Volume72 issue7

Learn how to make your dragon

P. 6

Corsets and fishnets for charity

P. 9

P. 10

Men’s basketball scores a win

Sonoma State Star

SINCE 1979

VOLUME 72 // ISSUE 7

SONOMASTATESTAR.COM

MARCH 4 - MARCH 10, 2014

Enrollment target impacts class availability Administration seeks alternative funding options after dismissal of academic success fee

Claudia Jambor Staff Writer

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rovost Andrew Rogerson said continued increases to Sonoma State University’s enrollment target by the California State University system may eliminate the need for a success fee in the future.

“If we continue to have our target increased we get more base funding which takes away the need for a fee. Or if at that point, if there were a fee it would be for more faculty and other things, it could be a much smaller fee,” Rogerson said.

The provost said that Governor Jerry Brown’s commitment to begin funding the CSU system further is a sign of progress for the campus. “[The governor] is forecasting that he’ll be

giving [the CSU system] $142 million. It’s a slow growth period and it looks like it’s going to continue. So it’s quite optimistic,” Rogerson said.

Chancellor of the CSU Timothy P. White allocates the enrollment target to all 23 campuses.

The target for each campus is mainly dependent on the amount of state funding provided to the CSU system. “[The enrollment target] isn’t based on the

More than 500 Greeks serve Sonoma Get the full story on page 8

number of students you have [at the campus],” said the Associate Vice President for Academic Programs Elaine Sundberg. “It’s based on what they call the FTE, the full time equivalent, and that’s done at 15 units per student. Our target is 7,540, but we have more students than that but that’s still our target so what we have to do is See ENROLLMENT Pg. 4

Sonoma State launches first Student Parent Survey Halia Daugherty Staff Writer

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COURTESY // Sam Mraz Greek organizations banned together on Sunday to give back to the community through a day of service.

Student farmers offered Growers Grant Finn Maloney Staff Writer

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onoma County is famous for producing high quality organic products in some of the richest soil in the world, and now Sonoma State students are now able to contribute to this reputation.

In September 2013 the Associated Students passed a resolution that allocated $1,500 in student fees to create five $300 grants that go towards paying for mandatory liability insurance required for the Associated Students Growers Grant Program.

The program was spearheaded by Associated Students President Mac Hart, who also sold produce to Dining Services before becoming president of Associated Students and has been heavily involved with farming both on and off campus. The program was created as a method to increase student involvement with sustainability.

“This program acts to address both community issues and sustainability issues, while at the same time creating opportunities for student development and leader-

ship,” wrote Hart in a press release about the grant.

The resolution was written in response to financial and legal struggles faced by student farmers. In order to sell produce they must purchase a food liability insurance policy, and while it offers a valued $2 million worth of protection, the insurance costs $299 to purchase, which is a difficulty for many young farmers. The resolution was initially aimed to help the students that are currently selling their goods to Dining Services in order to increase care and production.

The grants program is now open to all students that wish to apply on the Associated Students website. Five students will be chosen after a screening process and they will be awarded $300 in order to cover their liability insurance starting in the fall.

Although how the students will get farmland and create a relationship with the school is not outlined in the resolution, the hope is that a large amount of students will show interest in the program. Prior to the resolution, all of the students who received

grant money had been farming in their own plots off campus.

“It has given me the opportunity to play on my passion without having to take on the burden of such a big financial expense needed to start a business,” said current grant recipient Jamal Edwards.

The resolution was also passed with the hope that it would create a sense of community amongst students and the community as a whole, as well as encourage leadership skills and increase sustainability. The products grown in the farms off campus, mostly lettuce for now, are then sold back to the school and served in various forms at Dining Services.

Brandon Sanders, a leader of the Sonoma Student Growers Cooperative, lobbied for the grant during Associated Student meetings. He offered the opinion that if the community starts to see us a hardworking farmers, rising early to tend to crops instead of passing out on their lawns, that we might start to see more respect from See FARMERS Pg. 5

he National Student Parent Survey, recently begun at Sonoma State University and launched by Sociology Professor Sheila Katz and Human Development major Holly Phillips, is the first of its kind in the nation.

This survey is a project conducted by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. The survey is geared towards current Sonoma State students who are either pregnant or have a child, recent alumni who have had kids, or students who became pregnant while attending Sonoma State. The survey asks questions about their educational background, parental status, employment, future goals, and college experience. “[The survey’s purpose is] to understand the challenges and experiences of students who have children,” said Katz.

She has been working with the Institute for Women’s Research for 15 years. She began working on this survey in December 2011 and Phillips joined her in September 2012.

Phillips is a McNair Scholar and is working on this project for the McNair Scholarship program. Phillips is also a student-parent who transferred to Sonoma State from the Santa Rosa Junior College. When she transferred to Sonoma State, Phillips wanted to feel like a part of the community as she did at the Santa Rosa Junior College.

She gathered information from the campus resource book she was given at orientation and researched some areas of interests which led her to engaging in the McNair program.

“The student-parent survey represents creating a clearer path for other student-parents, and the children affected by their success or failure both here at SSU and across the Nation,” said Phillips.

“It’s important that studentparents have particular resources on campus that allow them to feel as though their children are taken care of while they

are pursuing higher education.

Light needs to be shed on these students as they are full-time students and full-time parents,” said Katz.

The Children’s School on campus is a resource that provides early childhood education for children of student-parents, staff and faculty. Parents with children ages 1 to 5 years old are eligible to apply for program.

Eligible children are subject to be wait-listed for a long period of time because there are limited spaces.

“I know that other students haven’t been able to receive the same amount of support, specifically in other departments. Parents who aren’t able to get their children into the center or have kids older or younger than those they serve are at a huge disadvantage,” said Sonoma State student-parent Beatriz Alcazar.

Alcazar is a transfer student from Santa Rosa Junior College. She became pregnant her first semester at the Santa Rosa Junior College and faced many challenges as a parent and student. She took leave from pursuing education during her pregnancy and still managed to complete school in timely manner.

“There are many stereotypes and misconceptions about student parents that I think influence the support and funding of programs that would help us out. The truth is that we are motivated, dedicated and eager to pursue education just as much as our peers,” said Alcazar.

The survey has already received 65 responses and Katz and Phillips are looking to publicize this survey further to receive as much feedback as possible from students. They are working with the Financial Aid office to send direct emails to students who claim a dependent on their FAFSA forms. They are actively recruiting people and hosted a student-parent pizza party at Lobo’s on Monday that gave students more information about the survey. The survey can be found at: http://surveys.questionpro.com/a/t/AKhEMZQvvD.

Seawolves get their talent on

Reverend Jarrett Maupin speaks about diversity

Student Spotlight: Ashlee Floren

Get the scoop on page 6

Turn to page 8 for more

Read her story on page 11

Page 2

Editorial

March 4 - March 10, 2014

sonomastatestar.com

THE STAR

Spring 2014 Editorial Board Katie McDonagh, Editor-in-Chief Micaelyn Richmeier, News Editor Kayla Galloway, Asst. News Editor Shyanne Lopez, Opinions Editor Cameron Hatheway, A&E & Online Editor Dylan Sirdofsky, Asst. A&E Editor Amanda Levine, Features & Asst. Online Editor Kayla Webster, Sports Editor Connor Gibson, Photo Editor Chad Bianchi, Copy Editor Brandon Stachnik, Copy Editor Garett Knight, Editorial Cartoonist & Distribution Manager Amanda Saiki, Ad Manager Paul Gullixson, Faculty Adviser

STAR // Connor Gibson

The Sonoma State STAR is located at 1801 East Cotati Ave., Rohnert Park, CA 94928, Salazar Hall, room 1053.

To contact the Star office call (707) 664-2776.

For advertising information please call (707) 664-2714 or e-mail sonomastatestar@gmail.com, attn: Amanda Saiki.

For other information, e-mail the STAR at star@sonoma.edu.

From left: Bianca Zamora, presidential candidate; Anthony Gallino, presidential candidate; Annie Green, vicepresidential candidate; Christian George, vice-presidential candidate

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ith Associated Students elections just around the corner, the STAR invited each presidential and vice-presidential candidate to a staff meeting to interview them about their experience, qualifications and goals for office. Our intent of these interviews was so we could endorse one candidate for each position, particularly in light of the recent budgetary, academic and social issues that have plagued Sonoma State University –many of which both this publication and Associated Students Senate have dealt with.

President of Associated Students: “The President serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Associated Students.

This individual represents the Associated Students to the campus community and serves as a liaison to the President of the University.”

The contenders for this position, Executive Vice-President Anthony Gallino and Diversity Senator Bianca Zamora, are both exceptionally qualified, passionate and knowledgeable. Both have been on the Associated Students senate for a number of years and have participated in other on-campus organizations, giving them a wide view on the different voices and students this campus has. Both of the candidates’ strongest selling points is their experience, though each of their experiences were so incredibly different – a factor that could potentially make or break their chances for presidency.

Zamora has a broad range of experience through multifaceted leadership roles, all of which allowed her to work directly with many students throughout her time at Sonoma State. She said her involvement with the community allows her to speak solely for the students since “she has touched the lives of many students in different aspects,” which she said will allow her to increase student engagement and hold the university accountable for their actions.

Zamora has some key issues she wants to pursue as president, including making changes to the university’s signage policy, lightening restrictions on the university’s “monopolistic food policy,” and making the campus community more inclusive for its students. Pointing to the recent increase of AS senators’ monthly stipend as one of her accomplishments, Zamora told the STAR, “I don’t just talk the talk; I walk the walk.”

Zamora is a very driven and passionate candidate who clearly is running for president with some innovative and definitive changes in mind. She knows what she’s in for and she’s ready to take it on.

But in comparison to her opponent, Zamora’s governmental experience falls short.

Gallino served on university committees for his first two years at Sonoma State, then served as executive vice-president of the AS Senate for the following two. With hours of meetings with some of the highest-ranking officials under his belt, Gallino has developed relation-

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star@sonoma.edu Editor’s Pick

This week’s can’t miss article:

“Here be dragons in ‘She Kills Monsters’”

As if a play based on “Dungeons & Dragons” wasn’t intriguing enough, throw in eight different people mastering the largest puppet ever manned in an SSU theatre production and you’ve got a monster show on your hands. Staff Writer Sara Molenda’s inside look of “She Kills Monsters” and work of professional puppeteer Mary Nagler is a must-read; the show itself sounds like a must-see!

Turn to pg. 6 for the preview

Letters to the Editor A letter to the editor forum will be open to the expression of fact or opinion that will be of interest or importance to readers of the STAR. Letters which fit within the scope of First Amendment protection, and that meet other stipulations spelled out in this document will be published on a space available basis as explained below. Each edition of the paper will include a letters column if letters are available.

Letter writers may expect prompt publication of their letters in the paper’s opinion section, as space is available. Letters of up to 500 words will be allowed and must be submitted no later than the Thursday 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 editor is also responsible for making decisions as to the pertinence of the letter to the SSU community. The STAR reserves the right to refuse publication to any letter and to edit for length.

Letters must sign all contributions and the editor must verify the signer and the writer are one in the same through personal conference. The Star will honor requests for anonymity at the editor’s discretion.

To send a letter to the editor e-mail star@sonoma.edu. Letters received in any format other than by e-mail will not be published.

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The STAR values accuracy and works diligently to check facts before publication. However, if inaccuracies occur, we want to know. Please report errors to the editor at star@sonoma.edu.

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The STAR is published every Tuesday during the fall and spring semesters. Printing is done by Healdsburg Printing.

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.

The best feet forward

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An endorsement of candidates for president and vice-president of Associated Students ships with administrators that “allow him to speak candidly” to them. He said this experience also allows him to forgo the adjustment period most executive officers need when starting out, such as learning the university’s structure, getting comfortable to speaking with administration, and understanding the university’s issues.

Like Zamora, Gallino wants students to become more engaged. One of Gallino’s goals as president is to establish teams of students to engage other students and constituents in order to find out about “unheard issues” and to educate on the university’s policies and government.

Both Zamora and Gallino bring excellent talent and experience to the table.

Sonoma State University should be proud that two highly qualified, intelligent and motivated leaders are hoping to become the student body’s next representative.

When it comes down to it, however, Gallino is simply more experienced in the university’s government and administration. It’s not that Zamora couldn’t learn quickly – she already has a firm grasp on what students want and need, so learning the university’s structure would not be a difficult task. We strongly encourage anyone who is passionate about the social justice issues on Sonoma State’s campus to vote for Zamora.

But the STAR is sticking with Gallino. He has spent years developing relationships with administrators, he has dealt with the core issues of our university since he was a freshman, and his ideas for presidency are more realistic. Though many of his goals are more long-term and may start out small under his presidency, he said he’s not under the illusion he can make great, big changes in only 10 months – universities take time to change, and he’s perfectly willing to start that process.

That mentality of strategic patience and diplomacy is exactly what Sonoma State needs if it wants to see tangible changes in the midst of this statewide budget crisis.

It’s too bad Zamora isn’t running for executive vice-president, because we strongly believe she and Gallino would make a great team.

Executive Vice-President of Associated Students: “The Executive VicePresident serves as the Corporate Secretary and is responsible for ensuring the organization maintains up to date records of its activities. Additionally, the Executive Vice-President is the chief student academic representative, attending and meeting with the Academic Senate and various academic related committees on campus.”

Gallino is a tough act to follow as executive vice-president. Illustrated by his extensive knowledge of the university and its issues, it’s clear that the role of EVP isn’t to be taken lightly. This candidate needs to have a solid and objective understanding of what needs to be done, have the experience to back it up, and be ready to run at full speed.

Arts and Humanities Senator Annie

Green and Community Service Advisor Christian George, the candidates for EVP, have tied their running shoes and are ready to go. But we can’t endorse either of them with the same vigor as we did the presidential candidates – neither of them grabbed our attention or confidence as much as Gallino and Zamora did.

George is a candidate who has a very focused plan for students, with many ideas for them to become more engaged.

His ambitious campaign slogan, “A four year degree at a four year university,” speaks to one of his tangible goals, such as improving class availability by increasing large lectures and making them count for credit. He promises to work tireless hours and to make this position his main focus if elected, but acknowledged one of his weaknesses is overstretching himself.

We certainly believe in and appreciate George’s enthusiasm, ideas and dedication, but we are doubtful he fully understands what he’s in for. His experience as CSA and president of Model U.N. probably serve as excellent insight into several different aspects of student life, but again – being EVP is a lot of responsibility. Whoever wins as president needs a partner who can guarantee they have the knowledge and understanding to keep up.

George’s lack of governmental experience is a serious disadvantage.

So wouldn’t that make Green, who has served on the senate for the past year, the best choice for EVP? Perhaps by default, but we aren’t as confident in her, either.

It’s true that Green is more qualified due to her position on the senate. She also has some great goals for academics that would increase class availability, such as adding an extra unit to impacted threeunit GE classes and merging majors so they are cross disciplinary. Many of her ideas she plans to implement as EVP are a continuation of the projects she worked on as senator.

But from our understanding, Green’s expertise and ideas focus mainly on students from the School of Arts and Humanities. The examples she gave of her priorities – such as putting student art in the Student Center or creating a center for art classes – wouldn’t necessarily appeal to students of other schools.

We think Green may be better suited for the position she holds now, because clearly Arts and Humanities is what she knows best. But given the choice between Green and George, we choose Green – primarily because her AS experience overshadows her opponent’s, leading us to believe she is better equipped to handle what’s to come.

Don’t want to take our word for it?

Attend the Executive Vice-President Debate on Wednesday and the Presidential Debate on Thursday, both in Ballroom A at noon. Don’t forget to vote next Monday and Tuesday – check your Seawolf e-mail for instructions. For more information, visit https://www.sonoma.edu/as/government/

Editorial Policy: The commentary expressed in the unsigned editorial represents a majority opinion of The STAR’s 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

March 4 - March 10, 2014

sonomastatestar.com

Page 3

Seawolves, vote and make the difference Brandon Stachnik Staff Writer

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h e n M T V t e l l s their viewers to “rock the vote” many of us are too scared to reply, “Why should I?” even though we’re thinking it. The media tries to turn voting into a hip trend but they don’t give any reasoning on why it’s important. Instead of peer pressuring our youth into voting on issues they have no idea about, influential corporations and political campaigns should be educating them on reasons they should vote in the first place.

Before I continue, I would like to point out that since I’ve reached the legal age I have only voted in our national election once and that was only because I wanted the cool “I voted” sticker that everyone else had. I didn’t even bother voting in my local elections because I had know idea who the candidates were nor what issues they were promising to work on.

Since my time here at SSU I have not once voted in an Associated Students election, and until recently, I didn’t plan on voting this year either. It wasn’t until I was educated on how our campus issues can affect me personally that I decided to do my part as an informed student and participate.

Last year only 2,015 out of 8,157 students voted in the AS government election. It’s a shame that a turnout of 25 percent of students voting was one of the highest we’ve seen in years. Even with a number like 2015 students we have to wonder how many of those stu-

dents were friends of the candidates who just wanted to be honest when they were asked if they voted.

While that’s not a major part of the problem, these students add to the group of likely uninformed voters that aren’t using their democratic rights to their full potential.

We as students need to attend more events like the candidate Meet-and-Greet.

We need to watch the executive vice-president debate (Wednesday, March in Ballroom A) and the presidential debate (Thursday, March 6 from noon to 1 p.m. in Ballroom A).

We should read the student newspaper, which is great resource in getting to know candidates and what policies they plan on implementing if elected.

If you are an avid reader of the STAR, or are friends with other SSU students on Facebook, or have even taken the time to look at the walkways around the Student Center you would know that our school was almost hit by a $500 ‘success fee’. The fee that was proposed

by President Armiñana was recently taken off the table after it faced much opposition by students and faculty alike.

This decision was heavily influenced by the input from our student government. Although the threat of a $500 increase in our tuition is gone for now, there is always the possibility of the fee returning. For both supporters and adversaries of the fee, knowing which candidates are in favor of the fee (or not) is an important piece of information to learn.

Without the fee in place, many wonder what SSU is going to do to assure that their students graduate in four years. Our student government has the power to influence school officials on where and how tuition money should be spent. Don’t you want to vote for a candidate whose main goal is to work to make more units available? Maybe you just want your student government to amend their signage policy so

STAR // Shyanne Lopez While it can seem tedious, it is important that students utilize the right they have on campus to pick who represents them, and ultimately how policies affect them. clubs can gain more awareness?

Instead of protesting around the student center and complaining to your friends that you have to spend a fifth year at college, get informed and vote for the candidates that serve

your best interest.

See our choice for the AS President and Vice President on page 2.

From Tuscany to M Section: on-campus vs. off Angelica Viera Staff Writer

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t’s that time of year again: housing season. Whether you’re in your first year at Sonoma State or you’ve already been here for a few, this short window of time is crucial for a smooth living situation next year. This is the time to make the big decision: live on campus or off campus.

Both have taught me a lot about how to interact with roommates and neighbors and how to start dealing with real world issues. As a junior going into my fourth year next fall at SSU and having experienced both on and off campus living, I prefer the off campus lifestyle.

Don’t get me wrong, living on campus is a great way to start building independence and friendships and lay a foundation to possibly make the move off campus at some point.

In reality, there are positives and negatives for both.

Living on campus is fun because you get to be so close to all of the campus events. You also don’t have to worry about a parking spot for class because almost everything is a short walk away. Students can meet their neighbors through building events all semester long and there are constant workshops being put on through ResLife about choosing careers and majors. Paying bills is also made easy for students by having one set bill per semester for housing and all its amenities.

On the f lipside, on campus housing may not always bring

back pleasant memories for past residents. We have all heard those roommate horror stories from time to time and no one wants to be a part of that nightmare. Unless you reserve your house ahead of time, filled with the people you want to live with, there is no guarantee that the living situation will be smooth sailing.

If you have experienced bad roommates in the past or even heard about it through friends, you know what I’m talking about. On top of the unpredictability of roommates, on campus housing also comes with lack luster laundry rooms and the ever-popular CSAs enforcing appropriate noise levels and quiet hours.

For many, off campus housing clearly seems like the way to go. Students have the opportunity to be completely independent and start their adult lives if they haven’t yet already.

There are so many factors that go into off campus housing but in the end, the reward is worth it.

Especially living in a smaller community like Rohnert Park with the number of students rising, housing options are limited but not impossible. There are plenty of apartments, houses and townhouses that are put up for rent each year around this time, and the sooner you go out looking the better chances you have of finding one that you like. You do have to pay bills for rent, cable and utilities separately, but with reliable roommates of your choosing it shouldn’t be a problem.

Reliable roommate selection is so important when living off campus because you no longer have a CSA to talk to if there’s a conf lict. You want to make sure your potential roommates can consistently pay their share of the bills as well. It seems like an obvious standard, but you’d be sur-

prised how often someone forgets to pay for electricity or their portion of rent and before you know it you’re swimming in fines and—poof!—there goes your credit score. The cost of off campus living with all the bills included is more often than not cheaper than living on campus anyway.

Before making any moves, take the time to think about housing because it’s a big commitment. Evaluate your finances and find people that you can trust and who you wouldn’t mind living with for a year. Then make a decision as a group whether to live on or off campus. I think it’s a matter of preference and whether or not you’re ready to make the move to live independently.

This is the time to make the big decision: live on campus or off campus. Both have taught me a lot about how to interact with roommates and neighbors and how to start dealing with real world issues.

Some students can spend their entire college experience living on campus and it works for them; others want to explore the real world outside of dorm life. College is the time to find yourself and start your future as an individual. It is definitely high risk, high reward, but other off campus students could tell you that having a place to literally call your own is truly such an empowering feeling, and you can’t get that from inside a dorm.

Get it right: jean size is all in the genes The stigma that comes with being “overweight” in our society is based largely on ignorance

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Julia Chacko Staff Writer

besity is clearly a widespread epidemic that affects millions of people across the globe. Unfortunately, our society has a tendency to avoid discussing the most prevalent and serious societal issues, offering up the righteous excuse that such topics are too “offensive” or “inappropriate.”

Even worse, the only references we make to such issues tend to involve blaming individuals for their unfortunate plights. It’s her own fault she’s fat; she should stop hitting the donuts and get her butt in the gym! How many times have you heard, or even said, something along those lines?

Well, let me give you a much needed wake-up call. Like most things in life, it’s not that simple. While it’s true that one’s environment, lifestyle and diet have a significant influence on weight, there has been extensive scientific research in recent years which brings to light a much more powerful, underlying factor in the great weight debate: genetics.

While it’s true that one’s environment, lifestyle and diet have a significant influence on weight, there has been extensive scientific research in recent years which brings to light a much more powerful, underlying factor in the great weight debate: genetics.

“Genetics are responsible for [at least] 50 percent of all obesity cases,” said Professor Paul Zimmet, an international diabetes and obesity expert from Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, Australia. But he’s certainly not the first person to come to that conclusion.

The genetic aspect of obesity has been explored in many studies in such prestigious institutions as the

University of Cambridge and UCLA. These experiments, which involved monitoring the weight of mice born with a mutated version of a specific gene, proved that various genetic mutations prevented the animals from burning fat calories and even increased cravings for high-fat foods. From the U.S. to England, the repetition of this study with groups of human participants revealed that we suffer from a similar problem.

According to a British study, obesity runs in families, first and foremost, due to heredity. Individuals with two high-risk copies (one from each parent) of the FTO (Fat mass and obesity- associated protein) gene are predicted to be 70 percent more likely to become obese than others. The essential problem is that these genes cause a deadly combination of a slow metabolism and a desire to eat more fattening foods.

But perhaps the most well-known genetic causative connection to obesity is “leptin,” often called the “obesity hormone.” If one’s leptin levels are too low, the body goes into starvation mode, causing one to both store extra fat and need excessive calories. With obese people, scientists currently believe that there is a level of leptin-resistance at play because these people are clearly not getting the chemical signal to stop eating.

Personally, I have struggled with fluctuating weight all of my life. With a massively slow metabolism and a seemingly insatiable desire for the most caloric foods, it severely wounds me when people tell me to simply “stop eating” or “exercise more.”

It is my belief that certain people are predisposed to various conditions in life, and weight is one of them. According to extensive and on-going research, genetics provide the foundations of our behavior.

Perhaps that overweight gentleman you mocked on the bus eats much healthier than you and does not live a sedentary lifestyle but rather is locked in a constant battle with his own body against mutated genes wreaking havoc with his ability to burn calories. Maybe that chubby girl you scoff at has an actual genetic disease like Prader-Willi syndrome or polycystic ovary syndrome.

My point is, society needs to realize that the reasons for obesity are just that – reasons plural not singular. Multi-layered and complex, there is no exact cause of widespread obesity, and genetics certainly cannot be entirely to blame either. However, I believe that it is thoroughly irresponsible for us to blame overweight people for something they do not have complete control over. In the words of Dr. Francis Collins, director at the U.S. National Institutes of Health, “Genetics loads the gun, but environment pulls the trigger.”

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News

March 4 - March 10, 2014

sonomastatestar.com

Contested Senate positions All candidate statements and photos courtesy of Associated Students

Riley Conlon School of Business and Economics Senator Candidate

My name is Riley Conlon and I want to represent you. To give you some background on myself: I’m from Santa Rosa, I’m a brother of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity, I’ve been at Sonoma for two years, and I’m double majoring in Economics and Statistics -- but Economics is my main focus. During the fall 2013 semester, I was nominated by my fraternity brothers to run for Treasurer of the Interfraternity Council. This was an intimidating endeavor as I didn’t feel familiar with the day-to-day business of IFC. My brothers had confidence in me and that was all the assurance I needed. I was elected to that position by the rep-

resentatives from each of the IFC fraternities, and I currently hold that seat. It’s my experience from that position that makes me want to run for senator. I’ve dealt with on-campus issues firsthand and I know what it’s like to make budget decisions with real consequences.

Now I’m asking for your vote. Let me represent you on the senate; let me face the problems on this campus head-on; let me fight for you.

I’ll be the first to admit Sonoma’s great, but it has its flaws. It seems like every semester we are asked to pay more and the list of classes gets shorter. Together, I believe we can make a difference; I believe we bring real change. Thank you.

Tyler Davis School of Business and Economics Senator Candidate

Hello, my name is Tyler J. Davis. I am a deeply wired bussiness man and am currently working towards earning my Business degree in Financial Management, with a minor in Economics. I have been involved with many different organizations on campus and as a fulltime student, an active officer of the Finance Club, treasurer for Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity and this past year, as the Senator of Business and Economics; I have successfully learned how to balance it all. I ride BMX on free time and enjoy getting back to nature by either going on hikes or taking trips to the lake.

I am real excited to be running for Business and Economics Senator again as I have had the opportunity to learn from this entire year what it takes to be a great senator. I now have a better understanding of the entire operations and corporate functions than I did when I first got involved with AS. I plan to continue to learn and better help the students in my direct department and at SSU as a whole. Being a team player and student leader is something I strive to be better at every day and am ready to be a part of Student Government for another year. Thank you for reading!

My name is Haylee Taylor and I want to be a leader in sustainability on the Sonoma State campus! I am an Environmental Studies major with a concentration in Planning with a Political Science minor.

As a sophomore, I view myself as extremely driven and enthusiastic in making a difference on campus and improving the wellbeing of our campus community. I want to become the Senator for Sustainability so that I can be active in the decision making processes involved in making SSU one of the most sustainable college campuses. I have countless ideas and plans in how I will improve the environmental and economic injustices seen on

campus. First on my agenda will be arranging for vehicle charging stations conveniently located for both staff and campus residents. I have so much passion for the “greening” of our campus and really want to get others excited and on-board with improving the sustainability standards at SSU. I want sustainability to be important to all staff, faculty, campus leaders, and most importantly, the whole student body. I believe that I will be able to make a difference that was once viewed as unthinkable. I want to break the invisible barriers most people see around the idea of sustainability and enable students to envision all the possibilities our campus holds.

Hello my name is Allison Jenks. I was your Sustainability Senator for the 2013/14 academic year and I am running to be your Sustainability Senator again for the 2014/15 academic year.

I would like to continue to work on getting more water bottle filling stations around campus and making compost-

ing more prevalent. I would also like to start a community market on campus.

If you have any questions or concerns, not just about sustainability but also about anything else Associated Students is doing, you can come to me and I will do my best to answer them.

I would really appreciate your vote!

Haylee Taylor Sustainability Senator Candidate

Voting takes place March 10 - March 11 Check your Seawolf e-mail to vote Allison Jenks Sustainability Senator Candidate

For more info, visit: http://sonoma.edu/as/government/elections/

Check us out on Facebook and Twitter! www.facebook.com/sonomastatestar @sonomastatestar

STAR // Connor Gibson Chancellor of the CSU system Timothy P. White recently refused Sonoma State’s request for an enrollment target increase of eight percent and instead granted the university an increase of 3.5 percent.

ENROLLMENT: Sonoma State receives target increase Continued from Pg. 1

manage how many units students we take each semester.”

Vice President of the Associated Students Anthony Gallino said that the enrollment target is a significant factor in providing appropriate classes for students, not necessarily money.

“Even if this institution did have the money [to provide more classes] they wouldn’t be able to offer the classes for anybody because our enrollment target is too low, we admit too many students,” Gallino said.

Rogerson emphasized the importance of maintaining the enrollment target to avoid the penalty of losing CSU funding.

“You’ve got to hit target and we’re allowed a bit of wiggle room, but either way you’ve got to give back money [if you go over or under your allocated target to the CSU],” Rogerson said.

To accommodate for student academic needs, the administration appealed to Chancellor White for an enrollment target increase of eight percent, but were awarded 3.5 percent.

“We actually did quite well getting 3.5 percent, most campuses got less. Most [campuses] only got around two and three percent,” Rogerson said.

Despite the enrollment target increase, Gallino said limited class availability is still causing issues for students throughout the school year.

“It’s simply not sustainable to do this feast and famine, where we feast in the fall and starve in the spring. We need to figure out a way where we can tighten our belts a

little more in the fall to allow for a little bit more in the spring,” Gallino said.

Rogerson said the current process of class enrollment exemplifies ‘the way we do business to live with the new funding model’ as a result of budget cuts in recent years.

“It’s unfortunate we have to go through that micromanaging and have to make students wait until they can get their classes, but when you are trying to manage the budget that’s the only prudent way to do it,” Rogerson said.

Sundberg acknowledged that recent budget cuts have also affected the campus’ ability to hire new faculty, another factor contributing to limited class availability.

“What [Sonoma State] has suffered and what the whole CSU has suffered is because we’ve had funding taken away from us; when faculty leave or retire from the university we didn’t have the funding to replace them,” Sundberg said.

The provost is considering the provision of online classes to alleviate the pressure of limited on-campus class availabilities.

“The system is putting out concurrent courses and these are online courses taken at other universities in the CSU and the student can take those for no additional cost,” Rogerson said.

Rogerson highlighted Sonoma State’s high four-year graduation rate as an indicator students are increasingly graduating faster.

“We have the highest four-year graduation rate out of all the [CSU] campuses.

[About] 28 percent of our students graduate in four years and that is the highest in the CSU,” Rogerson said.

News

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Where does your money go?

Category II fees breakdown

Left: STAR; Right: COURTESY // Gino Mascardo of Associated Students “Where does your money go” is a weekly series by the Associated Students and the STAR to visually explain CSU and SSU funding allocations. This week’s fee breakdown is of the Associated Students Fee.

Brown Act ensures transparency in universities Jake Tucker Staff Writer

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n 1953, Ralph M. Brown of the California State Assembly created an act that guaranteed the public to equal rights to view and participate in legislative gatherings.

The Brown Act was created in response to uproar from the public in regard to not being able to witness decisions being made by government officials. The main purpose of the Brown Act is to provide transparency to the public by allowing

them to attend meetings to ensure their right to have a voice for their community.

The public cannot be asked to identify themselves or be asked to purchase their way into any public meeting. The act is more commonly known as California’s Open Meetings Law. The Brown Act is making huge bounds in being implemented into the 21st century. The California School Boards Association (CSBA) meets multiple times with school board members to describe the meaning and purpose of the act.

The act started out as a very small document,

but over half a century of changes to it have added significant depth and nuance to the legislation.

This act is impacting college campuses throughout the country by giving the students the ability to attend and participate in meetings so they can see the changes in their communities and country are made and how they can have an active voice in legislature.

However, if a student or anyone from the public wanted to submit a topic to be put on the meeting’s agenda to be discussed, that person must post the topic to one of the meeting officials

within 72 hours of the upcoming meeting.

The officials also must allow the public to address to committee or board at any time during the meeting on any item that hasn’t been addressed by the committee in an earlier meeting of the board.

The Brown Act has played a large role in Sonoma State student’s rights to be present at meetings they otherwise would not be permitted to attend. Sonoma State students have been able to sit in on and ask questions at meetings regarding recent issues such as the Academic Success Fee and the Student Center.

FARMERS: Grant encourages sustainability, community growth Continued from Pg. 1

both sides.

“To have support in doing something I love allows me to share my passion for healthy food with other people - being able to sell to the school has created another way for me to share the food I produce,” said Edwards in Hart’s press release.

Associated Students is now asking for support for the program to increase awareness and be able to continue it for years to come. The main proponent for the grant program is the Sonoma Student Growers Cooperative, which exists

as a way to support off campus farmers and hope to increase involvement in agriculture on campus.

“In the Sonoma Student Growers’ Cooperative we put a lot of emphasis on planning. Budget, planting plans, crop yield estimates, harvest date estimates, pricing based on monetary and labor inputs, and et cetera,” said Sanders. “The grant is a great way to subsidize local, sustainable, student agriculture, as well as subsidize self-driven learning in business management, record keeping, ecology, resource management, and entrepreneurship. It also fosters a lot of community.”

Sonoma County faces driest year on record Kathleen Collins Staff Writer

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onoma County is currently enduring an extreme drought and one of the driest winter seasons in recorded history.

Anyone who has lived in Northern California for the past four years will probably agree that this has been an extremely dry period for the west coast.

It seems like every year someone is saying that it’s the “driest season on record,” but unfortunately for this season, it may actually be the case.

According to gizmodo.com, 2013 was California’s driest season in 119 years. In order to reach the annual average rainfall for the year, Sonoma County would require at least 17 inches of rain in the remainder of the season.

Central Valley farmers are faced with tough decisions regarding which of their crops must be sacrificed to save a fraction

of their harvest because of the lack of rain. Cattle ranchers have also been forced to cut their herds in half, unable to provide adequate food or water to their cattle.

In January, Governor Jerry Brown declared a statewide drought emergency that included of 20 points of action. “We can’t make it rain, but we can be much better prepared for the terrible consequences that California’s drought now threatens,” Brown said. “I’ve declared this emergency and I’m calling all Californians to conserve water in every way possible.”

NASA has also gotten involved by teaming up with the California Department of Water Resources to reach the root of the problem and hopefully figure out what is causing the shortage. They have begun to focus on forecast modeling and remote sensing to discover why these severe changes in weather are occurring.

Environmental awareness is not a new concept for Sonoma State; the Princeton Review ranked Sonoma State 12th on their list of most green US campuses. All of the toilets in the Recreation Center and the Student Center are low-f low and equipped with recycled f lushing water as well as motioncensored faucets to reduce water waste.

Flora is any native plant life that grows around Sonoma County that creates a more drought-resistant landscape that requires less usage of pesticides.

Vice President of University Development Erik Greeny said that students need to be mindful of how much water they are using.

“It doesn’t have to be measured in gallons, but instead of taking a 15 minute shower, take a 10 minute shower,” he says.

“We’re in a drought, and water issues are all over the news. Just be mindful; be aware.”

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Arts

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sonomastatestar.com

Lobo’s gets raucous ‘After Dark’

STAR // Cara Fuqua Gabe Duran and Mike Paradiso performed the song “Feeling Good” to a packed venue.

Alexis Garcia-Mills Staff Writer

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espite the pouring, gloomy rain, students still swarmed Lobo’s on Wednesday night for “Lobo’s After Dark,” a student open mic event unexpectedly filled with remarkable talent.

“Lobo’s After Dark” is a new event that takes place every other week on a first come, first serve basis for students to express their musical talent.

There is an unbelievable amount of hidden artistic and musical ability embedded in the Sonoma State campus and this event justifiably reflects the student capability by allowing a non-judgmental, supporting environment.

Not leaving any open seats, students gathered to enjoy time with friends, support the performers, grab a bite to eat and drink beer—only those 21 and over, of course.

Sonoma State sophomore Karina Jade said, “I came to enjoy the live music, but also because a portion of the money

made [from food sales] is going to men’s volleyball.”

Jade and her friend Brooke Rossell both said, “I will definitely be coming back, it’s entertaining and a lot of fun.”

The third performance of the night by Gabe Duran and Mike Paradiso started with the song “Feeling Good,” where the two worked well together rhythmically and their experience and talent shined.

The duo met on campus a year ago when Paradiso ran into Duran while he was in the middle of a jam session. Paradiso joined in to create a little performance, which began the start of their musical experience together.

They have played at numerous locations all over Sonoma County, open mic events and other venues to just perform.

“Out of all the open mics that I have personally been to, I have never been to one with so much talent,” said Duran and Paradiso in agreement.

They are coming out with an album within the next month or two called “Awake,” reflecting pop, reggae, indie, but mostly rock with an appeal similar to The Black Keys.

“Music is something we both like to have fun and play around with,” said Paradiso on them not being one type of genre. They both are excited to come enjoy the next “Lobo’s After Dark.”

The amount of people made it hard for the staff to even find the tables and in between one of the acts they had to make an announcement regarding order No. 17’s garlic fries.

Senior Katie McDonagh performed ninth with a ukulele, first performing “Your Song” by Elton John, expressing her gifted voice and musical talent. In between songs she got the crowd cheering loud and laughing.

McDonagh joked around about having a story for her next song. She said she was inspired to cover a personal song by an artist whose concert she attended the previous night, then proceeded to play “We Can’t Stop” by Miley Cyrus.

Sophomore Samantha Basas took the stage after her artistic friend Sebastian Cardona and sang the songs “Gravity” by Sara Bareilles and “When I Was Your Man” by Bruno Mars. Her voice was breathtaking and her changes in the lyrics to Mars’ song were a clever adjustment to grasp the audience’s attention.

For example, instead of the original lyrics, “I should’ve bought you flowers,” she changed it to, “You should’ve bought me flowers.” She really embraced all high notes and expressed the range in her voice.

“Music has always been very important to me and I’ve been performing throughout my entire life because it’s simply a passion,” said Basas.

The amount of talent shown at the event cannot be described by words alone. The next open mic event will be this Wednesday at 8 p.m. where all the talent will gather again.

STAR // Cara Fuqua (Top) Not a single seat was available at “Lobo’s After Dark,” for students crammed into the pizzeria & pub to watch the plethora of acts. (Bottom) Katie McDonagh performs “We Can’t Stop” on a ukulele.

COURTESY // SSU Dept. of Theatre Arts & Dance

COURTESY // Mary Nagler

Here be dragons in ‘She Kills Monsters’ theatre department at Sonoma State has decided to explore the world of D&D with their upcoming production of “She Kills Monsters.”

The play, originally written by Qui Nguyen and published by Samuel French Inc., incorporates a comedic storyline with the dramatic aspects of D&D. Paul Draper and other members of the theatre department came together to discuss the production of this play at SSU. “When we decide on a play, many factors come into play. We have to think about the students we have in the theatre department; their strengths and their weaknesses,” said Draper.

“The characters and themes of this play are completely relevant for college-aged students. Role play is extremely popular right now and important to a lot of people on camCOURTESY // Michelle Dokos pus. Why not connect with students in this way and figure out what this world [of D&D] Sonoma County puppet master Mary is about.”

Nagler poses with the dragon she helped The theatre department has put a lot of make, Tiamot. preparation into the task of recreating a world existing as a board game. Specifically the task Sara Molenda of creating an epic battle scene between the Staff Writer main characters named Agnes, played by SSU theatre student Ashlyn Kelley and the game’s n a world where imagination is dwindling, dragon, Tiamat, who is no ordinary theatre role-playing games such as “Dungeons dragon.

In fact, she is a five-headed dragon with & Dragons” offer gaming enthusiasts a giant wings and a wicked tail standing at a chance to escape reality and battle monsters, mere 15-feet tall, to be controlled by eight theuse magic and perfect their combat skills. The

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atre students. The puppet, constructed from materials such as foam, cheesecloth, latex and all sorts of fabric, will be the largest puppet ever manned in a SSU theatre production.

Mary Nagler, brought in as a puppet consultant specifically for this production, has been helping with the construction of Tiamat, as well as advising the students involved in how to control such a large puppet.

“The puppet will be controlled by eight people. That means eight different individuals, all with different strengths and weaknesses have to learn to move as one being,” said Nagler. “They have to learn how to balance the weight [of the dragon], open and close her mouth and turn the eye lights on and off.”

Nagler, who received her master’s in puppetry at the University of Connecticut and has been a professional puppeteer since 1971, will work with the students to perfect their puppetry until the day before opening night.

The production will also feature other monsters such as bugbears and lizards, as well as a large gelatinous cube rolling around in a dungeon with the power to electrocute the players.

To make the production even more realistic, John Sullins, SSU associate professor of philosophy, fight choreographer and D&D master, has been helping the actors with their fighting techniques, especially for the anticipated fight scene between lead role Agnes and

the main attraction Tiamat.

“I have never played the game [D&D] and when it came out I remember hearing parents say they were scared their kids would lose themselves in a fictitious game,” said Nagler.

“The students have worked very hard with the puppetry and choreographed fighting to make this production realistic and I believe many students will be interested to see it. I plan on sitting right in the front row on opening night.”

While the theatre department has previously had a Chinese dragon on stage in their production of “The Monkey King,” Draper explained this production will be one to remember.

“Tiamat has been a very challenging task,” said Draper. “We have stuck eight different personalities together with eight different rhythms and challenged them to move as one being. I don’t want to give too much away, but it will definitely be worth it to come see the show.”

The production of “She Kills Monsters” will be presented on March 5 to March 8 and again from March 26 to March 29 in Studio 119 of Ives Hall.

While there is a risk in recreating a world created solely by imagination, the theatre department strives to connect the audience to a world where dungeons and dragons really do exist.

Entertainment

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sonomastatestar.com

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Beck’s ‘Morning Phase’

parent influences, so comparisons seem inevitable.

“Heart Is a Drum” is stylistically a Beck original all the way, but the powerful hen an artist struts the music dovocal harmonies and synthesized strings main with a single moniker a la (possibly from a Mellotron) could easily Prince, Sting or Madonna, and have been airlifted from an album of the that name happens to coincide with the surMoody Blues circa 1970. name of legendary rock and blues guitarist Next up is “Say Goodbye,” a simple Jeff Beck, they’d better be good. Check that half-time folk-rock piece reminiscent of — they’d better be great.

Neil Young’s “Old Man” from his “Harvest” Beck Hansen, the alternative-indie artalbum (February 1972). ist known as Beck, released “Morning It features a banjo, just like the Young Phase,” his 12th studio album, on Feb. 25. recording. The tone of both songs is somber, The work contains 13 original songs that but the Beck composition has added musiwere mixed down especially for iTunes’ cal sophistication and even darker lyrics: m4a version of audio compression. His pre“Bones crack, curtains drawn / On my back vious studio album, “Modern Guilt,” was and she is gone / Somewhere else I do not released in 2008. know / Time will tell and I will go / These Simply stated, “there’s a lot going on are the words we use to say goodbye.” here,” and Beck has written and produced a After “Blue Moon,” a track featuring multilayered concept album that took severtom toms and vocals sounding like the al months to arrange, record and mix down.

Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds” album, and “UnMany of the song titles and lyrics reference forgiven,” a prodding half-time rock song, the album name as well as the early hours Beck morphs the vibe into a haunting space of the day on planet with vocals remiEarth. niscent of Queen’s The recording Freddie Mercury is impeccably clean on the title track of with each nuance of “Innuendo.” sound plainly eviNext, the high dent. According to a harmonies on the December 2013 artinoir folk ballad cle in Rolling Stone “Don’t Let It Go” magazine, Beck’s may raise the hairs father, composer-aron one’s neck beranger David Campfore Beck adds even bell, followed suit more harmonies to with Beck’s earlier create counterpoint works by arranging and texture toward the symphonic orthe end. chestrations.

Other highfacebook.com The album has lights include received an average “Morning Phase” is Beck’s 12th studio “Blackbird Chain,” of four-star consum- album. a track with the faster ratings on iTunes. est tempo on the album and a catchy chorus, There are no filler tracks on “Morning and “Country Down” with its powerful melPhase.” Notwithstanding, this is slow mood ody and Bob Dylan-esque lyrics that bleed music with several songs capturing melanraw emotion: choly and haunting expressions versus the “Down river bound / Where the limit to kick-in-the-pants road tunes people play to your sky fell down / The plot against your get their blood pumping. will / Is furrowed into your brow / Against Longstanding Beck fans will notice your better judgment / It’s all behind you some familiar sidemen among the credits: now / Just a mile outside of town.” guitarist Smokey Hormel, bassist Justin “Waking Light” concludes the album Meldal-Johnsen, keyboardist Roger Joseph with its solemn Pink Floyd-like lead vocals, Manning Jr. and drummer Joey Waronker.

Beach Boys retro harmonies, piano, syntheThose same fans will see a reprise of sized strings and a guitar solo with phase traditional folk music packaged on some of shifter over the out section. his earlier albums: “Alcohol” from his de“Morning Phase” is a convincing conbut “Loser - EP” (January 1994) or “Suncept album that instills a sense of mature day Sun” and “The Golden Age” from “Sea folk purity among its scattered guitar Change” (September 2002). chords, melancholy vocals and multiple layFurthermore, there is no scornful antiers of instrumentation. folk content such as “Pay No Mind” from The work resembles his earlier album “Mellow Gold” (March 1994) or postmod“Sea Change” in that both are mellow folk ern bits and pieces of funk, rap or hip-hop expressions with wonderful vocals and harinserted here and there. monies, but “Morning Phase” demonstrates After a short pipe organ intro called that Beck has grown as an artist over the 11“Cycle,” the dark feel of the album is esplus years since “Sea Change” was released. tablished on “Morning.” This medium-slow It also shows that he is a deep musical folk-rock vehicle features full-sounding thinker: Beck leaves nothing to chance, and acoustic guitar chords, simple bass and meaningless content wasn’t placed on the drum parts, pretty melodies with long album because there was nothing else to notes, wonderful harmonies and a powerful place on the album. bridge.

“Morning Phase” will leave listeners Beck is a complex artist with many apwondering: “what will Beck think of next?”

Stuart Courtney Staff Writer

W facebook.com “The Wind Rises” is legendary Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s final full-length feature.

Miyazaki’s final goodbye Dylan Sirdofsky Asst. A&E Editor

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hat else could possibly be said about one of the most spectacular filmmakers to ever grace the industry with his beloved animated tales of imagination, love and triumph of the human spirit? In “The Wind Rises,” announced by Hayao Miyazaki to be his final full-length feature as a director, he accomplishes a career marked by hand-drawn dreams and indescribable beauty.

Miyazaki is a legendary Japanese animator and co-founder of Studio Ghibli, an animation and film studio, who has directed 10 other major motion pictures. A few of his more recognizable features include “Ponyo,” “Howl’s Moving Castle,” “Princess Mononoke” and the Academy Award-winning “Spirited Away.”

“The Wind Rises” concludes his legacy with a story about a man named Jiro Horikoshi (voiced by Joseph Gordon-Levitt), which chronologically follows the historical background of his aircraft developments during World War II in Japan, yet the depiction of his private life is highly fictionalized.

Inspiration to create the film came to Miyazaki after reading a quote from Horikoshi which said, “All I wanted to do was to make something beautiful.”

As a young boy, he dreams of flying airplanes and one day becoming a pilot, but is worried he won’t be able to due to the fact he wears glasses. Through several dream states he encounters a man named Caproni (Stanley Tucci), a well-known Italian aeronautical engineer he’s read about, who encourages him to follow in his footsteps and design planes instead of flying them.

Hirokoshi believes this is his true calling, but he is concerned about his airplanes and the possibility of them only being used for the war effort. He simply wishes to create beautiful planes without weaponry involved, which is one of the ways Miyazaki tackles the anti-war theme.

An interesting thing to notice is in comparison to his other films, which all leave things highly imaginative for the viewer, “The Wind Rises” is his most realistic feature in terms of visual content, with most of the creativity being shown in Hirokoshi’s visions and the rest being a genuine portrayal of the simple life of an aspiring engineer throughout the years.

Pacing picks up as Hirokoshi becomes a young man on his way to a university where he studies engineering. He meets a young woman named Nahoko Satomi (Emily Blunt) on a train and they experience the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 firsthand. Hauntingly surprising and devastating, Hirokoshi ends up helping Satomi return to her family, where they then part ways.

Years pass by and they eventually meet up again, soon sharing a special moment due to Satomi never being able to thank Hirokoshi for his heroics when they were younger. Their relationship grows and grows and eventually they fall in love, but things get complicated when it’s revealed that Satomi has tuberculosis and refuses to get married until she’s recovered from it.

The film achieves a consistent flow of peaceful energy throughout its entirety, with many enjoyable and interesting characters in support of the main cast. Comic relief is often aided through Horikoshi’s younger sister who complains about his insensitivity to visit her and the family enough, as well as his boss, a short tempered and stern man who is a big softy inside.

One of the most pleasant inclusions is the theme song used for the trailer. It is different from traditional Studio Ghibli songs, as it was not originally made for this movie but instead written in 1973 by an artist named Yumi Matsutoya called “Hikōki-gumo,” dedicated to her friend who passed away and chosen by Miyazaki himself.

It’s hard to decide whether or not this is Miyazaki’s finest work, although the quality of animation continues to be a breath of fresh air in everything he touches, especially considering it has been five to six years since his last film was released. The film made its way to U.S. theatres in select cities on Feb. 21 and received a wider release on Friday to small local theaters.

With a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, it is sure to be picked up in many more movie theatres soon enough and is definitely worth spending money on a ticket to see some of the greatest and most visually stunning animation imaginable.

If this is truly the last directorial adventure Miyazaki ever oversees, it has certainly been one long and prosperous ride with decades of memories destined to live on forever. “The Wind Rises” is a well deserving goodbye masterpiece for a legendary storyteller with its powerfully uplifting nature and overwhelmingly heartfelt reflection of love where dreams take flight.

Winners at the 86 Academy Awards th

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facebook.com There were several surprises at the 86 Academy Awards last Sunday. “12 Years a Slave” won the prestigious Best Picture (Box 1); Cate Blanchett won Best Actress in a Leading Role for “Blue Jasmine” (Box 2); Lupita Nyong’o won Best Actress in a Supporting Role for “12 Years a Slave” (Box 3); Matthew McConaughey won Best Actor in a Leading Role for “Dallas Buyers Club” (Box 4); Jared Leto won Best Actor in a Supporting Role for “Dallas Buyers Club” (Box 5). Alfonso Cuarón won Best Director for “Gravity,” “Frozen” won Best Animated Feature, “20 Feet From Stardom” won Best Documentary and Emmanuel Lubezki won Best Cinematography for “Gravity.” th

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Features

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Greek Community Service Day attracts more than 500 students Chad Bianchi Copy Editor

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he SSU Greek Community Service Day was a great success as 17 organizations and more than 525 SSU students contributed almost 2,000 hours of volunteer work in the Sonoma County community. The volunteers were spread out amongst 12 work sites helping causes including the Redwood Empire Food Bank, Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue, Catholic Charities Restyle Market, Canine Companions for Independence, Petaluma Bounty, SSU Community Garden, four Sonoma County parks and two Sonoma County Water Agency Creeks.

The Inter Fraternity Council, Multicultural Group Council and Panhellenic collaborated with Join Us Making Progress, the Associated Students community service program to record the year’s biggest volunteer campaign. JUMP Days of Service Coordinators Chloe Kruskol and Kim Young played integral roles in the service event.

About 15 student leaders largely contributed to the success of this event including IFC President Adam Rosenkranz.

“I am so proud of the volunteers who participated,” said Rosen-

kranz. “As members of Greek organizations we all strive to engage in meaningful community service, but to put on an event this scale and to have the support that we did left me speechless and that doesn’t happen very often.”

Last year, the Greek community performed more than 8,000 hours of community service and raised $75,000 for non-profit service organizations. Rosenkraz is making it the Greek Community’s goal to surpass those numbers.

The Redwood Empire Food Bank provides a substantial amount of service in the Sonoma County community every day. The non-profit relies on their donors and volunteers to feed 78,000 hungry adults and children every month. Just over 20 minutes away from campus, makes it a great and easy opportunity to volunteer for a cause.

“Hunger is an urgent, basic need for life,” said Redwood Empire Food Bank Volunteer Program Manager Jen Oberti. “The fact they [Seawolves] showed up and chose us to volunteer time means people that need access to food got what they needed.”

Oberti also mentioned that about 120 Greek students volunteered their time at the food bank on Sunday, making up about 10 percent of the monthly attendance needed. The time volunteered by the students

impacted roughly 18,000 households in Sonoma County. If you are interested in volunteering your time at the largest relief organization in Sonoma County please sign-up at http://www.refb.org.

Not only do the organizations that receive volunteer work gain benefits, but the process of volunteering can be a very rewarding experience in itself.

Despite the personal values gained, like helping someone who needs it or doing something good for a good cause, volunteer work can look great on resumes.

“At Paulin Creek volunteers were asked to pick up any trash or waste along the creek to give back to our community,” said member of the Alpha Delta Pi Sorority, Nayeli Vacasotelo. “It also raised awareness within the Greek community about the issues that surround us.”

The leaders of the SSU Greek Community Service Day also wanted to give a special thanks to the SSU Dining Services and Panhellenic council for donating food, as well as Starbucks for donating “a lot” of coffee.

If you are ever interested in volunteering your time there are nonprofit organizations waiting. Visit http://www.sonoma.edu/as/jump/ to help get started.

COURTESY // Interfraternity Council (IFC) Panhellenic President Sam Mraz, Vice President of Phi Delta Theta Corey Egan, President of Kappa Delta Zeta Katie Bailey, Phi Delta Theta’s Community Service Chair Pedro Cortez, and IFC President Adam Rosenkranz, all were able to capture the best moments from the Greek Community Service Day.

Reverend Jarrett Maupin speaks outs against racism

STAR // Connor Gibson Reverend Jarrett Maupin encourages students to embrace equality and diversity on a campus that has a mostly white population.

Tyler Drinnen Staff Writer

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ith the conclusion of Black History Month, Wednesday’s “Evening with Reverend Jarrett Maupin,” put on by Associated Student Productions (ASP), raised the

issues of racism and inequality here on campus, amongst other schools that operate similarly to Sonoma State.

Maupin referred quite frequently to the recent “MLK Black Party” scandal that took place at Arizona State University.

As a Phoenix civil rights activist he speaks to communities about the controversy over this event and issues around alleged racism in the American school system. ASU administration banned the Tau Kappa Epsilon as a fraternity just few weeks after MLK’s birthday. Soon after photos were released to the public, Maupin held a press conference on the ASU campus, calling for expulsion of all students involved. Since then, he has retracted that goal and sought for equality.

“Recognize that the world is changing, imperialism, colonialism is all dead, baby. And it impacts you on every level, down to the school you’re attending,” said Maupin.

With the fraternity scandal that took place at ASU, many wondered if the effects would reach the SSU campus. Within a sense, it has, bringing the attention of speakers such as Maupin to speak up and change old world values in the educational system.

The central goal and position of his speech here on campus was focusing on the breakdown of ignorance that arises on college campuses and within communities.

“If black scholar colleges can triple the rate of

white minorities within their schools, Sonoma State can triple its black minority. Shame on SSU for remaining ignorant about the implementation of diversity procedures within the educational system. You’re not just a member of this school, or this community but you have a worldly duty,” said Rev. Maupin.

Roughly two to three percent of all students attending SSU are black. That’s about 200 students of the total approximate 10,000 student population.

This is compared to the majority 63 percent of white students.

“Why are there no blacks here? Because someone doesn’t want them here. The president of this school is nothing more than a Cuban man, living in a white privileged community, making the wrong decisions for the diversity your school,” said Maupin.

Maupin continued with hopeful enthusiasm.

“The University’s responsibility is to respect the students. How long does the list of indictments need to be? Quality education is built on the basis of equality,” said Maupin. “Within myself, within all of you there is a freedom fighter that is willing to do good and make a difference, it all starts with the process of education. And if you can’t change yourself, then what can you change?”

In the 2013 Black History Month last year at SSU, discriminating acts took place after a Black Scholars United community event on campus

where posters were found with offensive and racist material slandering the black community. When news of the offensive material spread like wildfire through social media, Sonoma State reacted quickly and held a community forum to discuss the nature of the occurrence.

Since the incident, there have been many multicultural and diversity lectures given on the SSU campus to extinguish the ignorance behind the curtain.

“Never too old, never to young, the ability to do the right thing is always in the palm of your hands,” said Maupin.

The ASU administration was successfully able to handle the backlash arising from the insensitive acts brought on by a small percentage of its students.

And though Sonoma State has proven to be lacking within its diversity, learning from past mistakes and those that occur at similar schools was the extensive message Maupin was trying to communicate in his lecture.

The recognition of changing ignorance through the tool of education was the complete message that was reiterated many times during his speech.

“We need bold audacious actions, so speak up whether you’re the minority or the majority fighting for the right of diversity within your school. If this is your university, do something about it. I’m not encouraging rebellion, I’m just encouraging fairness,” said Maupin.

Features

March 4 - March 10, 2014

sonomastatestar.com

STAR // Megan Kleszcz The winner of the pageant, Dixie Normous.

STAR // Megan Kleszcz

STAR // Cara Fuqua Some pageant divas show a bit of attitude.

Page 9

Each of the drag queens took on their own persona wearing over-the-top makeup and clothing.

Alpha Psi struts their stuff for charity

Megan Kleszcz Staff Writer

I

ves 101 was packed to capacity as the lights dimmed. There were people filling every seat, sitting on the floor and against the walls. The emcee, Elijah Stephenson, philanthropy chair for Alpha Psi, took the stage. The Alpha Psi Cutie Pie Drag Show was about to begin.

Each of the nine contestants walked out individually displaying their sass and giving the audience a sense of who they were. Some of the names of the guys’ personas were “Dixie Normous, Cherry Poppinz, Slutty McSlutstlut, Jenna Talia and Mariana ‘StealYoMan’dez.” Each contestant then had to read off some comedic, but mean jokes that they wrote about each of the other contestants. Following that, two contestants at a time competed against each other by lip-syncing and dancing. Then each drag contestant took part in dancing with each other. At the end, a vote took place to see who the drag queen winner would be.

The Alpha Psi Cutie Pie Drag Show was put on to help support an organization known as NAMI, The National Alliance on Mental Illness. This Sonoma County organization helps people who have mental health problems and helps the lives of their family and friends. The many health problems that the organization helps with are those known as schizophrenia, bipolar, disorder, major depression, borderline personality disorder, anxiety disorders, panic disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

According to the NAMI pamphlet passed out at the Alpha Psi Cutie Pie Drag show, many important components of re-

covery are known as the dark days, acceptance, treatment, coping skills and successes, hopes and dreams. The pamphlet specifically states that NAMI is the “nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness. NAMI has over 1,100 affiliates in local communities across the country and 52 state organizations.”

“We wanted to raise money for NAMI and wanted to do something really out of the ordinary and the drag just fell into place. I don’t think anyone really knew anything about drag,” said Stephenson. “There was really an impressive outcome and so we want the Green Music Center next time. We definitely can’t wait to do it again. Next year we want to include as many organizations as we can; not just Greek organizations. It was definitely a great opportunity.”

There were nine different fraternity brothers who took the stage in heels, dresses and plastered on makeup.

“The experience was fantabulous. Anyone who has the opportunity to participate in this event next year should because it was a lot of fun. It was awesome to be able to support the NAMI organization,” said Jonah Cohen, Alpha Epsilon Phi. Each fraternity brother had a positive outlook on the experience.

“It was a great opportunity to go over the wonderful history of drag and to celebrate. I had a blast,” said Adrian Gould, Alpha Psi. Gould was dressed in a long tight-fit black dress accented with ruff les that showed off his legs. He had short blonde hair and bangs and wore black heels with her outfit. Gould walked around with attitude.

“It was fabulous dressing up like a school girl and twerk-

ing. I had no idea the amount of make up all the girls put on,” said Nick Morrill, Alpha Epsilon Phi. “This is a really creative philanthropy for a really great cause. If I wasn’t graduating, I would do it again.”

Morrill was dressed as a risqué school girl known as Star 69. He had on a white t-shirt that showed off his midriff with a paper pinned to his back that displayed the words “slut.”

To compliment his short shirt was a checkered skirt and lime green spanks on underneath. The whole outfit was pulled together with sky blue hair and black pumps.

The show had a positive response to all of the men on stage. Each fraternity brother let go of their ego and displayed a lot of attitude with each step they took. There was never a moment in the audience without laughter.

At the end of the drag show, everyone in the audience had the opportunity to put any spare change in the contestant’s bucket that they believed deserved to win drag queen. The winner of the competition was Dixie Normous. Dixie won over the crowd with his sassy dance moves and audacious outfit: styling black heels, a white and black corset and black pencil skirt. He had a feather boa and vibrant jewelry to compliment her attire.

“I’m really thankful and really loved the show. It was fabulous,” said Tyler Matthews, intern at NAMI in Sonoma County.

“NAMI provides education, advocacy, and support for individuals with mental illnesses and for their family and friends. If any students have any concerns about mental illness, substance abuse, or the thought of suicide, they can speak with someone to get the resources that they may need or just an ear to listen to. The hotline number is (707)-527-6655. Also, anyone can go on our website namisoco.org.”

Student Spotlights: STAR artists Eddie Blake and Robbie Geiss Melanie Hernandez Staff Writer

R

STAR // Melanie Hernandez STAR cartoonist, Eddie Blake loves the world of digital and 3-D art. He wishes to pursue a master’s degree in art in the future.

obbie Geiss, a Sonoma County native, is a junior at Sonoma State who has been doing illustrations for the STAR since fall 2013.

Geiss explained that he enjoys doing illustrations for the STAR because “they’re fun and quick and they’re on current issues” that offer him an opportunity to practice his work.

While drawing for the STAR, Geiss has become experienced in working with other people.

He explained, “[For art] you have to work with clients to get an idea, so with [cartooning for the STAR he is] given that concept to work with. It’s good to be able to look at something in a certain way to represent some concept that can be super literal or sometimes laced with metaphors,” said Geiss.

He first became interested in the arts when he was a child. His father was a molding engineer when he was younger, so he would help him draft out his work which began his art career.

As an art major, Geiss is interested in digital art and would like to work in the digital industry after he graduates from SSU. He hopes to find an internship that will help him further his

art career or get a Master’s degree in art.

Geiss has been interested in art for his whole life. “As kids, we all made those paintings where you squirt paint on paper and I guess the only thing is that I just kept doing it. My parents were like ‘Well you like it so keep doing it,’” said Giess. So he continued his journey with art.

He enjoys doing digital art with Photoshop and 3-D modeling, which he had been learning at the junior college. He believes it is a lot cleaner than drawing on paper. “Now when I work in 2-D I try to rotate it and it’s just not the same,” said Geiss.

Similar to most artists, Geiss finds inspiration all around him. Specifically from the music he listens to. Geiss explained that rappers like Childish Gambino, Kanye West and Tyler, the Creator motivate him to go out and do the things he loves and is interested in. “They’re out of the vain of visual fine arts but they do so many different things. Seeing people motivated to go out and do the things they want to do” said Geiss.

Geiss finds interest in the world around him and hopes to continue to learn new things and continue his art career.

“It’s good to focus on your interests because to make a job out of it you have to be good at [it], so I’m trying to focus on art. But it’s hard because the world is so cool.”

STAR // Robbie Geiss One piece of Geiss’ that truly shows off his artistic talent.

E

STAR // Melanie Hernandez Eddie Blake enjoys cartooning for the STAR and feels as if it will help him in the future in terms of finding a job.

ddie Blake is a junior in his first year at Sonoma State who has been doing illustrations for the STAR since fall 2013.

Blake is majoring in human development and got his associates degree in art from a junior college.

While Blake is not taking art classes at SSU, he has been interested in art his whole life.

He is interested in many different mediums and loves to draw.

Blake said he would “spend a lot of time by [himself ] with music and [he] ended up getting hooked on drawings and pictures that tell a story,” which led him into being interested in art.

One of his inspirations is Juan Gris, an artist that works a lot with cubism. Gris, a Spanish painter and sculptor born in Madrid, was closely connected to the movement of the artistic genre of cubism.

Blake also enjoys music and has started a disc golf club on campus, which is like regular golf but played with a Frisbee.

Blake says that the reason he started drawing for the STAR was because he saw a f lyer and thought it would be a great opportunity. “[I figured] being a published cartoonist helps you later if you want to get a job,” said Blake.

For his career plans, he hopes to do marriage and family therapy and maybe art therapy, which he believes will be “a nice bonus” since he has such an interest in art.

Blake hopes that having his illustrations in the paper will come in handy and help him with his future.

COURTESY // Eddie Blake This cartoon, by Eddie Blake, appeared in this semester’s second issue of the STAR in an opinion’s piece about eating and shopping healthy.

Page 10

Sports

March 4 - March 10, 2014

sonomastatestar.com

Men’s basketball grabs win on home court Wolves triumph on Senior Night Vasilios Loufas Staff Writer

T

he men’s basketball team had two home games this past weekend in the “Wolves’ Den”, taking on Cal State Monterey Bay on Friday Night and Cal State East Bay Saturday Night. It was the last two games of the season and they ended with a loss and then a win. They lost Friday night in a heartbreaking 79-69 game and won their final game on Senior Night against CSU East Bay 86-77 on Saturday.

The weekend opener came against Cal State Monterey Bay in what would become a shootout between the two teams. The Seawolves started off the game very slow, immediately going down by three points on account of a Monterey Bay layup and free throw. Through the first 10 minutes of the half, Sonoma State was down 19-9 trailing by 10 points early in the game. With just five minutes left in the first half, Seawolf David Ahern scored two consecutive three-pointers to bring the game from 27-15 to 27-21, bringing Sonoma within six points. In the final seconds of the half, Sonoma State’s Jason Walter made a layup to end the half 31-25, with the Seawolves still down by just six points.

The second half opened up and the two teams stayed close. The Seawolves kept tapping on Monterey Bay’s door, getting very close. Five minutes into the half, Seawolf Michael Avery made a layup to give Sonoma State their first lead, 39-38. Fifty percent through the half, the game was tied at 47. Justin Herold was fouled and made both free throws to once again take the lead by two points. With just over six minutes left, Sonoma State had their largest lead of the game at eight points winning 61-53. Monterey Bay stayed in the game and never let up. They managed to take the lead 64-61 on account of a made three-pointer with over two minutes left in the game. The game stood tied at 65 with 47 seconds remaining. Monterey Bay made a layup to take the lead by two points with only 11 seconds remaining in the ball game. Sonoma State took a timeout and discussed what they would execute on the final play. In the final seconds, Sonoma’s David Ahern made a layup to send the game to overtime.

Both teams headed into the extra period winded and ready to win the game and end it. In the first 30 seconds, both squads made a basket and were tied at 69 apiece. Three consecutive Monterey Bay jump shots gave them the lead by six points. That was the ball game for the Seawolves as they only scored one basket in overtime and lost in an epic matchup 79-69.

The team had one game left in their season, and it happened to be on Senior Night against Cal State East Bay. The Seawolves dropped to a 6-19

record after the previous night’s overtime downfall. It was time to turn the page and end the season on a good note.

The game started and senior Sterling Arterberry was in at the tip-off even though he had been injured for several weeks. He was wearing a purple cast on his wrist and hacked a pioneer player just seconds into the game. He was immediately subbed out as a loud applause came from the home crowd in his last college basketball game. The Seawolves took a lead from the beginning of the game and had all the momentum. A huge slam-dunk by senior point-leader Justin Herold put the seawolves up 17-5, leading by 12 points with over 13 minutes left in the half. East Bay staged a comeback and brought the game within two points with just under three minutes left. Four made free throws by Herold brought the Seawolves back up by six points. With a minute left, Michael Avery scored a layup to end the half 46-39 with the pioneers trailing by seven points.

The last half of basketball for the season began and all the Seawolves wanted was to close out their seventh “W” of the season on their Senior Night. Through six minutes of basketball, senior Steve Lackey made a layup to put Sonoma State up by 10 points. Throughout the half, the pioneers continued to battle and stay very close to the seawolves, coming within five or less points several times. An East Bay three-pointer and two made jump shots brought the pioneers within four points. The Pioneers then made two free throws to bring the game the closest it had been the entire half. The game stood at 76-74 with about two minutes left in the season. The Seawolves held on to the game and made their free throws down the stretch to close out the season with a 86-77 win.

Senior Seawolf Justin Herold led the team with 19 points followed by David Ahern with 15, Steve Lackey with 14, 12 from Jason Walter, and another 10 from Khalid Johnson. It was an overall great performance by Sonoma State’s men to close out the season with a win.

“We ended the season on a win. I got to play my last game with my brothers,” said Justin Herold through an interview conducted by sonomaseawolves.com.

Herold led the team in scoring on his last night as a Seawolf basketball player.

“I appreciate my career here. I appreciate my teammates,” said Sterling Arterberry.

Arterberry made the opening block while being injured in his last game here.

Head coach Pat Fuscaldo said, “I’m just very happy for my kids. They worked hard, especially the seniors.” The Seawolves ended on a win that brought them to an overall record of 7-19.

STAR // Connor Gibson Kristina Fahey scored a career-high 22 points in the battle against Monterey Bay.

Lady Seawolves split home game series Gian D’Ambra Staff Writer

T

his weekend ended the regular season of basketball this year at Sonoma State.

It ended a couple careers of players on SSU’s women’s team as well. Seniors Kristina Fahey and Natalie Del Carlo played their final two collegiate games at home in the Wolves’ Den on Friday and Saturday night.

The Seawolves hung tough for most of the game on Friday, but eventually fell to the Cal State Monterey Bay Otters, 48-45.

“Even in just one year I’ve really grown to respect my coaches and teammates. I know that I’ve made some life long friends.”

The gym was quiet; most people were probably kept away by the rain. That didn’t help the Seawolves gain any momentum as they found themselves down 18-4 with 11:40 left in the first half. Sophomore Tanner Adams hit a deep three-pointer that seemed to spark some life into SSU, just after head coach Mark Rigby took a timeout to halt the Otters fast start to this game. A few more made three-pointers and good defense by the Seawolves kept them within striking distance at halftime, only trailing 26-21.

After digging themselves into an early double-digit deficit, most teams can only fight to claw back into games to make them close. Getting over the hump to take the lead or win the game is very difficult for any team at any level. The Seawolves fell victim to that on Friday. They cut the Otter lead to as few as one point on a few occasions in the second half, but could never make a stop or a shot when they needed to gain the lead. Despite the loss, Fahey put up a double-double with a career-high in points (22), and matched a career-high in rebounds (11).

“It felt great. I had been struggling with my shot this year and I just felt like my hard work was paying off. It felt good to just succeed,” said Fahey.

Saturday night was the last game of Del Carlo’s and Fahey’s college careers at SSU.

Del Carlo also had a senior send-off last year because she was previously a four-year water polo player at Sonoma State before playing basketball this year while finishing her undergraduate degree. With having only one year to play with this set of teammates, Del Carlo was able to build a bond with them just as she was throughout her playing time with the water polo team.

“Even in just one year I’ve really grown to respect my coaches and teammates. I know that I’ve made some life longfriends,” said Del Carlo.

In her last game as a Seawolf, Sonoma State played the Pioneers of Cal State East Bay and found itself in another early hole, being down 27-8 with just 4:56 left to play in the first half. The Pioneer lead would stretch all the way to 38-15 by halftime.

The second half fight that the Seawolves had in them on Friday night didn’t appear on Saturday night. Though they only lost the second half by a total of five points, the 23-point halftime deficit ended up being too much to handle. Sonoma State lost its last game of the 2013-2014 season to the Pioneers by the score of 67-39.

“It’s a lot different being a player then going to coach. You have so much more off-thecourt stuff you need to work out. It was a big learning experience and I’m really glad I got the opportunity to do it.”

The players weren’t the only ones to learn some things from this year, as first-year assistant coach Aly Conway also took some lessons out of this season. She was once a four-year basketball player at SSU, and saw some differences between being a player and a coach.

“It’s a lot different being a player then going to coach. You have so much more offthe-court stuff you need to work out,” said Conway. “It was a big learning experience and I’m really glad I got the opportunity to do it.”

The Seawolves finished the season with a 4-22 record, 3-19 in conference play.

COURTESY // SSU Athletics Sophomore David Ahern scored a team high of 19 points in the brawl against Cal State Monterey Bay.

STAR // Connor Gibson The Seawolves will be losing seniors Del Carlo and Fahey come graduation this spring.

March 4 - March 10, 2014

sonomastatestar.com

Player Profile: Ashlee Floren Amanda Scrabis Staff Writer

E

very once in a while you come across a student here on Sonoma State’s campus that seems to be involved in a lot of aspects on campus.

Ashlee Floren, one of the captains of the Sonoma State University Women’s Lacrosse Club, is one of those people. Floren has not only been a part of the women’s lacrosse club for nearly four years, but she has had heavy involvement throughout Sonoma State’s Communications Department for years.

She has been heavily involved in KSUN Radio, the on-campus radio station, throughout her years here. She first had her own show, moved up to the business department head, and finally became general manager of the radio station this past year. Not only does she commit herself to the communications department but she has also been on the women’s lacrosse club for four years now.

Floren has had a passion for lacrosse for the past eight years. During Floren’s freshman year of high school her school developed a lacrosse team for the first time. She originally intended on trying out for the school musical, but she decided on lacrosse instead. She has been playing lacrosse ever since.

Lacrosse has not only changed her life but it has changed the life of her family as well.

After picking up lacrosse her dad decided to learn about the sport. He then became Livermore High School’s assistant coach, where he still works today.

“Everything I do on the field is a direct influence of him and every goal I score, pass I catch or ground ball I get is always dedicated to him and his amazing mustache,” said Floren.

Now as a member of the women’s lacrosse club, her love for lacrosse has only grown, especially the love for her teammates. The team has gone through a lot of changes in her four years. They have changed coaches, divisions (moving from Division I to Division II), and personal struggles, but she says these adversities have only made them stronger as a team.

Her teammates have become like a family to her and she loves teaching them and learning from them.

“Our team is such a ridiculous family and I love it. I always tell them that no matter what happens you play for the girl next to you and I feel that is exactly how we play,” said Floren.

“I love these girls so much I do not know what I would do without them.”

Sports Seawolf Sports March 4 Men’s Golf at Pioneer Shootout All Day

COURTESY // Ashlee Floren Ashlee Floren is the captain of the women’s lacrosse club.

Hayley O’Neill, one of Floren’s teammates, has known and played with her throughout her four years at Sonoma State University.

One of the things that O’Neill admires about Floren is that she is a great motivator. She leads by example, tries her hardest and gives her all to everything she does.

O’Neill believes that with Floren’s motivation this year’s women’s lacrosse team is one of the strongest they’ve ever had.

“Our team works very well together. We are all very close on and off the field which makes playing lacrosse together more fun,” said O’Neill. “Everyone helps each other to learn better ways to play, or to correct any technical mistakes or bad habits. Being friends with everyone keeps it light hearted because we all know that we are trying to improve as individual players and as a team.”

Mac Sweeney, Floren’s coach, has been coaching her and the rest of the Sonoma State University women’s lacrosse team for the past two seasons. He sees Floren as a model captain for the team. The team has a range of students anywhere from freshmen to seniors and beginners to advanced players. He believes that Floren does a great job of keeping everyone involved and is a very valued part of the team.

Sweeney said that this kind of dedication and involvement has lead to a great season for the Seawolves.

“I feel great. We have a lot of young players and a strong veteran back bone of the team and I think its great to see that the girls are all coming together as a unit and really getting better each week,” said Sweeney.

This week the Seawolves will travel to San Diego to take on the University San Diego women’s lacrosse team on Friday and UC San Diego women’s lacrosse team on Saturday.

March 7 Softball vs. UC San Diego noon Baseball at Fresno Pacific 6 p.m.

March 8 Softball vs. UC San Diego 11 a.m.

Baseball at Fresno Pacific 11 a.m.

2 p.m.

March 9 Water Polo at Cal State East Bay vs. Mercyhurst (at Hayward, CA) 11:30 a.m.

2:30 p.m.

Men’s Tennis at UC Davis 3 p.m.

March 10 Men’s Tennis at San Francisco 2 p.m.

Women’s Golf at Chico State Invitational All Day Men’s Golf at NDNU Invitational All Day

Courtesy of sonomaseawolves.com

Score Box Softball Saturday March 1 SSU - 3 East Bay - 0 SSU - 8 East Bay - 10

Men’s Basketball Friday Feb. 28 SSU - 69 Monterey Bay - 79 Top Scorer: David Ahern - 19 pts

Sunday March 2 SSU - 4 East Bay - 3 SSU - 3 East Bay - 4

Saturday March 2 SSU - 86 East Bay - 77 Top Scorer: Justin Herold - 19 pts

Water Polo Saturday March 1 SSU - 9 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps - 11 SSU - 5 Pomona-Pitzer - 7

Women’s Tennis Sunday March 2 SSU - 2 UC Davis - 4 Top Scorer: Leire Martinez No. 2 Singles

Sunday March 2 SSU - 11 Cal Lutheran - 10

Baseball Contest cancelled due to weather

Women’s Basketball Friday Feb. 28 SSU - 45 Monterey Bay - 48 Top Scorer: Kristina Fahey - 22 pts

Men’s Tennis Contest cancelled due to weather

same usf, just closer.

and less fog.

Change the world from here

Graduate degrees available in Nursing or Counseling.

New online programs now available.

LEARN MORE AT AN

InformatIon meetIng at the USF SANTA ROSA CAMPUS Wednesday, march 12, 5:30pm

Learn more or to RSVP call 707.527.9612 visit www.usfca.edu/santarosa or email santarosacampus@usfca.edu

Saturday March 2 SSU - 39 East Bay - 67 Top Scorer: Kristina Fahey - 13 pts Courtesy of sonomaseawolves.com

Page 11

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Photo

March 4 - March 10, 2014

sonomastatestar.com

This week in photos...

For more photos visit Sonomastatestar.com

Open Mic Night at Lobo’s

A heart pounding trip for the cool geek bad-ass that lies within...

By Qui Nguyen

Directed by Paul Draper

S O N O M A

S T A T E

U N I V E R S I T Y

DEPARTMENT OF

T H E AT R E A RT S & D A N C E

www.facebook.com/SSUtheatre

March 5-29, 2014

Studio 119, Ives Hall on the SSU campus

STAR // Cara Fuqua Music filled Lobo’s last Wednesday as amateur guitarists, rappers and ukulele players alike gathered to play their hearts out for the capacity crowd. Attendees where surprised to witness so much talent in the new venue.

TWO LATE SHOWS! 11pm, Mar. 7 & 27

T I C K E T S www.sonoma.edu/tix

707.664.4246

$10-$17 Call for group and family rates

FREE ADMISSION with student ID