IN THIS ISSUE
Starbucks training The company’s decision to host racial bias training needs to be an example for others. Pg. 3.
J. Cole album
Rapper’s fifth studio album revives fans with powerful social messages. Pg. 7.
Eco-friendly campus
Students give their take on what SSU can do to be a greener campus. Pg. 8.
SONOMA STATESTAR SINCE 1979
VOLUME 80 // ISSUE 11 APRIL 24 - APRIL 30, 2018
THE UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT RUN NEWSPAPER
@SONOMASTATESTAR
Despite lack of funding, CSU will not raise tuition
ASHLEY GIESKE STAFF WRITER
A
tuition increase was starting to look like a reality for Sonoma State University students for this fall. However, despite receiving less than one-third of the budget requested by the CSU last fall, Chancellor Timothy White announced last week that he has decided to not increase tuition for the 2018-2019 school year. “In light of California’s strong economy, California’s students and their families should not be saddled with additional financial burden to attain public higher education,” White said in a written statement on Friday. White went on to say that California should provide sufficient funding for students so they can have easier access to their education along with their degree completion. Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins said the decision shows that students, staff and community have a voice in the education system and what they are paying for. “I’m pleased with the CSU’s decision not to pursue a tuition increase for the coming year,” Atkins said. “I pledge to continue our work in the legislature to lower barriers and reduce the cost of quality higher education for all students.” The reasoning behind the proposed increase was the budget request from the CSU system not being granted. In November, the CSU system asked for an increase of $282.9 million, but was it only received $92.1 million from the governor’s budget that was announced in January. Due to this budget shortage, White and the CSU said they were considering a four percent increase in tuition for the upcoming year. This would have been the second consecutive year that tuition went up. Pointing the finger at Brown, the California Faculty Association organized a “Free the CSU” march in Sacramento earlier this month where White was a guest speaker. Elaine Newman, professor of mathematics, statistics and chapter president of the CFA at Sonoma State, said she was proud of the “commitment by our activists.” “Chancellor White and trustees were part of our rally and spoke about the importance of all of us working together to fight for sufficient funding for
Sonoma State STAR // Nate Galvan (top) CSU Chancellor Timothy White speaks to the crowd at the “Free the CSU” march on April 4. (bottom) SSU students protest a possible tuition hike at the “Free the CSU” march. the CSU to keep delivering quality education while keeping it affordable for students,” said Newman. According to White, the CSU is retaining, graduating and enrolling students in record numbers despite the lack of funding. The CSU had almost 100,000 students graduate with bachelor degrees last year alone. Along with this, the system also claims to prepare more than half of the state’s teachers for working in classrooms. Many students, families and staff members have worked hard to make sure this increase would not take place because of all the negative repercussions.
New Resource Center aimed to be one stop shop for academic help SAMMY SINATRA STAFF WRITER
W
was running for AS President and part of that was speaking about my experiences with CAPS,” said Ojeda: “Also, Trevor and I made it an effort to stay away from any competitiveness behavior, we wanted to set an example of how to campaign and behave properly as opponents.” In 2017, 2,205 students voted. Wilson credits his victory to the work he did before the election such as speaking to at least three classes, clubs or teams every day. “The campus needs to take seriously its commitment to civic engagement, and not just for AS elections,” Dickson said. “We need to commit to leading the CSU in voting in student, statewide and national elections. Everyone can do more.” AS provides funding resources to chartered student clubs and organizations, club accounting services, shortterm loans and transitional housing for students.
hen Scott Miller, director of the Sonoma State University Writing Center, began his career at Sonoma State in 1997, he saw the Writing Center sprout in a little cubicle in Salazar Hall, which what was once the library. In 2000, it was housed in the new Schultz Library, on the second f loor where the DVD Central section now stands, and eventually moved to its most recent space, on the first f loor of the library. This summer, the Writing Center, the Tutorial Program and Supplemental Instruction, which the Tutorial Center runs, will all be consolidated into what will become the Learning and Academic Resource Center. Each will still contain its own entities, but will be altogether under LARC, which the school will construct on the first f loor of the library, expanding out from what is now the Writing Center. “I’ve always wanted to have the Tutorial Programs and the Writing Center be together,” Miller said, “able to share resources, able to work together, able to collaborate. So for me, this is just like a dream come true kinda thing.” The school hopes that through the merging of these programs, students will feel welcome to come and get the help LARC is offering, in a more spacious, inviting location. They have set the new center to be more than double the space of the current Writing Center. Loriann Negri, current Multilingual Achievers Program director and Writing Center manager, will be the new director of LARC.
see RESOURCE CENTER on pg. 5
see RESOURCE CENTER on pg. 5
Sonoma State STAR // Gabriella Novello Students wait for the Associated Students election results at Lobo’s on April 10.
Student voting in AS election lowest turnout in five years HEBA MADI
STAFF WRITER
F
inal numbers reported for Sonoma State University Associated Students 2018 Elections show voter turnout was the lowest it’s been in the past five
years. The official count showed 1,019 students cast ballots this year, 11.79 percent of the total student population, compared to 24.75 percent that voted in 2017. Electoral competitiveness and campaign efforts affect voter turnout rates. “It’s a pretty simple formula,” said Associated Students Executive Director Erik Dickson. “The more campaigning there is, the more students vote.” According to President elect Manny Ojeda, this year’s candidates a more hands-on approach and a noncompetitive approach. I really wanted the student body to understand why I