Volume73 issue9

Students donate hair for breast cancer

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‘Rocky Horror’ rocks Petaluma

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Obsessed with Netflix?

Sonoma State Star SINCE 1979

VOLUME 73 // ISSUE 9

SONOMASTATESTAR.COM

OCTOBER 21 - OCTOBER 27, 2014

InterVarsity working toward representation Danielle Hansen Staff Writer

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COURTESY // David Papas Ives 76 has been transformed into a small depression-era town near Louisville, Kentucky for the performance of “The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek” running from Oct. 22-25. Pictured are student actors, Ian Webb and Lyla Elmassian as Dalton Chance and Pace Creagan.

See the full review of “The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek” on page 6.

Career Services smallest in university system Gustavo Vasquez Asst. Photo Editor

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n Associated Student resolution to increase the amount of full time professional state-funded staff in the Career Center fell through during an AS Senate meeting on Friday.

“The fact that the Career Center here is really small and we only have one career counselor is ridiculous,” said Jenn Boldizar, employer relations student assistant in the Career Center. “How can one person serve 10,000 students? How can one actual paid staff and then a team of four serve 10,000 students? That is crazy.”

Increase Staff To Student Ratio In Career Services, a resolution to increase the amount of full time state-funded professional employees and to provide additional funds to Careers Services, failed to be voted on by the AS Senate, due to technical errors within the resolution.

The resolution will be brought back to the AS Senate once revisions are made.

“Students and staff both feel that one career advisor for over 9,000 students is [unacceptable],” said Undeclared Senator Matthew Goodin during the meeting.

The resolution was sponsored by AS President Anthony Gallino, Goodin and Student Services Senator Luke Tesluk in order to aide Career Services, a program at Sonoma State University, which has the least employed state funded professionals compared to other schools within the California State University system.

“In my conversations with students, I found that many students weren’t aware of Career Services and what it had to offer,” said Tesluk during the AS meeting.

According to the CSU Career Center Staffing Report,

Sonoma State has the lowest number of state-funded staff members in career center staffing.

Sonoma State, a school of just over 9,000 students, has only one full time state-funded staff member and four student employees to serve the whole student community.

CSU Maritime, a school of just around 1,100 students has four state-funded staff members and three student employees.

Humboldt State with around 8,000 students has 11 statefunded staff positions, one non state-funded employee, two interns and four student employees.

“A career center is vital to a college campus. To overhaul a space, a website and bring in workshops weekly is huge [in a campus career center]” said Ann Mansfield, career advisor at the Career Center of Sonoma State.

Mansfield is currently the only state-funded professional staff member in the Career Center, with four student workers running the whole career service program.

“I have definitely seen a huge increase in people using the program since Ann got here,” said Brittany Silva, Career Services communication coordinator and student employee. “Expanding the program, doing more workshops and making the website more available to students.”

Since the move of the international program to the rededicated International Hall, the Career Center was able to expand its space in Salazar 1070, where it can host workshops and classes for students.

“Last year we got things done,” said Boldizar. “Ann has come in and transformed what she wants the career center to be known as.”

The Career Center hosted a mock up interview workshop on Oct. 7 to help students with the fears of a job interview.

See SERVICES on Pg. 4

ince Executive Order 1068 went into effect at the beginning of this academic year, a number of religious clubs have been derecognized on campuses across California. Former California State University Chancellor Charles Reed put this order in place.

Sonoma State University’s InterVarsity Christian Fellowship members believe Executive Order 1068 could use some restructuring. Since the order’s inception, it has made it challenging for students participating in InterVarsity to come together and meet on campus.

Executive Order 1068 is an addition to Executive Order 969 from 2006.

Making the university’s discrimination policies include all clubs. Executive Order 969 states: No campus shall recognize any fraternity, sorority, living group, honor society or other student organization that discriminates on the basis of race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, color, age, gender, marital status, citizenship, sexual orientation or disability.

An exemption was made for fraternities and sororities to discriminate on their membership based on gender in Title V of the California Code of Regulations.

This anti-discrimination policy decides who can run for officer positions in California State University student clubs and organizations.

“It is not fair. We are students, we should have access to buildings and classrooms for free and they are taking away our opportunity to participate on campus,” said InterVarsity Vision Team Leader Jenna Lehman. “A lot of students only participate in InterVarsity, and no other clubs or organizations on campus.”

InterVarsity has asked for an exemption to the order like fraternities and sororities were granted.

The nature of fraternities and sororities is discriminative based on an individual’s gender.

The National InterVarsity Organization reached out to CSU Chancellor Timothy White to set up a meeting,

but has yet to hear back according to InterVarsity Area Director Jenny Klouse.

“It is a good idea in theory. We don’t want people to be discriminated against,” said Klouse. “The club does not have dues, insuring anyone who wants to be a member and participate can. [We] disagree with the no discrimination in the leadership.”

InterVarsity officers and members don’t want to amend their constitution to allow people not of Christian faith to hold leadership positions.

They hope to honor the organization’s founding of sharing and educating others in the Christian faith, by upholding the original constitution.

There are no plans to change the constitution in order to charter and once again be recognized as a Sonoma State University club.

“Even though we are derecognized as a club, we are still here to help students discover their faith, and what they would like it to be,” said Klouse. “Twenty percent of students involved in InterVarsity would not call themselves Christian.”

The purpose of InterVarsity is Christian Fellowship, to establish and advance at colleges and universities witnessing communities of students and faculty who follow Jesus as Savior and God. “I am trying to make sure no student that wants to rent a space on this campus will have to pay to reserve that space,” said Associated Students President Anthony Gallino during an exclusive interview with the STAR. Since being derecognized as a club, InterVarsity members have rented the Cooperage in order to host their large group meetings.

Large groups are held every Thursday at 7:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. A large group is where all members come together to worship and host a speaker.

Students can walk in and use a room for free, but cannot reserve one. There is no guarantee that the group is able to use the room every week.

Because of the amount of students who attend the large event is 100 or more on any night, it’s necessary that the See REPRESENTATION on Pg. 4

‘Orange is the New Black’ actress visits campus

Album Review: OK Go

Volleyball remains undefeated

See the full story on Pg. 8

See the full story on Pg. 7

Read more on Pg. 11

Page 2

Editorial

Oct. 21 - Oct. 27, 2014

sonomastatestar.com

THE STAR Fall 2014 Editorial Board

Dylan Sirdofsky, Editor-in-Chief Kayla E. Galloway, News Editor Aryssa Carvalho, Asst. News Editor Rachel Keigley, Opinion Editor Brandon Stachnik, A&E Editor Alexis Mills, Features Editor Kayla Webster, Sports Editor Connor Gibson, Photo Editor Megan Kleszcz, Copy Editor Peter Njoroge, Copy Editor Brennan Chin, Online Editor & Distribution Manager Amanda Saiki, Advertising Manager Anika Jess, Marketing Coordinator Eddie Blake, Editorial Cartoonist Paul Gullixson, Faculty Adviser

Star Production Lab Sonoma State University Salazar Hall 1053 1801 East Cotati Ave Rohnert Park, CA 94928 (707) 664-2776 Advertising: sonomastatestar@gmail.com, attn: Amanda Saiki

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star@sonoma.edu Editor’s Pick This week’s can’t miss article: “‘Campus hosts sexual assault panel” Victims of sexual assault need a place where they can feel comfortable discussing ways to cope with what has happened to them, and how to move on and better defend themselves in the future.

Staff Writer Jon Cappetta listened in on professionals involved in counseling and helping others through the process, and how to prevent an act.

Turn to page 4 to read the story

STAR // Eddie Blake

Training all wheels: An educational balance I f only the age-old simile, “like riding a bike,” was used to describe more than a skill that once learned, is never forgotten.

Some people grow up and learn how to cycle at an early age, but later in life transition into driving motor vehicles and never look back. While others are quite the opposite, and instead have bicycling become one of the most important and frequent activities they make use of. The main thing both parties truly have an issue with, is being able to share the road together.

Bicyclists are eight times more likely to receive non-fatal injuries in the United States compared to Germany, and 30 times higher than the Netherlands and Denmark, according to a 2007 study by the U.S. Department of Transportation. It doesn’t appear as any secret, one of these places needs to play some serious catchup work as far as safety is concerned.

The problem is comparable to families who have children at early ages, resulting from a lack of sex education, whereas accidents involving cyclists happen because of a related absence of information. For starters, creating a better, earlier learning experience is key.

Drivers aren’t taught the street smarts of cycling at a department of motor vehicles (DMV), and ironically, there’s no governing program requiring and telling people how to ride a bicycle on the road. The necessary information

is available, but it’s not mandatory for either group to know.

Similarly, there is no need for bicyclists to obtain a license. For one to learn how to properly operate a bike, the task is researched and done independently.

As of August 2014, there have been 31 cases of bike theft reported this semester to Police and Safety Services, according to Police Officer Eric Wilde.

The Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition was on campus Oct. 13 with Sonoma State University Police Officer Eric Wilde, giving fake tickets to educate students on locking their bikes effectively.

People choose to lock up thousand-dollar bicycles with cheap locks, believing it’s safe, yet it’s simply a lack of education and understanding of how to better the situation.

The group has relevant information online, such as how to report malfunctioning traffic signals, giving readers the opportunity to share with them when a problem like this occurs and what local cities are doing to improve the issue.

As of August 2014, there have been

31 cases of bike theft reported this semester to Police and Safety Services, according to Wilde. He encourages students to get their bicycles registered and engraved on campus, or at the very least have the serial number written down somewhere.

One of the things Sonoma State lacks is a bicycle program, despite the Campus Rec Center offering a service open 3 hours a day. The coalition has calendar events for bike rodeos, allowing kids to learn and play on skill courses.

If something like this were implemented for college students, both drivers and cyclists would reap the educational benefits.

Transportation has improved overall in Rohnert Park, as within the past year people have come to notice several welldone, clearly laid out green bicycle lanes, yet there is still room for improvement.

The idea of riding a bike from home to school may seem simple, but without knowing how to communicate with traffic and properly ride, it can be deadly.

With the Three Feet for Safety Act becoming a law last month, drivers have to keep a distance at all times, hopefully resulting in safer practices. As far as both motorists and cyclists are concerned, the frustration of having to warn each other and safely get from one place to the next is ongoing, but being reminded of pertinent and useful information takes priority.

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 Friday before the publication date.

Published letters must be free of libel, since the publication is held legally accountable for all content. Although personal controversy will be tolerated, it is the responsibility of the editor to check statements purporting the facts.

The 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 email star@sonoma.edu.

Letters received in any format other than by email will not be published.

Corrections/Clarifications

The issue 8 article, “Student-produced films: Showcased,” had a number of major factual errors, including the winners of the event and other rules reported incorrectly. A revised version of the article is available online.

Publication

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.

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

Letters to the Editor

We are sustainability: Defining a legacy

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ear Editor, friends at the STAR and campus community, What is “sustainability”?

Is it simply something for “hippie folks” or something for “Zuckerberg”-like “green” entrepreneurs? Perhaps it is a theoretical framework for addressing climate change and the human relationship with environment?

Maybe it’s a spiritual “way” of seeing, feeling, living and doing in the world; could it be all, some or none of these? These definitions in our culturally-scaffolded contexts on campus, at home and in life simply don’t fit from time to time.

A lot of the time, we can’t rely on one single definition, but instead we choose to strategically adapt operational models to fit the “shoe” so to speak. The argument is this really isn’t a one-sizefits-all situation. But what thought process informs that?

Here’s one of the many insights we can choose to rely

on; whether cast as a frame of epistemology, a subsistence strategy, a philosophy, a social or ethical value, a pedagogical approach, a way of doing stuff simply, a trick of the trade or anything else for that incredibly diverse matter.

Sustainability does look, feel, function, structure and change differently for people in different sociocultural contexts. So it begs the question; what is our “sociocultural context” or “scene” of sustainability at SSU and who is part of it?

Where do we see it and perceive it most? Where do we miss what’s happening?

What ends does it serve? So what, who cares and why should I spend my precious time on this?

We write you to celebrate Sustainability Day today.

This meaningful day in campus history will be a very special occasion that could not be possible without the incredible amount of team ef-

fort, collaboration and planning that has brought so many campus community members together in making a sustainable Sonoma State University by “Doing One Thing Today” on campus.

To students; take 20 minutes out of your day; come out to the beautiful Green Music Center today. Be a part of the scene. Check out all the fantastic things people are doing to be and do sustainability and discover a part of SSU language and culture that will no longer rest beneath the surface of the campus.

From a bountiful campus garden classroom grown from a parking lot, the installation of water bottle refilling stations, to the Nomachella and Sauvapalooza nights on the Sauv Green advertised by salvaged televisions, and repurposed pallets, our campus has come together in the past and created a meaningful, unique experience founded in innovative concepts of a sustainable SSU.

With a tremendous amount of support from the university, we—Students for Sustainability—are working toward sustainable vision of the college experience in engaging, informed and passionate ways.

We possess the responsibility and the past experience necessary to define SSU not just as a beautiful campus with a fancy Student Center, but also as a student body that exemplifies the sustained commitment to stewarding a generative culture, ecology and economy at our university, in our communities and in ourselves.

Come see what this looks like at SSU as of right now and how doing one thing today really can bring us together as a university and create a lasting tradition of sustainably cultivating Lux mentis Lux orbis.

Yours in community, - Students for Sustainability, Sonoma State University

Opinion

Oct. 21 - Oct. 27, 2014

sonomastatestar.com

Stash that cash

Alexandra Rentoria Staff Writer

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earning to budget correctly can help lead to a successful and responsible financial future. By budgeting accurately, an individual can see how much they are spending on necessities and leisure activities. Not only does one get to see how much they spend, but they can also strategically plan out how much they want to spend exactly on certain items like groceries.

As a college student myself, I know what it is like to run out of money because of paying my bills and not having enough money for the rest of the week.

As an affect, I would be on a “ramen” diet. Anyone can run out of money, but it is avoidable through money management and saving money over time.

While this skill is not always taught in school or passed on from parent to children, it can be learned.

In an article written by, Shannon Jones, the study showed most Americans have inadequate savings, it brought up devastating percentages of how much Americans actually save. The rate at which Americans are saving is steadily decreasing, after rising in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis when it reached a high of 5.5 percent. As human beings, we all get older with age and we don’t only save for emergencies but also for the future. It is always good to have a little extra money just in case. Money management is an overall important and rewarding ability to have because it can prepare many individuals for the future or a financial obstacle.

Another reason to save money is to be ready for emergency, such as, needing cash for a co pay at the doctor’s office, needing to replace worn tires, paying for medication or some other unforeseen essential needs.

While not everyone has an emergency fund saved up, anyone can start one. On the popular website “Go Girl Finance,” Dave Ramsey states that everyone should begin with $1,000 and then work their way up to three to six

months of living expenses. However, that should only be done after dealing with debts.” This website even brings to light a dramatic statistic that most people do not know about Americans and their saving habits.

In “On My Own Two Feet”, Go Girl Finance’s favorite Finance’s favorite expert, Manisha Thakor and co-author Sharon Kedar shared some thought-provoking statistics. Thakor and Kedar stated that 50 percent of Americans would struggle to come up with $2,000. They even said how 64 percent of Americans do not have the correct savings to maintain a one $1,000 emergency expense. An emergency fund is crucial and it is more beneficial to start saving early.

Paying off the money someone owes from either a credit card or a loan is especially important because of interest. Interest can build so high that people end up paying back more than they took out in the first place. If it is not possible to pay back all the money an individual owes, then the best thing to do is to make a small payment that is over the minimum, such as if the minimum is $25 then pay $40. This will counter some of the interest and make the debt disappear faster. Credit cards may seem scary and almost feel like an easy way to trap people into owing endless amounts of money, but they are a good thing. The only way someone can really start building credit is through the ownership of a credit card.

Good credit is a very crucial factor in life because it will help you buy a car, house, take out loans and help you bypass start up fees. An example of this would be when first getting cable at a new apartment; if you have good credit then you don’t need to put a down payment, not to say that this is the same for every company.

There are plenty of things that people should know about money, such as setting up a bank account, managing money responsibly, being able to do taxes correctly and saving money in an efficient way. Unfortunately, not everyone has mastered these skills but they are good to learn for one’s financial future.

In some colleges and high schools, they do not teach their students to balance a checkbook or file taxes. These institutions get students ready for a lot of things that will come into their paths like standardized tests and writing proper essays, but not always financial responsibilities listed above. Part of growing up is being able to not only be self-efficient, but also financially independent.

Save the tatas

Veronica Benvenuto Staff Writer

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inktober is upon us, because it’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Most have had some kind of experience with the pink because the boobies have become a sensation, especially when it comes to marketing.

The awareness started in 1985 as a campaign to educate women about breast cancer, which became a gold mine for pink profiteers. This became a huge revenue-generating machine for companies and to raise awareness of their own image, but Cancer is not a popularity contest. It is something that holds close to many people’s hearts because of the many loved ones who have been affected by it.

The pink stands for hope, hope that one day there will be a cure. Hope to the women who are fighting because every two minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast

cancer in the United States. Hope to the women who are survivors and remain survivors. Hope to the families who lost a loved one and that there is a community of support.

I’ve had both family and friends who have been diagnosed by this specific cancer. One friend in particular was diagnosed a couple years ago while she was pregnant at the age of 25. She was eight months pregnant when she found out and in fear she was not going to be able to see her kids grow up. She ended up having to undergo surgery immediately after she gave birth. She is cancer free right now, and is thankful for the help and support that was received because she can enjoy raising her children.

The only way to make progress is through research. In order to have the funds for research is by donating. Marketers have slapped pink on everything imaginable.

NASCAR proudly race pink cars, and the NFL by wearing pink gear.

Yet, the number of annual deaths from breast cancer has hovered around 40,000 for more than 20 years. It is the second leading cause of death in women. Although Breast Cancer in men is rare, an estimated 2,150 men will be diag-

nosed with Breast Cancer and more than 410 will die each year as stated on the National Breast Cancer Site. As mentioned in the Susan G Komen site it was in the fall of 1991, the Susan G. Komen Foundation handed out pink ribbons to participants in its New York City race for breast cancer survivors.

The ribbon was derived from the popular red ribbon of AIDS awareness.

In 1993, Alexandra Penney, editor-in-chief of the women’s health magazine Self, and Evelyn Lauder, who is a breast cancer survivor and Senior Corporate Vice President of the Estée Lauder Companies, founded the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. That was when the pink ribbon was established. The proliferation of the pink ribbon can be explained, in part, by its power as a marketing tool. Because the color pink is considered feminine in western countries, the ribbon has come to be a symbol and a proxy of goodwill toward women in general.

If it were not for the power of the pink ribbon there would not be 3 million survivors alone in the United States today.

There are so many ways you can support those being affected by breast cancer, give help through hope.

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STAR // Marybeth Mondok

Netflix users anonymous

Shannon Brown Staff Writer

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ith over 36 million U.S. subscribers alone, it’s difficult to meet someone without a Netflix account. Those 36 million people are constantly streaming their favorite shows and movies.

More specifically though, over one billion hours’ worth per month are spent on Netflix. It’s hard to imagine, but Netflix, which launched in 1996, is one of the largest companies in the U.S. With Emmy nominated shows like House of Cards and Orange is the New Black, the content on Netflix continues to grab audiences. As a student though, Netflix can be my worst enemy. With my new favorite television show being a click away, it can be easy for me to shy away from academic responsibilities.

It’s often a joke when people say, “Netflix only gives me 15 seconds

to decide if I want to watch the next episode, so it’s nearly impossible to get things done.” As a student with numerous responsibilities, Netflix makes it hard for me to shut off my computer. And considering seasons, not just a single episode, is available at one time, it’s even more difficult.

Why watch just one episode when the entire series is just a moment, or in this case, 15 seconds away?

Netflix, at least for my generation, has completely changed the way we value our time. For example, in the amount of time it takes to watch an episode of a show, is the same amount of time it would take someone to clean their room, do laundry and even do a homework assignment.

But of course, they don’t really think about that while watching Netflix. All Netflix users are really focusing on is the show and what’s going on in the world of television. Of course after watching Netflix, there is always the guilt. Looking up at the clock and realizing its now 2 a.m, is a common event that takes place. The saddest part is, most of the time all that was managed was splitting a computer screen of Netflix and Facebook.

Even though we poke fun at how much we watch Netflix, we never actually care about how much we actually watch ourselves. We laugh at a Twitter post saying things like “Netflix has been my entire summer break” and “I like to party, and by party I

mean watch Netflix.”

Youth don’t seem to mind that Netflix takes up so much time. Ironically enough, it’s found amusing how much of our personal time we really use watching Netflix. Although this seems like a puzzling phenomenon, generation Y doesn’t seem to care.

Although the average amount watched by a single person per day is 93 minutes, it seems like this generation doesn’t come close to that number. I alone spend 120 minutes a day on my Netflix account. Some may say that’s two hours wasted, but I just think of it as another task I have to do.

It’s not time wasted if people are enjoying watching that particular television show and it helps relax them. The only time when it becomes invaluable for them is when they don’t get assignments done because of Netflix. Yes there is such a thing as “too much Netflix” but I think my generation has reinvented what a time waster really is.

With a growing subscriber base and a large surge in revenue, it doesn’t seem like Netflix is going anywhere just yet. With shows that appeal to all ages, it’s not a fad that will go away very quietly. Having access to movies and shows from the comfort of my laptop has changed the way generation Y values their time. Although to some it may seem like a time waster, Netflix helps us forget about the pressure of our daily, hectic lives.

The right to death

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Jalissa Tello Staff Writer

t is hard for some people to remember to wake up in the morning and be thankful for their current situation.

It is human to want more than what you have. Realizing that our situation could definitely be worse is helpful in order to understand how blessed we truly are.

A few days ago I came across a heart-wrenching story about a young woman named Brittany Maynard.

Maynard is a 29-year-old woman from San Francisco who was diagnosed with a horrible form of brain cancer after having a series of severe headaches. At first, the doctors gave her a few years to live, but that all changed after a second visit to the doctor’s office revealed her at stage 4.

Her doctor then gave her only six months to live.

During an interview with

CBS, Maynard opened up about the thoughts that ran through her mind when she was diagnosed with Grade 4 brain cancer. She had so many plans and dreams to travel the world. She was married to the love of her life and planned on starting a family with him.

Honestly, I could not begin to imagine the emotional pain that she went through.

Maynard and her loved ones moved to Oregon where “Death With Dignity” is allowed by law. “Death with Dignity” is a program designed to assist terminally ill people in death. A physician prescribes a medication to a patient who is suffering from an illness that is likely to kill them. This allows the patient to pass the way he or she wants to and surrounded by those that they love most.

Maynard plans to pass upstairs in her own bedroom. By her side will be her parents, husband, and best friend who, is also a physician.

This story has sparked many people to come forward showing their love and prayers to Brittany and her family.

Many people can only imagine what she is going through and stand by her decision to end her life on her terms.

However, there are many others who are skeptical about this medication, believing that

the elderly and other developmentally ill people will abuse the medication. A doctor even spoke out saying that if he were her doctor he would have done everything in his power to persuade her to fight till the end. When asked about what she thought of the opinions of skeptics, Maynard expressed frustration that people who are not in her position have no right to tell someone who is terminally ill how long they should fight, or how much pain they should endure.

My connection to Brittany is as if she were my own family. I recently lost a cousin to melanoma skin cancer.

These two stories are very similar in the sense that both Maynard and my cousin were/ are young, beautiful and enjoying life when they found out that they had only some time to live.

The time that one is told they have to live could never be enough. I remembered seeing how bad cancer had taken complete control of the body of my cousin within a mater of weeks. One day we were at the mall getting dresses to go out, and the next I am confusing her for a passing elderly woman in the hospital bed. Cancer has a way of leaving you with skin and aching bones; a body full of painful tumors.

“Death with Dignity,” in

my opinion, should be the decision of the person who is ill.

Like Maynard said, no one can ever understand the feeling one has with cancer until you have it yourself.

Unfortunately, my cousin did not know of the option of having “Death With Dignity.” She attempted suicide many times, but cancer took its time with her and killed every single piece of her before she took her last breath. I watched her suffer agonizing pain. And now I only wish she would have known of “Death With Dignity.” I know she would have ended her suffering a long time before she passed.

I understand that not everyone has experienced cancer in his or her family, so I ask that you take some time out of your day to watch Brittany Maynard’s story. Google her name and she will pop up.

After watching her story, try and put yourself in her position. Try and imagine being told you only have months to live, and that those months will be the most physically painful moments of your life.

Lastly, imagine having no other option than to watch yourself deteriorate, feeling it every step of the way. “Death with Dignity” gives people the right to die at their own time, under their own terms.

Page 4

News

Oct. 21 - Oct. 27, 2014

sonomastatestar.com

Acclaimed author discusses climate change

Campus hosts sexual assault panel S

Jon Cappetta Staff Writer

afety Week finally arrived and Sonoma State University did its part to spread the word. Sexual Assault awareness and resources were offered Wednesday at the Student Center Ballroom as officials came together as one to address this issue.

The panel consisted of seven members that were workers of the state, campus police and faculty. The meeting discussed a broad range of issues by covering the effects of sexual assault at Sonoma State and also in society as a whole. The panel each individually described their job and further explained what exactly they do to aid the issue of sexual assault and how they aspire to eliminate it.

Counseling and Psychological Services is offered as resources for students in crisis. This is confidential counseling targeted for students who are suffering from issues that are hindering one’s academic success, social life and personal well-being.

Joe Puentes is a psychologist at CAPS and his job is to work with those who are either victims of assault or looking for life counseling. With campus groups such as sports teams, school clubs and Greek Life, Puentes does outreach work addressing the issue of sexual assault and how individuals play a role. He joined the panel to explain the demand of attention sexual assault prevention needs and how work on the issue must be done.

“My favorite part of my job is getting the privilege to work with students during an important part of their life,” said Puentes, “whether it be working to make positive changes, healing from a trauma in their life, or playing an active role in improving their communities.”

Laura Williams is the director of Clinical Services for Counseling and Psychological Services and Sonoma State’s Crisis Advocate. The Crisis Advocate offers assistance to students who have fallen as a victim in either a crime or some sort of traumatic experience. Williams educates students and faculty on sexual assault awareness and how to prevent it, she runs a weekly support group for sexual assault victims.

“I interact with students who have been victimized as a regular part of my job,” said Williams. “As a licensed psychologist, I am required by law to protect the confidentiality of the students I work with. I only disclose information at the student’s request.”

Toni Boracchia is another individual who was at the panel. Boracchia is a health education nurse as well as a nurse at the Student Health Center. A primary goal for Boracchia is sexual assault awareness. She has created and is now distributing flyers that explain what to do if someone has been sexually assaulted.

This provides resources such as information regarding assault prevention, medical support, the steps involved in reporting crime to campus police as well as other on-campus resources.

“We try and look at the whole spectrum, the fact that anybody can be a victim of sexual assault male or female,” said Boracchia. “My job is to make sure to let the individual know this information is confidential, but we are mandated reporters because we are the Student Health Center.”

This does not mean an individual is required to file charges, rather it means that the police will contact the individual to receive information regarding their situation. When someone who has been a victim of sexual assault enters the health center, the primary concern of the health provider is to focus on the victim’s health.

Once physical treatment has been given, then sexual assault resources are presented to the victim. Concerns such as sexually transmitted infection testing or personal aid from recovery is offered, as well as connections to emotional support groups on campus.

“Sonoma State has had a sexual assault program for as long as I can remember, and since then we have been in contact with each other,” said Boracchia. “We have a system to take care of the person, where they are at and provide them with all necessary resources.”

Information discussed between students and health providers is confidential, however, health providers are required to report cases to on-campus police due to their position as mandated reporters.

Emily Hill Staff Writer

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limate change is the very essence of a collective problem,” said Naomi Klein at the opening of her lecture and book signing in Santa Rosa Friday night.

Klein is an award-winning journalist, syndicated columnist and author of The New York Times and No. 1 international bestseller, “The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism.”

Published worldwide in 2007, “The Shock Doctrine” was published in over 30 languages and has over 1 million copies in print. It appeared on multiple “best of year” lists including as a New York Times Critics’ pick of the year. Her new book, “This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate,” was published in the United States, Canada and U.K. last month.

Klein is a contributing editor for Harper’s and reporter for Rolling Stone magazine, and writes a regular column for The Nation and The Guardian that is syndicated internationally by The New York Times Syndicate.

In 2004, her reporting from Iraq for Harper’s won the James Aronson Award for Social Justice Journalism. Additionally, her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Newsweek, The Los Angeles Times, The Globe and Mail, El Pais, L’Espresso and The New Statesman.

The North Bay Organizing Project funded Klein’s lecture and was able to get her to visit Sonoma County and talk about her new best selling book. The Vice President of the North Bay Organizing Project addressed the audience and said, “by being here tonight, you are joining the family.”

Susan Shaw, the director of the North Bay Organizing Project, opened for Klein Friday night and commented on her exceptional reviews and revolutionary ideas.

“We only have one planet. It is our job to take care of it,” Shaw said.

Many people in the crowd showed overwhelming excitement when Klein approached the stage.

“I’m really excited to be here and share my book with all of you,” Klein said.

She started by telling a little about her background for those who were unaware and then delved into her new book and revamped ideas about the physical world we currently inhabit. In her book Klein challenges her readers to forget everything they know about global warming.

“The really inconvenient truth is that its not about carbon— it’s about capitalism.” Klein exposes the myths that are clouding the climate debate.

“We have been told the market will save us, when in fact the

wikimedia.org Author and acclaimed columnist Naomi Klein hosted a book signing and lecture on Saturday night in celebration of the release of her new book, “The Shock Doctrine”. addiction to profit and growth is digging us in deeper every day,” said Klein. “We have been told it’s impossible to get off fossil fuels when in fact we know exactly how to do it—it just requires breaking every rule in the ‘free-market’ playbook: reining in corporate power, rebuilding local economies, and reclaiming our democracies.”

Klein also builds the case for how massively reducing our greenhouse emissions is our best chance to reduce gaping inequalities.Daniel Malpica, a faculty member at Sonoma State University, said he was “thrilled to have such an accomplished author visit Sonoma County.”

The documentary film “This Changes Everything” by Klein’s spouse Avi Lewis is coming to theatres in 2015.

“It’s not too late to save us from catastrophe,” said Klein.

“We have the power to change radically, we just have not gotten there yet.”

COURTESY // Career Services Sonoma State University lacks the necessary amount of faculty needed to effectively advise Sonoma State students.

SERVICES: Campus not adequately equipped

COURTESY // InterVarsity InterVarsity was represented at Sonoma Serves on Saturday. The organization prepared cans for an upcoming canned food drive that is expected to raise an estimate 33,000 pounds of food.

REPRESENTATION: InterVarsity looking for new meeting location

Continued from Pg. 1

Local businesses came in from around the area to participate in the mock up interviews on campus; students were interviewed by real employers and received feedback on how they did in the interview.

“A interview is not a natural interaction,” said Mansfield, “it’s very hard to anticipate and I think the opportunity to get in front of a hiring manager and test out your skills is great.”

The next workshop the Career Center is hosting is the LinkedIn Workshop on Wednesday between 2-3 p.m. in Salazar 1070.

“I can’t emphasize enough how important it is for students to get involved in this area of their college career as soon as possible,” said Boldizar. “At the end of the day, we are coming to college to get a job.”

Continued from Pg. 1

space be reserved. The next steps include finding a location to meet for large groups off campus, yet close to campus. To rent the Cooperage, it’s $1,000 per night, nearly $15,000 per semester.

The InterVarsity National Organization is paying the fees for this semester, but the Sonoma State InterVarsity will have to take over the

charge of renting a space after.

There are 16 small groups, or otherwise known as bible studies, held across campus throughout the week. Anyone is welcomed to attend.

Each small group has different members that attend, and are on all different times and days of the week.

If interested in participating email Jessica Zastrow at zastrow@ seawolf.sonoma.edu to find the one most convenient for you.

Leaders of InterVarsity are trying to insure that nothing gets in the way of holding events that allow students to come together to share their faith or make new friends while exploring Christianity.

For further information regarding Sonoma State University’s chapter of InterVarsity or the national organization, individuals are encouraged to visit the organization’s Facebook page or intervarsity.org.

News

Oct. 21 - Oct. 27, 2014

sonomastatestar.com

Page 5

Campus hosting Sustainability Day events Nicole Detmers Staff Writer

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eaders in industry ranging from efficiency in energy to understanding what people eat and the power of conservation, the idea of leading a sustainable lifestyle can originate from classroom, a novel idea or simply a new understanding.

Within the coming week at Sonoma State University, the campus will open its doors to a new variation of learning, with a message that holds significance around the world, all the while sharing how students can be leaders in the emerging world.

“The future belongs to students. When we talk about sustainability, we must recognize that we are asking what the future will be in this very global, interconnected world we all live in,” said Paul Draper, director of sustainability. “Climate change, because it affects all of us, is the defining challenge of our student’s generation. I believe it is the obligation of higher education to put before its students the great questions, to inspire them and also to ask of them that they find the next set of solutions.“ Today, the campus will host a number of

events educating students about education.

The headlining event, “Lessons, Lexicons, and Local Heroes” will take place at 5:30 p.m. and feature artist and filmmaker, Douglas Gayeton, and Sonoma State’s own Rocky Rohwedder.

“Students should come out to sustainability day because there is going to be interactive conversations, a chance to see what their fellow peers and the local community are doing.

There is going to be tons of free giveaways from travel mugs, to totes and more. It is going to be a great event that you will not want to miss,” said Allison Jenks, sustainability senator.

The day will also include Supply Chain Portraits: The Global Marketplace at 1 p.m., followed by a Students for Sustainability presentation that includes three student leaders in sustainability at Sonoma State. At 4 p.m. is a presentation on Recycling in China in Weill Hall.

“Sustainability day is a very special moment in SSU history. It marks an exciting day to celebrate the traditions, stories, memories, and hard work that will continue to unite us as a mindful, generative, and innovative academic community of practice,” JUMP Sus-

tainability Director Tomio Endo said.

Sustainability Day takes place throughout the week.

On Thursday, there will be an exhibit on Eco-Friendly cleaning products and starting at 5 p.m. is a presentation on how Germany has gone green and it takes place in the Student Center.

“It’s really a day about awareness but it’s not an end point. As we become more and more aware of both the problems posed by climate change as well as the work being done by many, many people on this campus to educate and to find solutions I think that will drive many people to do more to solve this most pressing of problems,“ said Draper, Throughout the week, starting Monday sonoma.edu through Nov. 9 an exhibit will take place Director of sustainability, Paul Draper in International Hall called “Renewables in discusses the importance of sustainability Germany.” on the future.

Also throughout the week, there is tabling in the Seawolf Plaza and tours of the of other areas for making the campus more recreation center and dining services. sustainable, while teaching that in life beyond “I hope it will inspire students and the campus we also have much to contribute,” others to become involved in finding and said Draper.

For further information on sustainability, implementing sustainable solutions for the campus environment including residential and students are encouraged to visit sonoma.edu/ academic, buildings, facilities and a plethora sustainablessu.

Leadership recognized at nonprofit conference ceremony Amy Lee Staff Writer

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he North Bay Nonprofit Conference is coming to Sonoma State University for the first time on Oct. 30.

While this event has been held for numerous years, those planning the event are excited for it to take place in the Student Center.

The Volunteer Center of Sonoma County, the North Bay Business Journal, the Pisenti and Brinker accounting firm of Santa Rosa and Summit State Bank will be putting on the conference.

The Volunteer Center of Sonoma County, which has been running for more than 40 years, offers opportunities for volunteers, nonprofits and businesses.

According to a Corporation for National and Community Service report, Sonoma County ranked first place statewide in volunteerism.

The Volunteer Center of Sonoma County plays a major role in organizing a great deal of the local volunteers.

Margaret Purser of the anthropology department is in charge of the event’s planning.

“The primary function of the event itself is to provide training and workshop opportunities for the nonprofits themselves, just as has been the purpose of the event in years past,” said Purser.

There are several organizations that will be involved and attending the North Bay Nonprofit Conference to help people get more involved.

Some of these include the Boys & Girls Club of Sonoma Valley, CalSERVES, Habitat for Humanity and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

This event will provide workshops and training from the people who run the major nonprofits of Sonoma County.

Also taking place at the conference will be the Leadership Awards ceremony for the top nonprofits in the area.

Jo-Ann Dapiran from the Provost’s Office is organizing the attendance for the event.

“I will be sending out another blast invitation to faculty this week and [I] anticipate the numbers to go up slightly [for attendance],” said Dapiran.

Each breakout session

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

facebook.com Next Thursday, Sonoma State University will host the Nonprofit Conference and Leadership Awards with keynote speaker Jan Masaoka nonprofit leaders of the North Bay. will discuss topics such as fundraising, board development, human resources and leadership, finance and more.

Jan Masaoka, the CEO of California Association of Nonprofits, will talk about current and future trends of the nonprofits of California.

She is a top writer and thinker regarding nonprofit organizations and focuses more on board of directors, business planning and the role of nonprofits in society.

Masaoka has multiple published books and she is also the founder and publisher of Blue Avocado, which is a magazine discussing nonprofits.

Although the early bird registration date has already passed, students and faculty can still sign up for $125 if they are a member of the Volunteer Center of Sonoma County or $145 if they are not.

Lunch is included in this registration fee. President Ruben Armiñana has made funding available to support the faculty attendance.

As of now, it is primarily professors signed up however students are welcome to attend.

There is a few free ses-

sions throughout the day though focusing on “Careers in Nonprofits” and a panel discussion on future career trends in non-profits, locally and nationally, focusing on sustainability, health and wellness and social justice.

Students are highly encouraged to attend these free sessions if they decide to not attend the full day of the conference.

Carlos Torres, a professor of the anthropology, is one of the many faculty members from Sonoma State who is going to be attending the North Bay Nonprofit Conference.

Having this event on campus provides students an opportunity they may otherwise not have had.

Even if students are not interested in attending the full day of the conference, they are still encouraged to attend the free sessions.

Students or faculty members who are interesting in attending should contact Dapiran from Provost Andrew Rogerson’s office to register.

Students can also visit northbaybusinessjournal.com or volunteer.org for more information on the event to be held on Oct. 30.

Page 6

Arts

Oct. 21 - Oct. 27, 2014

sonomastatestar.com

Spooky, silly cult classic Marisa Oliveira Staff Writer

F COURTESY // David Papas Actors Connor Pratt and Ian Webb play the jailer and Dalton Chance in Sonoma State University’s theatre arts and dance department’s rendition of “The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek.”

A story of murder, adolescence Sara Molenda Staff Writer

T

he only way to love someone is to kill them.

Sonoma State University’s theater arts and dance department’s first performance of the fall season, “The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek,” explores and exploits the themes of love and death, leaving audience members equally inspired and shocked.

Students brought original playwright Naomi Wallace’s work to life on stage in Ives 76. The small cast of five students took on different roles to represent a small town outside of Louisville, Kentucky in the troubling year of 1936.

Pace Creagan (Lyla Elmassian) and Dalton Chance (Ian Webb) are two teenagers infatuated with playing a game of chicken with the train on an old trestle bridge. The gathering spot at the trestle, although it starts seemingly innocent, turns into a place where the two adolescents will explore and expand ideas outside of the social norm.

Pace fills Dalton’s ears with the realities of life, including their place on the social ladder as well as their situation in the middle of a nation-wide financial crisis. Dalton is intrigued by Pace, who doesn’t look, walk or talk like any of the other girls in school. Later in the play, he seems to become even more enticed by the way she gets under his skin without even laying a finger on him.

While Wallace places some focus on the developing love story between the two, the writer is more concerned with challenging the status quo. The erotic and elusive encounters between the lead actors are very much like the writing found in Steven Sater’s “Spring Awakening,” which explores the adventurous attitude toward sex that was changing during this time in history. As the norms in society were collapsing, so were

the ways of dating.

There were many moments in the show where the actors were placed center stage with a single dim light that eliminated any visual aid for the audience, placing concentration solely on the spoken word.

The dark and morbid writing of Wallace was communicated through dialogue explaining the tale of two parents who had just lost their child. The parent’s thin with grief, described the soul as a wheel stuck spinning round and round, yet completely empty on the inside.

The intimate and almost uncomfortable setting of the theatre room featured one small stage in the center of the room with two rows of chairs surrounding three sides of the stage. The audience measured at a mere 60 seats and the lack of space was felt by every one of those seated individuals. Some of the shocking and almost unbearable moments of the play combined with the confined space of the room, forced the audience to relive the dark realities of society during the Great Depression.

The use of stage lighting in the packed room also allowed for some very realistic sound and visual effects. While Pace and Dalton spent their time under the railroad track, the use of sound effects and lighting put audiences right under the trestle with the duo.

Once while a train was crossing the track, and again in the middle of the lightning storm.

The other students involved in the show included Cassandra Slagle, Kyle Ryan and Connor Pratt, each playing the roles of Dalton’s mother, Dalton’s father and a jailor, respectively. Including Dalton and Pace, each of the actors performed exceptionally in the power of simple monologues and a simply set stage.

The play has four more shows this week, from Oct. 22 through Oct. 25 at 7:30 p.m. in Ives 76. Contact the box office for tickets and more information.

rom vulgar script lines to sexual innuendos, Saturday night in Petaluma featured a crowd bustling with excitement for the Phoenix Theater’s showing of the rock musical cult classic, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

The feature film included audience participation and props to make the movie more lively. Many movie-goers dressed up as characters in the movie or in lingerie. From young children to older adults, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” has created quite a following since it premiered in the 70s.

Audience members had survival kits available to them to buy for $2 that contained props they needed to “survive” the night. Audience participation is key in the showing of the movie.

Many people have seen the film but not everyone has participated at this kind of showing.

Audience members memorized the participation

script and yelled things in between the spoken lines in the movie script, which made for a memorable experience.

Guests were also invited to throw props at selected times during the movie including toilet paper, decks of cards and bread rolls.

facebook.com “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” is film often screened at theaters during Halloween.

Everyone in the audience stood up and sung along with some of the songs in the movie.

Songs included the fan favorite, “Time Warp” a tune with a dance involved in it. All the audience members who had never been to a showing of the movie were

facebook.com The Phoenix Theater in Petaluma held its own screening of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” on Saturday.

Denson Trio put on a show Ashley Ronsse Staff Writer

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COURTESY // David Papas Above: Lyla Elmassian and Ian Webb play Pace Creagan and Dalton Chance in “The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek.”

Below: Kyle Ryan and Cassandra Stagle play the parents of Dalton Chance in “The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek.”

called virgins and had v’s marked on their heads.

Then they were told to come on stage and dance.

A select few were picked from the crowd of virgins and asked to participate in games on stage.

This particular showing was being filmed for a documentary called, “Rocky Horror Saved My Life.” As a result, audience members really went all out.

The movie itself is unlike anything most have ever seen before.

It’s about a mad scientist and notorious transvestite Dr. Frank N. Furter and the guests in his house. Brad and Janet, a plain looking couple, end up at Dr. Furter’s madhouse after their car breaks down and have to spend the night after he murders an intruder. He brings to life a Frankenstein like character with a chiseled body and rugged good looks.

Many debacles happen and lead to a bunch of different infidelities within the story. It’s crazy, it’s wacky, it’s inappropriate it’s “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

eff Denson is not an everyday jazz musician. The Sonoma State University department of music sponsored “The Jeff Denson Trio,” which featured Lee Konitz.

The SSU Jazz Orchestra and music major students made up the majority of the audience.

Konitz was engaged with the audience as he made funny remarks in between songs and comments to his fellow performers. “The Jeff Denson Trio” and Konitz performed a variety of instrumental melodies that were both original works and cover songs.

As part of the SSU Jazz Week, the SSU Jazz Orchestra warmed up the audience before “The Jess Denson Trio.”

The SSU Jazz orchestra, led by the director of Jazz Doug Leibinger, performed an array of catchy and upbeat songs with a variety of instruments harmonizing with each other.

Denson is a jazz composer and bassist and who is currently the lead or co-leader of four ensembles.

When he pursued his career in jazz music, Denson received his doctorate from the University of California San Diego, produced a pair of recordings on pfMENTUM Records and toured throughout the United States and Europe.

He is an educator who shares his musical abilities with young musicians at the California Jazz Conservatory at the University of California, San Diego.

“Jeff is also an outstanding composer who has written music for jazz and classical ensembles. He is always thinking outside the box and bringing his musicality and lyricism to all of his work,” said Konitz of Denson.

Konitz is a jazz composer and an alto saxophonist.

“Being a jazz musician is being an improviser, and being an improviser means

taking risks and searching for new challenges,” said Konitz.

Konitz has performed in big bands and orchestras before becoming the lead of his own band. He performed in Miles Davis’ “Birth of the Cool” nonet and recorded and toured with Stan Keaton’s orchestra.

He then recorded “The Lee Konitz Duets,” a series of duets with various musicians drawing on the history of jazz music.

Konitz produced and released a number of free and avant-garde jazz albums.

He released albums on contemporary free jazz and improv labels such as hatART, Soul Note, Omnitone and ECM. Like Denson, Konitz toured extensively throughout Europe and Japan performing with many younger jazz musicians.

“The Jeff Denson Trio” featured Konitz on the saxophone, Denson on the bass, Joshua White on the piano and Jon Arkin on the drums. Denson and White have previously worked together on a record called “I’ll Fly Away.” Denson and Konitz have been in an ongoing working relationship since 2007.

“I have had the great pleasure to perform and record with [Denson] throughout Europe, the USA and Canada as a member of my quartet. Jeff is an exceptional musician who is a creative force on the double bass and has an original approach and voice on the instrument,” said Konitz The performance by Trio featuring Konitz included songs by Konitz, Denson and their favorite artists. Some of their songs included “Thing,” “I Should Care,” and one of Denson’s favorites, “Alone Together.”

In addition to the instrumental performances, Konitz and Denson vocally harmonized with each other as they played. They even hummed along to the chords of the instrument, keeping beat with the music.

The Trio had a mesmerizing way of connecting to the audience and engaging them in the performance. The musical melodies that Denson performed were beautifully composed.

Entertainment

Oct. 21 - Oct. 27, 2014

sonomastatestar.com

Page 7

OK Go creates ‘rock art’ Natalie Bergman Staff Writer

S facebook.com “Fury,” starring Brad Pitt, released Friday.

A new take on WWII Jenna Fischer Staff Writer

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Review

hrow out the old, cliche and incorrect World War II movies of the past and grab a ticket to “Fury.” This movie, starring Brad Pitt and Logan Lerman, is the most accurate and engrossing war movie of 2014.

The movie is set in April of 1945, right as the Allies’ army was making the final push to defeat Nazi Germany.

The first introduction to the crew of Fury took place in a heavy duty tank. Presented is a squad of four who had just lost their machine gun operator, whose body is shown gruesomely dead.

Brad Pitt plays Sergeant Collier, with actors Shia LaBeouf, Michael Peña, and Jon Bernthal playing the squadron.

The boys are heading back to camp after the rest of their platoon was demolished. When the camp is reached is when a new soldier named Norman (Logan Lerman), is assigned to the tank’s squad. The team seems highly displeased with the assignment, as they see him as weak and useless.

Part of the reason this movie is so poignant is the accurate portrayal of the fear within the soldiers, along with the desensitization that is required to survive in the brutal warfare.

One of the crucial scenes that depicts this is early on in the movie. Norman is thrown into his first battle is his first bitter taste of the destruction of war.

During this battle, Norman has a mental breakdown because he isn’t able to operate the machine gun fast enough or accurately, so the squadron continuously screams at him until the fight is over.

Once the fight is over, Norman sobs that he can’t do it anymore and he can’t kill people.

At this point, the Sergeant pulls him toward a captured German soldier, who was sobbing and begging not to kill him while holding a picture of his wife and child.

The Sergeant physically forces him to shoot the captive in the back while screaming “do your job” at Norman.

This shows the brutal mindset the soldiers were forced to adopt, and the dehumanization not only of the enemy soldiers but the forced self-desensitization of the U.S. soldiers in order to salvage what little sanity they can cling on to.

Another accurate depiction of war is shown when the soldiers are fighting from their tank and they realize they are fighting children.

Norman has another mental breakdown when forced to gun down enemy children because they had set one of the other tanks on fire; he also had to watch on of his fellow soldiers catch on fire and shoot himself in the head to stop the pain.

Once they reach the town in the center of this fight, they see children hung up on buildings by their necks with signs that say they were cowards who wouldn’t serve for the German army.

Although these images could be considered traumatizing, “Fury” delivers an aspect of war that is commonly looked over.

The fight spreads to every inch of the country, including many children casualties. Most war movies depict the main character as war hero who save the day from the dehumanized, inherently evil enemy.

That wasn’t the case in history, and Fury shows the enemy is really the leaders who are forcing the children to fight.

However, the real enemy pays very little consequence, while the frightened soldiers who were forced into the fight pay the biggest price.

While the audience follows Norman’s path from a normal clerk to a killing machine, they see the real effects of war, not the romanticized, stereotypical hero that one often sees in this type of film.

By the end of his journey, Norman is not an acclaimed hero, he is a traumatized boy who had to kill or be killed, and lost almost every connection with humanity he made along the way.

What he lost will never be returned to him, and he will never be able to return to his innocent, clear, Christian mindset again.

“Fury’s” intense depiction of warfare is chilling but reminds the audience of the destructive truth about war.

facebook.com Brad Pitt starred as Sergeant Collier in “Fury.” Supporting actors include Shia LaBeouf as Boyd “Bible” Swan, Logan Lerman as Normal Ellison and Michael Peña as Trini “Gordo” Garcia.

Review

ince their debut in 2002, OK Go,”the California-based alternative rock band, has bent the rules of music by transforming “art rock” into “rock art.”

Last spring, OK Go announced they would be releasing new music come October of this year, almost four years since the last time they put out a full-length record.

Not long after this announcement, the band released the first single from their new album, entitled “Writing’s On The Wall,” whose funky, optical illusion-filled music video topped 1 million views on YouTube in a single day and is now at over 11 million hits.

Much has changed for the band since their last release. Their new album “Hungry Ghosts,” released on Oct 14, had been well anticipated by their fans and followers.

In the past four years, OK Go publicly left their major label, Capitol Records, opting instead to operate under their own brand, Paracadute. Their newest album, “Hungry Ghosts,” is the first full-length OK Go album released on its own label.

“Hungry Ghosts” represents a sense of defiant independence, and this new album shows that the band is still just as fun as it ever was.

The album drew upon electronic influences, more so than OK Go’s three previous releases. Tracks without heavy

synths are rare on the album, and even scarcer are the wild, imperfect guitar solos from the band’s guitarist, keyboardist, and vocalist, Andy Ross.

Frontman Damian Kulash’s vocals twist and morph into echoed tracks of itself on the song “Upside Down & Inside Out” while a keyboard rhythm straight out of any 80s hair metal song clambers underneath. Bass synths rumble on in “Another Set of Issues,” while the slinking, seductive “Obsession” buzzes with shallow cymbal hits before the cowbells and wooden block percussion begin.

The closing song, “Lullaby,” is unexpectedly slow in comparison to the rest of the album. However, it still held up on its own as a track even though it detracts from the spontaneity and energy this album emphasizes on. The decision to end the album on a slow note is brilliant, for although it’s much different than their other tracks, it tied the album together well with a soft unexpected close.

While musically dissimilar to previous efforts, OK Go maintains their place as creative heavyweights of the music industry with “Hungry Ghosts.” They successfully fundraised the album through organization PledgeMusic, thanks to frequent video updates and clever, personalized benefits for fans. The band raised enough profit to donate 2 percent of their earnings to the nonprofit Future of Music Coalition.

“Hungry Ghosts” may not be as much of a progression as many fans had hoped for after four years of waiting, but OK Go’s bold pursuits of creativity remain excit-

ing. “Hungry Ghosts” is one of, if not the most, modern-sounding albums of OK Go’s career. That change alone is an evolution within itself. If the group maintains this trend, the band should continue to rise in popularity and remain interesting to its listeners.

“Hungry Ghosts” fell two steps forward for OK Go and one step back. There is a lot of strong material on the album, and much of it works well in the synth-rock context.

A half-dozen songs on this record could conceivably be singles and keep the band going with more videos for another couple of years.

But the presence of a handful of tracks seem ill-conceived making one wonder if there’s anyone at the band-owned label Paracadute who can step up and offer suggestions to OK Go when a musical idea doesn’t seem to be working.

facebook.com OK Go released “Hungry Ghosts” on Tuesday.

New Sparks movie: Cliché Kirsten Reeves Staff Writer

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Review

he slogan “you never forget your first love” has been plastered all over “The Best of Me” movie advertisements leading up to its release Thursday night.

Maybe not, but people will want to forget this movie.

In the latest Nicholas Sparks book-tomovie adaptation, viewers are introduced to two past-time lovers who meet again, causing feelings to resurface and clichéd confusion to ensue. It’s not uncommon for Sparks’ classic love stories to fall short on the big screen, but “The Best of Me” does so, exceedingly well.

The male lead, Dawson (James Marsden), is a ruggedly handsome guy who works on an oil rig in Louisiana and comes from a bad family. However, he spent time pondering his destiny under the stars and would read Stephen Hawking novels. Although Dawson achieved SAT scores that could’ve opened many doors for him in the future, he settled into a much less challenging job than his intelligence deemed fit.

Female lead Amanda (Michelle Monaghan), is of course the perfect contradiction of Dawson’s aforementioned life style, made them polar opposites. Amanda grew up as an upper-class daddy’s girl, and

facebook.com James Marsden and Michelle Monaghan star in “The Best of Me” released Friday. now lived a clichéd existence as a gorgeous stay-at-home mom to her teenage son, conceived in her loveless marriage to an alcoholic, work-crazed husband.

Dawson and Amanda were highschool sweethearts, whose future together fell short due to Dawson’s abusive father and trashy brothers.

Cut to the present day, Dawson and Amanda are reunited because a mutual old friend of theirs Tuck (Gerald McRaney) passes away, which drew the two back to their hometown.

While the audience is given enough background to understand that Dawson and Amanda were once in love, viewers were able to see and vicariously live through their past relationship through a series of flashbacks throughout the film.

High-school Dawson is portrayed by actor Luke Bracey, who not only appears too old to play the role of a high schooler, but also looked nothing like his older, present self played by Marsden.

Liana Liberato, who plays the younger version of Amanda, is much more believable in her role, as she shared more similar features with Monaghan, as well as reveled in a more appropriate age for the role of a teenager.

Additionally, these flashbacks are made less believable due to the lack of attention to detail. There is little difference between the present scenes and the ones that supposedly take place in the early 90s aside from the younger characters.

A series of scenes which include Amanda and Dawson ruffling through old Tuck’s things and shenanigans at the swimming hole, reintroduced the flame between the former lovers as the audience sees.

There are a few redeeming qualities about “The Best of Me” the most important being that both Monaghan and Marsden are phenomenal actors. For the part they were given, they both play it wonderfully.

After acting in other romantic films such as “Enchanted” and “The Notebook,” it seems as if Marsden has this heartthrob role mastered. The real question is whether or not that’s enough to make the film worth watching.

While it may not be a top tier film for many realists, I’m sure it will cater to its intended audience of hopeless romantics.

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Features

Oct. 21 - Oct. 27, 2014

sonomastatestar.com

STAR // Connor Gibson Big Boo, comedian and actress from the Netflix series “Orange is the New Black”, came to campus to not only entertain but to promote the acceptance of LGBT into society.

Big Boo spreads the LGBT support Nataly Estupiñan Staff Writer

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dream came true for many students on Oct. 13, as “Orange is the New Black” star, Lea Delaria walked on stage at the Student Center Ballroom. Delaria, one of the most popular representatives of the LGBT community on television, visited SSU to speak to students about her life as a butch and all the effort she put into becoming the funny and popular woman she is today.

As soon as Delaria walked on-stage, she posed for pictures and said hello to the students whom frantically waved to her with excitement.

“I hope there’s a lot of administration here because I’m a ‘no f****-given’ person,” said Delaria.

Soon after, she asked everyone in the audience to stand up and shout “I am a Lesbian” at the top of their lungs, which they did and roared with laughter after.

Delaria said she had “no pearls of wisdom” to share with the audience that night, but if there was one thing she wanted her audience to learn that night was, “[people do] not have to apologize to anyone for being who [they] are.”

Followed by her saying she has been a professional lesbian since 1982.

“I enjoyed that the school is having this event,” said senior Ashley Armstrong. “I feel like they are representing the queer people on campus, which is something I feel they haven’t really done before. I used to feel isolated, but now I feel like I have a community.”

Delaria talked about a

multitude of stories such as, her love for Loehmann’s retail store and their public dressing room, the fact that she can never sleep in New York City because she knows that somewhere there is a party going on, and how members of the LGBT community did not know what to call each other.

Aside from speaking about what she loves, she told the crowd a bit about her background and what it was like growing up as an Italian Catholic. She attended a Catholic school for 12 years.

She always knew she was gay and her family believed that by ignoring that fact, being gay would go away. She also spoke about she used be a carpenter and eventually quit that job to become a full-time comedian. Her stage name was “That F****** Dike.”

“Every day of my life

someone calls me sir,” said Delaria, “the worst is when I am at the gynecologist.”

Despite the everyday confusion of people mistaking her for a man, Delaria is proud of the progress that society has made regarding the LGBT community.

She told the audience a story about how she got a scar on her nose because she was bashed during gay pride in San Francisco in 1982. And how now she has a story about being apologized to and defended when people confuse her for a man.

“She seems like a really cool person and handles herself really well,” said freshmen Meg Vischer.

Toward the end of her performance she sang and ripped posters reading, prop eight, WOMA, F*** off Kanye, as well as many others.

The performance was followed by a Q-and-A where many people jumped with eagerness to ask her questions.

She was asked about what she learned about women and mental health in prison, only to say that she is not one of those actors who does research on their roles.

Her way of preparation was watching “Locked Up.” Though she was happy to learn about issues revolved around women’s prisons today. She was even invited to perform at SSU’s Vagina Monologues in the spring, but seeing as she is a busy person, it is not set.

“I think that she really handled the audience well and had a good approach,” said freshmen Sarah Fishback.

“She gets students, which is great because our generation is so complex, it’s great to have someone who gets us.”

Following the performance, ASI’s Paolo Ochoa, welcomed everyone to the HUB for a meet and greet with Delaria. All of the students created a long line while everyone oozed with excitement for the chance to meet Delaria and get a picture with her.

“I think that it’s really great that we are having events like these,” said sophomore Jacqueline Vickerman. “It’s good that we have representation from the queer community because of the homophobia I have witnessed on campus.”

Delaria’s performance sparked excitement in many students and had them all leaving with a huge smile on their face.

“All I wanted to do was to make people laugh, change things and get laid,” said Delaria at the end of the Q-andA.

REC*It: the new, upcoming app STAR // Alyssa James Megan Minturn Staff Writer

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he newest app to hit the social media scene specifically for Sonoma State University students is REC*IT. This app is made easy for college students who love to use their rec center, to manage their intermural sports and campus rec activities.

Mike Dominguez, lead coordinator of intramurals told the STAR, “We haven’t implemented anything this semester, but are thinking about using it for next semester.”

Usually, the only sporting events students hear about are National Collegiate Athletic Association.

However, at Sonoma State University, there’s an intramural program through the Campus Rec Center.

“Many don’t realize is that Rec Center sports are actually the single largest student activity on campus,” said Sarah Meyer, a senior account executive for the app. “About 75 percent of students [are] visiting the Rec Center at least once a week for intramural or fitness activities.”

Many rec directors are excited that this app will shed light on the intermural sports and the different campus rec classes offered each week.

MOKO Social Media launched the app.

As the first and only app that provided active college students who use rec centers for intermural sports and classes to manage all of their activities right from their phone,.

This app is changing the way students can be more involved in the rec.

“REC*IT recently launched on over 850 college campuses across the U.S. and is continuing to grow,” said Meyer. “Now Sonoma State has access to the app and it has the opportunity to improve the success for intramural athletes.”

REC*IT is free in the app store and has

many different features.

Users can create their own profile which has their name, a picture of themselves and the different intramurals their involved in.

Users are able to view the schedule of their games and can track their team’s stats.

Billy McGinis who plays for an intramural basketball team said, “Our team would definitely benefit from this app, and if we could have our stats on there it would be so awesome.”

There are team walls where team members can post on and also do group messages between the team.

All of these functions can be useful to a team who needs to stay in contact with each other.

“I am a part of an intermural volleyball team and I love it,” said junior Christiana Ratto. “But it would be great to have this app so that we could all communicate with each other throughout the week before and after our games, I think it would make our team stronger.”

It even allows students to discover new activities and gives updates about different events going on in the Rec Center.

“We have many forfeits from teams who pay an entry fee to play in a league and simply don’t show up to the games. This frustrates the opposing teams, our officials, supervisors and coordinators,” said Dominguez. “Hopefully this app will help people check their schedules more often and show up on time to games.”

It is time to leave the Rec Center bulletin boards in the past.

REC*IT is the one-stop app to find out everything that is going on in the Rec Center.

This app is a new way for students to participate in intramural and rec activities and utilize the Rec Center as much as possible.

Download the app and look for updates on it from the Rec Center next semester.

Each sorority participated in Gamma Phi Betta’s philanthropy event in a powderpuff tournament.

Gamma Phi Beta wins powderpuff Lauren O’Malley Staff Writer

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our words describe the sororities powderpuff tournament; pain, excitement, intensity and philanthropy. At Gamma Phi Beta’s Crescent Classic, seven teams played their hearts out. Each team came out of the weekend full of excitement about playing or about raising money for Girls on the Run. “It’s nice it come out and support another sorority’s event and support our own chapter at the same time,” said junior Sarah Coleman, a member of Alpha Xi Delta.

A large aspect of the Crescent Classic is Greek unity and being able to support others and come together to support philanthropy.

This is Gamma Phi Beta’s 16th annual Crescent Classic, in past years more than $15,000 have been raised and the sorority is hoping to have raised just as much, if not more. Around 200 people watched the powderpuff football tournament, the upper track beside Beaujolais field was full of noise and excitement.

Powderpuff started at 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning and lasted until 3:30 p.m. It continued on Sunday at 10 a.m. and ended at 4 p.m. It was double elimination for each team.

Alpha Omicron Pi and Alpha Delta Pi lost both games Saturday, which ended with neither sorority continuing onto Sunday’s festivities.

“My favorite part of our philanthropy is watching the Greek unity that takes place,”

said Lindsey Smith, the coordinator for the Crescent Classic.

Smith looks forward to seeing how much money will end up being donated to Girls on the Run. “This years powderpuff tournament has been one for the books, and I’m proud to see that the Greek community has been out in full force supporting other Greeks,” said senior Lauren Hawkins, a member of Phi Sigma Sigma.

In the championship game Phi Sigma Sigma and Gamma Phi Beta were fighting for the title of 2014 Crescent Classic Champions.

“As a senior, powderpuff is one of my favorite events and I wish I could stay and play again, and I couldn’t be more proud of our team,” said Ann Heuschel, a member of Alpha Xi Delta.

Each team started practicing about a month or month and a half before the actual event. They each put in a tremendous amount of time and dedication into participating in Gamma Phi Beta’s philanthropy. Before the actual tournament started, Gamma Phi Beta tabled outside of the Student Center with a pre-event called Penny Wars.

Each sorority that competed had a mason jar with their names written on it along with the name of the team coaching them.

Nobody scored in the championship game between Gamma Phi Beta and Phi Sigma Sigma until overtime. Gamma Phi Beta took home the title with a score of 6-0. With Gamma Phi taking first place, Phi Sigma Sigma placed second and Alpha Xi Delta placed third.

Features

Oct. 21 - Oct. 27, 2014

sonomastatestar.com

Student Spotlight: Tomio Endo Jonathan Angulo Staff Writer

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omio Endo loves to get his hands dirty. Until recently, Endo was the director and founder of the Sonoma Student Growers Cooperative, which is committed to bring a sustainable lifestyle through agriculture and provide a space for students to come together. In Colorado, Endo called himself the “Asian Cowboy”, and fell in love with nature.

When he came to Sonoma, he knew he had found the right place to call home away from home.

“Sonoma County is beautiful,” said Endo.

Son of a restaurateur, he grew up loving great food and it was the combination of his passion for food and the outdoors that led him to the path he is currently on today.

Endo studied anthropology and minored in world music. He is part of the Price Charles Pipe Band based in San Francisco and is in his last semester at Sonoma State University. Besides being a hardworking student, his true passion is expressed in his two extracurricular activities, the Sonoma Students Growers Cooperative and the Director of Sustainability/Garden Coordinator for Join Us Making Progress (JUMP). However, Endo made a tough decision to go to grad school, which meant leaving his passion into the hands of other people.

Endo started the Sonoma Student Growers Cooperative with Mac Hart, and it was not a fully developed idea yet. They knew he wanted an outdoor space and they were given the opportunity of maintaining a plot of land, the only stipulation was that Endo would have to repair a dilapidated shed.

“I had no idea what I was doing at first, but I knew I had a dream,” said Endo.

He worked for six to eight months completely alone and the idea of the farm had not begun to manifest in his mind. It was not until that Brandon Sanders partnered up with him that the cooperative began to take its shape.

“Brandon is just one of those guys who have a real spirit of gardening around him. He came and would begin sowing like a madman with his majestic beard,” said Endo.

facebook.com Sanders was working at the Sonoma State farm at the time when Endo first reached out to him. Sanders graduated last spring with his degree in Environmental Studies.

“Tomio is the most positive, optimistic person I ever met,” said Brandon Sanders. “When we tagteamed to start the farm he was the one who got everyone excited about what we were doing and I was really interested in making an impact and showing people what we could do with this plot of land by growing a lot of food.”

What started as just a couple of guys working on a plot of land, turned into a Growers Cooperative.

Now, the cooperative is a student-led organization that is committed to providing an educational experience for students through the practice of sustainable agriculture and entrepreneurship.

The organization is partners with local landowners and much of the food that is served in The Kitchens is planted and grown by the cooperative. They are able to even donate food to different organizations depending on the crop yield.

“Sustainability is for everyone. I really hope I can leave behind a legacy,” said Endo. “I want to return in five years and visit the farms and hear the students talk about how passionate they are about what they are doing, and I’ll think, ‘I helped create this space.”

Because of Endo’s decision to attend grad school, he had to back down as the main participator and become a background man.

“I am the old man now, I do things behind the scene and get to see other student’s passion about what is they are growing,” said Endo. “It’s important to know what we are putting in our bodies.”

Endo held the position of Garden Coordinator at JUMP for one year. His job was to work closely with the environmental department and get students involved in helping grow food for the Sonoma State owned farm.

“It was there I learned how to be an effective leader,” said Endo. “I always wanted to do things myself, but quickly realized I cannot be everywhere. I learned how to delegate and trust people to do a good job.”

STAR // Edward Goquingco For the Live at Lobo’s October Karaoke Contest each Friday at 9 p.m. there is a different theme for karaoke. Friday’s theme was ‘Let’s Go Y’all’- Country Night while this week’s theme is Women’s Power Hits.

Seawolves sing their hearts out Brittany Finley Staff Writer

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or those looking for something different to do on a Friday night, then look no further. Lobo’s Pizza and Pub will be home to a weekly karaoke competition in the month of October where students can come for a night filled with entertainment.

“We wanted to offer alternative events for people who don’t want to go out, or who want to stay on campus,” said senior and Campus Life Programmer Taylor Millman. “We wanted an event that would stay consistent. Last week we had close to 40 students come out and we are hoping these events will get even bigger.”

Each week’s competition will have a different theme ranging from decades to genres. This week, the night revolved around country music with the theme Let’s Go Ya’ll. Contestants were encouraged to select a song from the country music genre to perform for their fellow Seawolves. Contestants went all out to stick to the theme. Some performed with a Southern accent while others brought their drinks up with them in sticking to true country music ideals.

“We’ve started doing gift cards to engage the students,” said Millman. “Last week we did a 90’s theme and people got really into it and got excited about the competition. Having a theme adds an extra element to the competition.”

This week, classic country karaoke hits were performed including, Tim McGraw’s “Live Like You Were Dying,” Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats” and Kid Rock’s, “Picture.”

To encourage students to participate, there are prizes given at each week’s karaoke event. Then, all the winners will come together next month to compete for a grand prize. Winners are selected based on the level of cheering they receive after their karaoke

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performance.

“There will be a big grand prize for each week’s winners to battle for at the final showdown,” said junior and Campus Life Programmer Emily Wirdzek.

“All the winners will come together on Nov. 7 to compete.”

A large crowd gathered this week to watch and participate. As the night went on, more students started coming to Lobo’s to see what was going on and ended up staying to enjoy the evening.

“I love that it brings people together,” said senior Taylor Bonilla, “it creates an atmosphere for fun entertainment.”

At least a dozen students decided to compete this week, some competitors even performing multiple songs. There was also close to 30 students who decided to watch and cheer along.

“I loved being able to watch all the students who were brave enough to go up there and sing,” said senior Megan Wade. “It’s hard to go in front of a lot of people and perform and every did an amazing job and owned it.”

Each table had a binder with the song selections placed on it. Once the student selected which song they wanted to perform, they added their name to the lineup followed by their song choice. Some students even signed up for more than one slot.

The jumbo screen projected the words for the performer and even so the audience could sing and clap along. Two girls even had a little choreography to go along with their singing.

“I love to sing and it’s fun that on campus I can come with my friends and do that,” said senior and reigning champ Sebastian Carrizosa, “I am coming every Friday for practice for the grand finale.”

Live at Lobo’s October Karaoke Contest will continue Friday.

The theme will be Women Power Hits, and students are encouraged to wear the color pink.

STAR // Maud Busson Students donated at least eight inches of hair each through Hair Couture to support patients with cancer.

Hair donation for cancer Kimberly Paasche Staff Writer

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ne in eight women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. JUMP, also known as Join Us Making Progress, put on a breast cancer awareness event in the Seawolf Plaza on Thursday to spread awareness on breast cancer.

The event had a donation table for the American Cancer Society with bra pong, hair donations and information on the Sonoma State University Relay for Life.

The bra pong was entertaining and educational. JUMP had created a board that hung eight strapless bras.

The goal of the game was to get the ping pong ball to stick in one of the bra cups with five tries.

If a student made the ball in a bra cup, the student was awarded with a fact about breast cancer. If a student went five tries with no luck, they were asked to donate to the American Cancer Society. JUMP was collecting donation by cash or credit card at the event, but donations can still be made.

“By playing, you get to learn more about breast cancer. The issue is not just affecting Americans, but people all over the world,” said Jessica Johns senior and director of day of service for JUMP. Associated Students Production was also at the event with Paolo Ochoa. The culture and current events director was handing out free T-shirts to students who attended the event.

“We incorporate normal life culture in the events too, so we thought this would be a good opportunity to work with JUMP in October to promote breast cancer awareness,” said Ochoa.

Hair Couture located in Rohnert Park sent hairdressers down to SSU to help out with the hair donations. Hair Couture donated their time and services to take hair dona-

tions at the event.

“Last year, 15 girls donated their hair at the event. Hair gives people going thought chemotherapy a sight of hope,” said Johns.

Hair Couture was scheduling free appointments for a touch up cut and style to anyone who donated their hair at the event.

Anyone can still donate, but the hair must be healthy, and have at least eight inches to cut.

“My mom and grandma both had breast cancer. I have a lot of hair and feel that someone else could put it to better use,” said junior Haley Martini. “My grandma passed away from stage four breast cancer. I’m also doing the Strides Walk in San Francisco.”

Martini had many friends and fellow students there for support.

“I’m just so glad she’s doing it, personally I don’t have enough hair to donate, so I’m doing what I can to support the cause,” said freshman Jasmine Davey.

As nervous as Martini was, she decided to work up the courage and let Hair Couture snip her whole pony tail off.

“I’m very proud of Haley for donating her hair, she has had it for a long time,” said junior Shelby Dessel. “I also work for JUMP and it’s cool to see the event really happen.

Jump has been working on it for a really long time.”

The event also displayed the SSU Relay for Life group, which is a 24-hour walk for cancer. Sonoma State University does have a Relay for Life team, and anyone is welcome to join.

The SSU Relay for Life team hopes to have the Sapphires, the Stomp Team, Improv club, FAASU and any other dance club or team on campus to participate in the team.

For more information on the SSU Relay for Life team contact Anika Jess at jessa@ seawolf.sonoma.edu To donate to the American Breast Cancer Society thought Sonoma State University, email SSU.Daysofservice@gmail.com.

STAR // Maud Busson For Breast Cancer Awareness Month, JUMP hosted “October Nooner” as a way to support patients and victims of breast cancer and all types of cancer.

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Sports

Oct. 21 - Oct. 27, 2014

sonomastatestar.com

STAR // Alyssa James Left, over 1,000 students and faculty were in attendance for Midnight Madness. Right, the main attraction of the night was the TNT dunk squad.

Midnight Madness, the highlight of Sonoma State Taylor Graham Staff Writer

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ith over 1000 students and faculty packed into one side of the Wolves’ Den, the lights turned down low, music playing and “Chuck Fico” shirts thrown into the crowd; Midnight Madness was the epitome of school spirit at Sonoma State University.

Midnight Madness was held on Tuesday from 10:30 p.m. until midnight to celebrate the start of basketball season, which officially began on Wednesday.

“Midnight Madness is a way for the student body to get invested in student athletes and student athletes to invest their energy toward fans,” said Garret Gooch, one of the MC’s of Midnight Madness.

The two MC’s for the night, Gooch and Harper Sassaman, helped set the tone by coming out with a lot of energy and excitement.

The players of the men’s and women’s basketball teams also helped the energy of the event.

“Midnight Madness allows athletes to be quirky and ridiculous as they are introduced to the audience,” Gooch said. “It gives the student body the opportunity to see us athletes in a different situation other than in class.”

As they got announced, the basketball players got together in groups of two’s and three’s and had pre-planned handshakes, dance steps and routines before they sat on

their respective sides of the court. A few of the pairs even took selfies with part of the crowd in the background.

“My favorite part of the night was being introduced to the fans,” said Tanner Adams, a junior on the women’s basketball team. “It is an amazing feeling to hear your friends and students at your school cheering for you and being supportive of what you do.”

At the beginning of the night, there were performances by the cheer squad and the Sapphires, Sonoma State’s dance team. Throughout the rest of the night, there were also games, team introductions, give-aways, and a dunk squad who came to perform. For a majority of the contests, students were chosen according to the number on the raff le ticket they were given as they first entered the gym.

The first few contests were shooting games for money. The first students to participate got to shoot four free-throws a piece, and were awarded $25 per made shot. The guy unfortunately missed all four shots, but the girl who participated made two out of the four, earning herself $50.

In between events, other sports teams were announced. They would run out and throw shirts and stress balls, which were decorated as their respective sport’s ball, into the crowd. Students were jumping up, cheering and playfully fighting for all the stuff being thrown.

At one point, Gooch led about 50 students in a dance competition. He would show them a style of dance and they would copy it. Students who were not as strong of dancers were tapped on the shoulder and asked to sit back down. They did all different types of dances including the Nae Nae, the Dougie, krumping, the jerk and many others. In the end, the dancers were too talented and the judges couldn’t choose one winner.

The main attraction of the night, besides announcing the basketball teams and the start of their season, was the TNT dunk squad.

They were a group of three men who used trampolines to jump, do f lips and dunk over obstacles. They preformed a 30-minute show where they jumped over volunteers from the crowd. They also used props such as hats and the mascot to add excitement to their dunks.

One of their tricks included jumping over about 10 to 15 girls from the cheer team, while another constituted f lipping over the mascot while simultaneously taking a ball out of his hands and dunking it.

“All the games, the dunk squad, the dance and cheer teams, and all the other sports teams created a high energy in the gym, which made the event really enjoyable,” said Adams.

The night ended with a half court shot, which, if made, was worth a semester’s tuition. When the shot went up, everyone in the stands stood up as the ball hit the rim, the

backboard and the rim again before hitting the ground. As the ball dropped, there was a simultaneous sigh from all the students in the stands.

“That dude’s shot was so close,” said Gooch. “I wish it would have went in, he totally deserved it.”

Coaches and students alike were very pleased with the turnout, high energy and participation during this year’s Midnight Madness.

“The energy was high.” Gooch said. “I spoke to Associate Head Coach (of the men’s basketball team), Rich Shayewitz post-event and he said it was one of the best Midnight Madness’ he has ever seen.”

For the basketball teams, Midnight Madness is more than just an event on a Tuesday night. It helps them get excited and energized for the season’s inception. It also reminds them of the support they have from the student body.

“It was really refreshing to see all of those students in the stands who were there just for us,” Adams said.

The basketball teams are now in full-on practice mode preparing for their games to start.

The men’s first home game is on Nov. 14 at 3 p.m. against Chico. The women’s first home game is on Nov. 15 at 3 p.m. against Menlo.

Men’s soccer drops two conference games

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Ancia Purdy Staff Writer

he Sonoma State men’s soccer team suffered two overtime losses this past weekend on the road against 20th place Cal State Los Angeles (1-0) and Cal State Dominguez Hills (3-2). The Seawolves are now 7-7-1 overall, going into their last three regular season games.

The Golden Eagles came out shooting and within the first 13 minutes already had three shots under their belts while the Seawolves were held to just one shot. This would turn out to be a precursor to the rest of the game as SSU was outshot by L.A. 5-22.

Senior Zanin Mahic accumulated three of Sonoma State’s five shots.

Junior goalkeeper Sean Taufer helped keep the Seawolves in the game. Without much action in the first half, Taufer made four crucial saves in the second half, which kept SSU alive through regulation.

“Regardless, we fought harder than we have all season.”

Ready to bounce back after a tough loss on Friday, the Seawolves came out to play on Sunday against Cal State Dominguez Hills.

Sophomore Cedric Dinane got the scoring started in the first 10 minutes of the match. On an assist by junior Daniel Theobald and sophomore Raspreet Sandhu. Dinane’s ball ricocheted off the crossbar to score.

Halfway through the first half, SSU was forced to play a man down after sophomore Jose Avalos was issued his second yellow card of the game, resulting in a red card. Still the Seawolves held the Toros through the first half.

Despite being outshot 9-4 before the Seawolves’ second goal in the second half, their fifth shot found net after Coronel stole the ball from Dominguez Hills and launched the ball into the upper left corner giving the Seawolves a 2-0 lead.

“It was a great feeling being able to create a bigger gap,” said Coronel. “It was one of those plays where we created something out of nothing. I was just happy to be able to make an impact on the game.”

Two minutes later, the Seawolves made an attempt to increase their lead when junior Sean Callahan fired one on goal, but hit the crossbar and the Toros were successful in clearing the ball out.

Less than 10 minutes after Sonoma’s last shot, Dominguez Hills began to fight back. In the 72nd minute, a header by a Toro split the Seawolves’ lead in half.

And just eight minutes later, Dominguez Hills tied the game 2-2.

Neither team was able to score in regulation, resulting in the Seawolves’ second overtime time of the weekend.

Unfortunately for the Seawolves, within four minutes of overtime Cal State Dominguez Hills scored on a bicycle kick that hit off the post and bounced across the goal line for the final goal and victory of the game.

“Coming off a tough loss we knew this game we had to come out strong,” said Coronel. “We got off to a great start, but going a player down really hurt us toward the closing minutes. Regardless, we fought hard and in my eyes we came together as a team and fought harder than we have all season.”

The Seawolves return home this coming weekend for their last regular season home games. Friday’s game is set to start at 3 p.m. against UC San Diego. Sonoma State will then host Cal Poly Pomona for Senior Day at 2 p.m. They wrap up their season away at San Francisco State the following Thursday.

COURTESY // SSU Athletics Alex Sifuentes scored the only goal from both teams in Sunday’s brawl with the Toros.

Seawolves snatch win with lone goal, split away series Kyler Khan Staff Writer

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his past weekend the Seawolves split their two games in Los Angeles and Carson during a trip down to Southern California. After suffering a 2-0 loss on Friday to the 16th ranked Cal State Los Angeles Golden Eagles, they bounced back and grabbed a 1-0 win over the Cal State Dominguez Hills Toros.

The Seawolves remained tied 0-0 with the Golden Eagles until late in the second half of their matchup when LA scored two goals separated by just a little over a minute. The Seawolves were unable to respond, making it just the first time they’ve been shutout all season. Despite the loss, Seawolves junior goalkeeper Ashley Luis collected a season-high eight saves on the 10 shots that LA had on the goal.

“I just kept really composed in the game. We struggled a little bit on defense…I kinda knew

how big that game was going to be,” said Luis. “I like having a lot of action, that’s just a goalie thing…but the best games is not having a lot of action.” Luis was able to show some of her skills against 17 total shots by the Golden Eagles.

Sunday’s game was also tied up after the first half but ended with a different result. Unlike Friday’s game, the Seawolves had sophomore Allison Hadidian at goalie for a majority of the time, which gave her the win. The Seawolves offense was able to create opportunities throughout the entire game, outshooting the Toros 18 to 3.

“We had shot after shot after shot and it just wasn’t going in.

I feel like we wanted that goal so bad that we were hitting balls over,” said Sifuentes. “We were just doing way too much, we just needed to calm down. We were setting up balls perfectly but weren’t finishing so finally when that happened it was just a relief.”

A goal scored in the 65th minute by freshman forward Si-

fuentes ended up being the difference in the game. The shot from about 18 yards out found the left side of the net for Sifuentes fourth goal on the season.

“When the ball got played in a defender hit it to the top of the 18, I took a touch, and then I scored it low corner of the goal,” said Sifuentes as she explained the lone goal of the game.

After the weekend’s games, the Seawolves remain in second place in the conference with an overall record of 13-2-0. On the points system, they are at 18, which is six behind first place Cal State LA, and two points ahead of third place Chico State. Once the team returns from their trip south, they will be in the Bay Area for their final three games of the season. The home stretch begins at Seawolf Field with a Friday matchup against UC San Diego at 12:30 p.m., then continues Sunday with their “Senior Day” game against Cal Poly Pomona at 11:30 a.m. and will finish off in San Francisco versus SF State on Thursday.

Sports

Oct. 21 - Oct. 27, 2014

sonomastatestar.com

Triathlon, not for the faint of heart Adam Roth Staff Writer

T COURTESY // SSU Athletics Kelsey Hull scored 14 kills against Cal State L.A.

Seawolves ride nine game winning streak Aubrie Tolliver Staff Writer

W

ith one more point away from their ninth-straight conference win, the Seawolves set in ready-position, awaiting the Golden Eagle serve. As the crowd stood on the feet and came together with a chant, the ball was put in play and just a few hits later, junior Caylie Seitz killed the ball over the net past all Cal State Los Angeles defenders.

The Sonoma State University Women’s volleyball team stands alone at the top of the California Collegiate Athletic Association standings after an impressive nine-game winning streak.

Wins eight and nine were collected Friday and Saturday over Cal State Dominguez Hills (25-14, 25-11, 25-14) and Cal State L.A. (25-20, 25-13, 25-19) at the Wolves’ Den. The Seawolves played only six sets this weekend, sweeping both opponents.

The Toros from Dominguez Hills were the Seawolves first victim on Friday night. Sonoma controlled the match so greatly that the Toros would not score more than 14 points in any of the three sets.

On the night, Sonoma State hit .386 while the Toros were only able to muster up a .024 hitting percentage; due in part by the 27 digs the Seawolves made. Caylie Seitz led both teams with 13 kills and ended the match hitting an impressive .591. Dominguez Hills only lead once throughout the entire match, demonstrating the Seawolves’ dominance over their challenger.

As for team totals, Sonoma State led in every category over the Toros, including kills, where the Seawolves scored a total of 38 as opposed to Dominguez Hills’ 25. There were only six errors committed by Sonoma and an impressive nine aces.

It was an expected win for the Seawolves since the Toros were ranked last in the CCAA standings going into Friday. However, the next day, the Seawolves took on Cal State L.A., who was responsible for one of their losses this season.

The Golden Eagles were in fourth place and looking to climb up the rankings with a win over the first place team.

Saturday night, Sonoma State battled to keep the Cal State L.A. from being the first to score 25 points. Their efforts were successful. Despite a

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tough battle, the Eagles would break the 20-point mark only once in the match which came in the first set.

From then on in the game, the momentum remained on the Seawolves’ side. Notably, Sonoma only needed one timeout in all three sets, which came just before the final point that won the match.

Senior Kelsey Hull led her team with 14 kills and a .778 hitting percentage. Caylie Seitz was just behind her with 13 kills and a .600 percentage. Her sister, freshman Calan Seitz, assisted in 11 of those kills and led the team with 23 on the night.

The Seitz sisters have undoubtedly been a big part of the Seawolves success this season.

This weekend alone, Caylie, an outside hitter, and Calan, a setter, were responsible for either assisting or scoring in 75 out of the 119 total points that the team scored.

Some say that it’s hard to play alongside a sibling, due to a natural rivalry that takes place.

However, Calan, the younger of the two sisters, thinks otherwise.

“Playing alongside my sister is awesome. I couldn’t be happier to have her as my teammate,” said Calan. “We work so well together that the only real competitiveness we have together is working against our opponent.”

Both sisters will assist their team to a CCAA championship this season, which seems in reach for the Seawolves. Sonoma State sports an 11-2 record in conference play and a 13-4 record overall.

This coming weekend is a trying one for the Seawolves as they attempt to hold onto their first place spot. They will face second place San Bernardino and third place Humboldt State.

Cal State San Bernardino is responsible for one of the Seawolves’ losses this season. However, senior Ashley Robinson believes that, as the team rides their current streak, the team is ready to fight to preserve their current, first-place position.

“I don’t feel any pressure this weekend,” said Robinson. “We are in a perfect spot, right where we want to be battling for the conference title.”

The team will face the San Bernardino Coyotes on Thursday and the Humboldt State Lumberjacks on Saturday. Both games will be played away at their respective campuses and first serve is at 7 p.m.

he word Triathlon by itself is enough to make sweat appear and knees ache.

The race is notoriously known for being both physically and mentally demanding, pushing competitors to find their limits.

The Triathlon Club is home to nine members and two coaches and is free to join. The club typically races in three to five events throughout the semester.

They compete against other colleges such as Chico, UC Davis, and Stanford and in local races such as the upcoming Marin Triathlon.

The team recently finished the DiabloMan Triathlon where David Wentworth took first place in the 19 th and under category and the first through third spots were taken by Sonoma students as well including Erik Zaro, who finished in second place. Club President, Sebastián Carrizosa came in at seventh place.

“It takes someone who is a little bit crazy to do a Triathlon, anyone who thinks they are crazy enough to try it, I say, we’re waiting for you.”

“Ive been doing triathlons for three years and DiabloMan was by far the hardest one,” said Carrizosa, “it’s a near 4000 foot vertical climb up the mountain followed by a 5K. I’ve ridden my bike from here to Los Angeles and this triathlon was much harder than that ride.”

“I was very impressed with everyone who competed, they looked really strong and even stayed afterwards to help out,” said Tayler Hockett, running coach for the club for the past three years.

The club competes in sprint triathlons, which means that the distances are shorter

but the pace is much faster. A sprint triathlon consists of a 750-yard swim, followed by a 15 to 20 mile bike ride and fished off with a 5K run.

The equipment necessary to compete in a triathlon includes a bike, a pair of running shoes and goggles.

“I’ve seen people riding on cursers and they have completed triathlons, but then you also have the guys riding $10,000 triathlon bikes,” said Carrizosa.

The club meets every Tuesday and Thursday at 8 a.m. and goes for a 15-mile bike ride to start off their morning.

Then later in the afternoon, they meet again and go for a run either at the track or around town.

On Fridays, the club meets at the pool to practice the swimming aspect of the races as a team.

“I’m really excited about the team this year, they all work very hard, and we have a lot of fun,” said Hockett. “There isn’t a practice that goes by that we don’t have fun and laugh and really get to know each other.”

“Don’t hesitate to come to a practice and check it out,” said Erik Zaro, vice president of the club. “Joining was one of the best choices I’ve made in college. It keeps you in shape, healthy and active. We love to take in new people who thought that they could never finish a triathlon.”

“I would tell anyone who’s ever wanted to do it to just start now,” said Carrizosa. “It teaches you a lot about perseverance because the demands can be pretty grueling. It’s just like anything in life. If you put in the work and just keep pushing though when you’re faced with obstacles and challenges, you’ll accomplish anything.”

Carrizosa added, “It takes someone who is a little bit crazy to do a Triathlon, anyone who thinks they are crazy enough to try it, I say, we’re waiting for you.”

For more information about the Triathlon and how to join, contact Club President, Sebastián Carrizosa at ssutriathlon@gmail.com, or visit the SSU Triathlon Facebook page.

Cross country places 12th of 17 at Bronco Invitational

T

Jake Tucker Staff Writer

he Sonoma State University Women’s CrossCountry team traveled to Santa Clara to participate in the Santa Clara Bronco Invitational at Baylands Regional Park this Saturday.

The tournament hosted 17 NCAA Division I, II, III, and NAIA teams. There were some big-name schools at the tournament. Of the Division 1 schools, there was Stanford (ranked 6th in the nation), Oklahoma State (18th in the nation), Cal Poly (10th in the West), Utah State (10th in the Mountain), California (11th in the West), Nevada (13th in the Mountain), Grand Canyon, Idaho State, New Mexico State, Sacramento State, San Diego, San Jose State, Santa Clara, Saint Mary’s, UC Santa Barbara, UNLV and Utah Valley. Of the Division II schools, there was Chico State (1st in the West), California Baptist (15th in the nation), Academy of Art, Cal State Monterey Bay, Fresno Pacific, and of course the Seawolves.

Of the NAIA teams, there was 1st ranked British Columbia, and 13th ranked The Masters.

Sonoma State placed 12th out of the 17 teams.

Maria Hurtado led the pack placing 34th out of the total 190 runners. Hurtado ran the length of the 6-kilometer (3.7 miles) in 23:36. All nine of the Sonoma State runners placed in the top 150.

Tori Dwyer placed second for the Seawolves and 73rd overall with a time of 24:28. Jessica Stip

placed third for the Seawolves and 96th overall with a time of 25:14. Next for Sonoma was Breanne Brett who ran it in 25:30 and placed 104th overall.

Michelle Padget placed 132nd overall with a time of 27:04. Just two seconds later Kelsey Lopez was the 134th person to cross. Then, just 12 seconds later, Brittany Smith was the 137th runner to cross. Sierra Downum crossed 22 seconds later at 27:40 in 141st place, and Christina Robinson finished the course in 28:17, placing 150th overall.

The Chico State Wildcats, who are ranked 5th in the nation, won the tournament. Sonoma State, with 271 points, was just two points behind the 11th place UC Merced.

The Seawolves are having a decent season this year overall. They placed 10th out of 17 total teams at the San Francisco State Invitational on Oct. 10.

They took home the bronze medal out of eight teams at the Sonoma State Invitational at Spring Lake Regional Park in Santa Rosa on Oct. 4, and they took 5th place out of six teams at the Humboldt State Invitational on Sept. 13th. The Seawolves’ average mile time this season is 7:08, and their 6-kilometer average time is 26:36. Maria Hurtado has led the Seawolves all season, as her average mile time is 6:35, and her average 6-kilometer time is 24:34.

Savannah Silacci is not far behind her though with a 6:47 average mile time, and a 25:18 average 6-kilometer time. The Seawolves have a few weeks off, until Nov. 8 when they will go to San Bernardino to participate in the CCAA Championship.

COURTESY // SSU Triathlon The Triathlon Club typically races in three to five events throughout the semester, including the upcoming Marin Triathlon.

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Photo This week in photos...

Oct. 21 - Oct. 27, 2014

sonomastatestar.com

For more, visit our galleries at SonomaStateStar.com

Henry One visits Sonoma State Right: The North Bay Regional Rescue Helicopter “Henry One” taking off from Sonoma State University on Thursday after a meet and greet with students and staff for Safety Week.

Bottom Right: Hair donated by students and staff during Breast Cancer Awareness ”October Nooner,” a hair drive donation drive organized by Associated Students JUMP program on Thursday.

Bottom center: Jazz week finishes off with the Sonoma State University faculty jazz ensemble on Friday in Joan and Sanford I. Weill Hall.

Bottom: Male cheerleaders cheer on sororities as the powderpuff football games played through the day on Sunday.

STAR // Gustavo Vasquez

STAR // Alyssa James

STAR // Sara Wildman

STAR // Maud Busson