Issue 4

IN THIS ISSUE

Self-care Pop-up virtual self-care classes are offered to SSU students.

PAGE 10.

Sci-Fi at SSU

Spring Events

The Arts and Humanities department annouces new focus on science fiction.

PAGE 6.

Stay connected to fellow Seawolves through virtual ASP events.

PAGE 8.

SINCE 1979

VOLUME 85 // ISSUE 5 FEBRUARY 23, 2021 - MARCH 1, 2021

THE UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT RUN NEWSPAPER

@SONOMASTATESTAR

COURTESY// Instagram A mural of civil rights activists displayed at Carly’s Bistro in Phoenix, AZ for Black History Month.

Black History Month Zoom meeting bombed with racist content CALLIE ADAMS STAFF WRITER

L

ast week, Seawolves attending a Black History Month event over Zoom to discuss Black athletes with athlete Monica McNutt, were interrupted by a Zoom “bomber.”

The unnamed individual entered the Zoom meeting during the discussion to spread racist and bigoted content.

The hour-long virtual event, taking place on Feb. 16, titled “The Black Student Athlete Experience,” is part of Sonoma State’s Black History Month program, which is sponsored by the Black Faculty and Staff Association. Athlete and journalist McNutt was a guest speaker and encouraged those in attendance to explore what it means to be a Black athlete and share their own personal experiences and perspectives. The link to the meeting was available to the public.

“Prior to the Zoom bomb, the discussion around Black athletes, both student and professional, was quite inspiring and uplifting,” said Dr. Wm. Gregory Sawyer, vice president for Student Affairs at Sonoma State, “Immediately after the Zoom bomb, the speaker asked everyone to ‘breathe,’ to take a ‘breath,’ and then the intended presentation and conversation continued.”

Sawyer added, “I believe that all 56 people on the call [were] determined not to let this racist act steal our collective joy.”

Two hours after the Zoom event concluded, SSU sent an email out to students and

faculty, making them aware of the hateful incident and condemning its intent. “While we will refrain from sharing details of what occurred, because we refuse to provide these cowardly bigoted individuals the platform they seek, we do want to acknowledge the harm done to our Black community members and others who were present,” the email to the campus community read, “Marginalized communities are too often forced to bear such hatred and moments like this wound deeply.”

Chief of Staff to the President & Vice President of Strategic Initiatives & Diversity, Dr. Jerlena Griffin-Desta, believes the incident is a result of perpetuated racism within the nation as a whole.

“The incident was very disturbing to those in attendance...such incidents have no place at SSU or anywhere else. I am extremely saddened and disappointed, but [the incident is] not that surprising given the level of acceptance and permissability of racist acts and other forms of expressions that persist in this country, whether it be Black people in general, Asians, or undocumented peoples,” Griffin-Desta said, “We are all targeted, it seems.”

This being said, Griffin-Desta added that she “remains optimistic” and is “heartened by the number of people who have reached out and expressed support to those impacted.”

The SSU Black Faculty and Student Association (BFSA) released a statement on

see ZOOM BOMBER on pg. 5

STAR // Anndrew Savedra Some elementary students are returning to in-person classes with new safety protocols in place.

STAR// Sarah Ramos A Seawolf in front of The Green Music Center where commencement would normally be held.

SSU plans hybrid drive-through commencement for 20’and 21’ grads MARY HELEN ROWELL STAFF WRITER

S

onoma State University announced on Feb. 16 that the University plans on celebrating the graduating Classes of 2020 and 2021 with a hybrid drive-thru and virtual ceremony.

The ceremonies will be taking place on the weekend of May 15 - 16, for the Class of 2020, and the weekend of May 22 - 23, for the class of 2021.

The commencement will be a mixture of a drive-thru ceremony and a virtual ceremony for those who cannot be there in person. There will also be an opportunity for participants to walk across a stage in their regalia and receive their diploma cover in person.

In that email sent out to the graduating classes, Vice President for University Advancement CoChair and Commencement Logistics Committee member Mario A. Perez along with Caroline Neyman, Operations Director, Green Music Center Co-Chair and fellow Commencement Logistics Committee member, explained the reasoning for trying a hybrid drive-thru commencement ceremony instead of an all virtual one.

“After careful consideration of current public health guidance, the Commencement Logistics Comsee 2021 GRADUATES on pg. 5

Sonoma County schools re-open as soon as March

KAITLIN BREEN

STAFF WRITER

A

fter almost a year without in-person instruction in Sonoma County, schools are about to re-open. Districts like Santa Rosa City Schools are on track to partially re-open for in-person instruction on March 1.

At the beginning of this year, the California Department of Public Health released new guidelines for the return to in-person instruction in schools. Under these guidelines, schools throughout California are allowed to re-open once the case rate in their respective counties reaches less than 25 cases per 100,000 residents. Neighboring Marin County currently has schools open for in-person and hybrid instructions, while Sonoma County is almost ready.

As of Feb. 9, Sonoma County’s case rate reached below this threshold. In order for schools serving transitional-kindergarten through 6th grade to re-open, all they have to do is complete a COVID-19 safety plan which will be approved by the county health department.

As of right now, over 15 school districts in Sonoma County, including the Santa Rosa City Schools, have submitted their safety plans, and plan to open on March 1st.

The Santa Rosa City Schools district encompasses 25 schools, totaling over 15,000 students from transitional kindergarten through 12th grade. see TEACHERS on pg. 4

2 Editorial THE STAR Editorial Board

FEB. 23 - MARCH 1, 2021

sonomastatestar.com

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the STAR

Kylie Rose Lawrence, Editor-in-Chief Kristina Schmuhl, News Editor Katelyn Dodge, Opinion Editor Christy Chew, Arts & Entertainment Editor Myles Grabau, Student Life Editor Emily Cripe, Health & Wellness Editor Brandon Sparks, Photo Editor Gil Chaffer, Copy Editor Bryce Gallagher, Distribution Manager Corinne Asturias, Faculty Adviser Staff Writers Callie Adams, Ileana Aleman, Emily Alvarado, Jayline Alvarado, Julia Blair, Zena Bounsall, Kaitlin Breen, Cheyenne Carroll, Katlyn Dodge, Casey Fabbri, Sumiko Fong, Bryce Gallagher, Gabriella Hermogeno, KC Holtemann, Olivia Hughes, Nancy Insua, Willy Lepori, Quinn McKibbin, Morgan Mitchell, Caroline Morales, Sondra Ottenstein, Samantha Pezzola, Noah Philpott, Anthony Pilotti, Mary Helen Rowell, Matthew Smith, Vincent Spence

Photographers Isabelle Barkey, Pammy Meyers, Andrew Savedra

Nichols Hall 323, 1801 East Cotati Ave Rohnert Park, CA 94928 Telephone: 707-664-2776 Business & General Inquiries: sonomastatestar@gmail.com Corrections and News Tips: star@sonoma.edu

Editor’s Pick This week’s can’t miss article:

“The parallels of California and Texas’ climate emergencies” Read the article on page 3.

Have an opinion?

A

s the novel Coronavirus pandemic hit California in mid-March, Sonoma State University and their media outlets began adapting to the colossal challenges that came with it. The Sonoma State STAR had to make timely decisions about the future of the newspaper, and as a team, we came to the conclusion that the paper must continue.

The STAR has since transitioned to a completely digital format as the pandemic continues to ravage, but the changeover was no walk in the park.

Announcing online schooling for the rest of the academic year may have been a relief to some, but the STAR team was faced with a massive new wave of challenges. As the school acclimated to health and safety regulations for COVID-19, the STAR had to acclimate alongside. Instead of having our typical in-person meetings and class discussions, we had to start from scratch--tweaking all procedures in order to suit the new online classroom. Prior to this pandemic, students and faculty could see members of the STAR team around campus talking to students, taking photographs, and teaming together for collaborative creations. Unfortunately, due to the Coronavirus pandemic, students from the STAR are no longer allowed to perform any in-person activities, so the ability

STAR // @sonomastatestar on facebook

of easily accessing students and faculty for interviews on campus was almost completely lost.

In order to keep local, the STAR team had to become online detectives, finding local sources and contacting them digitally--all while staying in accordance with the health and safety laws. In the beginning, it was extremely difficult to keep our paper local, as reporters were sent back home to stay safe from the virus. Cancellations of activities and events happening around Sonoma county also made it difficult to find local topics to write about. This became tough for our paper to not only stay local, but inform our readers about current events.

However, the STAR was able to overcome this, and found ways to keep our paper intriguing at a local level.

As the pandemic continued and made a harsh impact on Sonoma County, the use of technology and online platforms became a main priority. The STAR previously had an online appearance, but we knew this was going to become our main focus during the pandemic. The team now had to renovate our online format, including teaching new ideas to reporters to keep our online appearance alive.

The Sonoma State STAR newspaper is available on our

website at: http://www.sonomastatestar.com/.

The STAR is student-run, and we are passionate about providing student insight on local events and news stories. We still wanted to continue to do this, despite the challenges the pandemic thrust at us. We have seen newspaper and news outlet sales dropping continuously throughout the past year, starting with the alarming drop in 2017. “Print newspapers [marked] a 700,000 drop compared to 2016,” according to Journalism.

Most newspaper outlets have either downsized their available print copies or have completely halted their paper issues, but the STAR battled in order to keep publishing throughout.

The STAR wants to thank our readers for following us throughout this journey, as well as proffessors, faculty members, and surrounding community members for cooperating with our team of reporters to create new content. We know that the past year has been difficult for everyone, but we believe that producing a local newspaper is of the uttmost importance and we could not do it without the support we receive from the SSU community.

The STAR welcomes news tips, ideas for stories, and letters to the editor at star@sonoma.edu.

We’d like to hear from you!

The STAR welcomes letters to the editor at star@sonoma.edu

Publication 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.

Opinions

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

Letters to the Editor

Letter writers may expect prompt publication in the newspaper’s op-ed section, as space is available. 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 responsibility of the editor to check statements purporting the facts.

The STAR reserves the right to refuse publication.

Editorial Policy: The commentary expressed in the unsigned editorial represents a majority opinion of the STAR Editorial Board on a topic facing the campus community in keeping with journalistic precedents of other major newspapers, and may not be shared by all staff writers. The board encourages readers to write letters to the editor about all topics, including the editorial.

Opinion 3

FEB. 23 - MARCH 1, 2021 sonomastatestar.com

Romanticizing serial killers in the media

ZENA BOUNSALL STAFF WRITER

N

etflix’s 2021 documentary “Night Stalker” brought the glorification of serial killers to light. “Night Stalker” focuses on a man named Richard Ramirez, who murdered 15 people throughout California during the 1980s.

He began his massacre in Southern California and eventually made his way down to Northern California, murdering a San Francisco man only an hour away from Sonoma State. Once Ramirez was put on trial, he quickly rose to fame. The attention snowballed into something bigger- a fan club.

All of a sudden, women were showing up to Ramierez’s hearings, all there to show their devotion. Writing fan mail and ignoring the fact that he had a record of molesting children, sexually assaulting women, and murdering at random.

Unfortunately, fan-girls’ infatuation with Ramirez is chalked down to what some might say are good looks. The only logic someone might be able to put behind this reasoning is that when a person is attractive, it is presumed that they have good intentions. Society assumes that with a beautiful face, comes a flawless life that is accompanied by endearing morals.

Thus, leaving these fan clubs in disbelief

over Ramirez’s inhumane accusations.

In contrast, others idolize his misconduct and the fetishization of satanism, resulting in further glorification after the 2021 documentary was released.

Across social media, there are Richard Ramirez fan accounts pushing this narrative that due to his appearance, he is innocent. One Twitter user, CU1L4RICHIE, captioned a photo of Ramirez by saying “I’m in love with Richard Ramirez and nobody can tell me different” and “every part of Richard Ramirez is perfect.” This kind of idolization can be found across every platform- especially TikTok. There are video montages of sexualized edits for others to romanticize these serial killers with little remorse for the violent acts they committed. Obviously, there is a deep flaw in the public’s reaction to a convicted serial killer, being rooted in severe societal issues.

Another facet of romanticization in the media is applauding and lusting over the “bad boy” in film. Male actors are applauded for being violent and mysterious- which ties into another case of serial killer glorification with actual murders such as Ted Bundy.

Bundy murdered 30 women between 1974-1978, according to True Crime Magazine. He too had fan-girls both in and outside of the courtroom, but the romanticization of Bundy recently resurfaced in the 2019 Netflix film “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile”, which stars the ever beloved actor Zac Efron. Efron was a distasteful pick to portray Bundy due to his astoundingly positive reputation, paired with his reputable innocence and being a millennials sex symbol.

When asked her thoughts on Efron’s role and Bundy’s portrayal in the film, Allison Wargo, a Rohner Park resident said “It was difficult to view him as a serial killer, and his role as a villain was incredibly sexualized, which created a huge fandom behind it making girls want a serial killer as a boyfriend. It was a hard role to be taken seriously”. The public will always remember Efron as the High School Musical darling Troy Bolton, which acts as a hurdle in viewing him as a bloodthirsty serial killer.

During the film, there are no scenes that contain murderous actions.

This allows for room to believe that he was innocent, although murder is implied. Without providing support for the actions Bundy is being charged with, it’s difficult to view a now-convicted killer in the negative light that they should be perceived in. Scenes that would have portrayed unlawful and immoral behavior would require viewers to feel emotionally driven to acknowledge what kind of a monster Bundy truly was.

Overall, the media needs to carefully execute the representation of evil, and keep the influence on young women’s safety in mind, as sexual and physical violence should never be tolerated or romanticized. In addition, allegiance for a convicted killer should be removed from apps available to children, because youthful minds are wildly impressionable. If society begins to desensitize the destruction of lives, a recurring pattern of evil will prevail. Once brutality is normalized through publicity, it becomes real in private.

Talor Swift battles for the rights to her music

NANCY INSUA

STAFF WRITER

T

aylor Swift has begun the highly anticipated re-release of her first six albums. She is beginning with Fearless, her second studio album, its original release was on Nov. 11, 2008. Her first single from the re-recording “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” is available now.

Taylor has written or co-written almost the entirety of her discography, including her third studio album Speak Now where each song is written solely by Taylor. Her music has resonated with her listeners from its origin and she has only strengthened that relationship, releasing her ninth studio album this past December.

Taylor’s first six albums will each be re-recorded and released owned completely by Taylor. The masters, the original audio recording where all future copies are generated from, to the original records are currently owned by an investment fund. Entrepreneur and record

executive Scooter Braun sold them after he initially acquired the masters in his purchase of Big Machine Records, Swift’s former record label, in a sale in June 2019 for 300 million dollars. Just under a year and a half later Braun sold the masters to Swift’s music in a deal that earned him over 300 million dollars for the masters to her music alone. Swift was outspoken in her discontent in the sale and not being afforded the opportunity to purchase the rights to her records.

Taylor when speaking out on the sale said “As you know, for the past year I’ve been actively trying to regain ownership of my master recordings. With that goal in mind, my team attempted to enter into negotiations with Scooter Braun, I would have to sign a document that would silence me forever before I could even have a chance to bid on my own work. My legal team said that this is absolutely NOT normal, he would never even quote my team a price. These master recordings were not for sale to me”.

Then Taylor was informed that her music had been sold to the investment fund when she received a letter from them. She wrote “This was the second time my music had been sold without my knowledge. The letter told me that they wanted to reach out before the sale to let me know, but that Scooter Braun had required that they make no contact with me or my team, or the deal would be off”.

Taylor is not the first artist to go to war over ownership, notably, The

Beatles faced similar frustrations when Micheal Jackson acquired the rights to The Beatles discography in 1985. Taylor is also not the first to re-record music, many artists re-record for various reasons to use in films. Going as far as to re-record a song if the original does not display the sound an artist had originally intended. Def Leppard, similar to Swift, re-recorded their biggest hits in an attempt to regain ownership of their work in an alternative way.

Taylor has a long road ahead, and many will be watching to track the success of these six albums.

Other artists who attempted similar ventures have not commonly received the positive public response they aimed for and the re-recordings were more often than not inferior to the original tracks. While success in the music industry typically translates to charting songs, selling albums, and large stadium tours, but these are achievements Swift has already had repeatedly over her career time and time again. The success Taylor is likely aiming for is her new releases being well received and loved by the fans of her music, and a sense of ownership over the music she has written. Although if anyone is to reach peak commercial success with the same songs twice in their career, it may be Swift. Taylor is topping the chart with “Love Story” for a second time, only now it’s Taylor’s Version.

The parallels of California and Texas’ climate emergencies

JULIA BLAIR

STAFF WRITER

I

n the midst of a hectic ice storm, Texas has been experiencing rolling power outages and blackouts, affecting people in similar ways as last year’s California wildfires. Both situations have left people without electricity or gas, proving major energy companies are unprepared for extraneous circumstances. Climate change as well as natural disasters force states to reconsider their priorities. These states have experienced similar things because of extreme temperatures, both with a lack of power and water.

The security of our disaster relief proves to be outdated for the climate conditions. The same way the climate has changed over time, the plan to attack the anticipated changes has failed to proceed.

CNBC reported in 2019 that PG&E had shut off power affecting about half a million people in California and many remember this experience. Talking to one of my peers, (who wishes to remain anonymous) about their experience, they shared “I was very frustrated having to go to different stores that were open to charge my phone. It was very awkward and uncomfortable to bargain charging time and outlets with strangers.” There is a certain level of frustration associated with these circumstances and everyone has to navigate through the tough waters.

In both of these outages, providers were illequipped for the worst-case scenario. Forbes writer Brentan Alexander reminds many that outages experienced during California’s extreme heatwave seem far less frigid than conditions faced by Texas residents.

Failing power grids have shown the environmental as well as financial costs that climate change truly demands. At one point, it is said that four million residents were experiencing an outage at one given time.

Ultimately this means millions of people waiting for answers, and clinging to hope that these providers will be able to restore power. According to the New York Times, all of Texas’ 254 counties were affected by the storm simultaneously. The intensity of the storm, combined with the number of people affected has created a wake-up call for providers in regards to future planning. Similarly to California, with the dense concentration of population in both areas, systems will be forced to adapt to increased usage.

Changing the course of disaster planning may be an initial step for different groups going forward after lessons learned this week. Susie Neilson from The San Francisco Chronicle points out that Texas’ individual state power reliability based on their own grids leaves them in a vulnerable place regarding harsh climate conditions. They do not have the same reliability as other states like California do, which rely on the Western Interconnection, one major electrical grid which powers the majority of the U.S. Many are criticizing the state’s sole reliability on their own electrical system when the climate has proven to be so unpredictable. The Texas Tribune tells the devastating stories of family members, including a resident of Abilene, who tragically passed away in their home after being without power for three days. This is absolutely heartbreaking and no one should have to see their loved one suffer and discover no resources to aid the situation.

The consistent natural disasters have proven to require ample alternatives and backups that sometimes still fail. There are clear parallels to draw between the blackouts experienced in both states, these companies cannot serve a modern problem with outdated technology. They will need aid from those bigger than themselves in order to make the proper changes.

A possible plan to change energy capacities and future plans will require mass participation in reform efforts and aid for these companies to create change in unprecedented times. Despite the lack of public announcements regarding ideas to reconfigure the state’s energy sources, many are now seeing these natural disasters as examples and calls to action that for some may legitimize climate change. However, this cannot be the end of the conversation surrounding a lack of resources distributed to natural disaster relief especially being burdened by the energy companies and those they are unable to provide for in these critical conditions.

Ted Cruz’s vacation lands him in hot water

JAYLINE ALVARADO

STAFF WRITER

A

s Texas faces freezing temperatures and a lack of electricity, Ted Cruz made the decision to travel to Cancun. What he didn’t expect was the intense backlash that the trip would have when he was spotted at the airport. Unlike his constituents, Ted Cruz has the luxury of leaving the country for a vacation when a natural disaster hits.

His actions have citizens calling for his resignation.

Sen. Cruz was spotted at the airport on Thur., pulling a suitcase while wearing a casual shortsleeved polo tucked into a pair of jeans with light-

weight sneakers. Clothes that did not match the intense cold snap inf licting 30-degree temperatures on the state of Texas. It further emphasizes how out of touch Cruz was with the situation the state of Texas is in.

He threw his daughters under the bus by telling media outlets that his daughters were the ones who wanted to travel to Mexico. A New York Times article by Shane Goldmacher and Nicholas Fandos authenticated leaked messages from Cruz’s wife revealing that they were already planning to f ly to Cancun in order to escape the frigid cold. This contradicted Cruz’s initial statement that his daughters were the ones who wanted to go to Mexico. Cruz defended his actions as an “attempt to placate his two daughters, ages 10 and 12, after a ‘tough week’.”

It is a ridiculous notion that the attempt to placate kids by taking them to Mexico was a good idea.

Using his children as a scapegoat, that they were the ones who wanted to travel and escape the cold is cowardly. The state of Texas has also had a ‘tough week’ but Texans continue to suffer without a chance to escape, thousands stuck in colds as temperatures dropped as low as 21-degrees.

It highlights the hypocrisy of Ted Cruz as he’s

continued to call out other political public figures for leaving while he’s doing the same things. Kathryn Krawczyk from Yahoo News found tweets from Senator Cruz that, “Deemed Austin, Texas Mayor Steve Adler a “hypocrite” for traveling to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and recording a video there telling Austin residents to stay home.” Why isn’t he taking accountability for his words or actions? The same actions that he condemned are the same ones he’s committing as a result he’s guilty of hypocrisy. Regardless of the political party, they should own up to the fact that they have the resources to go elsewhere while their constituents are the ones who are braving the storm.

At the very least, this situation has provided common ground for Democrats and Republicans alike in the state; their representatives have the luxury to quietly escape the climate disaster occurring in their state while citizens continue to remain in their homes where temperatures continue to drop, pipes are bursting, fresh water is not readily available, the power remains off, and electricity bills continue to skyrocket.

Had Senator Cruz not been spotted attempting to escape the ice storm, he would be in 80-degree weather at a nice hotel in Mexico waiting for this national emergency to blow over.

4 News

FEB. 23 - MARCH 1, 2021

sonomastatestar.com

continued from pg. 1

STAR // Rachel Gonzalez The entry way to the Marina Crossing Apartments, a 90 unit complex that Sonoma State purchased to provide affordable housing to faculty.

51 out of 90 units sit empty at SSU owned Marina Crossing Apartments

ILEANA ALEMAN STAFF WRITER

I

n Feb. 2019 Sonoma State University purchased the Marina Crossing Apartments, a 90 unit complex in Petaluma, to give more affordable housing options to faculty and staff but as of this Feb., 51 out of the 90 units are vacant.

The purpose of buying out these apartments was to provide Sonoma State University (SSU) employees with an option of affordable housing that is close to campus and commuter friendly. In an article by American School and University Magazine, SSU President Sakaki suggested that the purchase of this apartment complex would be beneficial to SSU employees. She said, “This will allow us to address Sonoma State’s workforce housing needs in an immediate and significant way.”

Hillary Homzie, a communications professor, who lives outside of SoCo shares her thoughts on the upside to having employee housing that is intertwined with student housing, and how it is overall beneficial to the campus community and also eco friendly.

“Unfortunately, I don’t live in Sonoma County so these questions don’t quite apply to me. My alma mater is the University of Virginia which was founded by Thomas Jefferson and his vision for the school was an academical village where students and faculty all lived together. He constructed a lawn with dorm rooms along the side dotted with pavilions which housed faculty. Personally, I love the idea of an academically village as it organically creates community and would be a much greener way to live (literally because it’s constructed on a lawn and because there would be no commute for faculty)”, she said.

Teachers and soon to be teachers at Sonoma State University contemplate the difficulties that come with having low wages and high housing costs. Kayla Sierras, a Hutchins major at SSU, feels it is most logical to remain in SoCo for educational purposes.

“I would like to remain living in Sonoma county through my student teaching program since placement schools are in the area, but I will have to work 30 hours or more and live with roommates in order to afford housing in the area”, she said.

Another student, Tais Hernandez, an English major at SSU, is pretty certain that her housing decision will be the most affordable a college student can find. “ I don’t really want to remain in the area because it is expensive to live here and coming out of college with a BA (Bachelor’s of Arts Degree) they don’t tend to pay teachers much. It’s unstable to live here and that is why a lot of students go back to live with their parents because of how expensive it is to live out here ro in most places for that matter”, she said.

The most affordable option, a studio apartment at the Marina Crossing apartments has a monthly rate ranging from $1,450 - $1,575. The average cost for a studio apartment in Sonoma County, more specifically the Rohnert Park area, ranges from $1,625-$1,725. These numbers range very similarly and may explain why many apartments remain available.

The Marina Crossing Apartments is a 10 mi. drive from SSU and has several perks, fitness room, outdoor lounge area and allows for tenants to have pets. It is family friendly with a variety of apartment options that range from studios to four bedroom apartments.

While the goal of SSU buying out these apartments was to address the issues surrounding employees’ housing needs, unaffordable housing remains a reality for all individuals in the SSU area.

Not only is this an issue at SSU but also at other CSU’s. Similarly to SSU, San Jose State University has on campus housing for faculty which is amongst student housing. The monthly housing rate for faculty at SJSU to live on campus in a furnished one bedroom is $2,592. The rates at SJSU are even higher and suggests that unaffordable housing for teachers is an issue across all of California and not just in Sonoma State University. In an article

by EdSource it is explained how it has become more common, specifically in the bay area, for schools to offer housing for employees.

“The analysis found the Bay Area has the largest disparity between teacher salaries and rental housing costs in the state. In 47 school districts in the region, the highest-paid teachers only earn enough to rent an affordable one-bedroom apartment, using the federal definition of affordable housing as 30 percent or less of household income” they said.

Despite these efforts to make affordable housing, this brings up a bigger issue that it is likely impossible to make housing affordable, due to how expensive it is to live across all of California.

“An EdSource analysis of Census Bureau data found that about 40,000 teachers left the state between 2013 and 2017, although it is not clear if they left because of housing costs.”

The overall cost of living in California is exceedingly high and continues to rise. While this explains the high housing rates at the Marina Crossing Apartments, more needs to be done in order to make this designated employee housing affordable and accommodating to teachers’ salary.

COURTESY// Rochelle Anderson Rochelle Anderson’s classroom at Wright Elementary has sat empty since last March.

COURTESY // Rochelle Anderson Teachers everywhere were forced to pack up their classrooms last March as the pandemic hit.

Current and future teachers eager to return to physical classroom

It is worth noting that the upcoming return to in-person instruction does not apply to students in middle or high schools in Sonoma County.

Sonoma County remains in the purple tier, the most restrictive tier under California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy, and those in grades higher than kindergarten through sixth will have to wait until Sonoma County moves into the red tier for at least five consecutive days, in order to return to in-person instruction.

The reality of virtual instruction since last year has not only impacted students in Sonoma County schools, it has also impacted Sonoma State students in the School of Education. Various classes in this school require that students complete observation hours in a classroom, or student teaching in local schools. With virtual instruction, these opportunities have begun to dwindle.

Casey Ditzhazy, a current undergraduate student at SSU studying Early Childhood Education, is currently enrolled in one of these courses. She is currently taking EDEC 237, Early Childhood Curriculum with Field Experience, which requires students to complete classroom observation hours.

Prior to COVID-19 this observation would be completed by students going into local schools to observe teachers in the classroom and interact with students. However, during virtual instruction, students are completing their observation by watching clips

continued from pg. 1

from research databases, which show classroom operations.

Ditzhazy says that this form of observation, “...doesn’t compare to the real experience,” and added, “Education majors look forward to being in the classroom, so it’s disappointing to not have that same experience.”

Ditzhazy said that her professors have not brought up the reopening of schools in Sonoma County, or how the re-opening will impact those completing observation hours.

When asked if she would like to complete her observation inperson and in a classroom if it were possible this semester, Ditzhazy said, “I don’t know if I would, everything is still so up in the air.

It’s hard to tell which plans will work and which ones won’t. For my own safety, I don’t think I would this semester.”

Like many others, Ditzhazy believes that teachers and childcare workers should be next in line to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, in order to protect their health as they return to schools.

On Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that California will set aside 10% of its weekly allotment of the COVID-19 vaccine for educators starting in March, in order to improve and speed up the process of reopening public schools across the state.

In an interview with the Sonoma County Gazette, Dr. Steve Herrington, the Sonoma County Superintendent of Schools, said that the safety plan review process for Sonoma County could take

weeks to complete. These safety plans must be posted online for at least five days prior to reopening.

These safety plans outline the precautions that will be put into place in order to keep teachers and students safe.

Some of the precautions outlined in the safety plan submitted by Santa Rosa City Schools include: placing students into stable cohorts with fixed membership to minimize contact, health screening and physical precautions such as facial coverings and physical distancing while at school, and the testing, identification, and tracing of positive COVID-19 cases.

Once the safety plans of each school are approved, schools may remain open as long as Sonoma County maintains a case rate of less than 25 cases per 25,000 residents.

Teachers and students alike are ready to return to schools.

Rochelle Anderson, a fourth grade teacher at Wright Elementary in Santa Rosa said, “I’m excited to be moving forward and getting back into the classroom in April. My students and their families have worked so hard at remote learning. We have all bonded over doing this hard thing together, so I can’t wait to physically meet them in the classroom for the first time.”

As schools begin to open around Sonoma County, teachers and students will be able to return to some semblance of normalcy amongst the era of COVID-19.

News 5

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sonomastatestar.com

STAR// Genesis Botello The inside of the Green Music Center, seen here during a Women in Coversation event in Sept. 2019, is normally where graduation ceremonies would take place.

SSU announces plans for 2020-2021 graduates continued from pg. 1

mittee thinks the best format for this important celebration is a hybrid drive-thru ceremony. While current Sonoma County public health data indicates that large in-person gatherings such as commencement will not yet be feasible

by May, a hybrid drive-thru format will provide more of a community feel than a solely virtual format”, the email read.

For some students, graduation is an important milestone in their life that marks the ending of one chapter and the beginning of a new one. It is an achievement that is often celebrated with parties, friends and family, caps and gowns, and lots of pictures. However, as the world tries to navigate a global pandemic, graduation is looking very different for the Classes of 2020 and 2021.

While many universities, like SSU, are trying to maintain a sense of community and celebrate the students graduating, COVID-19 safety and restrictions have left them with very few options.

In efforts to keep their communities safe, many universities have resorted to virtual ceremonies.

SSU’s idea of a drive-thru ceremony gives students an opportunity to walk the stage and receive their diplomas while still adhering to COVID guidelines.

When talking to a variety of students who plan on graduating in the Spring of 2021 and students who recently graduated in Fall 2020, the students on track to graduate in the Spring seemed more interested in the idea than the stu-

dents who already graduated.

George Condit, a 24-year-old Computer Science major at SSU who is planning on graduating in the spring said, “It’s definitely an interesting idea. I appreciate the ingenuity and the desire to safely give students the opportunity to graduate nearly in-person. It’s such an important thing to be able to cross that threshold, figuratively and literally, and the last year and a half of struggles for SSU students definitely make that opportunity all the more important.”

Sonoma State is one of the first universities to announce their plan to try this new hybrid drive-thru commencement.

Alondra Lona, a 23-year-old Spanish and Computer Science major also set to graduate in the spring wrote in a text message, “I don’t think it’s that bad of an idea! I know they are trying to do what is safe and works best. Ideally I would have loved to have an actual graduation, but this is better than just being virtual. But also I know that not everyone lives in Sonoma County to attend.”

However, some students who recently graduated are less enthusiastic about the idea, as that chapter of their life has already seemed to come to a close, or at least a stand still.

21-year-old Avery Engelstad, an English Literature major who recently graduated in the Fall said, “I understand that they want to make it special for those of us who have graduated but it just feels like a bigger reminder of how

much time of my college years I’d lost.”

Engelstad says the challenges of online classes motivated her to graduate early but she was unable to celebrate her success with the people important to her.

“I pretty much just called my mom”, she wrote when asked how she celebrated, “She wants to go and do something fun eventually but with COVID there isn’t a ton to even do and I can’t even see all my family right now so we just have to wait.”

Kate Smale, a 22-year-old Technical Theater major who also graduated in the Fall shares a similar sentiment, “It’s cool to try and celebrate, it’s just a weird time so I think it’s hard to get excited about anything.”

When asked if they had any ideas for ways universities could make COVID graduations a bit more exciting, some students suggested virtual department or major-specific celebrations as a final way to connect with friends and professors within their program. Other students expressed that part of the graduation experience is taking photos on campus and suggested that universities set up little photo areas around their campuses with little props where students and their families can go take pictures and feel a bit more involved.

Despite the continuous struggles and challenges posed everyday by the pandemic, many students are looking forward to the opportunity to safely celebrate their graduation beyond a computer screen.

News in brief Feb. 16-22

COURTESY // Instagram The Sonoma State Black Faculty and Staff Association thanked the speaker at the Zoom event, Monica McNutt, for continuing on with professionalism after the racist interuption.

Zoom bomber doesn’t disrupt BHM event

• Texas in turmoil - Record breaking low temperatures and winter storms cause power outages for 4 million Texans. Over 50 people have died as a result of freezing temperatures.

• Sonoma State vandalized- 14 exit signs have been damaged on campus since Jan. 1., with over eight in the last week alone. The fountain at Beaujolais Village was also tampered with by vandals who poured soap into it, resulting in it being drained indefinitley.

• Ted Cruz skips town- The senator from Texas left the state with his family and headed to Cancun amidst the statewide weather crisis.

Cruz is facing harsh backlash from people on Twitter and many of his own constituents.

• 500,000 COVID-19 deaths- The United States has the highest death count of any country, reaching half a million cases last week.

Despite this shocking number, new virus cases are down 40% in the last two weeks.

• NASA Mars rover lands- The rover, named Perseverance, safely landed on Mars last Thursday. It will continue the search for life on Mars by documenting the Jerezo Crater, looking for any potential clue that the red planet may have been habitable in the past.

continued from pg. 1

social media, reminding Seawolves that the Black History Month program conducts public events for those who, “have pure intentions, and are there strictly for the sake of supporting our campus community, instead of infringing upon our safety.”

The SSU BFSA also commended McNutt, stating, “A very special thank-you to our guest speaker, Monica McNutt, for her exceptional professionalism and resilience despite such an awful expression of hate. We deeply appreciate your time and inspiring words shared, and would love to reconnect with you soon.”

SSU currently has the University Police Department, the Information Technology Department, and the Division of Student Affairs investigating the incident and working to prevent future disturbances. The university encourages anyone with information regarding the incident to report it to the campus police immediately.

Additionally, students seeking support can receive it through CAPS, Sonoma State’s Counseling and Psychological Services, and staff can receive support through the Employee Assistance Program, LifeMatters by Empathia.

Julia Gonzalez, assistant vice president for strategic communications, when asked for comment, said that she would like to emphasize one particular phrase from the email: “As Seawolves, an attack on one of us is an attack on us all.”

With that sentiment, Seawolves are reminded not to allow hateful incidents to sow division amongst themselves, and to practice unity.

“This one act of hatred and bigotry shall not and will not steal the joy, honor, and praise of recognizing the accomplishment of those who embody and have created the essence of Black History STAR//Pamela Meyers in America,” Sawyer said. “The incident was disturbing, I believe, to everyone in attendance. There is absolutely NO place at SSU, the state of California or the nation for this type racist and bigoted The fountain in Beaujolais Village was drained last week after it was filled behavior towards any group. This type of behavior runs counter to our Seawolf values and our com- with soap by an unknown vandalizer. The fountain will remain turned off until further notice. mitment to a diverse, equitable and inclusive campus. We must rebuke these acts of intolerance.”

6 Arts

FEB. 23 - MARCH 1, 2021

sonomastatestar.com

Sci-Fi at Sonoma State

COURTESY // Sonoma State The Arts and Humanities department is excited to announce their new focus on science fiction, connecting Humanities and Science.

SONDRA OTTENSTEIN STAFF WRITER

T

he creation of the cell phone in the 1970s was inspired by the ‘Star Trek’ communicator, the first liquid fueled rocket came to life after its inventor read HG Wells’ ‘War of The Worlds.’ Science fiction has played a role in the creation of science and technology for decades. While art and science might seem like an unlikely pair, Sonoma State University’s Arts and Humanities school sees the value in the work being done through science fiction and has rolled out a sci-fi focus connecting the Humanities and Science.

Hollis Robbins, the Dean of the Arts and Humanities school at Sonoma State has spearheaded an initiative to bring more Science Fiction to Sonoma State. With a focus on bringing science fiction focused classes to students across multiple areas of studies like Philosophy, English and American Cultural Studies with more to be added in the coming year.

Dean Robbins and the Arts and Humanities department are also working on a Speaker Series that will bring professionals who have worked on films such as Star Wars and Indiana Jones to talk to Sonoma State students and faculty.

In 2018 when Dean Robbins arrived at Sonoma State, she saw the immense talent in the faculty who had written novels, made documentaries, and created art through science and science fiction as well as those who were teaching science fiction texts and how that was benefiting students. Dean Robbins stated, “Science fiction is about what can be, what might be... Investing in science fiction to me means encouraging students to envision a better world and supplying them with the tools to begin to make it happen.”

One of the many faculty that Dean Robbins mentioned is Stefan Kiesbye, a Sonoma State professor of creative writing and a novelist who teaches science fiction writing, “Literature, since its very beginning, has grappled with the questions of why we are on this planet, what the purpose of life might be, and who else may inhabit the universe. With the

help of science, literature is exploring what our future could look like,” Kiesbye stated.

Kiesbye spoke to the value of creating work that focuses on the future and why it is important to teach science fiction, “Writers have tried to imagine the future by studying what science teaches us about the present. Science fiction is our crystal ball, but it is also a very effective way to view our world from a distance and critique the present. In some ways, science fiction is always more about who we are than who we might become.”

While art is inspired by science, science is inspired by art. Kevin Nguyen, a professor of STEM education specializing in science and engineering, loves to teach science fiction and uses it as a tool to connect students with the material. Nguyen stated that science is taught in a “fact or fiction” way adding, “science fiction allows you to have a conversation about science that makes it more fun and engaging. It’s a really great way for students to get involved with science without having the fear of being wrong” Art and science are very interconnected and influence each other, “it’s important to bring them back together, we separate all our disciplines and to acknowledge there’s so much art and beauty already in science is important,” stated Nguyen.

This new initiative from the Arts and Humanities department will give students the resources and abilities to create what the future might look like. In the MIT Technology Review they said, “Indeed, technology companies increasingly employ futurists who use science fiction as a medium for exploring potential new technologies and their social impact.” This initiative will help make students a better candidate for future employers.

The ‘Sci-Fi at Sonoma State’ webpage can be found at: https://ah.sonoma.edu/sci-fisonoma-state. It will be updated periodically, featuring work by Sonoma State teachers, a list of all the classes being offered that have a sci-fi focus, speaker series updates, and additional information for students who are interested to see what is to come.

‘Kronos Quartet’ hits the virtual stage

VINCENT SPENCE STAFF WRITER

O

n Saturday Feb. 20, the Kronos Quartet performed at Sonoma State University’s Green Music Center. The group has been to the uni-

versity many times and this performance was just as extraordinary as the rest.

The show was a great success, because of Covid-19 the show had to be on zoom but that did not stop the band. They adapted to their surroundings and still made it a great performance. Kronos Quartet played multiple sets of different genres and an informative number in mystery and wonder out of space.

Kronos Quartet has been playing in venues for over 40 years with some of the original members moving on but new comers like Violinist John Sherba, Hank Dutt on the viola, Sunny Yang on the cello with original member David Harrington on the violin. The quartet changes over time as well as starting in Seattle Washington and moving to San Francisco. Over the decades, they have transformed their music into sights and

STAR // Willy Lepori The ‘Kronos Quartet’ performed viturally last Saturday on Zoom, through The Green Music Center.

sounds that they enjoy.

“I went to the concert virtually and had a great

peoples.”

my in 2018 for Best Small Ensemble Performance, a

time. At first it was interesting to listen and watch a

Jaimare Limbrick, a sophomore at Sonoma de-

concert virtually but as time went on the group did a

scribed his time at the concert as, “The concert was a

On the Quartet’s website Jim Hickson of WOMEX

great job. Their music was fun and diverse,” said Val-

lot of fun. I really liked all the music that was played

18 said, “They treat all music with the same passion-

entine Medina, a sophomore business major.

and how informative the mystery and wonder of outer

ate fervour and deep respect that other string ensembles

space. That was something that I was not expecting to

would usually reserve for classical music. And that re-

happen and I thought was a great aspect to the show.”

ally is all music. It doesn’t matter if they’re sitting down

Kronos Quartet takes pride in playing music that is very diverse. The groups genres go from pre-classical

WOMEX award and many others.

early music, Mexican folk music, movie soundtracks,

Over the years Kronos has become extremely suc-

to play Hildegard von Bingen or Harry Partch, Geeshie

to adaptations of Jimi Hendrix, The Animals, and Bob

cessful and influential around the world. The group has

Wiley or Alim Qasimov, Konono Nº1 or DJ Spooky;

Dylan. In 2018, the group even played music from

released over 60 recordings, performed at thousands of

Kronos’ music spans a thousand years and six conti-

countries that President Trump had banned in part of

concert venues, and have received awards. The New

nents… One of the most important factors about the

the travel ban. In protest of this the group played the

York Times described the group as, “The Kronos Quar-

Kronos Quartet is that they are many more than four.

music as not a political statement but more of a learning

tet has broken the boundaries of what string quartets

Their extended family numbers in the hundreds. Col-

tool. The group described it as, “provides an irrefut-

do.” The quartet has won awards like a Grammy Award

laboration has opened up soundscapes that would other-

able response to those seeking to divide and demonize

in 2004 for Best Chamber Music Performance, Gram-

wise be inaccessible for a humble string quartet.”

Entertainment 7

FEB. 23 - MARCH 1, 2021 sonomastatestar.com

Department Spotlight of the Week: Theatre Arts & Dance

EMILY ALVARADO STAFF WRITER

T

he Theatre Arts & Dance Department at Sonoma State University is beloved among students for their supportive and welcoming learning space. With programs offering a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance and a Bachelor of Theatre Arts, the department is very attractive to artists of all different backgrounds. With a Theatre Arts major, students can choose from several concentrations including: Acting, Technical Theatre and Theatre Studies.

Angeles Higareda started off with a dance minor but decided to double major in dance and early childhood studies because of how much she loved the dance program. Higareda said, “During my years here at SSU, I have felt nothing but gratitude, love and appreciation for the dance department.” Higareda also said that the professors at the Dance department have always been ready to accommodate her tight schedule as a double major.

Francelle Mariano is in her fourth year as a Technical Theatre major with a concentration in Stage Management.

During her time at SSU, Mariano has stage managed dance shows, plays and musicals both in-person and virtually.

This school year she is the Production Stage Manager, which means she mentors all stage managers and is in charge of the Senior Project Festival. Mariano thanked several faculty members including Kristen Daley, Christine Cali and Farrah McAdam “for constantly supporting me in any way possible…” She went on to say, “Being a part of this depart-

ment has created a second family for me at Sonoma State.”

Acting major Lindsey Abbott spoke about the program and said, “It really does help you prep for the real world because you’re auditioning for a variety of shows, and if you do get cast you’re performing and rehearsing an array of different types of theatre.”

For the department’s spring show, Paul Draper is directing ‘Sonnets for an Old Century’, with voice coaching by Marie Ramirez Downing. The show will be pre-recorded and streamed April 8-11, 2021.

Maya Pratt-Bauman will be performing a monologue in ‘Sonnets for an Old Century’ and said, “I am very excited to be in the department show this semester...performing a piece about a woman who wanted to be a ballerina.”

The show, written by José Rivera, is a compilation of sonnets, answering the question, “Could you tell your life story in the space of a moment, the length of a Sonnet”, according to the Theatre Arts & Dance webpage.

Other events coming up for the department include the Spring Dance and the Senior Projects festival. Spring Dance will take place virtually April 29 to May 2, 2021 and will be directed by department chair Christine Cali. This event is in collaboration with Kinetech Arts and is meant to illustrate the virtual world we are living in.

The Senior Projects Festival 2021 is the first festival of projects by the department. It will take place May 6 to May 9,

COURTESY // Instagram Sonoma State’s Theatre Arts and Dance will continue to perform virtually during the Spring season.

2021. All projects are directed, choreographed, designed, stage managed and some are even written by students.

Times, tickets and more information on all of the department’s events can be found on the SSU website.

Theatre Arts & Dance Department Chair Christine Cali gave this advice to future Theatre Arts & Dance program applicants, “Be yourself, share who you are and why art-making and live perfor-

mance are important to you, share your passion and be brave!” commented, Pratt-Bauman “The community within the department is inclusive and kind, supporting collaboration among students and faculty.” If you are interested in the Theatre Arts & Dance Department, virtual tours of the program and facilities can be booked on their page on the SSU website for all to enjoy.

78th Golden Globe nominees announced

KC HOLTEMANN STAFF WRITER

W

ith the 78th annual Golden Globe Awards looming in the near weeks, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) has announced the nominees for the upcoming star-studded event The event looks to recognize excellence in the film industry over the last 12 months and celebrate the achievements made by filmmakers. The event aims to honor the best American and International films, television shows, actor and actress performances as well as many more categories that are up for grabs coming in the next week.

The 78th Golden Globes will take place on Feb. 28 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. PST, but for the first time ever, the ceremony will be held virtually to adhere to the health and safety protocols put in place due to COVID-19.

Hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will be covering the ceremony coast to coast as Fey will be in Beverly Hills and Poehler will hold down the east coast in New York City. The virtual event will have nominees all over the world guest appearing throughout the show as well Some of the categories include best motion picture, best performance by an actress in a motion picture, best television series, best performance by an actor, best animated motion picture and many more regarding the production and music in the films as well.

One of the most anticipated categories of the night is the best motion picture. The films that are up for nominations are, ‘The Father’, ‘Mank’, ‘Nomadland’, ‘Promising Young Women’ and ‘The trial of the Chicago 7’. All of these films have been respected in their own way and are being recognized for their stellar performance this year even with all that is going on in the real world.

Two more big awards that are up for the taking is best performance by an actor, and best performance by an actress. These categories have some of the best actors in Hollywood pitted against each other to see who will take home one of the industries most coveted awards. Kate Hudson, James Corden, Andy Samburg, Jodie Foster and plenty of more A-listers will be nominated in their respective categories. SSU Senior Daniel Neal, states that his favorite actor is “Leonardo Dicaprio because of his on-camera persona and that he is always in my favorite movies.”

A common thread in this year’s nominations was the power of streaming services.

Motion pictures and television shows distributed by streaming companies such as Netflix, HBO and Hulu were more popular than ever this year and with the closing of movie theaters and Hollywood studios they flourished. Netflix leads all distributors with 22 films and 20 television shows

COURTESY // Instagram The Golden Globes will premiere virtually on Feb. 28 at 5 p.m. up for nominations. With no theatres open, the movie experience was brought to the living room and this caused the accessibility of the streaming services to take center stage.

Films and shows such as, ‘The Mandalorian’ and ‘Soul’ were massively popular in part to this and as well for being an exceptional film according to their peers. SSU Senior Alex Roque claims that Star Wars hit television spin off show caught his attention by having,” a thrilling storyline while contain-

ing familiar characters to keep me engaged throughout the show.”

The 78th annual Golden Globes will be streamed online via NBC’s streaming service Peacock, as well as airing live on television as well. The very first fully virtual award ceremony will be based at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles and will have celebrities tune in from around the world performing and celebrating the film industry in whole.

Music auditions now available

ANTHONY PILOTTI STAFF WRITER

S

onoma State University’s Music department is highly competitive and educates a very diverse group of students who enjoy performing.

Currently, the department is holding auditions for prospective students, and deadlines are Feb. 27 and March 31.

Dr. Lynne Morrow, Director of the SSU Voice Program and Opera and Music Theatre program, said in a discussion that the first week of every semester there are auditions announced on the music website. Morrow stated also that the voice program and department is a very comprehensive full and serious program training students and teachers, it is a full blown music department, with alternating operas and musicals every year.

There are ensembles every year, and all students on campus are able to audition. Classes are to teach and increase the ability to play music, as well as enhance performance characteristics--especially, the ability to perform. Voice majors perform in Junior and Senior recitals, while all majors experience senior recitals. Students must audition, and options include, jazz, chorus, bands, and orchestras. It is certain that students will increase their musical abilities within the SSU music department. Professor Vikki Del Rossario stated, “I have so much respect for the entire SSU community who have persevered in the most challenging

academic year. I would like to welcome new students to our program. Please get involved and always reach out when you need help, there are many ways to make a difference and create valuable experiences in this amazing community. Sharing your story and passion for music is the best way to start.” The music department, although tough to get into, is a well-regarded space for artists to increase their craft and continue with their passions.

Dr. John Palmer, Chair of Sonoma State’s department of Music, stated that students have to audition to determine aptitude and performing qualities. So just because a student declares a music major doesn’t necessarily mean they’re actually in the program, it is by audition only. Two degrees are offered, BA music and BA in arts, there are multiple concentrations, so there are choices as far as study, they all increase skill in a performance medium. For example, Jazz majors perform, compose, and arrange Jazz, in a composition concentration writing is more the main focus. Music education has the greatest number of students and they do very well with one hundred percent job placement. Palmer said, “They all get jobs, if they choose to get jobs.” Students as well as instructors and directors have and had to learn a lot and, in these times, parts still get put together to produce beautiful compositions. Palmer first concentrated on

music history and currently directs the rock ensemble, and musicianship. Students get introduced to music they may not know, starting with the 50’s and moving forward in a rock collegium, students don’t have to be a music major to participate, but students do have to audition. Palmer said, “It’s more than fun, better than fun it is fulfilling and thrilling, it’s a different kind of fun to make it work and sound good, better than fun, extremely fulfilling.”

So, for those incoming students who have questions about our music program, reach out to someone in the music department, search the SSU website, and look for announcements which can be found on the SSU music departments Instagram. Take some time to ask questions, it doesn’t hurt to ask, and the willingness to help is there. The SSU community remains strong despite challenges and we look forward to returning to campus with some students already back on campus performing. The music department is ready to help students pursue their careers and dreams in the disciplines of music.

For those who graduate, Sonoma State holds a yearly Alumni Concert, found on Sonoma State’s Alumni music department page is a list of alumni concerts that will be performed and when they will be performed. There are also many scholarships available for many

COURTESY // Instagram Audition information can be found on the SSU music website. students, such as the Tamara Loring scholarship, Roxy Roth scholarship, World of carpets scholarship and more than a dozen more. For current students, scholarship information can also be found on the SSU website under current students here students can also find contact information to address questions. The music department is excited to welcome incoming students, current students, and alumni, to increase the talent pool that is incoming, current, and former students.

There are a multitude of genres to choose from, and for those who already know their genre there are well educated and adept performers to learn from, and students should not want to miss out on these wonderful opportunites through Sonoma State’s music departmemt.

8 Student Life

FEB. 23 - MARCH 1, 2021

sonomastatestar.com

Sylvia Ortiz, J.D. is the Supervising DOJ Accredited Representative for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA).

STAR // Pamela Meyers

DREAM Center hosts virtual workshop

QUINN MCKIBBIN STAFF WRITER

D

eferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), is a program that protects nearly 1 million people across the United States. DACA’s recipients are also known as “Dreamers” who came into the United States unlawfully as young children.

The DREAM center will be hosting a virtual workshop for immigration policies in collaboration with Dream Centers and undocumented students programs across CSUs in Northern California monthly. Each month, immigration attorneys will be providing necessary updates and information regarding the topic. On Wed., Feb. 17, SSU’s Dream Center held their first virtual workshop event from 3:00-4:00 P.M. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals doesn’t give it’s recipients official legal status with full citizenship, but it allows for them to apply and receive their drivers license, social security numbers, and work permits.

DACA was established by Barack Obama in 2012, and has allowed for dreamers all across the nation to safely reside in the United States. As of recent years, the Trump administration has repeatedly tried to shut down the program in an effort to stop it from accepting new applications from Dreamers. Although Joe Biden has recently promised to open up the program for new applications within his first 100 days being in office, DACA is still currently not accepting applications for new recipients. As of Dec. 4th 2020, it was ruled that first time DACA recipients are able to reapply, even after Trump’s administration stopped accepting new applications. Sonoma State President Judy K. Sakaki said, “At Sonoma State, we continue to support our DACA students and employees. The recent Supreme Court ruling on DACA was encouraging. We highly encourage all of our SSU DACA community to utilize all available resources CSU systemwide and on campus.”

According to seawolfliving.com, “During the spring semester, the DREAM Center, in collaboration with dream centers and undocumented student programs at cam-

puses throughout Northern California, will host a virtual workshop series for undocumented students, allies, and individuals from immigrant backgrounds.” The virtual workshop series is working in partnership with the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA). The virtual workshop will be visited by an immigration attorney to provide students with necessary updates and information on topics surrounding the immigrant communities. The meeting will then be ended with an open Q&A session between the attorney and attendees of the virtual workshop. Students will have free range to ask the attorney about important issues revolving around immigrant communities, or get much needed valuable advice from attorneys.

On Wed., Feb. 17, the Undocu-Wisdom Workshop Series took place online for Sonoma State University students and faculty. DACA and immigration policy briefings are the workshop’s main goal, and students will be given the chance to ask a wide variety of questions towards the attorney in the meeting.

All across the United States, young immigrants use and need DACA for their everyday lives. DACA allows people from immigrant backgrounds to be able to apply for their drivers license, social security number, and their work permits. For DACA recipients, they’re unsure when their travel restrictions and basic needs will be cut off.

President Donald J. Trump called for the ending of DACA over a year ago, and since then, recipients are unsure if their rights will be taken away. The most recent court ruling for DACA was in August in Texas, where a judge ruled the program was able to continue for the time being. After the court’s ruling, California State University Chancellor Timothy P. White said, “The Supreme Court’s decision today to require a full appeal of the legal challenge regarding Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals is encouraging news for Dreamers studying and working throughout the CSU system. We are hopeful that a permanent and positive solution is reached as soon as possible.”

ASP introduces Spring events

BRYCE GALLAGHER STAFF WRITER

T

rying to keep both students and faculty engaged and entertained can be a difficult thing to do even during a normal school year, let alone during a global pandemic. However, Associated Student Productions on campus has been working tirelessly to ensure that members of the Sonoma State family can still enjoy these events in a refreshing and healthy manner.

Typically, the ASP steering committee gets together at the beginning to middle of each semester and proposes events for the next semester,” said ASP Event Director, Emily Hicks. “Once we have a solid calendar of events for the next semester, we reach out to our vendors or outside contacts to confirm the event with them and then proceed to working on marketing, contracts and other communications.”

The ASP team took to Instagram Live on Fri., Feb. 19 to announce some of the biggest events they have planned for the spring semester.

“Instagram Live adds a unique and exciting feeling to the announcement,” said ASP’s faculty advisor Erik Dickson. “Having the students connect live to those announcements is a great way for them to be aware of how the Associated Students are serving them.”

It seems like ASP pulled out all of the stops this semester, as there are some incredible events coming to campus. Some of these events include a Drive-in movie night on campus as well as Q&As with RuPaul’s Drag Race’s own Cynthia Lee Fontaine and niece of Vice President Kamala Harris, Meena Harris.

“ASP tries to provide dozens of events a semester and hopefully there are a few each student can get excited for,” Dickson said. “My only encouragement is to

pick an event and go, learn and engage. This pandemic has separated us all physically, but ASP events are a great way to experience college and each other, no matter where you are.”

Like any event, there are going to be some bumps in the planning, but with the addition of a global pandemic, one would think these challenges are only more difficult to overcome. But surprisingly, COVID has only made scheduling special guests easier.

“When planning our in person events like the Drive In’s there are a lot more steps we have to take in order to ensure safety for our students,” Hicks said. “As we have been planning our spring virtual events, we have seen a huge rise in availability with our celebrity guests which allows us to bring in more notable guests. When we have celebrity guests in person there is a lot of travel involved and now since folks can livestream from their home, we have been able to have more highly notable guests.

Hicks went on to add that some difficulties aren’t even COVID related at all.

“One of the biggest challenges that normally present itself is making sure students know that all of our events are happening,” Hicks said. “Since students are paying an Associated Students fee, we want them to be able to rep the benefits of this and attend all the events that their fees are being used for.”

Erik Dickson wanted to make sure that the work of the Associated Students does not go unnoticed, as they’ve been consistently working throughout the pandemic to make things as easy and relaxing as possible for SSU students.

“The Associated Students have been working hard

to support the students this year through everything,” Dickson said. “I know the AS leadership is particularly proud of the hard work of our ASP student leaders in contributing to that important effort” “I think students should be excited for all of our upcoming events happening this spring.” Hicks said.

“On the 19th we announced a handful of events but there are even more happening later in the semester, so be on the lookout for another announcement later in the semester on Instagram, @ssu_as.”

Dickson also wanted to add that if any students are interested in joining the ASP team, they are currently recruiting student leaders for the 2021-22 school year.

COURTESY // Instagram SSU ASP goes live on Instagram to share upcoming events.

SSU welcomes scatter band

SAMANTHA PEZZOLA STAFF WRITER

I

f you’re looking for a fun way to incorporate live music and dance into upcoming events at Sonoma State, then the all-new scatter band is the place for you. When asked about scatter band via Zoom, Hailey Glass, an SSU freshman, says that “it’s a low-stress group who is untraditional about having fun at SSU events.”

Whether students have experience playing instruments or not, scatter band is set on helping Seawolves fit right in. Glass defines scatter band as “an unorganized pop-up band that plays at football games or rallies,” and emphasizes that they can play anywhere that needs some good music.

Glass is the scatter band coordinator, and she is set on helping the band to create their own performance, as well as building a name for themselves. Glass, as well as other members, held a Zoom info session on Feb. 19 to spread the word about how scatter band could be a ton of fun for students on and off-campus. This newlyestablished band group is looking forward to helping create a lighthearted, fun campus atmosphere for live music fans to enjoy.

Scatter band does not hold members to a specific wardrobe or matching outfits, which only adds to the unorganized and chaotic style that they are going for instead, they uphold values of a band that can perform at a show with synchronous rhythm and beats, all with each other.

Glass recalls her high school experiences performing in scatter band, stating that, “we wore red capes at

every performance we did. We didn’t get to create and personalize each of our capes.Glass continues to emphasize the nontraditional way that scatter band does their performances, stating that each individual can design their wardrobe to their own style as long as they are synchronous with the music.

Mo Phillips, director of student involvement at SSU, says that she has “never seen a traditional scatter band like this in [her] 24 years at SSU.” She continues to emphasize that she believes it will be great for campus spirit, and it will be exciting to build from scratch.

All members of the scatter band agree that it would be a great way to reconnect once vaccinations start to roll out for all students. Hailey Glass re-emphasizes that the scatter band is far different from a typical schoolorganized band. As stated and recapped in the Zoom discussion, scatter band is “intended for a nontraditional non-marching style, complete with personalized instruments, free for all to create an appearance as long as it is appropriate.”

When asked about the benefits that a scatter band can bring to the SSU community, a low-stress group that is curated on campus purely for fun was the general consensus from members of the group. While many other bands require an audition and the general stress that comes with standing out, everyone is accepted into scatter band. This can help to provide a good, healthy community spirit for SSU, and not to mention the cheerful on-campus events that are coming in the future!

The scatter band idea stems from marching bands

not being able to participate in sporting events, as well as the events department not being able to maintain a formalized group. In the past, the university has hired bands not affiliated with campus students. Therefore, to uphold SSU spirit, having a band for students can provide great benefits for social events and sporting events alike. With first-year students founding scatter band, all members can maintain the longevity of the band for their remaining time at SSU, hoping to pass the cheerful baton to the next generation of students that come to SSU.

STAR // Jacob Loher Sonoma State Students jam out with the Allison Au band.

Student Life 9

FEB. 23 - MARCH 1, 2021 sonomastatestar.com

Faculty Spotlight of the Week: MARY HELEN ROWELL

Jeffrey Reeder

STAFF WRITER

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onoma State University Spanish professor and Faculty Associate Dean of the School of Arts & Humanities, Dr. Jeffrey Reeder, has been formally recognized as a volunteer translator for the United Nations since May of 2020.

Reeder has been a part of the SSU faculty since 1998 and teaches Spanish courses in Cultural Studies, Linguistics, Teacher Education, and Translation.

Along with teaching multiple courses, Reeder is also a chair for the university’s Modern Language and Literatures department.

According to his biography on the SSU webpage, Reeder’s career has largely been inspired by his family connections in the Choctaw Nation, located in Indian Territory in Oklahoma, “... he has a keen interest in cultural studies and practices and combines that with his interest in archery to research, maintain, and revitalize practices, products, and procedures of traditional archery as practiced pre-contact.”

While Reeder has been doing translations for many years and also teaches courses in translation, this is his first year as an official volunteer translator of the United Nations (UN). He said that while he has been interested in doing translations for the United Nations for years now, the pandemic ended up giving him the opportunity to finally do so.

“Now that the pandemic happened, they suddenly had a greater need to communicate things quickly and rapidly with different audiences.” says Reeder.

Most of the translation work Reeder does is in English and Spanish. He said, “Usually they have materials that they’ve produced in English that they’ll need to translate to other audiences in Spanish, or I’ve also done the other direction. They’ll have reports written in Spanish that they need to be translated to English so it can reach a wider audience worldwide.”

Most recently, Reeder has been working on translating documents for UN Women, a branch of the UN that works specifically with issues, needs, and rights of women across the world. More specifically, the documents he has been translating have been focused on

STAR // Isabelle Barkey Jeffrey Reeder, Chair of the Modern Language and Literature Department, is a star member of the SSU staff. the impact the pandemic has had on women in Latin America.

One of the most recent documents was, “Cash Transfers and Gender Equality: Improving Effectiveness in Response to Covid-19”, which he translated from Spanish to English.

The document addresses the differing social and economic impacts the pandemic has had on men and women due to preexisting gender gaps.

Reeder also started his own Spanish/English translation course at SSU about 15 years ago. The once a year servicelearning course gives students the chance to practice translating official documents to help better prepare them for future careers.

In an article written by Sophie Cassetta for the SSU website, Reeder explains the inspiration behind starting the course.

“It came about by one of my Spanish graduates who got a job. Her job immediately asked her to translate the employee manual into Spanish. She was so underprepared and didn’t know where to start. She decided to reach out to me for advice and it got me thinking about how this is an example of Span-

ish major graduates not knowing what their career expectations would be. So, I decided to prepare the student’s for the future,” he said.

Not only is Reeder’s work with the UN a personal accomplishment, it will also serve as a great learning tool for his service learning course.

He said, “The course is completely based around real world documents. We don’t translate anything that is made up or for practice or from a textbook. Everything we translate in that course is something that somebody needed translated for a specific audience or reason. So by doing this for the UN, it’s going to give me a few more examples of high level, high quality translation and the need for it.”

Outside of the classroom, Reeder’s work will continue to express the importance of translation and volunteering.

As stated on the UN Volunteer website, “UNV works with partners to integrate qualified, highly motivated and wellsupported UN Volunteers into development programming to contribute to peace, development and humanitarian delivery worldwide.”

Seawolves SPEAK! MORGAN MITCHELL STAFF WRITER

“How do you stay focused during online classes?”

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eawolves, along with thousands of other college students, have transitioned to doing their classes fully online for almost a year. It has been quite the ride maneuvering the transition from traditional in-person instruction to fully online learning, and we commend every student doing their best during these challenging times.

Getting a college degree is already commendable for many, but adding the online aspect to college makes it that much harder. Combined with the stress of family members working from home and the constant distractions of roommates and pets, many students are finding it hard to focus on their classwork. Even with all of these distractions, our Seawolves are driven and determined to let nothing stand in their way of getting their degree.

Making the commute to the university campus and being surrounded by stu-

dents, as well as having professors teaching you, is the cornerstone of the college experience. Without these key pieces of the “college puzzle,” it has been difficult for many students to stay focused and remember what they are here for.

We all miss our beautiful campus and the normalcy that Sonoma State gives students. Studying in the library has turned into studying in our homes, catching lunch in between classes has turned into way too much money spent on DoorDash.

Classes have a much different look to them, and the way that students are working on their degree is different as well. Many students find it difficult to leave their beds or rooms to go to zoom class, and being stuck in the house away from friends and the SSU community has taken its toll. However, many students have found what works from them and are here to offer their advice.

“I stay focused by keeping tabs open on my computer of my assignments, as well as making a schedule to know when things are due ahead of time.”

“In order for me to stay focused, I like to sit in a quiet room and play some soft music, so I won’t be distracted by my family working from home.”

-Andrew Christman, Sophomore, Kinesiology major

-Toninia Allen, Sophomore, Liberal Studies major

“To stay focused, I’m trying to stay off my phone. I am also doing my work in the morning, so I have the rest of the day to do what I want.”

“I set up a space in my room strictly for class and homework, and make sure to get out of my bed. I also try to get dressed and ready like I would for in person classes, since it brings a sense of normalcy.”

-Kaleb Moller, Freshman, PreBusiness major

-Marilou Cronin, Senior, Psychology major

“I try to get out of bed to go to class.

Online learning is super difficult and I work much better in a classroom setting, so getting myself as close to the environment as possible helps me.”

-Brooke Bulf, Sophomore, Philosophy major

“I stay focused during my online classes by engaging in the lectures and discussions with both my professors and my classmates.”

-Dylan Otto, Senior, Business Marketing major

10 Health and Wellness

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sonomastatestar.com

Pop-up self-care classes help Seawolves practice mindfulness

COURTESY// Epictop10.com STAR// Rachel Gonzalez Attending pop-up self care events will help teach Seawolves ways to practice Dr. Anthony Wallace explains what mindfulness means to him during the first of many healthy, fun self-care methods. pop-up self care events.

GABRIELLA HERMOGENO STAFF WRITER

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uring Spring semester, the School of Extended and International Education (SEIE) along with the Sonoma State University Alumni Association (SSUAA) will be hosting 12 virtual “Pop-up” Self Care events every Friday from Feb. 12 to May 7 at 12 p.m. These virtual sessions will take place on Zoom and are presented

by Dr. Andy Wallace, professor, chair of the philosophy department and a program coordinator/instructor for the SEIE.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sonoma State community has shown awareness towards students’ mental health. Prioritizing mental health improves the wellbeing and overall health of the school’s community and one of the ways that fellow Seawolves can take advantage of prioritizing their mental health is by attending these upcoming virtual events throughout the Spring semester.

Each session is 30 minutes, completely free of charge and does not require any experience with mindfulness, making it accessible for everyone.

The classes are also inclusive and open to all Seawolves, their friends and loved ones. Practicing self care is universal and can be done by anyone who wants to strengthen themselves internally and externally. According to Dr. Wallace, “Mindfulness is one of many kinds of skillful and wholesome tools that persons can use to improve the quality of their lives.”

Dr. Wallace facilitates these classes to help the SSU community cope with the obstacles that individuals may be facing due to the pandemic such as, loss of work, virtual learning, getting sick, deaths and so many more hardships that place a toll on the lives of individuals within the school’s community. He suggests that mindfulness can help people to manage and handle negative stress better, improve emotional regulation and promote qualities of peace and stability.

During these classes, participants will be able to gain insight about how

mindfulness can benefit a person’s life and how to exercise it on a day-to-day basis. Mindfulness meditation is also exercised for a portion of the class.

During the first session of the semester on Feb. 12, Dr. Wallace said, “Mindfulness meditation is the ability of the mind to pay attention to whatever is arising from it. As it is arising without judgement, commentary or interpretation.”

The wellness benefits from mindfulness derive from the cultivation of kindness and how kindness informs mindfulness. Dr. Wallace briefly explains the process of mindfulness at the beginning of each session. He shares the idea of cultivating mindfulness and how a person’s mind can cultivate the capacity of awareness in which their experiences with a radical acceptance of kindness is arising in. These exercises are practiced during each session to enhance, deepen and produce the wellness benefits that derive from practicing mindfulness. According to Dr. Wallace, “If we want to expand the awareness of our own experiences, it is extremely useful to ground it in kindness.

Kindness and acceptance are the emotional underpinning that enables us to become more mindful about what is arising in our experiences and stabilizes our focus and increases our concentration.”

Many people overlook the benefits of mindfulness meditation and self care, but it fosters positive results towards an individual’s lifestyle. “Numerous empirical studies show that strengthening mindfulness can reduce stress and negative thinking, increase resilience and optimism, and awaken qualities of peace, tranquility and kindness,” according to the SEIE’’s webpage.

To learn more about mindfulness and self care, or to register into these upcoming classes, visit the School of Extended and International Education’s (SEIE) webpage for more information (https://seie.sonoma.edu/mindfulnessand-self-care).

Health Center Staff Spotlight: Noelle McGowan B SUMIKO FONG

STAFF WRITER

reaking a bone or needing an x-ray is stressful for most people, therefore, having someone that is compassionate as well as detail-oriented is extremely important. Radiology Technicians specialize in making the x-ray process go as smoothly as possible. At the Sonoma State University Student Health Center, the Radiologic Technologist is Ms. Noelle McGowan.

McGowan started working at Sonoma State as the Radiologic Technologist in December 2018. The previous tech was retiring and McGowan was ready to fill the position.

McGowan always knew she wanted to work in the medical field, however she didn’t initially know what specific area she wanted to pursue a career in. She started her healthcare adventure as a receptionist in the radiology department in Mills Health Center in San Mateo. This is where she got her first introduction in radiology. “I loved the interaction the x-ray tech and the patient had and how we have to really gain some patients’ trust so that they will be more likely to be able to tolerate an uncomfortable exam due to an injury or illness,” McGowan said.

At the Student Health Center, McGowan has many responsibilities that revolve around the various injuries students come in with. Her main responsibility is to take diagnostic x-rays for students, as well as fitting things like walking boots and crutches. She also wraps ankles, feet, wrists

and hands when they are injured.

When not taking x-rays or dealing with injuries, McGowan can be found sitting at the front desk answering phones, making appointments or doing any office tasks that may need to be done at the Health Center.

When working, McGowan loves being able to interact with a large number of people. She has always been a people person and has enjoyed chatting with and getting to know so many students.

“Even if it’s only a very short encounter, I like to think that at a time when someone isn’t feeling well or is in pain that I was able to help them,” McGowan said.

McGowan is a very talkative person and has always been that way. She has lived in California for over 20 years, but she is originally from Ireland. “I definitely have the Irish “Gift of the Gab” as I love to talk and do a lot! Anyone that has ever met me will more than agree,” McGowan said. In addition to students, she enjoys chatting with other Health Center staff members as well. “It is such a pleasure working with Noelle!

She has such a great sense of humor and brings such joy into the workplace for both staff and students,” Carolyn Montgomery, health center coordinating nurse, said.

McGowan loves examining broken bones and taking x-rays is her favorite thing about working as a radiology technician. “As a patient, I know broken bones are awful, but as the x-ray tech I love to see them!” McGowan said.

Since she started working at

COURTESY// Sonoma State University Noelle McGowan, Health Center Radiologic Technician, enjoys studying broken bones and performing x-rays in a comforting, kind manner for students.

Sonoma State, McGowan has been able to balance her home and work lives better. She loves working in the Health Center because it gives her the opportunity to spend good amounts of time working and being at home with her family. “The Health Center has given me the flexibility to work but still be present in my children’s lives when I need to,” McGowan said.

Outside of work and before the pandemic, she loves taking her three daughters to various places, some of which include: Six Flags and the water park in the summer. They also love going camping when they have time off. “When I am not at work and we aren’t in a pandemic I love going places with my kids, we have big plans for when Covid is over to take a lot of trips to make up for all of the ones we have missed,” McGowan said.

During the pandemic, she has been spending a lot more time with her family at home. One of her biggest recent accomplishments is being keeping her sanity while helping a kindergartener, a first grader and a fourth grader with their distance learning while also working at the Health Center. “My husband helps a lot but we can’t wait until things can go back close to normal,” McGowan said.

FEB. 23 - MARCH 1, 2021 sonomastatestar.com

Health and Wellness 11

Staff and faculty discuss COVID-19 impacts during Brave Space Town Hall event MATTHEW SMITH STAFF WRITER

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onoma State University is putting on two Town Hall events this month on the impacts of Covid-19 and how it has affected people. These Town Hall’s will be held on zoom and will be available for staff and faculty only.

The first Town Hall took place last week on Wednesday, February 17, with the second one scheduled to take place this week on Wednesday, February 23 for any Sonoma State Faculty and Staff that would like to attend. It will be moderated by Assistant Vice President for Human Resources Jeff Banks, and will last for approximately one hour in length.

These Town Hall’s are a place for teachers and other faculty members to have a safe space to share their stories about how COVID-19 has affected them.

The event is sponsored by the Office of the President: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Human Resources; and Risk Management & Safety Services and according to the brochure for the event, “[Will] discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting us– our families and communities.”

These Town Halls are a place for teachers and other faculty members to have a safe space to share their stories about how COVID-19 has affected them. Staff members will have a chance to hear other people’s stories as well as telling their own. The event features many speakers from different departments who want to share their stories and, “...provide and receive comfort and support,” according to the brochure.

One of the speakers, Vice Presi-

dent for Diversity and Strategic Initiatives Jerlena Griffin-Desta, spoke about why she elected to be a speaker in this event. “I facilitated a Kitchen Table Talk with the Black Faculty/Staff Association in Jan. regarding how they were coping with COVID and the inherent impacts since I know that people of color are more adversely affected by the pandemic,” she said, “We learned just how affected some of the staff are

by COVID. It was heartbreaking. We then thought to create the same space for sharing and support for all SSU staff and faculty.”

Another speaker, Joyce Lopes, said, “We wanted to provide a space for faculty and staff to come together and encourage each other.”

The event is a great opportunity for any faculty members to have a chance to share their stories and receive support from their colleagues. “It is good for employees to come together to hear each other’s stories and to know that they are not alone, that SSU cares, that we wish to affirm their stress, anxiety, and for some, depression, due to the pandemic,” Griffin-Desta said.

Sonoma State has many services and has had many events for students to help them deal with the stress of COVID-19. Students can visit CAPS and can even attend specialized events to take their minds off of the stress in their day to day lives. There have been plenty of events for students, but not very many to help the faculty. “As you know, our students are central to all we do. Student success and support is our north star and guiding value. And our faculty and staff are key to providing

COURTESY// Sonoma State University SSU’s faculty and staff are welcome to attend the Brave Space Town Hall meetings and discuss their COVID-19 experiences.

students with education, services, and support,” said Lopes, “So, supporting our faculty and staff is important to ensuring they have the bandwidth to support our students. We are looking holistically at how to provide support in many ways and forms for faculty, staff, and students. This is one of those options.”

“We wanted to create a space for staff and faculty to share their experiences with trying to maintain employ-

ment, while dealing with childcare, eldercare, family members who have died, are sick, need care, etc., while also trying to come to work to support the institution and support our students,” said Griffin-Desta, “We wanted to provide a space for us to listen to each other’s stories and render support, compassion, and advice to each other.”

For any staff and faculty that wish to attend this event, check your email for more information.

Sonoma State cheer team continues to thrive despite pandemic NOAH PHILPOTT STAFF WRITER

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he Sonoma State University cheer team has not only been practicing during the pandemic, but they are holding virtual tryouts at the end of April to fulfill their future white and blue squad.

The team’s ultimate goal is to be able to practice face-to-face while keeping social distancing in mind.

Head coach Kaylie Poiani and Safety Officer Tersita Montalvo took it upon themselves to ensure the safety of their team while being able to make that goal a reality. Temperatures are taken at the start of every practice as well as sanitizing different pieces of equipment like tumbling mats.

Under normal circumstances, the team would be practicing two to three times a week working on different stunts, tumbling, jumping, and routines for home basketball games. However, due to the pandemic the team now holds mandatory weekly zoom meetings every Wednesday that consist of games, conditioning workouts, practicing different dances or routines, team bonding, and other business matters. Each player is required to submit proof of completion to coach Poiani regarding their workout schedule containing different strength and conditioning exercises.

“It is important we do what we can, so we keep up

on our skills but also stay safe during the pandemic,” said SSU senior and team member Cameron Cox. The team is not competing as of this year, but they have high hopes to be back up and running in-person for the upcoming Fall semester. “Next season we are expecting to compete in stunt sports and traditional competition cheer where we will compete against other college teams,” Cox said.

With a sport like cheer, there are two different types of general competitions. “There’s a show cheer competition that is chants or cheers, dances, and stunts,” said colleague Isabel Tostado. Within the last few years, the unit has been mainly training for stunt competitions. Stunts consist of building performances displaying individuals’ skill. One of the most common stunts is the human pyramid. Routines are sent out to teams to practice and perform against other teams during a tournament. These competitions also may include tumbling routines or gymnastic performances including flips, twists, rolls, or jumps.

With all the adversity the team has faced throughout the pandemic, they still plan to add to their future depth chart by holding virtual tryouts at the end of April. For anyone who is interested, head to the teams

instagram page, @ssucheer, to find the basic information form in their bio. The form asks for a resume, cover letter, and tryout video to email to ssucheer. seawolves@gmail.com. From there, individual zoom appointments will take place for each applicant so current players can get to know them on a deeper level.

“This year will be a little different: we will be having two separate teams!,” said SSU cheer team president Lauren Yagi. The white team consists of individuals cheering at basketball games and different fundraisers to support the squad. The blue team will be more focused on stunts and other traditional competitions for the future. They are looking to add around 10-15 new applicants to the white team, and 15-20 to the blue team. There is an option to be a part of both teams, if anyone is interested.

It will be exciting to see how the rest of the year pans out for the squad, as well as new additions to the team in the future.

For more questions and content regarding the team’s tryouts, fill out this google form to get in contact with the team: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/ 1FAIpQLSdc2Ut56dKmb41gyu9bVdKA4QwIfgS2jNQCLudh6__Ue5A_og/viewform.

STAR// Sumiko Fong COURTESY// Amber Yagi Four SSU cheerleaders hit a stunt at practice while wearing Pre-COVID-19, the Sonoma State University Cheer Team performs a stunt while flashing their smiles at the masks and following COVID-19 safety guidelines. crowd.

12 Photo

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sonomastatestar.com

Affordable housing available to faculty

STAR // Rachel Gonzalez The Marina Crossings in Petaluma are apartments that SSU built for faculty and their families to live off campus in affordable housing.

STAR // Sarah Gallagher Faculty and their families have been able to live at Marina Crossings since 2019.

STAR // Rachel Gonzalez Marina Crossings Apartments are currently leasing to SSU faculty.

Dispensaries riding high through pandemic

STAR // Isabelle Barkey Hidden on Hampton Way in Santa Rosa is Alternatives, a dispensary that has been “Serving the Finest Cannabis since 2010.”

STAR //Isabelle Barkey Two women waited in their car for service outside of Sonoma Medicinal Herbs.

STAR // Isabelle Barkey Jeremy H., a happy customer, left Alternatives in Santa Rosa.

STAR //Isabelle Barkey Security guard, Kaleem Safi, stood outside Sonoma Medical Herbs in Santa Rosa.