Volume 78 // Issue 8

TiONS END EC

Opinion: Off-campus housing options limited for people of color. Pg. 3

Y DA TO

AS EL

In this issue:

DONT FORGET TO VOTE!

A&E: Brazilian guitar duo showcase synchronized talent at GMC. Pg. 7 Sports: Women’s tennis team win two games over the weekend. Pg. 10

SINCE 1979

VOLUME 78 // ISSUE 8

APRIL 4 - APRIL 10, 2017

THE UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT RUN NEWSPAPER

Associated Students candidates share vision for office in debate Braden Cartwright Staff Writer

T

he two candidates for president of Associated Students traded jabs at a debate last Tuesday, as candidates for senate, vice president and president all gathered in the Student Center to pitch their visions for Sonoma State University to a room full of potential voters.

As the Associated Students elections wrap up today, the debate stands out as the main event in the campaign because it was a chance to see all of the candidates in one place. A discussion of the merits of each candidate replaced the campaign posters and flyers.

The debate between the AS president candidates, Emily Hinton and Wilson Hall, showed each person’s priorities for Sonoma State. Hall clearly saw ways Hinton could have improved her presidency, and, in veiled jabs, said Hinton was not visible enough to the students.

“There is a major disconnect between students and their representatives,” Hall said.

Hinton chose to focus on her experience. She listed several accomplishments from her first term as president. Among those were establishing a new food policy, lowering the housing deposit and advocating for the Undocumented Resource Center. Her proudest accomplishment was changing the culture at Sonoma State; she said she refocused the values of the university alongside Judy K. Sakaki.

When the topic of the tuition increase came up, Hall questioned Hinton’s communication with the students. He said students were “in the dark,” and that Associated Students was not transparent enough.

Hinton countered by saying she sent an email to every student, something she

just got the ability to do, to let them know about the tuition increase. Hall didn’t seem to think an email was enough.

“Taking physical action is something the next AS president should do,” he said.

During his campaign, he has seen that when you go up to a random student and ask them about the tuition increase, they don’t know about it.

“The reality is not every student will know,”Hinton said, “It’s up to them to get information.”

She added that the position is not just about informing students but advocating for them, too. She then mentioned her lobbying efforts in Sacramento to resist the tuition increase.

On the topic of diversity, both students had constructive ideas.

“We should go to where diversity is,” Hall said.

Hall wants to recruit from diverse high schools and believes having someone with an ethnic background will attract diversity.

Hinton saw diversity as something “we tend to shove into The HUB.” The HUB is an on-campus center for diversity and inclusivity. To emphasize diversity more, she wants to increase HUB staff and create additional resource centers that specialize in specific groups.

During the debate, Branden Woodring, a sophomore business major, asked a question that led to a back and forth about transparency. He asked for proof of the accomplishments of both candidates.

“Wilson didn’t know exactly how to get what he’s done out there,” he said. This was is in reference to when Hinton asked the audience to check OrgSync, an online database used by Associated Students, to see if candidates were “making tangible effects.” Hinton was critical of Hall’s participation and attendance in Associated

STAR // Braden Cartwright On March 28, Associated Student’s Presidental candidates Emily Hinton and Wilson Hall debated topics of tution increase, diversity and graduation.

Voting ends today at 6 p.m via orgsync.com through student’s email.

Students.

Before the AS president debate, the three candidates for executive vice president debated. The candidates were Briana Taggart, an Associated Students representative, Jason Gorelick, a peer mentor and William-Cruz Martinez, a transfer student who worked in student government at Napa Valley College.

Each candidate proposed new ideas for Sonoma State, as well as what they would focus on as vice president.

Taggart, a sophomore, said she would focus on improving the graduation rate by offering more classes. She also proposed ideas such as replacing the current dorms with traditional style dorms to lower cost

and build community. She wants to make course syllabi available prior to registration.

Gorelick, also a sophomore, displayed his passion for helping students, talking about how he spends his free time helping the freshmen he mentors.

Martinez, a transfer student and former president of Napa Valley College, wants to see more student involvement.

He thinks students should attend AS meetings. He also wants to make clubs more popular, because when he transferred he noticed students weren’t as engaged as he hoped.

“I would love to bring housing for fraternities and sororities,” he said.

SMART train expected by the end of spring

T

Sam Evans Staff Writer

he Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit authorities predicts the SMART train will be fully operational and open to the public by the end of spring.

When service begins, rides will be free - at least for the first several weeks.

While the board originally planned to have the train completed by late 2016, they delayed the project due to engine problems and the testing of new safety technology designed to prevent the train from exceeding the speed limit called Positive Train Control.

“We are still conducting our comprehensive system-wide safety testing,

and we will open only when it is 110 percent safe to do so,” SMART spokeswoman Jeanne Mariani-Belding said. “Currently, we are targeting late spring.”

The board identified potential engine problems last year after looking at another transit agency in Canada that was using similar engines. According to Mariani-Belding, the Canadian trains were experiencing engine problems with their cars due to a design flaw in the crankshaft. Although the SMART Trains had not experienced the same issues, the SMART board predicted that they could face similar problems in the future. SMART just finished replacing all 14 of the engines to avoid this issue.

In addition to techni-

cal problems, the SMART board is also dealing with some policy-related controversies. Many citizens have complained about the loudness and frequency of the train horn.

In an effort to address these concerns, representatives from the various counties in the North Bay have proposed creating quiet zones, which would restrict the regular sounding of the horn barring emergency situations.

“We’ve received comments from SMART and now we are waiting to receive comments from the Federal Rail Authority,” Sonoma County Supervisor and SMART board member Shirlee Zane said. “The comments from SMART are supportive of the quiet zones, but we still have to get permission from the Federal Rail Authority.”

While Zane thinks that the FRA will be supportive of the quiet zone initiative, she is uncertain because quiet zones are relatively new and there hasn’t been a lot of data submitted on them.

See SMART on Pg. 5

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@sonomastatestar

@sonomastatestar

Courtesy // California State University CSU Chancellor Timothy White and the Cal State Board of Trustees approved a $270 tuition increase to the current average tuition of $5,472.

Students and faculty have mixed reactions to tuition increase Nathan Jew

“I

’ve always had to pay my student fees in full, so I really hope the benefits of the graduation initiative outweigh the extra cost I have to pay now.”

Those words by Jenna Valle-Riestra, a junior communications major at Sonoma State University, describe what many Sonoma State students are feeling as they prepare to pay an additional $270 in tuition fees. Students and faculty at Sonoma State had mixed reactions to the increase, approved March 22 by the California State University board of trustees, for all 23 Cal State campuses beginning in the fall.

The current average tuition is $5,472.

In return, the California State University system has promised a more direct path toward four-year graduation for every student from the moment they decide to attend a CaliforniaState University.

/sonomastatestar

Graduation Initiative 2025 is a push from the CSU board of trustees to increase four-year graduation rates and improve student retention, as well as close equity gaps between low-income students and the rest of the student population. It comes on the heels of a similar initiative launched in 2009 that achieved its goal of increasing the graduation rate for first-time incoming CSU freshmen from 46 percent to 54 percent.

The four-year graduation rates of first-time freshmen are much lower, but have steadily increased since 2008 from 16.2 percent to 19.1 percent in 2011, and are projected to continue rising. The graduation rates after 4 years follow a similar upward trend and are much higher, with five-year graduation increasing from 40.1 percent in 2008 to 46.8 percent in 2010.

See GRADUATION on Pg. 5

Visit: sonomastatestar.com

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Editorial

APRIL 4 - APRIL 10, 2017 sonomastatestar.com

THE STAR

Staff Writers Alyssa Archerda, Alexis Austin, Kevin Brill, Nolan Brough, Emma Capper, Braden Car twright, Simon Cherin-Gordon, Sean Curzon, Alexandra Daniels, Amira Dabbas, Sam Evans, Cailan Ferrel, Annie Finck, Kitana Gachero, Peter Gatembu, Kendall Grove, Tyler Heberle, Naaman Hightower, Lindsey Huffman, Olivia Hunt, Jacqueline Huynh, Nathan Jew, Matthew Koch, Brigitte Maina, Joseph Magill, Amber Rodar te, Edgar Sanchez, Konrad Schoffer, Chad Shaver, Lauren Sniffin, Jacob Tucker, Antonia VanWinkle, Michelle Violetti, Bailey Young

Photographers Megan Corcoran, Jade Eriksson, Erika Peterson, Konrad Schoffer, Jeno Veltri

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: “Seawolves celebrate LGBTQ+ community”

On Thursday, Queer Straight Alliance partnered with Associated Students Productions to host speakers who shared their stories about their experiences in the LGBTQ+ community.

Read the story on page 9

Y DA TO

Shannon Brown, Editor-in-Chief Thomas Call lll, Executive Editor Kim Baptista, Managing Editor Joseph Encinas, News Editor Nate Galvan, Asst. News Editor Jenna Fischer, Opinion Editor Emma Devitt, Ar ts & Enter tainment Editor Ethan Helms, Student Life Editor Bianca Sanborn, Spor ts Editor Sara Wildman, Photo Editor Rene De Amaral, Copy Editor Alex T. Randolph, Copy Editor Ashley Mar tin, Adver tising Manager Brennan Chin, Distribution Director Paul Gullixson, Faculty Adviser

AS EL

Editorial Board

NS END O i T C E

DONT FORGET TO VOTE!

Get involved, be represented

H

ow many of us feel truly represented at any level of government? Locally, nothing seems to change, and nationally, it’s nearly impossible to be acknowledged. A perceived lack of impact and general disinterest discourages voter turnout, as the nation has seen in the last decade of presidential elections where no more than 62 percent of the eligible population has participated. There are countless representatives elected by the people, for the people, and yet somehow the people remain uninvolved.

At the local level, Sonoma State University’s Associated Students government strives to serve the needs of students, something we as politically active scholars need to exploit. Inadequate parking, student fees, campus morale and other concerns plague our university — some beyond the jurisdiction of the student-run administration, others directly within its authority.

On campus, there are committees for almost every studentoriented issue imaginable, with

members of AS sitting in on one or more of them to provide input and make suggestions. As either advisory members or voters, they affiliate with committees such as the President’s Diversity Council, Fee Advisory Committee, Student Health Advisory Committee, Academic Freedom Subcommittee, and many more.

AS extends its prerogative beyond the Sonoma State campus as well, lobbying at the state level for legislation regarding higher education and constantly fighting outside forces affecting the student body.

Sonoma State’s student government works around the clock to meet the needs of university attendees, influencing decisions from textbook affordability to academic advising.

That’s why voting in this election is so crucial — we, as students have been given the opportunity to impact our campus, education and, ultimately, our lives. It’s up to us to select agents who work locally and statewide to represent our needs, a liberty we should never discount. We

urge you to think critically about the candidate’s platforms, determine who you feel will best represent the student body, and vote accordingly.

Last year brought one of the most disputed U.S. presidential elections our generation has ever seen, but still only 58.6 percent of the eligible population cast votes.

That leaves 92,671,979 Americans who chose reticence. Some of us voted for the first time in 2016, but many didn’t vote at all.

Often times citizens feel their one vote out of millions is inconsequential, and maybe that’s why Donald Trump is the president of the United States.

But right now we have the chance to let our voices and viewpoints directly impact the outcome of our community in the present and future. Don’t choose silence; speak up and pick a contender who shares your values.

Candidates have worked tirelessly for your vote, and the outcome is in your hands.

The polls close today (Tuesday) at 6 p.m., make sure you’re heard.

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.

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

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

Opinions

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

HAVE AN OPINION? WE'D LIKE TO READ IT. THE STAR WELCOMES AND ENCOURAGES LETTERS TO THE EDITOR AND GUEST SUBMISSIONS. FOR MORE INFORMATION, READ THE LEFT SIDEBAR FOR OUR POLICIES ON EDITORIALS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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.

E-MAIL ALL OPINIONS TO STAR@SONOMA.EDU

Opinion

APRIL 4 - APRIL 10, 2017 sonomastatestar.com

Housing discrimination affects students of color

Edgar Sanchez Staff Writer

I

t’s that time of the year again. Oncampus residents are hunting for off-campus housing, and while doing so may not be as complicated for some students, it sure was for me and for a lot of friends.

Merely a year ago, after living oncampus for two years, my friends and I sought to rent a house off-campus in Rohnert Park. We embarked on the long and complicated journey of searching and applying for tenancy.

We soon, however, realized that renting a house would be an uphill battle, as like many other processes in this country, this was not set up for us.

Our group consisted of five 20-year-old latinos, children of immigrants or immigrant ourselves. All of our parents, except for one, did

not have credit history, an immediate turn-off for landlords. After getting our applications rejected a couple of times, it appeared as were doomed to split into two groups and rent apartments, which are known for having an easier application process.

Yet we did not give up. Oddly enough, weeks before the last day of school, we ran into a Craigslist post by a homeowner who took our application and a week later accepted us to rent his five bedroom home in L section.

My friends and I were ecstatic for the opportunity, yet our tenancy has not been what we expected. Crumbling conditions with an apathetic landlord have caused us to detest the place we call home.

But it provides a roof, and we plan to stay until we graduate in order to avoid undergoing the stressful process of finding a new house.

A bitter living environment is yet another burden we must add to our already heavy load as first generation to college students.

But our situation is not isolated.

According to a study conducted by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, “Blacks, Latinos and Asians looking for homes were shown fewer housing options than whites who were equally qualified.”

In a press release, the housing department explained this was due to “blatant discrimination.” Could this explain why my friends of color tend to live in small apartments, while their white counterparts tend to live in big houses with front and backyards?

Maybe. Or maybe not. But housing division between whites and people of color is a problem in this country that we must begin talking about.

Unequal housing and the divisions it creates is a problem for oncampus residents as well. First time freshman have the choice of choosing from an array of different housing options, usually making their decisions depending on how much money they are willing to pay.

Students of higher socio-economic status usually choose fully equipped villages like Sauvignon, while their counterparts end up in the cheapest options like Verdot often referred to as “Verghetto.”

Although the name “Verghetto” may have initiated as a joke, we have to call it for what it truly represents: A division between rich and poor, and consequently white and non-whites.

As the new administration at Sonoma State pledges to diversify the student body, helping students feel comfortable and included in the places they live may be a good place to start.

Republicans actively harming women’s health

“I

Olivia Hunt Staff Writer

’m pregnant and I’m going to have an abortion,” a girl leans over the table and whispers to her friend at a bustling coffee shop. “I’m 19 years old and trying to finish college, I’m just not prepared mentally, emotionally or financially to make such a lifelong decision right now.”

This is only one scenario of many that leaves women incapable of birthing and raising a child they become pregnant with.

The stigma against abortions and abortion clinics has existed and will always exist due to people having different views, whether it be religious beliefs, family values or personal reasons.

Unfortunately, this is the reality we are facing as women. As many programs that benefit millions are being defunded, Planned Parenthood is among them. Vice President Mike Pence cast the tiebreaking vote in the Senate on Thursday to overturn a law implemented by the Obama administra-

tion that prevented the defunding of family planning services.

“Mike Pence went from yesterday’s forum on empowering women to today leading a group of male politicians in a vote to take away access to birth control and cancer screenings,” Dawn Laguens, executive vice president of Planned Parenthood, said in a statement.

Only two Republican senators broke from their party to vote against the defunding. Susan Collins of Maine said, “If you’re serious about trying to reduce the number of abortions the best way to do that is to make family planning more widely available.”

Abortions are extremely common considering 3 out of 10 women in the United States have an abortion by the time they’re 45 years old. These politicians fail to realize that the government funding that family planning services receive cannot be used to pay for abortions.

Moreover, the contraceptive services provided by Planned Parenthood are estimated to prevent well over 200,000 abortions a year.

There are countless statistics that women could throw in the face of pro-lifers, but why should we have to? Why are we still fighting for our right to make our own decisions?

Since 1916, Planned Parenthood has been providing low-income women with services such as birth control, STD testing, cancer screenings, the morning after pill, abuse counseling and the list goes on. They even offer more general services for young children, flu

vaccines, diabetes screenings, anemia testing, cholesterol testing and even a program to help quit smoking.

Locating the services that Planned Parenthood provides is as easy as making a Google search, so why are people hyper-focused on abortion services when that is just a small portion of what they do to help women? Men also benefit from Planned Parenthood services—do you think they’re going there for abortions?

Without services that provide safe abortion services performed by doctors, women will resort to performing them alone, which is endangering themselves, and will ultimately not reduce the number of abortions.

How will stripping women of their right to reproductive health care benefit these Republican lawmakers? These politicians are so preoccupied with instilling fear into people by making these power moves, they are ignorant to the devastating impact these changes are going to make.

No one should be able to take away someone’s right over their body. No one should claim that a woman who was raped and became pregnant is not legally allowed to abort the child of her rapist. No one should claim that a woman who has a miscarriage should not legally be able to abort the dead fetus inside of her. The truth is, there are a myriad of reasons that a woman chooses to get an abortion, and were sick of having to fight for our right to do so.

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United’s sexist dress code

S

Lindsey Huffman Staff Writer

ince when are leggings not appropriate for f lying? On March 26, United Airlines barred two teenage girls from boarding a f light because they were wearing leggings.

Luckily the mother had a dress for her child in her carry on and the family was then able to board the flight.

After this incident many concerns about sexism arose, because the father was wearing shorts that were two-three inches above his knee, but he was able to board the flight. United Airlines stuck by the judgment call from the flight attendant who would not let the the two teens board.

A woman who was at neighboring gate next to the family noticed the accusations made against these “teens” were unruly, due to the fact the girl who put the dress on was only around 10 or 11 years old. So is this considered sexism or just the policy that United Airlines enforces?

A statement released by Jonathan Guerin, the spokesman for United Airlines, confirmed that two teenage girls were told they could not board a f light because their leggings violated the company’s dress code policy for “pass travelers.”

A pass traveler is defined as when a company allows United Airlines employees and their dependents to travel for free on a standby basis.

So in this regard these ladies were required to dress a certain way in order to board the f light to begin with, because their mother or father was an employee of the company.

But this still goes back to the father being let on the plane with his shorts not necessarily meeting dress code standards for United Airlines. But why were too young girls, which one of them wasn’t even a teen, being targeted?

Guerin then stated, “pass travelers are representing the company and as such are not allowed to wear Lycra and spandex leggings, tattered or ripped jeans, midriff shirts, f lip-f lops or any article of clothing that shows their undergarments.”

This would make sense if this was applied to all parties of this family, but the policy was not..

“It’s not that we want our standby travelers to come in wearing a suit and tie or that sort of thing,” he said. “We want people to be comfortable when they travel as long as it’s neat and in good taste for that environment,” said Guerin.

Leggings are comfortable for women to wear, and what does good taste for the environment have to do with anything?

It’s almost like United Airlines is holding women to a higher standard of dress than men.

Or is it the fact that women who wear leggings are distracting other passengers or employees?

Just because women decided to be comfortable and wear leggings on a plane doesn’t mean they are doing it on purpose to get attention.

Many women in America can vouch that wearing yoga pants is a whole lot better than throwing on a dress on or even jeans.

United Airlines wants passengers to be comfortable, but yet leggings don’t make the cut?

YouTube includes LGBTQ videos in parental restrictions

Amira Dabbas Staff Writer

F

or families who want to feel a little more secure about their children watching YouTube videos, there is a family-friendly restricted mode. This mode is designed to use age-restrictions, and other signals to filter out content that could be considered potentially inappropriate for younger viewers.

So what could be wrong with Youtube trying to provide a safer viewing option for families? Recently, You-

tube’s view of what should be considered “inappropriate” content that may be f lawed.

The restricted mode has begun filtering out videos relating to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues.

The parental control was said to block only those that discussed “delicate” topics such as politics, health and sexuality. However what was originally intended to block inappropriate and sexually explicit content ended up shunning a whole community.

Anything from transgender coming out videos to lesbian wedding vows were all affected by the filter. Many popular creators of videos on Youtube had many of their videos blocked by Youtube’s restricted mode.

One of YouTube’s biggest stars Tyler Oakley became aware that one of his newest videos was blocked under restricted mode.

“YouTube has always been a place for disenfranchised voices to reach audiences who are actively seeking representation in media,” Oakley stated

in an interview with Teen Vogue. ”It’s often the first place many LGBTQ youth around the world see themselves and their stories shared and celebrated.

Blocking LGBTQ creators and content is harmful, plain and simple.”

Gizmodo was the first to find the problem, and spoke to other YouTubers whose videos were being hidden. Video titles that had key words such as “gay,” “lesbian,” “bisexual” and “transgender” were hidden.

Calum McSwiggan, a YouTuber who makes videos about gay rights and other similar issues, was one of many who asked YouTube to address the problem.

YouTube did acknowledged the issue with this new restricted mode saying “this feature isn’t working the way it should. We’re sorry and we’re going to fix it.”

They have since made many of the filtered out videos available again.

McSwiggan stated tweeted he was “really happy” with YouTube’s response. In their statement, they specifi-

cally mentioned one of his videos that was blocked.

What is so interesting that in a time where equality and acceptance are so important, a giant platform such as YouTube could make such a drastic oversight like this. Even if it as an accident, aren’t we a little smarter than that YouTube?

These are harmful tactics, and even though they have been classified as a “mistake,” there are many individuals who think this way. According to an analysis of data collected by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people were already the most likely targets of hate crimes in America.

YouTube is supposed to be a place where individuals can express themselves in a way free of judgement.

By classifying LGBTQ rights into a category as inappropriate is not only wrong, it’s completely unacceptable. A person’s sexual orientation should not be considered inappropriate just because it is not heterosexual.

Page 4

News

APRIL 4 - APRIL 10, 2017 sonomastatestar.com

Sonoma State students receive I-Corps award Joey Magill Staff Writer

T

he National Science Foundation has awarded the I-Corps award at the California State University Biotechnology Symposium to a group of Sonoma State University students. Jose Avila, Nader Srouji and Michael Vargas were recognized last month for creating two devices that can detect and hopefully reduce the risk of kidney disease.

This award gives the ability to be able to apply for an $50,000 grant to work on and potentially develop prototypes for their devices.

The I-Corps award was just the first step, but has allowed [us] to apply for a larger grant which will directly advance our dream of developing a product that could one day help families from losing a loved one,” said Vargas.

The two devices, known as SpecDetect, work in different ways. One utilizes spectroscopy to test urine for albumin in large amounts. The other uses an infrared camera to analyze muscles and heart rate. The team, if awarded the $50,000 grant, hopes to develop prototypes of the SpecDetect devices.

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, about 14 percent of adults have Chronic Kidney Disease. These people could see use for SpecDetect and see early signs of worsening conditions. The SpecDetect could also help people potentially save money.

“As with the increasing trend of preventive health care I can see our products helping individuals stay healthy,” said Srouji. “If we can get health insurance providers on board, it could save them costs in the long run and they could offer it to consumers as an incentive to reduce health care premiums or deductibles, for example.”

Besides giving a potential for a monetary starting point to help the students develop prototypes for the SpecDetect, Vargas hopes the award will bring other potential resources to aid in the process.

“It has put us into contact with investors who are also interested in our tech,” Vargas said. “At the end of the day, money is a large obstacle for a lean startup and this award is helping us to address this.”

The National Science Foundation gives the award to help promote startup innovative technologies like SpecDetect. According to Faculty Advisor Derek Decker, the money they received will hopefully allow prototypes to be designed,

Courtesy // nsf.com A group of Sonoma State students has been awarded the I-Corps award for their creation of SpecDetect. This is the first time the award has been given to Sonoma State since 2015. constructed and tested.

Vargas has a brother who is suffering from kidney failure, so he brought the idea up to Decker for ideas on how early forms of detection can lead to better recovery rates. This leads into care that could take place prior to kidney failure and help reduce severe cases of CKD. Srouji and Avila are graduating this year which left the team unsure how exactly the future of SpecDetect will develop, but hopes are high for the future.

NEWS IN BRIEF

St. Petersburg, Russia On Monday, a bomb went off on a train traveling between two central subway stations killing at least 11 people and injuring at least another 30. Authorities believe a single bomber left an explosive device at one central station before boarding a train and detonating a second device. However no one had claimed responsibility as of press time. Shortly after the detonation of the bomb, the St. Petersburg subway station was shut down and security was heightened throughout the city.

Fairfield, Conn.

A 20-year-old student attending Sacred Heart University died on Sunday from choking in a pancake-eating contest. Caitlin Nelson, a junior and member of the Kappa Delta sorority, was hospitalized and was in critical but stable condition the evening of the event before later passing away on Sunday. According to university officials, on April 2 thousands of people attended a Mass and held an impromptu candlelight vigil outside the university’s chapel.

Oakland According to NBA league sources, the Golden State Warriors are eyeing a comeback for all-star forward Kevin Durant for Saturday’s home game against the New Orleans Pelicans. Provided he experinces no setbacks in his rehabilitation, his return will be his first game back since spraining his MCL on Feb. 28. According to the Warriors organization, Durant has begun to play in 3-on-3 and 4-on-4 contact situations with teammates in addition to his individual workouts.

Sonoma County The memorial of18 year-old murder victim Kirk Kimberly has been repeatedly vandalized officials report. Kimberly was found stabbed to death in November on Sonoma State’s campus and his killer is still at large. According to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s office, theft has occurred on Kimberly’s memorial as candles, photos, cards and flowers were found in a nearby dumpster. A reward is now up to $14,000 for any viable information regarding the murder of Kimberly.

STAR // Michelle Violetti On Wednesday, co-founder of Black Lives Matter, Patrisse Cullors, discussed her upbringing, the beginning of Black Lives Matter and the misrepresentations the movment has received.

Co-founder of Black Lives Matter speaks at Women of Color Conference Alex Daniels Staff Writer

M

any students shed tears of inspiration and passion on Wednesday at the first Women of Color Conference held in the ballroom of Sonoma State University’s Student Center.

Patrisse Cullors, the co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement, was the guest speaker.

Cullors grew up in Los Angeles, and came out to her family as queer when she was 16 years old. Moving away from home after this, she created close bonds with other young black women who also identified as queer. The summer of 2013 was when Cullors, alongside her two friends, Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi, initially created Black Lives Matter through a hashtag on social media. They began this movement directly after George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain, was found not guilty in the killing of African American teenager, Trayvon Martin in Florida.

Many people have spoken poorly about Black Lives Matter, she said, arguing that it’s racist itself, and suggesting the opposite of equality. In response to those misrepresentations, Cullors discussed what she believes the movement is really about. “Black Lives Matter is not about a single charismatic leader,” said Cullors. “Black Lives Matter is about black folks rising up, saying enough is enough.”

She said she believes it began 25 years ago in Los Angeles when black people rose up after the infamous incident when white policemen brutalized Rodney King. That incident was the wake up call over black people’s mistreatment that had gone on for a

long time. The video of King’s beating created a media frenzy, allowing people across the world to see what had happened, she said.

Something Cullors is extremely passionate about is advocating for the fight to not re-elect President Donald Trump. When Trump was elected as 45th president of the United States, Cullors said she broke down emotionally and was worried for her family.

“With all of my organizing and, sort of, the ways I know how to fight things, I was like, ‘I don’t know how to fight this,’” said Cullors in reaction to Trump winning the election.

Cullors invited her partner, Janaya Khan, on stage to join in opening up the discussion to question and answer session.

A student asked about how the media plays a role in the Black Lives Matter movement.

Cullors said, “The things we have right now to help us see and know more, we should utilize them. I love that there’s a world of blogs, podcasts out there where folks are able to share their own messages, stories, and news.”

Sunday Simon, a Sonoma State student who attended the conference said,“I feel like there’s very limited times where women of all color come together and talk about issues that mean something to us. For this to go on so we could all be in one setting and have a conversation about what we want to happen, what we want changed, and what affects us, is great.”

Cullors said she believes the people who support Black Lives Matter believe that every person, no matter their color or background, can make a difference. She was extremely inclusive to people of every race, assuring everyone in the room that they, too, can create change.

News

APRIL 4 - APRIL 10, 2017 sonomastatestar.com

Page 5

CAMPUS CRIME DATE

Crime

Location

Feb. 25, 2017

Rape

Sauvignon Village

March 5, 2017

Public Disturbance

Parking Lot R3

Unfounded

March 9, 2017

Battery on a person

Chablis Residence Hall

Referred to Residential Life and Title IX

March 11, 2017

Sex with a Minor +/3 years

Parking Lot M

Referred to Distric Attorney

March 25. 2017

Tampering with a fire alarm

Provence Residence Hall

Closed

STATUS

Open

GRADUATION: Sonoma State administration hopeful that graduation rates will rise Continued from Pg. 1

Comparatively, Sonoma State’s first-time freshmen graduation rates in four years are higher, staying around 28 percent from 2008 to 2011. A CSU report said for transfer students who entered in fall 2011, Sonoma State had by far the highest two-year graduation rate at 47.4 percent, with the next highest school at 36 percent.

According to documents released by the CSU, the goal of Graduation Initiative 2025 is to increase the four-year graduation rate for first-time freshmen to 40 percent, the six-year graduation rate for first-time freshmen to 70 percent, the four-year graduation rate for transfer students to 85 percent and the two-year graduation rate for transfer students to 45 percent.

There are three different parts to the plan. After a third of the additional $77.5 million from the tuition increase is set aside for financial aide, CSU campuses will hire more faculty, make more classes available and increase the effectiveness of advising.

As the public relations and communications coordinator for Sonoma State’s Career Services, Riestra said she thinks advising would be the most effective way to increase graduation rates. “I would have benefitted a lot from better quality and availability of

advising my freshman year,” she said. “Having more guidance would have made things much easier.”

“Second to advising I would say opening more classes is really important,” Riestra said. “It’s really unfortunate how many people have to stay longer than they should, just because they don’t get the classes they need.”

Shaina Dehart, a junior environmental science major who transferred to Sonoma State from Santa Rosa Junior College, had mixed feelings about the graduation initiative. “I don’t want to pay any more than I have to; I could barely afford tuition this semester,” Dehart said, “but if paying an extra $270 a year would ensure I graduate in two years, I think it’s worth it. I have already missed a couple opportunities because the classes I need to graduate were full.”

“To me, all three steps are very important,” said Emily Acosta Lewis, a professor in the Communication Department, “but they are one in the same.

Hiring more tenure-track faculty will lead to having more advisors and will allow us to teach more classes. The more faculty we have, the more f lexibility we have with the classes that can be taught, and the faster we can get students through the classes they need to graduate.”

Gary Delsohn, interim communications director

STAR // Jeno Veltri The SMART board has decided to offer free rides from the train’s opening till July 4. From July 4 until Labor Day, tickets will also be discounted at a rate of 50 percent.

SMART to offer free rides, discounted fares to entice public Continued from Pg. 1

The last-minute dissention of San Rafael Mayor and SMART board member Gary Phillips has proved to be another obstacle in the train’s construction. Together, with San Rafael City Manager Jim Schulz, Phillips and Schultz requested the delay of the train’s planned extension to Larkspur in a letter written to the SMART board on Jan. 23. The letter outlined Phillips’ concern that the extension would cause chaotic traffic in the already busy Bettini Transit Center.

“He is one voice on a 12-member board that represents a lot of different local entities,” Zane said in regards to the letter. “So nobody agreed with him when he brought up his contention, but we said we would work with him.”

In order to strike a compromise, the SMART board worked with Golden Gate Transit, which oversees Bettini Transit Center. Golden Gate Transit agreed to provide some extra funding to help reroute the busses in Bettini Transit Center to avoid the increase of traffic. Zane said the extension to Larkspur will continue construction as planned. The companies predict the extension to be finished by the end of 2018.

To help spark public interest in the train, the SMART board has decided from July 4 until Labor Day, tickets will be sold at a discounted rate of 50 percent off.

However, it remains unclear whether or not these dates will be extended should the opening of the train be delayed further.

for SSU President Sakaki, said the president is committed to improving retention and graduation rates for all Sonoma State students.

“The campus has taken a number of substantive steps that are consistent with the CSU Graduation Initiative 2025,” Delsohn said.

“The campus has never before mounted a contact campaign for the purposes of increasing graduation rates,” Delsohn said. “We have started something called ‘Hi-Touch Advising,’ where faculty and staff reach out to students with 103-plus units with a goal of reducing any barriers they may have faced for timely graduation.”

“This fall we contacted about 800 individual students under this initiative,” he said. “In addition, the Provost’s Office and the School of Extended and International Education have collaborated to provide scholarships for students with 103 plus units, usually in the amount of $500, to defray the costs of winter intersession courses.”

Delsohn said he has high hopes for these changes “While we don’t yet know the exact impact of all these changes, we do know that graduation applications are up 11 percent compared to a running average of the three prior years, so we are optimistic,” he said.

Page 6

Arts

APRIL 4 - APRIL 10, 2017 sonomastatestar.com

Internet memes being incorporated into fashion

Emma Capper Staff Writer

P

opular culture is a curated reflection of society. It’s a collection of sounds, images, movements and words that define an era. But how are these representations determined and why do mainstream trends become negative? Often, a dominant group incorporates a style worn by the less powerful to start a trend, explaining why ripped jeans are being sold for $400 and why Timberland worker

boots are sported by tech employees and baristas. The mainstreaming of incorporated culture, like ripped jeans and worker’s boots is an unethical source of revenue for designers.

Now memes, an Internet-niche form of expression, are being courted by big brands and businesses. Over the past couple of weeks, Gucci released a series of product-based memes to market their Le Marché des Merveilles watch line.

According to Gucci’s website the word “meme” was coined by British biologist Richard Dawkins to mean an “imitated thing.” Internet memes imitate popular and political

culture through images, accompanied by anchoring text that gives meaning to the image. The text and images are substituted when passed from user to user. The capacity at which memes are spread and the loyal following they generate is what every business hopes their social media will achieve.

In fact, Google trends show that memes are statistically more popular online than Jesus Christ. Even with re-mixed user generated content, the visual image remains the same and that is especially powerful when it represents a brand.

If brands follow Gucci’s approach, will memes become

as isolated from their creators as incorporated fashion? Is it possible that brand-generated memes could overtake the identity of user generated memes just as factory-made, ripped denim has re-identified real-worn ripped jeans?

Maybe. But so far, Gucci has not drifted far from the satire and irony millennials interlace with their memes.

Creative director Alessandro Michele commissioned popular Instagram users like @GothShakira, @YouveGotNoMale and @Textsfromyourexistentialist to create text for the memes while international artists developed the original imagery.

“The final memes are either the result of a two-way or three-way collaboration and once more demonstrate Alessandro Michele’s desire to engage with a wider creative community than that which traditionally locates around the world of fashion,” said the company in a release.

While meme creators have faced criticism for letting their work become commercialized, Gucci’s approach seems to be more flattering to the sub-culture than itself. The memes possess an oppositional meaning, with the image supporting the product as the text makes a mockery of it.

Yes, Gucci has taken what is ours and made it theirs. But also, they’ve credited meme creators as visual artists, validating a powerful Internet fad as a form of art. Memes are not pure comedy; they often provide political and social commentary. Memes give a voice to those of us on the Internet that may not have a public voice otherwise and share specific insight on relevant issues.

Because millennials have yet to take over politically, art is a way of fighting back and telling the world what we want it to be. Gucci knowingly selected a group of Instagram users who challenge popular culture and preconceived societal beliefs. Instead of celebrating those who use social media narcissistically, their campaign seems like an admission of guilt that says, “yes, we know we are ridiculous, and we want you guys to talk about it so we can change.”

Social media has its ups and downs and so does popular culture. If popular culture reflects the smart, relevant voices on the Internet then “mainstream” will no longer mean “bad.”

Poet speaks on racial injustice at GMC

Nolan Brough Staff Writer

R

acial tensions are high in this divisive time in our history, and it takes truly wise individuals to help the public wade through the hate and strive for peace within America. Sonoma State University had the honor to host one of these individuals in the Green Music Center on Thursday. Cortney Lamar Charleston, a renowned poet from Chicago held a poetry reading on campus, performing excerpts from his newest project, a collection of poems entitled “Telepathologies.”

Students gathered in Schroeder Hall and were taken aback by the verses Charleston wrote. The ten poems he shared focused on racial and spiritual issues faced by the black community today. Through repetition and other rhythmic literary devices, Charleston eloquently expressed his thoughts on racial tension without attacking. Instead of accusing and attacking, he allowed the reader to see issues through his eyes. Allowing others to walk a few steps in his shoes is a an incredibly effective way to educate others on issues that face him.

In his poem “Momma Speaks on Profiling,” he sits the reader down and gives them a lecture about growing up as a young black boy.

“Some folk will always look at you sideways, their eyes a slant of sour opinion,” said Charleston. “But freedom is a forward march, baby boy.”

The poem allows the reader to hear the warning words of a caring parent as they navigate the harsh conditions of life.

“Charleston” is a powerful poem focusing on the tragedy at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in which nine African Americans were slain at the hand of a white terrorist because of their race. The poem sought to personify the vic-

STAR // Erika Peterson Chicago-based poet Cortney Lamar Charleston speaks to the crowd at Schroder Hall on Thursday. tims instead of just labeling them nameless casualties like the media is so accustomed to. The author repeatedly intertwines the line “I weep” throughout the poem and individually tells listeners about those who were killed that day. Amidst the seriousness of the material read, Charleston’s natural charm couldn’t help but slip out between readings.

“Shout out to water. Water is good,” said Charleston after he had read a few of his works.

The calm and collected approach of Charleston’s bluesy poems spoke to the students who attended the reading.

“Really engaging. [Charleston] is really woke,” said Cole Henry, a junior year English major. “[The] poems had a sadness sparked by a lifetime of marginalization.”

Rosemarie Keene, a senior English major said the read-

ing was “So powerful. [I’m] so glad I came here.”

Jacob Ginn, a senior art major and English minor, said that Charleston’s verses “Lured us in.”

Charelston himself had great things to say about Sonoma State, and was “incredibly thankful” that he was able to share his work with the students.

Sonoma State was truly privileged to welcome Charleston to campus, and the audience was especially lucky to hear from his latest project, “Telepathologies.” It is a well rounded literary romp that tackles a great deal of issues from spirituality, to race and sexuality.

Charleston is a talented poet whose diction commands the reader with every stanza, resulting in an engrossing and entertaining read.

“Ghost in the Shell” under represented and unoriginal

T

Sean Curzon Staff Writer

his movie is racist garbage. “Ghost in the Shell” joins a sad long line of Hollywood movies who erase ethnic leads in favor of a white actor.

The film is based on the manga of the same name written by Masamune Shirow which was later adapted into a animated movie and a television show. “Ghost in the Shell” follows a Japanese cyborg, Major Motoko Kusanagi, leader of a Japanese police squad, who operates in Japan.

So of course when they made the movie, the filmmakers cast the very non-Japanese Scarlett Johansson. This is embarrassing and an insult to Asian and Asian-American actors everywhere. Casting a Japanese woman to play a Japanese woman should not be difficult. Even with a Japanese actor, the film would have been bad, but at least it would have been morally adherent.

Despite the fact that this was meant to be a remake of 1995 anime film, this film’s plot bares little resemblance to the plot of the original.

All that’s left is a recreation of some of the most famous scenes in the movie. This in and of itself wouldn’t be a problem, a rehash of the 1995 film would have been dull as what works in animation doesn’t always work in live action. But director Rupert

Sanders fails to capture its spirit. All that’s left is a shallow thriller with a plot so predictable, I could watch the movie with my eyes closed and still know what would happen.

“Ghost in the Shell” is known for it’s complex, political intrigue with a story with shades of grey. All of that is thrown out the door in favor of an evil corporation populated by original characters, all of which who are played by white people, of course.

In this film, the Major finds a serial killer named Kuze, also played by a white male, who is hunting scientists who work for the above mentioned scientist. Kuze is a minor villain from the television series’s second season.

I don’t know why they chose to use him, the filmmakers changed his appearance, actions, motivations and pretty much everything else about him. He walks around in a black robe like he’s in a Star Wars movie.

“Ghost in the Shell” is also known for it’s philosophizing. Characters often wonder where the line between the machine is in their futuristic world.

But this movie throws all of that out in favor of the Major having amnesia.

Amnesia! The laziest of all plot devices.

The dialogue over explains everything like the audience are morons. One of the first lines is, “Your mind, your ghost is still human but your body, your shell is machine.” Thanks for not waiting five minutes to awkwardly explain your title. The characters more often than not state and restate the obvious. “Ghost in the Shell” fails to show, not tell.

What is left is a pale imitation of one of the most iconic anime films out there. The similarities are surface level. The filmmakers removed the soul from the story leaving an empty shell.

APRIL 4 - APRIL 10, 2017 sonomastatestar.com

Entertainment

Page 7

netflix.com Season two of the popular Netflix show, “Chewing Gum” will be released on Netflix April 4.

Netflix Review: Chewing Gum

Kendall Grove Staff Writer

“C

hewing Gum” is a British television sitcom that rose to popularity on Netflix. Set in London, the show follows the mediocre, yet exhilarating life of Tracy Gordon played by screenwriter and actress Michaela Coel. Since the show’s success from being streamed on Netflix last fall, “Chewing Gum” was renewed for season two which will be available on Netflix April 4.

Coel is the creator and writer of the 2015 show and has said the sitcom is closely based off her own life.

The show follows 24-year-old Tracy as she makes her way through the awkward situations brought up by her Christianity, low income job and strange disposition. The idea came from an autobiographical monologue called “Chewing Gum Dreams” that Coel wrote and then performed at National British theatres. “[Chewing Gum] is about my life, my upbringing. Every character is made up of people I know,” said Coel during an interview with Vogue.

Coel has also disclosed that the estates in London,

which are typically viewed as housing for the lower class, were a large part of her inspiration and where she grew up.

In reference to the estates, Coel told the British newspaper The Independent, “There’s enough of the portrayal of the scary kind...the whole idea that you have to be careful when you go there.”

The way Coel paints life at the estates is exciting and interesting and focuses on the many different residents in contrast to the typical negative portrayal.

In the first episode, Tracy has her best friend Candice, who also lives on the estate, give her a makeover so that she can take the next step with her Fiancé.

In the typical “Chewing Gum” style, things do not go as planned and Tracy ends up with dramatic Beyoncé hair.

Religion is also a major influence in the series and this can be accounted for based on Coel’s new found religion at the age of 17.

“I’d started reading the Bible, and it’s quite poetic.

There’s psalms that tell you things that nobody tells you – that you’re fearfully and wonderfully made, that you’re beautiful, that you have worth, basically,” said Coel in an interview with The Independent.

Relationships and sex are central themes in “Chewing Gum” and the topic of virginity is pondered over by Tracy throughout the first season. Coel’s ability to write comedic sex scenes is limitless. As each episode continues the

sexual encounters only seem to get funnier and weirder.

Susan Wokoma, who plays Tracy’s older sister Cynthia, is refreshingly funny in the type of situational comedy that “Chewing Gum” portrays. Although Cynthia is written as uptight, the character provides a relevant contrast to Tracy that is periodically broken down throughout the first season. The character development is dense after just the six episode season and a smaller cast size allows this to be a reality.

“Chewing Gum” brings up the idea of race often and uses comedy to point out the flaws in our society in regards to colored women. “The acting world is tough and even more so for women,” Coel told Vogue. “But actually for black female actresses the issue isn’t really that it’s competitive, it’s that there just aren’t enough roles for them in film and TV.” Coel also added that, “The good thing is that this is a time when things are changing and people’s perceptions of what leading characters are aren’t the same as what they used to be.”

In 2016, Coel won two British Academy Television Awards for Best Female Comedy Performance and for Breakthrough Talent in show writing. With such a talented set of diverse actors and fresh storylines, it’s no surprise that Coel’s six episode series was picked up for another season.

Brazilian guitar duo hits the right notes

Alexis austin Staff Writer

S

unday afternoon, the Brasil Guitar Duo graced the Schroeder Hall stage at Sonoma State University. The Duo, João Luiz and Douglas Lora, are two guitarists who have traveled the world together and perform works of their own classical pieces and traditional music of their home country.

The Duo has recorded various CDs throughout the years. The first contained all Brazilian songs, one Lora regarded as a “dedication to Brasil,” and the latest features classical Bach sonatas. The two musicians met when they were teenage guitar students in São Paulo and have been creating, mastering and sharing music together ever since.

“It’s been 20 years together. We’ve been in many situations and 90 percent of them were great,” Lora noted.

The connection present on stage was undeniable.

They communicated through the music, kept completely in tune with one another and shared smiling glances. The dynamic contrasts performed were dramatic and delicately executed. At times, they made two guitars sound like one.

One piece in particular that stood out was “The Sonata De Los Viajeros” (“The Song of the Travelers”) by Leo Brouwer. In the four-movement work, each movement represented a different story about two travelers, according to Lora.

The first you could imagine the travelers in a very cold place like Iceland, and the next a trip back in time to meet with Bach.

“These are our images and suggestions for you to imagine during this piece,” said Lora.

The movements took the audience on a journey.

The blend of traditional and classical styles resonated, and the Duo took the listeners from a relaxing lullaby to an abstract frenzy of quick rhythms in an instant.

“The Sonata De Los Viajeros” was nominated for a Latin Grammy.

The two musicians were wholly expressive and adept. The sound now and then resembled the harp. This was perhaps most exhibited in “Les Cyclopes,” a piece composed by Jean Philippe Rameau in 1724.

Rameau was best known for his harpsichord works that dispersed throughout Europe during this time.

Also featured in the concert were selected pieces

by Egberto Gismonti arranged by João Luis. These ex-

COURTESY // The Duo Brazilian guitarists João Luiz and Douglas Lora visted Sonoma State University on Sunday to play pieces with jazz and samba influences. pressed a bit of the musical range of Brasil, music such as the samba and choro were veiled and the influence of jazz was also evident.

This work displayed Luis’s expertise as an arranger and music aficionado.

The final piece, “Bate-Coxa” was very upbeat and rhythmic. Luiz actually began to play his guitar as a drum, patting the side in complement with Lora’s solo.

Before this, the audience was prepared for the concert to come to a close and had just given the Duo a standing ovation.

The two came back out for a final surprise and remarked “we could not leave the stage without playing a Samba.”

This piece, written by Marco Pereira, was originally meant to be played by one guitar, but Pereira,

a Brazilian guitarist himself, later adapted it for two.

The rhythm of the song was a reflection of a traditional sound from Northern Brazil known as “coco.”

The coco rhythm displayed was very complex yet fun and danceable. The audience seemed to enjoy the bright transition from the darker, more delicate Brouwer previously performed.

In coming to Sonoma State, the Duo brought with them much more than their guitars. They proved to be very versatile, educational, and captivating.

They exercised their ability to share and perform culture and tradition from not only Brazil, but all over the world. They shared these rich influences while also displaying their long perfected talents and knowledge of classical music, and they performed with genuine expression and passion.

Page 8

Student Life

APRIL 4 - APRIL 10, 2017 sonomastatestar.com

Conference provides learning opportunity Michelle Violetti Staff Writer

I

nstagram photographs of black women and their ranging in skin tones are meant to celebrate the color of one’s skin. Valerie Moreno’s photos capture the essence of black Puerto Rican natives.

Moreno showcased her photographic movement at the first annual North Bay Womxn of Color Conference on Wednesday at Sonoma State University. Themed workshops shined light on a variety of issues and creative movements pertaining to women of color.

Some of these topics included uncommonly known Title XI, creating empowerment by gaining tools of consent, the cultivation of self via the power of yoga and combating high rates of Latina teen suicide by gaining knowledge and creating conversations.

Moreno’s photographic project is intended to capture the underrepresented black women of Puerto Rico.

Her focus was to convey the beauty of dark skin along with the variety of physiques, ages and hair. Moreno explained her surprise when she moved to Puerto Rico four years ago and was exposed to the higher black population.

“It was partly my ignorance and partly the media. What I had seen in the media were images similar to J-Lo, Marc Anthony and [fair skinned people] a lot like me,” said Moreno.

Moreno knew immediately after realizing the inaccurate media portrayal, that she wanted to photograph and interview black natives of Puerto Rico.

Moreno’s work shows the harmonious emphasis of the photos along with the stories of the women. Her photography can be seen on Instagram under Afro-

sInSanJuan.

“Consent, Please” was a workshop

by Carina Buzo, program coordinator of the HUB, focused on reclaiming boundaries of one’s body.

“Consent is about figuring out who you are and what your boundaries are, so that you can share that with other people. So that people will know how to best interact with you, in hopes that you can find someone who is willing to do the same thing,” said Buzo.

“Consent can change the world. If we do not have consent to cause violence in another country, then we cannot do it. If we do not have consent to put an oil pipe through someone’s home, then we cannot do it,” Buzo said at the end of her talk.

Buzo referred to real life issues like the Dakota pipeline and President Donald Trump’s scandal referring to lewd comments about grabbing women.

“Consent is about figuring out who you are and what your boundaries are, so that you can share that with other people.”

Sonoma County local Virginia Harris who attended the event asked, “In the political climate now, what are we each individually consenting to?”

The topic of consent and many others from the workshops, can be helpful teaching tools and can lead our society in more focused directions.

The conference ended with keynote speaker Patrisse Cullors, co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement. Cullors touched on the moment leading to Trump’s election.

“It was in that moment that crystalized how much this country hates black,

Student Life Calendar

STAR // Michelle Violetti Co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement, Patrisse Cullors, spoke at the North Bay Womxn of Color Conference on Wednesday. undocumented and Muslim people,” said Cullors.

Cullors also explained her focus and purpose of the talk with the audience is “[The focus is] to ensure if you haven’t joined a movement, then now you have.”

The North Bay Womxn of Color Conference was student lead with the help of faculty, staff and student volunteers. Co-Student Lead Coordinator Patricia Ayala Macías and Sonoma State student Pam Rivas had felt inspired to create the event since the summer of

Demand for diverse demographics Peter Gatembu Staff Writer

Thursday, April 6 One Love Workshop 5 p.m.

Student Center Student Health Club Noon Health Center Room #175

Saturday, April 8 Seawolf Decision Day 9 a.m.

CHECK OUT THE

OFF-CAMPUS

HOUSING RESOURCE FAIR April 11 | Ballroom A 12:30 – 2:30 p.m.

3rd Floor in the Student Center QUESTIONS ABOUT LIVING OFF-CAMPUS? Please call Sonoma State University’s Housing Services:

707 -66 4 -2 5 4 1 ( d i a l 7 1 1 fo r Re l a y S e r v i c e s )

2016.

“This is important, this is an event that we need to continuously have on all campuses. Not just for students, but [for] community members in order to create connections,” Macías said.

The event was inspired by the annual UC Berkeley Empowering Women of Color Conference, which has gone on for 32 years. Macías said she is excited for the second annual conference and invites all students to attend next year; and also to consider joining the event committee.

“Y

Commentary

ou have an accent, where are you from? Are you a student here?

Can I see your School I.D then?” These are the questions that I encounter almost everyday while on campus, and they make me feel stereotyped as a black student of a different background.

The California State University system takes pride in being the most ethnically, economically and academically diverse student body in the nation.

The CSU website states that 60 percent of students in the state are students of color, including 160,000 Hispanic/Latinos, 76,000 Asians and 20,000 African-Americans.

At Sonoma State University, according to the 2016 Fact Book, the student body consists of 48.6 percent White students, 27.6 percent hispanic/latino students, 4.9 percent asian and only 2.2 percent black or African-American students.

As an African-American minority at our university, I feel that Sonoma State needs to have a way to attract more minorities to the campus. While Sonoma State has made some progress by attaining eligibility as a Hispanic serving institution, more focus should be put on attracting students of Asian and African-American backgrounds.

The diversity of a university’s faculty, staff and students influences it’s strength and productivity, as well as intellectual personality. To some students, college might be the first time they have had the opportunity to have real interaction with students from diverse groups.

Data from the National Study of Student Learning, voting and engagement indicated that both in-class and out-of-class interactions and involvement with diverse peers fostered critical thinking. This study also found a strong correlation between the extent to which an institution’s environment is perceived as racially non-discriminatory, and students’ willingness to accept both diversity and intellectual challenge.

Diversity in a learning institution enhances social development. Students get to interact with other students from different ethnicities and backgrounds.

This way, students prepare for future work in an inclusive global society. A diverse university promotes creative thinking as well. Students expand their capacity for viewing issues or problems from multiple perspectives and vantage points, rather than viewing the world through a single focus lens.

Sonoma State can improve its diversity by trying to develop relationships with minority communities. Reaching out to high school students from minority backgrounds and promoting Sonoma State as an inclusive institution is a good way to attract minority students. Making financial support and resources available and promoting them to diverse populations is another way that can attract minority students.

Sonoma State can also use social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and even YouTube to get to a wider outreach of minority students from around the nation and around the world. The lack of adequate African-American and Asian staff, and a support system for minority students, is also missing in Sonoma State.

Diverse professors and professionals in an institution of learning are an asset to that institution for all students; an academic engagement that builds positive attitudes toward racial issues is fostered and opportunities to interact with those who are different is presented.

A diverse faculty helps offer mentorship and advocates for diversity issues for minority students as well. Without mentorship and support from minority group professionals, I don’t expect to see more minority students at Sonoma State.

Student Life

APRIL 4 - APRIL 10, 2017

sonomastatestar.com

Page 9

Contest focuses on international student work Amber Rodarte Staff Writer

T

he Phi Beta Delta Honor Society for International Scholars is holding a campus-wide contest featuring academic work with an international focus. The contest is sponsored by Phi Beta Delta along with the Office of the Provost, and prizes include Wolf Bucks valuing $500, $300 and $200 as well as award certificates. Earnings can be used toward on campus dining venues, The University Store, all campus vending machines, and The Green Music Center Box Office.

Submissions are due by April 14 and are to be emailed to phibetadelta@sonoma.edu. All submissions should include an international scope, but formats are not limited. Examples of submission formats may include PowerPoint, images, videos or a choreographed dance, and all submissions should be accompanied by a 200 word narrative explaining the project.

Creativity is encouraged.

Phi Beta Delta is an honorary society dedicated to international scholarship, and was the first honor society to identify achievement in international education. Phi Beta Delta was first founded at CSU Long Beach in 1986 and now it includes over 180 chapters on college campuses across the nation as well as in-

ternationally.

The Sonoma State University chapter is named Zeta Tau and members include both students and faculty. All faculty members are dedicated to international education, and for students, qualifications for membership include maintaining a 3.2 GPA for undergraduates and 3.5 GPA for graduate students, be of junior or senior standing as an undergraduate and have participated in the study abroad program or an equivalent program. Members of Phi Beta Delta may also be international students.

Student Representative of Phi Beta Delta, junior Holly Lyon studied abroad in Germany during the 2015-2016 school year. While in Germany, she learned to speak German and immersed herself in the culture.

Coming back to Sonoma State, Lyon continued taking German classes and joined Phi Beta Delta to continue practicing the things she learned while abroad.

“I enjoy Phi Beta Delta because it gives me the opportunity to share my thoughts on studying abroad and spread my interest in other countries and cultures,” Lyon said.

Michaela Grobbel, professor of German and German program coordinator is also an advisor and the standing president of the Phi Beta Delta Zeta Tau chapter. Grobbel has been the president for the past two years and seeks to promote international education on the Sonoma State campus.

“Some of the goals of the Zeta Tau chapter are to encourage more students to study abroad, have more lectures, discussions and film screens focused on international affairs, increase the presence of international students on campus and recognize the different projects of faculty and students relating to international studies,” Grobbel said.

Grobbel believes it’s important for students to have an international perspective and to even learn a second language to better communicate and have a stronger understanding of people of different cultures.

“With the current ongoing tragedies around the world it is important to be able to show emotional support and empathy to those internationally,” Grobbel said.

The Phi Beta Delta contest provides an opportunity for students to explore other cultures around the world or display the work they have already completed pertaining to global studies.

Prizes and awards will be distributed at the annual Phi Beta Delta Induction and Award Ceremony on May 1. The Office of the Provost will be presenting the awards along with Phi Beta Delta in Shulz 3001.

More information regarding the contest and submissions can be found at www.facebook.com/pg/ ssuphibetadelta or at www.phibetadelta.org.

Technology meets tutoring with HelpHub Brigitte Maina Staff Writer

T

echnology has been taking the 21st century by storm since its arrival, leaving few unexposed survivors. Shaping today’s classrooms, online mediums and resources have prompted second graders to work with tablets more than professors, but also shape the way tradition tutoring has been viewed and conducted.

An online based service called HelpHub, serves to connect students seeking additional teaching in their studies with tutors ready to help. The 2-yearold Canadian company currently houses over 12,000 registered tutors, and growing, who are on the platform around the clock to serve students in over 65 countries.

“We facilitate all communication, which includes chat, videos and [instant messaging],” said developer Miguel Kudry.

Thinking of the idea during his undergrad, Kudry envisioned a helping hand within reach no matter the subject or time of need. Within two years HelpHub has grown internationally, while primarily serving

North America.

“A lot of times students in North America will be working with students in Kenya,” said Kudry. “We give the medium to connect.”

Made easy, connecting to a tutor requires only the creation of a free account. After signing up users are exposed to circles of numerous subjects, and the tutors who specialize in them. From mathematics to science, to art and English, the subject and tools are endless, while the education levels push the limit.

Tutors build credibility through “tutor karma” by answering questions, taking part in forums and assisting students in any other way on the site. Their score ref lects their accuracy and participation, and is displayed on profiles for past, current and future students to use as a reference. As a tutor, the higher your karma is, the more traffic you’ll experience.

On the opposite side, becoming a tutor is just as simple. After creating a free “become a tutor” account and being at least 14 years of age, HelpHub prompts prospective tutors to provide proof of credibility via copy of transcripts or credentials. After they’re reviewed, the build up of tutor karma can begin.

“It’s really up to how much time you put in, making it a great opportunity to make some money on the

side,” said Kudry.

When it comes to billing, rates are ultimately up to the student and tutor involved. If the session is answering one problem, or if it’s an an hour and a half lecture, the rate is discussed beforehand and can f luctuate respectively with the goals of each session.

Overall, longer sessions have a minimum rate of $5 an hour, and smaller sessions are charged by the minute.

“It’s really up to how much time you put in, making it a great opportunity to make some money on the side.”

“We all have our favorite subjects [and] subjects we’re good at. Often students will tutor in that subject they do well in, and use that money to pay for tutoring in the subjects they need help with,” Kudry added.

Type HelpHub into your search bar next time an algorithm has stumped you, or if you need an essay edited. The experience could alter your grade point average and maybe even your bank account.

Anyone insterested in learning more about HelpHub and their resources can visit their website at academy.helphub.com.

Seawolves celebrate LGBTQ+ community Alyssa Archerda Staff Writer

P

eople fear what they don’t understand and it isn’t intentional; it’s a subconscious reaction that happens naturally. When it comes to the LGBTQ+ community, there are a lot of things that aren’t common knowledge to those who don’t identify with the community.

“The hope is that these kind of events will start conversations between those within the community and people that don’t understand why these events happen,” said third year music major and Director of Associated Student Productions Colin Chinn.

“These events are really important to queer people, and hopefully straight and cisgender people, so that they can learn because I think that when you learn about something [the topic] is less scary and less fear inducing for people,” said Chinn. “They don’t understand something, so that upsets them. So the hope is that these kind of events will educate people and also bring support to people that don’t get it anywhere else.”

On Thursday, ASP partnered up with Queer-Straight Alliance to put on Trans Day of Visibility.

“The whole point of this event in general is recognizing that we have trans individuals in our community, here on campus, and in our wider community of Rohnert park and Santa Rosa,” Chinn said. “This event gives them that platform to exist and for nontrans identifying people to see that.

Also to give resources for the trans individuals in our community.”

This event is relatively new to the Sonoma State University campus.

“We started last year doing Trans Day of Remembrance which is a completely different holiday,” said third year psychology major and Vice Presi-

dent of QSA, Momo Bindra. “We wanted to do Trans Day of Visibility this year especially with everything that has happened politically this year we wanted to focus more on being hopeful and happy.”

Eli Nevel, fourth year environmental studies and planning major and outreach coordinator for QSA, also spoke about the transition from Sonoma State holding the event on Trans Day of Remembrance to holding the event on Trans Day of Visibility.

“It is an event that is focused more on the positives of being in the Transgender community. Usually there is a really big focus on the suicide rates and murders in the trans community, which is obviously relevant but it is still important to recognize that we are still people and we still have accomplishments and there are pros to being in the community,” Nevel said.

The event ran from noon until around 9 p.m. Throughout the day there was a screening of HBO’s “The Trans List” followed by a panel with speakers from Positive Images, an organization who provides support and advocacy to Sonoma County’s LGBTQ+ youth and young adults, as well as a speaker from Sonoma State.

Other events during the day included a resource fair, student speakers, a march through the residential communities and the night ended with a celebration mixer.

“The atmosphere has been wonderful,” Chinn said. “Everyone has been really supportive and we have had a good turnout. Everybody is just really excited and willing to learn and willing to work with each other.”

Those interested in joining QSA are more than welcome.

“We are pretty open to everyone and we usually get new faces every time,” Nevel said.

“It is a very open group. If some-

thing is currently happening in the news we talk about that or sometimes speakers come to talk but it pretty much varies from week to week,” said Chinn, also a member of QSA. The group meets on Fridays from noon to 1 p.m. in the HUB, which is

located on the second f loor of the Student Center.

For those interested in Positive Images, they are located at 200 Montgomery Drive Suite C, Santa Rosa or they can be contacted at (707)568-5830 or at www.posimiges.org.

STAR // Megan Corcoran Sonoma State celebrated Trans Day of Visibility with several events, including student speakers sharing their inspirational stories. Rex Green, above, was one of many students to speak about their own experiences.

Sports

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APRIL 4 - APRIL 10, 2017 sonomastatestar.com

Women’s tennis team serves up aces against Dixie State and Stanislaus State Kevin Brill Staff Writer

T

he Sonoma State University women’s tennis team solidified another two dominating wins on the season against Dixie State and Stanislaus State over the weekend. The Seawolves left it all on the court and crushed Dixie State (9-0) and Stanislaus State (8-1), leaving both teams unable to answer.

On Friday morning, Sonoma took on Dixie State in hopes of continuing its winning streak. The Seawolves’ lineup consisted of Jensyn Warren, Amanda Zuidema, Kaitlyn Haithcock, Jordyn Kearney, Katherine Long, Jenna DeTurk and Hillary Fazekas. In the singles competition, the Seawolves were on fire and won all six of the matches. Sonoma kept the momentum going and managed to win all three of its doubles matches. This left Dixie State shocked and in a 9-0 defeat against the Seawolves.

Sonoma State kept the pressure on and swept the singles competition against Dixie State. The Seawolves were ruthless and only played one extra set in just one match. Warren took down Kana Goldsmith 6-0, 6-0. After her win, Zuidema defeated Kyra Harames with an outcome of 6-1, 7-5. Haithcock triumphantly followed, beating Laura Hartie 6-1, 6-2. Kearney held strong against Hina Goldsmith and won 7-6, 4-7, 6-1. With two matches to go, DeTurk battled Kaylee Milligan for a successful win for the Seawolves 6-2, 6-0.

Long finished the sequence and destroyed Sydney Nichols 6-0, 6-1.

The Seawolves had a perfect record in the doubles competition, winning all three matches. Warren and Kearney teamed up to defeat Harames and Goldsmith from Dixie State 8-4. Sonoma kept the momentum going with Long and Fazekas, who fought hard to win 8-2 against the Trailblazers’ Nichols and Goldsmith. Zuidema and DeTurk played against Hartie and Milligan in the last doubles match, where the two Seawolves were able to pull out a dominating win 8-0.

“I focused mainly on staying patient with my shots and waited for the right ball to come in on and attack,” Kearney said. “She was a good defensive player so I needed to be more on the offensive side in order for the point to go my way, I couldn’t just rally with her.”

With a quick turnaround time, Sonoma State made its way t o Turlock and played Stanislaus State Saturday afternoon. The Seawolves were looking to fight and won all but one of their six singles matches. However, the team didn’t let one loss get in the way of taking home the victory, winning all three of the doubles matches over the Stanislaus Warriors.

“I went into the match with the mindset that I knew I could win as long as I stayed aggressive and played my game,” Budge said. “It is very crucial for me to focus on the aspects of the match that I have control over, not the things I cannot control. Focusing on the present moment and not letting my mind stray away from that is something that really helps me.”.

Sonoma State looks forward to playing Notre Dame De Namur in Oakland at noon on Friday in hopes of continuing its hot four-game win streak. With these victories against Dixie State and Stanislaus State, Sonoma State has held its national ranking as the No.17 ranked team.

Softball team wins eight of 11 matchups Chad Shaver Staff Writer

W ups.

ith the pressure of an 11-game win streak on the line, the Sonoma State women’s softball team went into a week jam-packed with tough match-

The first sets of games were on Tuesday when the Seawolves took on UC San Diego in a double-header fourgame series. Unfortunately, San Diego snapped the Seawolves’ win streaks, with Sonoma State losing the first game of day, 2-0.

In the first inning of game one, the Tritons came out hot with the team’s leadoff Hitter, Kendall Baker, singling to start out the game. The Tritons were able to move her over to third base and Baker ultimately scored off an illegal pitch. This put the score at 1-0 and Seawolves down in the first inning.

Determined to even out the score and take the lead, the Seawolves took its first at bat but were unable to score, leaving infielder Jenny Collazo on base. The Seawolves were unable to capitalize on its base hits, leaving three more players stranded on base.

As the teams battled back and forth, there wasn’t another run scored again until the fifth inning when the Tritons increased its lead by one. With Sonoma State unable to score, UC San Diego won the first game, 2-0.

Frustrated that the win streak was over, the Seawolves determined to regain focus for game two.

“We did want to keep winning and keep our streak going, but we were more focused on taking it one game at a time and remember to not get ahead of ourselves,” catcher Sarah Langley said.

In game two, UC San Diego came out hot again in the first inning, scoring two runs on three hits. Clearly the Tritons were hungry for another win as the team added to its lead in the top of the third, making the score 3-0. By

the bottom of the third it was the Seawolves’ turn. With a single by Collazo to right center, Karly Macadangdang was able to score and the Seawolves were on the board, 3-1. The hits were contagious for the Seawolves the rest of the inning after a homerun by Lindsey Calcany Blair.

Scoring three runs, the Seawolves took the lead 4-3.

The game went scoreless for four more innings, until the Tritons finally answered back from the Seawolves’ big inning and tied the game at 4-4, with a clutch homerun by Ashley Chestnut in the seventh inning.

Going into the ninth inning, the hits from both teams erupted. Kelsi Maday of the Tritons blasted a homerun to put the team up by one run, but Sonoma State answered back with a clutch homerun by Collazo, which sent the game into extra innings. In the bottom of the 11th freshman Madison Barto came up clutch, hitting a walk off three-run shot, making the score 8-5 and winning the game for her team.

“I knew once I made contact that the ball was going out and it felt so awesome to be the one to get the hit to help the team win,” Barto said.

Winning in a walk off fashion, Sonoma State determined to take its contagious hitting to the rest of the fourgame series against UC San Diego. The Seawolves played the next set of games on Wednesday, fired up and ready for another double-header.

Game one was a pitcher’s duel. Brielle Vidmar was in the pitcher’s circle for the first game, and she dug deep.

With the help of key hits by Jordann White and Langley, the Seawolves were able to hold the fort down in game one, winning 2-1.

Overwhelmed by the close pitching duel, Sonoma State knew it was going take more than two runs to win game two. Fired up, the Seawolves took the field and in game two of the double-header is when its bats came alive.

With nine hits for the Seawolves in game two, it collected six runs, ultimately beating the Tritons 6-2.

With this win, the Seawolves won the four-game se-

ries 3-1, and moved to 23-8 overall and 18-6 in conference play.

On Thursday the Seawolves traveled to Turlock, where the team competed in The Tournament of Champions. The Seawolves took on Western Washington to start the tournament, where it won 5-1 over the Vikings.

With the game scoreless for the first two and half innings, the Seawolves came alive after the third inning.

Scoring one run in the third and four in the fourth, Sonoma State was able to scrape together enough runs for its victory, 5-1.

In game one of Friday’s doubleheader, the Seawolves collected 11 hits, winning 7-2 over Concordia. Sonoma State scored early and often in game one and knew to do the same in game two against Northwest Nazarene.Northwest Nazarene scoring first left the Seawolves unphased as the team collected 13 hits for the overall game and scored nine runs, winning 9-1.

Undefeated so far in the tournament, Sonoma State squared off against Simon Frasier and Hawaii Pacific on Saturday. Using the momentum from the previous wins of the tournament, Sonoma State was able to pull of another victory in game one, 5-4.

The Seawolves were not as fortunate in its second game as Hawaii Pacific handed the team its first loss of the tournament, 8-5. The tables were turned again when the Seawolves picked up another loss in game one of Sunday’s doubleheader against Central Washington University. Although the Seawolves collected seven hits and four runs, it was simply not enough to top Central Washington’s 12 hits and six runs. Following this tough loss, Sonoma State was able to regain focus for game two, defeating Western Oregon 4-2.

Sonoma State went 5-2 overall for the Tournament of Champions. The Seawolves hope to continue its solid play as the team takes on San Francisco State at home in a fourgame series on Friday and Saturday at the Seawolf Softball Field.

Waterpolo team split weekend play Annie Finck Staff Writer

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ith a weekend full of back and forth, Sonoma State University women’s water polo team finished their regular season at 7-17. The women were able to pull ahead in the last minute in the game against Cal State East Bay. However, they were not able to have the same luck in their matchup against Fresno Pacific.

Starting off strong, Taylor Brown scored the first point of the game in the first possession.

This built up the momentum for the Seawolves, leading the team to victory.

“Getting the first goal in the game against East Bay definitely put us ahead and gave us the mental confidence needed to push through all four quarters to get the win,” junior driver Lily Carlon said.

The two teams battled it out in a heated game in the Pioneer Pool in Hayward. The game was back and forth as they all fought to see who would come out on top.

“We stuck to our game plan to beat our biggest rivals. We kept moving to create shooting opportunities which was the key to our success,” Carlon said.

As the first quarter came to an end, Sonoma State was leading East Bay 3-2 after Nicole Groat scored with less than a minute left in the quarter.

When the first half came to a close the Seawolves were able to maintain its lead, up 6-5 after Carleigh Robinson scored two goals with only a minute left. It was able to keep this kind of momentum throughout the game, and was able to finish out as the team ahead.

“Every single person on the team was determined to win and wanted it so bad. The energy was contagious. It was great,” Carlon said.

The team’s determination shined through in the fourth quarter of the game against East Bay. Robinson led the quarter by scoring three of the four goals scored in the final quarter.

With East Bay not being able to make contact with the goal, it gave the perfect opportunity for the Seawolves to pull ahead in the final minute. Robinson was able to score with only 55 seconds left on the clock to pull the tied 10-10 score to a winning 11-10 score, earning a welldeserved win for the Seawolves.

Unfortunately, the women’s water polo team was not as fortunate on Saturday against Fresno. The game was once again back and forth, but the women were not able to pull ahead and pull out the win.

“Fresno Pacific was a hard-fought game and odds were not in our favor that day,” Carlon said. “A few mistakes were made that were costly, but we learned from the game. We are looking past the game and focusing on our conference games coming up.”

Even with the Seawolves being able to pull ahead throughout different parts of its game against Fresno Pacific, the team was not able to finish out as strong. The last 12 minutes of the game proved difficult for the team, as it was unable to make any of its shots.

When Fresno Pacific tied with a little more than three minutes left in the game, things were not looking up. Sonoma was still unable to make contact and score, and Fresno Pacific was able to sneak in the winning goal with only 43 seconds left, leaving the final score 6-5 in Fresno’s favor.

After the 11-10 win against Cal State East Bay and the 6-5 loss against Fresno Pacific, the Sonoma State Women’s water polo team will be ending its season with three home games starting April 8.

COURTESY // sonomaseawolves.com Freshman Cassidy Mundt hit back-to-back goals against Fresno Pacific.

Sports

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STAR// Sara Wildman No. 11 Aldo Severson combined with No. 13 Ricky Clark for nine strike-outs in the Seawolves’ game three loss against the Cal State Golden Eagles.

Baseball team split week’s matchups against San Francisco State and Cal State LA Jake Tucker Staff Writer

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he Sonoma State University men’s baseball team had a hefty schedule this past week, totaling five games in a five-day span. They first participated in a midweek doubleheader on Wednesday afternoon, traveling down to San Francisco to play in front of a crowd of 102 at Maloney Field.

The Seawolves got the upper hand early, scoring three in the top of the second on a sacrifice fly by Noah Lyndall, an RBI single by Alex Emerick, and then Isaiah Engman scored on a balk. The Gators’ retaliation was fierce in the bottom of the second, putting up five runs on two run-scoring hits, a sacrifice fly, a wild pitch, and a balk. The Gators would put up two more runs in the bottom of the third on a double and a sacrifice fly.

Joshua Montelongo would hit a two-run homerun in the fifth inning for the Seawolves before the Gators tacked on four more insurance runs, winning game one 12-5. Dylan Hecht got tagged with his first loss of the season, while the Gator’s Jordan Yrastorza earned his first victory of the season.

Game two was another high-scoring affair. The Seawolves tallied the first run in the top of the first, as Grant St. Martin drove in Bryce Nagata on a fielder’s choice.

The Gators evened the score in the bottom of the first on an RBI groundout to shortstop. They then took the upper hand in the home half of the second on a wild pitch.

The Seawolves took back the lead in the fourth on a run-scoring single by Trevor Abrams, and then scored on a wild pitch. Mitch West also hit a double to left center that plated Rayson Romero and Nicco Toni, followed by a two-run single to center field by St. Martin, scoring West and Nagata.

A two-run single to left by Abrams that scored Jake

Sahagian and St. Martin capped off the innings’ scoring.

Sonoma tacked on one more in the fifth on an RBI single

by Montelongo, scoring Romero. The Gators would put up five runs in retaliation, but Sonoma State came out victorious 10-8.

Mitch Coombs earned his first win of the season for the Seawolves, while Ricky Clark continued his strong season, throwing an inning and two-thirds shutout innings while only allowing one hit and earning his third save of the season.

After splitting the two game series with San Francisco State, the Cal State Los Angeles Golden Eagles traveled up to the Seawolf Diamond to play in a threegame weekend series. In game one, the Golden Eagles took control early, going up 3-0 on two home runs. The Seawolves then put up two rebuttal runs on an RBI single by Romero, scoring Abrams, and an RBI groundout to second by Caresio that scored Romero. The Golden Eagles put up two in the seventh and one in the eighth to take the 6-2 victory over Sonoma. The Seawolves’ ace, Haydon Turpin, got tagged with his second loss of the year and stands at 5-2.

Game two proved more fruitful for Sonoma State, as it took the lead in the bottom of the first on a three-run home run by Abrams that plated West and Caresio. Then, in the second inning Caresio would drive in Nathan Mann on a ground ball to second, followed by a two-run double by Mann in the third that scored Matt Richards and Abrams.

Sonoma State coasted until the Golden Eagles put up a run in both the eighth and ninth inning, but came away with the 6-2 victory. Senior Starter Matt Hammonds earned his third win of the season, throwing seven shutout innings, while allowing no walks, four hits, and collecting seven punchouts.

“It was a great game for out team,” Hammonds said.

“Trev came up with a huge home run and that was all I needed to get the job done. Nicco was putting down the signs and my defense behind me was stellar. Overall great game, and I’m excited to get back on the mound and try to repeat it.”

The two teams headed back out to the field for the tie-breaker on Sunday afternoon. The Golden Eagles put up all of its four runs in the top of the fourth inning on a three-run home run and an RBI single. The Seawolves put up their lone run in the eighth when Richards doubled and a sacrifice fly by West drove him in , but ultimately, Cal State Los Angeles left with the 4-1 victory and a win in the series.

“I have no doubt that we’ll be back on track in the coming games,” Richards said. “Our pitchers have been great all year and they keep us in every game.”

The Golden Eagles starter Greg Humbert earned his second victory of the season, and the Golden Eagles handed Seawolves’ Aldo Severson his third loss of the year and is now 3-3. Ricky Clark, however, came in relief of Severson and continued to leave a stamp on his senior season, as he threw four and two-thirds shutout innings, allowing no walks, only three hits and striking out five.

“This weekend didn’t go the way we wanted it to. We know we are a better team than what we showed,” said Clark. “At this point in the year we really have to clean up the mental mistakes we are making to get back on track. With us fighting for a playoff spot, now would be a great time to get hot, and I think we will. We have yet to play our best, but we are confident we can get to where we want to be.”

The Seawolves’ overall record fell to 14-13 and 10-11 in conference play. Sonoma State’s next game will be an away three-game series against San Bernardino, beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday. First pitch of game one is set for 11 a.m.

Sports Schedule Tuesday April 4

COURTESY // sonomaseawolves.com The men’s golf team took fourth place out of 15 teams in the 67th Annual Socal Intercollegiate Tournament.

Men’s golf team show off depth in SoCal Tournament Naaman Hightower Staff Writer

S

onoma State University men’s golf adopted the “Strength In Numbers” moniker last week as the team came roaring into a fourth place completion last week at in Southern California.

More than half of the squad placed in the 67th Annual Socal Intercollegiate Tournament, hosted by UC San Diego.

Lead by senior Chase Dossa, the team raced out to a first place standing after the first round. Senior Justin Shluker broke out the tournament with a scorching start, hitting a very solid 68, four under par, in the first round.

“Justin has been playing well for us in our previous tournaments,” Dossa said. “The 68 was a very good number to shoot. We’ve all had rounds where we play really well and then fall apart. Backing up a good number is one of the hardest things to do in golf.”

Being led by the seniors is a norm among sports, but two freshmen came firing out of the gates to help the team to a strong placing. Devin Gregg shot a 77-7479 for the week and Isaiah Aguirre hit a similar 75-73-

83 to place 39th and 41st, respectively.

The hot start slowed, unfortunately, and the team was forced to play catch up.

“We were a little disappointed in our final round performance. We learned a lot about what it takes to win next time,” Dossa said.

According to Dossa, he was very pleased of his freshmen stepping up to the par. Dossa said how inexperience doesn’t come in play when it comes to Gregg and Aguirre.

“They are a tremendous help to our success,” Dossa said. “They don’t play like freshmen. We don’t even have to worry about how they will play.”

Coming from a talented senior, that’s quite a compliment.

The team isn’t getting complacent with its success though.

With a seventh place standing in the Western Region, the Seawolves are almost guaranteed a spot in the playoffs.

The team will find out after their next tournament if it makes the conference playoffs.

The ‘Wolves will look to end the season on a strong note when it travels to Turlock to play in the Hannah Stanislaus Invitational on Monday and Tuesday.

Women’s Golf Sonoma State Spring Invitational

Softball vs Sf State 12 p.m. & 2 p.m.

Friday April 7

Women’s Waterpolo vs Santa Clara 1 p.m.

Women’s Track @ Chico Distance Carnival

Men’s Tennis vs UC San Diego 1:30 p.m.

Women’s Tennis vs Notre Dame de Namur (in Oakland, CA) 12 p.m.

Sunday April 9

Softball vs SF State 1 p.m. & 3 p.m.

Women’s Tennis @ Mills College 3 p.m.

Saturday April 8 Women’s Track @ Chico Twilight Invitational Baseball @ Cal State San Bernardino 11 a.m. & 2 p.m.

Baseball @ Cal State San Bernardino 11 a.m.

Monday April 10 Men’s Golf Hanny Stanislaus Invitational

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Photo

APRIL 4 - APRIL 10, 2017 sonomastatestar.com

STAR // Megan Corcoran Amanda Zuidema smacks the ball across the net to help pull the Seawolves ahead to win their home tennis match against Dixie State on Friday.

STAR // Sara Wildman Top; Aldo Severson, No. 11, pitches the ball. Bottom; Mitch West, No. 26, hits a single.

School of

Extended and International Education

STAR // Megan Corcoran Carly Solberg, who identifies as nonbinary (they or she), speaks at the Trans Day of Visibility.

#schoolsIN

SUMMER SESSION

2017

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