Volume 80 // Issue 9

IN THIS ISSUE

“Love, Simon”

SRJC summer classes

Faces of SSU

Why this coming of age flick is a milestone in a movement.

Pg. 7.

Santa Rosa Junior College recently backed out on its decision to cancel some summer calsses. Pg. 5.

Sonoma State chooses students for its ‘Faces of SSU’ campaign. Pg. 8.

SINCE 1979

VOLUME 80 // ISSUE 9 APRIL 11 - APRIL 16, 2018

THE UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT RUN NEWSPAPER

Tuition fight comes to State Capital CASEY HERRMANN STAFF WRITER

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athering in front of the Sacramento capitol building last Wednesday, a crowd of more than 1,000 people, including more than 50 Sonoma State University students, faculty and administrators rallied in support of greater funding for higher education.

They all stood up to speak out against Gov. Jerry Brown’s current proposal for the CSU budget with chants of “No cuts, no fees, education should be free!” and “Education, not deportation!”

There were many speakers at the event, both students and faculty. One such speaker was Ramon Jimenez, a junior at Fresno State University, who led the crowd in a juggling exercise to help symbolize the difficulty students face when having to go to school, have a part-time job and paying the mounting costs of both living and higher education.

“Some of us, like me, had to wonder whether we going to eat or not,” Jimenez said to the crowd.

Brown’s proposal allocates a $92.1 million budget increase for the CSUs, which is only one-third of the $282.9 million that the CSU system requested in the fall of 2017. This could lead to the CSU system being incapable of working out standard increases in costs, less opportunity to expand to accommodate possible students, which the CSUs are already having to turn away by the thousands, and higher tuition for current students to cover costs.

Professor and CFA President Jennifer Eagen thanked the members of the crowd for their show of

support and said she hoped it would continue into the future. She especially thanked the Students for Quality Education and their help with the rally.

Charles Toombs, professor at San Diego University and CFA vice president, led the crowd in a moment of silence, as the day of the rally also marked the anniversary of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination.

After the silence, Toombs said, “And now let us do what Dr. King would want us to do, and that is advocate for funding for the university.”

Chancellor Timothy White also took to the podium, to some derision from the most passionate members of the crowd. The chancellor spoke about his convictions of education being a right and that his office and the CFA were one and the same on this issue.

“This is both personal and professional,” White said over growing shouts from the crowd. “I was lifted up by the CSU system.” As the chancellor left the stage, chants of “Do what’s right!” and “Fund the dream!” followed him.

Other speakers included several members of the California Legislature. Assemblyman Jose Medina, chair of the Assembly Committee on higher education, stood before the crowd in a show of solidarity.

“The state legislature has heard your voice today,” he said. Medina has passed a letter around the California Assembly requesting that Gov. Brown reconsider the level of funding in the CSU system, already boasting 40 signatures out of 80 total Assembly seats, three of which are currently vacant.

From another legislative house, state Sen. Toni

@SONOMASTATESTAR

Sonoma State STAR // Alyssa Archerda Sonoma State University students hold up a banner during the Free the CSU march on April 4.

Thousands gather to protest Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget increase for the CSU, funding that only covers one-third of that requested by the system Atkins spoke of the her own vision of the California dream: “We are the sixth largest economy in the world, and education makes it so.” Assemblyman Tony Thurmond, introduced as the assemblyman from the newly dubbed Wakanda, also came to speak.

“We work for you, and we stand with you,” he said. “I look out right now and I see the leaders of tomorrow.

Know that our governor hears you!”

Elaine Newman, professor and chapter president of the CFA at SSU, said she was pleased with the rally. “It’s an ongoing fight for students and free education,” Newman said. “It will require a lot of noise, but I think we can do it. People with that kind of passion will continue to fight.”

Newman said she hopes to continue pressuring the state government for the funding the CSUs need.

She plans to write letters to the state Legislature to continue the conversation and urges all members of SSU to do so, continuing on with a day to lobby state representatives with engaged students, currently scheduled for early May.

SSU Associated Students election results - Ojeda wins president HEBA MADI

STAFF WRITER

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Sonoma State STAR // Gabriella Novello Manny Ojeda won Associated Students president on Tuesday. For a full list of winners, see page 5.

y a two-to-one margin, Junior Manny Ojeda won the race for Associated Students president of Sonoma State University Tuesday evening. With a crowd of approximately 50 people watching at Lobo’s Cafe, Student Government Coordinator Asha Nettles announced election results around 7 p.m. Elections took place April 9 and 10 through electronic ballot emailed to the student body.

In all, 1019 students cast ballots.

The final count showed Ojeda won with 679 (66.6 percent) of the votes. Junior Trevor Chapman finished second with 340 votes or 33.4 percent.

Ojeda was not in attendance to hear the results. But contacted later by phone, he said, “I am so thankful for this amazing opportunity. I truly am at a loss

for words, but I do want to say that my motivation to run for AS president was the contributions I know I can make to SSU.” “I’m really excited for Manny,” said Chapman, an early childhood studies major. “I’m really glad if it wasn’t me, that it’s Manny. I hope he does his best.”

Ojeda, along with Carley Chatterley, will replace outgoing Wilson Hall and Jason Gorelick as executive president and vice president in May. Chatterly and Vice President of Finance winner Christina Gamboa ran unopposed.

In addition to executive positions, senator positions were announced. A lack of competition was also apart of lower AS positions as three senators also ran unopposed, ensuring Fernando Mendoza, Luke Gover and Aracely Duron positions in Associated Students..

Noelle Dahl and Natalie Cackler tied in the race for the senator for School

of Arts and Humanities, meaning in a run-off will take place on May 1.

Seven AS senator positions are still open, but according to AS, there will be another election for students who are willing to run.

“I’m really excited to work my colleagues and make it another great year,” said Gamboa, current senator for undeclared students and vice president of finance-elect. “I look forward to being able to gain a better knowledge for what the students want from the university and how we can advocate for them at the table.”

Chapman said he plans to run for senator of education. “Although the results weren’t what I expected, my plan from here is to regroup with students,” he said. “You don’t need to be president to voice opinions on tuition heights, asbestos or anything else, you just need to be active.”

2 Editorial THE STAR Editorial Board Shannon Brown, Editor-in-Chief Ethan Helms, Executive Editor Nate Galvan, News Editor Olivia Hunt, Opinion Editor Brigitte Maina, Ar ts & Enter tainment Editor Andrea Mendoza, Student Life Editor Bianca Sanborn, Spor ts Editor Alyssa Archerda, Photo Editor Alex Randolph, Copy Editor Alex Daniels, Adver tising Manager Paul Gullixson, Faculty Adviser Staff Writers Kaytlin Abad, Stefanie Bautista, Jessica Bennett, Kathryn Catanzarite, Blake Davena, Jennifer De La Torre, Danielle Estrada, Danielle Factor, Ashley Gieske, Jacob Gonzales, Kendall Grove, Tanner Gunning, Casey Herrmann, Lindsey Huffman, Emily Jenkel, Heba Madi, Luis Mejia, Brooklynn Miller, Manny Ojeda, Kathleen Perry, Kailey Priest, Renee Rodgers, Roland Schmidt, Tatiana Serrano, Samantha Sinatra, Sierra Sorrentino, Jeno Veltri, Madison Villalobos, Aaron Waskowiak

Photographers Gabby Novello, Christine Von Raesfeld, Justin Santos, Holle Depina, Carly Wade

Nichols Hall 323, 1801 East Cotati Ave Rohnert Park, CA 94928 Telephone: 707-664-2776 Business & General Inquiries:

APRIL 11 - APRIL 16, 2018 sonomastatestar.com

Underfunded CAPS leaves students searching for support

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fter facing tuition increases, and demonstrating for issues surrounding gun control and immigration reform, it’s no surprise that the mental state of many students across the country has suffered.

Sonoma State University’s Counseling and Psychological Services is a student resource that has been overlooked for too long. CAPS has been searching to hire an additional counselor but has yet to fill the position despite the Jan. 22 application deadline.

As a result of the short-staff, students hoping to see a therapist or counselor have been pointed toward a waitlist. Even worse, some students have been turned away from the resource after being told that their issue isn’t a priority. The casual disregard of student issues cannot be brushed aside, especially when those issues surround mental health.

After a student-suicide on the campus of Chico State University in March, students across the California State University system have been left on edge.

Although the school has made counseling available for stu-

dents, there needs to be a greater focus on improving the overall mental state of our campuses in order to prevent these incidents from occurring.

The March suicide is only the most recent incident in the CSU system. Another 20-yearold Chico State student took her life in 2014 and before that a Sonoma State student in 2011.

Both presidential candidates in this week’s AS elections made mental health and CAPS a focus of their campaign.

“There are major issues with the mental health situation here on campus. If you’ve ever seen Counseling and Psychological Services, it’s always packed.

There’s always people in there trying to make appointments,” AS presidential candidate Trevor Chapman said in a recent interview with the STAR. “As a school we’re stressed out, and we’re not happy. That’s bad. Those are the sorts of issues I want to pay attention to. Those are the sorts of things that really matter,” he said.

The winning candidate, Manny Ojeda, shared similar ideas about CAPS. “There is an open position

for another counselor, but there isn’t enough money to hire another employee. So we need to figure that out and get the budget up,” Ojeda said.

While voicing concern for these issues plays a major role in changing the culture of our universities, it’s crucial to see that our student representatives follow through with their stated goals. The process begins by identifying the problem, but actual change won’t occur without further action.

It’s important that campus members support Ojeda’s goals to improve funding for CAPS. Working to improve the mental health of our students is imperative to their success at the university level and beyond. We must ensure that CAPS and other student-resources are available at all times – without a waitlist.

If the answer is additional funding and hiring another counselor, then our administration and student government must work to make that solution possible. Students have bottled up their mental health issues for long enough. It’s time that we offered to help them – all of them.

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.

sonomastatestar@gmail.com Corrections and News Tips: star@sonoma.edu

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Opinions

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

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

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Opinion 3

APRIL 11 - APRIL16 , 2018 sonomastatestar.com

New bills threaten rights of sex workers

BLAKE DAVENA STAFF WRITER

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he Senate and House of Representatives recently passed two acts seeking to aid victims of human trafficking, the Stop Enabling Sex-Trafficking Act and Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act. However, they may end up harming voluntary sex workers in the process.

According to Rolling Stone, SESTA and FOSTA make it illegal for sites to knowingly assist in sex trafficking. Sites such as Facebook, Craigslist and Reddit could now be held liable for advertising sex workers on their platforms. We are beginning to see the repercussions of the bills as Craigslist has taken down its “personals” section. The acts make

changes to the 20-year-old Communications Decency Act which protected website owners from the things their users say or do.

However, after the government passed these bills we saw an outcry from both internet advocates and consensual sex workers. According to The Daily Dot, due to the bills’ vague wording, websites could be punished even if it is unknown to them that traffickers are using their sites.

Also, the judgements are retroactive, which means a site could be punished even if engaged in sex trafficking back when it was still protected. Sites that we see as vital could be harmed from actions it was unaware of its users performing, and they could even see jail time up to 10 years as well as fines for these actions.

The push for change came after executives at classifieds site Backpage.com were arrested on pimping charges in 2016, but the courts dismissed the case due to protections in the Communications Decency Act. These changes can now spell trouble for all sites that post third-party content, such as Wikipedia and Internet Archive.

According to The Daily Beast, the acts hold many dangers for consensual sex workers which use these

sites. Many of those who involve themselves in the sex trade use sites like Craigslist’s personals to connect with and vet their clients before meeting them in person. With waves of websites shutting down personal sections that can be used this way, we see more and more safety nets disappearing.

When there is no way to vet clients, sex workers resort to old tactics such as street work and meeting clients in person with no prior interactions. This can spell out such dangers as violence, harassment and even abusive policing.

Though I do support actions being taken to protect those which are victims of sex trafficking, I believe we need to find ways that don’t save one group of people by hurting another. With these bills we see new challenges and possible legal issues arising towards sites and their subsections.

The big takeaway from this is that sex workers are going to continue their work regardless, and taking away a vital safety tool is not the way to approach the matter. By websites implementing these laws, we could see a steep rise in the dangers found in the careers of consensual sex workers.

Timeless wristwatches will never go out of style

AARON WASKOWIAK

STAFF WRITER

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still remember recieving my first wristwatch on May 15, 2006.

The cold stainless steel backing chilled my wrist for a moment before I cinched the band tight. It felt, to a 12-year-old back in 2006, like I was preparing for some daring adventure.

It was akin to strapping into a flight suit or attaching some tactical James Bond-themed equipment to my person before raiding a Russian submarine base.

The polished, smooth quartz sapphire face offered a window into hundreds of years of delicate human ingenuity, now condensed into a 43 millimeter disk that rested gently upon my arm. My first watch never experienced any high altitude jumps, nor does it dispense a nerve agent when you press the crown.

However, 12 years later, it still ticks and gives me a pang of excitement to slap on my wrist. Watches are one of the most underappreciated ways of making a statement about yourself. Most people will go through

life and wear wristwatches throughout, only ever touching the surface of horology. Whether it is a big bulky rubber G-Shock, or a sleek swiss automatic, what you put on your wrist says something about you. It represents not only one of the few cross-gender fashion accessories, but it does so with an absolutely massive range in terms of products and their connotations.

I approach this topic because there is an interesting shift in pop culture happening now. Especially in the hip-hop dominated charts today, artists are touting wealth and luxury more than ever. Making references to Ferrari’s, private jets and mansions is nothing new by any means, but now we have involved watches.

Artists like Jay Z, Migos and Gucci Mane are ushering in renowned Swiss brands such as Audemars Piguet, Hublot, Patek Philippe and of course Rolex into the pop culture spotlight. All the sudden, appreciation of these timepieces are no longer confined to an oaken-paneled Zurich auction house, but broadcasted to the masses like myself.

Big name pop culture critics such as Complex and GQ are now featuring articles on “DJ Khaled’s $300,000 Watch” and “25 Watches Over $1 Million.” Even established publications such as the Guardian and NYT are running pieces about this timepiece craze.

Famous actors are now being profiled for their watch collections. In an interview with HauteTime magazine, Kevin Hart went into depth on his collection. “The effort watchmakers put into making something so unique,” he said. “That’s what I love.”

With this coverage comes curi-

ous internet searches, and interest in horology traditions that for some are approaching 200 years of production.Once this appreciation begins to grow, and you stray away from the bejeweled monstrosities of Beverly Hills, you begin to see them everywhere, whether it is a beautiful JaegerLeCoultre you spot at a restaurant, a simple Hamilton you spot at the gym or former president Barack Obama’s JorgGray, which he proudly wore for many years.

Seeing and recognizing these pieces fosters a fascination, and the construction of an identity behind each piece. “I’ve always said most guys are watch guys, they just haven’t really found the right piece yet,” Benjamin Clymer, founder of the popular watch blog Hodinkee, said in an interview with the New York Times.

My collection, as a watch guy, has grown since age 12 with 18 pieces now arranged neatly on my desk.

Each one holds memories from what was happening in my life when I purchased it or got it as a gift, and each one has a distinct personality. I can remember where I fell in love with each, what watch motivated me to look into a particular style; it is, ironically enough, a timeline of one’s style and attitude towards much more than just fashion.

The watch you put on in the morning is a projection of how you feel that day; your attitude and approach towards life. And while it might feel like you’re the only one who knows, there is always a chance that someone is across the coffee shop or classroom from you, peaking at the watch on your wrist and understanding exactly what you’re saying with it.

Humans are to blame for animal extinctions

BROOKLYNN MILLER

STAFF WRITER

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t the age of 45, Sudan, the last remaining male white rhino, did not have much left in him in regards to repopulating his territory with new offspring. Sudan’s caretakers at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya did all they could to sustain such a giant and gentle species, but while he did leave behind a daughter, Najin, and granddaughter, Fatu, the last male white rhino died on March 19, yet another species virtually wiped off this Earth.

The death of Sudan and his fellow white rhinos can be attributed to one cause: human intervention.

Specifically, poaching white rhinos for their horns, which some claim to have ‘healing properties.’

This is false information, as “the horn is made out of keratin, the same material as our fingernails are made out of. There’s no evidence to suggest that the horn serves any medical function whatsoever,” said Moehrenschlager, director of conservation efforts at the Calgary Zoo. With Sudan’s death fresh in the minds of millions around the world, one cannot help but consider how many other species’ extinctions were essentially caused, or prompted, by mankind. “Unlike past mass extinctions…the current crisis is almost entirely caused by us — humans,” said a representative for the Center for Biological Diversity. “In fact, 99 percent of currently threatened species are at risk from human activities, primarily those driving habitat loss, introduction of exotic species and global warming.”

These mass extinctions are not only sad, but exceptionally concerning in how they reflect the amount of care and preservation humans treat the Earth. Clearly, it is not a lot. There are ways in which humans and native wildlife can live harmoniously, but it would require some changes from mankind. Policy change and a governmental shift toward the well-being of the planet would be a good place to start.

“Last year, a number of congressional Republicans…considered a number of bills that would weaken Endangered Species Act protections,” said Miranda Green from The Hill. “The bills’ effects would include allowing the Fish and Wildlife Service to use economic costs to deny listing a species as threatened and remove the gray wolf from the endangered list.”

Every single ecosystem on Earth is delicate and sensitive in ways the human eye is not able to see. The decline of the ozone layer would never have happened if it was not for humans overuse of artificial chemicals known as chlorofluorocarbons. “Chemicals found mainly in spray aerosols heavily used by industrialized nations for much of the past 50 years, are the primary culprits in ozone layer breakdown,” according to National Geographic. When these CFCs reach the upper atmosphere, they react with the oxygen atoms in the ozone layer and rip apart the ozone molecules.

According to Biology Discussion, “an organism is always in the state of perfect balance with the environment.” In regards to Sudan and many other species that mankind forced to follow the same tragic path to extinction, it is time for mankind to wake up and realize something needs to be done. This is not just a sad passing of a beloved creature; it was absolutely preventable and we have the ability to do so. It is a wake-up call for humans to act and recognize that we share this Earth with those who were here before us.

Sinclair news propaganda echos dystopian reality

LUIS MEJIA

STAFF WRITER

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he sharing of biased and false news has become all too common on social media. More alarming, some media outlets publish these same fake stories without checking facts first. This is extremely dangerous to our democracy.”

If these words sound familiar, that is because they have been for the past two weeks. Following the fallout from Sinclair Broadcast Group’s controversial promotional campaign, viewers and news orga-

nizations have taken a stand against the media monster.

After a compilation of numerous TV anchors repeating identical scripts gained viral attention last week, Sinclair, which owns 193 local stations across the United States, had its work cut out for it, backpedaling atop a corporate practice many believed to be in contradiction to the ethics of independent news. But while companies pull their ads and viewers review which channels to avoid, it should be noted that this contentious practice has overstayed its welcome for years now.

According to The Washington Post, Sinclair’s obvious goal is to reach 72 percent of American households if its acquisition of Tribune Media is a success.

However, with this aspiration has come a sudden spike in what the New York Times has labeled ‘station must-runs,’ which is basically TV for mandatory work unless you want to get fired.

These are handcrafted scripts and stories from company higher-ups that station managers are absolutely required to run at any given point, no questions asked.

The results have often been no better than

what we have uncovered this past week.

What the public is learning is the disconcerting reality that it is being falsely led on, or at the very least being shamelessly indoctrinated to think a certain way by some news outlets, calling those who champion opposing points of view “fake news,” while the others echo the same sentiment in return.

At this point it seems like the whole fake news gag evolved from a pesky internet meme to a legitimate point of concern, sparking a discussion about what constitutes as reputable and what does not.

This mentality has not only pressured both those who provide the media and those who consume it, but it encourages a noticeable amount of paranoia linked to every hint of information that reaches us nowadays. We have arrived at a point where one really can construe the news as propaganda, if the right talking points are exercised and if the appropriate beliefs are tapped into. Certain narratives, both liberal and conservative, have even fallen victim to the temptation of bias – annulling objective journalism in exchange for ratings. As was the case with the 2017

leaked video of one of CNN’s supervising producers, John Bonifield, when asked about the Trump-Russia investigation.

“Like, we don’t have any big, giant proof,” Bonifield said. “Our ratings are incredible right now.” While the story has since developed, it was troublesome to hear how such a powerful influence felt about such a relevant issue at the time.

People are on edge, afraid to believe what the other side of their ideals has to say, largely because of antics resembling Sinclair’s. What is worse is that without trust in the very news airing on our television screens, many Americans are rapidly growing fearful of the media’s power. The aftermath of this incident only adds to that cause, especially when it is so blatant it is almost embarrassing.

“Nothing says we value independent media like dozens of reporters forced to repeat the same message over and over again like members of a brainwashed cult,” said John Oliver on a recent episode of Last Week Tonight. But who is to say that is not the future many news outlets are disturbingly striving for, often without even realizing it?

4 News

APRIL 11 - APRIL 16, 2018 sonomastatestar.com

CSU shows solidarity against budget shortage

Sonoma State STAR // Alyssa Archerda (top) Student activists speak to the crowd at the Free the CSU march on April 4 in opposition of Gov. Jerry Brown’s shortage in budget increase for the CSU. (left) A CSU Stanislaus professor holds a sign showing support for students. (right) A student holds up a sign.

SSU receives $2.5 million to combat student hunger CHRISTIAN FRANCISCO STAFF WRITER

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he California State University system is taking major steps towards improving the wellbeing and health of students; specifically fighting hunger. The state Senate signed Senate Bill 85 into law in June of last year, awarding $7.5 million towards innovative programs that improve student success in community colleges, California state universities and the University of California campuses.

Each system will receive $2.5 million to help fight hunger on college campuses. The CSU system will distribute the $2.5 million throughout the 23 campuses, which amounts to about $40,000 to $155,000 for each college to improve programs that help the fight against hunger on their campuses. According to Interim Associate Vice President Stacy HeldmanHolguin, Sonoma State will receive $67,000 over 18 months.

In 2015, a snapshot study commissioned by Chancellor Timothy White highlighted that food and housing insecurity face far too many students at college. The results of this study prompted the CSU system to launch the “Basic Needs Initiative,” which seeks to identify and create solutions that would support students’ basic needs. The initiative highlighted eight basic needs of students, including physical health, food, housing, quality of education, mental well-being, sense of belonging, financial support and safety. They aimed these guidelines to assist college campuses to address and identify the essential needs for students, helping campuses develop practices and procedures to provide for them.

Since the launch of this initiative, all 23 CSU campuses have taken several steps to address food and

housing insecurity, helping thousands of students in need. The CSU has reported that all campuses designated a point of contact that is responsible for basic needs and services, now operates a food distribution program and offers application assistance for CalFresh, a federal program that issues electronic benefits that is used for food, to students.

The launch of the Basic Needs Initiative has helped Sonoma State provide more programs and outlets for students facing food and housing insecurity. According to HeldmanHolguin, 40 percent of SSU students participated in the Basic Needs survey, which analyzed how many students skip meals to cover other expenses.

“These numbers align with both the national averages and our sister CSU campuses,” said HeldmanHolguin.

According to Heldman-Holguin, the school will utilize the funds to enhance the Food Pantry services, develop a website presence and online services for students in need, fund student assistants and support emergency housing. Some of the actions Sonoma State has done to help students include: opening a food pantry and food distribution program, establishing a meal-sharing program, making fresh fruit and vegetables available to students through food pantries and farmers’ markets and providing CalFresh applications for students that also conduct outreach promotion encouraging students to sign up. These are just a few positive implications Sonoma State has done since the launch of the Basic Needs Initiative. The additional $2.5 million allocated to the CSU system will further improve the programs already instilled at Sonoma State and will also help create more programs that benefit the well-being of students.

NEWS IN BRIEF Rohnert Park Two Rohnert Park apartment complexes with 202 total units have sold for $42.5 million. According to public records, AMFP IV Creekview, LLC, purchased the complex on Creekview Place North at 333 Enterprise Drive and Creekview Place South at 400 Santa Alicia Drive on March 2. AMFP is an investment fund managed by Abacus Capital Group, LLC, based out of New York. According to public records, The north property sold for $21.14 million, or $209,349 a unit, and the south for $21.55 million, or $211,443 a unit. According to real estate brokers Cushman & Wakefield, rents average $1,635 a month on the properties.

Santa Rosa A Santa Rosa man is in critical condition due to a motorcycle crash after exiting the parking lot of a gas station at the corner of Todd Road and Santa Rosa Avenue.

According to CHP Officer Jonathan Sloat, a BMW SUV threw Forrest Isbell, 58, from his Harley-Davidson when it struck him on Monday. The BMW driver, a 28-year-old Santa Rosa man, did not suffer injuries in the crash, but paramedics took an infant in the BMW to the same hospital as a precaution, Sloat said.

Washington D.C. U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth gave birth to a daughter on Monday, making her the first United States senator to give birth while in office. In a statement, Duckworth said her husband, Bryan Bowlsbey, and their other daughter, Abigail, “couldn’t be happier to welcome little Maile Pearl as the newest addition to our family.” Duckworth, 50, was already one of 10 women who had given birth while serving in Congress, but she had Abigail in November 2014 as a member of the House of Representatives. According to the New York Times, since the birth of Abigail, Duckworth has introduced several bills for making life easier for new parents, but the senate has voted none of them into law.

News 5

APRIL 11 - APRIL 16, 2018 sonomastatestar.com

Backlash results in SRJC summer classes continuing ASHLEY GIESKE STAFF WRITER

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espite the recent push by Santa Rosa Junior College to cut more than half of its summer 2018 classes, SRJC President Frank Chong announced he will not follow through with the move.

In a final email sent out almost a week after the fiasco began, Chong said, “I’m pleased to provide you with some good news, the college will be proceeding with the summer and fall schedules as originally planned.” He wrote about how he understood the concerns and is hopeful that the news would relive the protesters and that they could all move on together. In order to save some funds during this ficasally difficult time, Chong and the President’s Consultation Council decided to cut Day Under the Oaks 2018, which cost the campus nearly $40,00 to hold.

“While I am very disappointed to cancel it, I do agree that it is responsible to take this step as one of many that will help us as we begin to address our budget deficit,” Chong said.

Many students who attend Sonoma State University are also enrolled or have taken classes at Santa Rosa Junior College, as it can be more affordable and easier

to get classes. Chong got the ball rolling on March 29 when the news broke of summer classes no longer being available. He said school needed the cuts to fix the budget deficit it is currently facing, and the cutting of certain summer courses could save the school close to $2 million. This decision had a significant backlash, with many concerned how this would affect their ability to transfer, graduate and if their financial aid would accommodate.

It’s been said that the campus is dealing with a $6.5 million deficit and is actively trying to find a resolution. After the large outcry from both students and staff, Chong sent out an apology email saying they would reexamine the situation and postponed summer registration times.

On April 2, students and staff planned a large sit-in to protest the idea that the school staff had presented to them. The group of demonstrators made their way to outside Bailey Hall on campus, where they shared their frustrations. A prominent student that organized the gathering was Hannah Cagle. As a student, along with being a student employee and president of the on campus club Feminists United, Cagle says the school should make fulfilling students needs and education a top priority.

“I believe that the decision should have never been made to begin with,” Cagle said. “I think it was hasty and incredibly poor decision making by SRJC administration, especially the president, Dr. Chong.”

Cagle said the decision didn’t have any consideration for the students or faculty on campus. “I think this was just the most recent of a series of poor decisions made by the district that have come at faculty and staff expense,” she said. “As I said at the sit in, I think the standard of both transparency and decision-making for the SRJC president himself and the vice-presidents should be much much higher.”

Santa Rosa Junior College students aren’t the only ones being affected by this decision. Many SSU students are also enrolled at the junior college for summer courses and weren’t happy about the possibility of classes being cancelled. Junior communication major Sarah Flachs is currently taking classes to fulfill major requirements on the Santa Rosa campus and was strongly opposed to the idea of losing that opportunity.

“I was planning to take a summer class to get ahead, and if classes do get cancelled I will have to find somewhere else that is probably going to be a lot more expensive,” Flachs said. “I don’t think this decision is what is best for the students or staff on the SRJC campus.”

2018-19 ASSOCIATED STUDENTS ELECTION RESULTS Senator for School of Science and Technology Allan Chornak

Senator of Student Services Fernando Mendoza

AS President Manny Ojeda

Add a little bit of body text

Senator of Diversity Aracely Duron

AS Vice President Carley Chatterley

Senator for School of Arts & Humanities TIE

Senator for School of Social Sciences Luke Gover

VP of Finance Christina Gamboa

Noelle Dahl Natalie Cackler A run-off election will be held to decide a winner May 1.

4/16-4/22 Mon

Earth Day Fair

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1-3 4/18 Campus Garden + Party Wed

Sustainable SSU Presents

Sustainability Day Student Center Ballrooms

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6 Arts

APRIL 11- APRIL 16, 2018 sonomastatestar.com

Krasinski’s storytelling keeps audiences on edge

APRIL A&E EVENTS

Review

WEILL HALL Dianne Reeves with Peter Martin, Romero Lubambo, Reginald Veal, and Terreon Gully 4/14 7:30 p.m.

The Choirs of Sonoma State and San Jose State in Concert 4/18 7:30 p.m., $8, Students Free Symphony Orchestra “Avec l’orgue” 4/29 2:00 p.m., $8, Students free

SCHROEDER HALL Grisha Goryachev, Flamenco Guitarist 4/14 7:30 p.m., $8, Students free

FILM SCREENINGS German Film Series presents "Goethe!/Young Goethe in Love (2010)" 4/10 7:00 p.m.

Carson Hall 14 "Miss Kiet’s Children" 4/13 7:00 p.m.

Ives 101

EMILY JENKEL STAFF WRITER

D

irected by John Krasinski, “A Quiet Place” is not only a brilliant cinematic masterpiece, but a breath of fresh air for horror movie fans. If Jordan Peele proved anything with his directorial debut, “Get Out,” it’s that you can terrify an audience with the right amount of craft, time and energy. Krasinski’s horror film debut is extremely original and calculated, combining the best elements of dramas, thrillers and horror.

The film adds itself to the very top of the list of new age silent thrillers where it joins movies like “Hush” and “Don’t Breathe.” With a few pieces of dialogue and even less music, the audience watches the story unfold almost purely through visual storytelling. Every sound included in the film creates total dread and prolonged silence forces the audience to pay attention to details that are often overlooked, such as body language, facial expressions and other visual cues throughout the film, rather than rely on dialogue.

Beginning on “Day 89” of a puzzling, postapocalyptic invasion, the only people in sight are a desperate family grabbing medication off of a shelf in an abandoned pharmacy. Communicating only through sign language, the family members include father Lee Abbott, (John Krasinski), mother Evelyn Abbott (Emily Blunt), deaf daughter Regan Abbott, (Millicent Simmonds), eldest son Marcus Abbott (Noah Jupe), and youngest son Beau Abbott (Cade Woodward). They work their way silently through the woods back to their farmhouse until youngest son Beau shows the audience why noise is so deadly in this post-apocalyptic dystopia. Setting the stage, audience members find themselves as terrified, and silent, as the characters in the film.

Through exceptional visual storytelling, it

becomes clear that futuristic, alien-like creatures have taken over the planet and operate on sonar, reaching their prey in seconds after it makes any sound. The family’s noise-cancelling survival tactic – solely using sign language to communicate, walking barefoot on sand, and more – is clear to the audience as being the reason the family has survived for so long. Their exceptional survival skills don’t go unnoticed, and support the threading themes of heroism, sacrifice and survival. The plot builds when the film fast forwards a little over a year and Blunt’s character finds herself eight and a half months pregnant, building on the fear of the creatures and the audience’s anticipation of what’s going to happen when the baby is born.

A heart-wrenching, bittersweet finale brings the film full circle and may even bring a tear to the viewer’s eye.

Blunt, Krasinski and Simmonds steal the show and bring a sense of emotional realism to the plot that intensifies the viewer’s overall experience. “A Quiet Place” sets itself apart from other horror films by creating genuine emotion, and providing a realistic portrayal of characters that pull at the audience’s heart strings. Krasinski and Blunt’s real life marriage wholeheartedly translates to the big screen, as the love they have for one another and their children feels raw and authentic; it becomes incredibly easy to get lost in this plot.

Equally as exceptional and crucial to the ultimate success of this movie would be the four-time award-winning cinematographer, Charlotte Bruus Christensen. Christensen creates artistic cinematic gold in every frame of this film with perfectly executed attention to detail. With scenes reminiscent of iconic visual moments in “Jurassic Park” and “Children of the Corn,” Christensen showcases her gift for filmmaking. Krasinski has also shown his gift in the film industry as a film director. He has set the bar high for his work on future projects.

If you are a fan of films such as “Alien,” “The Descent,” “Hush,” “10 Cloverfield Lane,” or “World War Z,” it is highly likely you will completely fall in love with this film.

‘My Dear Melancholy’ drowns fans in nostalgia Review

RENEE RODGERS STAFF WRITER

Se T e th y ou e cla rse lf s s 4/16-4/22 yo in 11-3 u 4/16 Earth Day Fair Darwin Stevenson Quad n ee Alld Day 1-3 Campus Garden 4/18 .

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Stop Campus Garden #gradu-waiting.

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he Weeknd has done it again. Following his commercially successful “Starboy,” Abel Tesfaye has come out with his latest work of art, “My Dear Melancholy.”

The speculation of heartbreak weaved into the album is difficult to dismiss after months of his relationships in the media and the cryptic tracklist. At a short time of 22 minutes and six songs, “My Dear Melancholy” reminds us of the Tesfaye we used to know; “Trilogy” Tesfaye.

His blunt emotion sends listeners to his EP days. “Thursday,” “House of Balloons,” and “Echoes of Silence” are a Tesfaye we haven’t witnessed since “Kissland.” “Beauty Behind the Madness” and “Starboy” featured more “feel better” upbeat and light music. This time, The Weeknd has hit every spectrum of notes. He goes from being the heartbreaker to getting his heartbroken.

“Call Out My Name,” the work’s first track, begins with a slow tempo describing his recent breakup. He feels used and that the relationship was more one-sided. He sings, “I want you to stay, even though you don’t want me.”

In the song “Try Me,” he speeds it up a little with the beat.

He sings the lyrics, “You’re the best I ever had, baby girl, remind me,” and fans can’t help but wonder which ex-girlfriend he is talking about.

He is putting himself out there by making himself vulnerable to her hurting him again.

The Weeknd’s carries his deepest feelings throughout this song

and the album entirely. He continues the album with the song “Wasted Times,” which is solely The Weeknd explaining that was wasting time with all the other women that he spent time with.

Throughout the album he begs this mystery woman to come back into his life because he can’t live without her. “I ain’t got no business catchin’ feelings,” says one of the verses in this piece, showing he isn’t over her and can’t possibly feel the same way about anyone else.

“I Was Never There” has a unique beginning, with a sirentype sound. “What makes a grown man want to cry? What makes him want to take his life?

His happiness is never real,” it says.

Considering this song is about himself, he is revealing every part of his life and all the sadness it contains. The song continues to have a drawn-out tempo to set the mood.

“Hurt You” shows another side to this album by talking about how he doesn’t want to hurt her. He doesn’t want anything to do with her and won’t deny he can’t keep his hands to himself if she shows up, but doesn’t want to lead her on.

The album finishes off with “Privilege.” A track about parting with an ex, he sings, “We said our last goodbyes, so let’s try to end it with a smile.”

The Weeknd wishes the best for his ex, but knows she’ll be just fine living her “privileged” life. He says he has his own coping mechanisms for getting over her by taking pills and drinking, and is tired of hearing she is suffering.

“My Dear Melancholy” is filled with emotion and soul from The Weeknd’s personal relationships. A six-song album usually isn’t enough for other music artists to showcase their talent, but The Weeknd isn’t an ordinary artist.

APRIL 11 - APRIL 16, 2018 sonomastatestar.com

Entertainment 7

Romantic comedy delivers overdue plotline characteristic Review

SIERRA SORRENTINO STAFF WRITER

“T

he Breakfast Club,” “Clueless,” and “Juno” are classic coming-of-age romantic comedy films that have influenced mainstream media throughout the years. Despite their generational gaps, these films have one overarching theme in common; the storytelling and point of views of the main characters are dominantly heterosexual in nature. This, whether indirectly or not, led to a misrepresentation of the LGBTQ community. “Love, Simon” shows viewers and critics alike that the film industry is taking a step in the right direction by being more open to telling the stories of this community.

Film has normalized young love and romance topics so much that it’s almost tired.

Girls as young as 8 fantasize about meeting their true love and all the “happily ever after” fluff that follows. Media reinforces the minds of young girls, and boys, that marriage and starting a family are the keys to attaining the perfect life and becoming your best self. This idea is so ingrained in our brains that it labels anyone who doesn’t fit into the cookie-cutter mold created by our society as different or weird. Whoever society brands with this label is now viewed in a negative light, influencing others similar to hide in conformity.

Perhaps this is why Simon Spier (Nick Robinson), and a majority of the LGBTQ community, feel as if society deems being gay as unacceptable. Of course, media and film are not the only realms of society to blame for this mindset; however, people, and kids especially, learn what is to be believed as “normal” or “ideal” by what and who they see on-screen.

Based off of the book “Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda,” written by Becky Albertalli, “Love, Simon” breaks these stereotypical barriers of film and openly discusses what it is truly like for teens to explore and come to terms with their sexuality. It particularly embodies the struggles of being gay, focusing on how, when or even if they should “come out.” For Simon, these choices were quickly ripped away when someone threatens to expose the virtual love affair between him and his dreamboat boy, who goes by the pseudonym Blue, to the whole school. In those email chains lie not only flirty banter between Simon and Blue, but also secrets they both have kept close to chest. Navigating life as a not-so-openly gay teen is already tough, but add blackmail, juggling old and new friendships and potentially losing your chance to run off into the sunset with your adorable mystery boy, and life is a ferris wheel of emotions.

Despite the overall positive attitude towards gay culture the book and film emit, “Love, Simon” may not be as cutting-edge as one may have hoped. Simon lives a pretty normal life as a typical “rom-com” teen with a family he actually likes and friends who “drink too much iced coffee while gorging on carbs.” Take away the gay 16-year-old

impawards.com main character and what we are left with is another cheesy, yet endearing, romantic comedy.

Even though “Love, Simon” is the start of a rather progressive moment, some may not necessarily agree that Robinson, who identifies as straight, should play such an important role for the gay community. When questioned about it by Ellen DeGeneres, Robinson opened up and shared that during filming, his brother came out to him. He’s proud the film stimulates a conversation that, in some ways, may not otherwise exist.

Behind a powerful movie is an even more powerful soundtrack. According to Billboard, the “Love, Simon” soundtrack debuted in the top 40 on the Billboard 200 Chart and number four on the Alternative Albums chart. With break out hits like “Love Lies”

by Khalid, featuring Normani, and a heartwarming track like “Alfie’s Song (Not So Typical Love Song)” by Bleachers, the soundtrack perfectly blended all the emotions one felt as a viewer or someone who has lived a journey similar to Simon’s.

In the end, Simon got the great love story he deserved and inspired others to get theirs.

Trust of social media platforms declines Commentary

KATHLEEN PERRY STAFF WRITER

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he media stereotypes young people as addicted to their phones. While this may be true for some, social media apps have recently been doing their part in making sure people are spending less time tuned into them.

In February, Snapchat released an update that displeased many users. The update combined what used to be two separate pages into one and took away the alphabetical organization, causing many users to decrease their usage. Celebrity Kylie Jenner confirmed that people were unhappy with Snapchat when she tweeted that she was no longer using the app. According to CNN, following Jenner’s tweet, Snapchat’s stock lost $1.3 billion.

For the people who were still using snapchat, another scandal would soon lead to the new trend: #deletesnapchat. Snapchat, like many applications, had advertisements playing in between content. One of these ads included a poll asking users, “Would you rather slap Rihanna, or punch Chris Brown?” After seeing the ad, Rihanna took to Instagram to call out Snapchat for promoting domestic violence. Many, including Chelsea Clinton and Chrissy Teigen, tweeted that they were sick of Snapchat and would be joining in to delete it. Following this second incident, TIME reported that Snapchat’s stock dropped again, falling 5 percent.

Snapchat’s errors led many users to simply switch to Instagram, which features many similar functions. However, Facebook owns Instagram, and Facebook has recently been chastised for its policies on privacy.

Many Facebook users were upset to learn that due to some of Facebook’s privacy settings, Cambridge Analytica accessed the personal data of around 87 million users without their consent in March, according to Associated Press News. Cambridge

Analytica used this personal data to identify personalities and influence voters during the 2016 election. This outraged many users, leading people to begin to also #deletefacebook after this scandal. The incident has raised many questions about how social media sites store and share personal information, concerning many that sites can share information without their permission.

Beginning Monday, Facebook began alerting users still using the site when someone was violating their privacy. There is an available link at the top of the user’s News Feed to help them understand which other third-party apps may have their information.

This link also includes information about whether Cambridge Analytica obtained the user’s data.

Just last week, during a time social media has already been under fire for privacy breaches, Grindr has also been accused of sharing personal information. Buzzfeed reported that Grindr has been sharing HIV status, dates users got STD tested, locations and contact information to Apptimize and Localytics. Companies use these two thirdparty apps analyze and optimize apps. This comes at the same time CNN reported that CVS exposed the HIV status of 6,000 customers. Upon learning the site was sharing this sensitive information, users questioned how seriously Grindr was taking their privacy while promoting itself as the go-to app for healthy hookups and gay culture content. Grindr has promised to stop sharing information according to the Washington Post. However, many people still deleted the app upon learning this, as it was a huge “breach in trust.”

In our modern world, we are all online. Despite how connected we have become, many social media apps have let their users down, causing many people to delete them.

With everything online, viral posts make it easy and clear about what users want: change in content and privacy policies. If social media apps continue to ignore their users, the numbers will continue dropping. As all time periods do, could the age of social media already be coming to an end?

Catering to older audiences keeps theme parks afloat MADISON VILLALOBOS

STAFF WRITER

T

heme parks all over the world are making changes to stay persistent and entertaining to all ages.

One of the most popular theme parks is Disneyland, which first opened in 1955. Over the years Disney lovers have seen the price of admission rise tremendously. Sixty-three years ago, an adult could get into Disneyland for one dollar and pay for rides individually, which cost anywhere between ten and thirty cents each. Now, one adult ticket costs $97.

With the constant changes made to our theme parks, the prices are found to be increasing so much that it makes it harder for some families to attend.

Those who can afford it go, while others with huge families have to save up for months.

Disneyland has set the bar high for other amusement parks, forcing other companies like Universal Studios to compete with their numbers to stay on top.

As the years progress, Disneyland Resort in California, Walt Disney World in Florida, and the other Disneylands across the world have found themselves treading water to remain relevant. Not only have they been changing up their attractions to connect with a larger audience, but are also finding new ways speed up the lines for the rides by using digital fastpasses.

Star Wars’ conversion started with the construction in California’s Disneyland Resort, when the Los Angeles Times announced they converted Space Mountain to Hyperspace Mountain following the release of “Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens” in De-

cember of 2015. From that point on, the company has made new plans to make the Star Wars theme more permanent in Disney.

Within the first few months of 2016, Disney replaced the 3D guest experience Captain EO with Star Wars: Path of the Jedi, as well as the newest upgrade of the Star Tours ride to Star Tours: The Adventure Continues.

The little renditions of the Star Wars theme led Disney to start a large single-theme expansion, reaching 14 acres in both Disneyland in California and Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. The company is advertising the new Star Wars Land as showing guests an unearthly experience while making the characters and their stories come to life.

Analysts like Daniel Salmon of BMO Capital Markets says the new Star Wars attractions will be a “highly successful project long-term,” but will take some time to get used to.

Disneyland’s changes have kept them afloat, while reeling guests into the park more and more. These new projects are hitting a larger audience rather than connecting to children ranging from ages 1 to 13. With that age range being so small, Disney has begun to target older fans with movies like “Star Wars” and “Avatar” to keep guests interested.

In the summer of 2017, Disney opened The World of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Florida. The ride transports guests to the world of Pandora, with floating mountains and bioluminescent plants. Avatar World brought out the adventurous side of Disney fans, leaving their jaws on the floor. With the addition of

“Avatar” to the Disney family, it brings in a new group of fans who appreciate the world of animals and nature, and not just your Mickey and Minnie Mouse lovers.

Universal Studios is another popular theme park seen in both California and Orlando, Florida. It is known for its Studio Tour ride, where they show the backdrops and sets used in many of their films, as well as the “Jurassic Park” ride, that starts as a calm raft ride through dinosaur exhibits, ending with an 84 foot plunge into water.

Along with Disneyland, Universal Studios found themselves revamping their park by adding the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which opened in the spring of 2016. After the Harry Potter series ended, the new world brought in fans and allowed them to continue on a Hogwarts story of their own.

Several years ago, Universal Studios Hollywood came out with “The Walking Dead” haunted maze during the theme park’s Halloween Horror Nights. The company based the maze off of the hit television show where a group of people try to survive a zombie apocalypse. Season after season, the show gained more fans and its popularity turned the maze into a permanent attraction that now scares their guests every day of the year.

Although theme parks have found themselves questioning what their guests want, they are quickly learning how to stay relevant by looking further into the movies and stories that their fans are falling in love with. With these consecutive changes throughout the world’s most popular parks, fans and guests don’t see them stopping anytime soon.

8 Student Life

STAR // Carly Wade All the participants of the Faces of SSU event line up for a picture after their presentations on Wednesday.

APRIL 11 - APRIL 16, 2018 sonomastatestar.com

STAR // Carly Wade Carly Solberg, a Face of SSU, talks about her experiences on campus at the opening reception.

Faces of SSU participants encourage diversity on campus

STEPHANIE BAUTISTA

STAFF WRITER

S

onoma State University welcomed students to come meet the Faces of SSU 2018 and to learn about everyone’s story face-to-face.

Mo Phillips, director of student involvement, held the event on Wednesday in the ballrooms of the Student Center, where all faculty and students could come grab a bite and start a conversation with one of the selected students of the project.

The school premired The Faces of SSU in a photo campaign where they highlighted brief stories of their lives, including student involvement and a description of who they are.

All the students involved in this

annual project shared their own personal experience to help others see where they come from.

Some of the students spoke words of advice, support and the hope to help someone throughout this campaign.

The project allows Sonoma State to show students the diversity that is often overlooked in a community that it could benefit from.

Each student came from a completely different background and they all chose to come together to show the campus there are people who are relatable and are willing to be a voice for those who need it.

Jose de Jesus Torres Navarro, a Chicano and Latino studies major, said being part of

the event and sharing his story in the hopes of inspiring others was a humbling experience.

“Growing up in Richmond, a city where you don’t live past the age of 16, I never pictured myself on a banner, but only on a t-shirt saying Rest in Peace,” said de Jesus Torres Navarro. “It is something that gets me emotional because I am here right now for myself and I hope I can change someone’s life.”

The students represented some of the issues Sonoma State faces every day and shed light on what needs to be changed. The lack of diversity and support for underrepresented groups of students were two prominent topics that the Faces of SSU are advocating for.

According to Carly Solberg, a junior and gender studies major, seeing the face of someone on a banner who was visibly queer her first year on campus excited her.

“I just wanted to let them know that seeing a queer person on a banner around my school made me feel safer on campus, whether or not the school is taking any legit actions to make queer and trans students feel safer,” Solberg said. “Knowing that the students are there to support me or just be there with me living and walking around made me feel incredible.”

A project that those who want to see change put together has the potential to make a profound impact that will offer

diverse students on campus an opportunity to feel comfortable and safe.

The students who spoke and gave speeches at the event made it clear they want to inspire others and reassure those who struggle to continue their journey and push through. In addition, students shared their experience at Sonoma State and explained what they all thought a Seawolf is and what that label means to them.

“Coming from an immigrant family, some of us often think we can’t make it this far,” said Manuela Gonzalez-Antonio, a sophomore. “We can do it as students whether you come from an immigrant family or any other type of situation.”

Guest speaker talks climate change and sustainability KAYLIE PRIEST STAFF WRITER

“I

f there’s one thing that the environmental movement has not been very good at is pointing the fingers and telling people what to do and how to live,” said Dr. Karen O’Brien this past Wednesday during her talk on climate change.

O’Brien is a sociology and human geography professor at the University of Oslo, whose research explores the ways that climate change, biodiversity loss and other large-scale environmental transformations interact with other processes to worsen inequity, increase vulnerability and undermine sustainability.

“There’s a lot of climate research that really shows that we don’t see something and we believe it,” O’Brien said.

“But we actually tend to see exactly what we believe rather than believing that we see.

“Not just in society but also us individuals, you want to be really open to change,” she said. “Our values are driving a lot of what we are doing, but our worldviews are also important; they give us a perspective on life.”

The idea of environmental transformation, according to O’Brien, is defined as physical and qualitative in changes in form, structure, and meaning.

These transformations rely on working together to fix the problem. O’Brian challenges the idea that we as people find credible excuses that we can’t do something to help, that it is bigger than us.

Kelsie Titus, senior environmental studies major and ResLife sustainability coordinator for Sonoma State University, was happy with the event turnout.

According to Titus, she has committed herself to doing her best in educating and inspiring others to lead a more sustainable lifestyle.

“This event went hand in hand with increasing awareness on climate change and the action that humans are capable of achieving when working together and being mindful of the connection that we have with one another and the planet,” Titus said. “The farm to table reception promoted the idea of supporting local farmers, which also promotes sustainability.”

O’Brien’s outlook on us as humans is not to blame, but to acknowledge that people are the most powerful solution to climate change. With this knowledge, one small change from each one of us can and will have an effect on climate change.

“Choice makes the difference,” O’Brien said. “If you tell people how to change, then it becomes my issue and not theirs and then it’s almost imposed on you, but if you just let people make one

STAR // Carly Wade Speaker Karen O’Brien gives a talk from the Adaption to Transformation at the Taking Climate Change Seriously lecture. difference it generates curiosity.”

The struggle to get people involved, especially when dealing with social norms, has weight on where people find it necessary to put their efforts.

“I have found it very challenging to get students involved in wanting to ac-

tively learn about sustainability,” Titus said. “Dr. O’Brien’s speech gave me hope that the culture on campus is shifting to want to be more green and aware of the practices that can be incorporated into everyday life in order to be more sustainable.”

STAR // Carly Wade Student attendees gather to eat some food at the Farm to Table reception after O’Brian encouraged them to support local farms.

Student Life 9

APRIL 11 - APRIL 16, 2018 sonomastatestar.com

Culinary Services employees react to proposed California plastic straw law SAMMY SINATRA STAFF WRITER

O

rdering a drink and receiving it without a straw is becoming more popular at restaurant venues throughout California.

Sonoma State University is beginning to initiate steps in regards to a recent bill, Assembly Bill 1884, proposed

by California Assemblyman Ian Calderon. This bill, according to California Legislative Information, would prohibit sit-down food facilities from providing single-use plastic straws to customers, unless specifically requested by the customer.

Sonoma State already has compostable straws in use. However, the school wants to soon enact changes relevant to this bill to further the awareness of sustainability on campus.

“Our straws have been compostable all this time, but it is still a straw and the intent is that the processing of making a straw is a big deal too,” said Nancy Keller, Sonoma State’s Director of Culinary Services. “Our goal is to try to get people to be aware about straws, and really to have a situation where if you have to work at it a little bit, you might think twice.”

The school will roll out the goal of not providing straws unless requested by summertime, and be fully in effect

by the fall semester in all venues on Sonoma State’s campus.

A concern voiced by employees of Charlie Brown’s Cafe pertains to smoothies and the amount of people who would have to ask for a straw after ordering one.

Compostable straws will still be provided for the smoothies, as well as for the ice cream in Lobo’s bar, and if implemented, the new sushi concept with Boba. All other drinks will require students to request straws, and they will switch straws given out for those drinks from compostable straws to paper straws.

“What we’re trying to do is get rid of the straws that we have,” Keller said.

“If we’re going to be handing someone a straw, what we’re realizing is that we’re going to need a straw that is covered in paper because we’re touching it.”

Keller said Culinary Services has not changed anything in regards to their straw distribution, but that they are soon going to move on to paper straws.

They are moving step by step through each one of the operations and taking a look at it, according to Keller.

Another concern for workers in Culinary Services is in regards to adding more chaos to already busy venues.

Ana Jaimie, a senior and student lead at Charlie Brown’s cafe, thinks this new straw law will impact customer

service at the on-campus restaurants.

“I think it might make everything a lot busier because it’s already really slammed with our rushes,” Jaimie said.

“So I think it is a lot more convenient the way it is at the moment because if we have to stop what we’re doing to give a customer a straw it’ll just slow everything down more.”

“I think eliminating straws would help the environment in that aspect and the concept is a great idea,” said An-

abcnews.com

gel Galindo, a sophomore. “It also may cause disturbance with some customers who expect straws in their drinks.”

Keller said there will be a learning curve to this new implementation, both on the side of the workers as well as the customers themselves. The main priority is to do the best to support the environment while also making sure they are serving their customers.

Kappa Delta Zeta hosts confidence campaign KAYTLIN ABAD STAFF WRITER

K

appa Delta Zeta believes that confidence is an important topic and aspect in students’ lives that often gets overlooked, which was a driving factor for their annual Kappa Confidence Campaign.

The event held Wednesday attracted a variety of Sonoma State students to listen to the various speakers and performers who exemplified who they are and what makes them confident at Kappa Delta Zeta’s sixth annual Kappa Confidence Campaign.

The campaign is Kappa Delta Zeta’s annual philanthropy event that raises money and awareness to the Living Room, Sonoma County’s only day center that provides services to the homeless and at-risk women and their children.

“The Living Room strives to provide these women with a sense of safety, security and confidence,” said Mara Patino, a sophomore liberal studies major and Kappa Delta Zeta’s public relations vice president. “We take that mission along with our so-

rority’s and strive to bring confidence to college students.”

Performances throughout the night ranged from acoustic singing to poetry. However, there were many empowering student speakers at the event who spoke fearlessly, sharing their personal stories with the audience about what makes them confident.

Rio Jones, a sophomore studio art major, stood tall and proud while sharing her story of how she found her confidence through pageantry after struggling with it for years.

“Even though I feel confident in myself, certain things can be hard to talk about,” Jones said. “It took me a long time to accept my sexuality, so getting on stage and admitting it still makes my heartbeat in my throat.

“I’m happy that I got to share my personal journey, and I loved hearing what people had to say after they heard my story,” Jones said.

Besides the many sisters of Kappa Delta Zeta, the audience was mostly filled with students and some faculty there to support not just KDZ, but the student performers as well. It gave students in attendance the

Decrease in student involvement explained by lack of event advertising TANNER GUNNING STAFF WRITER

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onoma State University has about 9,223 students enrolled, yet there seems a lack of student involvement at sporting events, free ASP event nights and theatrical productions.

Sonoma State has many organizations on campus, like Associated Students, that organize events and activities for the student body to take part of.

Hank Pankratz, a junior and employee of AS, agrees that there has been an obvious decline in student involvement on campus in the past couple of years.

“All of the sudden students are not coming to on-campus events,” Pankratz said. “It is not because a lack of quality since we have put on some fantastic events in the last couple years, but [we] simply do not have the turnout we had hoped for.”

Sonoma State and its organizations on campus put on a lot of events each year, from Spring Fling to Day in the Sun. But student participation largely drives these events.

The primary attendees of these on-campus events are first-year students, but those first-year students aren’t the only ones on campus, and they aren’t the only ones who want to

participate either.

The school taylors the events to get students out of their dorms to experience what the campus has to offer.

This is why in the beginning of the fall semester, there is a higher turnout than during any other time.

“The school advertises a lot of great events that take place on campus,” said Emily Ball, a junior. “But they aren’t advertised well for students to get interested and know about it beforehand.”

Several students agree that advertisement of on-campus activities needs to improve to better inform them of when these events are happening.

School spirit at sporting events also seems to be in decline, like at the basketball and volleyball games held in the Wolves Den. Attendance throughout the men’s basketball season, for example, rarely reached over 300 in attendance, according to the sport’s website. The only time that narrative was different was during “Pack the Den,” the year’s biggest sports spirit event.

“Sonoma State has average sports teams and also play in a high school sized gym and soccer stadium,” said Taylor Brown, a student at SSU. “It’s hard to care about division II sports heavily unless you have friends in the team, or the team is successful.”

ability to come together as a university by combining various backgrounds and organizations together.

“The Kappa Confidence Campaign was truly an inspiring event,” said Carina Reyes, a sophomore prenursing major. “It really left an impact on those who attended and all of the presentations left me with an impactful message and truly inspired me to be the best version of myself.”

Many of the speakers were brave enough to tell their story about what made them confident. It gave the students who were able to relate to the speakers a chance to listen to how they were able to overcome their own insecurities and become confident in themselves.

“The event really brought me to tears because I was able to see how brave all the speakers were to share their personal stories with us while being in such a vulnerable state,” Reyes said. “The event made me ref lect on myself and how I see confidence within myself, and it’s allowed me to take a step back and realize how much confidence I do have.”

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Sonoma State tennis duo Jensyn Warren and Amanda Zuidema given national ranking in Division II Singles JESSICA BENNETT STAFF WRITER

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omen’s tennis players Jensyn Warren and Amanda Zuidema have just been nationally ranked by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association at No. 6 and No. 48 respectively. Partnering up for doubles this season, they’ve come to learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses, enabling them to counteract difficult games and pull through to get a win on the court.

“I love playing doubles with Jensyn and we’ve had a lot of challenging but absolutely exhilarating matches this year. I feel really lucky and grateful to be able to play at this level with her,” Zuidema said.

Warren also had nothing but positive graces for her doubles partner.

“I felt very proud of myself as well as Amanda,” she said. “I felt proud of what we have done and our recent success could not have been possible without our amazing coaches and teammates always supporting us.”

Both Warren and Zuidema have been playing tennis since they were little, gathering support and encouragement from those closest to them.

“A lot of people have inspired me throughout the years. Firstly, my parents and my brother Ezra have always been my No. 1 fans,” Zumeida said. “Also, my high school coach back home as well as Joaquin, our coach now. And of course my beautiful teammates here.”

Warren’s inspiration starts with her family.

“There have been many people who have pushed me and motivated me along the way. I think that the one constant has been my family,” she said. “They have always been my biggest inspiration.”

As a senior, Zuidema plans to focus on other passion when she leaves Sonoma State.

“I’ll probably take a break from competitive tennis after I graduate this May because I was to explore other passions and interests of mine, but I definitely will still play for fun with friends and family,” she said. “But who knows, maybe I’ll play a Challenger tournament and see how that goes.”

Warren hopes to continue playing after she graduates in May 2019.

“I hope to continue with tennis and start playing some professional tournaments and see where that takes me,” she said. “I want to continue all the hard work I have put in thus far with my tennis career, and hopefully it will take me somewhere.” Watch Warren and Zuidema finish off their successful year with their next match on April 15 against UC Santa Cruz here at Sonoma State.

“Finishing off this season, Amanda and I are feeling confident and ready for our upcoming matches! We are trying to rest as much as we can. And were ready to end the season on a high note,” Warren said.

Coming up after this home match the pair will travel to the Pacwest Championship on April 18-21.

STAR // Christine von Raesfeld Jensyn Warren and Amanda Zuidema take on their opponents in a doubles matchup. The Intercollegiate Tennis Association ranked Warren (right) No. 6 in Division II singles, while Zuidema (left) was given the No. 48 position.

SSU Sports in Brief

Men’s Tennis

The Sonoma State University men’s tennis team made its way down to Oakland to take on rival Holy Names University in the final game of the regular season. The Seawolves came away with a victory and a score of 5-3 to improve their record to 13-5. The Seawolves came out strong in the beginning by taking two of the three doubles matches and starting off with a 2-1 lead. Nate Oppenheim, Sean Alves, Max Nudell, and Alec Wong led the two victories, all of whom played strong in their doubles matches.

The Seawolves went on to pick up three victories in singles matches, which is what they needed to clinch the victory. The three Seawolves players that clinched victories for their team were Wong, Oppenheim and Nudell. The Seawolves ended the regular season with an ace and look forward to compete in the Pacwest Championship on April 19-21 in Surprise, Arizona.

Women’s Tennis The Sonoma State University women’s tennis team made its way down to Oakland to face Holy Names University and Mills College on Saturday. The Seawolves were able to come away with two victories on Saturday, which improved their record to 15-6. It started off strong in the first match against Holy Names by taking a 2-1 lead in two of the three double matches. Jensyn Warren, Carolyn Brooner, Katherine Long, and Hannah Highsmith led the two victories. The Seawolves went on to win three of their singles matches lead by Jenna DeTurk, Long, and Highsmith, who all came out victorious. The Seawolves ended up finishing up the match against Holy Names University by a score of 5-1. The Seawolves then faced Mills College in the second matchup on Saturday afternoon, starting off strong by picking up three victories in all the doubles matches. Clarisa Colling, DeTurk, Long, Highsmith, Julie Rea and Jennifer Kingsley all played solid ball against Mills. The Seawolves went on to dominate all their singles matches against Mills College, which resulted in a 9-0 victory over the Cyclones to conclude Saturday afternoon. The Seawolves will take the court again when they travel down to play UC Davis in Davis. First serve will take place at 1:00 p.m.

Women’s Water Polo The Sonoma State University women’s water polo team welcomed conference rival Cal State Monterey Bay for a matchup on Sunday afternoon at Dr. G. Edward Rudloff pool. The first period of the game was very back-and-forth between both teams, which resulted in a 5-4 lead from the Seawolves after the first period of play. The Seawolves were lead by Lily Carlon, who scored four goals in the first period, and Taylor Brown, who scored one, which put the Seawolves at a good spot for the rest of the game. The two teams continued to battle through the next two periods where the score ended up at 10-9 after the third period. Cassidy Mundt led the Seawolves by bringing in three goals, and Taylor Brooks scored two goals before the end of the third period. The Seawolves continued their momentum into the fourth period by adding on five more goals to close out the game with 15-10 win for the Seawolves over the Otters. The Seawolves’ record improved to 6-15 overall, and the team will return to compete at 1:00 p.m. on April 14 in Hayward, California against Cal State East Bay.

Sports Schedule Friday April 13

Saturday April 14

Women’s Track East Bay Invitational

Women’s Track East Bay Invitational

Softball @ Chico State 1 p.m. & 3 p.m.

Softball @ Chico State Noon & 2 p.m.

Baseball @ Cal State L.A. 6 p.m.

Baseball @ Cal State L.A 1 p.m. & 4:30 p.m.

Women’s Tennis @ UC Davis 1 p.m.

Women’s Water Polo @ Cal State East Bay 1 p.m.

Sunday April 15

Monday April 16

Baseball @ Cal State L.A.

Women’s Golf CCAA Championship

Women’s Tennis vs UC Santa Cruz Noon Women’s Water Polo vs Santa Clara Noon

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APRIL 11 - APRIL 16, 2018 sonomastatestar.com

STAR // Christine von Raesfeld Junior third baseman Joshua Lenney sends the ball past the infield.

Seawolves sweep Coyotes

LINDSEY HUFFMAN STAFF WRITER

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rooms were out this weekend with a Sonoma State University baseball team sweep against the Cal State Bernardino Coyotes.

Due to rain delays for Friday’s game at the Seawolf Diamond, the school pushed the game back to Saturday at Sypher Field in Santa Rosa for a doubleheader. This also made

Sunday’s game at Sonoma State a doubleheader.

“The pre-game talk is the same as it always is with our team,” Assistant Coach Mike Nackord said. “Play hard, do your best, and find a way to win. The enemy is not our the opponent, the game is.”

The Seawolves began their embark on this four-game series with Cal State San Bernardino, with their first game being a big win for Seawolves, 8-2. The Seawolves started the first inning with a pair of homers to set the tone.

Bryce Nagata earned his fourth home run of the year, putting his team on the board in the top of the first. Following his offensive performance, Rayson Romero got his first career home run, putting the Seawolves on top, 2-0 in the first inning. Pitcher Dominic Garihan only gave up two runs in a total of nine innings of work, and struck out nine hitters with his 97 pitch performance.

The Coyotes put up a fight in the second game of Saturday, making the Seawolves work for their 4-3 win. A walk-off single through the right side by Joshua Lenney is what sealed the deal for the Seawolves, bringing Mitch West home on the play.

In the third game in the series, Seawolves were down by one in the first. But after his first home run the prior game, Rayson Romero hit a long fly ball up and over the fence into left to not only tie the game at one, but also earn his second career home run.

The Coyotes tied the game back up in the second inning and the score remained at 2-2 until Jake Sahagian hit a sac fly to center field, which scored Joshua Lenney to home plate. But the Coyotes would not go down without a fight, and came back in the sixth to take the lead, 4-3.

With the score being tied at 4-4 in the bottom of the ninth, the Seawolves got the bases loaded with no outs. The game lasted for a total of 12 innings, but after two walk-off hits, officials declared the Seawolves victorious. Grant St. Martin earned the win with his two no-hit innings of work, giving the Seawolves the third win of the weekend, 5-4.

“We have talented ball players that are striving to win as a team and keep improving each and every series we play,” Nackord said.

After a long third game of the series, the Seawolves said they wanted to end the weekend with a bang.

The Seawolves commanded a strong lead throughout the game, with a 10-run fifth inning. The game was called after six innings, which resulted in a 13-2 win over the Coyotes.

Sunday wrapped up Sonoma State’s four-game series with Cal State San Bernardino, putting it on top, 4-0.

With the Seawolves sweep, their record improves to 20-14 and 16-12 in conference play.

Up next, the Seawolves travel to Cal State L.A for a four-game series against the Golden Eagles on Friday. First pitch is at 6:00 p.m.

“Any other team in front of us or behind us does not concern us. We take care of what we need to do as a team and good things will happen. We are excited for the challenges that lie ahead in the upcoming weeks,” Nackord said.

Sonoma State softball team splits doubleheader with Stanislaus State

TATIANA SERRANO STAFF WRITER

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fter a storm during the week, the Sonoma State University softball team finally played its first day of games against Stanislaus State. This doubleheader was not the perfect way to end the weekend. The Seawolves did begin the day strong with a win against Stanislaus 5-0 in game one. However, the team couldn’t hold their momentum by the second game, losing 4-1.

The Seawolves’ offense was relentless in the first game as they had a total of 10 hits. Despite this, the team had a late start to get some runs in. Freshman Julie Davis was the beginning of the Seawolves’ uprise for runs in the fifth inning, as there was one out and two runners on bases. Davis was able to to get on base even though Lindsey Calcany Blair got out as she reached home.

With two outs, Karly Macadangdang had the chance to finally give Sonoma State some runs. She brought home runners from her single up the middle. Sarah Langley wrapped up the inning with another runner. With the score at 3-0 Calcany Blair got an RBI, causing the Seawolves to have a lead of 4-0. Alee Balanon wanted to be a part of this excitement, as she brought in sophomore Jenn Amaral with an RBI. Senior pitcher Brigid Ruiz was another strong contribution to the game, as she prevented Stanislaus State from scoring within seven innings. Within those innings she only allowed two hits, one walk and managed two strike outs. This left Sonoma State with a score of 5-0 at the end of game one.

However, game two was not as clean as the first game. Sonoma State only managed one hit within the game. Langley was able to get a hit which allowed Macadangdang to score within the first inning. That would be the last time the Seawolves would score within this game. The nine-inning game consisted of many defensive errors from Sonoma State.

The team entered multiple difficult situations, such as bases being loaded and multiple runners on base. At the final inning, Maya Yoshiura from Stanislaus State hit a three-run homer, lifting Stanislaus State to a 4-1 victory.

Even though this was a difficult loss for the Seawolves, Sonoma State still has two more games of the four-game series against Stanislaus State.

The Seawolves will play in Turlock for their next game Monday at 1 p.m.

sonomaseawolves.com Sabrina Virtusio (above) tied for third with teammate Julia Peters in the Sonoma State Spring Invitational.

Women’s golf team takes first at Sonoma State Spring Invitational

JESSICA BENNETT STAFF WRITER

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STAR // Justin Santos No. 14 senior infielder Ashley Long connects with the ball.

he Sonoma State University women’s golf team dominated in the Sonoma State Spring Invitational Tuesday. SSU claimed the top four individual spots, making up two-thirds of the tournament’s teams.

During the first round of this invitational, junior player Samantha Oliva hit a single stroke. Also during this tournament, the second round Oliva came back hitting a par 72. During her individual performance, Oliva hit 72 and 73 in her one-over-par performance.

Because this tournament was at home, Oliva had nothing but confidence. “I really trusted my team going into this event because everyone put in a lot of effort to prepare and I was able to play more aggressive knowing that they were going to support me,” she said. “With conference coming up I do plan on playing more conservative due to Sonoma Golf Club bring a tougher track.”

Not only was Oliva on fire, so was the rest of this team. Coming in at a close second was freshman Jasmine Monas, scoring an overall 75+74+149 (+5). Following in a tie for third were two Sonoma State women, Sabrina Virtusio hitting 74+77=151 (+7) and Julia Peters with a 77+74=151 (+7).

Cal State Monterey Bay tied for fifth with its players, Linnea Karlsson and Blake Haverty, each shooting 76 in both rounds for an overall eightover-par total of 152.

Just missing a placing in the top 10 is sophomore Cristina Picariello ,scoring a 77+80=157 (+13) and taking home 11th place. Karine O’Neal jumped to a tie for 20th. While freshman Lexi Nielsen tied for 50th, Allyson Musser tied for 57th, freshman Natalie Widjaja came in 65th and sophomore Rio Smith placed 66th.

The Sonoma State women’s golf team will take on the CCAA Championship tournament on April 16 and 17 at the Sonoma Golf Club in Sonoma.

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