Volume 75 // Issue 11

In this issue:

A&E: ‘The Hummingbird Wars’ depicts modern family life Pg. 6

Opinion: Quality education comes with a pricetag. Pg. 3 Sports: Diary of a studentathlete Pg. 10

Student Life: Student Spotlight: Donald Williams. Pg. 9 SINCE 1979

VOLUME 75 // ISSUE 11

NOVEMBER 10 - NOVEMBER 16, 2015

THE UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT RUN NEWSPAPER

Faculty association votes to strike Joseph Encinas Staff Writer

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Courtesy // Sue Pak The California Faculty Association voted to strike last Wednesday with a 94.4 percent majority vote. Jennifer Eagan, president of the association, and other representatives announced the result of the strike vote at San Jose State University, pictured above.

n a crowded classroom filled with reporters and faculty in the engineering building of San Jose State University, the California Faculty Association held the CFA Voting Results Conference, marking a new chapter in the wage dispute between the association and the California State University.

From Oct. 19-28, the faculty association held a strike authorization vote after attempts to get the Office of the Chancellor and the Board of Trustees to grant a 5 percent increase in wages instead of the offered 2 percent increase that is being offered.

The faculty of the university system overwhelmingly voted to authorize the association’s leadership to put a strike in motion, or other concerted activities.

“For those of you not in here in the room, that union clap was because of the 94.4 percent vote to strike,” said Jennifer Eagan, president of the Association and professor at CSU East Bay. Faculty association members say that the vote makes it clear the association is ready to stand up and send a clear message to the Chancellor’s Office.

According to Andy Merrifield, member of the bargaining team for the Cali-

fornia Faculty Association, the message the faculty association wants to send is a 2 percent raise is not a fair amount and until 5 percent is proposed, the association will not budge.

“Maybe a 94.4 [percent] strike vote will get their attention,” said Kevin Wear, chairman of the association’s bargaining team. “Because their 2 percent proposal is terrible.”

“The CSU is a public institution and it should start acting like one by paying their employees a decent wage,” said Eagan.

According to a statement released by the Office of the Chancellor, the university system wants to ensure that students and spectators alike understand that the results of this vote allows leadership of the association to permit a strike only after the statutory process has run its course and both sides are still unable to reach an agreement. As of right now, it’s clear where both parties stand, but how do the students in the California State University system feel about a possible strike if a so-

lution cannot be found?

“I believe that the faculty is not asking for too much,” said Grant Peters, A freshman at Sonoma State. “Everyone that works to keep this university system going deserves to make a reasonable living, especially those who prepare the next generation of workers and innovators.”

The reason the CSU cites for not allowing a 5 percent wage increase concerns the budget; the budget the California State University system has been allotted does not allow for that much of a raise in faculty wages, according to officials.

“It is hard for the CSU administration to grant the raise with money they do not have,” said Jacob Virissimo, freshman computer science major at Sonoma State University. ”It’s like tying their hands behind their back and telling them to get out of the rope.”

With a new page being turned, the chapter of factfinding can begin.

Even though the faculty did vote in favor of an authorization of a strike, nothing they voted to allow can take place until the statutory process has run its course; the statutory process is the last chance both sides get to find an agreement before the association turns to See STRIKE on Pg. 5

Spring registration approaching with new scheduling resource Nikki Bridges Staff Writer

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he often anticipated time of the semester, registration, has come yet again. With a brand new addition to the registration process, the Seawolf Scheduler hopes to ease students’ worries, making it much simpler to find classes that fit student preferences for the next academic semester.

The Seawolf Scheduler was made to help students manage time, stress and get the classes they need sooner during registration for years to come.

The scheduler is located in the top left corner of students’ MySSU, in the online ‘Student Center’. Students can plug in all the courses they want to take and the program will generate all the different options of class schedules, making sure none of them overlap each other. Once the student likes a class at a certain time they can lock it in so it will show up on all their schedule choices.

The program will also compare possible classes sideby-side so students can see the different class options. One of

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the most user-friendly components of the program is the option to put in breaks in the schedule for work or extracurriculars During registration the Seawolf Scheduler will update every 60 seconds so students can get an accurate assessment of which classes still have open seats.

Once students are happy with the schedule they have laid out, they can send it to their shopping cart where it will then be ready for enrollment.

“We usually see about 1,500 students per semester for help during registration time,” said Senior Early Childhood Studies major and peer advisor Tyler Sewell. “Peer advising is seeing its peak of students with the weeks leading up to it and we have hired new staff members to accommodate for everyone.”

Along with the Seawolf Scheduler there are new courses coming for the spring 2016 semester. These include a Portuguese language class, a new women and gender’s studies course and a sophomore year experience course similar to the freshman year experiences classes.

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These classes will all be added to the general education requirements that students must meet to graduate.

To help students prepare for spring registration, peer advisers are holding workshops in the Tuscany residence halls. The advising center is located in Salazar Hall, where students can met with student advisers and career advisers to prepare their future at Sonoma State.

“We added these classes to help increase diversity and to give students different options for their C3 language category in the general education pattern,” said Academic Advisor Michael Balasek.

“I’m really nervous to register by myself,” said freshman psychology major Kelsey Harrison. “But a lot of my upperclassman friends have been giving me advice to make multiple schedules for options and to go to peer advising.”

Priority registration for disabled students and student athletes begins on Nov. 13, and regular registration will begin Nov 16 and will end on Dec. 31. Students’ registration times and dates are up on MySSU now.

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STAR // Brandon Stachnik Sonoma State University recognized 1,100 college students, on average, who’s lives are claimed by suicide nationwide with paper hearts hanging in the Salazar Quad on Monday.

University supports mental health with new program

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Rachael Newman Staff Writer

he second annual Mental Health awareness week at Sonoma State University is happening this week, and a new resource has been introduced to the California State University system that supports students’ mental health.

The new resource, titled ‘The Red Folder’ intends to help CSU faculty and staff notice and become more alert to the signs and symptoms of a student in distress. This year’s Mental Health Awareness week is about promoting mental health and wellness, acording to Sonoma State Psychologist and Outreach Coordina-

/sonomastatestar

tor Joe Puentes.

“We know some of the greatest barriers to academic success are stress, anxiety and depression.

These programs, Mental Health Awareness Week, the Red Folder, and CAPS services are aimed to help students care for and address those issues so that they can succeed,” said Puentes. “Students are as dynamic, creative and insightful as ever, but they also carry a great deal of stress and pressure.

For students to be at their best, for the campus to be at its best, we have got to address stress and promote mental health.”

The Red Folder, See Something- Say Something- Do See RED FOLDER on Pg. 5

Visit: sonomastatestar.com

Page 2

Editorial

Nov. 10 - Nov. 16, 2015 sonomastatestar.com

THE STAR Editorial Board Brandon Stachnik, Editor-in-Chief Kayla E. Galloway, News Editor Jenna Fischer, Opinion Editor Ashley Mar tin, Ar ts & Enter tainment Editor Shannon Brown, Student Life Editor Kory Arnold, Spor ts Editor Thomas Call, Asst. Spor ts Editor Brennan Chin, Photo Editor Edward Goquingco, Copy Editor Kyler Khan, Copy Editor & Marketing Director Cassandra Owens, Adver tising Director Connor Gibson, Distribution Director Paul Gullixson, Faculty Adviser Staff Writers Aubrey Anzelmo, Natalie Aro Justin Barrientos, Nikki Bridges Francisco Carbajal, Jerri Cohen Megan Corcoran, Sean Curzon Samuel Davis, Christine Edwards Joseph Encinas, Noe Felix Justin Freeman, Ryan Green Florencia Hasson, Olivia Hunt Anna Kehrlein, Olivia Lucchese Rachael Newman, Lawrence Ricardo Kaila Sanders, Aubrie Tolliver Photographers Nicole Detmers Sarah Fishback, Thomas Lynch

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

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

“Diary of a student-athlete” It’s tough enough to juggle school work alone, but Sonoma State University student-athletes not only earn stellar grades but NCAA playoff births as well.

Staff Writer and student-athlete Aubrie Tolliver journals about her experiences on and off the field and answers the question: “Why continue as a studentathelete with the odds stacked against you?”

Read the story on page 10 Corrections/Clarifications The STAR values accuracy and works diligently to check facts before publication. However, if inaccuracies occur, we want to know. Please report errors to the editor at star@sonoma.edu.

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

Opinions

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

Letters to the Editor Letter writers may expect prompt publication in the newspaper’s op-ed section, as space is available. Letters of up to 400 words will be allowed and must be submitted no later than the Friday before the publication date. Published letters must be free of libel, since the publication is held legally accountable for all content. Although personal controversy will be tolerated, it is the responsibility of the editor to check statements purporting the facts. The STAR reserves the right to refuse publication 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. To send a letter to the editor, email star@sonoma.edu.

COURTESY // Gustavo Vasquez

For what it’s worth C

Decide your school’s value for yourself

ollege is more than the classes one takes—it’s an experience entirely unique to the individual that can’t be judged by anyone other than the student.

The Economist Magazine released a ranking of universities in the U.S. in October based off of the economic value of a degree from each respective college. Out of 1,275 colleges, Sonoma State University was ranked 1,030 th and among other California State University’s, Sonoma State was ranked last for economic value of the degree.

In the same study, Sonoma State finished ahead of UC Berkely, Brown and Yale University (with Yale finishing ing in the bottom 10 in the nation) This study not only brings to question the credibility of college rankings in general but also whether a ranking system is an effective and honest representation of a university’s worth.

According to The Economist’s ranking, the average salary of a Sonoma State graduate is $45,600. Can the value of a college degree be solely based on a monetary figure?

The answer is no. College is an experience made up of classes, extracurricular activities and most importantly, memories—memories that can’t be ranked by a dollar amount.

Those memories and experiences someone has in college are unique to the individual and a ranking or a magazine article can’t tell a college graduate their degree is worth more or less than someone else’s. Even if the college one attends is not labeled “prestigious,” a college education is about what the student makes of themselves at the school, not the school itself.

A student could be going to Stanford and learn absolutely nothing or on the other hand, a student could be going to a humble community college and come out a well-rounded, educated person.

Another respected publication, U.S News and World Report, released its annual college rankings last week as well, ironically ranking Sonoma State as one of the top public university in the western region as no. 48 out of 87 colleges. With both The Economist and U.S News and World Report known as credible and respected sources, why is there such a disconnect between the two rankings?

Some may consider Sonoma State to be a liberal arts college, with the focus of students’ studies being on a broad array of subjects rather than one specialized or specific research topic.

With that said, Sonoma State is the only CSU to be a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges—proving its sta-

tus as a liberal arts college.

Could the ranking by The Economist be based on the fact that the education students’ receive at Sonoma State leans toward that of liberal arts rather than specialized research?

A 2010 article from CBS News lists five reasons why students should attend a liberal arts university instead of an Ivy League or research-focused university.

Among those reasons, the author puts an emphasis on how liberal arts colleges often have small class sizes, student-focused professors and a more affordable price tag—statements all true to Sonoma State.

Many students perform much better in an environment where their education is more individually-based rather than competitive performancebased. Students have to find the college environment that best suits their needs, not pick one from a biased and skewed ranking list.

Students often hear college is what you make it—and regardless of how cliché that might sounds, it proves to be true.

The Internet is filled with an endless amount of college rankings and reviews, but when it comes to the worth of an education, no one can put a pricetag on a degree, not even The Economist.

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.

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N ov . 10 - N ov . 16, 2015 sonomastatestar.com

Opinion

Quality education worth striking for

Ryan Green Staff Writer

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he faculty across the CSU system have voted to call a strike, asking for a 5 percent salary increase. According to the California Faculty Administration, 94 percent of members voted ‘yes’ to the strike. It seems fairly straightforward, but it isn’t as simple as ‘please sir, can I have some more?”

Teachers, professors and educators all across the country are not payed nearly as much as they should. This is because they aren’t taken seriously (the saying ‘those who can’t do, teach’).

But think about it: literally everyone in the modern world goes to school. They go to school to learn what they need to know for the rest of their lives, basics in every subject. This is why it is arguably the most important profession in the world.

For the most important profession in the world, a meager salary is unacceptable. On Sonoma State’s website, the most recent salary schedule is available. The

document states that tenure-track teacher I’ve ever had has been the professors earn between $74,256 recipient of some sort of disrespect, and $89,412 annually. While that and it has almost always come from might not seem so bad, the annual students. cost of living in Sonoma County is The saying still goes ‘those around $62,000 (assuming people who can’t do, teach’. But between live with their families), according managing students, grading pato livingwage.mit.edu. pers, teaching classes, studying So the strike and salary in- coursework, and maintaining their crease is reasonable. The Cali- own lives, I’d have to say that fornia Faculty Administration is teachers ‘do’ quite a lot. asking for a 5 percent increase.

The fact that we can’t pay them But where would the money come little more than a living wage disfrom? gusts me. These people put so much The CSU system has a $65.5 effort into molding the future genmillion budget this year, according erations of America, yet we divert to Toni Molle, director of Public hundreds of billions of dollars toAffairs for the CSU office of the wards the next new deadly weapon. chancellor. Molle said that the sum Some might argue that bombs needed to accomplish the 5 percent cost more than books, and in this increase would “amount to a total college setting, I could disagree. of $101.7 million”. This amount But while it may be true, I’d rather greatly exceeds the CSU system’s my tax dollars be used to better our operating budget. own country than to bomb another.

The problem moves a notch higher, from the CSU system to the government. According to the White House, President Obama allotted $70.7 billion to the Department of Education this fiscal year.

Whereas he gave $561 billion to the Department of Defense. The $101.7 million needed to give teachers their 5 percent increase is two millionths of $561 billion. Can’t it be used to make some teachers happy, and in turn, their students?

Teachers get enough disrespect as it is. Imagine having to conduct a classroom of rowdy toddlers, mischievous children, sarcastic teens, or lazy college students? I can’t assume that all classrooms apply to those ideas, but I know that every Courtesy // Tiffany McGaughey

Age-old discrimination still alive

Florencia Hasson Staff Writer

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here was absolutely nothing I could, or what’s worse, should do about the situation I was in.

The feeling was so infuriating.

I was stuck in a car with a group of people that I came to realize would judge and dislike me no matter what I said.

Martina; a roommate of mine in Madrid, and I had decided to take a trip to Valencia for the weekend to partake in celebrations signifying the conclusion of a cultural festival that had been taking place that week.

It was the first time I’d used BlaBlaCar, the new popular rideshare website that provided Europeans with cheap and easy ways to find rides across the continent.

The service is similar to Uber but on a much larger scale.

Forty minutes in, we stopped to pick up another guy on the way to Valencia, a 25 to 30-year-old, attractive young man, native Valenciano named Javier.

The conversation quickly started up again between the couple providing the ride, my Italian roommate, Javier and I. Small talk quickly took a rather large turn in an ugly direction, and 9/11 conspiracy theories are brought up.

“I, and I believe the rest of us are and should be afraid of the U.S.,” Javier begins to say in reference to his shared 9/11 theory.

I was in no haste to change the fact that he had not yet realized there was an American sitting right next to him in the car, all thanks to my native Uruguayan mother who taught me Spanish well.

Martina piped up to warn him that he was in the presence of an American before he treaded into deeper waters. I chuckled because

I wasn’t offended in the slightest by his comment.

The older lady driving, Toni, who already knew I was American, then attempted to “clear the air” and said; “no, I am most afraid of the Jews.”

Double whammy! Little did she know a big, old, scary Jew, was sitting in her backseat.

Anti-Semitism is shockingly still alive in 2015, and even more so in certain areas over others.

Having lived in Europe for a year, I got used to seeing drawn swastikas, crossed out swastikas and a variety of other graffiti along the same lines.

Anti-Semitism is shockingly still alive in 2015.

My favorite one was an angry pacman eating a swastika, I’m still not sure if it was a jew-friendly piece, but I choose to believe that it was.

Growing up in liberal San Francisco created a bubble to the beliefs of a lot of the rest of the world. Even when I moved up to Sonoma I encountered weird chuckles or surprised expressions when me being Jewish came up.

I’ve never felt discouraged or threatened by these strange pauses in conversation, but I’ve always wondered what the other person is thinking; why is me being Jewish so strange and surprising?

For thousands and thousands of years Jews have been persecuted. We call ourselves a nomadic tribe, if it wasn’t f leeing Egypt then it was the Spanish inquisition, or even more recently Germany during the Holocaust.

I came to the realization that being Jewish in Europe was a rare thing to find. I was the first Jew the majority of my European friends had ever met. During my year away I witnessed many antiSemitic encounters.

In Copenhagen, a Holocaust memorial was defaced with a swastika on Holocaust remembrance day.

In Rome I was taking a picture of some pro-Palestine graffiti and a guy we had met that night blatantly said “I hate the Jews”

without blinking or thinking twice.

No one expects to actually meet a Jew because they think they’re all gone; boy was he surprised.

I take these encounters as an opportunity to open up a conversation about why, and specifically where does this hatred of Jews come from? It’s definitely been a part of our history but without reason, just like the hatred or oppression of any other race or group of people.

In 2015, you’ll more likely get lashed for being homophobic rather than being anti-Semitic.

Today, people’s dislike for the state of Israel and their politics translates into an excuse for being anti-Semitic, but what a lot of people forget or don’t realize is that being Jewish doesn’t make you a Zionist (the belief that Jews should have their own nation), and that the nation should be Israel.

This is very important to remember because disliking the politics of one country shouldn’t be the sole backbone in your argument against an entire group of people.

Ideal differences shouldn’t be used as an excuse to hate Jews, the way I have seen Zionism used.

There are many Jews who aren’t Zionist. There is no easy solution to the Israel-Palestine conf lict and whatever the outcome no one will have truly won.

Having said that, I am a Zionist and strongly believe now more than ever that there should be a country; Israel, where Jews are accepted and won’t be persecuted the way history has seemed to repeat; however, the problem between Israel and Palestine stems much deeper than that.

I only wish there was a way for there to be a two-state solution that could truly work but so far this hasn’t been the case.

It’s 2015 and our array of social issues across the world are still much too alive.

Equality of all races, religions, sexes and/or social groups is a never ending fight.

When will we be able to universally think and work together and coexist as one, all brothers and sisters of the same world and life which we cherish?

Page 3

Social media: Creating a false reality?

Olivia Hunt Staff Writer

“Q

uick, go like my picture,” said a girl to her friend. “Oh, I must have missed it, when did you post it?” her friend replies. “Just now.”

This exchange of words is progressively becoming more popular among today’s youth as the era of social media continues to alter our sense of priorities and sets up a falsified reality.

We have fallen victim to the idea that we must uphold a certain image of ourselves in order to maintain a consistent image to others.

Although all social media outlets are guilty of perpetuating this, Facebook and Instagram are predominantly the gateways to these parallel universes.

These media platforms can be very beneficial in keeping in touch with people that would otherwise become ghosts of your past. They are also helpful for classes and events; let’s be real, we wouldn’t remember most people’s birthdays without it.

At the same time, social media allows people to create any image of themselves they want, thus creating an inaccurate representation.

The problem with this is it only shows one side of someone’s experience and what is exposed is completely in the hands of the user.

Someone could come off as seeming happy when they may actually be struggling. The deceptive nature of social media also has the potential to mislead anyone who views these posts.

Seeing friends post about their seemingly happy lives makes us question our own experiences.

Speaking from personal experience, it can really affect someone’s mind set who may not be doing well themselves. During high school I deleted my Facebook for two years after finding myself comparing my life to everyone else’s supposed happiness, as I was struggling with my own.

The idea that other people’s happiness can cause others sadness is no new concept. Montesquieu said “If we only wanted to be happy it would be easy; but we want to be happier than other people, which is almost always difficult, since we think them happier than they are.”

By showcasing the most positive, joy-filled moments of people’s lives, social media is exploiting the Achilles heel of human nature.

In a Stanford study, researchers asked 80 freshman to report whether they or their peers had recently experienced various negative and positive emotional events. Time and again, the subjects underestimated how many negative experiences their peers were having. They also overestimated how much fun these same peers were having.

In another sample of 140 students, researchers found students were unable to accurately gauge others’ happiness even when they were evaluating the moods of people they were close to.

In a third study also by Stanford, they found that the more students underestimated others’ negative emotions, the more they tended to report feeling lonely and brooding over their own miseries.

In the past week, an Australian teenager with more than 612,000 Instagram followers radically rewrote her “self-promoting” history on social media. Essena O’Neill, 18, said she was able to make an impressive income from marketing products to her followers.

She describes Instagram as “contrived perfection made to get attention” and deleted more than 2,000 photos “that served no real purpose other than self-promotion.”

On top of this, she dramatically changed the captions to the remaining photos in a way that shed light on the distortion of social media.

Although debunking social media expectations is progressive in changing the dynamic of the online world, inconsistencies are inevitable according to BBC news.

Some researchers have coined the term “friendship paradox” meaning that no matter what, there will always be people on social media happier and more successful than you.

According to Nathan Hodas at the University of Southern California, the friendship paradox holds true for more than 98 percent of Twitter users.

With all of this in mind, it’s important to remind ourselves that there are many differing realities that people have, and the one that is portrayed on social media is not an accurate representation of their entire being.

Page 4

News

Nov. 10 - Nov. 16, 2015 sonomastatestar.com

STAR // Kayla E. Galloway The Economist Magazine published a college ranking article in October, basing the rank of universities on their economic value. The graph above shows the average incomes of graduates of multiple California universities according to The Economist study.

The Economist college rankings sheds light on a liberal arts education Anna Kehrlein Staff Writer

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tudents may already know that sources like U.S. News and World Report and College Board have been releasing college rankings for years, but recently The Economist joined in with its first ever college ranking system; a list with a slightly different approach.

Rather than ranking colleges

based on graduates’ average salary, or the niceness of their dorms, The Economist ranked each college based on the economic value of its degree.

Sonoma State University was ranked dead last among other California State Universities.

To determine a degree’s economic value, The Economist first calculated how much students should po-

tentionally be making after graduating from a particular school.

For each college, they looked at their freshman class of 2001 and determined average SAT score, ratio of male to female, racial demographics, students’ majors, the size of the college, and the wealth of the state.

In addition, they accounted for the type of college; whether it was public

or private, a liberal arts, engineering, or business school, and lastly, its religious affiliation, if any. According to the results from their formula, students who graduate with a degree from Sonoma State are estimated to earn an annual income of $48,462.

To determine the college’s ranking, The Economist compared this number to how much students actu-

ally made in 2011. On average, the freshman class of 2001 made $45,600 a year, $2,862 less than predicted, placing Sonoma State at 1,032 out of the 1,275 fouryear colleges on the list.

This spurs the question: why?

Brandon Mercer, president of Associated Students, believes Sonoma State’s lackluster ranking may be due to its status as a liberal arts college.

“We invest in students to be well-rounded citizens when we send them out into California’s economy and so, it’s not just what you’ve learned in the classroom,” said Mercer. “It’s the leadership skills you’ve learned, it’s the interpersonal skills, and that’s something that we’re focused on. We’re focused on the holistic development of our students not just the dollar amount that they get offered when they walk out of our doors.”

According to Erik Dickson, Associated Students’ executive director, a liberal arts education at Sonoma State is still valuable.

“It’s that breadth of education, it’s that looking at all things from different perspectives, which is generally the value of a liberal arts education,” Dickson said. “The ability to get it at Sonoma State in a public institution, a public CSU, which also is an institution which has excellent programs in business, in sciences, in those sorts of places, gives you a little bit of a liberal arts approach with the opportunity to be a wine business student, or be a biology major, or be something that isn’t necessarily tied directly to liberal arts.”

Economics Professor Robert Eyler agrees with Mercer and Dickson that Sonoma State’s liberal arts focus draws more liberal arts majors who tend to

make less money right out of college than mathematically based majors, like engineering. However, Eyler also attributes part of Sonoma State’s placement to the Bay Area’s high cost of living, which causes students to accumulate more debt.

Despite this, Eyler doesn’t think the value of a Sonoma State degree can be accurately measured from The Economist’s formula.

“To me, a better way of thinking about the worth of a degree is what does it do over your lifetime, because a lot of people will get a good job right out of the gate, engineering is a great example of this, but at a certain point, engineering will plateau, and the flexibility of an engineer from one job to another without another degree over time is somewhat limited,” Eyler said. “So a lot of the arguments that degrees are starting to become worthless are somewhat in the eye of the beholder. A lot of lawyers are English majors or philosophy majors because they leverage that bachelor’s degree to go to law school.

You need to be a good writer, good logic: philosophy and English.”

Eyler thinks that a good way for Sonoma State to increase the economic value of its degree would be to become more of a pipeline for local, high-paying employers.

“When our majors come out, we should ask our students to do what makes them more marketable,” Eyler said. “If you knew in January that you were going to graduate in May, but there were three or four jobs lined up for you, and you had prepared for those jobs because when you were a sophomore because we told you what classes to take, you’ll have something to differentiate you from the pack.”

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News

Nov. 10 - Nov. 16, 2015 sonomastatestar.com

STRIKE: Could potentially occur early 2016 Continued from Pg. 1

using its economic weapon – a strike.

The process begins later this month and continues through early December, meaning if a strike were to commence, it could take place early next year. Although this strike vote is attracting quite the buzz, it’s not the first time the

faculty have resorted to this measure. In fact, the faculty have had four strike authorization votes, with one leading to strikes at the campuses of Cal State East Bay and Cal State Dominguez Hills.

“The CSU is a public institution and it should start acting like one by paying their employees a decent wage,” said Eagen.

The next demonstration that

is catching the eyes of the public is scheduled to be held on Nov. 17 in Long Beach where the Board of Trustees will be meeting with the Office of the Chancellor.

Faculty from all 23 campuses, students and the association’s labor and community allies will be there ready to make a statement to the Chancellor regarding their proposition.

RED FOLDER: To help faculty recognize signs of mental illness Continued from Pg. 1

Something, is designed to assist university employees in recognizing signs and then taking cautious steps when trying to help a student suffering from a mental illness. With this new resource, faculty and staff will be prepared to help or reach out to a student experiencing symptoms of mental illness.

The Red Folder also includes a step-by-step guide of how to help students that may be of harm to themselves, whether police need to take action and intervene in the situation, as well as to refer a student to the Counseling and Psychological Services that are available.

According to Laura Williams, director of Sonoma State’s Counseling and Psychological Services, some of the services available for students are individual group and couple’s counseling, discussion groups, outreach events like Mental Health Awareness Week and Sexual Assault Awareness Month Programming, workshops like training for suicide prevention, crisis/victim’s advocacy services, and consultations for concerned students regarding the mental health of friends.

The current counseling program has been in place for a couple decades and the Red Folder is another addition to the CSU’s Mental Health Initiative.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, roughly 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. experience mental illness and only 41 percent of adults with a mental health condition used or accepted mental

health services in the past year.

Nearly seven percent of adults, or about 16 million people, experienced one extreme depressive episode in the last year. Eighteen percent of adults have or have experienced an anxiety disorder like post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and specific phobias.

“The old stigma is that to care about your mental health you must be ‘crazy’,” said Puentes. “Fortunately this perspective is shifting toward the recognition that to take care of health, both mental and physical, is wise, courageous and a lifelong investment in yourself and the world around you.”

In recognition of Mental Health Awareness week at Sonoma State, an exhibit with 1,100 hearts hung from trees in front of Salazar Hall representing 1,100 college students that have died by suicide.

On the hearts there are messages of hope, support, and encouragement to show compassion for the issue.

“We’ve seen over 550 students this year in individual or group counseling,” said Williams. “We have interacted with many more through consultations, outreach programming and workshops [like] Gender Identity Discussion Group [and] Women of Color Discussion Group and training.”

The Red Folder is available in various forms;hard copy, online, and a mobile application. The Counseling and Psychological Services phone number is (707) 664-2153 and is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 1088 Stevenson Hall. For 24 hour service call Police Services at (707) 664-4444 or Sonoma County Crisis Line at (707) 576-8181.

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Page 5

NEWS

IN BRIEF

Sacramento California State University, Sacramento student Luis Ortiz, found out he had a live tapeworm living in his head after going to the emergency room for a headache and nausea in September.

A resident of Napa, Ortiz visited a local hospital and was told he needed immediate surgery to remove the tapeworm, according to the Associated Press. According to the college student’s surgeon, if the tapeworm had remained in his brain for another 30 minutes, Ortiz would’ve died.

Ortiz has now dropped out of school and moved home. He is looking forward to returning to Sacramento in the future.

Columbia, Mo. The president of the University of Missouri system, Tim Wolfe and Chancellor of the system’s flagship campus, R. Bowen Loftin, resigned on Monday in response to students protesting that administrators aren’t doing enough to resist racism on campus. Students and faculty at the University of Missouri, Columbia have threatened to strike because of how administrators have handled racial incidents at the campus. The university’s football team has gained national media attention this weekend after refusing to attend team activities until the president of the university system resigned.

Head coach and athletic director at the University of Missouri, Columbia confirmed the football team will resume normal team activities as of Monday.

Tuscaloosa, Ala. Footage surfaced Monday of three Tuscaloosa, Ala. police officers forcefully removing and arresting three University of Alabama students from their apartment early Sunday morning.

The police officers have been placed on paid leave because of their actions captured on the cell phone footage. According to a statement from the Tuscaloosa Police released Monday, officers were called out the apartment becuase of a loud music complaint at 3:19 a.m. Sunday morning. The three students were charged with multiple offenses including harassment and obstruction of governmental operations.

Richmond, Va. Phi Kappa Psi fraternity at the University of Virginia filed a lawsuit for defamation against Rolling Stone Magazine on Monday for the article about an alleged gang rape of a female student in 2012 at a fraternity house. The fraternity said the Rolling Stone article made the organization and its members “the object of an avalanche of condemnation worldwide.”

Page 6

Arts

Nov. 10 - Nov. 16, 2015 sonomastatestar.com

Art by students, for students Christine Edwards Staff Writer

T

he bare walls and bland corners of the Student Center will soon be filled with works of art by the student artists of Sonoma State University. A new exhibit is set to be ready for viewing next spring semester, and students are welcome to submit any type of art from photography, paintings, drawings and sculptures.

The Sonoma State Student Center Board of Advisors is funding and organizing the exhibit, which is being led by Jessica Way, president designee. Fellow board member Laura Mitchel, future officer’s program coordinator, is also assisting, along with student council members Mary LoFranco, Hilary Stewart and Olivia Smith.

Smith expressed to the STAR how important the project is to her.

“I’m all about promoting diversity and showing that we’re proud of our students at Sonoma State,” said Smith. “I felt that the Student Center was empty and needed to be personalized to students and given a homey feel.”

The department expects that they will receive many submissions for this exhibit and plans to spread the works of art throughout the student center. Smith recognizes that there are many skilled artists on campus, and aims to showcase the potential of student artists.

“We really want to get a bunch of diverse art out there, and not only can art students submit, it can be any student artist at Sonoma State,” she said.

The exhibit is a new idea being launched by the Arts and Humanities Department and it is scheduled to run for the duration of the spring 2016 semester.

“We want this to be an ongoing project,” Smith said. “In the future we’re planning on the exhibit being up for an entire year with submissions being accepted in the fall.”

The only potential obstacles that stand in the way of launching this exhibit are getting enough submissions to fill the allotted space within the Student Center.

“We have a really good art program here and it represents a big chunk of Sonoma State,” Smith said. “We can show a positive image (of this campus) through art.”

Sophomore business major Rheannon Eisworth shares these values.

“I’ve been drawing for my entire life, and I think this exhibit would be an incredible addition to the student center,” said Eisworth.

“Art inspires people to be creative and think outside the box. Since SSU is a liberal arts school, art should be important to all in our community, if not a priority.”

Smith and her team behind this project will be placing promotional posters throughout campus, as well as going to classrooms to get the word out about this event.

“We just need submissions to come in as quickly as possible so we can get this out by spring semester,” Smith said.

A unique aspect of participating in this exhibit is that the student artists that have their work on display also have the option of selling their art. Students set the prices for their art, and any potential buyer that would like to purchase the art can do so. This can be a way to not only gain exposure, but to make some cash on the side as well.

There is no limit on the number of pieces of art they are considering to place in the exhibit, but all submissions must be received by Dec. 4. The application can be found on the art department’s web page under the student opportunities link at sonoma.edu/art.

STAR // Nicole Detmers ‘The Hummingbird Wars’ explores several modern-day adversities in an all-too-real family setting.

‘The Hummingbird Wars’ sings Justin Freeman Staff Writer

Review

W

hat is it that makes a play good? Is it solid performances of memorable characters? Is it an intriguing, relevant story that draws the interest of the audience?

Or is it in the little things, such as the props or well-placed sound effects? Well, whatever makes a play good, the Sonoma State University Theater Department’s rendition of “The Hummingbird Wars,” directed by Judy Navas, includes all of the above.

Written by Carter W. Lewis, “The Hummingbird Wars” is an existentially-themed, socially conscious play that addresses a number of issues relevant to our everyday lives. A dark comedy, it follows the blunders of a disturbed American family who is struggling to keep their lives together in the face of a hostile, bureaucratic world defined by corporate interests and psychological turmoil.

Throughout the story, the home of this family is literally crumbling under threat of being demolished out of eminent domain. Warren (David O’Connell), a Medal of Honor recipient and veteran of the war in Afghanistan, suffers from PTSD and never leaves the house, except for when he stands outside and emptily stares at his family through the kitchen window. His wife Mel (Ashlyn Kelley) is a university professor and social activist who constantly worries and feels as if her own significance to the world is diminishing. Their ahead-of-his-years adolescent son, Pete (Carlos Rodriguez) has an unsettling obsession with guns, as well as trouble coping with the hardships of high school.

His sister, Kate (Rosemarie Kingfisher), is a poet at heart, tormented by cyber harassment by her ex-boyfriend and terrified of the influence corporations seem to have over her life. Kate’s girlfriend Tracey (Renee Hardin) is arguably the wackiest character of the bunch. Tracey, who seems slightly schizophrenic, needs to take heavy medication in order to partially mitigate her eccentric and unpredictable behavior.

Hardin’s portrayal of this character is the most memorable, as she effortlessly transitions from one extreme emotion to the next in a very believable fashion. Truly though, all the actors

MOVIES RELEASING THIS WEEK 23

17

“By the Sea” - starring: Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Niels Arestrup, Melanie Laurent “Spotlight” - starring: Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Michael Keaton “Love the Coopers” - starring: John Goodman, Ed Helms, Diane Keaton “The 33” - starring: Antonio Banderas, Martin Sheen, Rodrigo Santoro,

seem comfortable with their characters and well-suited for their roles, and do a more-than-ample job of bringing this fictional family to life.

While “The Hummingbird Wars” doesn’t follow the typical formula of conflict, rising action, and eventual resolution, the play is absolutely stuffed with witty observations about our everchanging and interconnected world.

During the opening scene, Pete laments the fact that he has to go to school, and lambasts the public education system, which he sees as an absurd arrangement of pointless memory exercises and never-ending popularity contests. Later in the story, when a water main breaks near the house, the father, Warren, notes that it takes the bureaucratic say-so of the government, a private contractor, and an insurance company to simply turn a knob.

Persisting throughout this play is the theme of entirely apathetic, bloated organizations surrounding the middle class family on all sides, crushing them with nigh systematic efficiency. What does one do when their medical bills cost more than the mortgage, when their personal information is being spread all over the internet, when their FDA-approved food is unsuitable to eat, when their house is flooding, and their family is gradually losing themselves to the madness? There are many relevant issues that “The Hummingbird Wars” explores, that it’s hard to remember them all.

Beneath the thick jungle of corporate greed and psychological trauma that dominate the lives of the characters, there is a looming existential crisis that the whole family shares. Impending doom is constantly mentioned, whether it’s through the planned demolition of the house or the death of a hummingbird.

All the main characters struggle with a mutual loss of agency, all of them being treated like dirt in a debilitating world of manipulative marketing strategies, pre-recorded telephone operators, and ever-encroaching reasons to despair.

While this play was obviously written for contemporary audiences, these thematic qualities make the play more universally relevant, as all people of all eras have to deal with the unstoppable disintegration of everything around them.

In short, “The Hummingbird Wars” is clever, socially relevant, disturbing and hilarious all at once. While there are some imperfections, such as some misleading character development in the opening scene and a somewhat crammed stage, the overall production is well done and worthy of appreciation.

ALBUMS RELEASING THIS WEEK Justin Bieber - “Purpose” (Pop) CeeLo Green - “Heart Blanche” (Soul/R&B) One Direction - “Made In The A.M.” (Pop) Electric Light Orchestra - “Alone in the Universe” (Indie-Rock) Jeezy - “Church In These Streets” (Hip-Hop)

Nov. 10 - Nov. 16, 2015 sonomastatestar.com

Entertainment

Page 7

Cinematography unshaken, storyline absurd Sean Curzon Staff Writer

Review

A

fter more than 40 years, James Bond’s greatest foe Ernst Stavro Blofeld, head of the Special Executive for Counterintelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion returns to the big screen in “Spectre.” The film doesn’t have the strongest narrative, but it’s a fun action-adventure worthy of the James Bond name.

“Spectre” is the 24th film of the Eon Productions Bond franchise and the fourth to star Daniel Craig.

In addition, Ben Whishaw (Q), Naomie Harris (Miss Moneypenny) and Ralph Fiennes (M) return as well.

Newcomers include Dave Batista as the chief henchman Mr. Hinx and Andrew Scott as the mole Max Denbigh. Lea Seydoux plays the latest Bond girl, Madeline Swann.

Director of the last Bond movie, “Skyfall,” Sam Mendes, returns once again with this film. The film follows Bond as he tracks down a mysterious organization from his past.

This film marks the return of both the organization SPECTRE and its leader Blofeld, played in this film by Christoph Waltz. Blofeld and SPECTRE were major threats to Bond during the Sean Connery era, and became a key part of the James Bond mythos.

Unfortunately, due to complicated legal issues, both Blofeld and SPECTRE were not allowed to be in any Bond films and haven’t since 1971’s “Diamonds are Forever.” However, Eon Productions finally got the rights to the characters again; and thank goodness for it, since Blofeld is the best aspect of this movie.

Waltz plays Blofeld with an odd mix of giddiness and cold detachment. It shouldn’t work, but it does.

It paints a picture of this guy who one can believe he can actually rule the world. Waltz’s natural charisma pulls it off nicely.

The other actors are good as well. Fiennes is great as M. He does a good job of playing a very hands-on leader who is frustrated with Bond’s “take things on his own” attitude. Batista is frighteningly intimidating as a SPECTRE assassin.

The film’s cinematography is gorgeous. Each shot is crafted with detailed care. Mendes blends shadow and light into the sets to help create a powerful environment. He plays with the camera focus to mess with the audience’s expectations and creates

interesting scenes. Mendes uses the camera to show off large and impressive sets. The action scenes are framed and planned so well that it’s like watching a carefully choreographed ballet. Still, the scenes never lose their sense of suspense and danger.

The film’s major fault is its weak script. The events never feel personal as they are meant to. In one scene, Bond meets an old nemesis, Mr. White and the film doesn’t convey the history of the characters.

The setting jumps around too often and too quickly.

Globetrotting was always a part of the James Bond franchise, but it’s distracting when every other scene takes place on a different continent.

“Spectre” tries to tie the other three Craig films together with mixed success. The evil group Quantum from the movies “Casino Royale” and “Quantum,” tries to be part of SPECTRE but never explains how. Was it a front for SPECTRE? Was it a branch of SPECTRE? Did SPECTRE contract them out? The film touches on the spy groundwork relevance in an age of internet surveillance and droids which would be fine if “Skyfall” didn’t emphasize the exact same theme.

The relationship between Bond and Dr. Swann is good, if not a little cliché; Craig and Seydoux do have appropriate chemistry. The only problem is that it doesn’t give the relationship time to develop.

“Spectre” could’ve used some work on the storyline but makes up for it with beautiful cinematography and strong performances. Bond once again proves why he has a license to kill.

Review

I

t’s not often that a new show pops up out of nowhere and delivers something new to the table. Nowadays, we are used to spin-offs and returning shows and we rarely get something different. Who doesn’t get tired of the same-old, mundane shows that plague most networks?

NBC seemingly heard our concerns and decided to put out a good and brand new show that started this fall.

“Blindspot” might have the potential to be on the top of everyone’s DVR list.

The show is about a woman with amnesia who is found naked and covered in complex tattoos in the middle of Time Square. The FBI takes her into custody, only to discover her tattoos are actually clues to crimes that have yet to happen. The tattoos begin to unweave a conspiracy happening in the U.S., making her the most important FBI asset. Every case they solve brings them closer to discovering the identity of the amnesiac.

The show boasts a great cast that

Pop artist Ellie Goulding released her new album “Delirium” Nov. 6.

Another club playlist from Ellie Goulding K aila Sanders Staff Writer

Review

T

facebook.com “Spectre,” the 24th Eon Productions Bond film earned $73 million during its opening weekend.

Keep your eye on ‘Blindspot’ Noe Felix Staff Writer

facebook.com

sells you on the characters they portray.

Jaime Alexander plays the lead as Jane Doe, the tattooed woman. Alexander’s portrayal is nothing less than outstanding, as she makes the viewers feel for Jane Doe. When the drama kicks in, her eyes make the most lasting impression, as they truly portray her emotion.

Alexander has a way of creating a character out of thin air. Knowing nothing about her past, it really is up to Alexander to create Jane Doe. Her story is mysterious, and Alexander’s performance is sure to leave viewers with goosebumps. Sullivan Stapleton plays Kurt Weller, the lead FBI agent on Jane Doe’s case. Weller plays an intricate part of the story, as his name is tattooed on the back of Jane Doe. Knowing nothing about her, Weller begins to help uncover clues regarding her true identity. Stapleton’s performance is good, however, not on the level of Alexander’s.

Ashley Johnson plays Patterson, an upbeat tech specialist. Johnson offers most of the comic relief in the show, with ease some might say, as her charm and charisma are hard to avoid. It’s hard to not fall in love with her dorkyness, and her performance stands out as one of the best in the show.

Rob Brown and Audrey Esparza round out the show as Edgar Reed and

Tasha Zapata. Both do a fine job in their performances, however, they fall under cliché characters that we’ve seen in other crime shows.

The character development is by far an integral part of the show. Whether it’s the relationship between Jane and Weller growing through the missions they undertake, or Zapata’s gambling addiction, the show continues to unravel the characters in interesting ways.

“Blindspot” has it flaws, like any other TV show. There are things that could be improved. Some of the episodes, while interesting, fall to old troupes in its genre. Furthermore, the show can be too serious at times. It’s a gritty show, however, that doesn’t mean it has to be devoid of humor. With only Patterson offering comic relief, the show suffers from its rough and tumble-ness.

While the drama that fills the series is to be craved, audiences will find themselves wanting the show to be slightly more “fun.” The show is picking up more steam, as they begin to discover who Jane Doe really is.

“Blindspot” has the potential to become something great, provided that it fixes some of its problems.

With a great cast and solid premise, “Blindspot” is a show you’ll want to keep your eye on.

flickr.com NBC’s “Blindspot” proves to stand apart from today’s typical television show.

he anticipation has certainly built up as fans have patiently waited for global pop star, Ellie Goulding to release her third studio album, “Delirium.” The album was released on Nov. 6 and is Goulding’s first full-length work in three years.

“Delirium” is an expansive 21-track collection of mainstream dance-pop songs that are jampacked with punchy tunes. To help make the album possible, Goulding teamed up with some of the biggest names in the business. Max Martin has been creating memorable hits since Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC and now in more recent years, Taylor Swift. Greg Kurstin and Ryan Tedder have also worked with some of the best in the business, like Katy Perry, Beyoncé and Adele.

As an artist, Goulding has been defined by her well-known ‘club bangers’ that have filled previous albums, “Lights” and “Halycon.” The same dance-f loor-heavy sound dominates “Delirium,” except this time the ambitious UK native is clearly commanding a bigger stage. Though Goulding’s past work has always felt somewhat cinematic, this time around the instrumentation is certainly a bit more forceful.

In a field already dominated by such largerthan-life personalities, it can be difficult to stand out as a distinct individual artist. Although Goulding has certainly established herself in the world of pop music, “Delirium” will unlikely carve out a niche in the field.

“Delirium” is sure to produce a handful of major hits, however, 21 tracks is just slightly over the top for an album of this nature. Goulding’s voice is certainly not her shining instrument and remains average, while her music is generally all-out bombastic.

The album’s first single, “On My Mind” is a catchy tune where Goulding questions why a past f ling keeps revisiting her thoughts. The song possibly stemmed from tabloid rumors surrounding her sexual rendezvous with tattooed artist, Ed Sheeran. If the song is in fact about Sheeran, Goulding hits him with a low blow, singing, “Next thing that I know I’m in the hotel with you/ You were talking deep like it was mad love to you/ You wanted my heart but I just liked your tattoos.”

Standing out among the pop anthems is the beautiful ballad, “Love Me Like You Do,” from the “Fifty Shades of Gray” soundtrack. Goulding’s voice is innocent as she effortlessly sings the sensually-obsessed lyrics that, when taken in context of the film, subtly reference BDSM. “You’re the color of my blood/ You’re the cure, you’re the pain…You’re the fear, I don’t care/ ‘Cause I’ve never been so high,” she sings. “Love Me Like You Do” is the album’s biggest highlight and demonstrates that Goulding can thrive in more than just fast-paced, upbeat club music.

The rhythmic beat on “Keep On Dancin’” is accompanied by background whistles and electronic synths, producing an overwhelming abundance of different sounds. “Something In The Way You Move” is a catchy, dance-f loor track filled with hypnotic synths and electronic pulses.

“Don’t Need Nobody” fuses slight moments of R&B with pop, while songs, “Don’t Panic” “Around U” and “We Can’t Move to This” stick to the album’s dominant poppy production.

As an ode to her best friend, “Army” is one of the rare moments Goulding reveals her personal life, as she sings about her teenage adventures back in her hometown.

“16 and you never even judged me/ All the nights we’ve been drunk on the f loor/ And yet you understand/Yeah like no one can,” she sings.

“Delirium” is by no means a terrible album, though the songs are slightly bland, generally lacking depth. Unless you are intently listening, the songs tend to all blur together. Although many of the songs are unfortunately forgettable, a number of them will undoubtedly be heating up the dance f loor at clubs around the world.

Page 8

Student Life

Nov. 10 - Nov. 16, 2015 sonomastatestar.com

Laverne Cox to speak on gender issues Lawrence Ricardo Staff Writer

L

averne Cox, American actress, reality television star, and LGBT advocate will spend time at Sonoma State University on Nov. 12 as part of the Women In Leadership lineup of the On Campus Presents programming at the Green Music Center.

“We are in a place now where more and more trans people want to come forward and say, ‘This is who I am,’” said Laverne Cox in TIMES magazine.

Cox is best known for her portrayal of Sophia Burset on the Netflix television series “Orange Is the New Black” as a transgender woman who is sent to prison for credit-card fraud.

First appearing as a contestant on the first season of “I Want to Work for Diddy,” she went on to produce and star in her own TV show, “TRANSform Me.” Both shows were nominated for the GLAAD media awards with “I Want to Work for Diddy” winning in 2009.

As the first openly transgender person to be nominated for a primetime Emmy award in the actress category, Cox will use her time to inspire and educate students

on the transgender community and share insight and perspective on the changing role of women in leadership.

“I think it’s incredible that we live in a time where we have a black, female, trans supporting character in an award winning TV series,” said sophomore Colin Chinn. “In addition to that fact, being a queer person myself as well as a strong proponent for human rights, I absolutely love what she is doing in the trans community.”

As the event is already sold out, this marks as the first time the Green Music Center sells out with a majority of the patrons being Sonoma State Students. Early childhood studies major and women’s health minor Jenny Mangandi is looking forward to a special event that relates heavily on what she is in school for.

“Watching Laverne Cox will allow me to become more educated on the LGBTQ community that she is a part of,” said Mangandi.

Aside from her advocacy tour, Cox will participate in the TV movie remake of the Halloween cult movie, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” in which she plays crossdresser, Dr. Frank-N-Furter. “I’m excited to see who she is as a person,” says communications major Megan Kleszcz.

The program will include a moderated discussion following with a Q&A. Students will become acquainted with the struggles of being a successful advocate in the community on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 7:30 p.m.

Seawolf Scheduler may not be helpful afterall

Aubrey Anzelmo Staff Writer

Commentary

M

ark your calendars and let the one-week countdown to the most stressful event of the school year begin. This event may include tears, frustration and anxiety, so come pre-

pared.

Registration at Sonoma State University can be one of the most terrifying and overwhelming experiences a college student may face. It seems that the general education classes fill up almost immediately, so if you don’t have a good registration time then good luck.

No matter how many schedule scenarios you make, something can still go wrong when registration time comes. It’s a race against the clock, since you are competing with a large majority of students from Sonoma State for a spot in that specific class you want.

Another common issue can be the incapability to create a schedule, which incorporates all the classes one needs. Registration isn’t only a problem at Sonoma State, but at numerous other universities as well.

Sonoma State is making an effort to eliminate some of the stress induced my registration by creating the Seawolf Scheduler.

The program, which launched Oct. 30, allows students to input times they are unavailable to take a class, and it will automatically create multiple schedules with the classes the student selected to take, based on their availability.

Previously, students would create their own schedule scenarios. Sean Johnson, senior director of records, reporting and analytics said the seawolf scheduler “allows students to manage their time in a more efficient way.” This new scheduling system is part of the California State University’s E-Advising Initiative. The seawolf scheduler is Sonoma State’s version of the College Scheduler used at nine other CSU campuses.

Melanie Yeoman, a junior early childhood studies major dislikes the current registration system. “It’s frustrating for the most because classes are never available even if they are your major classes which is why it is unheard of for people to graduate on time.

The seawolf scheduler is a good idea but in my opinion it doesn’t fix the actual problem which is the lack of classes and professors to teach these classes,” Yeoman said.

After using the seawolf scheduler, I would agree the system is useful in creating a class schedule that actually incorporates the classes I need to take, while still including my other obligations including work. It saved time from having to go and look up all the available times of the classes.

“Registration was so stressful. I didn’t understand the numbers or the abbreviations; but I’m happy that my orientation leader helped me understand and make a schedule. However, I am nervous for registration this year because I wont have the help of my orientation leader anymore,” said undelcared freshman Daisy Agers.

The program also includes the prerequisites required for the course, which was helpful to see before determining if the class was one I actually needed to take. It will be helpful when my time comes to register this week. However, this scheduler still does not eliminate the problem of the limited number of classes and faculty to teach the classes.

Registration will forever give college students headaches, and there most likely will not be any software programs that can be developed to ease them.

STAR // Brennan Chin The Made by Seawolves store is planning on opening Nov. 18 with a grand opening scheduled for early next semester. The store will feature items made by fellow students and will be located in front of the Student Center.

Made by Seawolves store to open this month Sammuel Davis Staff Writer

S

onoma state University is opening an exclusive store for students to show off their creativity. Seawolf entrepreneurs will soon have their own store and the opportunity to sell their creative and innovative products. This new store will be called Made

by Seawolves.

The main emphasis of the store is to educate, evolve and promote entrepreneurship at Sonoma State. The store will be located on the first f loor of the Student Center, on the corner near Parking Lot D. The soft opening is scheduled for Nov. 18. The store will hold a grand opening at the beginning of next semester.

Made by Seawolves will pride itself on student entrepreneurship to create, sell and inspire. The student run store will look to manage the store in a sustainable manner.

“The store is exclusively for students to sell their own products as well as students running the store from the management team, student vendors, and student volunteers,” said store manager Justin Nathanson.

The students will create all the products that will be sold at the store. Made by Seawolves is giving all students of different academic backgrounds a chance to show off their business side.

“We have an incredibly entrepreneurial student body that hides their light under the bushel of academics. It seems like everytime I turn around I find a student who is already running their own business or who is working on it,” said accounting professor Kristen Ely. “I’m proud to be able to work with the

student team that is using their entrepreneurial energy to provide a resource for their entrepreneurial colleagues that gives them a low-risk way of trying their concepts while getting their name out there.”

The products sold at the store will show the diversity of Sonoma State. “The store vendors will fill the store of their studentmade products. At the moment we have products from music, clothing, jewelry, knitted items, paintings/drawings, candles, ceramics and more,” said Nathanson.

Advertising Manager for Made by Seawolves, Katie Caughlin, is excited to be able to see the doors open. “I started a year ago when it was still an idea and there was nothing tangible associated with it. There wasn’t even a logo. So to see it come alive is incredible,” said Caughlin. “I have learned a lot while being on the MBS team. Thanks to the patience of the team I have learned how to use the resources available and how to market to our students and surrounding community. This store is here for students and I’m thrilled to be a part of it.”

It’s advised by Jessica Way, Director of the Student Center and Ely. The store is also working with a group of first-time students in a leadership class as well.

If one is interested in creating products for Made by Seawolves this semester, email madebyseawolves@gmail.com for an application or general information. Made By Seawolves is also on Twitter and Facebook.

Made by Seawolves is one of a kind.

“The student management team is working extremely hard to get the store open for business. We’re offering a once in a lifetime chance for these students who have a product to sell on campus at a state university,” said Nathanson.

Student Life

Nov. 10 - Nov. 16, 2015 sonomastatestar.com

Page 9

Student Spotlight: Donald Williams Megan Corcoran Staff Writer

Tuesday,

Thursday,

Nov. 10

Nov. 12

Mental Health

The Hummingbird Wars

Promotional Fair

7:30 p.m.

11 a.m.

Ives Hall Studio 76

Seawolf Plaza Mental Health War and Peace

Awareness Walk

Lecture Series:

4 p.m.

Veteran’s Panel

Sauvignon Green

5:30 p.m.

Ives 101

Self Care Through Art 5p.m.

Who Owns Your Stuff?

Cooperage

Copyright, EULAs, and the Future of User

On Campus Presents:

Control

Laverne Cox

12 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

Stevenson 1002

Weill Hall

Wednesday, Nov. 11

Friday,

On Campus Presents:

Nov. 13

Matisyahu

Public Viewing Nights

7:30 p.m.

at SSU Observatory

Weill Hall

The Observatory

SafeTrek app brings safety to students’ fingertips Jerri Cohen Staff Writer

Commentary

F

eeling vulnerable and unsafe at night on campus is common for most students walking home, to and from their car, or even walking next door to pick up a coffee for some late night studying. The SafeTrek personal safety app, now available on Apple’s App Store for free, intends to create a solution for all students who feel unsafe, often or seldom, there is help available whenever they should need it.

“We started SafeTrek almost 2 years ago to solve the safety problem on campuses and have grown to over 300,000 users in the United States,” said creator of the app, Zach Winkler. “We're one of the only safety apps that actually connects users to the people who are best suited to provide assistance - the police. Other safety apps notify you friends and family members when you are in danger - neither can help you in an emergency.”

The app aims to connect users to the nearest police department available, after having activated his or her account.

Once the account is activated and connected, the user’s route is able to be tracked by GPS to ensure that they travel in the safest way possible.

The app has created as an easy and simple connection to the police department in order to seek help or protection when needed. The app appears to be smooth to navigate for all users. In order to use the app correctly, he or she must turn on the app when feeling unsafe.

Keeping his or her fingers on the screen until they arrive at a safe and sheltered destination will ensure the police department that all is okay.

If something abrupt or endangering

should take place in the meantime, the user can simply lift his or her fingers off of the screen, which will notify the police that somebody is in danger. The police will be dispatched to the specific location if his or her predetermined pin number, is not entered within 10 seconds of the lifting of his or her finger.

“I think it is a good idea and definitely makes me feel more comfortable walking to and from the library at night,” said Sophomore Sara Citti. “I just don’t know that I would go through the effort of downloading the app and trying to learn how to navigate it. As a girl, I try to go places with friends at night anyways so I don’t think I would necessarily use the app.”

There are many unfortunate incidents that could occur while a student is simply walking home from class, a club meeting, or late night studying with a friend in the library.

Although a positive light is shed on this idea, I do not know how effective The SafeTrek app will be amongst students. Many campuses provide security, and extensive facilities that are open at late hours to ensure the safety of students.

Personally, I found the app to be clear and effortless, however, some would argue that it is unnecessary and does not enhance the safeness of being on campus. This being said solely because students are not likely to download this app. Students usually feel safe on their own campuses until something happens to them or somebody they know.

There are a select few students that will put in the effort to learn how to navigate the app in order to ensure their own safety, however, the vast majority of Sonoma State’s student body feels safe and have neglected to seek help options until they think they need to.

A

s a McNair Scholar and a recipient of the Sally Casanova award, Donald Williams is making his name known at Sonoma State University. Set to graduate in the spring of 2016, his future is looking more promising than ever. But what most people don’t know is that Donald came from practically nothing to be where he is today.

Donald was born in Santa Rosa to a young teen mother. With his father passing away from a car accident when Donny was just two-years-old, life was throwing him curveballs from the start. At the age of 16, he ran away from an abusive home and was homeless until he was 19-years-old.

With just a GED, Donny worked lowpaying jobs until he decided to return to school. At the age of 25 he began his college education at the Santa Rosa Junior College.

Starting in remedial classes, Donny worked tirelessly to succeed. “He is the only person that I know that would get up every morning at 4 a.m. to teach himself math,” said Donny’s girlfriend Natasha Fronce.

“Through a determination to better my life, I excelled in all of my classes,” Donny said. “With a new-found confidence, I changed my major from Art to Psychology, with an emphasis on Biological Psychology.”

Now 30-years-old, Donny transferred to Sonoma State just last year and took on two minors, biology and statistics.

With a recommendation from a professor, Donny became part of the McNair Scholar program at Sonoma State. “Much of my success can be attributed to my own determination and the support I have received through McNair,” Donny said.

McNair Research Coordinator Mariana Garcia Martinez said, “I can honestly tell you I have never met someone so dedicated to making his goals a reality and he will be leaving a long impression.”

As a McNair Scholar Donny was a member of Dr. Karin Jaffe’s Primate Ethology Lab and had the opportunity to study the effects of behavioral enrichment on Mandrills at the San Francisco Zoo. He then presented the research at the annual meeting of the American Society of Primatologists in Bend, Oregon.

“I feel tremendously lucky to have been able to work so closely with such an amazing young man,” Dr. Jaffe said. “I’m excited to see what his future holds.”

Shortly after he presented his research in Oregon, Donny found out he had been chosen to receive the Sally Casanova Award.

“My adviser, Dr. Jaffe, posted on Facebook that one of her students just made a great presentation,” Donny said. “In response, the director of the Sally Casanova made a comment on that post that I was chosen to be a

Sally Casanova Scholar.” As a Sally Casanova Scholar, students have unique opportunities to explore and continue their educational careers in doctoral programs.

“I was very excited, as it is a very prestigious award,” Donny said. “It was very competitive so I think my GPA and letters of recommendation helped.”

Donny is the only Sally Casanova Scholar from Sonoma State this year.

With each educational accomplishment Donny was offered more incredible opportunities. “He is the first student that I have worked with that got accepted to not just one summer research opportunity program but three,” said Martinez. Accepted into Ohio State University, Iowa State and Emory University, he chose the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) program at Emory University.

As a research assistant Donny spent the entire summer conducting extensive studies on the White Throated Sparrow, and then presented the findings at SURE’s annual symposium.

Donny is now applying to many top Ph.D. programs in the country. “My goals are to earn a Ph.D., conduct great research, and to work with underrepresented students, such as minority and first-generation students,” said Donny.

He hopes to receive a multi-million dollar grant from the National Institute of Health or National Science Foundation to start his own lab and continue his research on how paternal absence affects the maternal brain, behavior, and health.

To top it all off, Donny is the father of two young boys and in his spare time he coaches youth baseball. “My kids are my passion. Because I did not have a father, I am especially dedicated to being a good dad,” Donny said. “They are the first children in my family to have parents that go to college.”

His hope is that when he goes to school for his doctoral studies, his boys come with him to live in campus housing as a unique experience for them.

COURTESY // Donny Williams Donald Williams is the only Sonoma State student to be a Sally Casanova Scholar.

Page 10

Sports

Nov. 10 - Nov. 16, 2015 sonomastatestar.com

Men’s basketball slips up against Division 1 St. John’s Justin Barrientos Staff Writer

aturday afternoon in the Big Apple, the Sonoma State University men’s basketball team took to the hardwood to face off against a struggling Division I St. Johns University team in exhibition play.

In a game that was available for students to stream on either ESPN 3 or the WatchESPN mobile app, the Seawolves looked to capitalize on St. John’s recent woes, having lost their first exhibition game to another Division II team St. Thomas Aquinas, by an astonishing 32 points at home earlier in the week.

In what was a hard-fought battle, with surges of promising play, the Seawolves failed to put together a consistent effort and fell to the Red Storm by a margin of 64-46.

Head coach Pat Fuscaldo and the Seawolves are coming off of a 12-14 season in which they finished in a tie for seventh place in the CCAA with a 9-13 mark.

In their only warm-up for the upcoming regular season, the Seawolves were ice cold. The game started off promisingly for Sonoma State, as the teams traded baskets for the first five minutes of the game.

The Seawolves then proceeded to go on a 9-0 scoring run, leading to their largest lead of the night, just under 10 minutes into the game.

The teams proceeded to trade baskets until the score was tied 20-20 with 6:43 left to play in the first half.

However, the Red Storm went on to pull away after a 16-2 scoring streak, putting the Seawolves down 36-22 at the half.

The Seawolves continued their uphill battle in the second half, pulling within seven points with just over five minutes left in the game.

However, continuing with the games previous trends, the Red Storm made one final run, scoring the last 11 points of the game to put the final score at 64-46.

It was a rough shooting night for the Seawolves, as they shot a dismal 22.4 percent from the field, including just 12 percent from beyond the arc. Furthermore, while they were able to get to the charity stripe 25 times, they missed eight free throws, putting them at 68 percent for the game.

In contrast to St. Johns, the Seawolves shot 11.8 percent worse from the field and were outrebounded (44-35) and out blocked (11-1) as well.

A positive note to be taken from the game for the Seawolves was the distribution of points.

Senior James Davis and freshman Brandon Tillis lead the way with nine points apiece, while senior Andy Mitchell and junior Jimmy Golden both netted seven points of their own.

Fortunately for the Seawolves, the game was merely an exhibition against a Division I opponent and is intended to work out the kinks and allow the team to warm up before the season begins.

Look for the Seawolves to rebound and start the season off with a win, as they face the Dominican University Penguins on Friday in San Rafael at 7:30 p.m.

COURTESY // sonomaseawolves.com

COURTESY // sonomaseawolves.com

S

The exhibition game against St. John’s was nationally televised on ESPN3 and was available for students to stream through the Watch ESPN App.

Freshman Brandon Tillis lead the Seawolves with nine points in their exhibition agianst St. John’s.

Diary of a student-athlete So, if I have a slim-tonone chance of playing professionally, then the question still remains, why play?

Aubrie Tolliver Staff Writer

M

y shirt was drenched in sweat and covered in dirt. My legs could barely support the weight of my body. I was counting down the minutes until I finally got to sit down and eat. It had probably been five or six hours since my last meal.

That was when I looked over to my fellow freshman teammate, who was walking beside me and with despair in my voice, I asked, “Do you realize we have four years of this?”

What made it worse, was coming home from morning practice at the softball field and seeing my roommates just waking up. They could go out to lunch but I had to be at a team meeting. They could study for a midterm during the day but I had to stay up until midnight doing it.

I was envious of them.

Even now, going into my fourth season, I still am. I found myself constantly asking questions like, “Why are you doing this to yourself?” and “Is it worth it?”

Today, the perception is that the purpose of college athletics is to provide a gateway into professional sports.

At least that’s what I thought, as well.

But, according to research conducted by the NCAA, only 8.6 percent of college baseball players play professionally, which was the highest of all the men’s sports. Most of the other men’s sports fall under two percent, such as football and basketball.

As for women, like me, women’s basketball holds the highest probability of going pro, with a whopping 0.9 percent.

So, if I have a slim-to-none chance of playing professionally, then the question still remains, why play?

Why put myself through the workouts where I am constantly on the verge of passing out or throwing up? Why practice when I know

there is a girl better than I am, who is probably going to be given the starting spot?

It may have taken me three years, but I have finally found the answers.

“Life is about being a versatile athlete and training in all realms of life,” said Ray Lewis, former linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens.

In an essay written by the U.S. Sports Academy in 2012, “Athletic programs were first incorporated into institutions of higher learning because it was believed that participation in sports helped to build character.”

That is exactly what my sport has done for me.

From my sport, I learned how to compete; whether it was for a starting spot in the lineup or the highest grade on a test, I learned how to be resilient and pick myself up during my weakest moments. I learned how to manage my time and honor my commitments. And all of these lessons were taught on the field, not in a classroom.

Now, I no longer envy my roommates or the normal students, because although they get more time to sleep, study and hang out, they will never know how it feels to complete an intense workout that pushes your physical and mental limits, hit a game-winning homerun or hold a championship banner.

I would do it all over again and I am sure most student-athletes would say they would too.

Our shirts may be sweat-stained from the day we had practice in 100-degree heat. Our sneakers are probably destroyed from that one time coach told our team to sprint through that muddy field.

So if you see us in your night class, we just got done with practice and no, we haven’t had time to shower, change our clothes, or eat.

But, we are okay with that because the lessons we learn are ones that can’t be taught on a whiteboard or a PowerPoint.

These lessons teach us about life and how to cope with the adversity and struggle that comes our way. We know that we will overcome such difficulties because we have trained for it; because we know what a reward it is to be called a student-athlete.

SEAWOLVES SPORTS Thursday, Nov. 12 Men’s soccer at NCAA First & Second Rounds Women’s soccer at NCAA First & Second Rounds Friday, Nov. 13 Men’s soccer at NCAA First & Second Rounds Women’s soccer at NCAA First & Second Rounds Women’s basketball vs Holy Names in Chico, CA 5:30 p.m.

Women’s soccer at NCAA First & Second Rounds Men’s basketball vs Academy of Art in San Rafael, CA 5:30 p.m.

Women’s basketball vs Notre Dame de Namur in Chico, CA 5:30 p.m.

Women’s volleyball vs Chico State 7:00 p.m.

Women’s volleyball vs Stanislaus State 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 15 Men’s soccer at NCAA First & Second Rounds

Men’s basketball at Dominican 7:30 p.m.

Women’s soccer at NCAA First & Second Rounds

Saturday, Nov. 14 Men’s soccer at NCAA First & Second Rounds Courtesy of sonomaseawolves.com

Sports

Nov. 10 - Nov. 16, 2015 sonomastatestar.com

Page 11

Women’s soccer upset in CCAA semi-final but still earns bid Tommy Call Asst. Sports Editor

T

he taste of defeat is an unusual sensation for the Sonoma State University women’s soccer team.

The No. 10 Seawolves were shockingly upset by the UC San Diego Tritons in the semifinals of the CCAA championship tournament in Pomona last week.

However, the Seawolves were still able to earn themselves an at-large bid for the NCAA Division II tournament with a No. 3 seed in the West region, after being decided by a selection committee on Monday afternoon.

The Seawolves have now qualified for the tournament three times in the last four years.

Going into the match, Sonoma State boasted the second ranked defense in division II, led by CCAA defensive player of the year, senior Carolyn Greco.

Sonoma State has only allowed 0.28 goals per match throughout the entire season.

The Seawolves have only given up five total goals all season long and hadn’t lost in their last 15 matches.

CCAA first-team goalie junior Ashley Luis just had her historic 958-minute scoreless streak broken last week against Cal Poly Pomona.

However, Luis and the Seawolf defense surrendered two goals in the first half against UC San Diego.

The Tritons added another goal in the second half that sealed the victory for UCSD, knocking the Seawolves out of the CCAA playoffs and handing the girls their first loss since September 5th.

“The game plan was basically to go out there and do what we had been doing all year,” said Senior Marissa Marable, who was also given the first team all CCAA nod.

“We knew what we needed to do to beat them, but we ended up having some breakdowns that led to them capitalizing on our mistakes.”

The Seawolves had a shaky start to the match, which led to some uncharacteristic mistakes on defense.

COURTESY // sonomaseawolves.com Goalkeeper Ashley Luis makes her best attempt to protect her goal against UC San Diego. Despite the loss, the Seawolves still earned an at-large bid for the NCCA Division II tournament.

The Tritons’ Kiera Bocchino snuck a goal by Luis in minute 12 to give UC San Diego the early lead.

Just four minutes later, UCSD added their second goal of the day to knock up the score to 2-0.

The Seawolves looked on to the second half to try to get an offensive spark.

Instead, the Seawolves went in reverse and gave up their third goal of the game, when Bocchino was able to score her second goal of the match.

Sonoma State tried to start a furious rally behind their offense, firing 15 shots at the UC San Diego goalkeeper.

But, no improbable comeback was able to gain any steam as the Seawolves were upset by UC San Diego with a final score of 3-0.

The Seawolves tried to keep their heads held high after their disappointing loss to UCSD. ”Even though we did lose, the team fought hard the whole game,” said Marable. “This team is full of heart and dedicated women.”

Marable expressed that one loss cannot sum up the Seawolves’ memorable season.

“This loss does not at all diminish the progress

that we have worked hard for this season,” said Marable. “We finished first, only had two losses, went undefeated in league and were only scored on five times. There are so many things this team has accomplished that one loss cannot overshadow.”

UC San Diego went on to beat Stanislaus State in the CCAA championship finale, capturing their ninth CCAA title and gained an automatic berth to the NCAA Division II Championship tournament.

The Seawolves will head south to Azusa to face No. 6 seed Point Loma for the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Sonoma State and Point Loma have only faced each other twice in their respective histories, with the Seawolves coming out on top, 1-0, both times.

Their match will take place on Thursday, November 12 at 7:30 p.m.

The winner of Thursday’s match will advance to the second round and play Azusa Pacific on Saturday at 2:00 p.m.

Marable says the team now has their eyes on the ultimate prize.

“We are now focusing on a national championship,” said Marable. “We aren’t done yet.”

SAAC provides outlet for student-athletes Olivia Lucchese Staff Writer

H

as one ever wondered how the student-athletes at Sonoma State University are able to have a voice heard on campus?

At Sonoma State, the student-athletes work hand in hand with the Athletic Department to get the athletes involved with the community as well as the school. This committee is called the SAAC or Students Athlete Advisor Committee.

The SAAC is a committee consisting of various student-athletes in order to voice their opinions and views on the way their athletics are handled. The committee provides direct communication between student-athletes and the Athletic Department. It also involves student athletes in community service events and provides activities for Sonoma State’s Intercollegiate Athletic teams.

The committee of athletes, who put together a majority of the events, provides community outreach for other student athletes here on campus along, with giving back to the community.

“Juggling all of these leadership roles can be tough at times, but having my other leaders really helps a lot,” said senior president and soccer player Marissa Marable. “They work so hard and we all work well together and communicate so that the projects are put together correctly.”

There are a variety of leadership roles in SAAC such as President, Vice President of Internal Affairs, Finance and Budget Coordinator and a Social Media, Marketing and Communications Coordinator.

Senior softball player Ally Bryant is the Vice President of Community Outreach for SAAC and oversees the different community involvements such as Ticket to Success, Midnight Madness and the Canned Food Drive.

“What I like most, is knowing exactly what is going on in athletics and where the money is going and being able to have a say,” said Bryant. “I also really liked going to the CCAA SAAC conference a couple weeks ago, and getting to know other school representatives and getting ideas on what their SAAC does on their campus.”

These leaders, along with two representatives from each sport, open up doors

of communication for the athletes at Sonoma State.

It is a safe learning space where the athletes can exchange their thoughts and questions and get a professional response back.

“All of the people involved in the SAAC carry leadership qualities for their team and community,” said Bryant.

Different student-athletes are chosen each year as leaders and for new positions.

They have social media pages available with information on how to attend events, upcoming games, and the CCAA player of the week. The website also includes links to ways to support the committee and how to be involved in the surrounding community.

COURTESY // Connor Gibson The Student Athlete Advisory Committee provides an opprotunity for student athletes to be able to interact and communicate with the athletic department on campus as well as the local community.

Page 12

Photo

Nov. 10 - Nov. 16, 2015 sonomastatestar.com

Unique characters portrayed in ‘The Hummingbird Wars’

STAR // Nicole Detmers Mel (played by Ashlyn Kelley), right, grasps Kate’s (played by Rosemarie Kingfisher) hand during the play. Read the full story on pg. 6.

STAR // Nicole Detmers Tracy (played by Renee Hardin), left, and Kate (played by Rosemarie Kingfisher), right, shared a kiss during the play. Read the full story on pg. 6.

STAR // Nicole Detmers Warren (played by David O’Connel), right, attempted to get his family to reason with him. Read the full story on pg. 6.

STAR // Nicole Detmers

STAR // Nicole Detmers

Equestrian club rider Julia Caruana earned “Reserve High Point Rider”at the Stanford Show on Saturday.

Equestrian club rider Elizabeth Visser awaited her event in the rain at the Stanford Show on Sunday.

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