens said, “The taquitos were so good a few weeks ago! They were very tasty.”

Allison DeStasio, a Freshman Hutchins Major, loves how accommodating the kitchens have been to all students. Statio said, “ My favorite food so far from this month has been the enchiladas. They needed a little more seasoning but overall were great and gave a sense of a home cooked meal.”

Freshman Theater Arts major, Allyson Boone, enjoys the fun that the kitchens are bringing this semester. Boone said, “I really enjoy the different types of music they have been playing this month.” Boone continued, “ I love that the kitchens are bringing different cultures into it for different options to eat because I love trying new things but I do wish that It wasn’t just for one meal and was there throughout the majority of the month and not just a couple days out of the month!”

Holly Galbraith, operations manager of Culinary Services said, “We are getting ready for Halloween with a themed dinner of horror through the decades on Oct. 20.” Walk down memory lane with the kitchens as you enjoy some spooky treats. “Horror through the decades will be all about the different types of horror movies like Jason, see NEW FOOD on pg. 4

SSU Interim president creates new budget committees

JHERY MAE MONTEZA STAFF WRITER

‘Peanuts’ stamps make debut

Charles Schulz comics have had a lasting effect on American popular culture and in commemoration of this, the Charles M. Schulz Museum partnered with the United States Postal Services to run an official stamp line containing Peanuts characters.

On Sept. 29, 2022, at the Charles Schulz museum located in Santa Rosa, a free firstday-first-issue stamp dedication ceremony commemorating Shulz’s 100th birthday took place. The event drew in an upwards of 500 people, with lines extending around the block.

When asked about why they were there, one of the attendees of the event said, “I grew up reading his strips in the newspaper, I always enjoyed how he made people smile every day.”

During the event, there were several guest speakers including the U.S.P.S. Strategy Senior Vice President: Luke Grossman, museum Director Gina Huntsinger, Chief Direc tor of Charles M. Schulz Creative Properties Paige Broddock, Schulz’s widow Jean Schulz and Snoopy himself.

Event speakers discussed how timeless Schulz’s work is, and how these stamps help

Sonoma

State University’s Interim President, Mike Lee, has assembled a committee to devise a plan to balance the struggling campus budget. By mid-November, this plan will aim to solve the $14 million budget defi cit currently facing SSU.

The campus is still suffering from a decline in enrollment and, as a result, the amount of money the school has been receiving is playing a big role in this budget deficit. In a meeting on Sept.30, Lee’s new committee discussed ways to increase SSU’s income.

In an email sent to the campus community on Sept.19, Lee wrote: “My top priority remains addressing our enrollment and budget declines, so that the campus can begin moving as efficaciously as possible toward long-term stability. This is not a simple process, nor is it one that any one person or division can solve independently.” Lee also explained how this process needs collaboration, deserves transparency and inclusivity on campus and beyond.

Additionally, Lee created a President’s Senior Leadership Council (PSLC) that will give consultations on practices, programs, procedures, and policies. PSLC aims to advise him on administrative, programmatic initiatives, and academics. This committee consists of Associated Stu dents, Academic Senate, Athletic Director, Associate and Assistant Vice Presidents, Staff Council, Dean of Social Sciences, Cabinet, and the Chief of Police. In the past the President’s Budget Advisory (PBAC) Committee has had important conversations, and assisted by giving feedback and analysis to PSLC..

PSLC AND PBAC’s goal is to work together while looking at differ ent scenarios and weighing in options that will allow the community of Sonoma to adjust without any interference.

Monir Ahmed, Vice President of Administration and Finance and CFO, said in a Final State Budget and Campus Budget Planning up date, “Under the agreement CSU will receive a $211.1 million increase in unallocated, base funding, unchanged from Governor Newsom’s January proposal. The budget also includes $81M for enrollment growth in the CSU, $35M for Graduation Initiative and $10M to support student basic needs.”

For CSU’s this brings up the total increase in ongoing funding to $365 million. For the 2022-23 year, the state has provided one-time fund ing of $125 million for CSU wide needs for deferred maintenance, energy efficiency, and sustainability projects.

Ahmed said, “We anticipate that the state funding will cover much of our mandatory cost increases for the upcoming year. Although the state

Meet Andy Shepherd, the Senior Man ager of Marketing and Communications for the GMC PAGE

Volleyball won six straight sets to win both games last week PAGE

STAR // Kayle Norris

A Culinary Services sign advertising the food and culture arriving to SSU alongside Hispanic Heritage month.

COURTESY // Logan Knowlton

The debut of the new Charles Schulz stamp collection that was debuted on Sept. 29.

DEVON BLY STAFF WRITER

STAR Editorial Board

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

Mikayla Fritzemeier, Opinion Editor

Cléa Upcher, Arts & Entertainment Editor

Rosalee Padilla, Student Life Editor

Javier Hernandez, Sports & Health Editor

Corinne Asturias, Faculty Adviser

Staff Writers

Nicole Awwad, Charles Barrett, Devon Bly, Noah Clarke, 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

Photographers

Adriana Gonzalez, Cec Fernandez

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

Telephone: 707-664-2776

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The STAR welcomes letter to the editor

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

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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 community.

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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. Letters are published at the editors discretion and must in clude the authors name title or year in school, and the city of residence to be considered. Although personal controversy will be tolerated, it is the re sponsibility of the editor to check statements pur porting the facts.

Two or four year? The price may decide

Is college for everyone? This is a pretty ironic question to ask in a college news paper. As ironic as this is, many high school students debate whether or not they want to pursue higher education once they gradu ate. There are many factors that come into play when deciding whether it is the right decision but one of the biggest is if they can even afford to go to a four-year institution without drowning in debt.

College can be very expensive especial ly when you consider the price of tuition, board and meal plans. A more affordable option for high schoolers looking to further their education is to first attend a local ju nior college and then eventually transfer to a four-year institution. Transferring from a junior college is the only option for millions of students in the country.

This reality can be seen right here on our own campus. An influx of transfer students over the pandemic has contribut ed significantly to Sonoma State’s student body as enrollment numbers are down na tionwide. This has all come down to not being able to afford to live on campus as a first-time student. According to the school’s website, the cheapest dorm that Sonoma State has to offer is a triple suite for $11,938 a year. If you break this down to month ly payments it is almost $1,500 to share a

COURTESY // housing.sonoma.edu

room with two other students. One of the reasons why this number is so high is that first-year students that live on campus are required to get the all-access meal plan that allows them to eat at The Kitchens as many times as they want, as long as it is open. The all-excess meal plan is $3,033 a year and that is automatically added to all first-year students’ tuition that live on campus.

Third-year transfer student, Alexis Madrigal said this regarding why he didn’t come to Sonoma State straight out of high school, “The reason why I went to the Santa Rosa JC instead of Sonoma is because of the price, even though I had FAFSA, that still wasn’t enough to cover my board and tuition. I didn’t really understand why I was forced to get the most expensive meal plan, as that added another $3,000 to my fees. If I had the option to pick a different meal plan I would have definitely leaned more towards coming to Sonoma State than the JC.”

Sonoma State, along with thousands of other universities nationwide are suffering from low student enrollment. Expanding where the student body comes from could help as well. The CSU system could do what they did with California JC’s and build connections to give tuition breaks to out of state students. This would add to enroll ment totals and student diversity.

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.

SSU students express a lack of representation

on campus and that SSU is proud of its di versity. However, do minority students at SSU feel properly represented and included on campus?

sity” as a whole, said Tikoibau.

page,” said the student.

MARIAH FORSTER

STAFF WRITER

As of 2020, Sonoma State Univer sity is the fifth predominantly white institution among all California public universities, according to the UC and CSU 2020 enrollment dash board.

When you visit our school’s web site, you may notice the banner at the top of the page that says “Latinx Her itage Month”. If you click on the ban ner, you will be redirected to a page with events for Latinx Heritage Month along with links to past cultural and identity celebrations at SSU.

The school’s website makes it clear that representation matters here

Here are the demographics at Sonoma State. As of fall 2021, 42% of students are white and 38% of students identify as Latin American. Only 2% of students identify as African American, 5% Asian, and less than 1% Indigenous American, according to the SSU website.

Many students of color feel they are not represented on campus. And when they do receive representation, they are tokenized.

“I don’t feel represented here on cam pus, besides the organizations like MSFC and the HUB,” said Vianca Hinojosa, who just entered her second year at SSU studying Chicano and Latino studies.

Alice Tikoibau, fourth year sociology major, expressed that there are occasions when she feels represented, but it’s only when she seeks out organizations that are explicitly diverse such as the HUB or the Women of Color Collective.

“Other times, it feels isolating because there is a lack of diversity within the univer

Students of color feel the most repre sented and included when they actively seek out organizations on campus that are fo cused around diversity. These organizations include Being Latinx, Black Student Union, Asian American Pacific Islander support group, multicultural sororities and frater nities, the office of Diversity, Equity, Inclu sion, the HUB, etc.

While it is great that students of col or have representation on campus through these organizations, representation and in clusion should be in all areas of campus life, not solely through multicultural orga nizations. When representation is negated only to multicultural organizations it leads to students of color feeling marginalized on campus. Multicultural organizations are often overshadowed by other campus orga nizations.

One student, who’s identity will remain anonymous, expressed their opinions about Seawolf Living.

“Personally the only place I don’t feel represented is Seawolf Living. I love them but I don’t see enough Black people on that

The student stated that when Seawolf Living does include Black students on their platform, they are often tokenized. An ex ample of tokenism at SSU is using a random picture of a group of students of color to pro mote a multicultural event without double checking the identities of the students in the photo.

Representation can’t be achieved on a surface level. Nor can it be achieved by hiring a few students of color in non-multi cultural organizations on campus. Students of color should be represented in all student organizations.

“Changes I would like to see are more uplifting in multicultural sororities and fra ternities,” said the anonymous student. “It wasn’t until now (people of color) started being put more on social media. Before it felt like the Panhellenics were at the forefront during my freshman year, but I do appreci ate the change that is happening now.”.

More representation of students of color is needed in non-multicultural organizations on campus. At SSU we must be more mind ful of how we are celebrating diversity.

‘Silver tsunami’of elderly drivers could threaten public safety

than 2.5 million are currently 70 or older. And while age alone doesn’t determine whether someone is fit to drive, it can be a good indicator. Medication effects, physical fragility, and declines in reaction time, situational awareness, vision and motor skills are all common age-related issues that can impact safety.

trical engineering major at SSU, this is sue is personal. He was hit by an elderly driver several years ago, but the driver’s cognitive impairment led them to relay inaccurate accounts of the accident to po lice, resulting in a lost insurance claim for Romero.

if there are indications of driver impair ment, based on reports by a law enforce ment officer, a physician or a family member.

TYLER MELOAN

A‘silver tsunami.’ That’s what many experts are calling the ever-growing wave of Baby Boom ers who are reaching retirement age, and accounting for an increas ing number of the drivers on the road. And with September marking national pedestrian safety month, it seems as appropriate a time as any to address the dangers and com plexities that this rapid increase in senior drivers poses.

According to the CDC, there were almost 48 million licensed drivers ages 65 and older in the United States in 2020, a 68% in crease since 2000. In Calif., more

Seniors are sometimes in denial about their own decreasing mental acuity, and many are resistant to handing over their keys, associating their license with inde pendence, and relying on it for running essential errands like going to grocery stores or medical appointments.

The Pew Research Center states that 10,000 baby boomers will turn 65 every day for the next 18 years. By 2030, they’ll represent about one in five drivers, and will outnumber 16- to 19-year-olds more than three to one. This could be deadly.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that drivers old er than 69 saw an increase in the rate of involvement in fatal crashes of about 11% every five years. As these numbers continue to rise, it’s becoming clear that greater restrictions and transportation op tions must be implemented.

For Jorge Romero, a third-year elec

“I believe [seniors] should take [the behind-the-wheel test] again so that in structors can still visualize the driver being able to drive, and not have any problems when they are in the vehicle,” he stated.

He isn’t alone. Nicole Vera, a liberal studies major, agreed that a behind-thewheel test should be required at a certain age, also citing her own experiences. “I have personally seen an elderly person commit a traffic violation. Instead of using the turning lane which they were in, they kept going straight and almost caused an accident,” she stated.

At age 70, drivers in Calif. are re quired to renew their license in person at the DMV, but this only involves a written and vision test. And despite many advo cating for requiring behind-the-wheel tests at a certain age, AARP and other groups have been resistant. The DMV states that road tests are only necessary

Ideally, families should be proactive, and address the issue with elderly fami ly members before incidents like what Romero and Vera experienced occur. Mariana Guerrero, a fifth-year biology and psychology major, stressed that al ternatives to driving should also be made available, stating, “If seniors have timely and efficient access to transportation, it could help mitigate potential safety risks for themselves and the general public.”

Many local senior centers and retire ment homes do offer such transportation, but this may not be a feasible option for everyone. However, with so many deliv ery services now available for items like groceries, and the slow but steady rise in self-driving cars in cities, there is some hope that technology will increasingly fa cilitate safer roads.

For families with senior drivers, it’s important to monitor their abilities, and adjust limitations as needed, such as re stricting them from nighttime or freeway driving, and reminding them what’s at stake when they get behind the wheel.

Glamorization of murderers overshadows victims

STAFF WRITER MARIE’SA RUMSEY

For anyone who has lost a loved one, it can be a long journey to heal from. Grief never fully goes away. It is a continuous battle that some may want to deal with alone or simply in peace. But for the vic tims’ families of serial killer Jeffery Dahmer, they didn’t quite have the luxury of grieving in peace during the trial or even now. A drama se ries about his life has been released on Netflix leaving others talking about it everywhere.

Jefferey Dahmer was a sex of

fender and serial killer who committed seventeen brutal murders between 19781991. The drama series, “Dahmer – Mon ster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” is yet an other series that tells the serial killer’s point of view. In the past, other films and shows have been made about him such as “The Jeffrey Dahmer Files,” “Raising Jeffery Dahmer,” “Roots of Rage,” and many oth ers. However, this latest one dives a little deeper into some of the lives that he took.

A Sonoma State University student that wanted to remain anonymous said, “I knew about the crimes and watched other documentaries about them. I didn’t know it was that gruesome until the show went into some detail about his crimes.”

Alec Padilla, a senior at SSU described his emotions while watching it to be “dis comforting” and “creepy.”

“Personally, I find the serial killer and true crime series interesting and I would like Netflix to continue making them as I enjoy the topic of true crime,” Padilla said. “ However, I do understand that some peo ple take these series as a way of “glori

fying” murderers and giving the murderer more spotlight than their victim.”

The glamorization aspect has gone into full effect. With the help of social media, the series has caused its viewers to make numerous TikToks, tweets, and con versations about the portrayal of Dahmer and his victims. Currently, the series is rat ed number one out of ten on Netflix’s top U.S shows.

Padilla shared what he’s noticed since its release, “I think a lot of people are taking the series seriously to learn about Dahmer and his gruesome murders but I do see lots of people on social media mak ing fun and jokes about Dahmer and the victims.”

Due to the popularity of the show, nu merous people have searched for the name Jeffery Dahmer. Dahmer’s popularity takes attention away from the victims and their families.

Rita Isbell, who is the sister of victim Errol Lindsey, spoke out after Netflix rec reated her emotional impact statement in the series. She was never notified about

this by Netflix.

According to Insider reporter Kelsey Vlamis, Rita Isbell wrote in an essay, “The episode with me was the only part I saw. I didn’t watch the whole show. I don’t need to watch it. I lived it. I know exactly what happened.”

Isbell reflected on her emotional growth and where she is now, “That an ger stuck with me for a long time. I didn’t have the wisdom back then that I have now. But I had to make this stuff make sense and deal with it. I had younger children to provide for and protect. I still had to go to work every day.”

Many forget that these crime series are based on events that actually happened. They were not created for public enter tainment or to put the killers on a pedestal. Sometimes it is not until victims of fami lies like Rita Isbell speak out that people start to see the bigger picture. While cre ators of the series aren’t in control of oth ers’ reactions and views. The true purpose of crime series should be to inform others about the terrible tragedy that occurred.

STAFF WRITER

Plan made to resolve SSU budget deficit by midNovember

continued from

-budget increase will not assist in solving our budget shortfall.”

The meeting that took place on Sept. 30 was for the Sonoma State Enterprises (SSE) board which is a campus auxiliary. Associate Vice President for University Budget and Resource Planning, Laura Lupei, said, “A campus Auxiliary is a sepa rately incorporated, non-profit corporation that receives no taxpayer support and is expected to reimburse the campus Operating Fund for any services that are provid ed. The auxiliary forms a partnership with the campus to provide essential func tions, in the case of SSE, primarily dining services.”

There are three auxiliary corporations at Sonoma, Associated Students, SSU Foundation, and Sonoma State Enterprises (SSE). The auxiliary’s main goal is to in crease enrollment ever since it drastically decreased during the pandemic. They also want to open on-campus restaurants to attract more students, especially first-years because that’s where most of the revenue comes from. The auxiliary has done this by having GrubHub options for Weyden, Brewster, and soon Toast, where faculty and students can order ahead and pick up their orders.

Per the Chancellor’s Office requests, both PSLC and PBAC, along with Presi dent Lee, are hoping to create a multi-year plan that will prevent deficit spending by 2024-25 . The target number of full-time equivalent students (FTES) is 8,435, and they will be creating and sharing a plan that meets enrollment growth over the next five years. At the same time, both committees and Lee will be describing in detail the steps they’re taking to meet the goals, and giving updates as well.

Along with this consultative process, there will be an open forum on Nov. 3 where anyone can ask questions about upcoming budget plans.

Rohnert Park prowler mischief continues

NOAH CLARKE STAFF WRITER

Occurrences of prowlers seen in Rohnert Park have continued following the creepy M-section clown reported on in last week’s issue of the STAR. This week’s trespassers appear to be kids and younger aged teens who’ve been spot ted in local neighborhoods. Footage and stories related to these cases have been shared recently by community members on Nextdoor.

Reports of teenagers approaching front doors and intruding on property have been appearing on the app since last Monday.

On Sept. 26, Ring camera footage was shared by a user on Nextdoor of a group of kids exploring R-section late at night. The video was recorded at 3:02 a.m. and it displays four kids all together, one of which approaches the front door and glances around the surrounding area.

Another posting came from a user on Sunday, Sept. 25., highlighting a sim ilar scenario in which kids were seen walking around F-section late at night. Simpli-safe camera footage posted by the user showed the kids investigate some of their neighbors yard and glance around the front door.

According to users on Nextdoor, these kids are believed to be anywhere from 14-18-years-old based on appearance and could be a mix of both boys and girls. Although the actions of these kids are concerning, they’re not deemed illegal or criminal.

Fourth-year Sonoma State University student Sean Baron lives in R-section of Rohnert Park. “People definitely need to have more respect for other people’s property, especially our neighbors. There are always gonna be kids out and about up to no good so let’s just hope it doesn’t escalate further than this,” Baron said.

Charles M. Schultz museum’s centennial celebration

to uphold the legacy of his work.

According to Huntsinger, “Charles Schulz really represents American culture in a lot of ways, and so does the postage stamp, so it’s a nice combination of the two.”

Born on Nov. 26, 1922, Schulz created the popular Peanuts comic strips, which served as inspiration for visual artists worldwide, and explored the human condition in ways that appealed to fans, young and old alike.

When asked about what made his strips so special, Huntsinger said ,’’ When he first got the comic strip, the comics had much larger spaces, and they only gave him a small space about the size of a postage stamp. So he had to do the smallest, most minimal stories, but actually it was to his benefit because he was so poignant and minimalistic that it just caught us. He spoke to us in a way that captured our humanity, just being a human, what is it like to fail, what is it like to be crabby one day?”

Many of his strips centered around subjects such as friendship, failure, and resil ience, and discussed them in a comedic tone, something which many people related to.

Furthermore, the prolonged popularity of these strips made them into an American icon and helped them become an essential part of visual history.

In regards to this, Huntsinger said,“ It was all about the things we feel inside our selves, I mean we all feel it [imperfection], but we never talk about it. He did this day after day year after year, for about fifty years, he ran almost 18,000 [comic strips]. It just became a part of peoples’ lives, sort of slowly, like a scarf moving a mountain, it changed our popular culture in some ways.”

In celebration of his centennial, the Charles Schulz museum is hosting more events running through Nov. 26, Schulz’s birthday.

These events include discussions about the legacy of Schulz with CNN anchor Jake Tapper, a discussion about the release of the Schulz Museum’s Book about him with an appearance by Al Roker, the weather anchor on the Today Show, and a celebration with cake and music on the day of his birthday.

Other posts absent of video footage provide a verbal description of what has been occurring in neighborhoods. One post described a group of kids near C-sec tion park making loud noises and believed the group to have lit off some small fireworks.

The author of the post described the incident, “ANYONE IN C SECTION. Be on the look out for younger kids causing a ruckus in late night hours. Last night at around 1 a.m, I heard a group of kids yelling and then followed by the sound of some small type of firework set off.”

The residential areas in Rohnert Park are composed of many established and older adults with the expectation to experience some peace and quiet at night. Rohnert Park also has stringent noise disturbance policies, so some residents of the city are upset at the ruckus. “That is outrageous, these kids just never know when to stop”. Another user said, “This has always been a problem with high school kids, but the use of fireworks is not only disrespectful, but also danger ous.”

Rohnert Park residents and students hope that these incidents don’t continue to occur on a regular basis. Third-year SSU student, Joey Botta, said, “There’s obviously a pretty diverse blend of ages within the neighborhoods just with SSU and Rancho Cotate being in the area. I think as neighbors, it’s courtesy to be re spectful and considerate.” Botta continued, “High schoolers will always do dumb stuff. But moving forward, I hope they shy away from creating disturbances late at night, that’s just flat out disrespectful.”

Students look forward to diverse, themed food options

continued from pg. 1

Michael Myers, or Halloween all the way to now with more updated horror movies,” Galbraith said.

Students should also be excited for November as there are some more excit ing themes and dinners coming to campus.

STAR // Willow Ornellas

More prowlers were spotted on doorbell cameras like Ring and Simpli-safe. These new prowlers appear to be local youth, out past curfew.

COURTESY // Canva

4 News OCT. 4 - OCT. 11, 2022 s O n O mas TaT es Tar CO m Two new committees have been created to combat the campus budget deficit.

Arts

‘Game on!’ for Seawolves at FAASSU’s game night

STAFF WRITER ZACHARY GONZALES

Thursday night, high amounts of laughter and positive energy were heard outside the Zinfandel Vineyard from the Filipino American Association of Sonoma State (FAASSU). A total of 30 students attended the event that was offered to all Sonoma State Seawolves.

The FAASSU has been around for quite some time. President Leah Vallespin explained how the club has been active for nearly three decades at Sonoma State, and what it has stood for the entire time, “The main goal of this club is to bring together [Asian Americans] students who feel isolated and make sure they feel comfortable on campus.”

The game night began at 6 p.m. As people started to file in, students got to know each other with an ice breaker bingo sheet. While mingling with community members, chips, refreshments, and homemade cookies were be ing passed around the group. Everyone appeared to be overjoyed to be in each other’s company.

Monica Lising, along with her co-social chair, explained their approach in planning these events, “[FAASSU] wants Seawolves to experience the school through the perspective of Filipino culture. It’s important to us that we generate a safe environment for members to bond, be our friends, and hang out.” One of Lisings most memorable events that celebrated Filipino culture was Karaoke night. Even though the FAASSU focuses on culture from the Philippines, they are a multicultural club that strives to be inclusive to any and all people.

Lising explained how she initially knew nothing about Northern Cali fornia or Sonoma State when she transferred last year, “When I found out what FAASSU was, I felt an immediate connection because I could natural ly relate to them and share a common ground.”

As the night progressed, and more games were being played, it was clear that SSU students were entertained from the game night event. With activities such as musical chairs and telephone charades, students were in teracting with club members and sharing a laugh with each other. With the bond that the FAASSU club creates amongst its members, third year student, Sasha Wedner believes the group feels like a “unisex sorority or fraternity”.

NICOLE AWWAD STAFF WRITER

In the month of October, one the most anticipated events the Filipino American Association of Sonoma State puts on every year is the Big Sister and Big Brother reveal. Similar to the Big/Little Greek life tradition within sororities and fraternities, but with a cultural twist, FAASSU identifies its club members using Tagalog; the native language spoken in the Philippines. Instead of referring to each other as a Big or Little, the club uses the word Kuya (koo-yuh) for big brother and Ate (ah-teh) for a big sister.

The Filipino American Association of Sonoma State is always look ing to include students in activities and club meetings. Transfer student Jordan Nakamoto was at the HUB Cultural Center when he found out about the FAASSU, “I was attending the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) support group when the club President of FAASSU announced the game night.”

In order to hear about future FAASSU events that are coming up, browse the SSU Student Involvement page, as well as follow their social media account on Instagram, @FAASSU. Also, until the end of October, students can find the Filipino American Association of Sonoma State ta bling at Seawolf Plaza, be on the lookout for the red table cloth! The FAAS SU tables Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 11-2 p.m.

Coffee and Crochet at the HUB

Friday afternoons with Seawolves are back in action. This was definitely a more quiet event as Friday’s are not the most common day for students to have class/ be on cam pus. Another Seawolf Living event was held in The HUB Cultural Center on Friday Sep. 30 from 2:30pm-3:00pm. This event wasn’t like your average bonding event. Instead, it was very much hands-on which seemed to make for a fun and engaging activity for the participating students. With a step-by-step tutorial on how to crochet, for beginners. They also provided coffee, fruit, and snacks for the participants who joined the event.

Although some did come out to attend this event, as it’s the perfect event for a craft lover. Early Childhood Studies major, Ivon Martinez shared her thoughts on why she came out, “When the pandemic happened, I was really into sewing, and because I’m fairly small, it’s hard for me to find clothes in my size, meaning I have to tailor a lot of my purchases. I actually bought myself a sewing machine over the pandemic and I taught myself how to sew by watching YouTube videos, so this crochet event was right up my alley.”Students can always rely on our campus offering so many different activities with a wide variety of selection.

Maleia Colker, sophomore and psychology major, said, “I heard about Coffee and Cro chet on the Seawolf Living Instagram page and decided to come out because I’m new to the area and I wanted to try something new, as well as make new friends and be social. A

few weeks ago I also attended a Seawolf Living Event that consisted of creating your own calendar. It was really fun and entertaining, I really enjoy keeping up with their Instagram because there are always new events each week to keep me busy.”

Being involved with on campus events is the best way to meet new people, because these events are selected based on hobbies and interests. Students choose to go to an event that sparks their interest, which leads to common ground between the students who at tend. It can also help expand overall connections at Sonoma State.

Another student stated her intentions of attending this event and why she enjoyed it, “I decided to come to this event today because as a college student I am quite the coffee addict and I figured it would be fun to come in and drink some coffee and meet some new people as well as learn more about crocheting since I’ve always been interested in it. Sonoma State always knows how to put on a great event,” said Chloe Storrs, BA and Early Childhood Education major.

If this event was something you may have been interested in but missed out on, head to Seawolf Living for information on all upcoming events. If you’re a coffee lover like Storrs, be sure to head to Sip this Tuesday Oct. 4 from 7:30am-3:00pm on National Cin namon Roll Day to get a free cinnamon roll with any coffee purchase.

STAR Spotlight: Andy Shepherd STAFF WRITER

DANNY SERRANO

Once a student at Sonoma State University himself, earning a Bachelor’s degree in business administration, with a concentration in marketing, as well as a jazz studies minor in 2011, Andy Shepherd now works as the Senior Manager of Marketing and Com munications for the Green Music Center at SSU. Shepherd has had the pleasure of promot ing hundreds of shows from “classical icons”, as he described them, such as, Yo- Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman, to artists like Andy Grammer and Fitz and the Tantrums.

Shepherd takes a lot of pride in his marketing position and said, “My position allows me the opportunity to witness the power of artistic experiences on a regular basis, and see the impact on a wide variety of audiences.”

Prior to graduating from SSU, Shepherd worked jobs similar to his current role. While an undergraduate, he took on a marketing internship at Yoshi’s Jazz Club in Oakland.

Working the internship in Oakland, balancing school, and social life was a challenge for Shepherd, “I did spend a lot of time balancing my education with both an unpaid internship, and a separate paid position. It was important for me to be generous with my time, while also making sure I could maintain my schedule long-term without burning out. I made my plans clear to each employer, and thankfully they were supportive of what I was trying to do. School remained my priority, with my internship and paid job fitting in around my class schedule,” said Shepherd via email.

Upon graduation, he ended up securing a job at Yoshi’s and commuted from Rohnert Park to Oakland every day. He would pass the Green Music Center on his daily commute, and knew his dream job was to eventually work there. Shepherd was hired by SSU in 2015, and has since gotten married and started a family. Living and working in Rohnert Park with a very small commute makes everything a lot more manageable for Shepherd.

When speaking about job opportunities, Shepherd highly recommends those who are interested in marketing and set production to look into jobs or internships through the Green Music Center, “The Green Music Center provides some truly unique employment and internship opportunities for students in many facets of the performing arts industry including front of house, marketing, development, box office, administration, and pro duction. These opportunities are a great way to get students hands-on experience, while providing staff with much needed support in their respective areas of expertise.”

Even after years of working at the GMC, Shepherd is still experiencing new events that stand out as highlights in his SSU career, “I also have to say that I was at an incredible performance the other night from the Ukrainian folk group DakhaBrakha. They set a high bar for the rest of our season with an energetic brand of Ukrainian folk music that brought the audience to their feet. It was a moving night of cultural and artistic connection that I won’t soon forget,” added Shepherd.

Courtesy // LinkedIn @_Andy Shepherd Andy Shepherd has been working for SSU at the Green Music Center since 2015.

STAR // Cec Fernandez

A game of musical chairs quickly turns competitive at FAASSU’s Thursday night event.

M. Quentin Williams talks police discourse

PAUL MUNOZ STAFF WRITER

Sonoma

State University hosted a community event where everyone was informed about the different ways to better correspond in a community and build a deeper understanding of one another. Guest speaker M. Quentin Wil liams addressed the importance of seeing eye to eye and the reconstruction of relationships between communities and law enforcement. Williams is a former FBI agent and currently, head of Dedication To Community (D2C), a nonprofit organization with the goal to educate and empower communities with various workshops residing on critical issues in public safety and law enforcement, as well as diversity, belonging, and equity with the overall goal to develop rela tionships in communities.

Williams told the audience stories from his past, starting with the years of his youth growing up in Yonkers NY. Williams had no desire to join any type of law enforcement in his younger years due to the negative exposure he had growing up in a tough neighborhood. The community was corrupted by illegal drug sales and this resulted in numerous bleak interactions between youths and the police, “When I became a functioning adult I never considered it [becoming a police officer] because cops were taking my friends to prison, so why would I want to be part of that system.” Still, when the time came he worked his way up to positions working with high organizations and agencies such as his role in the FBI. Williams then told the audience about his lowest point in life, being fired from his executive position at the NBA which later built up his inspiration to seek a way to create positivity on a global aspect.

With high tensions between the general public and law enforcement, Williams wants to offer his advice and create more positive relationships be tween the two. Throughout his appearance, the one thing that was repeated in nearly every portion presented was how significant it is to understand that we are all human.

Williams encourages the officers he works with to create scenarios where they act as if they were not in uniform, he informs the audience that doing this puts everyone at ease because it presents that form of humility that makes people feel comfortable. Williams said, “Community members aren’t

CALVIN ZELJAK STAFF WRITER

necessarily pro-cops, bringing these folks together works magic because once hearts are open and the human-ness seeps out, now community members are seeing these cops as humans it changes the dynamic immediately.” He then proceeded to discuss how this push towards more positive interactions allows for those relationships between the average citizen and law enforcement to blossom. This may even increase someone’s interest in law enforcement without those initial feelings of uneasiness.

Williams also talked about how law enforcement should incorporate social media more into the job. He believes that social media should be used as a tool to showcase each officer’s individualism so people get to know who is under the blue uniforms. Williams plans to spread his methods on how to ‘build trust in the community’ and add to his foundation by working with the NBA team, Miami Heat, and promoting his book “A Survival Guide: How Not To Get Killed By The Police.”

‘Can We All Get Along?’

Ahigh school whose alumni list consists of: Jackie Robinson, a fortune 500 CEO, the lead singer of Van Halen, and many other accomplished individ uals across all fields and of all races, should be recognized as one of the very best in the country. Blasphemously, this is not the case, for John Muir High School, in Pasadena, CA. John Muir High and Sonoma State alum, Pablo Mi ralles, shed light onto why this is, in his documentary “Can We All Get Along? The Segregation of John Muir High School. On Thursday, Sept. 29, at 6 p.m. in Ives Hall, the School of Arts & Humanities gave students the opportunity to watch the documentary and participate in a Q&A with Miralles. Students were given the unique chance to learn about a problem that needs attention, and talk about it with the very person bringing it to light.

The School of Arts & Humanities puts on many events designed to help students “ignite lifelong passions,” one of the main goals of the school, according to its webpage, which can be accessed through sonoma.edu. Having graduated from the Hutchins program here at SSU, it was easy to see that Mi ralles’ passion to shed light on this subject had not only been ignited, but was burning strong. After the showing, he stuck around and participated in a nearly hour long Q&A with students, faculty and guests to take a further dive into the topics of the film.

The documentary itself focused on the gradual resegregation of public school’s like Muir, following the passing of Proposition 13 in 1978, which capped property taxes, and redistributed school funding. Miralles’ perspective was a unique one for students to hear since he attended Muir during its peak years of integration, and has slowly seen its population become less and less diverse, with a consistently increasing percentage of minorities, which has un fairly lead to a low rating for the school on sites like publicschoolreview.com. Sites like this have furthered the issue because parents see the rating, assume the school is bad, and don’t even take a tour.

The perspective was driven home in a story Miralles shared during the Q&A portion: “There’s a woman that started a national group called ‘Integrat ed Schools’...she bought a house in Highland Park, in Northeast Los Ange les County, probably about 90% or more latino. A white lady across the street came over and said ‘where are you going to send your kids?’ And she said ‘oh what about the school down the street’ and the lady replied with ‘oh nobody sends their children there.’”

Miralles continued by saying this stood out as odd to the lady because she had recently driven past the school and seen many children out playing. The reason the neighbor said this was because the children playing were predominantly black and latino. This showcases how racial stereotypes have unfairly ruined the reputations of many public schools.

Senior Vasti Guzman who was there for extra credit for a sociology class said “now I see how it all started,” when asked about the changes in public schools. She continued by emphasizing “it made me think what does diversity really mean? Because I thought having black, brown and asian people was being diverse, but the film talked about how when the schools had more black and brown students they were less diverse. So for it to be a more accurate definition you need all kinds of people.”

With Sonoma State being a fairly diverse campus itself, this was a unique experience that opens the door to many possible discussions. Anyone who wants to view the film can do so on pbs.org.

STAR // Cec Fernandez

Students wait in anticipation to see the film being presented by Pablo Miralles, say ‘Hi’ to President Lee in the background.

STAR // Adriana Gonzalez

M. Quentin Williams talks about how his childhood experiences led him to become a part of law enforcement at the Conversations with Black and Brown in Blue on Tuesday, Sept. 28.

Athlete Spotlight of the Week: Ulysses Vega

happened, I lost the motivation to stay in shape. For a while, when I first found out, I was kind of skipping the gym, and I would always get to the gym every day and I kind of started skipping it.”

The rehab was tough. Vega detailed the rehab process, “Some of the stuff was super annoying, but it had to be done.” All of the tedious rehab ended up paying off. Vega shared the most satisfying thing about his return, “First game back, I scored. I was super happy in that moment because, you know, I prayed to god. It was my first college game in two years, and I get a goal and an assist, and I was hoping I would play well, and I did, so I was super excited.”

Vega did his best to keep his mind sharp for the moment he had been waiting for. During his downtime during his recovery, he watched various soccer-related videos. Vega shared some details on the videos, “I have a lot of highlight videos that I created of myself and when I would miss a game or like to play and I couldn’t. Mentally I would be like man I miss playing so I would just watch my old clips and even just watching my favorite team, Barcelona. It just helps me keep my head there and be like, ok, I’m gonna come back, be the best version of myself and help my team be the best.”

CHARLES BARRETT STAFF WRITER

These last couple of years have been hard on everyone. That is a statement most would agree with, but maybe no more than Ulysses Vega of Sono ma State Soccer. The current leading scorer for the Seawolves has dealt with a lot of adversity in the past few years.

Vega, like everyone else, could not play in 2020 due to the season’s can cellation. But he was also unable to play in 2021 due to a hip injury. For two years Vega did not get to play the game “his whole life was dedicated to”. The road to recovery was not easy. Vega, who is a very “hard worker,” found it difficult to stay motivated. Vega put it this way, “When the injury

Vega lost the 2020 season due to COVID and missed the 2021 season with the hip injury. What else could go wrong? He also was involved in a very scary car accident in October 2020. When asked about it, Vega had this to say, “I was in my hometown. This guy was drunk driving in the op posite lane he was supposed to be on, and I was turning left, and the speed limit was 15, I believe, or 20, and I was turning left, and the light turned green, and all I remember was waking up in a hospital. From the accident itself, I don’t remember anything. I’m just completely blanking.”

Head coach Marcus Zeimer has noticed how much Vega has grown as a person throughout the years of all his adversity. When asked, Zeimer said, “He’s matured a lot, he’s become a disciplined student, he takes care of business. He has really progressed nicely. He’s a nice young man.” Zeimer also noted how great of a teammate and player Vega is. He is known for cracking jokes with his team.

Volleyball skunks the competition

CHASITY SPADY STAFF WRITER

Sonoma State’s women’s volleyball went undefeated this past week once again. The Seawolves played against league rivals Chico State and Stanislaus State. The Seawolves have seemed to have found their rhythm this week as they are now riding a 3 game win streak.

There have been a couple of players in particular that stood out this week and pushed their teams toward a win. Senior Jen Tre phan, juniors Leilani Hallman and Jaden Krist and grad student Kiana Richardson. Each player has been crucial to the success the Seawolves have achieved recently.

The Seawolves last three games have all ended in a sweep. The energy feeding from these games has carried over from one game to another that has led to the consecutive wins. Trephan, a setter for the Seawolves mentions how their team got their hopes from which helped them successfully win.

“We were on a winning streak of 2 games before this and I think that definitely helped with our confidence. We are such a close team and we all want to win and we play really well when we all trust each other and I think that helped us beat Stanislaus.” said Trephan.

The trust they all have within each other encouraged their work ethic this week. The confidence they received from the winning streak brought them in to continue to focus on big upcoming games.

“Coming into this week we focused on controlling the errors we tend to make and everyone did great tonight at doing their parts,” said Hallman.

Laura Smith, a supporter in the stands, pointed out, “The other team is just running all over the place, while our team is so re laxed.” Along with this visual fact from a fan, Trephan mentions how important this very fact is in order to keep cool in games.

“I always try to hit how I would in games in practice so I am more comfortable in games,” said Trephan. “Also trying new things in practice helps a lot too so I know what to work on. Brynna is an amazing setter and always gives me good opportunities to get kills.”

A major factor for this year’s team in comparison to last year is their offense. Players on the team have come a long way and shown an incredible amount of growth. Viewing statistics from last year

in comparison to the 2022 year, there is an improvement in the amount of assists, digs, kills and blocks so far this year. Hitters are getting more opportunities and improving how they hit as well.

Trephan has shown to be a consistent threat. Against Chico State, she led the team with 9 kills and continued her dominance with another 8 kills against Stanislaus State. She has also done really well in setting up for her teammates as she is getting about 20 assists per game. Trephan ex plains “I’ve definitely started hitting the ball harder which I think makes me more of a threat.”

The Seawolves after this week are now at 11-5 overall with 4 wins and 4 losses in conference. With their accomplishment of winning 3 times in a row, they moved up to sixth place in the league standings. Their next game is Thursday against Cal Poly Humboldt at the Wolves Den. For more information on the team head over to https://sonomaseawolves.

COURTESY // Justin Ferrari

Senior Ulysses Vega has been clincal in front of the goal box this season as he leads the Seawolves in scoring through 10 games.

COURTESY// Justin Ferrari

Setter Jen Trephan sets up middle blocker Jessie Hobbs for a kill during their victory over Chico State.

Photo

Erik Castro’s ‘Harvester’ exhibit at the University Art Gallery

Friendly competition livens up FAASSU’s game night

STAR // Cec Fernandez

As chairs disappear and the tension grows, players fight to stay in the game of musical chairs at the FAASSU Game Night.

STAR // Cec Fernandez

Students cheer and laugh as they watch the final two players wrestle for the winning spot in musical chairs at the FAASSU Game Night Sept. 29.

STAR // Cec Fernandez Mikayla Rudis carefully looks over each one of Castro’s photographs Sept. 29 at his ‘Harvester’ exhibit. This exhibit showcases the portraits of Sonoma County Vinyard workers.

STAR // Cec Fernandez

Edgar Munoz locks eyes with one of Erick Castro’s breath taking photographs on Sept. 29 at the University Art Gallery. Castro is an award-winning photojournalist based in Santa Rosa.

STAR // Cec Fernandez

Game Night attendees scramble to fill out their ‘Ice Breaker Bingo’ cards as they meet new people and make connections at the FAASSU event Sept. 29.

STAR // Cec Fernandez New friends eagerly see which boxes they can sign off on other’s ‘Ice Breaker Bingo’ sheets at the FAASSU game night Sept. 29.