Volume 77 // Issue 11

Page 1

In this issue:

Sports: Women’s Basketball team start season. Pg. 11

Opinion: Domestic violence becoming an epidemic. Pg. 3 A&E: Fall Dance Show brings expression and art to dance. Pg. 6

SINCE 1979

VOLUME 77 // ISSUE 11

Student Life: Driving simulator event to help bring awareness to drunk driving. Pg. 8 NOVEMBER 8 - NOVEMBER 14, 2016

THE UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT RUN NEWSPAPER

Body found on campus leaves Sonoma State on edge Joseph Encinas News Editor

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onoma State University students and faculty were left stunned late last week by the discovery of a body near the Green Music Center. The remains turned out to be that of an 18-year-old missing Cotati man who was believed to be the victim of a homicide. The body was discovered near parking lot M at 12:05 p.m. Wednesday by a landscaper for Sonoma State University who was working in an isolated area on the eastern edge of the parking lot closest to the Green Music Center. The body was found in what authorities said was a shallow grave. Due to the nature of the discovery, Sonoma State Police Services soon turned the investigation over to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department. By late Thursday, the body was identified through fingerprint analysis to be that of Kirk Kimberly who investigators say had suffered multiple stab wounds. Sheriff’s Lt. Tim Duke said late last week that detectives believe the killing was not a random act of violence, rather a targeted murder. Officials did not give further information regarding the location of the wounds or the type of weapon used. Kimberly was reported missing by his father on Oct. 19 and he was last seen leaving his home in Cotati on a white bicycle on Oct. 17. Police are attempting to

figure out his whereabouts from Oct. 15-17. This news has grabbed the attention of the local community, and as such, statements have been released by President Judy K. Sakaki of Sonoma State and Principal of Rancho Cotate High School Amie Carter, where Kimberly graduated this year. “I want you to know that your safety and the well-being of our campus community is important to me and our leadership team,” said Sakaki in a statement released to Sonoma State students, staff and faculty on Friday. “We are taking this matter very seriously and are maintaining a dedicated, visible police presence on campus.” Students said they were shocked by the news of the body being found and many were left feeling ill at ease. “When I received the unfortunate news that a human life was taken then found on campus, I was immediately shocked,” said freshman business major Cameron Monroy. “As a first year student at Sonoma State, it was hard for me to process the information alone without the support and comfort of my family.” Although the body was discovered on Sonoma State property, the incident appears to have no connection to the university. Kimberly was not a student at Sonoma State. “I personally think it’s really creepy that we found a dead body on campus,” said Weston Henry, a junior physics major at Sonoma State. “It really opens

STAR // Jenna Qualls The body of Cotati resident Kirk Kimberly was found on Sonoma State property Wednesday afternoon. The body was later identified through fingerprint analysis by the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department late Thusday. Kimberly suffered multiple stab wounds. your eyes and makes you realize how fragile life can be. It is incredibly sad that it happened to someone so young.” The Police and Safety Services of Sonoma State University encourage those on campus to be vigilant, to be aware of their surroundings and to be sure to walk in well-lighted areas when traveling the campus at night. Students are urged to call SSU Police and Safety Services for an on-campus escort if one feels uneasy about walking alone.

Additionally, if students feel the need to talk with someone on campus about the recent tragedy, students are encouraged to reach out to the Counseling and Psychological Services at 707-664-2153. “As a Sonoma State student, I’ve realized most of us live in a bubble here in Rohnert Park, but with a tragedy such as this, it really opened my eyes to the greater community we are apart of,” said JUMP Youth Programs Director Michelle Arnold. ‘Our community should come together and sup-

port one another as we are all affected by this incident.” As of Monday afternoon, Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department helicopters flew over Sonoma State continuing their investigation. They also seek community help in locating the victim’s bike, a white Cannondale Quick CX3 mountain bike, see the story on Page 4. If you have any information about Kimberly’s disappearance or his bicycle, please contact Detective Joe Horsman of the Sheriff’s Office Violent Crimes Unit at 707-565-2185

Funding found to begin removal Sergeant Dave Sutter of Rohnert Park answers questions on student safety of flooring in weight room Nate Galvan Staff Writer

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onoma State University has found the funds needed to begin removal of the weight room flooring which contains mercury, university officials reported last week. The weight room has been closed since July when potentially hazardous levels of mercury was found in the flooring. “As students have probably noticed, physically there has been nothing happening,” said Craig Dawson, director of energy and environmental health and safety at Sonoma State. “However, university leadership has just identified funding to start the removal process.” The money to begin construction was received from an insurance claim upon Sonoma State’s request, coming out of the university’s hazmat and pollution insurance. Based on current information, it is estimated that the total cost of the project may be up to $300,000. Vice President of University Affairs Dan Condron said in July that work was needed after mercury was found in the padding underneath. After testing, mercury was also found to be airborne, however the university does not believe anyone has been harmed due to exposure. According to Forensic Analytical Consulting Services’ Mercury Assessment Report, mercury vapor concentrations in the weight room were found to

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be at about 32 parts per million, which is higher than California Office of Health Hazard Assessment reference levels. However, mercury was found nowhere else in the gymnasium. “It is kind of scary to know that somewhere in the building mercury is present because of what it can do to you,” said Stephen Johnson, a third year history major. “But I still play basketball in the gymnasium when I can because I was told it was only in the weight room.” The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health states that exposure to airborne mercury can affect the nervous system with symptoms like headaches, tremors and short-term memory loss with long term effects developing over years of exposure. As stated by Dawson, there has been no problems encountered since the identification of the mercury in the gymnasium weight room. The next steps in the project will involve multiple points of emphasis. “This process is a phased approach,” said Dawson. “First the padding will be removed, then further tests will be conducted to see if mercury is still present, and if there is, then possible concrete removal could follow.” According to Dawson, the university is still optimistic the weight room will be finished with construction by its original deadline of the spring 2017 semester.

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See the entire Q&A on Page 8

The Press Democrat Sergeant Dave Sutter, left, is seen with Sergeant Jason Krauss writing a citation during a routine traffic stop in Rohnert Park in April 2011

Survey shows SSU students are unhappy with presidential candidates Charlotte Grayson Staff Writer

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he latest polls from NBC and the Wall Street Journal, ABC and the Washington Post, Reuters and Fox News have all concluded that Hillary Clinton is leading in the national popular vote in the presidential race.

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A Los Angeles Times poll on Saturday found that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump was leading by five points. But what do Sonoma State students think about this election?

See ELECTION on Pg. 5

Visit: sonomastatestar.com


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Editorial

Nov. 8 - Nov. 14, 2016

sonomastatestar.com

THE STAR Editorial Board Shannon Brown, Editor-in-Chief Ashley Mar tin, Executive Editor Kim Baptista, Managing Editor Joseph Encinas, News Editor Jenna Fischer, Opinion Editor Emma Devitt, Ar ts & Enter tainment Editor Ethan Helms, Student Life Editor Bianca Sanborn, Spor ts Editor Thomas Call III, Spor ts Editor Sara Wildman, Photo Editor Rene De Amaral, Copy Editor Rachael Newman, Copy Editor Hailee Zastrow, Adver tising Director Brennan Chin, Distribution Director Julia Albo, Editorial Car toonist Paul Gullixson, Faculty Adviser

Staff Writers Trevor Abrams, Travis Adams, Perla Alvarez, Alexis Austin, Phil Baculik, Taylor Berghoff, Analy Bravo, Karlee Budge, Amanda Buth, Ronald Campos, Francisco Carbajal, Braden Car twright, Sara Citti, Sean Curzon, Amira Dabbas, Gerard Desrosiers, John Dolan, Sam Evans, Noe Felix, Annie Finck, Kitana Gachero, Nate Galvan, Charlotte Grayson, Kendall Grove, Kaitlyn Haga, Tyler Heberle, Naaman Hightower, Lucy Lopez, Jahred Nunes, Samantha Olyer, Alex T. Randolph, Marcella Richmond, Christopher Schwarz, Tatiana Serrano, Andrea Sims, Sierra Straub, Noah Treanor, Lindsey Huffman

Photographers Megan Corcoran, Bryce Dowd, Reagan Dowd, Jeno Veltri, Jenna Qualls, Madison Muro, Sara Citti, Nickey Homen

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: “Rohnert Park sergeant addresses common student concerns” Rohnert Park Police Sergeant Dave Sutter spoke to the STAR about student safety off-campus and gave advice on how to deal with alcohol posioning as well as the Rohnert Park Police Department.

STAR // Julia Albo

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Death hits close to home

t’s never easy to write about death. It’s even harder when it happens so close to a place thousands of students call home. On Wednesday afternoon, 18-yearold Kirk Kimberly’s body was found west of parking lot M near the Green Music Center. That same day, as students were bustling through their daily lives, an email was sent out that sent shock waves through campus. The email, sent from acting Sonoma State University Police Chief David Dougherty, read of a shallow grave found by a university landscaper. Students, faculty and staff were shocked. Just as investigators didn’t have answers, neither did students. Thursday felt as though it dragged on as students refreshed their social media looking for more answers. Now with the discovery close to a week old - and news having spread that police are investigating the death as a murder — it’s important to not only remember the life lost but why we should all put each other and campus safety above all else. It’s hard not to be affected by

Letter to the Editor

New lighting on campus following safety concerns

Corrections/Clarifications

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.

ing your sense of security. Understanding that each person handles death differently should be enough for people to mind what they say about this traumatic situation. A “meaningless” joke about this situation can disturb someone very deeply. Death is no laughing matter, and respect should be shown for the victim and the community he was a member of. Don’t be afraid to ask one another for help. We are a community, and we should lift each other up in times of hardship. Sonoma State President Judy Sakaki got it right on Friday when she wrote, “In times such as these, we need to take the time to talk and listen to each other with open hearts. Let us find strength in our community and support each other as we move forward.” If you feel uneasy walking around campus at any time, SSU Police Services offers an escort service. The phone number for police services is (707)-664-4444. We encourage you to program this in your cell phone before an uncomfortable or emergency situation.

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.

Read the story on page 8

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.

this. We don’t know yet, for example, if the homicide in this case happened on our campus, but it happened in our community. If ever there was a time to be a united student body, it would be now. This is a small community, and the unimaginable crime that was discovered on our campus doesn’t characterize us. It will take time to for us to comprehend, heal and make sense of this. Having an awareness of our surroundings, but also an awareness of one another, will help in bringing our student body together during this difficult time. For many of us, this may be our first experience with death close to home. For others, it may be something they’ve encountered all too often. Either way, it affects each and every one of us in a unique way. It’s easy to become isolated in times of tragedy, and it can be difficult to express feelings of pain or to know how to ask for help. Just because it happened to someone that you probably didn’t know personally doesn’t mean something like this can’t impact you on a personal level, challeng-

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ear Students, Faculty, Staff and the entire Sonoma State Campus Community: This letter is sent to print with the sobering events of the past week still fresh in our minds. Our thoughts go out to the Kirk Kimberly family and all those who have been affected by this tragedy. It is our hope with this letter to assure you that your safety and well-being is a continual source of concern, and we are always seeking ways in which we can improve upon the security and organization of our campus. As part of our annual safety walk on Oct. 20, Christopher Dinno, associated vice president for administration and finance, Facilities Operations and Planning along with the Associated Students President Emily Hinton, AS Executive Vice President Rachel McCloskey, Interim Police Chief David Dougherty and Nicole Hendry, director of housing, conducted a night time inspection of the campus, with the specific goal in mind of examining lighting on campus. We identified areas that should be considered for additional lighting and confirmed lights that needed replacement (burned out and or lamp change out to “cool white” lights). A campus master plan was developed of all the areas reviewed, and we have forwarded the plan to the supervising lead in the electric shop for implementation and repair. A follow up with Emily Hinton took place Oct. 25, and she men-

tioned she was very pleased with how quickly we have developed a plan for correction. Moving forward, we will focus our initial attention on all inner campus pathway lighting lamps that are out, in addition to the installation of new lamps as outlined in the campus safety lighting walk plan. The next step will be to focus attention on all parking lot campus lighting lamps that are out, and, again, install new lamps as suggested in the aforementioned plan. Finally, starting the week of Nov. 14, we will schedule and begin the installation of the three new lights required at west Salazar Plaza, west Recreation Center bike rack area, and west Zinfandel Village, Chardonnay. These are only some of the ways in which we hope to improve upon campus safety. We welcome your thoughts and concerns as we work towards making our campus a more secure place for students, faculty, staff and patrons alike. — Christopher Dinno Associate Vice President for Administration and Finance, Facilities Operations and Planning — Stan Nosek Interim Vice President for Administration and Finance, Interim Co-Executive Director, Green Music Center


Nov. 8 - Nov. 14, 2016

sonomastatestar.com

Reclaiming heritage in modern America

Jahred Nunes Staff Writer

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irginia natives Mildred Loving, a black woman, and Richard Loving, a white man, were sentenced to a year in state prison after being married in the spring of 1958. The couple was arrested in their bedroom, after police received an anonymous tip that the Lovings may be an interracial couple. Their marriage violated the state’s anti-miscegenation statute, the Racial Integrity Act of 1924, which prohibited marriage between people classified as “white” and people classified as “colored.” After taking their case to the Supreme Court in 1967, Loving v. Virginia became a landmark civil rights decision invalidating all laws prohibiting interracial marriage. Nearly 50 years later, the Pew Research Center found that multiracial Americans are one of the fastest growing communities in America, growing at three times the rate as the American population as a whole. However, with the lines between race and culture being blurred in the modern era, where does multiculturalism fit in?

The controversy comes in the age of the internet paired with rising racial tensions in America. It has become increasingly common for multiracial Americans to find a way to live in the grey area between one culture and the next; constantly being criticized for not being enough of one ethnicity or the other. For example, pop sensation Christina Aguilera, who is of Irish and Ecuadorian background, spoke to the Huffington Post about the criticism she receives for not being a “true” Latina.

Often, multiracial people are made to choose between one specific part of their heritage and only claim that one. “I wouldn’t be questioned [about my heritage] if I looked more stereotypically Latina, whatever that is,” said Aguilera, “All I know is no one can tell me I’m not a proud Latina woman... I dove headfirst into a Spanish-language album for that reason and I’m planning another one even though I don’t speak the language. I’m sure that doesn’t sit well with some people.” For many, the issue does not lie in heritage, but in appearance. It would be ignorant to deny the fact that race affects the everyday lives of Americans, however there is no true definition of what a specific ethnicity is supposed to look like. Sensitivities around race and ethnicity often come from the misunderstanding the two

are necessarily linked, when in fact they are not. In an age where multiracial Americans are set to outnumber any other specific ethnic group in America, it’s extremely difficult to align any one racial experience to its multiracial counterpart. Perhaps the most important issue at hand when discussing racial identity is that it’s fluid. In fact, Pew researchers found through surveys on Twitter that multiracial Americans define their identities in a plethora of different ways. About 3 in 10 adults have said they have changed the way they describe their race over the years, saying that they once thought of themselves as a single race but now see themselves as more than one, with other multiracial Americans saying just the opposite. The unfortunate long-term effects of criticism of multiracial Americans is the erasure of culture and the emergence of unacceptance. Often, multiracial people are made to choose between one specific part of their heritage and only claim that one. However, saying that any one person isn’t ethnic enough to claim a part of their heritage is preposterous on top of stunting that specific culture’s growth. Natasha Sim of the Huffington Post sums up the issue perfectly when she writes “[Claiming only one part of one’s heritage] in itself is anxiety-provoking, especially given that most mixed race individuals now prefer to identify as biracial or multiracial, but what further aggravates the situation is that we often don’t get to choose which box we fall into.”

Opinion

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Hidden epidemic affects 1 in 3 American women

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Amira Dabbas Staff Writer

ason Easton went to visit his girlfriend Wendy Sabatini at her home in Indiana last week with the intent on proposing to her, but instead, he ended up killing her. Easton murdered his girlfriend because she rejected his proposal. Nearly 1 in 3 women experience domestic violence in their lifetime according to the IRIS Domestic Violence Center. They also stated that every 9 seconds a woman is battered in the United States, and 2-4 million American women are abused each year. This is a startling statistic when the numbers are played out in front of you. When it comes to your classmates, coworkers and loved ones, that 1 in 3 sounds a little too close to home to just brush off. But what happens when domestic violence turns into murder? On Oct. 25, Easton went to the police station to confess what he had done, and now faces a murder charge in connection with Sabatini’s death, according to the Greensburg Daily News. He told authorities that he retrieved a firearm from a nightstand, and shot her in the head. What does this tell us about our society? Hearing about cases such as the murder of Sabatini is really disturbing. We are living in a world where women can’t reject

a marriage proposal without the fearing for their safety. How many times do we hear about women being abused or even murdered because they’re not doing what their significant other wanted them to? This truth is a harsh reality that women in our society have to live with. This unspoken fear that so many women must live with, or else they could potentially end up like Sabatini. There are 16,800 homicides and $2.2 million in injuries due to intimate partner violence annually, and homicide is the second leading cause of death for pregnant women, according to Safe Voices, an organization dedicated to ending domestic violence. Safe Voices also reported that most cases of domestic violence are never reported to police, so this tells us that numbers are even higher than we think. This isn’t something we can take lightly. It wasn’t released if Easton had a history of domestic violence, so we don’t know if there were any warning signs to look out for. However, in many cases involving domestic abuse there are instances that stand out such as acting overly possessive or controlling. The website liveyourdream.org is a resource with an entire list of warning signs, and offers ways to find support. Other organizations, such as the Joyful Heart foundation and the National Domestic Violence Hotline, also provide resources. For someone to go as far as to kill their significant other for rejecting them, there must’ve been some red flags. The sad part is that so many women are too afraid to speak up about these red flags, and are too scared of what might happen to them if they did stand up for themselves. We must change the dialogue that surrounds domestic violence.

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News

Nov. 8 - Nov. 14, 2016

sonomastatestar.com

Communication Studies professor brings worldly knowledge to department Tyler Heberle Staff Writer

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epal, India, Israel and Jamaica. They may seem like a random assortment of countries pulled from a hat, but they share one thing in common — Sonoma State University professor Elizabeth Burch has traveled to them all. Burch, a communications and media studies professor who also serves as summer internship coordinator at Sonoma State, has traveled overseas since her own college years. She said she focuses on international environmental journalism, whether she’s conducting research or filming documentaries. Though Burch grew up in New York City, she moved to California to pursue her college education. After obtaining a bachelor’s in music at California State East Bay in 1985, Burch began a pattern of traveling internationally between sessions of school time and work time when she visited Nepal and India to work on a documentary film, she said. “I was doing them through educational funding, developing my career that way,” Burch said. “I wasn’t making a lot of money and I was living very cheaply.” After visiting Nepal and India, Burch’s next trip was in 1987 to Israel, where she lived in a kibbutz, a communal settlement, near Jerusalem and made another film. When Burch returned to the U.S., she attended San Francisco State University and earned a master’s degree in radio and television. In 1994, Burch went to Michigan State University, where she earned a Ph.D in mass media and worked as an assistant instructor at the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism. “I got really involved in thinking about environmental issues and journalism, and international environmental issues,” Burch said. “That was really what propelled me along in my career, and that’s a lot of the research that I continue to do and what I still care about.” For her first job outside of Michigan State, Burch began teaching media ethics at Sonoma State in 1998. Since then, she earned a Fulbright Scholar Award in 2006, served as chair of the communication and media studies department from 2009 – 2014, and this semester teaches international communications, media theory and media ethics and law. One of Burch’s media ethics and law students is Cassandra Owens, a senior-year communication major. Ow-

ens said since her freshman year, she has relied on Burch as an academic adviser and she began taking Burch’s classes in spring 2015. Owens went on a personal trip to Kenya in August 2016, which was her first time traveling outside the United States. She said her time in Kenya allowed her to connect more to Burch’s travel stories, and that she also wants to visit India in the future. “I think [Burch] being from the East Coast and traveling the world, and then coming back to Northern California, it definitely brings a different point of view than we’re used to,” Owens said. Marco Calavita, a communication professor who took over Burch’s role as department chair in 2014, said Burch brings impressive accomplishments and unique experiences to her work at Sonoma State. “She’s been someone who has made media, has done that internationally and has also been an impressive scholar for many years,” Calavita said. “[There are] not that many people who have that kind of background.” Burch said her worldview has been shaped by experiencing less privileged perspectives in the various countries she’s visited. “I was forming myself for a lot of the early travels, who I was in relation to the shock of being an American in a world that turned out to be very poor and a very desperate place,” Burch said. One of Burch’s more recent trips came during the spring 2006 semester, when she stayed in Kingston, Jamaica. Using money from her Fulbright scholarship, Burch taught in the Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication at University of the West Indies. When she wasn’t busy teaching, Burch researched environmental and health-related journalism in Jamaica by talking to local radio, television and print journalists. She used her findings to write an article comparing journalism in Nepal and Jamaica. “I fall in love with a lot of places,” Burch said. “I did love [Jamaica], it was very hard to leave.” Burch said she will leave for a sabbatical during the spring 2017 semester. She has not confirmed a location yet, but she said she hopes to stay in Tuvalu, an island nation located in the South Pacific, to study climate change as it’s reported through social media. “Primarily I’m interested in looking at minority voices that are on the fringe and how their voices are heard or not heard in the world,” Burch said. “Right now, with climate change, those are the people that are going to be affected first and the most.”

Students use 3D printers to further hands-on learning Analy Bravo Staff Writer

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e are now using 3-D technology to bring Hershey goodness,” said Will Papa, chief research and development officer of The Hershey Company, in a press release Jan. 2015. That’s right, 3D printing is being used and is being experimented with by multiple companies and universities for educational purposes, including at Sonoma State University. 3D printing is the process of making a physical object a three-dimensional digital model. It can be used for a number of things, but most commonly as a method of rapid manufacturing by companies for short run custom manufacturing. These printers print by depositing material layer by layer to create a solid object. The layers are constructed from the ground up. This process is called additive manufacturing. Although plastic is the most common material used to print, materials such as ceramics, metals, sugar and chocolate have been used as well. Sonoma State faculty member Derek Decker has had students work on and learn about 3D design using Blender, an open source 3D creation suite online that supports basis of 3D creations, fused deposition modeling and resin based printing called stereolithography. “All students so far have really enjoyed learning and using 3D printers,” said Decker. “That said, they are complex and can be difficult to maintain, align and operate. It may take several tries and some reading before one can start making high quality parts.” Fused deposition modeling is an additive manufacturing technology that is used for modeling, prototyping and production while stereolithography is a form of 3D printing that is used to create models, prototypes, patterns and production parts. Decker’s students were able to design and print microfluidic devices on a stereolithography machine. “I hope that our department can have multiple 3D printers someday because it makes hands-on learning that much more interesting, especially for STEM majors to gain experience in the field,” said Jorge Bautista third year physics and computer science major

at Sonoma State. Universities such as Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Ball State University, Yale, The Oak Ridge Associated Universities and Baylor are just some of the universities that are developing and exploring the use of 3D printing for educational purposes. Some of the projects and discoveries that have been made include developing a prototype for what is claimed as “the world’s first openhardware” DLP 3D printer, from students at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Yale has teamed up with a company to develop 3D printed biomedical technologies such as cranial and facial devices that can be attached to tissue. The Oak Ridge Associated Universities alliance in Tennessee is running a one year training program for active-duty military and veterans to prepare them to be certified in advanced manufacturing. Recently, there has been a huge increase in the emergence of makerspaces across the United States. This movement, referred to as The Maker movement, includes makerspaces which is a do-it-yourself space where people can gather to create, invent and learn from each other. This new culture includes making and building things, problem solving, creativity and entrepreneurship. This community creates and works on creations through the spread of digital resources which has given rise to crowd sources such as Kickstarter, an American public-benefit corporation that has built a global crowdfunding platform that helps bring creative projects to life. Sonoma State is participating in the The Maker movement and has access to local Makerspace events and fairs including the regional Bay Area Maker Faire and the first 27-hour North Bay Make-A-Thon at SOMO Village in Rohnert Park. The 27-hour North Bay Make-A-Thon is a 27 hour course of students and industry professionals that design and build innovative art, education sustainability innovations, web applications, mobile apps and hardware which then are judged and scored on creativity, originality, utility and team work by a panel of industry leaders. Participants use rapid prototyping, Autodesk and tools to complete their creative projects. People can find creative spaces such as Makerspaces, Hackerspaces and Tech Shops all across the Bay Area.

COURTESY // Elizabeth Burch Dr. Elizabeth Burch of Sonoma State is preparing to go on sabbatical for spring 2017 semester. When she’s not busy with teaching or research overseas, Burch said she likes to sing and go hiking. She also devotes time to her two daughters—one a college student, the other in sixth grade. “I think one of the lesser known things about me and a lot of faculty is [that] we have families and we’re multitasking like crazy,” Burch said. “When I started this job, I had a baby.” Calavita said Burch has been responsible and committed in balancing all the aspects of her work. “It’s tremendously difficult to strike that balance, and she has just done a tremendous job at fulfilling all her responsibilities and serving so many different interests,” Calavita said. Burch said that life can hard for California State students, but she puts her heart into helping them succeed. “I really do care about the students here, and I hope they’re getting the education they want,” Burch said.

CAPS:

TIPS FOR STRESS

Counseling and Psychological Services

- Talk to others about what you’re feeling - friends, mentors, residence hall advisors, professors, family members or a counselor. - Relax. Practice deep breathing or do an online mindfulness exercises. Doing gentle stretches or yoga helps as well. - Be there for your friends - being there for others is one of the best ways to start feeling better yourself. - Take a break from the news - you do not need to be aware of every new development as it happens. It’s ok to focus on other things for a bit. - Follow your daily routine - this will help you to get back to a sense of normalcy. .

Search continues for victim’s bike

Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department Sonoma Sheriff’s homicide detectives on Monday released a picture of Kirk Kimberly’s bicycle, which is still missing. Kimberly was found stabbed to death in a shallow grave on Sonoma State property. The bike, according to detectives, is a white men’s 2011 Cannondale Quick CX3 mountain bike. The bike had newlyinstalled road tires with reflective material built into the sidewalls. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the victim’s bike is urged to contact Sonoma County Sheriff’s Detective Joseph Horsman at 707-565-2185.


News

Nov. 8 - Nov. 14, 2016

sonomastatestar.com

Page 5

270towin.com On Tuesday, Americans will be casting their vote for the next President of the United States. Professor Richard Hertz and his Pols 199 class have created a survey for the students of Sonoma State to predict how the student body feels about the two candidates. Pictured above is a prediction by 270towin.com on how today’s election may turn out. Candidates need 270 electoral votes to win. Florida is predicted to be a toss-up.

ELECTION: Proposition 64 grabs student attention Continued from Pg. 1

According to a survey put together by political science professor Richard Hertz and his POLS 199 class, millennials are more engaged in this election than many believed. Of 286 students who responded to the 30-question survey created by Hertz and his students, 81 percent said they were absolutely certain they would vote today, if they hadn’t already sent in their mail-in ballot. Some 62 percent reported that they were first-time voters. But those who took the survey weren’t very happy with the choices they were offered. Roughly 88 percent of the student respondents said they wished that there were other choices in the presidential race. Fifty percent of the respondents are voting against a candidate, as opposed to the 20 percent who are voting for a candidate. Seventeen percent say that they are doing both. Meanwhile, 49 percent of respondents said that they have a great deal of interest in the election, and 35 percent said they have a good deal of interest. Only 6 percent reported that they had little to no interest in the election. A majority of respondents said they were most interested in the presidential election, with only a small percentage expressing interest in Congressional races or local races. Eighty six percent of the respondents say they are registered to vote. Of those who are registered, 31 percent said they are registered in Sonoma County and 66 percent said they are registered elsewhere. Of the respondents who are not registered, the most common reasons were that they were not citizens, not yet 18 or unhappy with both candidates. “It’s the first election that I could register to vote in, but I did not register because I don’t like either candidates and don’t want to increase my chance for jury duty,” wrote one respondent. This sentiment is also reflected in the respondents’ impressions of the presidential candidates. The percentage of students who have a favorable view of Hillary Clinton (51 percent) are almost equal to the number of students who have an unfavorable view of her (44 percent). Three-quarters of respondents said they have a very

unfavorable view of Trump. The most common reaction to Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein was no impression or uncertainty. In comparison to the four presidential candidates, over half of respondents had a very favorable view of Bernie Sanders and President Barack Obama. “A couple of things struck me as interesting,” said Hertz. “The very large number of students who wish there were other candidates in the race, which is not surprising considering how many younger people supported Bernie Sanders in the primary elections. The other thing was the diversity of sources that students used to get information, ranging from social networking, to more traditional sources like newspapers or television news and their websites.” Forty-two percent of respondents said they watched all three presidential debates, either live or online, and 42 percent said they watched one or two of the debates. Only 2 percent said they did not watch or hear anything about the debates. Those who did watch the debate had differing impressions of the candidates’ performance. Almost 60 percent of the respondents reported that the debates made their impression of Donald Trump worse, while the next largest group (33 percent) said that their impression of Hillary Clinton improved after watching the debates. Almost 25 percent of respondents answered that the debates did not influence their impressions of the candidates. Eighty-six percent of respondents only voted without participating in the election any other way, such as volunteering on a campaign, attending a campaign event, or contributing money to a campaign. After Trump made the idea of a “rigged election” part of his campaign speech, 34 percent of the respondents are not confident that their votes will be counted properly, and 48 percent said they are confident that their votes will be properly counted. The most important issue in the presidential election, according to Sonoma State students, is the cost of college. Respondents were also very concerned with the economy, global warming, health care and immigration.

Forty-nine percent of respondents think that neither candidate is adequately addressing these issues that they consider important, while only 4 percent think both candidates are discussing the important issues. Students had a wide range of interest in statewide ballot measures. The proposition with the most student interest was Proposition 64, the proposed legalization of marijuana. Three-quarters of respondents said that they consider themselves either well informed (26 percent) or pretty well informed (49 percent). Approximately 20 percent call themselves not so well informed (17 percent) or not well informed (4 percent). Students reported that they use a variety of different sources for their election coverage. Half of all of the respondents answered that they receive their information about politics and elections from newspapers or their websites, with an equal number saying that they received their election news from television news or various websites. Other answers that received a high number of responses concerned advice from friends and family, the state voter information guide and social media news feeds. When asked to grade the media, 7 percent of the respondents gave them an A, 24 percent gave them a B, 34 percent gave them a C, 20 percent gave them a D, and 13 percent gave them an F. The demographics of the survey respondents are similar to the demographics of Sonoma State. Approximately one-fourth of the respondents were in each class level. The respondents were approximately two-thirds female and one-third male. In addition, 20 percent of the respondents were under 18, making them ineligible to vote. The survey ended with an open-ended question for students to share any other thoughts that they had about the election. Many of the students used the opportunity to express their dissatisfaction with this election and the candidates. “I believe that the media construes each candidate to be perceived a different way,” one student wrote. “In my opinion, Clinton and Trump are horrible candidates, but to me it’s not about the person, it is about the party and the issues a candidate and I agree on.”

Election night festivities at Seawolf Plaza Ronald Campos Staff Writer

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f you are planning on tuning in to see election night results, then the Seawolf Plaza is the place to be tonight. At 8 p.m. students will gather in the Seawolf Plaza to enjoy food, socialize and watch electoral votes around the country be counted until a candidate reaches 270 votes and becomes the next president of the United States. In an effort to get students to connect more with the school’s community and participate in the political process, the Associated Students at Sonoma State are putting on this event as an incentive to make the experience enjoyable for everyone. “We are putting on the event to provide a safe space where students have the opportunity to come watch the results of the election with their fellow peers and discuss their thoughts,” said President and CEO of Associated Students at Sonoma State, Emily Hinton. “I think it’s important that students have these types of conversations with each other and that we are politically aware of what is happening in our country. I would encourage students to come out to the event to support each other and unite as college students despite whatever the election results may be or whatever political party they might associate with,” she added. The event on Facebook showed about 90 people either confirming their attendacne or expressing their interest in attending. “I’m not a big fan of politics, but after watching the presidential debate I’m definitely interested in attending election night on campus because depending on which candidate wins will give us an insight on where our country is going,”said Sonoma

State freshman, Jennifer Oliveros. “In terms of ideology, our president has a huge influence in leading our country’s economic, political and policy theories. Whether you care about politics or not, our country is going to change and it’s our responsibility to pay attention to these changes or else we suffer,” she added. Associated Students look to increase awareness about politics throughout the campus as a whole and change the perception that millennials are disinterested in politics. “Although a lot of people don’t care about politics, there are a lot of issues in this country that still impact us,” said Jose Valencia a senior at Sonoma State. “What people fail to understand is how we can make a difference regardless if they think their vote does not matter. At the end of the day it’s our future that’s at stake.” According to Independent News, election results will first start coming in at 4 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. This will coincide with the closing of polls in states such as Indiana, Kentucky, Georgia and Virginia. Both candidates will need 270 electoral votes in order to be elected, states range from three to 55 electoral votes. The most anticipated results will come at 5 p.m. West Coast time when the polls close in the all-important state of Florida which has 29 electoral votes. Florida is the biggest swing state and polls show that it is a dead heat between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Pundits say Trump must win Florida if he has a chance of winning the White House. Polls open in California at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.. In addition, voters are deciding on 17 propositions, including legalization of recreational use of marijuana, a repeal of the death penalty and a ban on crops made from genetically modified organisms in Sonoma County, Measure M.


Page 6

Arts

Nov. 8 - Nov. 14, 2016

sonomastatestar.com

Fall Dance Concert mixes modern and contemporary styles Noe Felix Stafrf Writer

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ance has been often looked at as an art form where storytelling can run rampant, where movement is the expression of one’s personality, of one’s soul. That’s what the emphasis of this year’s Fall Dance Concert was all about. The pieces were meant to be emotional, meant to have the audience be emotionally invested in the dancers, hence the subtitle of “Heart & Soul.” The choreographers and dancers slaved over their pieces with the hopes of connecting with the audience. Artistic director Christine Cali said, “During the last eight weeks, the choreographers and dancers met multiple times to show each other’s work and give feedback. I did this as a mentor, but as a peer as well.” Unfortunately, not all dances were up to par in the show. Cali wanted their pieces to be an extension of who the choreographers were and how they felt. One of the highlights of the show, Krystal Castillo’s

“Fortitude,” was a piece that was all its own. A mix of modern and contemporary, the dance was a representation of empowerment, of taking risks despite the expectations of society. Backed by “Place Like This” by Majid Jordan, the dance was filled with extensions and higher elevated movement. Towards the last arc of the dance, dancers used a blue and pink dust to add the drama of the piece. Castillo was particularly nervous and excited for the show. “I was highly anxious for the show because this was my first piece. I was worried cause my style is way different than what people are used to,” said Castillo. “It was very interesting to put my movement in my dancers and see that come alive on stage.” Ellie Scharf’s “Submerged” was a very interesting piece, backed up by a memorable performance by Castillo. Movement was sporadic and had strong floor work, the piece captured the feeling of drowning in one’s traumatic experiences. The instrumental was haunting, as the sound of harsh rain filled parts of the dance. Scharf was moved to create this piece due to some of the hardships she had faced. “I not only wanted this piece to explore the thoughts,

feelings and emotions that I felt during that time, but I also wanted my dancers to feel it,” said Scharf. “We created a piece that was raw and real, I wanted my dance to be a sort of therapy.” The highlight of the show however was Christina Kitchen’s jazz piece, “New York.” The dance was fun and was the most lighthearted piece of the show. Kitchen’s piece was very reminiscent of Bob Fosse’s jazz and it involved a lot of the use of arches and shoulder work. The lighting was fantastic, especially when the white background kicked in and the dancers looked like silhouettes. It was one of those pieces where one couldn’t help but cheer. It was filled with sass and attitude, it was the proper way to end the show. The pieces this year were mostly a mix of modern and contemporary, with the exception of Kitchen’s Jazz. The biggest let down of this years concert was the lack of more diversity in the dance styles. It would’ve been great to see some hip-hop, a leading staple in today’s dance world, or even some more jazz. That being said, the show was enjoyable and showcased some of the talent that Sonoma State University has to offer.

COURTESY // David Papas The Fall Dance Concert premiered in Person Theater on Nov. 3. Dancers from the performance “Heart” take a bow at curtain call (left). Dancers perform in a lighthearted, fun piece titled “New York” (right).

Will “Westworld” soon become our reality? Gerard Desrosiers Staff Writer

Commentary

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ince the dawn of time, the human race has lived by one rule innately programmed into their genetic code: to go forward. From the wheel to the rocket ship, humans never stay in one place when it comes to technological advancements, but the one question people have begun to ask is what would happen if the creation outpaces the creator? When something comes along and halts that human necessity to go forward--or perhaps, replaces it? Something man-made. Something that already exists. Something like artificial intelligence. It’s a horror realized in HBO’s new show “Westworld” where the theme of artificial intelligence and bio-engineered cyborgs nearly parallels that of our reality, in both a mixture of clever entertainment and spot-on acknowledgment of real-life technological advancements. Westworld is one hell of a show. Fantastic. Awesome. It’s smart and explorative within its genre and deserves viewership despite the phobias it may produce when being watched. However, the point is not how well Hollywood can capture the eerie tones and dread of the classic Michael Crichton film from 1973, but rather the cyclic reality that man fears machine, and for good reason, too. In reference to a book about the subject of robotic sentience, Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted about the dangers of Artificial Intelligence, how it should be held with care and that it is “potentially more dangerous than nukes.” Now, before you grab your kitchen knives and start stabbing your microwave, people need to take in the most important part of what Musk said. That A.I. is still just potentially bad. Nukes currently exist, they go boom and that’s bad; but laser toting killer robots aren’t real—they don’t exist. Yet. The purpose of that tweet wasn’t to give people the heebie-jeebies about ev-

eryday kitchen appliances. It was to note the possibilities of what synthetic consciousness is capable of and be prepared to make the rational decision if the world can handle something of that magnitude. Let’s look at the Uncanny Valley, an observational phenomenon gifted to the human race that picks up on replicated consciousness. On one side of the spectrum, you have a very simplistic representation of a human being (think of a cartoon character, something like Homer Simpson). On the other side of the spectrum, you have an actual human, flesh and whatnot—the whole shebang. Now as that spectrum goes from left to right, the portrayal of the human gradually turns more lifelike such as better graphics, more attention to detail. These are things that people see as contributing factors to a better representation of themselves but remain subconsciously aware there is a distance between their own existence and the replicas. However, there is a momentary dip in this graph where the realism of the imitated human distorts the understanding that it is merely a fake, causing a feeling of uneasiness to the observer. When the copy teeters on the border of derivative cognizance and human portrayal; that is when the danger of artificial intelligence is mere steps away from remaining hypothetical. Now remove that gap, as “Westworld” has. The difference between a human and his cyborg counterpart is perceivably unnoticeable. The only distinguishable characteristic between the two groups is the mechanical composition the robots instead of guts, allowing them to pass for any ol’ human based on looks alone. And yet, this still isn’t the scary part. No, it’s when the artificial intelligence is too advanced for its own good and the learning cap the robots were initially programmed with is overridden and they’re consciousness is given full reign to build upon itself. To learn and adapt as real people do, realizing how horrible the real world can be and the only people who are left to blame for the atrocity of sentience are those who bestowed it. Now that’s the scary part.

facebook.com “Doctor Strange” raked in an impressive $85 million its opening weekend.

“Doctor Strange” keeps audiences on the edge of their seats Marcella Richmond Staff Writer

Review

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octor Strange,” is the story about a neurosurgeon, once known for his outstanding skills in the operating room, as he is forced to learn about a new world in order to keep his current luxurious life. The film introduces Strange as a well-known brain surgeon who saves lives every day and makes an exceptional living for himself. Strange was involved in a tragic car accident causing him a lot of grief and the inability to go back to work. His hands had been crushed in the crash, therefore causing him significant issues from then on. As he continued seeking a medical miracle for himself, he discovered something else; a way to bend time and space. Strange traveled all over trying to find other ways to heal his hands since modern medicine was not doing the trick. Once he found what he was seeking, he received a lot more than he bargained for. “Doctor Strange” was released Nov. 4 and has since been dominating the box office. Director Scott Derrickson did an amazing job with the film. From start to finish, the audience was glued to the screen. Not only is the movie action-packed but humorous as well. Derrickson is known for directing other box office hits such as “Sinister 2,” “Poltergeist” and “Deliver Us from Evil.” Derrickson’s past films are mostly in the horror genre, so this seems like a change for him. This may be his first time directing a Marvel

film, but he nailed every aspect of it including the cast choices. Benedict Cumberbatch was the perfect fit to play Strange. His character changes tremendously throughout the movie as he learns more about himself and his newfound abilities. Cumberbatch is also known for his award winning roles in “Sherlock” and “The Imitation Game.” Tilda Swinton was phenomenal. Swinton played the Ancient One and could not have done a better job. The Ancient One is the teacher who knows all, and the fact a woman was cast for this role is awesome. The Ancient One sounds like an old wise man, but when the audience sees it is a woman, it comes as a pleasant surprise. Even in the beginning of the film when Strange met her for the first time, he thought the Ancient one was an old man next to him, not a woman. Swinton has been in numerous award winning movies but is known for her roles in “Trainwreck” and “The Grand Budapest Hotel.” Doctor Strange is a fantastic film that keeps the audience on the edge of their seat. This movie was beautifully made and the amazing graphics definitely made the film. Audience members seemed very intrigued throughout the entire film, there was never a moment where their attention went elsewhere. To say this movie is worth seeing is an understatement. Marvel has outdone themselves yet again with this awesome action packed film. Dr. Strange has received a Rotten Tomatoes score of 90 percent, which is always a great sign. Doctor Strange lives up to its name and will continue to dominate in the box office.


Nov. 8 - Nov. 14, 2016

sonomastatestar.com

Why “death of the

Entertainment

Page 7

author” needs to die Sean Curzon Staff Writer

Commentary

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t can be hard discovering an artist you love is actually a controversial figure. There is a desire to dissociate that person with the work they have made, to meteorically kill the author if you will. “Death of the Author” is a form of criticism in which the author intentions do not matter when discussing a product. The term comes from an essay written in 1967 by French literary critic Roland Barthes. “Death of the Author” is often used as justification to enjoy a piece of medium despite the personal beliefs of the creator. However, this behavior is bad as it enables actions and beliefs that are racist and sexist. This weekend saw the release of “Hacksaw Ridge” which is Mel Gibson’s first directorial role since “Apocalypto” back in 2006. Gibson was once one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, starting with cult favorites the “Mad Max” series and then becoming the goto leading man with the “Lethal Weapon” films. In the 90s, Gibson also proved himself as a director with the 1995 “Braveheart.” He also directed 2004’s “The Passion of the Christ” which is still the highest grossing non-English film of all time. But that came crashing down in 2006. On July 28, 2006, Gibson was arrested for driving under the influence. While being arrested, Gibson said, “******* Jews, the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world. Are you a Jew?” He also called a female

officer “sugar****.” He blamed this on alcohol. A few years later in 2010, Gibson would leave a message on the answering machine of his then girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva, in which he said, “You’re an embarrassment to me. You look like a ******* ***** in heat, and if you get raped by a pack of *******, it will be your fault.” Gibson would plead no contest to a misdemeanor battery charge in a case against Grigorieva in 2011. Now Gibson is trying to stage a comeback with “Hacksaw Ridge.” As of this article the movie is sitting comfortably at an 87 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, so other critics seem to have short memories. Some people might see that the personal actions of the Gibson shouldn’t taint a wellmade film. They should be able to ignore Gibson’s words and just enjoy the movie as a standalone film. But by ignoring his behavior, you condone it. You are sending a message not only to them but the companies that this kind of racist and sexist behavior is acceptable. I don’t care how good the acting is or how pretty the cinematography is, people should not be awarded for terrible behavior. If Hollywood thinks we don’t care, then they’re not going to care. By paying for this movie, you are funding an anti-Semitic sexist racist. Gibson is far from the only star in Hollywood to do something terrible, but he’s the one with a movie that came out this weekend, so he’s the example. At the end of the day, the movie industry is just that; an industry. Industries respond to money. You speak with your dollar, whether you mean to or not.

facebook.com Mel Gibson’s newest film “Hacksaw Ridge” released Nov. 4.

COURTESY // Taylor Cuffie Taylor Cuffie is a Jazz studies major in his senior year and manages to maintain his school while being in nine different bands.

Jazz student finds passion in drums Karlee Budge Staff Writer

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t’s not everyday that one comes across a musician who plays in nine different bands, but Sonoma State University student Taylor Cuffie manages to maintain the heavy workload that comes along with being a college student while pursuing his musical passion. Cuffie is a 22-year-old fifth year at Sonoma State, majoring in jazz studies. He was born in Connecticut but spent his childhood in Morgan Hill, California. Cuffie primarily plays the drums but also enjoys playing upright and electric bass, the occasional piano and the guitar, as well as singing. Cuffie’s favorite instrument is the drums. “I think the drums will always be the one I come back to at the end of the day,” said Cuffie. “I’ve always felt the most comfortable with them and that’s the first instrument I got really attached to.” Cuffie experienced an immense amount of musical inspiration from both of his parents at an early age. Both Cuffie’s parents studied music in college and naturally they hoped to incorporate their love for music into their children’s lives. Being the youngest of five children, Cuffie followed in his sibling’s footsteps by trying out a few different instruments just as their parents encouraged them to. Growing up in a household with parents who played different styles of music such as jazz, R&B and classical music also served as an inspiration for Cuffie’s musical passion. The flute and the piano were the first instruments that Cuffie experimented with until he ultimately decided to stick with the trumpet. At the age of 11, Cuffie decided the trumpet was not the instrument for him, instead he chose to pursue concert percussion. It wasn’t until a few years later that Cuffie decided his instrumental calling was in fact the drums. “I didn’t actually start playing drums until I was 15, and that was because I saw my high school’s jazz band playing some really cool stuff and then I thought, ‘Okay, this is what I want to do,’” said Cuffie. Cuffie describes his parents as hardworking and understanding people who are extremely supportive of his passion as an artist. Cuffie’s parents are responsible for the purchase of his first drum set at age 15 and have encouraged him through the process of developing a musical talent ever since. “Taylor plays drums with the sensitivity and dialogue of a musician ahead of his age. His dedication to his craft is apparent in all aspects of his life and is a rare thing today amongst young musicians,” John Courage, a musician friend of Cuffies, said. Cuffie expressed that while there are several perks to being a musician, his passion is certainly not free of the negative aspects which are part of any profession. “For me it’s trying to innovate and not bring myself down when I don’t make something completely new. I find often times that I’m working on variations of old ideas or thinking of ways in which I can switch up the recipe for a specific groove,” said Cuffie. “When I perform, I always want to do something that doesn’t detract

from the music but still elicits a reaction from the audience and I feel that if I don’t, then I’m not necessarily doing a great job as a performer.” Cuffie credited the secret of juggling the responsibility and time commitment of being in nine bands to the importance of communication. He explained that a lot of the bands that he is a part of are more than capable of managing a gig without him being there. There are some occasions where he has to call in a sub, but his fellow band members are always understanding. “Taylor is a very expressive and individualistic drummer with an obvious drive and discipline that make it a pleasure to collaborate with him,” Joshua James Jackson said. Jackson plays in bands like Sam Chase and the Untraditional, The Crux, Frankie Boots and the County Line and Sharkmouth with Cuffie. Cuffie explained that communication is key when being involved with so many bands. Cuffie experienced difficulty when trying to decide which band he considers his favorite, due to the fact that each band allows him to practice something new and he is constantly surrounded by loving people who bring their own unique take on music. “If I were to pick a band I want to gig more with, it would be my contemporary jazz group, ‘THAT’. This was a group formed out of mine and the keyboardist’s, Nate Dittle, senior recital,” said Cuffie. “We took a bunch of oddly phrased contemporary tunes, messed with their forms and then flew off the handle while still retaining some sort of tight groove. They’re a lot of fun to play with, and I feel that I get to express everything that I want to to the utmost with them.” Cuffies performances are located primarily in Cotati and Petaluma. In terms of pursuing music as a future career, Cuffie expressed that at the moment that is his current plan but because he is still so young, his plans for the future could potentially change. Cuffie finds inspiration in bringing his audience and himself joy. “The constant pursuit of joy for myself and others. I want to help people feel better at the end of their day, and I want to do the same for myself when I play,” said Cuffie. “A lot of people are hurting out there, and I can’t make everyone feel better, but I’m happy to be a small part of an idea that’s geared towards spreading joy and acceptance.” Cuffie also mentioned that his peers as well as the jazz faculty at Sonoma State serve as inspirations for him as an artist. His peers are constantly coming up with new and interesting pieces for him to play which he says encourages him to improve on instruments that he may have not been playing very often. Cuffie describes the jazz faculty at Sonoma State as world class musicians and people who genuinely care about student’s well being, not just their musical abilities. “My drum teacher, George Marsh, has been like a surrogate grandfather figure to me for the past four and a half years, and every lesson I have with him leads to my brain being wracked with all of these new rhythms that he concocts for me in his drum laboratory up in Santa Rosa,” said Cuffie. “He’s really taught me to open up my brain and approach the drums in a way I didn’t think was possible. Long story short, he’s kind of a genius.”

Alicia Keys gets real with “Here” Alexis Austin Staff Writer

Review

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n her first full-length recorded album released in four years titled “Here,” Keys pushes the boundaries of composition, conveying her passion for social and political activism with a resilient voice and adventurous musicality. The album represents Keys as well as a community, from the top to the bottom. Keys presses down on sensitive topics, including drug addiction, self-esteem, the environment and the divisions of discrimination. Keys refuses to forget where she came from. She reveals that there is strength and pride in her heritage. Fans remember previous albums that introduced the world to a relatable girl from New York City who pours her soul into her music and the keyboard. Piano is brightly featured on this album as well, as could be expected. In the song “The Gospel” solo piano carries the listener in with a beautiful harmonic sound that is joined with a marching style beat, choral mantras and rap vocals from the woman herself. For a moment, the listener can actually picture themselves in the shoes of an NYC family, struggling just to get by. “I’m telling you like it is/ How we ever gone live/ if we ain’t getting money/ how we feedin’ the kids?” Keys raps in the most authentic mode. Other songs, such as “Pawn it all” continue this raw depiction of urban experience. This song, similar to Beyoncé’s 2016 release “Lemonade,” draws from the influence of the roots of slave hymn, gospel and Motown jazz. Keys takes the listener to church in this one, chanting at the end “get on up.” Other pieces of the album feature acoustic guitar in place of keys. Songs like “Kill

Your Mama,” which is a message about the environment. “Mama” is analogized from poetry about Black mothers in the interlude that precedes to Mother Earth. “Shame on us, on your sons and your daughters/ dig all your gold and we poisoned all your waters … Trying to play God / People F***ing with genetics / all that you have given and we only disrespect it … how you gonna kill your mama / when only mama is gonna love you to the grave,” Keys sings unapologetically. Many have followed Key’s current “no makeup movement” in the media. After she chose to make a statement by no longer wearing makeup in big photo shoots, to award shows like the VMAs and to perform at the Democratic National Convention. The message has slowly begun to sink in. She describes the movement on the Today Show as a “metaphor for finding yourself.” In “Here,” she expresses her position on the issue in the song “Girl Can’t Be Herself.” To a reggae style rhythm and melody, Keys sings “Who says I must conceal what I am made of / Maybe all this Maybelline is covering my self-esteem.” Keys is an amazing storyteller. Instead of singing about someone, she sings from that person’s own perspective. With her voice, the listener could be left convinced that what Keys is illustrating, is real to her. In the song “Illusion of Bliss” she tells a story from the point of view of a 29-year-old drug addict. The lyrics describe this state as a “bottomless kiss” an “illusion of bliss.” This song is one of the most powerful. Keys puts into the music that addiction as an illness, as someone who needs help and is tired of being judged. The singer belts to the top of her range and back, as if she is really dying to be heard. She ties together the album with “Holy War,” a declaration of love over war. It’s an expression of faith in humanity as well as an urgent plea for change. She conveys that society is divided by “sexuality and skin” and through the music uplifts and encourages, as well as illuminates the issues. All in all, Keys has not changed her sound so much as she has changed what she is saying through her music.


Page 8

Student Life

Nov. 8- Nov. 14, 2016

sonomastatestar.com

seawolfliving.com A simulator that allows students to experience what impaired driving may be like, will be on campus Wednesday in the Student Center at 1 p.m.

On-campus simulator discourages distracted driving Sierra Straub Staff Writer

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n California it’s illegal to text and drive, and it’s illegal everywhere to drive under the influence. However, it’s not uncommon to look over and see someone on their cell phone, or to turn on the news and hear about someone driving under the influence. On Nov. 9 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Rec Center, Sonoma State University students will have the opportunity to partake in an impaired driving simulator, which gives participants the chance to experience what it’s like to drive while impaired or distracted. Once the participant’s blood-alcohol level has been determined, the device simulates what it would be like to drive under that level of intoxication. The steering wheel can become looser, the brakes may become harder or looser, the car may veer off the road, or pedestrians may be struck. “It’s an awareness program. You get behind the wheel of a simulator, put in your information about your weight, your height, did you have anything to eat today, things of that nature,” said Mo Phillips, director of programming and campus life, who organized for the simu-

lator to come to Sonoma State. Phillips has been organizing alcohol awareness weeks since 1989. This year’s alcohol awareness week features more activities for students to partake in, such as the driving simulator, instead of lectures. “We decided this year to do more passive type stuff, but passive with a message and with an action,” Phillips said. Casey LaBarbera, the associated students program coordinator, has been on the ‘Save a Seawolf’ Alcohol Awareness committee for two years. She wants students to know that alcohol awareness is not just about alcohol, but safety as well. “It’s not just about drinking or not drinking but more about making smart and safe decisions which includes supporting friends in their decision making and not being a bystander,” LaBarbera said. LaBarbera, who has taken part in the simulator when it has been at Sonoma State in the past, feels it’s a great addition to alcohol awareness week. “I think it is a great continuation of the conversation. The problems and issues we can face due to alcohol is more than just a one-time conversation, but is something that should consistently be a part of our discourse,” LaBarbera said.

The distracted driving simulator has been at Sonoma State four other years, and has seen anywhere from 100 to 300 people participate. In addition to the actual machine, there have also been props and other tools to inform participants, such as coffins, surveys and storyboards about the dangers of driving while distracted or under the influence. “I think raising awareness about a safety issue like distracted driving is always a good thing to help promote discussion, self-reflection and prevent injuries,” said Toni Boracchia, a nurse at the Student Health Center since 1987. Boracchia and the Student Health Center had a table near the crashed car during alcohol awareness week. She feels alcohol awareness week was a great way to get students talking about how alcohol has affected them. “People can be affected by alcohol at some point in their life whether they drink or not,” Boracchia said. Phillips feels the simulator is a great way for students to understand what it’s like to drive under the influence or distracted without actually putting themselves or others in danger. “Look out for others. Respect the vehicles and respect other people out there enough to not put yourself or them in that situation,” Phillips said.

Rohnert Park Sergeant addresses common student concerns Marcella Richmond Staff Writer

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ergeant Dave Sutter is one of the many police officers in Rohnert Park who are constantly trying to improve the relationship between the students and the community. Sutter is a long time police officer in Rohnert Park so he is well equipped to deal with situations that arise. The STAR was able to interview Sutter to ask him questions about himself and some questions that students may be too afraid to ask. STAR: If students are drinking who are under 21 years old and one of them shows signs of alcohol poisoning, will the other students get in trouble if they call 911 for drinking underage? Sutter: “The simple answer is no. Many students are not familiar with Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety and our design. Our officers are trained in both police and fire disciplines and our interest is always in the safety of the students and the community. We strongly encourage students to call when they feel another student is intoxicated and unable to care for themselves. When our officers or fire crews respond, our focus is to help the student, not punish others for doing the right thing.” STAR: Are police against Greek life? Do they target Greek life members? Sutter: “Absolutely not. Many students I have spoken to think that Rohnert Park DPS officers drive around the town and ‘hunt’ for college parties in order to issue notices. This could not be more wrong. Our officers recognize that parties are going to occur and when someone calls to complain they respond and deal with each party according to the situation they find on arrival. They do not know who lives at which house or ‘target’ Greek students. I have a very unique perspective on Greek Life. I was a member of an International Fraternity while attending California State University Sacramento. I truly understand the extremely positive impact that the Greek community has. Many of the Greek organizations participate in philanthropies which benefit the community and surrounding area. Being Greek is an amazing experience and allowed me to create many lifelong friendships. I always encourage each officer to meet every person with a positive and open attitude.” STAR: Are the students of Rohnert Park a nuisance to the surrounding non-student life neighborhoods? Sutter: “I would say ‘no,’ but the neighbor of a chronic party house would probably say ‘yes.’ It all depends on which person of the community you talk to. I have spoken to some who are extremely frustrated about living next to a ‘college house’ which is always filled with college students year to year. On the other hand I had the ability to attend a community meeting where a homeowner in R Section took it upon herself to get her surrounding neighbors and three college houses together to talk about all kinds of different issues. The 32 participants talked about everything from parking to party calls. At the conclusion of the meeting,

the overall message was for the neighbors to maintain open communication between each other and the shared respect for one another.” STAR: What is your position on the board that helps improve student-community relations? What are the duties involved with that? What are the boards plans to help improve these issues? Sutter: “Approximately two years ago I became a member of the Tri-Community Coalition which is comprised of representatives from all different groups. There are members form the County, Cotati Police Department, Sonoma State University Greek Life, Sonoma State University Police, Hills and Homes Property Management, City of Rohnert Park Code Enforcement and the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety. Over the last 18 months, I have met with thousands of students. My mission is to reach out and improve the relationship between students and the community by allowing students to interact with me, a person not just a uniform. I have met students at their residences, local coffee shops, Greek meetings and other planned events.” STAR: What are RPPD’s most frequent calls? Sutter: “RPPDS’s calls vary on the day of the week and the time of the day. On the weekends our most frequent type of call is party complaints.” STAR: What are your thoughts on the actions of police officers being recorded? Sutter: “Police Officers have been recorded for a long time now. As for my thoughts, I do not have an issue with officers being recorded on video by a citizen as long as they do not restrict an officer from performing their duties. I encourage all citizens to be respectful to our officers. We are there to protect you. Many students do not know that Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety Officers’ all wear body cameras to document incidents and encounters between offices and the public.” STAR: DUIs can be a problem at many colleges, how can having a sober driver help student-police interactions? Sutter: “Having a sober driver or safe ride home is important to figure out before going out. With the increasing number of Ubers, Taxi’s, Lyft and designated drivers, it is so easy to get home. CDC statistics show that every 53 minutes there is a death related to a motor vehicle crash involving an alcohol-impaired driver. I know that when I stop a vehicle and see that there is a sober driver getting others home safe it makes me happy that the students of SSU are being responsible and taking care for one another.” STAR: What are some of the signs of alcohol poisoning and when should students call 911? Sutter: “Alcohol poisoning signs and symptoms include: confusion, vomiting, seizures, slow breathing, irregular breathing, blue-tinged skin or pale skin, low body temperature and passing out. The important thing to remember is that it is not necessary to have all the listed signs and symptoms before you seek medical help. Alcohol poisoning is an emergency. If you suspect that someone has alcohol poisoning – even if you don’t see the signs

COURTESTY /// Dave Sutter and symptoms – call 911. Don’t be afraid to get help. It can be difficult to decide if you think someone is drunk enough to warrant medical intervention, but it’s best to err on the side of caution.” STAR: How does one file a police report? Sutter: “It is easy to file a police report. You can file a report online or in person.” STAR: What other safety tips do you have for students both on and off campus? Sutter: “There are many tips to staying safe while both on and off campus but the biggest is be don’t forget to stay safe and maintain awareness. Never take unnecessary risks, such as walking alone at night, leaving your doors unlocked or not knowing where you are going. My main rule… Watch out for one another.” STAR: Is there anything else you’d like to add or say to the readers of the STAR? Sutter: “I am proud to be able to work with the students of Sonoma State University in building a better relationship between the Community, SSU and Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety. Over the last 18 months I have had the opportunity to meet and talk to approximately 3800 Sonoma State University students to answer questions and educated them about being responsible residents within the Community which they live in. I am proud to say that over the last 18 months we have seen a 50 percent reduction in party call complaints and it is solely due to the students of Sonoma State. My final advice [is] don’t procrastinate, grab at every opportunity, cherish every moment of college, live life to the fullest and always take care of others.”


Student Life

Nov. 8 - Nov. 14, 2016

sonomastatestar.com

Page 9

Embracing Women’s group helps fight for rights gender neutral vocabulary F Kitana Gachero Staff Writer

Katie Haga Staff Writer

Commentary

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any everyday words and phrases are being deemed as inappropriate by California State University at Fullerton. The university is offering a workshop on campus encouraging students to contemplate eliminating specific words from their vocabularies to abolish inclusive words. These are words that don’t label someone by gender. Some of these inclusive words are words you wouldn’t even think were offensive in any way. They include words such as mankind, fireman, waitress and congressman. Topics such as this one are extremely sensitive to certain people, especially people of this generation. Millennials tend to take certain things to heart far too often, but it’s never without reason. After all, we’re the generation who wants to make changes and see a difference throughout the world, which is why this workshop was created; to create change. Fliers were posted around Fullerton’s campus to advertise the Gender Chat Inclusive Language program and teach students gender neutral terms and words. For example, when one says ‘hey guys’ addressing everyone in a group, both male and female, the more appropriate greeting would be ‘hey friends.’ During an interview with the Orange County Register, Associate Vice President of Student Affairs at CSU Fullerton Meredith Basil said, “It [the program] is voluntary, it’s not something anyone is required to attend.” The program is not mandatory throughout the campus, despite what some may think. It’s simply a group for students who want to work on their vocabulary and become familiar with genderf luid terms and phrases. Maybe at some point making it a trend for people to begin using these terms. Many people however, have the idea that the university is banning the use of the word ‘man’ in general, which caused a backlash. But in the same interview a California State University Fullerton spokeswoman emphasized the university itself hasn’t banned its students from using any of these words or expressions and proceeds to emphasize the school’s commitment to freedom of speech. Changing the word mankind to humankind, or changing fireman to firefighter, shouldn’t be that big of a deal. In fact, changing these words and phrases to gender neutral terms could potentially benefit these students in the future. Genderf luid phrases could take us one step closer to gender equality. For instance, ever since we were children we’ve wanted to be firemen or policemen, simply changing the name from fireman to firefighter could give little girls the chance to say they way to be a firefighter when they grow up, not a fireman. Changing names of people in specific professions can also make it easier for women or men to feel like they too belong in that category of work. Whether it be congressman, salesman, secretary or nurse, changing these to inclusive words could diminish gender stereotypes in the workplace. CSU Fullerton isn’t the only university who had this idea. In the spring of 2016, Princeton University released gender neutral language guidelines for employees to follow. The human resources department released a four-page guideline on alternative words to use instead of the word ‘man.’ Other universities, such as University of Northern Colorado, University of Nebraska- Lincoln and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, are all hosting similar initiatives. With the potential good it could do, these inclusive words also sparked outrage across the nation. Many people feel that this has gone too far and that it’s completely outrageous to change everyday words. Whereas a few students from CSU Fullerton’s campus who were interviewed by other news sources, such as the Orange County Register and Daily Mail, said they find no offense with both gender exclusive and gender inclusive words. It would most likely be the same way at Sonoma State University, although it’s not a reality on yet. For the most part, as a student body, we are very accepting and conscientious. If we were to experience the usage of inclusive words it wouldn’t affect our campus negatively, but instead would be something students would adapt to overtime. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if this comes to Sonoma State, in fact I feel some people would actually prefer it. Using inclusive words isn’t necessarily something we need as students, but something we should practice and become familiar with. Most people don’t have an issue altering their vocabulary, but there are always exceptions. It isn’t hard to see, that some people are overly sensitive and some are overly defensive about this topic, but the fact of the matter is everyone can’t be pleased.

eminism is a movement that has been prevalent in society dating back as early as 1848 which was the beginning of the Women’s Right’s Movement. For over century women have fought for equal rights socially, economically and politically. An organization dedicated to supporting this cause is The League of Woman Voters. President of The League of Women Voters for Sonoma County, Nancy Burrington lectured Thursday afternoon as part of Sonoma State’s Feminist Lecture Series. This series is hosted by the Women and Gender Studies Department as a part of their fall 2016 Lecture series. The League of Women Voters is a national organization that began in the 1920s, directly following the Women’s Suffrage Movement. The organization’s main mission is build participation in the democratic process, study community issues at government levels and enables those to seek solutions to public policy issues. There are four levels to the organization which include the United States, California, the Bay Area, and Sonoma County. Some of the services the

League offers are citizenship classes as well as classes taught about voting literacy. The League is known for being non-partisan and for promoting members to be politically active in their community, by raising awareness about ballot measure and participating in the voting process. The lecture included an extensive discussion about how the organization has been politically active and evolved over time. In the 1940s the group contributed to publicizing the issue of Public Safety and FDA regulating food. In the 1960s they participated in the Civil Rights Movement. In the ‘70s men were first admitted to the league and they established interleague organizations to combat local issues. Burrington discussed how one of the League’s most notable members was Eleanor Roosevelt, who led the organization’s New York chapter. “If you’ve ever raised your head above the crowd to go against the consensus you’ll know how Eleanor Roosevelt felt,” Burrington said. Burrington invited those attending the lecture to get involved with the organization through voter service, membership, programs and social media groups. “This lecture was helpful be-

cause helpful bc it reminded people to vote and opened a forum for questions,” said junior Edith Ayala. Burrington also brought up a historical moment that occurred within their organization in the 1980s. This was the first time women began mediating presidential debates and The League of Women Voters were asked to mediate a particular debate, but they refused. “We had no intention of becoming just an accessory to the political process,” Burrington said. One of the most influential events in history, that prompted the creation of this organization, was women earning the right to vote via the 19th Amendment. “This lecture makes me appreciate The League of Women Voters and the country that allows me to vote as a woman,” junior Gaby Medina said. The League of Women Voters encourages people of all ages and backgrounds to get involved with their organization. Burrington especially encouraged young people to help maintain the social media aspect of the organization. During the open forum, people asked about the upcoming election, as well as basic voting. Burrington reminded those in attendance that it’s crucial to have your absentee ballot postmarked by Nov. 8 or it will not be counted.

Advising for students, by students

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Lucy Lopez Staff Writer

egistration for spring semester is just around the corner. As students prepare themselves for the stressful week, there are resources on campus that can help ease some of that stress. As students may know they all have an academic advisor on campus they can see if they need help choosing classes for the upcoming semester. What students may not know is there are Student Peer Advisors on campus who can help them with similar situations. According to their mission statement the Student Peer Advising Program is focused on helping students build their own future by providing assistance and academic planning. “In its current form, the Student Peer Advising Program is in its eighth year now. In the previous seven years, the program has served 27,955 students -- 17,239 through drop-in advising and 10,716 through presentations and workshops,” said Supervisor and undeclared Advisor Michael Balasek. Students can come in anytime Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. and there are no appointments required. Typically the peer advisors answer any questions related to the GE pattern or how to read an academic re-

quirement report. They are also a resource for faculty as well. Professors can set up presentation appointments to go over the GE pattern, registration, seawolf scheduler and more. “As a peer advisor we work with students to help them assess their current academic standing and ensure that the track that they are on is most efficient,” said peer advisor and psychology major Alexandra Lauron. Appointments are typically 15 minutes, but that is sometimes difficult to do around registration time. “Students should be aware that [they] shouldn’t use their appointment time to look for classes, your classes should already be in your shopping cart and be ready to check out. They should also should have multiple schedules planned out as well as back-up classes,” said Lauron. Any holds a student may have will prevent them from registering for classes. Registration starts Nov. 14 for those who have priority registration and continues throughout the week. Students are able to go look for classes and develop schedules now. Registration times were released this week in student’s portals. They are located in Salazar Hall 1070, but if students can’t make it during the drop-in hours, they can setup an appointment by emailing peer.advisors@sonoma.edu.


Sports

Page 10

Nov. 8- Nov. 14, 2016

sonomastatestar.com

Cubs win World Series after 108 years Phil Baculik Staff Writer

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arty McFly was just a single year off from what really came true, a World Series Championship victory for the city of Chicago in 2016. The Major League World Series this year has swept through almost all of our emotions. The range of circumstance mixed with unprecedented nerve has resulted in a series score of four wins to three, in favor of the Chicago Cubs. Sunday marked a very crucial and high stakes game for both teams. The Indians wished to take the Cubs down at home, while the Chicago Cubs fought to break through with a win. Both teams are seeking to break a championship dry streak: 68 years for the Indians and 108 painstaking years for the Cubs. Now we can surely say without hesitation that the Cubs are the 2016 World Series Champions. Even though the average price for a ticket was around $3,000, Cubs fans gathered in masses and as a city to celebrate the best thing happening to them at this point in time, baseball. The W flag was waving proudly at home at Wrigley Field, the first World Series Championship win since 1908. Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo said in an interview, “I’m sure it’s emotional for everyone. It’s emotional for all of us.” With a 3-1 come from behind win, one of the shortest rain delays in World Series history, the whole country watching each pitcher paint the strike zone, and witnessing David Ross, who at age 39 hit a solo homer in the top of the sixth. After the past week’s games, the Cubs’ determination was channeled into the next two away games. This is an incredible amount of pressure but the Cubs are no strangers to winning streaks. In fact, this season alone, the Cubs recorded 16 separate occasions with three game in-a-row victories. 81 teams in Major League Baseball have faced a 3-1 series deficit, but only 12 have came from behind to win the World Series. Though for the Cubbies, they had momentum on their side after heading east in a fierce fight to the best of seven. The Cubs mimicked the 1996 Atlanta Braves, where they were down 3-1 to the Cardinals, but managed to beat them by closing the Cardinals out of the remaining games. Unlike what Marty McFly witnessed in Back to the Future II, a sweep may not be on the agenda, but a fight for the title in a drought dating back to 1908 is. These unlucky instances have made many people around the nation believe that the Chicago Cubs are actually hexed. The iconic Cubs Winning Flag waved high in Wrigley Park, where the traditional flag in Chicago was introduced after the construction of the scoreboard in 1937. Kris Bryant’s bat came to life with a homer, and Chapman helped in sealing the score for the Cubs. The Cub’s parade encapsulated an astonishing 5 million people who came together from all walks of life to enjoy history being unfolded. Finally, the Cubs brought a championship to fans who mostly had never experienced one in their lifetime. The Cubs also were featured in the show Saturday Night Live, and did a segment full of song and dance. So after 108 years, we can safely say that the Chicago Cubs are the best team in baseball this year.

COURTESY // ABC7Chicago.com The Cubs were able to beat the Indians 8-7 in the 10th inning.

COURTESY // sonomaseawolves.com Senior guard Ronnie Harris looks to make a play against Division I UC Urvine Anteaters.

Basketball team falls twice in exhibition Tatiana Serrano Staff Writer

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n order to help the men’s basketball team prepare for the 2016-2017 upcoming season, the team played two difficult teams this weekend, but unfortunately, hard work was not enough to defeat Loyola Lions and the Irvine Anteaters. The team is entering the conference after placing 8th in the CCAA tournament last season. This should motivate the team to reach higher, since it has been a little longer than a decade since the team won the tournament during the 2005-2006 season. “We’re the underdog, they don’t expect us to do big things…but we’re going to make some noise this year,” said Ronnie Harris. The Sonoma State University Seawolves were not strong enough to take down the Loyola Lions as the game finished 50-80. Each team member apart of the seawolves put up a fight, attempting to holf off Loyola Marymount. Within the first half Jordan Fleck scored a three pointer, and Khalid Johnson added two three-pointers to put the team behind by just two. The score was 17-15 instead of the beginning lead of 15-1. Eventually, Loyola took charge with a lead of 39-27. Luke Cochran finished with eight points and four rebounds. Jackson Gion had one threepointer, a free throw which made the score a four-point difference with 6:44 left. Gion had a total of nine points. Fleck had a total of eight points. Stephen Dorsey had a team-high of seven rebounds. Over-

all the team hit 15 of 51 shots from the field including five of 22 from 3-point territory. The height advantage of Sonoma State’s roster should make a difference with defense throughout the season. “We need to work on our shooting, but our size inside is going to be a force,” said Naaman Hightower. Another tough loss this weekend against UC Irvine Anteaters left the Seawolves down 2-0 in exhibition play. The Seawolves lost 63-81 to the Division 1 team, but not without a fight. Cochran had the leading score of 15 points. Jimmy Golden came right behind him with 12 points. Harris came off the bench with eleven points, eight free throws, three assists, and one steal. Hightower had a game-high nine boards. Despite the strong effort, UC Urvine shot 64 percent, which helped them dominate the Seawolves.

“We’re the underdog, they don’t expect us to do big things...but we’re going to make some noise this year.” By halftime the score was already 43-25. The Seawolves managed to fall behind even further after multiple turnovers, not enough shot attempts and other constant minor mistakes. The team will be able to redeem themselves Friday against Cal State East Bay.

Women’s soccer team falter late in OT against Cal State L.A. Travis Adams Staff Writer

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he women’s soccer team put up a dominant performance on all aspects of the pitch on Friday afternoon against the 7-8-1 Cal State L.A. After 110 minutes the game was level at 0-0, the Seawolves fell to the Golden Eagles minutes later, 3-2 on penalty kicks. The Sonoma State University Seawolves managed to triple their opponents shots in both the first and second half of play, finishing with 18 shots, and only conceding 5. “It was a game that we clearly dominated on all aspects, but we couldn’t execute,” said sophomore goalkeeper Kristen Spear, following the loss. “Our chances were there, we just either hit the post, missed wide, over, or missed altogether. We knew our time was limited and we drove forward, but still was not enough to put it away.” The Seawolves were consistently on the attack early and often, and with minutes left in the first half, Courtney Shoda went up for a header, and ripped one right off the woodwork. CSU LA cleared the threat and the half ended scoreless.

The second half consisted of more of the same for the Seawolves, with fast play, effective passing and more shots. The seawolves would finish the second half outshooting the opponent 18-3. The overtime period told a different story, as both teams were only able to manifest two shots a piece. A string of three fouls in the beginning of the overtime period prompted a CSU LA shot on goal. Sonoma would counter toward the end of the first of the two overtime periods, but the score remained even at nil-nil. The second overtime period revealed itself as a grind it out, slugfest for a short ten minute window. With the clocking finally imposing its will on the plowers, fouls began to flood the field, and the 110th minute would come with the score still at 0-0. On came goalkeeper Kristen Spear, subbed on by coach Emiria Salzmann Dunn to protect what looked to be a scheduled victory for the Seawolves. Spear was able to save two of the first 4 of the Golden Eagle attempts, but with the fifth attempt, Los Angeles put it away with the game-ending in penalty kicks, 3-2 in favor of Cal State L.A. What turned out to be a serious slap in the face to the Seawolves did have its fair share of bright spots.

“We played very well, and really focussed on the little things we have been working on, so we are hoping to get a national bid to flip things to go our way,” senior defender Madison Minton said, “I feel like we are ready for a championship run. We are really focused on the little things and the mentality it takes to win a championship.” When asked if she believed the team could possibly be favored to win it all, Spear said, “I always favor us to win.” On Friday, six of Sonoma State women’s soccer studentathletes were selected to the 2016 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Women’s Soccer All-Conference Team. Sara Von Wagoner, Cecilia Sifuentes, Miriam Bloom, Katie Mohr, and senior midfielders Madison Minton, and Taylor Enzler each received the honorable recognition that they very well deserved. Looking back, Sonoma State entered the weekend as the No. 3 team in the West Region behind Western Washington and UC San Diego, and will have to stay in Top 6 to qualify for a NCAA Division ll postseason berth for the fourth time in five seasons. Monday at 3 p.m. Eastern Time, the NCAA will reveal the bracket for the first round of NCAA regional playoffs that begin on Nov. 11.

Nov. 11

Nov. 11

Nov. 12

Nov. 12

Nov. 13

Men & Women’s soccer

Men’s Basketball

Men & Women’s Soccer

Men’s Basketball

Men & Women’s Soccer

@ first and second

@ Western Washington

@ first & Second round

vs Notre Dame de

@ first & second round

round of championship

in Hayward, CA

of championship tourna-

Namur in Hayward, CA

of championship tourna-

tournament

5:30 p.m.

ment

5:30 p.m.

ment

Women’s Basketball

Women’s Volleyball

Women’s Basketball

Women’s Volleyball

@ Notre Dame de

@ Cal State San Ber-

vs Dominican in Bel-

@ Cal Poly Pomona

Namur

nardino

mont, CA

7 p.m.

3 p.m.

7 p.m.

1 p.m.


Sports

Nov. 8 - Nov. 14, 2016

sonomastatestar.com

Page 11

Volleyball team serves up aces against Humboldt State on Senior Night Andrea Sims Staff Writer

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fter hearing exciting news a few weeks ago about entering the CCAA playoffs, the Seawolf volleyball team brought their fired-up energy to the court in Wolves’ Den on Nov. 2 and Nov. 5 against San Francisco State and Humboldt State, leading to two more sweeps for Sonoma State University. Sweeping both the Gators and the Jacks, the Seawolves extended their winning streak to the magic number eight. “We served tough and hit really well as a team and gave a ton of effort on defense, which can be demoralizing for our opponents. We have become so much more confident and dominant throughout our winning streak and I’m excited to see how the rest of the season goes,” said Kelsey McIntire. The Seawolves were able to increase their hitting percentage to (.311). Calan Seitz continued to show her impressive offensive work, running the Gators back to their swamp with a high team-total of 11 kills. “My mindset during games is just to play my hardest and also swing hard, but smart,” said Seitz. Besides the Seawolves incredible offense against San Francisco State, the team also worked hard to block off any points for the Gators. From digs to aces, freshman player Ashleigh Phelps assisted the Seawolves to a win by contributing five aces. Phelps was able to accomplish a career-high along with achieving the most aces any Seawolf has served in a single match. The Seawolves took the first set 25-10 and the second set 25-14. Going into the third set, the Gators fought back, giving Sonoma State a run for their money by tying the score five times and battling three lead changes. The Seawolves were able to calm their nerves and take the final set, 25-16. With mixed emotions in Wolves’ Den on the evening of Nov. 5, the Seawolves were pumped to play the Jacks for their Senior Night. Celebrating Senior Night were players Rachel Andrews, Emily Papale and Alexandra Flores. Showered with flowers and love from teammates and parents, the Seniors shared a moment that will last a lifetime.

Andrews is the captain for the Seawolves, middle blocker, and leading the CCAA hitting percentage of (.386). “I think that not taking any opportunities for granted is how I’ve been able to maintain a high hitting percentage. Middles don’t tend to get as many swings as other hitters, so I need to make them count. It’s a really good feeling to know that the work I’ve put in over the years is paying off,” said Andrews. Papale is the right-side-hitter and Flores is a defensive specialist for the Seawolves. Entering into their emotional Senior Night, all three seniors had quite the memorable Senior Night, both as a team and individually. With excitement roaring through Wolves’ Den and music pumping the crowd and the players, Senior Night was a game full of nail-biting action. The Seawolves started off the match against the Jacks with some back-to-back points from both teams, having a total of fifteen tied scores and five lead changes. Sonoma was able to take the lead at 23-19, until the Jacks came back to tie it up again. However, with the unstoppable McIntire and Papale with their tall-wall blockage, this helped received the game winning point to finish the set 25-23. With all the rollercoaster of emotions from the first set, the Seawolves were pumped and more ecstatic than ever to enter the second set. While the second set still had four tied scores, after calling a timeout, the Seawolves came back and took majority of lead the rest of the set. The Seawolves finished the second set 25-17. With the final set of senior night, the Seawolves played their hearts out. The Seawolves completely dominated Wolves Den and the court by having no lead changes nor tied scores. They were able to take the final set 25-20. “What I’m most proud of this season is the fight our team has shown. We honestly didn’t do that great in the beginning of the season and we decided we weren’t ok with that and we fought to get better and we have. As far as playoffs go, I think we are all looking forward to another opportunity to win the tournament again,” said Andrews. The Seawolves just have a few more games left of the regular season until playoffs. Now The Seawolves will be traveling down to Cal State San Bernardino on Nov. 11, and then Cal Poly Pomona on Nov. 12 for their next games both at 7 p.m.

STAR // Reagan Dowd Team captain Rachel Andrews (right picture) ignites the offense with her spike attempt. Andrews had nine kills against Humboldt on Saturday.

Seawolves split exhibition matches Annie Finck Staff Writer COURTESY // sonomaseawolves.com Seniors Kristal Luna, Madison Minton, Taylor Enzler, Jori Wilder, and Anna Martin received a farewell from their teammates on senior day.

A record-breaking wrap for senior Allison Hadidan’s career at SSU Christopher Schwarz Staff Writer

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llison Hadidian graduated from Del Mar High School in San Jose California in 2013 where she earned First Team All-League honors, Goalie of the Year, MVP of the league, and the Captains Award during her senior season. She then decided to continue her soccer career at Sonoma State University the following year. “The reason I chose Sonoma State was to continue my soccer career, and I believed in what our coaching staff was trying to achieve and I wanted to be a part of that culture,” said Hadidan. As a Freshman, Hadidian started in all 21 games in-goal for Sonoma State and posting a record of 13-5-3 and finished with six shutouts for the season, four of which were her in first four games for Sonma State. In her sophomore season Hadidian appeared in every game for the Seawolves spending 17 in-goal and five as a field player, three of which splitting time between goalkeeper and a position player. This trend continued into her junior year where she saw action in 15 games for Sonoma State, all of which were as a field player. Heading into her Senior season Hadidian made her return to goal playing all of her 13 appearances as goalkeeper. During the season, Hadidian broke the record for most wins in-goal at Sonoma State by winning her 33rd career game. “It was a pretty cool feeling knowing that I hold that record for this program. But I can’t go without saying that the record belongs more to the defensive lines that played ahead of me throughout my career,” Hadidian said humbly. Hadidian contributes the record to the outstanding defensive lines playing in front of her that helped limit the amount of shots on goal throughout the years. After clinching a first round bye in the CCAA Championship Tournament the Seawolves were stunned by Cal State L.A., losing in penalties 2-3. “My favorite part of this season is that our success comes from our whole team. We don’t have that one forward who scores all our goals,” said Hadidan. “We have a whole team that contributes. Each game we have different goal scorers, and I think that makes us really dangerous.” Hadidan, along with fellow seniors Kristal Luna, Madison Minton, Taylor Enzler, Jori Wider and Anna Martin were honored on senior day for their achievements in the Sonoma State soccer program. “Senior day was unbelievable. Our team did a lot to make that day unforgettable for our senior class and I’m so grateful for them,” said Hadidan. “There were a lot of tears but it was truly an honor to be able to play for this team for four years with my best friends.”

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tarting off the season with two games with completely opposite outcomes, the women’s basketball team maintains a positive outlook on this coming year. On Tuesday, the team was annihilated by the division I San Jose Spartans. The Sonoma State University Seawolves passed along the favor by defeating the Pacific Union Pioneers by 39 points on Thursday evening. “We knew going into San Jose that it would be a tough matchup, but it gave us a lot of things to work on for Pacific Union. It was nice to see those things come together for the win,” said Kim Savio. Tuesday’s game against the Spartans was a rocky road from the very beginning, with a low-scoring first quarter which started the game off in rough waters and three turnovers not even two minutes into the second quarter. The women of the Sonoma State team were fighting an uphill battle that did not seem to ease up. “Coming off of San Jose’s game, we knew who we were up against a division one school. So we just had to play our hardest with nothing to lose. It’s always nice playing against hard competition,” said Maddison Burroughs. Even with this constant battle, the Seawolves managed to out beat the Spar tans

in rebounds. They received seven more than their opponents, leading 49-36 in this aspect of their game. Savio played a large role in the total numbers of rebounds throughout the game, leading the team with a total of 15. Kayla Coloyan also played a large role in the outcome of the game by scoring a team high of 12 points. On Thursday the tables were turned, as Sonoma State came back stronger than before. With the loss against San Jose only two days prior, they used their experience to grow and decimated the Pioneers with a final score of 84-49. Kylie Kiech led the team with 19 points and 9 rebounds, followed by Carly Gill with 12 points and seven rebounds, six of which were done so on defense. “Whenever you go to play a D-1 school you obviously go in with the intention to come away with a win, but it is also just to learn and get better,” said Gill. “I think it definitely helped us get better going into the game against Pacific Union and also raised our level of play and intensity so it was great to see that pay off and come up with a win.” Not only did the team have a successful game during play, they had an average of 84 percent for free throws. “The game against Pacific Union was our last exhibition game. We all went into that game knowing what we were up against, a lower division school but we still had to be ready to play,” said Burroughs. “It was more of a confidence booster to come off of a winning game, but it was also good because it allowed us to practice executing through our set offenses and defenses.” During the game against the Pioneers, the Seawolves expanded the gap tremendously by outscoring their opponents by 20 points. With both games being exhibition matchups and not counting towards the Sonoma State women’s teams standings, the upcoming season will be a true indicator of how these games have helped the women learn and grow in their sport. The Seawolves face off against the Notre Dame de Namur on Nov. 11. Last year they were able to defeat the Argonauts by 12 points. With a new season and a new team, this game may be a real indicator of how this upcoming season will go for the Seawolves.


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Nov. 8, 2016 - Nov. 14, 2016 sonomastatestar.com

Seawolves prepare for upcoming season

STAR // Bryce Dowd Kayla Coloyan, No. 3, drove toward the basket on a fast break during the Seawolves vs. Pioneers game Friday Night.

STAR // Bryce Dowd Kylie Kiech, No. 12, heads to the line after a foul by the Pacific Union Pioneers.

STAR // Reagan Dowd The Sonoma State volleyball team played a game against San Francisco State at the Wolves’ Den on Wednesday night.

STAR // Madison Muro Drew Irwin showed off his bowling technique.

STAR // Madison Muro Patsy Barr celebrated after she bowled a strike at ASP’s Free Bowling Night on Thursday.

STAR // Madison Muro Sydney Thompson congratulated Bryce Farber for her strike.

STAR // Megan Corcoran Sergent Spencer Crum from The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, held a press conference at Parking Lot M at Sonoma State University on Thursday afternoon, where human remains were found the day before.


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