Volume 77 // Issue 14

In this issue:

Catch us back in January at the start of spring semester. Happy holidays!

Opinion: New Amazon store raises questions about technology’s influence. Pg. 3 A&E: Staff writer Sean Curzon picks his top movies of 2016.

Pg. 7 Student Life: Oakland fire commentary. Pg. 8 SINCE 1979

VOLUME 77 // ISSUE 14

DECEMBER 13 - DECEMBER 19, 2016

THE UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT RUN NEWSPAPER

Sonoma State University to receive Makerspace for integrated learning Nate Galvan Staff Writer

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ith the on-demand emergence of 3D printing, turning digital models into solid objects has become a futuristic reality.

Now, with an over half a million dollar grant from the National Science Foundation, Sonoma State University will have a designated Makerspace for students, faculty and staff to use to bring their creativity to life.

Makerspace is a workspace for people to gather to create, invent and learn.

Housed on the second floor of the Jean and Charles Schulz Information Center, the Makerspace will be filled with 3D printers, a computer controlled mill, laser cutters and microcontrollers.

Physics professor Jeremy Qualls, who is working with Physics and Astronomy Chair Lynn Cominsky and others on the project, hopes to create a community Makerspace to be utilized by everyone.

“With a community Makerspace, we wanted to tap into not only the social part, but really the cool part of the process as well,” said Qualls, “From a desktop setup someone can make LED lights for their skateboard and they can do it themselves.”

Along with free workshops set to begin in fall 2017, Science 220, Dream, Make, and Innovate, will be offered as a GE class utilizing the makerspace.

Qualls hopes this will lead to Sonoma State becoming known as a maker campus.

“When people think SSU, they know they will be able to learn a bunch of skills and, no matter their major, those skills will help them stand out,” said Qualls. “It can really be a launchboard for careers.”

The grant comes from a proposal to the National Science Foundation from the university that will eventually evaluate the impact a Makerspace has on students through established learning outcomes as well as surveys and interviews with students.

In two years, the university can apply for a regrant depending on how successful the program is.

Sonoma State is one of five California State University campuses with a Makerspace, but Qualls says Sonoma State is the only one with this type of program.

“Other universities have makerspaces but they do not have this type of inclusive, everyone-involved program,” said Qualls, “It should be more than just a space, with not only a science aspect, but an art one as well.”

STAR // Reagan Dowd A designated Makerspace area will be coming to the second floor of the Jean and Charles Schulz Information center at SSU thanks to a National Science Foundation grant.

The university’s Makerspace will be collaborating with a Makerspace being built on Todd Road in Santa Rosa, through 180 studios, which will allow students to use both spaces for more intricate projects.

Qualls says the program is looking for people who are interested to take the pilot class in the fall and if the student population wants this program on campus

their voice should be heard. Information about the class has already spread among students.

“I have seen about this technology before online and in magazines but I had no idea it could ever could come to campus, “ said Antonio Pascoe, a sophomore history major. “I don’t think of myself as very creative, but I could see this class being pretty fun.”

Seawolves game against CSU Monterey ends in dramatic fashion See the recap on Page 11

COURTESY // Gustavo Vasquez Alex Bretow and Mary-Madison Baldo, pictured above, were two SSU students who had their films selected for the Cannes Film Festival in 2015. The department is currently awaiting Chancellor approval for a master’s program.

Film department to offer master’s program www.sonomaseawolves.com Sophomore Carly Gill, No.13, celebrates with her teammates after hitting a game winning three-pointer.

Oakland community rebuilds after deadly fire Tyler Heberle Staff Writer

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he aftermath of the Dec. 2 Oakland fire continues to loom over Northern California.

The fire, which took the lives of 36 people attending a party, occurred at the “Ghost Ship,” a warehouse used to provide studios for artists and performance space for musicians, according to an ABC News report.

As many as 100 guests attended the party, where electrically charged, 15-foot flames broke out shortly before midnight.

The report said the resulting smoke opened a window and allowed fire-fueling oxygen into the warehouse, but no exact cause or perpetrator has been determined yet.

According to a news report said the fire caused the warehouse’s roof to crumble and fall through the second floor, after which, part of the roof fell to the first floor. Inves-

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tigators are checking all electrical objects on the first floor as a potential source of the blaze.

The report said that of the 36 casualties, 35 have been identified.

Those lost in the fire and subsequent destruction included Alex Vega and Michela Gregory, according to Bay Area news station FOX 2. The report said these two had been dating for five years, and that Vega was trying to protect Gregory before they were both killed by the smoke. When their bodies were found, they were hugging each other.

Sonoma State student and STAR staff writer Lindsey Huffman, a friend of Gregory’s since childhood, said Gregory and Vega were a loving couple.

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See OAKLAND on Pg. 5

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Charlotte Grayson Staff Writer

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fter Sonoma State University film students have had the opportunity to showcase their work at the Cannes Film Festival for the last two years, the number of students enrolled in the Film Studies minor program has increased from 6 to 36, which has caused the university to expand the film department into a master’s program that would start in the fall, pending approval from the Chancellor’s Office.

The description according to the program’s website is that the Film Studies degree program is an interdisciplinary degree designed to teach students that film can be used as an agent of social change and advocacy.

The program strives to provide students with the proper tools for them to film as a method of communication and a clear art form.

The program also shows off Sonoma State University’s prime location for studying film, since the Bay Area and Sonoma County in particular has a long and illustrious history as a filming location.

The program will be offered through the School of Extended and

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International Education and will consist of 30 units spread over two years.

Students will have the choice to conclude their studies by either writing a Master’s thesis or creating their own film.

“The program is particularly innovative in that it offers two tracks – one in film studies leading to a traditional MA thesis and another in digital media leading to a final creative project (screenplay or film),” said Ajay Gehlawat, associate professor of theatre and film for the Hutchins School of Liberal Studies and faculty director for the Master’s program in film studies. “Regardless of which track you ultimately decide to pursue, you get a grounding in the fundamentals of film history and theory and a chance to learn the basics of digital storytelling. So the program combines theory and practice in a very cool way. It’s also one of the most affordable graduate film programs offered in California.”

According to Gehlawat, the number of students enrolled in the film studies minor has increased since the program was updated a few years ago.

See MASTERS on Pg. 4

Visit: sonomastatestar.com

Page 2

Editorial

Dec. 13 - Dec. 19, 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: “Best album of 2016: ‘Coloring Book’” Staff writer Noe Felix shares why he thinks Chance the Rapper’s album, ‘Coloring Book,’ is the best album of 2016.

Read the review on page 6

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

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

STAR // Julia Albo

Student news, a thing of the past?

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here do you get your news? From social media? From television? What about your campus news? Does it matter? What if that news was taken away or filtered?

A place where you spend four years of your life needs a consistent, uncensored, honest and properly funded news source, but with the demise of the newspaper industry and rise of cutbacks in journalism departments, university newspapers across the country are in jeopardy of being disbanded, leaving students in the dark about what really what goes happens on their campus.

If student newspapers are able to avoid their imminent foreclosure, they are at risk of having administration push their own agendas because in some states, student-run newspapers are not protected by the the First Amendment, which protects freedom of speech.

Administration can threaten to remove faculty advisors, withhold revealing stories and even withdraw funding.

In recent years, the University of Missouri, Butler University and the University of Kentucky have come under fire for their handling of campus newsrelated scandals.

Schools restricting free speech because they don’t like what the writers are reporting flies directly in face of why the First Amendment was created.

Thomas Jefferson once said, “Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a

government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.”

These words still ring true today.

A committee composed of representatives from the American Association of University Professors, the College Media Association, the National Coalition Against Censorship and the Student Press Law Center formulated this joint statement this fall: “It has become disturbingly routine for student journalists and their advisers to experience overt hostility that threatens their ability to inform the campus community and, in some instances, imperils their careers or the survival of their publications, as the sampling of cases discussed in this report demonstrates.

Administrative efforts to subordinate campus journalism to public relations are inconsistent with the mission of higher education to provide a space for intellectual exploration and debate.”

Having the freedom to report on issues or keep information flowing is important to not only the college community it’s reporting on, but it is also a vital part of how our American democracy is kept in check.

The free press serves to report and inform the public on government, business and organizations that might not otherwise freely share information.

Students and the public have the right to be informed and to take a stand on social issues or policy change and hold those in power accountable.

Instead of creating this hostile environment or pushing back against the student journalist and newspaper, schools should be embracing and encouraging students to take on stories that require asking the hard questions and looking for answers. College should be preparation for the real world.

With more protests and outspoken issues coming to the forefront, we need to have a constant staple of pure campus news.

The only way to assure that students will have access to the information they deserve is to have free press. Freedom to report on the issues without worry of retaliation is.

Student-run newspapers are not immune to lost advertising revenue and competing with the internet to deliver content, but should student-run media be influenced by outside interests?

While it’s uncertain what the future holds for the newspaper industry, student-run newspapers included, one certainty is that tough stories still need to be reported on. Colleges and universities should recognize the importance of these programs rather than attempt to sweep those who report the truth under the rug.

If this last election season was any indication of how valuable and how crucial honest journalism is to our democracy, coupled with the need to report the facts accurately, colleges and universities should have the opportunity to grow and shape the next generation of true journalists without setbacks.

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.

Opinions

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

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

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Opinion

Dec. 13 - Dec. 19, 2016 sonomastatestar.com

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Ohio heartbeat bill violates women’s rights

Kendall Grove Staff Writer

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awmakers in Ohio have passed the ‘heartbeat’ bill, which will ban all abortions as soon as the fetus’s heartbeat can be detected. A heartbeat can be detected as early as week six in a pregnancy, according to the New Health Guide.

According to the Roe v. Wade Surpreme Court case, women have the right make her own medical choices, including her choice to have an abor-

tion. If Gov. John Kasich signs the bill into law, it would violate Ohio women’s rights.

A possible explanation for this new push against abortion could be the support that Trump showed during the election for the abolishment of the Roe. v. Wade case, which proved the constitutionality of abortions in America.

“It has a better chance than it did before,” said Ohio Senate President Keith Farber to WHIO-TV after the election.

“New president, new Supreme Court justice appointees, change the dynamic.”

The six week limitation leaves a slim amount of time for women to actually confirm their pregnancy before deciding what path they choose to take. Most women will miss two periods before they know they are pregnant, which is roughly around eight weeks.

Ohio is trying to limit the gap between conception and the time a wom-

Trump wants to “close up” parts of the internet

Amira Dabbas Staff Writer

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ow that the aftershock of the Presidential election is over, we have become numb to the insane remarks made by Donald Trump. The racist and ignorant remarks are now a typical recurrence. However, this time our president-elect has said something that has shaken some to their very core. Trump has now decided that he wants to try to “close up” parts of the internet.

Just last week, Trump gave a speech at the U.S.S. Yorktown in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, where he addressed issues of terrorism involving IS. He referenced their use of social media as means to recruit, and proposed shutting down parts of the internet as a solution.

It’s obvious he is serious about this because he even went as far as to suggest a discussion with Bill Gates in order to work out the details.

“We’re losing a lot of people because of the Internet,” Trump said during his speech. “We have to go see Gates and a lot of different people that really understand what’s happening. We have to talk to them about, maybe in certain areas, closing that Internet up in some way.”

The scary part of this situation is this man is the one representing our country. What does that say about us if restrictions such as these start to be implemented? We are toying with the idea that the United States may no longer be the land of the free much longer. Lets just take a moment to think about the countries that already have these types of regulations in place. Totalitarian governments such as North Korea have shut internet off, and even Egypt shut down internet during the 2011 Arab Spring uprising. Do we really want to be retreating in a direction that puts us in the same category as North Korea? China is another example of a country that bans many social networking sites, and also bans websites that has subject matter the government wants to keep their citizens from knowing about.

The good news is that although our future president wants it, it’s not exactly the easiest task. It’s actually pretty impossible for the United States.

There are multiple internet service provider options that are all over the United States that would be very difficult to shut down. Not to mention the servers from other countries that service people living abroad.

Apparently Trump has not taken these matters into consideration yet. His reaction to the issue of infringing on freedom of speech said it all. “Somebody will say, ‘Oh freedom of speech, freedom of speech.’ These are foolish people. We have a lot of foolish people.”

United States citizens are now being called “foolish” if they stand up for the very rights our nation was built upon. This slippery slope is one we don’t want to go down. We must not normalize this kind of dialogue.

Even the fact ideas like these are being discussed is creating a world where regression is the new norm. Let’s just hope that this isn’t the beginning of a regime that catapults us into a time where freedoms are restricted and our sense of democracy is lost for good.

an has to get an abortion. Although a limit already exists, this change is extreme, promotes the birth of unwanted children and raises the potential for illegal or botched abortions.

Women in Ohio will most likely choose to travel to a different state if the bill passes and is not found to be unconstitutional, but it could still lead to an increase of unsafe and illegal abortions.

Another problem with the ‘heartbeat’ bill is it doesn’t make exceptions for rape or incest situations.

This bill could lead to the birth of many unwanted and unloved children.

Forcing a victim of sexual assault to carry a fetus to full term is unacceptable and fringes upon women’s rights in many ways.

Although Roe v. Wade struck down many of the state decided abortion laws, but unfortunately we still have states trying to undermine the ruling.

It’s horrific to imagine the U.S. would allow such a digression of women’s rights.

Ohio is not the only state that is making new rulings on abortion. Texas recently issued a mandate that requires all fetal tissue to be buried without regards to the stage of growth.

They stated the remains can either be buried after the abortion, or scattered after incineration. Fetal tissue includes that of medical abortions and miscarriages.

This mandate can be extremely damaging for women and families who would like to put their grief behind them. There is no justice in forcing a grieving family to bury an unborn child unless they willingly want to.

With a potential conservative Supreme Court justice appointee, the overturning of Roe. v. Wade could be a scary violation of women’s rights.

Already many states are beginning to create conservative aligned bills on the topic of abortion in the hopes of it being ruled as constitutional.

Women spent years fighting for the right to their own bodies and it’s horrific to imagine the U.S. would allow such a digression of women’s rights.

Ever improving technology a blessing and a curse

Braden Cartwright Staff Writer

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mazon is opening a new kind of grocery store; one with no lines or a checkout.

All a shopper needs is an app on their phone, and then the store tracks what they put in their cart.

On their way out, they get charged.

Sounds awesome, right? Maybe for the customer, but not for cashiers or baggers. Although this is just one store opening in Seattle, it could spark a movement that changes grocery stores forever.

If this store succeeds then more could follow its model. This leads to questions about automation, and how far people should really want technology to go.

If you request an Uber in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, you might get picked up by a driverless car. Since September, according to CBS Pittsburgh, Uber has in moderation began to test and showcase their new driverless vehichles. Uber sees an opportunity to save money by foregoing a driver.

This is great for the company,

but in the future there may be no more real life Uber drivers, as their entire fleet becomes driverless.

Tesla, one of the pioneers in self-driving technology, plans to expand and offer more. They are working on creating vans, trucks and even busses that are driverless.

It seems inevitable that the selfdriving car industry will expand.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are about 1.6 million truck drivers in the United States.

Already, self-driving semis have been debuted, threatening these jobs. Truck driving is one of the most common jobs in California, but it’s not the only one to be affected by self-driving cars. Hundreds of thousands of Americans also make their living driving taxis, school busses and garbage trucks.

As technology advances, less jobs are required to be done by humans. This has already created problems. In factories, automated assembly lines have become much more common.

Unfortunately, this leads to many factory workers being laid off. Robots are doing the jobs that humans had previously done. It’s not quite “The Terminator,” but it does affect the lives of many.

The world has yet to reach the point of automation becoming a major problem. Right now, all of these advancements seems futuristic and cool.

A grocery store with no lines sounds perfect to a consumer. Driverless cars have tremendous potential, and will make life easier. Tech-

nology is progress, and all of these advancements should be pursued, carefully.

It’s not just blue-collar jobs that are threatened by technology. Computers are doing jobs previously done by white-collar workers all the time. Often, prediction and analysis can be done quicker by a computer than a human, making many jobs obsolete.

We may be on the verge of a revolution that potentially could leave many jobless.

As society seeks out ways to make life easier it will squeeze workers out of the job force. In fifty years, the workforce could look vastly different. The jobs people have today may not exist after decades of technological advancements.

Two researchers from Oxford University conducted a study on this issue and found out that 47 percent of jobs are threatened by computerization.

This number is staggering and shows how much our workforce is bound to change. The change has already begun with the creation of driverless cars and shop-then-go grocery stores.

The future of work is at stake here. Down the road, most people might not be required to have a job because of automation, which leads to many more questions.

Technology has the ability to advance our society, but it’s unpredictable. As we transition into this new automated world we should be mindful of the intense effects it will surely have.

Kicking off the new year with uncertainty

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Jahred Nunes Staff Writer

ith 2017 in sight, Dictionary.com named “xenophobia” — the word for the fear or hatred of foreigners, different cultures, or strangers― as it’s 2016 word of the year; inciting a storm of responses from everyday users, to journalists at Time Magazine.

The site made it clear their announcement was largely in response to the election of Donald Trump and Brexit, the United Kingdom’s vote to leave the European Union earlier this year.

“This year, some of the most prominent news stories have centered around the fear of the ‘other,’” Dictionary.com posted on their daily blog, “Fear is an adap-

tive part of human evolutionary history and often inf luences behaviors and perceptions on a subconscious level.

However, this particular year saw fear rise to the surface of cultural discourse. Because of our users’ interest in this overarching theme emerges so starkly for one specific word in our trending lookup data, xenophobia is 2016’s Word of the Year.”

In the few short weeks following the election of Trump, nearly 200 separate anti-Trump protesting events have taken place across the United States, not to mention all of the protests that took place before Nov. 8, making him the most controversial president-elect America has ever known.

To make matters worse, NBC News took a closer look into Trump’s campaign the past 16 months to find he had taken over 140 distinct stances on over 20 different major issues.

These ever-evolving views make it near impossible to predict let alone prepare for the years to come in Trump’s America.

Already many of Trump’s campaign claims are beginning to fall to pieces, leaving many of America’s far right dumbfounded

and all the moderate republicans that called him on his bluffs with a sigh of relief.

It was Trump’s claim to prosecute Hillary Clinton in response to her email leak after the election. This came as one of the most memorable moments of the 2016 Presidential Debates, even earning him cheers from his supporters in the audience.

As of a few weeks ago, Trump admitted The New York Times to have no plan of pursuing the investigation any further.

In that same meeting, Trump also identified some of the ideas that were here to stay, such as his claim to “fight fire with fire” by championing waterboarding, which is considered torture and illegal domestically and internationally, as a “tough” practice that should be used against IS. The list of Trump’s inconsistencies continues to grow, leaving Americas to play a national guessing game with their fate.

Many optimists would say there’s still hope for an Electoral College miracle, but realistically all that’s left to do is wait and see what life Trump’s America will look like.

What a happy new year.

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News

Dec. 13 - Dec. 19, 2016

sonomastatestar.com

Leadership series brings respected wine industry moguls to SSU Samantha Oyler Staff Writer

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onoma State University is the first four-year institution in the United States to offer a degree or a certificate in wine business. As a part of the School of Business and Economics, the Wine Business Institute, located in the heart of Wine Country, has led many students to careers in wine business.

Sonoma State University’s Wine Spectator Learning Center is in construction and set to open in 2017. The Wine Spectator Learning Center is located in the east end of campus where the commons used to be.

The Wine Spectator Learning Center, a $9.15 million project, was financed in part by an initial $3 million contribution from the Wine Spectator Scholarship Foundation, according to a press release on winebusiness.com.

In early November, the Wine Business Institute released a video series centered around leadership. This video series included 30-minute interviews and learning techniques to help teachers integrate their teaching curriculum for the classroom in the Wine Spectator Learning Center.

The Wine Business video series was developed by an Emmy Awardwinning team of Dennis Scholl and Marlon Johnson.

The video series is part of its educational curriculum which is based on real-world case studies. These first seven interviews of the series includes big name wine business owners discussing their achievements and setbacks, as well as the transition period to the next generation of business and technology.

The interviews included big names in the wine industry such as Andy Beckstoffer of Beckstoffer Vineyards, Mark Couchman of Silevrado Winegrowers and Joel and Sarah Gott of Joel Gott Wines.

There has been interviews locked in for 2017 including Bill Newlands of Constellation Brands, John Dyson of Williams Selyem and Bill Hatcher of A to Z Wineworks.

The video series was unveiled on Oct. 27 and is now available to the public. For more information on the video series or any other information regarding the wine business education program, you can call 707-664-3235 or email winebiz@sonoma.edu.

You can visit the link at www.sonoma.edu/winebiz.

STAR // Jeno Veltri The Wine Business Institute has released a video interview series that uses stories from various successful wine entrepreneurs. The Wine Spectator Learning Center, pictured above, is set to open in 2017 and is located where the Commons used to be, on the east side of campus.

MASTERS: Program will focus on teaching technical knowldege Continued from Pg. 1

Considering the number of students with an interest in film, the film department decided that introducing a master’s program would be worthwhile.

“The goals of the program are to prepare students for careers in the film and media industry, and to lay the foundation for a career in higher education,” said Gehlawat. “The MA program in film provides students with a critical toolkit that allows them to analyze film and media texts from an advanced perspective and apply their knowledge of film towards larger collaborative ventures including independent features, documentary films and social advocacy.”

The program aims to teach students the technical knowledge necessary to create their own films, as well as how film can be used as a powerful instrument for change.

“Beyond the basics of film theory and history, students can expect to learn about the history of particular genres, such as documentary cinema, and how they have been used to advance social change,” said Gehlawat.

“Students can then apply the knowledge they have gained through hands on coursework in digital storytelling and advanced digital storytelling.

Along with covering basic filmmak-

ing techniques, such coursework also provides students with the tools to create and distribute their own films using new delivery platforms.”

With the program still in its infancy, it is not yet set in stone how the program will work with related fields.

Instructors for the program will come from several departments on campus, including Communication and Media Studies, Hutchins School of Liberal Studies, American Multicultural Studies and Modern Languages and Literature.

“Regardless of what your academic background may be, this program allows you to combine your passion with a critical knowledge of film and media which enables you to enact and document social change,” said Gehlawat.

The Communications Department, in particular, is home to Studio Blue, formerly known as SSU-TV, another organization that teaches students about filmmaking, as well as hosting their own film festival on campus.

“While Coms will definitely have some involvement with the program (and some of our students may be interested in participating), I haven’t had enough conversations with Ajay at this point to have a clear idea on how we might collaborate,” said Ed Beebout, the faculty advisor for Studio Blue.

CAMPUS CRIME DATE

Crime

Location

STATUS

December 3, 2016

Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol

Parking Lot F

Suspect has been arrested

December 4, 2016

Zinfandel Pool Public Intoxication

Unfounded

December 8, 2016

Rape

Off - Campus

Referred to Las Vegas Police

December 9, 2016

Tampering with fire equipment

Trentino Residence Hall

Suspect has been arrested

News

Dec. 13 - Dec. 19, 2016 sonomastatestar.com

Local annual Christmas spectacle ends 22-year-run

Page 5

Analy Bravo Staff Writer

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he Disney-inspired winter wonderland put on every year by Rohnert Park’s very own Scott Weaver is making its last appearance. Weaver has decided that it’s time to move on.

Throughout the years, Weaver has handcrafted a variety of Disney characters to increase the size of his Christmas wonderland. Characters like Woody from Toy Story, Woody the woodpecker, the South Park crew, gingerbread men and many more well known cartoon characters can be seen in his front yard, roof and windows draped in 40,000 colorful christmas lights. His Jungle Book attraction has its very own built-in waterfall that completes the jungle.

“During the weeks leading up to Dec. 1, I am working seven days a week — anywhere from eight to twelve hours a day [but] not one thing looks like Christmas for the first three weeks,” said Weaver.

Not only does Weaver spend the year handcrafting characters for his own yearly spectacular, but he also has made multiple christmas decorations and cartoon characters such as Roger Rabbit and Jessica Rabbit, a couple Dalmatians, Sleeping Beauty and candy canes for his neighbors to be apart of the Christmas extravaganza.

Weeks before the lighting of his eye catching holiday castle, Weaver spent most of his time hanging up lights and setting up his precious characters.

“I spend four and a half to five months out of the year doing this,” said Weaver.

Ever since 2014 when Weaver’s house won the grand prize of $50,000 on season two of ABC’s “The Great Christmas Light Fight,” and had his hard work shown on national television, people from all over the country have driven to Rohnert Park to witness his yearly christmas spectacular.

At age 56, Weaver has decided to close the curtains on this one-of-a-kind annual ritual that has astonished thousands for years.

COURTESY // Connor Gibson Scott Weaver, the mastermind behind Weaver’s Winter Wonderland, has announced that this winter will be his last light show, ending a 22-year run.

“It came from changes in my inner self,” said Weaver. “That I wanted to do things and realizing how many eight-hour days and how I put everything else off to do this,” said Weaver.

The time, effort and expense that comes along with this yearly event will hopefully be passed down to a new Rohnert Park Christmas decorator who will be chosen by Weaver himself.

“It’s something that has been going on for 22 years. I drop sometimes around $1,500 to $2,000 a year before I even turn a light on,” said Weaver. “The thing I’m going to miss most is the kids and the families’ joy.”

The lights will be on every night from Dec. 1- 25 from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., you can see the lights illuminating the Christmas spectacular at 1190 Cielo Circle.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Rohnert Park A reward has been offered in the homicide case involving a Cotati man whose body was found on Sonoma State’s campus. Kirk Kimberly’s body was found on Nov. 2. Kimberly’s friends and family have pulled together a $4,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) resposible for the murder. The Sonoma County Alliance is also offering up a $2,500 reward for anyone who can offer information leading to an arrest. If anybody has information beneficial to the case, they can call sheriff’s investigators at 707565-2185.

Santa Rosa Around midnight Sunday, a 21-year old male was shot in the head, according to Santa Rosa police.

Police officials received a call about a shooting in the 800 block of West Avenue. The victim pulled over on the side of the road when a car full of male suspects drove by while one suspect emptied an entire round from an unkown weapon. The injuries sustained by the victim are not life-threatening. The Santa Rosa Police Department Gang Crime Team is taking over the investigation.

Windsor On Sunday, Petaluma police say they received a call from a woman explaining her son-in-law was in his car, armed with a handgun and stating he wanted to be killed by law enforcement. The man was identified as 49-year old San Francisco resident Christopher Eastwood. Eastwood was seen waving a handgun with some sort of special handle, and it was reported he was driving a gold Volkswagen.

Later that same afternoon, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office received a call about an erratic driver in a vehicle that matched the description police had received. After police confirmed the license plate number, deputies engaged in a pursuit that ended in the Windsor Palms Shopping Center.

Eastwood got out of his vehicle and ran towards the deputies holding a black object pointed at officials. One officer fired several rounds at him, leaving Eastwood struck one time in the shoulder.

The injuries were not life-threatening and an investigation is underway.

apeconcerts.com Since the fire in Oakland that left 36 people dead, the community is rasing money in many forms. Another Planet Entertainment announced a benefit concert called Oakland United that will take place Dec. 14. All of the profits will go directly to the Gray Area Foundation for the Arts Oakland Fire Relief Fund.

OAKLAND: Community pulls together to raise money Continued from Pg. 1

“To read that story and know this boy really loved her… is so crazy,” Huffman said. “I couldn’t imagine the pain she was suffering in those moments.”

Huffman, a junior communication and media studies major at Sonoma State, said she got to know Gregory when they both played at the Millbrae Softball League.

The two women, who both grew up in San Bruno, attended middle school together and maintained frequent contact while attending different high schools and colleges.

Huffman said Gregory was wellknown in their hometown community.

“It has been horrific this whole weekend, especially being home and in the area,” Huffman said.

The Bay Area community is far from the only one to be affected by this fire. SFGate, a Bay Area news website, listed the fire’s victims in an article. The lives lost grew up in places as diverse as San Diego, Utah, and Chelmsford, Massachusetts, according to the article.

Huffman said she encourages Sonoma

State students to become more aware about the Oakland fire and suggests donating money to relief causes, such as various GoFundMe online fundraisers.

One of these crowdfunded campaigns focuses on “future expenses” for Daniel Vega — Alex’s brother — while another, created by Reina Lam, is for Oakland residents who lost their homes and belongings in the fire.

A Dec. 5 article from The Press Enterprise lists other ways to help Oakland fire survivors and the families of victims. The “Oakland Fire Relief ” page on youcaring. com raised over $650,000 for victims and their families as of Dec. 12.

This fundraiser is supported by Bay Area sports teams such as the Oakland A’s, Oakland Raiders, and Golden State Warriors, each of which have pledged to raise $50,000.

Another youcaring.org fundraiser, organized by the Gray Area Foundation for the Arts, plans to distribute its money among “all affected” by the fire.

The article said the foundation is teaming up with the Oakland mayor’s office and American Red Cross for these efforts.

Page 6

Arts

Dec. 13 - Dec. 19, 2016

sonomastatestar.com

‘Office Christmas Party’ won’t make it on the list of Christmas Classics facebook.com Childish Gambino released his third studio album “Awaken, My Love!” on Dec. 2.

Childish Gambino goes in a different direction Sam Evans Staff Writer

Review

D

onald Glover has been a large presence in American media for the past decade. Beginning his career as an actor and a television writer, he was first hired in 2006 as a writer for the NBC series, “30 Rock.” From there he was he was cast as Troy Barnes in the NBC sitcom “Community,” and today he stars in his own FX show called “Atlanta.” In addition to his experiences in the world of television, Glover also began recording and self-releasing hip-hop music under the stage name Childish Gambino in 2008.

On Dec. 2, Glover released his third album called, “Awaken, My Love!” To the great surprise of anyone who had listened to his previous material, this album sees a drastic change of musical style for Childish Gambino. Glover chose to almost completely abandon hip-hop and instead made an album that combines elements of funk, progressive rock and R&B. Glover’s idea to change his sound so radically was a bold risk. However, in this case it seems to have paid off to some extent.

There are many artists who likely inspired Glover with the making of his new music. But despite the wide range of influences, there is one band in particular that indisputably had such a large influence on this record that giving them proper credit is essential to understanding the music here.

Funkadelic are (as you probably guessed) a psychedelic funk band from the 1970s. Their seminal 1971 album, “Maggot Brain” skillfully combined the rock instrumentation of progressive rock, with the soulful gospel vocals of R&B and the bluesy riffing of funk. In addition to being musically similar, the cover artworks of both albums share far too much resemblance to be dismissed as coincidental.

“Awaken, My Love!” begins with what is perhaps the best and most creative song on the album, “Me and Your Mama.” The track starts with a soft cascade of synthesized chimes that eventually drops into a slow and heavy R&B beat. Some layered, falsetto vocals come in accompanied by a squealing G-funk synth lead that brings Snoop Dogg to mind. This portion of the song saunters along for a couple of minutes before ex-

ploding out of nowhere into an unbelievably tasty full band groove. At this point the listener is treated to a bluesy, fuzzed out guitar riff outlined by bass, live drums and practically screamed vocals.

This is probably the best, most heartfelt vocal performance that Glover has given to date. Unlike with his previous music, his delivery actually feels human and passionate, especially when he’s singing lines like, “Can’t stand it, backhanded.

They wanna see us fallin’ apart. You know that I love you. So let me into your heart.”

After the bombastic middle segment, the song settles back down into a laid back portion that could almost pass for a soulful waltz. The song ends with an interesting wah bass melody that slaloms around the drums, playing mostly on the off beats.

Luckily, even though many of the songs here are very derivative, Glover is able to execute them in a fun and tasteful way, that makes it easy to forgive his lack of total originality. On the other hand, there are several really bad tracks on this album that serve to remind me why I wasn’t a fan of Gambino to begin with.

“Zombies” starts off well enough, but as soon as Glover starts singing, the song crashes and burns. He sings in this ridiculously pompous and over-the-top way that conveys this sense of self-assured arrogance, which he may have been able to get away with were it not for the intellectually bankrupt lyrics. He sings, “We’re coming out to get you. We’re all so glad we met you. We’re eating you for profit.

There is no way to stop it.”

In addition to being lazy and uninspired, these lyrics are trying so hard to be this biting social commentary when in reality, Glover is saying nothing that we haven’t already heard before a million times.

“California” is an atrocious attempt at reggae dancehall that comes complete with boring lyrics, autotuned vocals and a fake Jamaican accent. It’s hard to believe that this song isn’t a parody, but even if it were, it would have no place within the context of the full album.

“Awaken, My Love!” has its ups and downs. For the most part, the ups tend to outweigh the downs, which definitely makes it a worthwhile album. There are a handful of fantastic songs here, and the forward-thinking change of musical direction that Glover made on this album is certainly commendable. Overall, it is probably Childish Gambino’s most successful record, and it begs the question of what he will do next.

Alexis Austin Staff Writer

Review

T

here was “The Hangover,” “This Is The End” and “Project X,” now there is “Office Christmas Party.”

The “party movie” archetype leads in the viewer with a few expectations, most importantly, that it’s going to be a funny movie.

However, these simple expectations are just barely met and much of this movie is lacking, leaving the viewer feeling like they are awkwardly waiting for hilarity.

The plot was held on by a thread, and if there were not a few uncomfortable, yet blatant monologues and dialogues that mapped it out on an elementary level, there really would have been nothing supporting the events of this film.

The premise is a CEO (Jennifer Aniston) tries to close her dim witted brothers (T.J. Miller) branch of their company, left to the siblings after their father’s death. He and his chief technical officer (Jason Bateman) must then hype up their co-workers and have a huge office Christmas party in order to impress a potential client and close a sale that will save everyone’s jobs.

Probably the most humorous twist this movie offers, aside from the

expected drugs, sex and alcohol, is the component that everything is taking place at an office.

The idea that workaholic adults, who wear boring sweaters and spend most of their time dealing with phone calls and paperwork are behaving like a bunch of drugged up teens at Coachella is inherently funny.

This being said, some jokes did not deliver as well as others. Many of the jokes came across as desperate and were not always executed with much confidence. It was as if the actors were not even sure whether or not they were being genuinely funny.

The movie seemed to portray a style of riff comedy audiences loved in movies like “Pineapple Express,” but the performance here left the script in plain view.

The jokes that tended to do the best in the theater were the lowest of the low. For example, Jason Bateman’s dry sarcasm may have received a few laughs, but Kate Mckinnon character farting warranted a shameless laugh from everyone in the audience.

Furthermore, T.J. Miller’s characters main amusingquality was transparently being “the stupid one.”

He was berated from scene to scene making audacious propositions, knocking things over and crashing into stuff. Of course, what’s more funny than someone getting hurt or farting?

This kind of crude humor is expected from

the party style movie, but it really was not as outright laughable as it could have been.

The party itself, as expected, was over-thetop, ludicrous and at least entertaining. Olivia Munn’s techy, down-toearth character was pretty great and provided a stable energy throughout the movie, and Mckinnon was really the most priceless character. Things pulled together towards the end as more comfort zones were crossed and the main crew gets mixed up with a psychotic but strong-willed lady pimp.

The supporting characters were the real stars.

Overall, this movie was a warm chuckle, not a big laugh. The hilarious “glue” character was missing; the character that is just rich in every scene, who generates laughter no matter what they say; a person like Tina Fey, Will Ferrell, or Seth Rogan.

Although the starstudded cast was indeed sportive and waggish, something or maybe someone, was missing.

It was like a Seth Rogan movie, but without Seth Rogan.

Finally, I for one, am tired of seeing Jason Bateman as the “Office man” (“Arrested Development,” “Extract,” “The Change Up”) and Jennifer Aniston as the “horrible boss” (“Horrible Bosses”).

Watching the same people as the same regurgitated characters just gets a bit old after awhile.

facebook.com “Office Christmas Party” was released Dec. 9. It has a received a rotten 43 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Best album of 2016: ‘Coloring Book’ Noe Felix Staff Writer

Commentary

W

ith a year filled with rough waters, “Coloring Book” was the lighthouse that guided everyone home. It was the year’s most ambitious and finest hip-hop album that delivered an extraordinary experience. It is an album that exudes warmth, kindness, optimism and spirituality in a way not seen before. Chance the Rapper’s third mixtape showcased that music, when at its best, can inspire and impact social culture. “Coloring Book” delivers heartfelt and somber rhymes that invoke a sense of happiness and of comfort. Chance’s project interweaves his love for his city, daughter and god into one beautiful package. Chance’s vision was to deliver smiles and to spread faith. It’s safe to say that he accomplished that with flying colors.

“Coloring Book’s” biggest accomplishment is that each of its 15 tracks has purpose. Each song has a message to spread and has been expertly handcrafted to have a vibe all its own. All the tracks have an effect that makes the listener want to smile and rap along. It’s a rarity when each track on an album is infectious.

“Coloring Book” is unique and original in its sound. It’s filled with gospel choirs, pianos and trumpets (to name a few) that come together to create a cheery and sultry vibe. It’s important that Chance gave each song their own identity. The slow, seductive groove of “Juke Jam” sounds completely different from the bright trumpets of “Blessings,” and that’s what makes Chance’s project so special. We don’t often see many artists spend their time on diversifying their sound on an album.

Above all, Chance’s lyrics are the heart and soul of why “Coloring Book” is album of the year. The album is heavy on gospel and faith but it never comes off as too preachy.

Its purpose is to hearten the lives and souls of its listeners. These lyrics are ever present throughout the album. On the beautiful “Blessings (Reprise)” Chance raps, “I speak of wonderful, unfamiliar lessons from childhood/ make you remember how to smile good.”

On the stunning “How Great” he raps, “Good god the gift of freedom /Hosanna Santa invoked and woke up salves from Southampton to Chatham Manor.”

Moreover, it’s Chance’s personality that adds charm to his rhymes. His passion (and giddiness on some tracks) can be heard from every word he speaks to every breath he takes. One minute he can be playful and rap, “You had a n****/ I couldn’t stand him/ but when they play Chris Brown “Take You Down”/ I am his stand-in,” in “Juke Jam.” The next he could be spitting something deep like, “Ain’t no blood on my money/ ain’t no Twitter in heaven/ I know that drugs isn’t close, ain’t no visit in heaven.”

While 2016 saw the release of some impeccable albums like Beyonce’s “Lemonade,” Solange’s “Seat at the Table” and Kanye West’s “The Life of Pablo,” none had the special tenderness that Chance had. It’s an extraordinary testament to the emotions that music can create. Chance has set the highest bar in music due to the love that explodes out of “Coloring Book.” It’s going to be remembered as one the greatest albums of all time.

facebook.com Chance the Rapper dropped “Coloring Book” on May13. It worked its way into the number eight spot on the Billboard Top 200 List that month.

Dec. 13 - Dec. 19, 2016 sonomastatestar.com

Entertainment

Page 7

Biology major turns in lab coat for theater costume

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Alex T. Randolph Staff Writer

t was just for fun, but it ended up changing his life. It wasn’t that long ago that Carlos G. Rodriguez, 22, was suffering from depression. As a teenager, he did not know what his true passion was in life and felt he belonged nowhere.

A native of Chicago, Illinois, Rodriguez grew up in a household that was both large and complicated. His birth father walked out when he was four and he was distant with his stepfather, Martin. His family often struggled to make ends meet.

Things were no better at his high school. Rodriguez kept to himself, had no real friends and was often bullied for, as he put it, “being so dramatic.”

On top of that was Rodriguez’s depression, which first came around in high school. He handled it mostly by hiding himself away and playing video games. It was not a good coping mechanism.

“During high school,” he said, “I attempted to kill myself twice.”

He also suffered from self-mutilation.

According to him, all of that changed thanks to his time at Sonoma State University’s Theatre Studies Program.

After transferring to California and finishing high school, Rodriguez started going to Sonoma State with a major in biology, studying to become a heart surgeon. He had an interest in theater since eighth grade, when he played the role of the antagonist in the musical “Oklahoma!,” and so decided for a second major in theatre, but had to go for a minor instead.

He never thought of acting as a career at the time – it was just something he enjoyed doing.

He started off at Sonoma State’s improvisation club, now called the Improvaholics. He cheerfully admitted that he was quite terrible.

“By far the worst improver you could probably see,” he said.

Nonetheless, he started going more and more often and slowly developed the courage to go onstage.

Afterward, he got involved with Sonoma State’s annual Super Mega Molten Hot Lava festival, which helped him develop his acting voice.

“I’ve seen his acting come an immensely long way,” said Renee Harden, a fellow performer and friend of Rodriguez’s. “He’s always had a drive and just a love for it.”

It was after his performance as a main character in “The Hummingbird Wars” that Rodriguez started to realize this was more than a fun hobby to him.

“After that show, I was like ‘I want to do this again,’” he said. “I want to keep doing this for the rest of my life.”

And a big part of that decision is because of the cast he found himself a part of. Rodriguez kept to himself as a kid, but finding peers with interests similar to him has done wonders to get him out into the public. When they ask him to hang out with them, he gladly complies. According to Rodriguez, it has allowed him to become a much more social and well-rounded person.

“This cast has changed my life a lot,” he said. “I couldn’t ask for a better cast.”

Today, Rodriguez is an aspiring doctor and actor with a bright smile and a cheerful personality.

He is glad to talk about his family and the friends he has made, and how making a new start helped get his life back together.

While he still has bouts of depression, he now has better methods to handle it.

One way is listening to music; ironically, the more depressing the song, the better it makes him feel.

His personal relationships have improved as well. He calls his mother his best

friend, and the first person Rodriguez turns to. He still he has a hard time thinking of Martin like a father – “I still call him by his name,” he said, “I don’t call him, ‘dad.’” But they’ve bonded over “Call of Duty” and “Dragon Ball Z,” and Rodriguez does look up to and respect Martin as an older brother figure.

“And of course he has my trust,” he said.

Despite that, Rodriguez’s parents found out about their son’s passion to be an actor only recently. They had been too busy working to support themselves and their children to notice his performances as a child. When last interviewed, Rodriguez had a plan to introduce them to his real passion by inviting them to what they thought would be a scholarship, and instead would turn out to be the Christmas play “The Bluebird,” where he plays the main character, a boy named Tyler – he gets a lot of roles for kids and young adults, he’s noticed. When asked why he would reveal his passion in such a strange fashion, Rodrigez chalked it up to his overly dramatic nature.

Rodriguez still has plans to be a doctor, saying he feels he owes it to his younger siblings, but now feels he knows more what to do with his life than he did before.

“I feel like coming to college, leaving home, starting over, it’s done wonders to my life,” said Rodriguez.

COURTESY // David Papas Carlos Rodriguez starred as Tyler in the Theater Arts and Dance Department’s performance of “The Bluebird.”

Best movies of 2016

5.

4.

3.

2.

1.

Sean Curzon Staff Writer

Arrival. In an age of blockbusters, it always refreshing to get a sci-fi story that isn’t an action film. A series of alien ships land on Earth, forcing several nations to work together. The U.S. government employs a linguistic expert played by Amy Adams in order to translate the strange alien language. No universal translators, psychic powers or learning English off the internet here. It's a fascinating look at what first contact with alien life might be like.

10 Cloverfield Lane. A sister movie to the 2008 found footage monster movie “Cloverfield,” this finds a woman waking up in a mysterious bunker only to be informed that the outside world was attacked. This is a tense thriller that keeps you hooked from beginning to end. The film uses a minimal cast with only three leads. John Goodman showcases an amazing range, going from kind to terrifying and back again. A great movie that shows the audience who and what the true monsters are.

Captain America: Civil War. In this Marvel blockbuster, teammates Captain America and Iron Man come to blows when the world government decides it wants to run The Avengers, with Iron Man for it and Captain against it. The conflict in this movie feels earned and organic unlike other superhero movies this year. The only real issue is it does require some knowledge of these characters and past events going in. Not very newcomer friendly. Also, the villain’s plan does require coincidence when you stop it think about it, but the films emotional core does carry the character's actions. That said, the film juggles its large cast, knowing who to use and when. The action always services the story and not the other way around. A great way to set the phase of Marvel.

Deadpool. Fox brings Marvel’s merc with a mouth to life in all his foul mouthed, violent glory. After mercenary Wade Wilson is diagnosed with cancer, he undergoes special treatment to cure himself and it goes horribly right. With the cure comes a life with painful healing abilities, a disfigured face and a thirst for revenge. Newcomer director Tim Miller and Ryan Reynolds stay true to the spirit of the comic character, with plenty of R-rated violence and fourth-wall breaking humor. One of the best and most original comedies of the year.

Zootopia. Not only is this a charming animated tale, but a powerful message on racism. “Zootopia” tells the tale of a city where all kinds of animals live together, but having prey and predator live side by side can be difficult. The main character Judy Hopps, a bunny with dreams of being a cop, has her first big case causing her to meet a fox con-artist named Nick Wilde. Not only is this beautifully animated, incredible funny and clever but also serves as allegory for the racism that feels more relevant each day. It’s rare for an animated movie, especially by a big company like Disney, to not only tackle this kind of topic but tackle it well. Truly the best film of the year.

Page 8

Student Life

Dec. 13- Dec. 19, 2016

sonomastatestar.com

Oakland warehouse fire touches Sonoma State student Lindsey Huffman Staff Writer

Commentary

I

t was a Friday night in San Bruno when my childhood friend, Michela Gregory, and her boyfriend Alex Vega decided to hop on BART and attend a party in Oakland. The party was being hosted in a warehouse called the Ghost Ship. At 10:12 p.m. Gregory posted a video on Snapchat of her enjoying what looked like a rave. There was loud techno music in the background and the scene was dark with little flickers of light here and there. A little over an hour later, she was gone.

She and Alex were two of the 36 people who died in the terrible blaze on Dec. 2. It was because of Michela this tragedy is all the more personal and painful for me.

Michela and I met through the Millbrae softball league we played for since we were five.

Our brothers were also the same age too and attended middle school and high school, so our families have been connected for years through us. What happened as a friendship on the field turned into best friends outside of it as well. We went to school together for three years at Taylor Middle School where our relationship became closer and closer. We ended up going to separate high schools after the eighth grade, but didn’t change our relationship at all and still spent just about every weekend together.

If I had one word to describe Michela it would be unforgettable. From the way she smiled,

to her contagious laugh, friendly personality, original style and love to always be different. She stood out from everyone, due to her out-of-the-box style and makeup that not many can pull off. he had a true pep in her step because she walked on the balls of her feet everywhere she went.

Michela changed my life in more ways than one could ever imagine. Our relationship could be best described by family, friends or outsiders looking in as goofy. She taught me a lot about myself growing up as her childhood best friend. Through the difficult times in middle school and the daunting days of high school, Michela was always there for me; whether it was while playing a sport, walking the halls of Taylor Middle School in Millbrae, our weekend adventures, the videos we would spend hours making or lastly our endless talks during sleepovers.

Throughout the first two years of high school it wasn’t easy for me. I cared too much of how people perceived me and it showed in my actions and desire to be skinny. Michela would always tell me not to care what others thought and that I was beautiful no matter what. It was because of her that I overcame my eating disorder.

In 2010 was the year we attended the Bell Game which took place at South City High School. The Bell Game is an annual game played every year with South City and the rival school El Camino. This is where she introduced me to one her guy friends, who would forever change my life. If it wasn’t for Michela I would’ve never met this guy who I spent the next four years with and though we may

facebook.com A memorial for Michela Gergory and boyfriend, Alex Vega, Ghost Ship fire victims. not be together anymore, he is still my best friends to this day.

Two years later, I was fortunate enough to meet the love of her life, Alex Vega, on a few occasions. I remember it like it was yesterday when Michela sat with me in the Rolling Pin Donut parking lot in San Bruno told me about this boy Alex she was talking to. But little did I know that Vega would have such a huge impact on her life.

Alex and Michela were not only a young couple in love, but to everyone that knew their relationship, knew they were soulmates. They complemented one another so well when it came to their similar interests and ways of life.

A part of me wants to be an-

gry with many people involved with this incident, but the other part knows that being upset is not what Michela would have wanted, and it isn’t going to bring her back. She was the most free-spirited, loving and non-judgmental person I knew.

Going to raves and dancing was something she loved, her hobby.

So anger is not the solution.

Michela may be gone, but she will never be forgotten.

She touched so many lives and brought happiness to those who needed it the most. They keep saying, “you’re in a better place now,” which saddens me. In a perfect world the better place is here with your family and friends, who loved and supported you.

But what comforts me is knowing Alex, the boy she spent the last five years with, was right there beside her. When Michela was found she was still clothed with her backpack on. It became difficult for investigators to find Alex and this was because he was found on top of her. During her last moments, Alex did everything he could to protect her. Love does conquer all, and I hope everyone can find their Alex.

This incident has brought families and communities closer.

When situations like this happen, people realize how fragile and precious life is.

Overall the reality of this tragic incident is tomorrow is never promised.

Librarian Lynn Prime, an underestimated resource Sierra Straub Staff Writer

T

hose who walk the paths of Sonoma State University may not realize exactly how many people are involved behind the scenes. From facilities workers to those in the Health Center, many fall below student radars.

The STAR had the opportunity to talk with Head Librarian Lynn Prime, an instrumental part of the success of many students.

Sonoma State STAR: Can you start by telling me a little bit about yourself?

Lynn Prime: “I’ve been a librarian for many years; I have worked in public and school libraries, and came to academic libraries kind of by the back door. I grew up with parents who were both teachers. My father taught choral music at a community college and my mother taught English as a Second Language to adults. I couldn’t decide what to do with my life after college, so I applied to UC Berkeley’s Library School because I knew I loved libraries and most librarians.

I’ve been a librarian at the Sonoma State Library for about thirteen years now, most of that time in Special Col-

COURTESY /// Nicolas Grizzle Lynn Prime has worked as the head librarian at Sonoma State University since 2015, but has been involved on campus for nearly 13 years.

lections and University Archives, first as a digital projects manager, and then since 2015 as the head of the department.

I love what I do, and believe very strongly in providing access for students to our many unique collections.”

STAR: What brought you to Sonoma State? What are your favorite parts?

Prime: “I think initially what brought me to Sonoma State was the excitement of working with Special Collections materials. And then it became, and still is the pleasure of getting students connected with our materials.

Working with classes and with individual students as they discover the variety of collections we have is special for me. Just to see students’ eyes open wide, literally and figuratively, as they discover what it is to read an original love letter Jack London wrote to his wife Charmian, or to experience firsthand through letters, photos, scrapbooks, and the like the years of work activists have put into developing and sustaining open space areas in Sonoma County.

I also think the work Julie Dinkins, my coworker, and our student employees, are doing to digitize these important collections is such a significant development. She and her team have recently spearheaded the digitization of Sonoma State’s student newspapers, from 1961 into the early 1970s at this point. So you can research campus issues – and world issues as reflected on our campus – from a student perspective.

We’re also part of a CSU-wide project to develop digital collections about the Japanese American experience in the 20th century, including the incarceration of Japanese American citizens through most of World War II. That’s been an amazing experience, involving the Sonoma County Japanese American community, which has helped us to collect important letters, photos, and other items on this often troubling history.”

The North Bay Digital Collections is home to the collection of both campus newspapers and documents on the Japanese American experience. More information can be found at http:// northbaydigital.sonoma.edu/cdm/. And

the library’s other Special Collections pages can be found at http://library.sonoma.edu/specialcollections.

not the ones having to hunker down, it’s a real pleasure to support students in such a simple way.”

STAR: How have you seen Sonoma State change over the years, in terms of the library and the population and the campus in general?

Prime: “When I first started, the library had been in the Schulz Information Center for almost four years. Students loved their new library, especially the space.

But as you know, library collections have changed. The library used to be much more print-based, and more and more resources are available online, which is almost universally a good thing.

What’s most interesting to me about the library in the last number of years is that as print has become less of the dominant resource for some things, it’s also become a focus for the unique kinds of primary source material that academic libraries have – letters, posters, photos, the student newspaper – that show students the history of our campus, for instance, and collections of documents on environmental activism in our own county over the last 50 years. There’s our premiere Jack London Collection, with its signed first editions of London’s novels in book form, as well as serialized in magazines such as Cosmopolitan and the Saturday Evening Post. Jack London was a true renaissance man and studying his life and works is really a treat, for getting a sense of the very large issues of his time as well as for the chance to read his works in their original format.”

STAR: What are your favorite parts of the library? Are there any hidden gems?

Prime: “I love the hustle and bustle of the second floor. The energy and collaborative studying that happens there is amazing. And I love the quiet and focus in the third floor Quiet Study Room. Partly because it’s ‘my’ area, but also because I think having that quiet relationship to Special Collections is a great introduction to these resources.

I think Special Collections itself is a huge hidden gem. I’d love to see more individual students and classes make use of our materials.”

STAR: How does the library atmosphere change during finals week?

Prime: “Oh, you can imagine.

There’s both a growing tension in the air and a growing focus by students.

Many more students than usual gravitate to the third floor for its quiet study spaces as we head towards finals week.

In the last few years, one of the pleasures for our staff and faculty has been to surprise students by offering treats in daily walk-arounds during the week before and the week of finals. Students greet us with such pleasure and gratitude – all for a granola bar or a tangerine. We’re all so grateful that we’re

STAR: What is your favorite book and why?

Prime: “Zadie Smith’s books are great reads – White Teeth and On Beauty come to mind. They remind me what a complicated world we live in, and how race, culture and history all have such an influence on people’s lives. Sounds lofty, but her books are also just superb stories.

I love all of Richard Russo’s novels, as well. He’s the author of Nobody’s Fool, which was made into a movie starring Paul Newman years ago. Russo is a master of character creation, which makes for a good read.

Truth be told, because of my long commute, I actually listen more to podcasts about books, than I actually read – or even listen to – books. I love Teri Gross’ Fresh Air interviews on National Public Radio, many of them with authors.”

STAR: Is there anything else you want me to know about or cover?

Prime: “I want everyone who reads this to know how important I think libraries and information centers, spaces as well as resources and especially the wonderful librarians in them, are for students. Maybe I’m biased, but I don’t think so…..The world is full of stories about how much people’s lives are influenced by story and by information.

And in such a complicated and sometimes polarized world, information is extremely important.”

Student Life

Dec. 13 - Dec. 19, 2016 sonomastatestar.com

Page 9

Seawolves SPEAK! Students face the challenges of finals week Amanda Buth Staff Writer

W

ith winter break just around the corner, finals are the only thing keeping students from their holiday activities. One of the most stressful weeks of the semester has arrived, bringing with it a time of sleepless nights and a lacking social life. Whether a student is starting their first year as a freshman, or planning on graduating as a senior, trying to balance school, work and friends is common for Sonoma State University students. We asked students: What’s the hardest part of finals week for you?

“The majority of my assignments and projects were due before finals week so I was super stressed at the same time that I was working on grad school applications and registering for classes. Now I have this week to do almost nothing, which is nice. I still can’t go home until Saturday because my only final is on Thursday night.” -Lindsey Perino, fourth year, psychology major “The whole week has been stressful.

I definitely regret procrastinating on all my projects.”

-Michael Rodgers, fourth year, early childhood studies major

“I’m studying for finals while prepping to go home in the same week and sharing a room with someone who has a very different schedule than myself so balancing that is very difficult.”

-Rebecca Teitelbaum, first year, hutchins major

“I’ve had to balance my work and school load just like a lot of other students.

With a 30-page paper and two other 10page papers, it’s been stressful to complete and find quality time to finish with work as well as squeeze in time to stop and smell the roses.”

-Kristen Hennings, fourth year, early childhood studies major

“Having to isolate myself from my friends just to have enough time to study during finals week is the hardest part.”

-Austin Clarke, third year, business finance major

“I’ve been extremely sick all week so having to get out of bed and motivating myself has been the hardest part because I would rather be in bed sleeping.”

-Gabriella Fisher, third year, hutchins major

School of Extended Education awards 240 scholarships Lucy Lopez Staff Writer

A

ccording to an article in the New York Times most students don’t graduate on time. On average only about 19 percent of full-time students who attend public universities graduate within four years.

According to Sonoma State University’s website, 55.5 percent of students graduate within a reasonable time (3-6 years).

The School of Extended and International Education is offering up to 39 different courses for students to take this year. Courses offered can fulfill GE requirement or major requirements.

Students have benefited from taking these winter courses in order to be able to graduate on time.

According to the Julie Shell, an intersession coordinator, the scholarship opportunity increased intersession enrollment by 25 percent from last year.

“I’ve done winter intersession twice,” said Psychology Major Marcela Martinez. “It’s so difficult to get classes during registration, so when they offer an upper division GE ethnic studies course during winter, I’m going to take it.”

Students can take up to a maximum of five units during that four week period, and classes are open to everyone, not just students.

Although some students have benefited from these courses others have not.

“It’s so expensive,” said PreNursing and Spanish Major Jessica Mayer. “I wish I could take a course, but I simply can’t afford it.”

The course base fee for winter intersession averages $239 per unit.

For many of those enrolling on a college student budget, that can be unaffordable. However, there are other options. Students can defer their financial aid for the Spring to

have it cover the costs of their winter course.

This year the School of Extended Education offered $500 in need based scholarships to students. The scholarship covers approximately half the cost of a 3 unit class offering. Requirements for the scholarships included being in good academic standing, enrolled in at least three units for winter, and have filed for FASFA and/or the Dream Act. “We made the decision to fund 240 scholarships because it helps more students graduate that much faster and helps more students in need here at Sonoma State of financial assistance,” said Robert Eyler, dean of School of Extended and International Education.

Award letters have gone out to those who have received the scholarship.

“We recieved a ‘thank you’ from a scholarship recipient who mentioned it meant the world to her educational success. She has limited financial support available, and this scholarship will help her finish more units faster, and graduate sooner,” said Jennifer Haynes, marketing coordinator for the School of Extended Education.

The School of Extended Education has already started planning for summer intersession by sending surveys to see what classes students would like offered during the summer.

“The purpose of the survey was to help us better align our summer session planning with students’ needs,” said Shell, coordinator of scheduling, intersession and summer session. “We had 280 responses, mostly from juniors and seniors planning on taking one or two summer classes. In terms of why to take summer classes, 35 percent of respondents said major classes are too impacted, 30 percent want to graduate sooner, and 18 percent said GEs are too impacted.”

MAZDA COLLEGE GRADUATE PROGRAM AVAILABLE AT HANSEL MAZDA! 3075 Corby Avenue Santa Rosa, CA 95407

ALL NEW 2017 MAZDA3

Page 10

Sports

Dec. 12 - Dec.19, 2016

sonomastatestar.com

Men’s basketball team split weekend matchups Andrea Sims Staff Writer

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he Seawolves opened up their first conference season home game in Kentfield at College of Marin last Friday night, but unfortunately the men’s basketball team took a narrow loss against San Francisco State, losing 65-63.

It was a nail-biter of a game and the Seawolves fought until the end, taking it as a learning experience for future games. Sophomore Mason Phillips had quite the highlights against the Gators, leading the team with 14 points.

The Seawolves started off the first half off-balance, adjusting to the new home court. The Gators pounced on the Seawolves to take a commanding lead. Entering halftime, the Gators held the deficit at 37-24.

“Heading into the second half we knew we had to take better care of the ball,” said Guard Jackson Gion. “When we set our half court defense they had a hard time scoring, but our turnovers were allowing them to get into transition before we could set our defense.”

However, after a much-needed halftime to regain energy and spirit, the Seawolves powered through the second half with a fight. Roaring in with impenetrable defense to put a stop to the Gators, the offense from the Seawolves also made a turnaround.

Center Nathan Molony-Benjamin made his mark on the court, finishing the game with a total of 6 points. He brought back the energy the Seawolves needed to continue to power through the second half.

Gion also had a strong night for the Seawolves, swishing in 12 buckets. With a little more than two minutes left on the clock and the Gators in the lead 65-63, the Seawolves defended any chance San Francisco State had of increasing the deficit.

With nine seconds remaining, Phillips had all control of the ball and took the last shot of the game, but missed by inches to take the loss of 65-63.

“We know we have a lot of progress to make on both sides of the ball if we want to reach our goal this season. Obviously, taking care of the ball offensively and winning 50/50 balls will be a huge key for us moving forward,” said Gion.

After taking the season-opener loss against the Gators, the Seawolves turned it around on Saturday evening as they faced Cal State Monterey Bay.

Minnesota: After leading at the half by only two points, 60-58, on Sunday night, the Golden State Warriors came out struggling in the third quarter, scoring just 18 points and falling behind 78-88. It was the more experienced and veteran players who kept the Warriors in the game.

Although the bench did not score its usual amount of points on this night, they were key points at a pivotal time. Shaun Livingston had nine points and David West came through with some important blocks in the fourth to help the team overcome their ten-point fourth quarter deficit and take the win 116-108.

Kansas City: The Oakland Raiders looked to head into last Thursday night’s game to beat their AFC West rivals and stay on top in their division. After opening up the scoring with a Sebastian Janikowski field goal to put them up 0-3, the Raiders would struggle to move the ball.

Quarterback Derek Carr threw only 17-41 for 117 yards and Latavius Murray ran for a teamleading 22 carries for 103 yards and a touchdown. After multiple drives ending in punt, the Raiders soon found themselves down 21-3 and tried to mount a comeback, but had to take the loss on the road 21-13 but remain primed and ready for a playoff run.

Baltimore: After losing 14 straight years against Navy, the Army Black Knights finally ended the drought last Saturday and pulled off the upset against the No. 25 ranked college football team in the country. The Army vs Navy football game is played with cadets from both service academies and is one of the longest rivalries in college football playing their first game on Nov. 29, 1890 and meeting a total of 117 times since then. The Navy headed into the game holding the series’ longest winning streak of 14 games in a row, but the Midshipmen were unable to hold on due to some costly turnovers. This game is a little different in that these are not just college students, but they are members of the armed forces who, upon graduation will serve a minimum of four years as an Officer in the United States’ Military.

New York: Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson came into the season not even recognizable by most college football fans which was just another hurdle for him to jump in order for him to be named the best college football player in the country and win the Heisman Trophy. Jackson is the first Louisville player to win the Heisman, but with 4,928 total yards and 51 touchdowns in a single season it didn’t really matter what school you’re from, you’re going to be put into the conversation. Jackson had without a doubt the best season in Louisville history even though NFL Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas was the star in the 1950’s. Jackson had almost 300 more first place votes the Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson with 526 and had 620 more total points than anyone else on the ballot for this award. Lamar Jackson now looks forward to his team playing in the Citrus Bowl against LSU on Dec. 31.

San Francisco: The giants look to give the man responsible for the most wins since his arrival the big money, as superstar pitcher Madison Bumgarner’s contract is coming up on the last few years.

With the signing of a closer in the off-season the Giants have a relatively complete and solid roster moving forward, and need to keep their ace around for as long as they can. Bumgarner signed a $35.56 million contract for six years which includes club options worth $12 million in both 2018 and 2019. Giants General Manager Bobby Evans says that the team is open to communications about a new contract and is ready to listen whenever Bumgarner and his team are ready to talk.

As the clock started to count down, the Seawolves rolled into the court with high energy and jumped on an early led against the Otters. While the Seawolves continued to dominate the backboard, the Otters tried to fight them off as best they could before entering into halftime.

Sonoma State was able to manage their defense and went into halftime leading 34-27 against the Otters. Continuing their high energy, the Seawolves poured into the second half better than ever. Khalid Johnson had an impressive night, scoring 12 points for the Seawolves.

Jordan Fleck came off the bench adding another 12 to the scoreboard, and the Seawolves were unstoppable.

“I think this win showed us how good of a team we can be,” said Johnson. “We know that we have to be the tougher team and that we are going to win games with our defense. Offensively, if we play inside out and if all of us are on the same page we will be fine on that end.”

COURTESY // sonomaseawolves.com No. 50 Nathan Molony-Benjamin contributed 6 points to the Seawolves’ close game on Friday.

Are NBA dreams starting too young?

Commentary Naaman Hightower Staff Writer

“C

oach, could you suggest a summer workout program for my third grader? He says he wants to play in the NBA.” Disbelief hit me like I was a six-foot point guard getting a screen set on me by Shaquille O’Neal. This question was posed to me by a parent of a kid I was coaching last summer. I almost began to answer the question, but common sense stopped me.

A third grade summer workout program? I was beside myself. All I could do was shake my head. These are the days that we live in, I thought to myself.

The days of trying to find the next Lebron James or Tom Brady.

A part of the problem is the media.As a society, we are so quick to hype up the next new talent that is yet to be discovered. Why? We want to be the ones who discovered the prodigy. We want the bragging rights.

The finger is also pointed at parents. There is absolutely no reason that a third grader should have a summer workout program for the big leagues.

Though we encourage our children to dream big, we can’t get carried away.

A child that young is around eight years old. More than that, they have no concept of what it’s going to take to play professionally in their respective sport.

The bigger issue is the toll that it takes on a child that young. Though they think that “training” all summer will be positive for them, they don’t see the long-term. That’s what parents are in place for.

We all remember the days of multi-sport summers, filled with tasty barbeques and road trips. Family camping adventures, pool parties, and sometimes even summer school. What a time to be alive. Not anymore.

A normal childhood is beginning to become that of the past. Millennials will have been the last to enjoy such a time. Don’t misunderstand my argument, though, I’m all for chasing dreams.

My issue stands with the time. As a parent or guardian of a child, it is your responsibility to be able to know what is best for that child. Missing out on the most care-free times of a child’s life is not what’s best.

With finals week in motion, I’m sure we all wish we could go back to the good ol’ days. Those days aren’t filled with strength, conditioning, training and workouts all summer. As the saying goes, we have to let kids be kids.

Madison Burroughs continues to make waves since her freshman debut Phil Baculik Staff Writer

T

he Seawolves have been lucky enough to acquire the talented Madison Burroughs three years ago, and the 5’10 guard from Alamo, California has been making a splash in the Sonoma State Seawolves lineup ever since.

“The best part about playing at Sonoma State is being able to play with such amazing teammates and becoming so close to them over my three years here,” said Burroughs.

“Also thankful that I’m able to play at the college level.”

Burroughs had an impressive freshman year debut, being the only player trusted to be in the lineup throughout all 26 games. She averaged 7.2 ppg, with an impressive 54 assists. She proved herself a major threat in Seawolves’ roster.

With so much trust put in her by her coaches and teammates, Burroughs positioned herself to keep improving with every game and practice.

“I expected everything as it turned out to be, I wasn’t prepared as I’d thought I’d be with accepting the fact that basketball really does become your life. Coming in as a

freshman I’d thought I’d have more free time than I do,” she said when asked if playing college ball is everything she expected.

Burroughs’ sophomore year came with recognition from the league, which awarded her with an All-CCAA honorable mention, and she was named All-Tournament at the North Star Invitational.

That year, she started in 28 out of 29 games. She averaged eight points per game and a season high 17 points against Chico State on Dec. 19 in 2015. The more time Burroughs is on the court, the more she finds herself improving.

“A new quality I found in myself as a player, is that you can truly never stop growing. There is always room for improvement and I work at improving every day,” she said.

This is definitely the case her junior year with only eight games played this season for the women’s basketball team, Burroughs finds herself averaging a whopping 12.3 ppg and .556 fgp. Her best shooting game this season came from an away game against Cal State L.A. where Burroughs scored 19 points in 36 minutes.

“This season has been going well for me and I’m happy with the outcome of most situations, like I said though I’m always looking to be able to improve myself and my

COURTESY // sonomaseawolves.com No. 23 guard Madison Burroughs has been imperative to the Seawolves’ lineup since her freshman year. teammates as well,” said Burroughs.

The (6-2) Sonoma State University women’s basketball team will be playing Chico State in Acker Gymnasium on Saturday Dec. 17. Keep an eye out for Madison Burroughs and her already outstanding junior year of basketball.

Sports

Dec. 12 - Dec. 19, 2016 sonomastatestar.com

Page 11

Seawolves start season 2-1 with buzzer-beater victory over Monterey Bay

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Tatiana Serrano Staff Writer

his weekend, women’s basketball brought home two victories against San Francisco State Friday night, and Monterey Bay on Saturday.

This placed the Seawolves at an overall record of 6-2, with 2-1 in conference play.

Is he worth it?

Commentary Trevor Abrams Staff Writer

L

ast week, Bryce Harper and his agent released a statement to the Washington Nationals that in two years, when Harper becomes a free agent, he will be asking for a $400 million contract. A $400 million contract would make Bryce Harper the highest paid athlete of all time, but does his past performance warrant such a demand?

I say yes. In 2015 at the age of 23, Bryce Harper was the youngest unanimous MVP winner ever, and three years prior to that he was the National League rookie of the year. Not a shabby list of accomplishments for a freshly turned 24-year-old.

Regardless of past performance it’s a shock to the baseball community that Harper would make such demands following a disappointing 2016 campaign.

Right now, the largest total value contract is Giancarlo Stanton’s 13-year $313 million deal, and if Harper was to get $400 million that would blow Giancarlo’s contract out of the water.

To put it into perspective, with a $400 million contract, Bryce Harper would be more expensive than 17 NHL franchises. One player would command a larger monetary value than an entire professional team. Insanity, right? Not quite.

If the Nationals refuse to pay for Harper, someone else most definitely will, and by someone else I mean The New York Yankees. The colossal giant of money that is the New York Yankee organization would sacrifice very little to sign the young superstar, and if I had to bet on it today, I think they will.

Regardless of what Harper wants he is still bound to the Washington Nationals for two more years, so I imagine the contract talk will slow down once the regular season begins. If Harper wants to keep the $400 million mark alive, he better get back to his 2015 MVP self when he hit a dominating .330 with 42 homers rather than the lackluster .243 and 24 home-run season he put together in 2016.

Why now? It only makes sense that players make contract demands after dominating years rather than down years, so why would Harper choose now to do so?

I believe it is because he wants to see what player that Nationals believe he is. Do they think 2016 was an outlier and that 2015 was the true Harper? Or do they believe the opposite. Bold Statement: I believe Harper will return to his MVP caliber of play and land a contract worth more than $400 million come 2018.

Saturday night was a strong win for the Seawolves as they blew out the San Francisco State Gators 66-46. Within the first half, 22 points were scored in the paint, and five from the field. Maddison Burroughs was the lead scorer for the first half, with 16 points, three steals, and four assists.

Sophomore Kylie Kiech shot the first three-pointers of the night. Kim Savio made a layup immediately after, following Molly Donovan with her own layup. The Seawolves gained the 10-2 lead before the first five-minute mark of the game. At the end of the first quarter San Francisco scored a three-pointer putting the score at 16-7.

The first half showed the Seawolves’ chemistry, starting halftime with a score of 39-21 with Sonoma State maintaining their lead.

When the second half began there were six fouls before the two minute mark in the third quarter. Sonoma was leading 43-25 when Taylor Todd scored a three-pointer with 5:40 left in the game. Within the last three minutes of the quarter there were four free throws, a layup, and a jumper by Sonoma State. Although San Francisco State outscored Sonoma 15-12 within the last quarter, it was still not enough to take home the win.

Overall the team had 37 rebounds, 38 points in the key, 20 assists and a 49.1 percentage rage from the field.

“We had perfect defense and natural offense,” said Burroughs.

Saturday night was not as easy of a win.

The team barely pulled through the victory with a score of 68-67. The Monterey Bay Otters now have an overall record of 3-7 and CCAA record of 0-4.

“The biggest thing that gave us success was staying hungry and never giving up,” said Carly Gill.

Throughout the game both teams were very aggressive. Sonoma State had the lead at 24-18 after a steal and layup by Burroughs, a deep field goal by Madeline Lowe and two free-throws by Gill.

Monterey continued to fight, and within five possessions they closed the lead from a 12-point lead to just a one point deficit.

Monterey Bay had a lead in the third after back-to-back three-pointers.

The quarter ended at 48-47, with Monterey Bay leading the way. Eight minutes into the fourth quarter, the score became 5963, still in favor of the Otters. Sonoma had 12 points to Monterey Bay’s 15.

With 17 seconds left in the game, Kiech made a three-pointer, just before Monterey Bay was fouled at the other end. After missing the second free-throw, the Otters were stunned when Sonoma State rebounded the ball and Kiech managed to assist the gamewinning trey from Gill to put the final score at 68-67.

The next game for the Seawolves is against rivals Chico State Dec.14.

COURTESY // sonomaseawolves.com Junior point guard Carly Gill made the game-winning 3-pointer against Monterey Bay on Saturday.

Cleveland Cavalier’s superstar refuses to stay in Trump hotels Commentary John Dolan Staff Writer

T

he 2016 Presidential Election is over, but the emotions are still clearly present. The infamous Trump presidency has energized his supporters and opponents through the hateful rhetoric and protests happening across the country. Cleveland Cavaliers superstar Lebron James is the latest professional athlete to gain notoriety by refusing to stay at the Trump SoHo hotel during a road game against the New York Knicks.

The Cavaliers have a contract with the establishment that is branded through a licensing agreement with President-elect Donald Trump. During the election, James campaigned for Hillary Clinton. Instead of engaging in a symbolic protest that will amount to nothing at this point, perhaps the NBA’s ultimate ambassador Lebron James can adopt the post-election behavior of President Obama.

Not only has President Obama moved forward,

but he is addressing the issue that Lebron James should be dealing with: the African American vote.

Other factors played a role as well, but the African American vote had everything to do with Trump being elected. White men and women as well as 28 percent of the Latino population voted for Trump.

Meanwhile, Hillary’s supporters were too occupied lamenting the possibility of a Trump presidency that they ensured his election by not showing up to vote.

Voting is where real change can occur. When campaigning during the presidential election, President Obama claimed it would a “personal insult” to his legacy if we did not go out and vote.

The fact is that this election, two million fewer African Americans who showed up to vote for President Obama in 2012 voted for Hillary.

Around one hundred million eligible voters didn’t even bother to vote this past election. With a Supreme Court vacancy, national security and the economy on the line, the Colin Kaepernicks of the world failed to do their part in voting despite the calls from President Obama and Lebron James.

If the African American community showed up to vote, like they did for Obama four years ago, Hill-

ary Clinton would be the 45th President of the United States.

When asked about his boycott of Trump’s hotel, James responded, “At the end of the day, I hope he’s one of the best presidents ever for all of our sake –– my family, for all of us. But it’s just my personal preference.”

Fellow teammate, Imam Shumpert has already claimed that he will not visit Trump at the White House if the Cavs win the championship again this season. Three other NBA teams have decided to stop staying at Trump hotels during road games.

Everyone with a voice should be heard. Champions take on challenges by putting in the work and addressing the mistakes. They identify the mistakes and correct them whether they win or lose. The fact is we had a chance to defeat Donald Trump, but now he is going to be our next president.

Hopefully, common sense and civic duty will triumph over apathy and negligence in the next election.

It is time to understand what went wrong this election and move forward. This recipe is what champions are made of and the timing could not be better to echo a message of inspiration instead of choosing to check into another hotel.

Men’s basketball gallery: Seawolves split weekend series

courtesy: sonomaseawolves.com Guards Jimmy Golden, Ronnie Harris and Mason Phillips lead the Seawolves win against CSU Monterey Bay.

Page 12

Photo

Dec. 13 - Dec. 19, 2016 sonomastatestar.com

Students come together at special holiday dinner

STAR // Megan Corcoran The Kitchens hosted a holiday dinner for students and guests Wednesday evening. Complete with decorations, holiday fun facts, festive food and even a chocolate fountain.

SUMMER

SUMMER SESSION 2017 SURVEY RESULTS

SESSION

(results are based on 280 submissions) What type of class would you most likely take over the Summer?

25

None

Major classes—63%

1 class

General ed—30%

Which option best describes why you would consider taking a Summer Session class?

Graduate earlier General ed classes too impacted Major classes too impacted

50

38 9

Low registration priority Other

117

3 classes 4 classes

98

102

2 classes

Electives—7%

85

2017

How many classes do you plan on taking over the Summer?

28 8

Which Summer Session dates would you prefer to take?

May 30 - Jun 22 (Session 1)

160

Jun 26 - July 20 (Session 2) July 24 - Aug 17 (Session 3)

78 42

THANK YOU FOR HELPING US MAKE SUMMER BETTER!

SESSION 1: MAY 30 - JUN 22 SESSION 2: JUN 26 - JUL 20 SESSION 3: JUL 24 - AUG 17 Online schedule available March 6