In this issue:
Student Life: Local winter festivies for students. Pg. 8
Opinion: School bus safety questioned after Chattanooga crash. Pg. 3 A&E: Disney wins big with Moana on opening weekend. Pg. 7
SINCE 1979
VOLUME 77 // ISSUE 13
Sports: Men’s basketball wins against Cal State Los Angeles over the weekend. Pg. 11 DECEMBER 6 - DECEMBER 12, 2016
THE UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT RUN NEWSPAPER
Changes planned for commencement 2017 Charlotte Grayson Staff Writer
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COURTESY // Thomas Lynch Blake Robinson, pictured above, walked across Commencement Lawn during the Spring 2016 graduation ceremony. The commencement ceremony will now be held at the Green Music Center and split up between six ceremonies spaced out through two days.
r. Judy K. Sakaki’s first commencement as president of Sonoma State University will come with a change of venue for the graduation ceremonies themselves. The traditional two ceremonies in May have been split into six and moved inside the Green Music Center. Rather than scheduling one ceremony in the morning and one in the afternoon, this year’s commencement will take place over two days, with May 20 and 21 each hosting one ceremony at 9 a.m., 1 p.m. and one at 5 p.m. Instead of taking place on the traditional Commencement Lawn, the location for all six graduation ceremonies has been changed to the Green Music Center. Last year, more than 2,000 students took part in the two graduation ceremonies, for which Sonoma State University hosted approximately 10,000 guests. Having more graduation ceremonies will reduce the number of students participating in each individual ceremony. The changes to the traditional commencement schedule were announced via an email sent to Sonoma State students, faculty and staff by Interim Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Jeri Echeverria. Students will graduate with their academic departments and schools, and each school will have its own graduation ceremony, with the exception of the School of Social Sciences, which will be split into two ceremonies on Sunday. “This year, there will be six School Commencement ceremonies for both undergraduate and graduate students, and you will be graduating
with other students in your academic Departments and Schools. All of the following ceremonies will be held at the Green Music Center, and additional details will be announced early in 2017,” Echeverria wrote. On Saturday, May 20, the graduation ceremony for the School of Business and Economics will take place at 9 a.m., the graduation ceremony for the School of Science and Technology will take place at 1 p.m. and the graduation ceremony for the School of Arts and Humanities will take place at 5 p.m. On Sunday, May 21, the graduation ceremonies for the School of Social Sciences will take place at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. The first ceremony will include the departments of Anthropology, Cultural Resources Management, Counseling, History, Human Development, Political Science, Public Administration, and Psychology. The second ceremony will include the departments of Criminology and Criminal Justice Studies, Environmental Studies and Planning, Global Studies, Geography, Liberal Studies, Sociology, and Women’s and Gender Studies. The final graduation ceremony, which will take place at 5 p.m., is for the School of Education. In addition to the graduation ceremonies, all cultural commencement celebrations, including the Latino Commencement Celebration, African-American Commencement Celebration, Asian-American Commencement Celebration, and the LGBTQ Commencement Celebration, will be held on Friday, May 19, 2017. Students and families can choose to attend these events as well as their academic school’s commencement ceremony on Saturday or Sunday.
Jury selection to start
Bluebird play hosted by Theatre
soon for asbestos trial
Arts & Dance Department
Nate Galvan Staff Writer
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t has been a little over a year since former Sonoma State professor Thomas Sargent filed a lawsuit against the university citing its “willful ignorance” regarding the asbestos contamination in Stevenson Hall. Now, after numerous postponements, an anticipated trial date is set in the lawsuit involving Sargent and the Board of Trustees of the California State University for the week of Jan. 3. Originally set to begin on July 29, the trial was postponed until late October, and, according to Sargent’s lawyer Dustin Collier, it was because of multiple continuances asked for by the defense attorneys. As of right now, the two parties have briefed over 30 pre-trial motions with the next pretrial step being jury selection, which is scheduled to begin the week of Dec. 5. “The only reason we have not started the trial as scheduled on Oct. 28 is because of the Court’s calendar,” said Collier. “The Judge decided to delay jury selection until the end of November to use what little time
she had that month to decide pretrial motions and those pre-trial motions have proven more voluminous than anticipated.” The lawsuit began when Sargent, a certified asbestos consultant, claimed to have raised questions to the university about how asbestos was being managed in several buildings on campus. He then says he was forced to resign when he was retaliated against by his superiors. Sonoma State has admitted to the presence of asbestos in multiple buildings on campus but denies it poses any health risks based on tests taken since January by RHP Risk Management. The university claims the asbestos dust levels found in the building have not contributed to elevated levels of airborne asbestos, the form in which health problems may occur. Collier does believe the week of Jan. 3 is a reliable one as to when the trial will begin but it is all dependent on the judge’s schedule, who will be taking a two week vacation at the end of December. “Ultimately it is the judge’s call as she has many other cases to juggle as well,” said Collier. “What I can say is that there is no reason we should not be finished with all these pre-trial matters by that week.”
COURTESY // David Papas A few actors from the cast of Bluebird display their acting talents in the play which opened Dec. 1 and will be open until Dec. 10.
See the review on Pg. 6
Mercury found in university weight room
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Editorial
Dec. 6 - Dec. 12, 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: “First Amendment protects flag burning, like it or not” Opinion writer Jahred Nunes comments on Donald Trump’s recent remarks about punishment for American flag burning.
Read the commentary on page 3
STAR // Julia Albo
No home for the holidays
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he sweet relief of finishing classes, loading up the car and driving home for the holidays is something many college students look forward to at the end of every fall semester. The only thing that keeps them sane during finals is the thoughts of their parents’ cooking and their childhood bed. For some students though, these thoughts are far from reality as they have to stay local for the holiday season. During the course of Sonoma State University’s five-week-long winter break, on-campus housing is closed for the first two weeks. This means that 24 hours after your last final, students need to pack up what they can and leave their home. Those students who work during the break because of holiday demand - or have no family to go home to - are left without housing for two weeks. This year students cannot access their dorms from Dec. 17 through Jan. 3. This puts tremendous pressure on students to find other means of housing. Even when they can manage to scrape up a place to live, the costs are an
even greater financial burden. It’s comforting to know Sonoma State doesn’t charge students an additional cost for staying Jan. 3 until classes begin, but there has to be more resources available to help students find housing while the campus is closed. University policies around the country vary on how they deal with winter housing. For example, Purdue University charges students $330 to stay during winter break, while the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign offers winter break accommodations but asks for $40 per night. With the charges of a doubleoccupancy room being relatively high at Sonoma State, it makes sense as to why they don’t charge an additional fee the last three weeks of break. However, those students who don’t have a place to go starting Dec. 17 should be offered housing options. Yes, it’s reasonable to assume that there will be charges assessed based on the costs of utilities and housing fees, but most students would be able to budget it because of the urgency.
The other thing to think about is safety. Staying in the dorms alone without CSAs or housing faculty causes concern. In order to help this, Sonoma State can compensate faculty to monitor students while the dorms are closed. It can be extremely isolating to see the rest of your peers go home to see family and friends, while work or personal situations keep you in town. It’s also worth noting that a good portion of Sonoma State’s staff are students, so it’s reasonable that The Kitchens, the campus’s main dining venue, is closed. However, if the dorms were open all of winter break, it’s safe to assume students could manage to buy their own groceries. Sonoma State has some of the top ranking dorms in the country. It doesn’t seem fair that winter break drives students away from living in a place they pay so much for already. Linking students with affordable housing, opening designated dorms or having outreach for those students staying locally, would help those who have no where to go, find a place to stay for the holidays.
Editorial Policy: The commentary expressed in the unsigned editorial represents a majority opinion of the STAR Editorial Board on a topic facing the campus community in keeping with journalistic precedents of other major newspapers, and may not be shared by all staff writers. The board encourages readers to write letters to the editor about all topics, including the editorial.
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Opinion
Dec. 6 - Dec. 12, 2016
sonomastatestar.com
First Amendment protects flag burning, like it or not
Jahred Nunes Staff Writer
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bout 1,000 veterans gathered at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts on Nov. 27 to protest the school’s decision to remove all flags from campus, including the American flag. The decision came after an alleged flag-burning took place earlier that week in response to President-elect Donald Trump’s win. Two days later, Trump tweeted his response to the flag-burners and protesting veterans. “Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag,” Trump tweeted on Nov. 29 “If they do, there should be consequences - perhaps loss of citizenship or year in jail!” Contrastingly, Veteran Jerry Maguire who was a participant in the protest told local news channel WWLP-
TV, “They took down my flag, they have a right to that, I’m here to defend their right to that but I want them to understand how bad that hurts me.” Perhaps this tweet is just another example of the inflammatory and controversial rhetoric that Americans should come to expect from Trump in his coming years as president. However, a suggestion such as this represents more than Trump’s usual debauchery. Trump is not the first politician standing to criminalize flag-burning. His rival through the course of this election, Hillary Clinton, co-sponsored a bill to ban the burning of the American flag while in Senate in 2005. The bill was to equate the burning of the American flag with the burning of the cross, which can be prosecuted as a violation of civil rights. Needless to say, the bill failed to pass. However, flag burning has been ruled in many cases as “symbolic speech” falling under the American First Amendment right. One of the more noteworthy examples was the 1989 5-4 Texas v. Johnson Supreme Court decision, in which even the late and notoriously republican Justice Antonin Scalia sided with the flag-burning protester. In this suggestion to criminalize flag-burning, Trump is not only ignoring the Supreme Court protected right
to burn the American flag as symbolic speech but, as Politico pointed out in a recent article, Trump is also ignoring the 1958 Supreme Court decision that ruled stripping of citizenship is a form of cruel and unusual punishment. Moreover, the passing of a bill banning flag burning is highly unlikely. As Michigan Representative Justin Amash of the House Freedom Caucus put it in his tweet responding to Trump on Nov. 29, “Nobody should burn the American flag, but our Constitution secures the right to do so. No president is allowed to burn the First Amendment.” What’s most jarring, or frankly redundant about Trump’s tweet is how it fits in with the rest of his rhetoric. In true Nixonian fashion, Trump has revealed a pattern of efforts to silence his critics and dissenters by inciting controversy in the guise of American patriotism. Trump’s tweet comes as a reminder and a strong slap in the face that he doesn’t like to be critiqued and will go out of his way, even with his shiny new President-elect platform, to try to silence those who oppose him. And that is exactly why many people are protesting his election so drastically. It’s time for Trump to step up and mend the wounds of a divided nation, rather that adding fuel to the fire. Isn’t that his job for the next four years anyway?
Proposed tuition increase unfair to students
Braden Cartwright Staff Writer
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hen the CSU system announced it was considering a tuition increase, students were taken aback. This seemed absurd, especially considering the national discourse around the cost of college education. Student debt has never been higher, yet a tuition raise is proposed. There should be a concerted effort to decrease the cost of college, but here we are discussing an increase as soon as next year. At the very least, let’s maintain the current tuition, not raise it. It’s not a sustainable long-term plan to continue to gradually raise tuition. If tuition keeps going up, college will become impossible for members of the lower and even middle-class to attend, and the barriers to get a degree will get even more difficult to overcome. The proposed CSU tuition increase is an annual $270 per student. This would increase the cost of tuition
from $5,472 to $5,742 every year. It’s important to note that tuition accounts for just a fraction of the complete costs of going to school. A 4.9 percent increase may not seem like a lot, but when tuition is already as high as it is, any increase is preposterous. Last year, 51 percent of students graduated from Sonoma State University with debt, according to the Institute for College Access and Success. This statistic has yet to cause enough alarm to inspire action. The government can offer more and more financial aid, but that just covers up and ignores the real problem. California State University tuition was $2,520 for the 2006-2007 school year. This means in the past ten years, the cost of attending CSU for four years has increased by twelve thousand dollars. If it keeps going like this, in another ten years college will be reserved for the wealthy. The cost of attending college has skyrocketed and the numbers need to be brought back down to earth. The cost needs to return to a level where college isn’t one of the largest expenses a family must pay. A tuition increase would do exactly the opposite. The logic behind the CSU tuition increase is simple. The CSU’s budget comes partly from state funding, which has dropped as of late. The CSU used to receive about 80 percent of its funding from the California government, and now it gets just 56 percent of its money from the general state fund. So, the CSU system has three options: Receive more money from the state, an ideal scenario; raise tuition, worst-case sce-
nario; or reduce programs and services, which nobody wants to do. It seems the California government deserves a great deal of blame for the proposed tuition increase. Shame on the California government for not funding its expansive State University system properly. Education leads to economic growth, so when the state neglects its colleges, it hurts the state. When half of graduates have debt, this leads to economic anxiety. It’s in California’s best interest to divert more funding to the CSU system. The average debt for Sonoma State graduates last year was $20,779. The burden this creates is immense. CSU Chancellor Timothy White defended the tuition increase in a thirteen-page document written to the California State Students Association. He wants to ensure the money “is spent thoughtfully and with student success at its core.” Students sincerely hope this is true. After all, the burden will be on the students. In January, the increase will be decided upon. Since it has been six years since the last tuition increase, this one will be likely approved. Let’s hope this is the last tuition increase students will have to deal with for a long time. Education should not be this expensive. College is an amazing opportunity. For many people, it’s on the way to fulfill their dreams and achieve their goals. So when the CSU system considers an increase in tuition, making it more difficult for those wanting to pursue higher education, it should bring scrutiny.
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School bus crash highlights safety concerns
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Taylor Berghoff Staff Writer
ix children’s lives were lost in the recent Chattanooga school bus crash after the driver strayed from his designated route, swerved and slammed sideways into a tree. The horrific crash, which injured dozens of other children, was a result of speeding and reckless driving, leaving families and the country in shock and mourning. This devastating tragedy is an important reminder as to why school bus seat belts should be required by law in every state across the country. It’s astonishing only six states in the country have school bus seat belt laws, according to the Office of Legislative Research Report. These states include California, Florida, Louisiana, New York and Texas. Of the six, only California and Texas require 3-point seat belts. Many of these states only require seat belts for buses manufactured after a certain date. Florida, for example, only requires seat belts on new school buses purchased on or after January 1, 2001. IMMI, the leading provider of seat belts in the school bus industry, has simulated bus crashes using dummies to see the effects of wearing a seat belt versus not wearing a seat belt. IMMI’s research “shows that in general lap-shoulder belts can reduce injury and death by 50 percent.” Many argue seat belts on school buses aren’t necessary since death and injury from school buses are rare. 25 million children ride school buses each year. Of those 25 million, 7,200 are injured and four die, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. In the grand scheme of things, four deaths a year in any category is extremely low. But tell that to the mothers and fathers who lost their children in Chattanooga incident; suddenly the numbers don’t matter. One child lost is too many. Seat belts have the potential to save children’s lives and to not provide standard automobile seat belts is absurd. Aside from crashes, seat belts on school buses can decrease distracted driving, dissuade bullying and allow more control of the school bus environment. When large groups of energetic, rowdy, rambunctious kids are together with no supervision and no restraint, issues easily arise. We can all remember the school bus experience. Children were running up and down the isles, jumping from seat to seat, screaming, yelling and fighting, all while the driver was trying to focus on the road. The bus driver’s eyes would be in the mirror more than they were on the road. Instead of focusing on the safety of his driving, the driver was trying to play referee to a bus full of children. Children should be given a solid foundation of safety and it starts with seat belts. Seat belts not only save lives and prevent injury, but can help maintain a more secure, stable and positive environment. School buses shouldn’t be a free for all. Allowing children free reign of the seats and aisles not only prevents the bus driver from properly doing his job but creates an unsafe environment for children trying to get to school. Seat belts could have potentially saved those children in Chattanooga and they can save children in the future too.
NRA pushes for Right-to-Carry legistation
Kendall Grove Staff Writer
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n light of Donald Trump being named the presidential-elect, the National Rifle Association has a new push for their Right-to-Carry camping. With both houses of Congress dominated by Republicans, the idea of unrestricted concealed weapons isn’t unlikely. According to the NRA website, the Right-to-Carry Movement started in 1987 when Florida enacted the “shall issue” Right-to-Carry. Now, 42 states in the United States have Right-to-Carry laws. In 2015, 12.8 million Americans had
concealed-carry permits according to the Crime Prevention Research Center. This number will only continue to grow and Black Friday is only proof of that. This year on the Friday after Thanksgiving, The Trace reported the FBI completed more gun background checks than on any other day in U.S. history. Those who support the Right-to-Carry campaign believe it’s their right due to the Second Amendment. The Second Amendment may be argued over, but it’s hard to agree with the freedom of guns knowing the damage they have caused in the United States within the past year. On June 12, 2016, 50 people were killed and another 53 were left injured after a man shot up the Orlando, Florida Pulse Nightclub. This was the deadliest reported mass shooting in the U.S. In 2016, alone there has been 446 mass shootings that involved four or more people being injured or killed according to the Mass Shooting Tracker. The Harvard Injury Control Research Center reported, “gun availability is a risk factor for homicide, both in the United States and across high-income countries.”
The same study also says more guns lead to more police homicides. In the U.S., gun availability is a problem. It has heavily contributed to the 142 school shootings that have taken place just since 2013. According to Mother Jones Magazine, more than 80 percent of mass shooters attain their guns legally. Making concealed carry weapons more accessible may help with citizens personal feeling of safety, but it may also increase shootings. The specific Right-to-Carry law the NRA wants to pass includes forcing nonconcealed carry states to recognize concealed carry state’s permits. The NRA’s website says that the law should allow the “right to carry concealed handguns when away from home without a permit, or with a permit issued by a state to an applicant who meets requirements established by the state legislature.” The easiest defense for concealed carry weapons is they are used for selfdefense. However, the Violence Policy Center has released new reports claiming that private citizens rarely use personal firearms to stop crimes or kill criminals.
It also states “private citizens use guns to harm themselves or others far more often than to kill in self-defense.” Although America has the right to bear arms in its constitution, we have to understand there are limits on everything. Laws and rules are what keep our world from chaos. After the slew of shootings in 2016, it’s nearly universally understood there is a problem with firearms in the U.S. Many people believe the current U.S. stance on gun control is not working and that there are only two extreme options for change, which include getting rid of guns or allowing them without limits. Until we can see real changes in the statistics of what personal firearms are used for, changes shouldn’t be made. There needs to be more research done on the subject before the government jumps to any conclusions. The NRA may have positive intentions, but there could be dire consequences to their actions, which America is not ready to handle. Hopefully, Congress will take their time in making such a potentially harmful decision.
News
Page 4
Dec. 6 - Dec. 12, 2016
sonomastatestar.com
SSU Chicano Studies lecturer elected as Santa Rosa Junior College trustee Tyler Heberle Staff Writer
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lthough the U.S. presidential election has left many Sonoma State students confused and concerned for the future of our nation, a local election may provide hope for the underrepresented students of Sonoma County. Mariana Martinez, a Chicano and Latino studies lecturer who serves as the McNair Scholars Program research coordinator at Sonoma State University, was recently elected to the Santa Rosa Junior College Board of Trustees. Martinez will be one of three trustees representing the 3-4-5 district, which includes Santa Rosa, Cotati and Rohnert Park. Martinez was running against two incumbents for one of two available trustee positions. Martinez went up against the current President of the SRJC Board of Trustees Don Edgar and Richard W. Call, Board of Trustee representative for District 3-4-5, who has been on the board for 24 years. Martinez reeled in 35.7 percent of votes, while Edgar received 34 percent and Call received 30.3 percent of the votes. Martinez will be the first Latina to be elected to the board. In addition, Martinez will be the second woman of color and the 10 th woman overall to serve on the board. In a Nov. 17 Facebook post addressing her supporters Martinez wrote; “There is a lot that’s still being processed in my own head of where we’re going and where we stand.” Martinez expressed a plethora of emotions winning the board position the same day as the election of Donald Trump. “I think it also comes with a greater responsibility in terms of… the next steps, especially because I’m so focused on student needs,” Martinez said. “That includes a lot of the population that the presidentelect has very much verbally attacked throughout his campaign.” Martinez believes the public education system is also at risk under the incoming Trump administration She expressed the importance for the trustees to educate themselves on higher education policies in light of “a president-elect who is trying to have the secretary of education be someone who doesn’t necessarily believe in public education.” Martinez is referring to Betsy DeVos, a billionaire who has previously worked to expand charter schools and school voucher programs as part of the American Federation for Children, according to a
Nov. 23 Politico article. “The other part of it is… trying to engage with the student needs [and] fears,” Martinez said, later adding, “If it was hard before to be a trustee, under this new administration it’s just layered with additional work.” Martinez was only in third place for her position when she went to bed on election night, but woke up Nov. 9 to around 10 text messages telling her she had reached first place and won. “That was an interesting morning,” Martinez said. “I got calls from some of the trustees and I ended up meeting with two of them that weekend.” One of the trustees who met with Martinez was Maggie Fishman of District 2, which contains Petaluma and Penngrove. She said that the job of trustee is “harder than it seems.” But Fishman said Martinez cares very much about student success and accessibility, and approved of her election. “I think she’ll be a great addition to the board,” Fishman said. Daniel Smith, director of the McNair Scholars Program, said he thinks Martinez has unique qualifications to be a trustee. “Having an experienced educator on the board, having a Latina on the board, those are pretty big things,” Smith said. Though Martinez won’t be officially sworn in to her new position until Dec. 13, she said she is prepared to work with the $400 million bond meant to strengthen Santa Rosa Junior College facilities. This bond was approved in 2014 under Measure H, and can be used to fund any infrastructure or buildings used by the school. Martinez said she also plans to bring two issues to the forefront: student housing, and the lack of fulltime enrollment at Santa Rosa Junior College. Martinez believes transportation, high housing costs in Sonoma County, and students stuck taking remedial courses all factor into the latter problem. “Five years is becoming the time frame to graduate from college, but when you’re at community college and you’re there for four years, and you still can’t move forward, your full-time enrollment will be affected,” Martinez said. Martinez also hopes to improve Santa Rosa Junior College’s Dream Center, a safe space for undocumented students, by adding office space where these students can voice their concerns. She expressed her
Facebook.com Mariana Martinez, pictured above, won a Board of Trustees position at the Santa Rosa Junior College by earning 35.7 percent of the votes desire for the Dream Center to have more structured faculty involvement. Despite Martinez’s new responsibilities as trustee, she will still serve as project coordinator at McNair Scholars Program, which she considers her “bread and butter.” When she’s not attending board meetings on the second Tuesday of each month, she will teach a Chicano/Latino youth and adolescents class at Sonoma State during the spring 2017 semester. Martinez said she looks forward to putting educational policies into practice at Santa Rosa Junior College “as a collective, versus individually.” “I think Mariana has a lot of ability, she has a really good and unique background, and she’s very passionate about what she’s doing,” Smith said. “Put all that together, and I expect her to continue to be a really
CAMPUS UPDATES MERCURY REMOVAL IN PROCESS
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he Sonoma State University Phyical Education Weight room was found to contain traces of mercury last summer after the school was replacing the carpet. Testing is now over in the Sonoma State Physical Education 6 Weight Room funded by the Athletic Department and work has begun on the weight room.
“The work is now underway to remove the padding in the gym and ensure the space is cleared of
mercury,” says Craig Dawson, director of Energy/Environmental Health & Safety at Sonoma State University. “We are still doing everything we can to have this room back in use by mid-January to avoid any additional impacts to the use of the space by our students, athletes, faculty, or staff.” STAR // Francisco Carbajal
NO NEW LEADS IN BODY FOUND AT SSU
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he Sonoma County Sheriff’s office is steadily investigating the murder of Kirk Kimberly, whose body was found by a SSU landscaper in a makeshift grave on Nov. 2 by the Green Music Center. The Sheriff’s Office concluded that the crime was a homicide as Kimberly’s body was stabbed multiple times. Kimberly was an 18-year-old recent Rancho
Cotate High School graduate. Investigators are looking for a white Cannondale mountain bike and a Bose Soundlink III speaker box as part of the investigation. Kimberly is thought to have been traveling on the bike before his death. The Bose speaker is something that Kimberly was often in possession of and detectives believe the speaker and the bike may help lead to a suspect in the murder of Kimberly. If you have any information please contact Detective Joe Horsman at 707‑565‑2185. STAR // Francisco Carbajal
POLICE CONTINUE INVESTIGATION FOR GMC SEXUAL ASSAULT
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he Sonoma State STAR reported in an issue earlier this semester about a sexual assault that occured after the Chris Young concert on Sept. 24 that brought thousands to the Green Music Center. Sonoma State Police and Safety Services are still seeking help from the community in identifying the man who is a person of interest in the on-going investigation.
The assault took place on the Weill Hall lawn around 9 p.m.. The suspect is described as a white, male adult between 20-25 years of age, 6 feet tall and weighing approximately 190 pounds. The victim did not know her attacker. Anyone with any fur-
ther information is urged to contact Sonoma State Police and Safety Services at 707-664-4444.
STAR // Joseph Encinas
News
Dec. 6 - Dec. 12, 2016
sonomastatestar.com
Emily Hinton committed to opening Dream Center Ronald Campos Staff Writer Editor’s Note: A version of this story appeared in our Nov. 15 edition and included numerous errors. We are republishing the story here with the mistakes corrected.
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s Sonoma State University students finish their fall semester, many undocumented students continue to struggle with receiving the proper resources needed to successfully navigate through college. Also undocumented students are left in limbo given the election of a president who has vowed to remove many undocumented immigrants from the nation. “With the election results, I think it’s incredibly important to provide this space and resource for undocumented students that are probably facing a lot of fear right now,” says Associated Students President Emily Hinton. To complicate matters, plans for a Dream Center to aid these studies appears caught in limbo as well. Although plans for such a Dream Center have been in the works for Sonoma State since February, the administration has not officially designated a space for it The office space in the HUB has been eyed as a possible site, but no final decision has been made to be a potential pick. The Academic Senate had established a goal for opening the Dream Center by this semester. In order to fund a Dream Center, Sonoma State would likely need to increase its student fees. The reason being student fees have always been a way to fund on-campus programs and services, by getting students to
contribute would be an easy way to get the Dream Center to open. Although there has not been a decision made on the budget, it’s a possibility student fees may be used to fund the Dream Center. This fee would be reviewed by the Fee Advisory Committee and then put out to a vote of the students for an advisory fee referendum (unless alternative consultation is used) which ultimately influences President Judy K. Sakaki’s recommendation to the chancellor of the CSU who is granted authority to develop Category II fees. Associated Students play no formal role in the process – the students get to vote for themselves. Despite having scholarships like Equal Opportunity Program for undocumented students to live on campus, they still lack proper guidance, officials say. As of right now, many undocumented students rely on EOP as a resource for providing networks around the community. For example, EOP introduces undocumented recipients to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals workshops where they learn how to apply for a work permit and receive an exemption from deportation. For many other undocumented students interested in pursuing graduate school, it can be extremely difficult without the proper resources or guidance. If Sonoma State were to open the Dream Center soon, undocumented students like Flores believe they would gain guidance through workshops for applying to graduate school. President of Sonoma State University Dr. Judy K. Sakaki and President of Associated Students Emily Hinton have both said they are committed to getting the Dream Center up and running.
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NEWS IN BRIEF
OAKLAND At least 33 people are dead after a warehouse fire filled with people attending a Friday night concert went up in flames. The Oakland Fire Department was called to the scene of the deadliest fire in Oakland since 1991 at 11:32 p.m., and since putting the fire out, have searched through about 80 percent of the buildling, but had to stop due to unsafe conditions. District Attorney Nancy O’ Malley says that some possible charges for the fire include murder and involuntary manslaughter, but that is speculation at this point.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON Amazon.com has unveiled a new cashierless convenience store called Amazon Go in the company’s hometown of Seattle. The store uses artificial intelligence and sensors to track which items are taken off the shelves and consumers can simply walk out the store without having to go through a check out lane. According to the Wall Street Journal, Amazon hopes to open up 2,000 grocery and convenience stores of the same nature throughout the United States, eventually attempting to compete with Wal Mart and Target.
NORTH CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA In April 2015, former Police Officer Michael Slager fatally shot unarmed Walter Scott after Scott fled from a routine traffic stop. The trial has ended in a mistrial due to the jury not being able to come to a unanimous verdict. One juror refused to convict Slager, which led to 22 hours of deliberation that resulted in a “deadlock.” State prosectors say they plan on revisiting the case.
Rio De Janiero, Brazil Thousands of protesters adorned in green and yellow, the colors of the Brazilian flag, lined the streets on Sunday to express their dissatisfaction with public corruption and attempts by lawmakers to silence judges and prosecutors pursuing those crimes. Supporters of Sergio Moro, the judge who is leading Operation Car Wash, an investigation into a kickback scheme, or negotiated bribery, involving the national oil company, construction conglomerates and politicans clogged major areas of San Paolo.
ROHNERT PARK On Monday around noon, a female victim showed up at the Rohnert Park Police Department to report that her estranged husband has sexually assaulted her. The suspect, identified as Rigoberto Garcia-Vallarta, 45, was still in the apartment complex in his vehicle armed with a rifle. The suspect saw police and fled into his apartment with two more people with an unknown amount of weapons. After one hour and 15 minutes, the suspect surrendured and was taken into custondy
CAMPUS CRIME
DATE
Crime
Location
STATUS
November 10, 2016
Criminal Threats
Campus
Referred to Title IX Investigator
November 16, 2016
Sexual Battery / Rape
November 19, 2016
Public Disturbance / Physical Altercation
November 21, 2016
Petty Theft
Verdot Village
Recreation Center
Residential Halls
Referred to District Attorney Referred to Judicial Affairs Closed
Page 6
Arts
Dec. 6 - Dec. 12, 2016
sonomastatestar.com
‘The Bluebird’ takes flight into the holiday season Noe Felix Staff Writer
Review
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t’s that time of year again, where the holiday spirit of joy and cheer is in the air. Where it’s inevitable to avoid Christmas carols or decorations for miles on end. This time of year also means there’s an insane amount of Christmas stories being told. Sonoma State University’s “The Bluebird” is one of those stories. The Department of Theater Arts and Dance put together a story revolving around a boy named Tyler on the verge of moving on Christmas Eve. Everything has gone downhill in Tyler’s life. His father has passed away, his mother has been working long hours and overall, Tyler feels lonely. On this very night, Tyler’s mom has to work overnight to make end’s meet and his mother leaves him with a nanny to watch over him. One thing leads to another and it turns out the nanny is actually a fairy on the search for a Bluebird in Tyler’s home. Unbeknownst to this, Tyler assures her there is no such thing is in his house. The fairy then sends Tyler, along with his best friend/dog Tylo, on a journey to find the Bluebird in a far away land. The show starred Carlos G. Rodriguez as Tyler. Rodriguez put on a great performance thanks to his range, being able to switch between a broad range of emotions in an instant. On top of that, Rodriguez had one believable British accent that added a certain charm to him. However, Allan Chornak as Tylo and the Duke of Luxury was truly the highlight of all the performances. Chornak’s interpretation of Tylo was energetic and fun, furthermore, brought most of the big laughs, if not all the laughs, of the play. Chornak was truly committed to playing his character and really channeled his inner dog. By contrast, his role as the Duke of Luxury was arrogant and pompous, but equally as funny. His presence on stage was stoic and showcased that he could juggle two roles eloquently. “The Bluebird” had some truly inspiring set design that are sure to pass everyone’s expectations. Despite the talent of its stars and great set design, the play did suffer from some flaws.
There were some obvious set glitches scattered throughout the show that really took viewers out of the experience. Thankfully, the actors never let it break their performances. In addition to technical hiccups, it was bothersome that the backstage crew would visibly come on stage to remove props during the middle of a scene. Often times, people in the audience found themselves looking more at the backstage crew than the actors. The story was also a little hard to follow and there was often too much going on at once to properly let the scene sink in. In addition, the performance felt rushed at times and didn’t allow the characters to properly develop. Despite the great performances from Rodriguez and Chornak, some of the acting from the rest of the cast left something to be desired. Some of the interpretations were too over the top and felt cheesy at times.
COURTESY // David Papas From left to right, Rosemarie Kingfisher as Mrs. Lune/Berylune, Carlos G. Rodriguez as Tyler and Olivia Mohr as Mum.
The Weeknd channels Michael Jackson in ‘Starboy’ Alexis Austin Staff Writer
Review facebook.com “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” has earned $505 million globally in the two weeks since its release.
‘Fantastic Beasts’ welcomes fans back into the wizarding world Gerard Desrosiers Staff Writer
Review
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his year has been a rough one, to say the least. For most, it’s the perfect time for the wizarding world of Harry Potter to come around to help alleviate some of the heaviness the real-world can accumulate as the New Year approaches. You’d think by now, us muggles would learn to suppress our addiction to this unhealthy escapism, but sadly, it’s not that easy. Wizards, witches and wands are our drugs. And J.K. Rowling is our dealer. This time around, the next fix takes form as a prequel to the original Harry Potter series and Rowling’s screenwriting debut with “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” An overall solid entry to the magical pantheon. However, longtime fans of the series can’t help but shake the feeling the movie is missing the bewitching charm Harry’s story developed within the halls of Hogwarts. That’s because “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” lacks atmosphere. With the original series, fans were taken to the magical world—and yes, I get that the concept was fresh and new and the initial feeling of being thrown through the walls of Platform 9 ¾ will never be recreated. But when an imaginative, fictional world created of almost entirely new things is traded for 1920s era New York, there’s a noticeable distance between a world to be discovered and one we already have. Alternatively, there are new additions to the arsenal a wizard has in “Beasts,” and whether it be new hypnotic incantations or creatures only a mind like Rowling’s could come up with, it’s refreshing to see the universe being expanded upon. The characters are fleshed out as well. The story is based off a textbook Harry had to get for a class in the original series, only referenced a handful of times so the initial source material must have been limited. But
Rowling did what she does best and with the short time she’s been equipped with to tell her new tale, her best development is shown in her new cast of characters. However, the story does little to give these characters some breathing room to evolve at a comfortable pace. Unlike the original cast—who, again, had a whole middle and high school education’s length to develop—the “Beasts” crew feels crammed into the first installment of an already planned trilogy. It’s sad to say, but sitting in the theater watching the movie, much of the new story came off as an expansion rather than a new implementation of old ideas. Where too many things were the same and unchanged—story template, bad guys, the opposing Ministry of Magic—all felt like they were left untouched, save for an accent change. And after some time has passed, fans seem to agree. Ever since its Nov. 18 release, “Beasts” has completely destroyed the box office, doubling its budget in the opening week alone. Critics have also been singing its praise, with a “certified fresh” badge being flaunted on nearly every TV commercial for the film. But as the weeks go on and the premiere date is further and further away, people have begun to realize the cracks in the narrative since the dust has settled. Blog entries, YouTube videos and tweets by the thousands have been picking apart the new film for all its inconsistencies and flaws that can be found throughout the two-hour run time; perhaps proving to fans that Rowling has overstayed her welcome with the childhood tale she no longer has the head and heart for. But I don’t think that’s the case. There’s enough here for something big, something new. The dissonance between the original films and this one is noticeable, but not devastating. Now that Rowling has her footing in a new era of the Harry Potter universe, the only thing fans can do is have a little faith, grab their stock-made wands and wait. There’s something magical here and as the title explains, it’s just knowing where to look.
A
t the age of 17, Abel Tesfaye dropped out of high school with his best friend LaMar Taylor and left his mother’s home in Toronto, taking only his mattress with him. His mother, Samra, an Ethiopian immigrant who fled to Canada from civil war and drought, sought a better life for her son. Nine years later, Tesfaye, more commonly known as The Weeknd, is a world-renowned alternative R&B artist and has just released his fourth ultra successful album “Starboy” with 32.8 million daily streams on Spotify according to musiccally.com. The Weeknd would not have gotten this far if he didn’t possess such a raw talent, creative vision and the element of mystery. For a long time, he allowed his music and his personality to be separate entities. He avoided interviews and performances. The only images available of him were obscure and un-illuminated; he let his music speak for itself. This is a part of what propelled him so rapidly into stardom. Fans found themselves more interested in a music that was absolutely elusive. “Starboy,” released Nov. 25, was greatly anticipated by long-time fans because this work has managed to achieve a flawless blend between the old Weeknd and the new. His first album “Trilogy,” a remastered collection of his first three mixtapes, “House of Balloons,” “Thursday,” and “Echoes of Silence” from 2011, was extremely distinct. It introduced the world to an entirely new sounding music, with new age electronic sounding beats, influences from rock and Tesfaye’s smooth, exotic and almost eerie sounding voice that seemed to float above the tracks in an ambient, atmospheric fashion. The music allotted listeners into the Weeknd’s world of couch-surfing, sly
romance and questionable morals. His music after this became less risky, and the artist began to cross over into radio-hit template, bringing in more pop sounds and a new ambition: to be the next Michael Jackson. After the Pop hit “I Can’t Feel My Face” and others brought him in further to the mainstream, Tesfaye has deemed it now safe to bring back more of his original sound; “Starboy” embodies this notion. On the album, the song “A Lonely Night” literally sounds like every Michael Jackson song, with a drum beat exactly like the one in “Billie Jean.” The Weeknd had to have at least one token Michael Jackson like song; he loves to do that style and to mix it with his own. A few other songs are less of this but still huge dance hits. “Rockin’,” “Secrets” and “Love to Lay” are all really upbeat and reminiscent of 80s disco. The tempo significantly slows back to his trademark flow in some of the other tracks, such as “All I Know” with “Future,” “Ordinary Life,” and my personal favorite, “Reminder.” “Every time you try to forget who I am/ I’ll be right there to remind you again/ you know me,” Tesfaye sings in “Reminder.” This translates as a direct and personal message to his most genuine fans that know how far he has come and question if he has changed. Much of the rest of the album is a more diverse range of sounds. “Party Monster” and “Six Feet Under,” a song that contains interpolations from “Low Life,” denote Trap music, while the enthralling collaborations with Daft Punk “I Feel it Coming” and the previously released single “Starboy” are very different. They are both a bit Michael Jackson sounding again but it also carries the infamous funky Daft Punk groove and bright melody. Before the publication of “Starboy,” the Weeknd released a 12-minute short film featuring five songs from the 18-track album. The film, “Mania,” demonstrates much of his vision for the music and provides a partial visual component to the album.
facebook.com The Weeknd released “Starboy” Nov. 25.
Entertainment
Dec. 6 - Dec. 12, 2016
sonomastatestar.com
Page 7
‘Moana’ makes a splash Sean Curzon Staff Writer
Review
D COURTESY // Sophia Larsen Sophia Larsen, a fourth-year art studio major, focuses in etchings and lithographs.
Student pursues lifelong artistic passion Sam Evans Staff Writer
M
ost young children don’t have a clear idea of what they want to do when they grow up. If they do, their plans for the future rarely reflect what they actually end up doing. There are however, the occasional people who discover their passion at a young age and actively pursue it all the way into adulthood. Sonoma State University student Sophia Larsen was one such child. Larsen is a fourth-year art studio major and she has known about her love for art since her youth. “I’ve been doing art since I was really little. I remember being in elementary school and making art in class,” said Larsen. “One time, my teacher asked, ‘Do you want to do art when you grow up?’ and I said, ‘I can do that?’” Larsen partially attributes her passion for art to the way that she was raised. She went to a Montessori elementary school that helped foster her creativity. In addition to attending a school that focused on art, both of Larsen’s parents are artists. Her dad has a master’s degree in ceramics, and her mom studied ceramics as well. Because of this, Larsen has always had encouragement in her creative endeavors. Not only did Larsen’s unique childhood contribute to her general interest in art, but it also served as an inspiration for the works that she’s creating today. “I’ve been making a lot of art right now that’s reflecting on my childhood which is an easy subject to delve into,” said Larsen. “I feel like I had a really interesting childhood.” The pieces that Larsen is making today are primarily etchings and lithographs. “I’ve always drawn with pens, but now I’m a printmaker, so I draw using a needle,” said Larsen. “There’s no way to shade per-se. It’s all about line work and line weight. With etching and lithographs, you can achieve an aesthetic with that you can’t get with anything else. The vocabulary of mark making is very specific.” When looking at her work, it’s easy to understand the unique aesthetic she is talking about. Larsen’s art is characterized by detailed line work, hatched shading and pronounced textures. Her more recent work deals with themes of gender identity, childhood and gluttony. She talked about how she is doing a series about tools and how the socially imposed concept of masculinity associates tools with manliness. On the other hand, she has a series called “Girlhood” which focuses on portraits, flowers and vehicles. The final series that Larsen is currently working on is titled “Gluttony.” As the title suggests, this series deals with gluttonous, hedonistic and promiscuous behavior. One of the works titled “Date Night Essentials” features a hamburger, french fries and a large phallus. Another titled “Saturday Mornings” has a plate of food, a fork, a glass of water and a gag or muzzle that connotes some sort of erotic BDSM. Larsen seems to be working with the juxtaposition between food and sexual deviancy for this series. “On a personal level, I get a lot of gratification just from making things. I really like cooking and sewing and anything when I get to make something,” said Larsen. “Also, I’d like to encourage a creative environment because I think society needs creative people in it.”
COURTESY // Sophia Larsen An original piece by Larsen titled “All Clamped Up.”
isney has unleashed another animated hit on the world. “Moana” follows the adventures of the titular princess as she travels with the demi-god Maui to restore the heat of the goddess Te Fiti. The film boasts Disney’s first Polynesian princess. “Moana” has received critical praise and financial success currently earning $84 million globally. The film is yet another triumph for the Disney Animation Studio. Moana (Auli’I Cravalho) is the daughter of the chief of the island of Motunui. Moana wants to explore the ocean, but her father forbids it. But when the islands start to die, Moana discovers the demi-god Maui (Dwayne Johnson) stole the heart of Te Fiti, the goddess of life. Moana sets out to find Maui and convince him to help her to restore Te Fiti and the world. Maui is armed with a magical fish hook that allows him to shapeshift into different animals. The story is reminiscent of classical mythology. The pair travel with a destination in mind and they happen to run into monsters and villains along the way. The interplay between Moana and Maui is fun and refreshingly lacking in romance. On the journey, they are joined by Moana’s pet chicken Heihei and the ocean itself. The film makes the ocean into a character and it works. The ocean acts as a guide to the adventuring duo and has some of the bests bits of physical comedy. Johnson is perfect as the brash demigod. His voice encompasses all the charm and ego that is Maui. Cravalho is great as the young and eager Moana. She finds the perfect balance between confidence and uncertainty that the character calls for. Maui is an actual demi-god in many Polynesian cultures and the film does reference
some of the stories that surround Maui. The film is directed by Disney veterans Ron Clements and John Musker. They have directed “The Great Mouse Detective,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin,” “Hercules,” “Treasure Planet” and “The Princess and the Frog.” This is their first computer animated movie but you wouldn’t have known it. The animation is gorgeous. The colors pop with life. The Pacific Ocean and the islands look breathtaking. This movie also has some of the best hair animation in a movie in a while. They wet hair looks like actual wet hair. The water animation is fast and fluid. It helps makes the ocean feel like an actual character. The songs were written by Opetaia Foa’I, Mark Mancina and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Miranda wrote the Pulitzer prize winning musical “Hamilton.” The songs are fun and catchy and are infused with a Polynesian feel. Johnson is a surprisingly good singer, with his song “You’re Welcome” being a highlight in the film. Cravalho is an amazing singer. Her voice brings the music to life. The film lacks the emotional impact of Disney Animation Studio’s more recent outings like this year’s “Zootopia” or 2013 “Frozen,” but is still a great story about discovering yourself and your cultural heritage. “Moana” is an amazing film that’s great for the whole family.
facebook.com “Moana” earned $28.4 million its opening weekend.
facebook.com “Legends of the Hidden Temple” aired on Nickelodeon Nov. 26.
‘Legends of the Hidden Temple’ makes its nostalgic return Alex T. Randolph Staff Writer
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Commentary
ong ago, in a distant time period known only as the 90s, Nickelodeon had game shows for kids. Among classics such as “Guts” and “Double Dare,” there was “Legends of the Hidden Temple,” where kids competed for the chance to enter the eponymous temple and retrieve a faux-historical artifact for prizes. The show today is remembered by Millennials for its vaguely ancient Mayan theme, the giant animatronic stone head voiced by Dee Bradley Baker that provided exposition, and the fact that almost no one ever beat the temple. Nickelodeon has unearthed the old show as the basis for a TV movie. “Temple” wastes no time in setting up the plot; elder sister Sadie (Isabela Moner) middle child Noah (Colin Critchley) and little brother Dudley (Jet Jurgensmeyer) are all on the tour for the Legends of the Hidden Temple theme park. Noah is obsessed with the program, and is determined to prove that the legendary temple is real. And not even ten minutes in, he gets his wish. After receiving a map and some exposition from Kirk Fogg, the theme park’s tour guide and real-life host for the original show, the kids are promptly dumped into the set of the Hidden Temple. Naturally, we soon find that what appeared to be a prop is in fact a real magic temple, complete with Olmec, the eponymous talking stone head, now computer animated instead of animatronic, but still voiced by Baker. Now, the kids must brave the perils of the
Hidden Temple, retrieve the MacGuffin - here called the Life Pendant - and return it to its rightful place. Only then will the Temple open, and the ancient race trapped within be free at last. Just to make things more interesting, evil temple guards are there too, determined to take the Pendant for themselves. That’s about it for the plot. A generic set of kids race to save an ancient society of what appears to be strangely caucasian-looking Mayans. Complete with generous heapings of kid-appropriate mortal peril, and nostalgia for the older group. This is an inherently silly concept. The heroes and villains outside from the kids are so one-note, they barely get any speaking lines. The kids themselves are little more than standard kid tropes, with Noah as the reckless hero, Saide as the responsible one, and Dudley as the comedic relief who’s occasionally helpful. The whole film is little more than a thinlyveiled excuse to get a bunch of kids on an Indiana Jones-slash-Goonies style adventure. But to its credit, the movie seems to know this, and wants you know it too. We establish that early on, when Dudley befriends a green monkey – literally, a monkey that’s been photoshopped green – and learns its name is Mickey. Not because the green monkey is magic or anything, but because Dudley can speak, in his own words, “Millipede, monkey and a little mouse.” Never mind how, he just can. Sure, why not? And that really sums up the whole movie. It knows perfectly well it doesn’t hold up to scrutiny, so it cheerfully invites you to not overthink things and just enjoy the set pieces, the “descent for child actors” performances and the callbacks to the original “Temple,” of which there are a lot.
Page 8
Student Life
Dec. 6 - Dec. 12, 2016
sonomastatestar.com
STAR // Bryce Dowd Sonoma State University students looking for holiday activites may not have to travel far to find the festivities. Attractions including holiday plays, lighting displays and tree lighting ceremonies provide students with options to celebrate the holidays.
Take a break from finals with festive, free fun Katie Haga Staff Writer
Commentary
N
ow that we’re done stuffing our faces with Thanksgiving food, it’s officially time for the holidays. Although for many, Christmas music began filling households as early as Nov. 1, it’s now acceptable to blast Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” 24/7. With the air getting crisper, temperatures dropping and winter break being around the corner, there are tons of activities in Sonoma County to really put you in the holiday spirit. Despite the fact that finals are next week and being away from family during this time of year may be difficult, don’t let that stop you from exploring the holiday festivities the area has to offer. From Christmas tree lightings in Cotati and Windsor, to ice skating at Union Square in San Francisco, there is much to do. For those who celebrate the holidays, the festivities offered are a great way to continue or even start new traditions. For sophomore and Rohnert Park
native Rachael Zschach, traditions are very important and she will continue her traditions for years to come. Talking about her favorite and most cherished holiday habits Zschach gave tips as to which local holiday activities are worth while. “The best tree lighting is definitely in Windsor, everyone from Sonoma County goes,” Zschach said. “Although there is no snow, you can still feel the holiday spirit around town with the houses and stores decorated.” Many cities surrounding Rohnert Park decorate their streets with lights and tinsel setting the festive mood. You know it’s officially the holiday season when the trees down Rohnert Park Expressway are decorated with luminous Christmas lights making you feel as if you’re surrounded by a dozen giant Christmas trees. Other cities like Healdsburg continue their beloved seasonal tradition with bright street decor, Christmas trees lighting the plaza and holiday window displays. Along with the beautifully decorated streets, visitors partake in spiced teas and hot chocolate while listening to holiday tunes performed by carolers. Holiday fans may even consider taking
a ride in a horse-drawn carriage. The event takes place throughout the whole month of December so you can go multiple times to get your fill of holiday cheer. Other activities include the Petaluma Marina boat parade, which will be held on Dec. 17 at 6 p.m., where boats decorated with Christmas lights make their way down the river illuminating the night and attracting crowds. There are also traditional holiday performances such as “A Charlie Brown Christmas Concert,” where the Santa Rosa Symphony and pianist Jim Martinez, along with his quartet, perform songs from the “Peanuts” to commend Charles M. Schulz for his work. The performance will be held at Luther Burbank Center for the Arts in Santa Rosa on Dec. 11 at 3 p.m. with ticket prices ranging from $37-$80. For more information visit lutherburbankcenter.org. The holiday classic “The Nutcracker” will be performed right here in Rohnert Park as well, at the Spreckles Performing Arts Center Dec. 18- 20. For more information about this performance visit santarosadancetheater.com. If you’re on a college student budget not looking to spend much money, while staying close to campus, you can visit a
house known for its spectacular display of lights. Open daily from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. until Dec. 25, is the house that won first place on the 2014 ABC television competition “The Great Christmas Light Fight.” The house, with its large display of lights and handcrafted Disney characters, is located at 1190 Cielo Circle. “I went to this house last year and it was amazing. You could see the lights from down the street and all of the handcrafted Disney characters made it so much better,” sophomore Abigail Bulnes said. “I can’t wait to go again this year.” With neighbors selling hot chocolate on the corner and children yelling out with holiday spirit, it somehow makes you feel a little closer to home though you may still be far away. This house is a highly recommended Christmas light destination, even more so since this is the last year the display will be set up. If you’ve never experienced this magical house be sure you do this holiday season. Finals may seem to put a damper on things but with the several different festive activities throughout Sonoma County it’s easy to keep those holiday spirits high.
Queer author, activist Nia King promotes LGBTQ artists Amanda Buth Staff Writer
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en and Paper: two things that are made for each other. Nia King has developed a leadership role among queer and transgender women by spreading social justice for feminism around the world. King’s determination and perseverance for this cause leaves little doubt that she is the correct position. King is a queer, mixed race, illustrator and activist from Boston, Massachusetts. Last Thursday in Stevenson Hall, King presented her most recent book, “Queer and Trans Artists of Color” to students and staff participating in the Feminist Lecture Series, hosted by the Women and Gender Studies Department. King identifies as a mixed-race queer woman of color and understands first hand that women are not all alike. With our culture slowly diverting away from our constant ideals and turning to a diverse culture, King sheds light that is necessary for the acceptance of a growing community. “I feel my first book isn’t like any other novel out there.
It’s unique in the way that it’s not about queer, transgender, and [women of color] but it is written by them. I get asked to speak at colleges and the thought that my work and its importance is being seen is everything,” said King. According to King, she felt it was difficult at first when interviewing different women in the world for her book because a lot that was said could have been taken negatively by other women. “I felt a huge responsibility to my community and also to my readers. I wanted information to be understood and when writing my first book I didn’t want certain phrases to be taken offensively,” said King. It was difficult not to make any serious mistakes when publishing her first novel. Even when finishing her book, King struggled with publishing her work. After hearing a friend having their book about pizza published with the popular publishing company, Simon and Schuster, King tried contacting them for similar assistance for her own novel. Within a short period of time King heard back from the company saying her novel was too much of a risk for
them and that they wouldn’t be publishing her book. “I think it’s good for her not letting anyone, including publishing companies stop her from putting her work out there letting readers hear not only her own story but others as well. I’m so glad stuff like this is coming out in the open and being hear about because this isn’t something you hear about everyday,” said sophomore Belen Aguilar. “This is the kind of stuff that lives in the shadows and because of her it is brought back into the light.” The initial experience of her book not getting published was crushing, but also gave her more determination than ever according to King. She explained the value of independence. The freedom of having complete creative control has led her to publishing useful information on queer and transgender women without fear of limitations. “I have personal relationships with the individual readers that are interested in my book. I receive great pleasure with individually mailing the copies of my book. I wouldn’t be able to do that if I was owned by a big publisher, so I’m happy I didn’t go down that path,” King said.
STAR // Nickey Homen LGBTQ activist and author Nia King spoke to an audience at Sonoma State University last Thursday as guest lecturer for the Feminist Lecture Series.
Student Life
Dec. 6 - Dec. 12, 2016
sonomastatestar.com
Page 9
Exam pressures demand de-stress with campus programs Sara Citti Staff Writer
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inal exams are a part of every college student’s life. These tests are a large portion of the final grade, often accounting for 20 percent to 50 percent of the gradebook. If one doesn’t perform well on these exams it can jeopardize their grade and even lead to the failing of a class. These high pressure exams can cause students to experience symptoms of severe stress such as mood changes, loss of appetite and even illness. For students at Sonoma State University there are many resources that help alleviate the pressures of finals. One resource students find helpful during finals week is Counseling and Psychological Services, also known
as CAPS. Students can make an appointment with CAPS by scheduling a one-on-one appointment by calling (707)664-2153. The hours for these individual sessions are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. CAPS also offers drop in counseling hours for those who have had a difficult day, are in a sudden crisis or are experiencing stress from anything else. This service is offered weekdays from noon until 1 p.m. and Monday through Thursday from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. CAPS is a program that is available for more than just finals week and can be utilized for free by every student at Sonoma State. “I have been to Sonoma State’s Counseling and Psychological Services program before for finals week and other times throughout the semester when
I have felt like I needed help getting a weight lifted off my shoulders,” junior Andrew Maybo said. CAPS also has tools online to help students facing hardships or more general problems. These tools include helpful apps and an online mental health screening test. Some students enjoy working out to get their mind off of looming exams. The campus rec center offers a multitude of classes during the last few weeks of the semester. These classes range from 45 to 60 minutes in length, and include anything from yoga to spin, and even kick boxing. Working out allows the body to produce endorphins, allowing the brain to be ‘happier’ and a person’s mood to dramatically shift after relieving pressure. “Getting to the gym is a must for me during finals week. It allows me to take
time for myself away from all my hard studying and provides me with a happy, positive outcome,” said junior Sara Van Wagoner. Students can find hours of operation for the gym and times of classes online or by visiting the rec center. Most students at Sonoma State are able to focus better and de-stress by getting their work and studying done in the library. The library is a great tool to utilize during finals week. The first floor will be open 24-hours during finals week, with the second floor open from 7:30 a.m. until midnight. “I think that I would have a more [successful] finals week if my teachers did review sections, study guides or narrowed down exactly what we needed to know for exams,” said junior Amber Rodarte. “Usually they are too broad with what they expect us to know.”
Students lose control with guest hypnotist Kitana Gachero Staff Writer
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magine being subjected to controlling your own body, but not having the power to control your own mind. This characterizes the general feeling of hypnosis. “Who here would like to be hypnotized,” said Gabriel Holmes, a well-known hypnotist hosting a show at Sonoma State University last Friday. Mainstream media has sensationalized hypnosis as waving an object in front of one’s face until they are consciously-unconscious committing acts they normally wouldn’t do if they were awake. According to Dictionary.com, hypnosis is defined as an artificially induced trance state resembling sleep, characterized by heightened susceptibility to suggestion. Holmes uses the aspect of suggestion to entertain and enlighten crowds all over the country, some of which including colleges, corporate events, comedy clubs and graduation parties. “Buying something on impulse and being in a movie theater are both forms of hypnosis,” Holmes said. “Who has driven past your house without knowing you drove
past your house? That’s hypnosis.” Holmes then held a small demonstration of hypnosis where he asked the audience to hold out their hands, close their eyes and instructed them to slowly drop the arm that felt heavier. He then selected students from the audience, arm by arm, to experience hypnosis first hand. Some eager audience members even ran on stage to participate without being chosen. Holmes directed the participants to close their eyes and he began speaking in a soothing monotone voice, prompting many to fall asleep. He then started playing melodic music and told participants to perform various acts like dancing, laughing and conducting an orchestra. Most contestants followed suit, some more enthusiastically than others. As time passed the requests got more and more strange. Holmes commanded participants to “make a face as if you just farted and you’re proud of it.” Students screwed up their faces to match the command, others were compelled to exit the stage, too consumed with laughter. “ I actually felt like I was being hypnotized, it almost felt as if I was in a trance,” said sophomore Parker Neely, and audience member chosen for hypnotism.
Neely was asked by Holmes to pretend he was James Bond. Neely began swiftly running around the room shooting imaginary objects with his hands formed in the shape of a gun. “It felt fun, I’ve done it once before and I would definitely do it again,” Neely said. Holmes commanded another participant to pretend to be the best singer in the world. The student instantly belted out “Work” by Rihanna as the crowd chuckled. Holmes even hypnotized the same participant so deeply that she forgot her own name. “I’m going to count to ten and by the time I finish, your name is going to be gone from your memory,” Holmes said. Holmes counted down and when he asked for the student’s name she stumbled a bit and appeared speechless at the simple question. “I found it entertaining, but when I saw they had to sing I knew I wouldn’t want participate and sing in front of everyone,” freshman Lea Grgich said. Hypnosis is a concept that has been used for decades but most people don’t believe it is actually possible. “I think some is real but when they were singing it was hard to tell. For some [participants] it could feel real. but not for others,” freshman Christina Monisteri said.
COTS craft drive helps benfit local children Sierra Straub Staff Writer
Tuesday, Dec. 6 Study Away Info Meeting International Hall 106 3 p.m. Sport and Social Justice Lecture Series Ballroom B 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7 The Bluebird Person Theatre 10 a.m. Group Meditation Rec Center Noon
Holiday Special Dinner 5 p.m. The Kitchens Thursday, Dec. 8 War and Peace Lecture Series Ives 101 5:30 p.m.
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he holidays are all about giving, and that is no exception at Sonoma State University. From Nov. 28 through Dec. 2, the Early Childhood Development Club collected arts and crafts supplies to benefit Committee on the Shelterless, or COTS. “We are collecting arts and craft supplies for Committee on the Shelterless’ Kids First Children’s Program. We were tabling this week to collect donations. This drive is a follow up to our Lobos fundraiser which helped us raise $48.51 for COTS,” said senior Danny Loureiro, an early childhood studies major. Based out of Petaluma, COTS is an organization helping families rebuild their lives and find housing. COTS provides emergency food, transitional housing, permanent housing, emergency shelter and classes on budgeting and parenting. “We serve about 2,400 people per year. Our housing programs range from emergency
Saturday, Dec. 10 Angelique Kidjo Green Music Center 7:30 p.m.
shelter to permanent supportive housing. Geographically, we span from Petaluma to Healdsburg. In addition to housing, we provide food assistance and skills-building programs,” Eileen Morris, Manager of Community Engagement, said. Loureiro, who serves as the President of the Early Childhood Club, said the idea came from an advisor. “I first became familiar with COTS a few weeks earlier when they visited my class- Leadership and Advocacy on Behalf of Children and Families. There was a representative there looking for students to apply for an internship. This donation drive was a way to support them as well as our interest in the field of early childhood development and education,” Loureiro said. The club collected enough supplies to fill boxes, and will deliver them to COTS on Friday. In addition to tabling in the quad, a designated drop box was placed on the second floor of the student center. The drive started out slower than expected, but picked up towards the end. “The kids who live at COTS love making art, but our budget is always tight, and we rely on community donations to supply the kids art program,” Morris said. “For me, this experience has involved a lot of chilly weather, heavy lifting, and patience. I learned that donation drives can have a slow start, but with enough perseverance you can have positive results,” Loureiro said. To donate to the COTS craft drive, contact Danny at loureird@sonoma.edu. To learn more about COTS, visit www.cots-homeless.org. To tour COTS, RSVP at ww.tourcots.org.
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Sports
Dec. 6- Dec. 12, 2016
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Men’s basketball team tip-off the regular season with a win Andrea Sims Staff Writer
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s the Seawolves prepared to enter their 2016 season, they traveled down to southern California to face off division one team, the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. The Gauchos gave the Seawolves a run around the court, crushing them with a final score of 75-51. While Sonoma State University faced a staggering loss, senior player Nathan Molony-Benjamin lit up the court, as one of the few players to hit double-digit scoring, along with assisting ten points off the bench. Molony-Benjamin also shot a perfect four for four against the Gauchos. “Blocks and dunks are momentum changers, but consistent passing is key to get everybody scoring the ball,” said Molony-Benjamin. While the Gauchos may have took the victory on Thursday, the Seawolves turned it around for Saturday’s game against Cal State Los Angeles. The team was fired up when entering into the Eagles court, and assisted their head coach Pat Fuscaldo, who reached a milestone in his coaching career. After the final buzzer sounded in the Eagles Nest, Coach Fuscaldo proudly obtained his 300th win as Sonoma State’s head basketball coach after 23 years. “Coach Fuscaldo definitely deserved every part of his 300th win, and we had a surprise celebration ourselves that night because we knew how much it meant
to him,” stated senior player Naaman Hightower. From the start of the clock, the Seawolves were able to switch up the Eagles and show them their unstoppable offense, jumping the gun to gain the 13-point lead. Guard Jackson Gion had an impressive night against the Eagles with a team-high of fifteen points. “We came out focused on staying aggressive within our system. We knew they would be in the zone most of the night coming off a hard fought win the night before,” said Gion. “It came down to executing our stuff against a more athletic team and knocking down inside-out looks.” The Eagles turned the tables just before halftime, changing the momentum with defensive prowess and blocking off three-point attempts from the Seawolves. By halftime they had nearly evened things out, with a one point lead, 37-38. “At halftime the emphasis was on sticking to our defensive principles and not giving up easy paint touches,” said Gion. “They hit some tough, contested threes, but we felt confident that if we keep teams like that on our perimeter they will hit a cold streak sooner or later.” The Seawolves returned after halftime, completely lighting up the court both offensively and defensively. A layup from Luke Cochran and a three-pointer from Mason Phillips emphasized the energy for the Seawolves, helping to obtain a ten point lead with eighteen minutes left of the second half.
Sports in Brief College Football: The College Football Playoff Committee has spoken and the four teams that will be competing for the chance to bring home the College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy will be 1. Alabama versus 4. Washington on Dec. 31 and 2. Clemson versus 3. Ohio State Jan. 1. The National Championship game will be played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on Jan. 9. Chicago: Colin Kaepernick became the first quarterback in NFL history to have five sacks and throw for less than five yards in abysmal showing against the Chicago Bears. Kaepernick totaled negative one yards after factoring in sacks and after failing to score a touchdown in the first three quarters Kaepernick was replaced with back up Blaine Gabbert who went on to complete 4/10 passes for 35 yards in 26-6 loss. Oakland: Derek Carr led the Oakland Raiders to their tenth win with a come from behind victory with a final score of 38-24 over the Buffalo Bills. Carr threw completed 19/35 260 yards and two touchdowns. Latavius Murray had rushing touchdowns of one and three yards accompanied by three Sebastian Janikowski field goals. The Raiders remain on top in their division and look to Thursday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs to get one step closer to clinching a spot in the playoffs. MLB post season is in full swing and teams are looking to sign some key players to help make their clubs legitimate playoff contenders. Giants look at add Freeagent closer Mark Melancon for four years $60 million but the spectacular is also being pursued by a pair of other teams. Giants who had one of the worst bullpens in the league could certainly use the help on the back end of their pitching staff. The Oakland A’s on the other hand look to continue to build from within signing multiple players to minor league contracts and resigning their core players from previous years. San Jose: The San Jose Sharks held off the Canadians 2-1 last Friday. After scoring twice in the first period the Sharks offense was shut down but their defense prevailed allowing only one goal in the game to improve to three in a row to put themselves on top of the Pacific Division with a record of 15-9-1. NFL Playoff Picture: With four weeks left in the NFL season many teams are in the hunt for playoffs. The toughest division in the NFL, the AFC West has all four teams in the division vying for a playoff position. The surprising Miami Dolphins six game winning streak came to an end in a 38-7 beatdown by AFC playoff hopeful The Baltimore Ravens. The final four weeks of the season will play a pivotal role in the NFL playoff picture. New Orleans: Former University of Southern California star running back Joe McKnight was shot and killed in a road rage incident in Terrytown, Louisiana. Mcknight was the New York Jets former fourth round draft pick in the 2010 NFL draft. Mcknight had 505 rushing yards, 23 receptions and four total touchdowns. McKnight also had 2339 yards returning with 2 returns going for touchdowns.
As the Seawolves enter the final stretch of the game with the seconds counting down, the Eagles stunned the players and audience when Travis Hammonds shot four three-pointers with less than two minutes left, putting pressure on the Seawolves. With fourteen seconds left, Phillips was fouled, helping the Seawolves receive two free throws to push the lead back by three points. Attempting to tie the game, the Eagles weren’t able to score before the final buzzer, securing the win for the Seawolves. While it was the 300th win for Coach Fuscaldo, the Seawolves now have their sixth win on the board, and their first league win of the year on a roadtrip. The Seawolves will be back in the area to play the San Francisco State Gators on Friday, Dec. 9 at 7:30 p.m. at the College of Marin in Kentfield because of the The Wolves Den renovations.
Medicinal marijuana remains a controversial topic in the NBA Annie Finck Staff Writer
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alifornia legislation, Proposition 64, which makes recreational marijuana legal, has recently been passed and with it brings many questions. The Golden State Warriors head coach has made comment of the pain relief benefits the drug can have for his players, making it publically known that he is in support of this. However, as it currently stands the National Basketball Association’s policy has a strict three strike policy when it comes to the use of marijuana. This brings forth the question on whether or not the league should loosen their rules and regulations with these policies. With the new legalization of marijuana soon to be enacted and players already battling with these current rules, it seems as though support for this change would not be hard to come by. The controversy surrounding this issue has been around for years and will not go away until something is changed. “I don’t think it’s a big deal, but I do find it ironic that if I said I used OxyContin for relief for my back, it would not have been a headline,” said Steve Kerr, head coach for the Warriors, in a podcast for CSN Bay Area Sports. Although many people throughout the league agree with Kerr, there are some that still see the use of mar-
ijuana as a troublesome problem. “I think our rhetoric on it has to be very careful because you have a lot of kids where I’m from that’s reading this, and they think [marijuana use is] cool. It’s not cool. Where I’m from you don’t get six fouls to foul out. You get three strikes. One strike leads to another. I’m just being honest with you, so you have to be very careful with your rhetoric,” Sun’s coach Earl Watson told ESPN. With both sides posing reasonable arguments, only time will tell which one will win the upper hand. With Kerr wanting to help bring awareness to other pain solutions instead of prescription drugs that can be harmful and lead to further addiction, and Watson wanting to lead by example, this will be something that isn’t resolved in a short amount of time.
COURTESY // USAtoday.com Golden State Warrior’s head coach Steve Kerr openly supports medicinal use of marijuana.
COURTESY // sonomaseawolves.com From left to right: Nathan Nathan Molony-Benjamin and Head Coach Fuscaldo(top right), Jackson Gion (top left). Molly Donovan, Jessica Mitz, Kayla Coloyan, Kylie Kiech, and McKaiela Tyler (bottom left), and Madison Burroughs (bottom right).
Sports
Dec. 6- Dec. 12, 2016
sonomastatestar.com
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Las Vegas Raiders just doesn’t sound right
Commentary
COURTESY // sonomaseawolves.com No. 12 Kylie Kiech had a team-high four assists against CSU L.A.
Seawolves’ win streak snapped as they enter conference play Tatiana Serrano Staff Writer
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he Women’s basketball team ended their perfect 4-0 run this weekend with back-toback losses against Menlo College on Thursday, and Cal State Los Angeles on Saturday. The Seawolves played with energy, but their opponents were the ones who come out on top. Thursday night Sonoma experienced their first loss of the season. While in Atherto the team was hoping to take home the win as the game went into overtime. In the first quarter Sonoma had a strong start as they outscored Menlo College 22-9 points. Rallying for the win by the end of the second quarter, Menlo outscored them 15-4. By the third quarter both teams evenly put up 11 points, but Menlo outscored Sonoma by 12, leading into overtime. Menlo ended the game, 68-67. “We did not execute as well as we should have near the end of the games,” said Madison Burroughs. Despite the tough loss, Sonoma shot almost 50 percent from the field in the first half, and made 100 percent of their free throws. They out-rebounded
their opponents and only had six team fouls. Kim Savio was the lead scorer from the Seawolves with 24 points. Savio had nine for 12 points within the field and 12 rebounds. Jessica Mitz with 16 points, Carly Gill with ten points, and Molly Donovan had six. “We can’t let the other team dictate how we play the game,” said Gill. The team opened their CCAA season against CSU Los Angeles Saturday night, falling to the Golden Eagles 56-63. These two losses put Sonoma’s overall record at 4-2 and 0-1 for the regular season. Sonoma outscored CSULA 17 to 15 in the first quarter. Unfortunately, in the fourth CSULA scored 19 points while Sonoma was only able to score ten. Overall the team put up a strong fight “We need to be more confident in our style of play,” said Gill. Maddison Burroughs was the lead scorer for this game with 19 points. Savio had nine, Taylor Todd had eight, Gill had seven, and Mitz had six. “We need to focus a lot more on help defense,” said Burroughs. The Seawolves will get a chance to redeem themselves as they prepare for San Francisco State on Dec. 9.
Naaman Hightower Staff Writer
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he city of Oakland cringed once more, as the approaching doomsday of the relocation of the Raiders took another step forward. According to ESPN, the 11 member Southern Nevada Tourism Committee voted unanimously to recommend $750 milion in public funding for a $1.9 billion stadium. The project’s aim is to jump-start a fresh legacy to the losing franchise, in hopes that a new tradition can be made. Sounds alot like Lebron leaving Cleveland, if you ask me. What about culture? From the tough inner city streets to the local playground heroes, the city of Oakland has been the symbol of grit across the country. A symbol so big that other sports look to it for support. In 1997, the Detroit Pistons ruled the NBA with an iron first. Known for their extreme physical play, toughness and grit, they were coined “The Bad Boys.” The team adopted the name and could only think of one way to symbolize it. The Oakland Raiders. They were soon wearing Raiders gear to practice, shootaround and even pre-game. The symbol of Oakland is more than just a city. Many people from the area have taken offense to Mark Davis, majority owner of the raiders, for even suggesting such an idea. “It’s really sad to see that Davis is heading this project,” said Tre Love, sophomore music Engineering major. “In Oakland, we don’t just quit when things get hard. Yes we’ve had many rough seasons, but we stick to our roots and persevere in this city.” The Raiders haven’t had a winning season since 2002, where they memorably lost in the Super Bowl. Their record that year stood at 11-5. Their record now stands at 10-2, while they look to repeat their epic run more than a decade ago. Apart from anything, it’s simply annoying and distracting to mention the possibility of the end of the Oakland legacy while the team is enjoying this much success. The entire city of Oakland has something positive to talk about now, but their own organization wants to give up on the city. A move to Las Vegas could have very dangerous effects. Gambling in the NFL is already a problem, and moving a team to the gambling capitol of the world just spells trouble. Combine that with the night life of Sin City and now you have a recipe for disaster. Oakland is the right place for the Raiders. The toughness, grit, passion and determination of the city and the team is a dynasty in itself, and I see no reason why it shouldn’t remain that way.
Sonoma State rounds out roster with Hawaiian infielder Trevor Abrams Staff Writer
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I’ve always had a dream of playing college baseball ever since I was a little kid, so it was a no-brainer when I decided to leave home in order to do so,” said Rayson Romero. Romero was born and raised in Mililani, a city smack in the center of Oahu. He was a stand-out baseball player at the same high school that his father attended before him. St. Louis High School has produced top athletes like Marcus Mariota of the Tennessee Titans. “Playing at the next level is something that St. Louis athletes expect to do, it’s the kind of atmosphere that is created there and we take a lot of pride in our athletics,” he said. Romero impressed the Sonoma State University coaches enough to earn himself a scholarship to play baseball. “We liked what we saw right away, he is a strong, athletic infielder who fit perfectly into our program. We were happy to land a player like him,” said as-
sistant coach Case Gilroy. In the late summer of 2014, Romero said goodbye to the island that had raised him and left for the mainland, to embark on a new journey, and most importantly, to fulfill his childhood dream of playing college baseball. Romero’s first semester on campus went pretty smooth for such an adjustment. “It made the transition a lot easier having teammates that I became so close with,” said Romero. His teammates took a quick liking to him. “He’s a great guy,” said redshirt sophomore Grant St. Martin. “Everyone loved him right away.” After proving his worth in the fall, Romero was one of only two true freshmen to make the spring roster. “It was an honor to be on the team my freshmen year,” said Romero. “I know not many freshmen get the opportunity to play so I was grateful for that chance.” “I consider my freshman year as a year of learning and observing,” said Romero, “It was good for me to be around the older guys and pick their brains a little bit.” He spent his sophomore year taking on more of a leadership role, settling into the role as everyday shortstop and still learning and progressing every day. Ultimately, he uses home to keep him motivated throughout his journey. “Even though I’m far from home I still talk to my parents and my brothers all the time and they keep my head right,” said Romero. “I’m very proud to be here representing my family, high school and my home.” Romero and the rest of the Seawolves will embark on their own journey Feb. 7 against San Francisco State as they try to get back to the top of their conference for the first time since 2014.
Friday Dec. 9
Saturday Dec. 10
Women’s Basketball VS SF State 5:30 p.m.
Women’s Basketball VS Cal State Monterey Bay 5:30 p.m.
Men’s Basketball VS SF State 7:30 p.m.
Men’s Basketball VS Cal State Monterey Bay 7:30 p.m.
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Dec. 6, 2016 - Dec. 12, 2016 sonomastatestar.com
STAR // Madison Muro Sapphires Dance Team held their annual bake sale at Oliver’s Market in Cotati on Saturday to help fund their upcoming National trips to Florida and Anaheim.
STAR // Megan Corcoran The Sonoma State Star staff visited the Press Democrat in Santa Rosa on Tuesday to talk to several staff members including reporter, Martin Espinoza.
STAR // Nickey Homen Nia King spoke about Mixed Race Zines on Thursday as part of the Feminist Lecture Series.
SUMMER SESSION
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