IN THIS ISSUE
Art exhibit
Transgender erasure
Read about the 40 different pieces of art in honor of the exhibit’s 40th anniversary on PAGE 6.
Read one writer’s opinion about the Trump administration’s new policy dealing with gender on PAGE 3.
Road expansion
Find out the potential for expanding Snyder Lane on PAGE 5.
SINCE 1979
VOLUME 81 // ISSUE 11 NOVEMBER 6 - NOVEMBER 12, 2018
THE UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT RUN NEWSPAPER
@SONOMASTATESTAR
Sonoma State welcomes Title IX Director
AMANDA HADLEY STAFF WRITER
O
n Oct. 22nd, Sonoma State welcomed a new member to the Title IX team, Sarah Clegg, as the new Title IX coordinator. Clegg has been a Principle or Senior Title IX investigator for over five years, and has advanced certification as a Title IX Coordinator and Civil Rights Investigator from the Association for the Title IX Administrators (ATIXA). Clegg said, “Prior to working in Title IX, I worked for several years as a Student Conduct administrator, where I also investigated and adjudicated student sexual misconduct complaints.” Clegg mentioned there are several challenges being Title IX Director, but some of the biggest are, “keeping up with constantly changing deferral or external guidelines, and helping people understand and/or battling misconceptions about what the purpose of a Title IX office truly is.” Because the Title IX department did not have a permanent director
STAR // Natalie Dolan Sarah Clegg is stepping in as the permanent head of Titile IX after the position had been vacant and filled by interim directors for about a year.
for months, Clegg recognizes that it’s challenging to have a turnover in staff especially with a position like this one taking a while to fill, but she gives an enormous amount of credit to her colleague, Jesse Andrews, who kept things running as a one-man office. Clegg said, “Title IX Services are not ‘behind’ thanks to his incredible efforts and that really gives us an opportunity to move forward with some exciting value-added initiatives in the future.” Sonoma State is still in the process of hiring another full time Title IX investigator. Sarah’s favorite part of being Title IX Director is that she feels she provides a vital service to members of the university community. “I also see Title IX as a part of history, and to be able to do work every day that is tied to the history of higher education is very meaningful. see TITLE IX on pg. 4
Krispy Kreme opens in Rohnert Park MICHELLE TADLOCK STAFF WRITER
K
rispy Kreme is opening a storefront location in Rohnert Park. You can find their new location at 5090 Redwood Drive in the same parking lot as Chick fil A. Being known for their one of a kind doughnuts, doors opened this morning at 6 a.m. to start the celebration early. The chain is offering promotions to attract guests to the grand opening. The first guest at the Krispy Kreme will be able to get a free dozen doughnuts each week for a year. The following 24 will be able to get a free dozen doughnuts each month for a year. The first 100 guests will receive a free commemorative travel tumbler. On Facebook, over seven hundred people said they would be attending the opening. There used to be a Krispy Kreme store in Santa Rosa, but it closed. The next closest store is in Vacaville. STAR // Michelle Tadlock
see KRISPY KREME on pg. 5
The new donut shop is located at 5090 Redwood Drive, and it has a 24 hour drive thru.
New major offered this semester The GEP major merges the geography department and environmental studies department into one
LAURIE KELSO STAFF WRITER
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STAR // Braden Cartwright Jeff Baldwin, the GEP department chair, has worked at Sonoma State since 2008. He currently teaches three different GEP courses.
eginning this school year, Sonoma State has introduced a new major, called GEP. GEP stands for Geography, Environment, and Planning. This new major merged the Geography department and the Environmental Studies department into one. The university described one of the major’s goals as striving to “bridge the natural and social sciences in order to produce more holistic and systemic analysis.” Jeff Baldwin, the GEP’s department chair, explained it was both department’s choice to merge and create the new major. “We were both facing resource scarcity in terms of faculty. We also had a lot of students that were minoring in each others majors. We noticed there were many similarities in the two. Both departments study environmental relationships” Baldwin said. The new major will provide more resources and f lexibility for students, including a wider range of classes and class sections. Students who were previously enrolled in the old Geography or Environmental Studies majors can make the decision to stay in the old majors or join the new track. Currently, the major has just short of 300 students enrolled. Baldwin anticipates it growing larger. He explains that the Environmental Studies and Planning major was greatly impact-
ed before, but with the new resources from the merger students will feel confident they can graduate in four years. “I hope the major is difficult not in the way that students have difficulty graduating, but in that the coursework is rigorous and that students are learning as much as they can.” Baldwin says. The major has five different concentrations: planning for sustainable communities concentration, geospatial science and technology concentration, environmental systems concentration society, environment and development concentration, and sustainable communities concentration. Baldwin himself teaches the popular GEP 206, Society Environment, and Sustainable Development. He also recommends a new class called Watershed Modeling. “The class will get students to understand how watersheds work. They will also be able to use digital interfaces to do modeling and analysis of watersheds.” The university hired two new faculty for the department. The department now has 10 tenure track faculty. “This is a clear example of the new resources that will benefit the department,” Baldwin said. see GEP on pg. 5
2 Editorial
NOV. 6 - NOV. 12, 2018 sonomastatestar.com
THE STAR Editorial Board Kendall Grove, Editor-in-Chief Braden Car twright, News Editor Luis Mejia, Opinion Editor Ashley Napier, Ar ts & Enter tainment Editor Haley Kara, Student Life Editor Brennan Craig, Spor ts Editor Alyssa Archerda, Photo Editor Lukas Brown, Adver tising Manager Christine Von Raesfeld, Social Media Manager Savannah Lizarraga, Copy Editor Gillian Chaffer, Copy Editor Mandela Linder, Copy Editor Corinne Asturias, Faculty Adviser Staff Writers Morgan Arancio, Jessica Bennett, Analy Bravo, Kaylie Boettner, Kelly Britton, Lukas Brown, Madeleine Brown, Nicholas Ceschin, Gillian Chaffer, Mar tin Contreras, Christian Francisco, Alex Funchess, Ashley Gieseke, Teresa Maria Gulli, Amanda Hadley, Emily Hoffman, Laurie Kelso, Mandela Linder, Nina Lopez, Mariah Maldonado, Carly Olsen, Kathleen Perry, Joseph Piombo, Kailey Priest, Mariah Ponce, Renee Rodgers, Alison Snider, Natalya Swensen, Michelle Tadlock, Emily Twisselmann
Photographers Emiliana Mar tinez, Luis Madrigal, Natalie Dolan, Jennifer Spence
Nichols Hall 323, 1801 East Cotati Ave Rohnert Park, CA 94928 Telephone: 707-664-2776 Business & General Inquiries: sonomastatestar@gmail.com Corrections and News Tips: star@sonoma.edu
Editor’s Pick This week’s can’t miss article:
“CAPS’ lack of funding costs students the necessary attention” Staff writer Alison Snider discusses the impact of the limited funding CAPS receives.
Read the story on page 3
Corrections/Clarifications
COURTESY // Alexander Long
Hate speech becomes hate crime
I
t’s happened again. On Saturday, Oct. 16, 11 people were shot to death in a Pittsburgh synagogue. Robert Bowers, 46, went into the Tree of Life synagogue, shouted racial epithets and proceeded to gun down everyone in site shortly before 10 a.m.. Other than the 11 fatalities, six people were injured and four of those were responding police officers. Bowers is charged with 29 counts related to federal hate crime legislation, including 11 counts of using a firearm to commit murder. These charges include multiple counts of two hate crimes: obstruction of the exercise of religious beliefs resulting in death and obstruction of the exercise of religious beliefs resulting in bodily injury to a public safety officer, according to CNN. Pittsburgh Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich spoke with reporters following the shooting and said, “These incidents usually occur in other cities. Today, the nightmare has hit home in the city of Pittsburgh.” Authorities have released the names of the victims ranging from 54 to 97-years-old. Richard Gottfried, 65, Rose Mallinger, 97, Joyce Fienberg, 75, Jerry Rabinowitz, 66, Cecil and David Rosenthal, 59 and 54, Bernice
and Sylvan Simon, 84 and 86, Daniel Stein, 71, Melvin Wax, 88, and Irving Younger, 69, all were murdered at the hands of an unhinged anti-semite. Last Tuesday, President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump visited the Tree of Life Synagogue to pay their respects and listen to Rabbi Jeffrey Myers. Rabbi Myers said that hate speech led to the massacre, and politicians are to blame for the amplification of hate speech. It’s often argued that the first amendment protects hate speech, but this shouldn’t be true. Hate speech promotes violence and empowers hate groups, leading to incidents such as the synagogue shooting. The 2016 presidential election caused a great divide in the nation, and with it, hate speech is beginning to resurface more and more. This is not all to blame on President Trump, but his continuous use of divisive comments and tweets is setting a disparaging standard for the future. FBI Director Christopher A. Way testified to a Senate committee earlier last month and according to him, the FBI is investigating 1,000 cases of domestic terrorism. Wray went on further to state, “We have assessed that that’s a steady, very serious
threat.” Within those 1,000 cases being investigated, the data shows that hate crimes are rising. According to the FBI, a hate crime is a “criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender or gender identity.” The earliest data available is from 2016, in which 6,121 hate crimes motivated by bias were recorded. According to Brian Levin, Director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University San Bernardino, hate crimes reached an all-time low in 2014, but since 2016 they have steadily risen 20 percent of all hate crimes in 2016 targeted religion, with the bulk of those being anti-Muslim and anti-Semitic. In the past five years, the Annual Security Report for Sonoma State showed that there were no hate crimes reported in 2015 or 2016 and that in 2017, “there was one intimidation incident on campus characterized by race bias.” Although hate crimes are not regularly reported at Sonoma State, it’s important to recognize the influx in news media over the past few years.
An article in Issue 10 titled “Real Talk focuses on Latinx topics” contained errors. Real Talk is a monthly program new this semester. Shelly Gomez is an intern and student assistant at the HUB.
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.
The STAR values accuracy and works diligently to check facts before publication. However, if inaccuracies occur, we want to know. Please report errors to the editor at star@sonoma.edu.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Publication The STAR is published every Tuesday during the fall and spring semesters. Printing is done by Sonoma Media Group. The weekly publication of the STAR is made possible by Instructionally Related Activities Funding.
Opinions
Opinions expressed in the STAR are those of the writer and not necessarily those of the STAR or SSU. The editorial reflects the views of the STAR Editorial Board on issues it considers to be of particular relevance to the campus community.
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 and clarity. 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.
EDITOR: This is in response to the Oct. 23 column “CAPS screening limits sexual assault efforts” by Alison Snider. CAPS appreciates the concern expressed by the columnist for sexual assault survivors. We are, however, concerned that our processes were not characterized accurately. We want to make sure that SSU students have accurate information so that we can reduce barriers to seeking help. The CAPS “group screen” process exists for all therapy groups run by the center. These meetings are designed to allow the therapist running the group to explain details of what a student should expect if they choose to participate, to discuss possible benefits and distress that might come from participation, to determine if the group or alternate treatment feels like a good fit for the student’s needs, and to discuss the student’s schedule availability for group. Group norms such as regular attendance and confidentiality of all material shared are discussed and are designed to promote group cohesion and safety. This process is not “highly selective,” and there is no process of being “accepted” into group. The conversation between student and group leader is one focused only on the student being able to make an informed choice about whether the group might meet
their needs and/or whether alternative or additional treatment recommendations to be made by the therapist when indicated. If it is mutually determined that the group is not a good fit, or if the student’s schedule will not allow them to attend, alternatives are discussed. While CAPS’ services are in high demand, those indicating a recent sexual assault are always given the highest priority. In terms of the group only being accessible to eight or nine students, this limit is set to allow all group members to participate during the 90-minute session. If enough students come forward who would like to be in the group, a second group will be started. CAPS honors and supports survivors in their journey of healing through groups, individual therapy and active participation in Sexual Assault Awareness Month activities. We encourage survivors to come in and talk to a CAPS counselor about how we can best be of help.
- Laura Williams, Psy.D. Director of Counseling & Psychological Services Sonoma State University
Opinion 3
NOV. 6 - NOV. 12, 2018 sonomastatestar.com
Race and culture are not excuses for costume ideas
NINA LOPEZ
STAFF WRITER
T
he only thing better than devouring leftover candy the day after Halloween, is scrolling through Twitter and looking at pictures of offensive costumes. Surprisingly, there weren’t many problematic costumes reported this year as opposed to others. However, as a second generation Mexican-American, it is rather offensive to see people dress in Mexican garb. Generally, costumes that are meant to represent an overall culture are disrespectful. This is because the costumes lead to stereo-
typical outfits that falsely represent mainstream charactertures of that culture. These costumes instill misrepresentations of a large group of people when you generalize them as such. Along with costumes revolving around race and culture, costumes that involve the use of blackface or whiteface are also hurtful because of the historical significance they hold. Although, this Halloween season proved that not everyone was in agreement. In the case of Megyn Kelly, the former television host made claims supporting the use of blackface a few weeks back during an airing of her NBC show “Megyn Kelly Today.” “You do get in trouble if you are a white person who puts on blackface for Halloween, or a black person who puts on whiteface for Halloween. Back when I was a kid, that was okay, just as long as you were dressing as a character,” Kelly said. Kelly’s show has since been canceled and she has apologized to the public for her comments. However, her statement was able to kickstart a great conversation about what
CAPS’ lack of funding costs students the necessary attention
should and shouldn’t be worn as a costume. Personally, there’s nothing wrong with paying homage to a person or character you admire if they’re a different race than yourself. However, the line is crossed when you physically change the color of your skin to mimic them. There are ways to make your costume identifiable beyond skin color. Rather than opting for the facepaint, focus on adding important details to your costume to make it distinguishable. Utilize props and catchphrases, and above all else, try and make your outfit nearly identical to the real thing. Take Today shows weather anchor, Al Roker, for example, who dressed as the white character Doc Brown from the film “Back to the Future.” Even without the use of whiteface, Roker’s costume was easily recognizable. However, because of the backlash Kelly had faced over her blackface comments, many criticized Roker via Twitter on the grounds of hypocrisy and confusion over his costume. They didn’t understand why it was acceptable for Roker to dress as a white
Transgenderism at odds with Trump administration
GILLIAN CHAFFER
STAFF WRITER
T ALISON SNIDER
STAFF WRITER
A
lmost everyone on campus has had or knows someone who has had a negative experience with CAPS. Difficulty getting an appointment, being rescheduled last minute, or maxing out on visitations are common lamentations from those with strong anti-CAPS sentiments.These problems all have a simple solution, which is to reexaimine CAPS funding. Frankly, these feelings of discontent with CAPS are understandable. It is incredibly difficult to work up the courage to seek help for a mental health issue, only to feel rejected and turned away. Unfortunately, this is a frequent occurrence for the students of Sonoma State. It gets even more frustrating when it feels that the campus is almost mocking our inability to access on-campus psychological services when Lobovision lights up with mental health awareness and an advertisement for an overcrowded, limited resource. According to the CAPS website, each student has a limit of 10 individual sessions per academic year. After that, a student requiring ongoing help will receive a referral to outside resources. And students with significant history of substance abuse, hospitalization or chronic suicidal ideations are often referred to an off-campus resource during or after the first session. While these policies are generally in place for the wellbeing of the students, it seems to be very easy for students to feel disregarded and alone. Keep in mind, these students are seeking help, and it is not unreasonable to be disheartened and feel like the resource on-campus dedicated to students’ psychological health is sending you somewhere else. Especially if an off-campus resource is not financially accessible. According to Dr. Laura Williams, CAPS only has four therapists on staff for this academic year. US News reports that as of this year there is 8,551 students that attend Sonoma State. Meaning there is only one therapist per approximately every 2,138 students. With the stigma against mental health slowly falling aside, more and more students are finally trying to get help, so it is unconscionable that CAPS is so critically understaffed. Not only are that, they are severely underfunded. When speaking to Dr. Laura Williams, she said that CAPS is entirely funded by student fees, with the Sonoma State Student Charges webpage reporting that CAPS is only getting $59 per student per semester for funding; nowhere near enough to sustain more than a handful of counselors and therapists. Basically, in order to get the help that students are asking from CAPS, they are presented with two options. Either they subscribe to the idea of raising fees, or Sonoma State funds CAPS another way. College is already so expensive, and so many students are paying out of pocket and taking out loans to put themselves through school, that any significant raise in student fees could really hurt people financially. But for a school that so heavily boasts about its caring nature, it sure does seem like the mental health of its students is not much of a priority. The small office space and lack of therapists on duty really feels like a message to the campus, that CAPS is here so that it can claim a mental health resource is present, but only if you’re in dire need, and even then, it is not guaranteed. CAPS must be an open, accessible resource that people do not have to wait weeks to get into. Sonoma State owes it to its students to prioritize their mental health and give CAPS the financial attention it deserves.
character while Kelly had lost her job after defending blackface. To which Roker responded on Twitter: “I can be Doc Brown, and I wear the outfit and wig and not change my skin color if you’re white, you can be President Obama if you want. Just don’t color your skin!” Furthermore, feel free to dress up as Black Panther, Moana, Selena Quintanilla or even Frida Kahlo. Those are characters and people who can be easily identified through costume alone without the use of facepaint. In contrast, “Asian” is not a costume. “Mexican” is not a costume. These are groups of people. When you dress as such, you indirectly state that those who identify as such look and act in the way you’re portraying them. So next Halloween, if you happen to stumble upon someone wearing a costume that offends you, don’t attack them. Approach them kindly and have a civil conversation. Allow them to explain their side while you share yours. There’s no reason to point blame when peaceful conversation can be made.
hose who identify as transgender are far from being seen as equal, and the current political climate is making these individuals feel even more in the dark. One issue that many of these people face is the discrimination against them due to the lack of education and understanding on different gender and orientation identities. This lack of education can cause extreme gender dysphoria due to little resources provided for people transitioning, as well as expensive surgery or medication costs to provide assistance in making their physical appearance match how they feel on the inside. The Trump administration is not making it any easier for these people to transition in peace. Trump’s team wants to redefine what the words sex and gender mean, which is causing major uproar from
those involved in the transgender community. Sex is defined as a person’s biology, for example, genitals, sexual organs, and other physical features. Gender, however, is defined as “the state of being male or female (typically used with reference to social and cultural differences rather than biological ones).” Gender, is an identity, and not based on appearance. People are born male, female, or intersex. Intersex is an umbrella term for people who may have chromosomes that do not match their genitals, those who have both genitals, or the absence of parts of their genitals. About 1 in 2000 babies born have some form of sexual anatomy variation, but many go unnoticed and are not in harm’s way. Gender, however, is how someone views themselves, not how others view them. Cisgender people are the most common,those who identify with how they are born. But, since gender identity is on a spectrum, people can identify as transgender, agender, genderfluid, etc. With Trump’s comments on not allowing transgender people into the military, targeting transgender students in regards to bullying, and back and forth on the gender neutral bathroom debate, his presidency has been a heated one. Trump trying to redefine sex and gender would make it difficult, if not impossible, for people of differ-
ent identities to change their gender, get the surgeries they want or need, and receive medication that will help them transition. According to CNN, “The proposed definition, if adopted, would erase federal recognition for Americans who identify as a gender different than the one they were born with. The change would also mark a shift from the Obama administration, which expanded the legal definition of gender in several instances.” Transgender people are in no way a new concept. However, these people are still seen as controversial and not as individuals. With celebrities coming out as trans, media portraying transgender people in positive lights, and an ever-growing supporting community, America is taking steps towards acceptance. Trump’s discriminative words are only pushing these people back into hiding. Someone being transgender does not impact anyone else; and if it does, it is that person’s issue for being judgemental. It may be difficult for some, since the transgender community is not as common as many may think. However, Americans should start looking at individuals as people with feelings and emotions, and not automatically disrespect them because of what they do or do not have between their legs.
The clothes do not make the man
NICK CESCHIN STAFF WRITER
T
he following message should be passed on to the next generation, as a word of advice from their not-so-distant predecessors: what you wear doesn’t make you who you are. The true modality of this world is, as harsh as it might sound, that who a person decides to be counts much more than what a person decides to wear. In other words, if you put a cat in a hat, it is still just a cat; and you can gift wrap a pair of socks in the trendiest wrapping paper money will buy, but at the end of the day . . . they are just socks. On the other side of the spectrum, many people might argue that what a man or woman wears will drastically affect certain areas of their life. Psychology Today claims that “women judge the same man as differentially attractive (in terms of his looks) as a function of the status of his clothes.” This might entirely be true;
after all, the first impression anyone gives is how they look, and it can be an immediate turnoff for people if they meet someone with food on his or her face, messy hair, untied shoelaces, and so on. That being said, dressing nice is always better for a person’s image. If someone is headed for an interview, they should always look presentable. A traditional wedding will always require the proper black-tie dress code. And meeting your girlfriend’s parents for the first time in sweats might definitely give off the wrong impression. According to Business Insider, “Your appearance strongly inf luences other people’s perception of your financial success, authority, trustworthiness, intelligence, and suitability for hire or promotion.” However, no one should try to compensate for what they feel they are lacking. A pair of Brooks Brothers slacks and a Ralph Lauren button-down polo are not going to suddenly make you a straight-A student if you weren’t already one in your underwear. Furthermore, The Independent points out, “If you made four men and four women swap clothes for a month, once they’d got used to the idea and stopped sniggering they would behave—at least in private—very much as they always did.” Living in this day and age, it is understandable to feel like society demands that you must dress
a certain way so that others can perceive you a certain way. However, individually we need to stop and appreciate ourselves for who we really are when we aren’t wearing $2,000 Offwhite raincoats. The fact of the matter is 20 years from now, none of us will be wearing the shirt we are wearing right now, whether it is a Target generic brand or a nine-hundreddollar lime-green Gucci laminated jersey tank. Sometimes clothes shrink, sometimes they get lost, sometimes they get stolen, and sometimes they are put in storage for years to collect dust and rot away. However, we keep moving forward, name-brand pants or not. Dressing nice is never frowned upon, and it should not be; if we don’t look presentable, then people inherently will not trust us or will be turned off by us. However, belonging to the clothes and trading your identity in for an expensive shirt is not what you want to do. We must accept ourselves as people first before sliding into the Dolce and Gabbana Gold Fit Stretch Jeans (with a patch). Once you can look in the mirror and realize that you are capable without any help, then as a reward, you can march around with thousands of dollars worth of fabric on your back, and you don’t even need a reason.
4 News
NOV. 6 - NOV. 12, 2018 sonomastatestar.com
Internship benefits emphasized
MANDELA LINDER STAFF WRITER
W
ith spring registration just around the corner, now is the time that students are starting to think about applying for for-credit internships within their majors. Many majors require internship credits to graduate, however even the majors that don’t have that requirement highly encourage students to partake in an internship. According to Hillary Homzie, internship coordinator for the school of Arts and Humanities, there are many reasons beyond school requirements that students should get involved with internships. “Employers want to hire those with experience,” she said. “When students are able to indicate that they have internships on their resume, it shows that have already initiated a career inquiry and possess on-thejob training.” Other benefits of internships include mentorship, references, learning about personal preferences, potential job offers and pay. Kyuho Lee, internship director for the school of Business and Economics, said that they only accept internships which offer at least minimum wage. Other departments accept unpaid internships or those that offer a stipend (which may or may not equal minimum wage). Lee feels that mentorship is a key aspect of internship experiences. “The internship supervisors are good teachers,” he said. “They can comment on
attributes that a professor can’t measure. A professional attitude, how a student professionally behaves and meets requirements...those kinds of things are not learned in the school of business. Those are life skills. Internship supervisors teach those kinds of skills.” Another way in which internships are beneficial is that they help students learn their personal preferences. According to Homzie, an internship that leads a student to decide what they don’t like can be just as valuable as one that leads to a job, because it saves them from going down the wrong path in the future. “As long as students are obtaining actual on-the-job training at a reputable place of business or non-profit--versus simply, say, Xeroxing--it’s going to be a valuable internship, even if the student decides she or he don’t want to enter that field,” Homzie said. “This is because it’s going to help clarify career and life goals.” Michelle Ng, a fourth-year communications major, is doing an internship as a brand ambassador for Re:Think Ice Cream, a new company that makes ice cream for a healthy lifestyle. She agrees with Homzie that internships are a great way to learn about yourself. “I think everyone should do an internship,” she said. “You can try out a job that you might not be sure about committing to.” Ng is also learning important skills that she wouldn’t necessarily have gained in the classroom. “I am definitely learning more about independence,
customer service, hard work, and a lot of the little things that come with starting a business,” she said. “It’s easy to read about things in school, but actually doing them or trying to incorporate concepts into the job is very different and challenging.” A best-case scenario is that an internship will help a student land a job after graduation. A student Lee knew got an internship in a nonprofit organization that was created right after the fires last year. “The supervisor was a well-known person in management and she wrote a lot of important information about the student. The internship supervisor believed that she had great potential, and they offered a good job to her,” he said. “That internship changed her life significantly.” There are a few important things that Homzie wants students to consider when thinking about an internship. “The trick is not to wait until the last moment. Don’t wait until spring semester of your senior year to find your first internship, go out and now and make an appointment with career services to get your resume critiqued and learn the latest job search strategies,” she said. “We are so lucky to be in the North Bay of California where there are countless opportunities in a variety of job sectors, from agribusiness to high tech to major and regional nonprofits. Regularly, I receive emails from area employers actively seeking Sonoma State interns because our students have such a strong reputation out there in the workforce,” Homzie said.
SSU offering free shuttle rides to polling place
ASHLEY GIESEKE STAFF WRITER
T
he Nov. 6 midterm election will have monumental impacts on local, state, and national platforms.The way this election goes will determine local measures, statewide propositions along with citizens voting for candidates in many different positions. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. For students who don’t have access to a car in order to get to the polling stations, Student Involvement took a stand to make sure that those who are faced with this problem are able to get their votes casted. Student Involvement staff will be driving students around in order to make sure they can do so. This will take place Tuesday Nov 6 from 12 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. and those needing a ride are being asked to meet at the f lagpole. After they are picked up they will be taken to the local elementary school–Monte Vista, which is about a mile from campus. It is the only polling place in Rohnert Park There is no RSVP or registration necessary to participate, you just have to show up and be ready to cast your vote. Joanie Ly, the campus life advisor of general clubs played a large role in coming up with and implementing the idea. She explained how students who weren’t able to register to vote can still actually go with them and register at the polling stations and vote right then and there. “This is exciting and a fun fact that not a lot of people know. So there’s really no excuse to not vote,” Ly said. She went on to say Student Involvement also plans to put up signs of all the propositions on the ballot around the student center. “This way students will know exactly what they are voting for,” she said. LoboVision is also broadcasting ballot information. Senior Helen Campbell is very adamant about students voting and has been pushing them to register for weeks. “Sonoma ensuring that those who are able to vote have the opportunity helps to increase the outcome of the vote that happens in our generation. The ages 18 to early 30’s are the largest in our population and there are enough people to change the outcome.” Campbell went on to say, “These midterms are incredibly important because it’s our generation being affected. In order for a change to happen by those that want to see it, it is incredibly important that we have access to these polling stations and Sonoma providing that access is amazing”.
NEWS IN BRIEF Tallahassee
A man walked into a yoga studio on Friday evening and shot six people — two fatally — before killing himself.
San Rafael
A gunman injured 2 people and killed another Monday morning at a Detox center in San Rafael. The suspect was apprehended after fleeing the scene.
Rohnert Park
A woman was discovered in the Redwood Creek Apartment parking lot with a stab wound to her chest this Monday at 1:30 p.m. The suspect was described as short, white, and curly haired.
Los Angeles
64-year-old Maywood Academy High School music teacher Marston Riley was arrested Friday afternoon after being filmed punching a 14-yearold student in a viral video.
COURTESY // Student Involvement
TITLE IX: SSU looking to hire another investigator continued from pg. 1
I’m able to try and help people remove obstacles in the way of achieving success. That is worth getting out of bed for every day, no matter how difficult the work is.” Clegg has received a very warm welcome from everyone at Sonoma State and says that the friendly and open feeling on campus is one of the things she loved when she first interviewed at the school. She has previously lived and worked in Atlanta, Georgia. Clegg worked at two very different universities–a small private school, and a large public institution. “Professionally, this gave me a breadth of experience that was invaluable. Living and working in the Metro Atlanta area also allowed me to work an incredibly diverse community of students and employees, which I remain grateful for,” she said. She went on to say how the history of Atlanta in the Civil Rights movement is still a big part of the city, “which made working as an equity specialist, investigating harassment and discrimination a very humbling experience.” The constant goal of the Title IX department is to fulfill the premise of the California executive orders and work towards providing a campus environment free from harassment, discrimination, and sexual violence. Clegg says, “We will do that by continuing to investigate complaints, and providing proactive programming and initiatives such as training and education to the campus. I think there are great things to come from this office and I’m excited about the possibilities.” As defined on the Sonoma State Title IX page, “Title IX is a federal law that aims to prevent sexual assault and harassment on college campuses, and ensures students’ basic rights.” Through Title IX, students can report instances such as sexual assault, sexual harassment, discrimination, stalking, as well as dating and domestic violence. Through Title IX, one can expect an educational environment that is free from sexual violence and harassment, reasonable academic accommodations, and an internal investigation of reported incidents.
News 5
NOV. 6 - NOV. 12, 2018 sonomastatestar.com
Rohnert Park City Council discusses widening Snyder Lane
STAR // Emiliana Martinez The intersection of Rohnert Park Expressway and Snyder Lane. Roadwork is currently limiting the expressway to a single lane behind the university. LUKAS BROWN STAFF WRITER
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he city of Rohnert Park is in a constant battle to decrease traffic within the city. Approximately 12,400 people drive into Rohnert Park for work, while at the same time 18,000 people who live in Rohnert Park commute outside of the city. This creates problems for various roads within the city limits that were originally constructed to withstand half the amount of traffic f low. The Rohnert Park City Council has had their minds set on improving roads that have seen a large increase in traffic. With the new University District that is on track to hold 1,450 single family houses and a 218-unit apartment complex brings new challenges that the city council is working to tackle. On Oct. 23, the Rohnert Park City Council met and discussed item eight, which is a plan to expand the intersection up to Keiser Ave. to help handle the
increased traffic brought on by the new University District. A possible roundabout was talked about, but unfortunately the roundabout options did not seem like the right fit for the area. Councilmember Jake Mackenzie said to the Community Voice, “As much as I’m known as a proponent of roundabouts, I also understand the complexity of that location.” The proposed Snyder Lane expansion project is going in the direction of implementing a traffic signal. This option includes widening Snyder Lane to four lanes north of the middle school, but returns to a two lane configuration south of Crane Creek bridge. The estimated cost of the construction is approximately $2.5 million. Mayor Pam Stafford said to the Community Voice, “This is huge process. It’s a great undertaking, so to anyone that might not understand the general plan process, we started a while ago because it takes
such a long time.” This effort is an early start to the 2040 General Plan that is a strategy to provide more opportunities to work within the city. The goal is to create more jobs within the city of Rohnert Park so that residents can live and work without having to commute outside of it, thus generating more traffic. Not only Rohnert Park residents will benefit from the expansion of Snyder Lane, but Sonoma State students will as well. Many students living off campus use the road to get to campus and after the expansion project is complete students will benefit from a faster commute time. Jason Roeder a senior statistics major at Sonoma State said, “I’m glad that Rohnert Park is finally doing something to increase traffic f low and improve the roads. I use Snyder Lane everyday and always get stuck in traffic while trying to make it to class on time.”
GEP: Nearly 300 students enrolled continued from pg. 1
The new department will be concentrating on five areas of focus: “human-environment conf lict and collaboration, building resilience with environmental systems, the application of geospatial and quantitative analyses to solving complex environmental and societal problems, management and planning for
community and environmental sustainability, and urban planning.” Baldwin emphasizes that there are many jobs that can arise from the new GEP major. “Jobs with this major relate to human and environment relationships. There are all kinds of position for this, whether it be urban, wildlife, or rural.” Baldwin also says he’s had lots of students go into national and regional park services, tourism, as well as the wine industry. “Some students have also worked interna-
tionally, we do have a global focus. Baldwin states one of the main department goals in sustainability. “Many of our classes focus on sustainable development. Another one of our main goals is global awareness, particularly in our global studies program. The new GEP department stated their mission is to “prepare students for careers in environmental professions, for graduate studies, and for their role as informed and thoughtful global citizens.”
KRISPY KREME: Store hiring various positons continued from pg. 1
Krispy Kreme hosted festivities throughout the night to their loyal fans who camped out for the opening day promotions. “I am extremely excited for the grand opening of Krispy Kreme in Rohnert Park.” Davis Boyd, a senior at Sonoma State said, “I have been satisfied customer of this franchise for as long as I can remember. When I came to Sonoma State as a freshman in 2015, I was disappointed at the fact that the nearest Krispy Kreme was over an hour away. But now, I can experience the nostalgia I always get when I take my first bite out of their delicious and sweet glazed donuts.” The franchise owners live in Santa Rosa which is why they chose Rohnert Park as the location in order to be closer to home. Jennifer Willey, the marketing consultant with Krispy Kreme, said “Rohnert Park is a great community, and we think we’ll fit into the fabric of that community well. We’re excited to open up and meet all our new neighbors.”
Krispy Kreme was founded in 1937 and its mission statement is, “To make the most awesome doughnuts on the planet every single day.” According to their website, Krispy Kreme strives on giving back to their community which is done through fundraising and philanthropic work. Krispy Kreme offers fundraising for any organization. Nonprofit or partake philanthropies can contact Krispy Kreme to help raise money for their organization. As for their new store hours, you can grab a savory doughnut at anytime of the day, due to the drive through staying open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Regular in store hours will be from Sunday through Thursday from 6a.m. to 12 a.m. and Friday and Saturday between 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. Carly Wade, a communications major at Sonoma State University states, “I am extremely excited about Krispy Kreme being open 24/7. This will satisfy my late night cravings since I typically want something sweet and sugary.” Krispy Kreme is still hiring for different posi-
tions, if interested they are accepting resumes to kk1025@goldengatedoughnuts.com. The general manager is Guillermo Madrigal who can be found in store as well. Although they are most famous for their classic glazed donut, the chain offers other f lavors and types of donuts too.
CAMPUS CRIME Crime
Date
Location
Status
Petty Theft
Oct. 27
Parking Lot R3
Suspended
Petty Theft
Oct. 30
Stevenson Hall
Suspended
Grand Theft
Oct. 30
Library
Open
Forced Oral Copulation
Oct. 27
Unknown
Open
Threat
Oct. 31
Salazar Hall
Closed
Petty Theft
Nov. 1
Sauvignon Fume Blanc
Closed
Penetration w/ Foreign Object
Nov. 1
Unknown
Open
Disturbance
Nov. 1
Sauvignon Fume Blanc
Closed
6 Arts
NOV. 6 - NOV. 12, 2018 sonomastatestar.com
‘Mr. Burns’ lights up the stage with their post-electric performance
KATHLEEN PERRY STAFF WRITER
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range and red leaves cover the floor and tree branches cover the wrecked car; it looks like fall in the middle of the woods. Lanterns light up the surviving faces as they surround a campfire, all looking dismal and some shedding tears. There’s a somber mood lurking, making it clear something is wrong. Suddenly, Matt, played by Rhett Curry, lights up with the memory of a television show, beginning the journey of healing and explanation of the disaster. “Mr. Burns” takes place somewhere in “the very near future” during a postelectric time in the United States. Audience members are directly invited into the play with on-stage seating to create the illusion of being around the campfire with the cast. The Audience is a part of the memories as the story follows Matt, Jenny, played by Régine Danaé, Maria, played by Sierra Slusiewicz, Colleen, played by Natasha Potts, Sam, played by Rae Veraflor, and Gibson, played by Ian Smith, as they try to recover from the traumas of the time through storytelling. “This is a really hard script, it’s a challenging play. . . which is why I chose it, I love a challenge!” director Alexis Macnab said. “But absolutely everything else about it was a dream!” In Act I, the audience learns that there were nuclear explosions and firestorms that left only handfuls of people scattered around. While the characters are clearly sad and disappointed that their loved ones are gone, they find small joys in trying to remember scenes and doing so incorrectly, from an episode of The Simpsons. Act II moves forward seven years and the audience see’s that remembering elements of the past holds significant value. The same campers who found each other and healed together in Act I are still together, along with a new face, Quincy, played by Lindsey Abbott. They work together to put on productions that reminisce about the time before the destruction for other survivors to watch and find happiness in. However, it is also made clear that while the communities are slowly healing, there is still tragedy and corruption all around. The two first acts had viewers laughing along with the inaccurate references to current pop-culture. The memories were imperfect, but they made for a perfect sense of naive happiness. “I’m not sure whether to be happy or sad” one viewer Emma Hoop, senior at Sonoma State, said. “Wildfires are hard and we know that first hand. But they found a way to stay positive and I can’t stop laughing.” The play concludes 75 years later jumping straight into the finished and successful production. The campers we from the beginning are replaced with the Simpson family. Mr. Burns, played by Smith, plots to destroy Bart’s life and is joined with the final new face Edna Krabappel, played by Evann Essert. Without directly stating it, the conclusion reveals the importance of storytelling as the jumbled scene was still a big production 75 years later. “The last act was a lot more fun to play in because we got to play with our characters a lot more,” Ian Smith said. “It was a lot of our own ideas and that was really fun.” The Halloween themed play fell in tune with the holiday, but the timing of the play also held other, more impactful, relevance. Just over a year ago, Sonoma County was struck by firestorms that left many displaced and loved ones lost. Our local community was a part of a huge trauma, and everyone responded by coming together to heal. “Mr. Burns” reminded us that we
COURTESY //JAMES WIRTH (Top) The cast of ‘Mr. Burns’ passionately portrays their characters to a mesmerized audience. (bottom) Régine Danaé, pictured front, and fellow cast members share campfire stories during one of their scenes. are healing together while we are working to restore the neighborhoods after the fires tried to steal them away. “It felt like a really good way to talk about the way our communities go through a disaster and the many ways in which it heals itself” Macnab said. “It really showed how we use stories to make sense of our world and then move forward.” Although “Mr. Burns” only played through the Halloween weekend, its meaning will continue holding long-lasting value with viewers. Sonoma will continue healing and the memories of loss and recovery will tell the same story that “Mr. Burns” does-- a story about the path to overcome disaster.
The University Art Gallery Celebrates 40 years with new exhibit CHRISTIAN FRANCISCO
STAFF WRITER
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t has been 40 years since Sonoma State’s art gallery opened. With deep culture and history the art gallery consistently provides unique, abstract, thought-inducing art. The goal of the gallery is not only to be pleasing to look at but educational and thought-provoking. As a celebration of the art galler y’s 40-year anniversar y it will host the “40 by 40” art exhibition. This exhibition will showcase 40 pieces of art, all created by different artists. The 40 different pieces, representative of the 40 years the art galler y has been on campus, will showcase the level of excellence the Sonoma State art galler y has maintained. The “40 by 40” art exhibition will display artwork from various artists around the world. There isn’t a specif ic reason why each piece was chosen for this exhibition, only that all of them have provided signif icant meaning to Sonoma State. Michael Schwager is the art galler y director at Sonoma State and has maintained this position for over 27 years. He talked about the 40th anniversar y exhibition being different than anything they’ve done before. Schwager said, “these artists all had signif icant roles in the galler y’s histor y, in terms of having their art exhibited.” The relevance of these artists shows the school’s commitment to providing excellent artwork for students and the public to view and think about. Schwager spoke about how, while art galleries may not be the biggest priority for many people, he still urges people to take the time to experience this monumental collection of histor y. He said, “moder n art isn’t for ever ybody but I think most people don’t see art on their radar. I think most people just need to see this art galler y and spend a little time here and gain an appreciation for the visual arts.” The galler y has been exhibiting shows from various artist for the last 40 years. Distinguished artists such as Lar r y Bell, Louise Bourgeois, Hung Liu, William Wegman and many more well-known artists have had their work displayed. Work by these artists and many more will go on display this Thursday, Nov. 8. Schwager talked about his excitement for the “40 by 40” exhibition. As the main curator of this exhibition, he’s proud to showcase the selection of art. “This show is two things at once: to show the galler y’s histor y and an exhibition of contemporar y art,” he said. “This is a way to celebrate the commitment that campus has to the visual arts because not ever y campus has an art galler y.” After asking Schwager about the inspiration for the art chosen for this exhibition, he simply said “Nothing. No inspiration for any of the art chosen, all are unique in their own respect.” He added, “The mission of the galler y is to bring artists from wherever they are to Sonoma State to exhibit their work.” The “40 by 40” art exhibition will debut on Thursday, Nov. 8 and it will be open from 4-7pm. There will be live music by student musicians and beverages will be provided. After asking Schwager about what he would tell students and faculty about the exhibition he said “Come to the art galler y! It will be open from Tuesday through Sunday, ever y week, 11am- 4pm on weekdays and 12pm4pm weekends, we never charge for admission and it’s a great way to see amazing art.” Within these 40 years, the Sonoma State art galler y has exhibited fantastic pieces of art from around the region and beyond, the “40 by 40” art STAR // NATALIE DOLAN exhibition will show the level of excellence the arts program has maintained. Not only can people appreciate the 40 pieces of art for the 40 years the art (TOP) A stand alone piece to be on display for the 40 by 40 exhbit. galler y has been on campus but be prepared for the next 40 years of excel- (Bottom)“Night Ship/ Carbon Reef”, one of John Roloff’s pieces from 1990 on display in the University Art Gallery. lence.
NOV. 6 - NOV. 12, 2018 sonomastatestar.com
Entertainment 7
Student Spotlight:The Brassholes MARTIN CONTRERAS STAFF WRITER
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t’s no secret that the halls of the Green Music Center are teeming with talent. Gifted individuals walk the halls every day, but the real magic occurs when these musicians begin to collaborate with their peers. One of the most promising musical groups on campus, The Brassholes, have had a great start to the year. They share their story on how they came to be, who they are, and what their plans for the future look like. Spencer Causey and John “JJ” Mayer founded the group last year after they began collaborating in multitrack recording projects their sophomore year. “Time” by Hans Zimmer was transcribed by Causey and recorded by the both of them, along with a friend on electric guitar. In need of an outlet to share with the world, they created a Youtube channel titled “The Brassholes.” The project that came right after was a full band score that they transposed to French horn and trombone, creating a virtual brass choir of 30+ voices. Recently, they began recording with their friend and tuba player, Cameron “Nut” Shellnut, and trumpet player Brendan Wilhelmsen. Now equipped with all of the conventional brass instruments available, the overall quality of the recordings have increased dramatically from when they first began. The ensemble is comprised of Spencer Causey, a third-year french horn performance Major, John “JJ” Mayer, a third-year trombone music education and physics double major, Cameron “Nut” Shellnut, a third-year tuba music education major, and the newest addition to the group, freshman trumpet performance major Brendan Wilhelmsen. In the of fall 2017, the Brassholes had plans of performing their virtual choir of Percy Grainger’s band piece “Lincolnshire Posy” live, but the concert was canceled due to the devastating Santa Rosa Fires. However, in the spring semester, they decided to enter the Sonoma State University Concerto Competition with a baroque double concerto (meaning two soloists) and were selected as winners. This allowed them the chance to perform their concerto with the Sonoma State Orchestra directed by Dr. Alexander Khan. In September they decided to challenge themselves and start creating new multitrack recordings every week. Since then, they have recorded a huge variety of music, including orchestral excerpts from Mahler and Bruckner Symphonies, Maynard Ferguson’s version of Birdland, and a fun Halloween music video of Spooky Scary Skeletons. They plan to continue releasing new music every week on their Youtube channel and perform live music with their brass quintet, which is more appropriately named “Sonoma Brass.” The Brassholes have big dreams. “As an ensemble, our vision is simply to create high-quality recordings of music that we love,” they Mayer. “We have the opportunity to choose our own repertoire and work together with our colleagues to produce an end product that we can be proud of.”
COURTESY // THE BRASSHOLES Spencer Causey (left) practices with fellow bandamate (right) John “JJ” Mayor outside Schroeder Hall. As an ensemble, the four musicians have grown and learned together about the hardships that come with working as a group. “One of the most important lessons we have learned is to take ourselves seriously, but not too seriously,” Shellnut said. “The main focus should be on doing our best and having fun creating music. We also learn more about our instruments and our individual musicianship every day. It’s a great learning experience.” The Brassholes reflect upon both the challenges they have faced and the satisfactions that they have experienced. “The most challenging part of playing together as The Brassholes is actually playing together. It is immensely difficult to line up all 30+ individual parts of full band score recordings. Because we record all the parts separately, we can’t adapt to each other, we just have to conform to the metronome and a tuner. When playing in an ensemble verbal communication is important, so removing that aspect makes everything much more challenging.” Causey went on to say “the most rewarding part, however, is the moment when we finalize a project, play it back, and listen to the final product with stupid grins on our faces and a great feeling of pride that we made it from scratch.” While creating music is a joyous experience, it was evident that challenges are still present, even in such a dedicated and talented group of people. Despite that, The Brassholes are excited to create content and share it with the world, firmly believing that “The creation of music is a reward in and of itself.”
Queen will rock you once again MADELEINE BROWN STAFF WRITER
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he newest movie detailing the rise and fame of Queen could be described as emoitonal, exciting and entertaining. “Bohemian Rhapsody,” directed by Brian Singer, captures the thrilling ride of this band, the challenges they faced, and the considerable achievements they made. The unique style of Queen and their unexpected success was illustrated throughout. The movie begins by showing lead singer Freddie Mercury’s life at home in London as an aspiring songwriter, with a father dreaming of a normal life for him. Born Farrokh Bulsara, Mercury spent his nights enjoying underground music gigs in London bars, and it was at this time he joined the band Smile. The band had lost their lead singer just in time for Mercury to amaze them in the parking lot with his voice. A year later they were selling out venues across the country and soon became the band Queen as we know them today. After music producer John Anthony overheard them recording their first album, “Queen,” they signed a record deal with Trident Studios and in 1973 released a second album without much success. However, “Sheer Heart Attack” was released in 1974 and proved extremely successful in Europe and the United States, hitting top charts. The rest of the film follows
Review
their success touring and writing albums, but also the challenges they had to overcome with loved ones at home in London and the temptations of personal success while arguing with each other. The movie mostly focuses on Freddie Mercury’s life as a successful artist struggling to find himself and find happiness in his newfound fame. The difficulty of being gay at the time, especially in the public eye, is shown throughout the film along with the reality of HIV/AIDS for gay men in the 1970-80’s. It was clear from the very first show he played with Smile that Freddie Mercury was meant to be a performer. His energy and ability to interact with fans on stage was meteoric. While this may have looked awkward in a bar with an audience of 20 people, it was staggering and magnificently entertaining when performing in front of 131,000 people at a show in Sãu Paulo, which holds the world record for the largest paying audience. The director’s intentions were clear in getting the audience captured in Queen’s triumph while also showing some truths of fame and wealth. The actors do a great job impersonating the stubbornness of the band members, often challenging authority. They have an extremely strong sense of identity shown throughout
the film, even dropping a record label because the label refused to release “Bohemian Rhapsody” as a single. Queen constantly pushed boundaries, shocking the industry with their desire to create unique music that had no formula. They aspired to write and produce music that “belonged to their audience and fans”, which the audience could interact with. Their will to not conform to record label formulas and pop culture is what made this band so iconic during their time and even today, nearly half a century later. “Bohemian Rhapsody” has faced a lot of backlash due to the flat character it portrays Freddie Mercury to be. It seems for some that the film merely touched on his life, hitting the main points without giving full disclosure of what made him such a rock legend. Vanity fair labeled the problem not as an issue with realisticness, but an issue with “the ideas behind Mercury’s portrayal.” Although this may be true, someone that does not have an idea of who Freddie Mercury was can certainly infer from the details squeezed in this twohour film that he was an incredible person and that he influenced people and rock music. It may not do him justice as a biography of his life, but it does celebrate his band’s legendary achievements, making it a must see movie for all fans of Rock n’ Roll.
Bringing a taste of Sweden to Petaluma
KAILEY PRIEST STAFF WRITER
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hile it is no secret that Sonoma County is popular for its wine, it is now more so than ever, becoming a hot spot for food lovers as well. One restaurant that has jumped on this bandwagon is Stockhome, a family-friendly eatery that is located in downtown Petaluma, Calif. Ran by husband and wife Chef Roberth and Andrea Sundell, Stockhome brings something new and Swedish to the Bay Area. The bright and open feel of the restaurant is met with high rise ceilings and spacious family-style seating. However, don’t take your seat just yet, because the ordering process requires you to order up front and take a number before scouring the restaurant through chattering guests to find a place to sit. Sundell’s family-friendly counter service restaurant aims to combine the authentic street styled Swedish food with modern day twists. According to an SFGate article Chef Sundell stated, “Me and my friends have been laughing about it. When you go back (to Sweden), everyone thinks herring is the first thing you’re going to eat. No, we’re going to have Swedish kebab.” The vast array of menu items ensures that anyone who comes with can find something to their liking. They have kebab plates ($12-$14) and pita wraps ($8$10) with the choice of lamb, beef, chicken, or veggie. There’s an authentic Tunnbröd Rulle: Grilled Frankfurter ($9); which is pork and beef, crispy onions, house mustard, ketchup, iceberg lettuce, tomato,
mashed potatoes all wrapped inside a lavash freshly made flatbread. They stay true to their Swedish roots, however they do offer a range of common eats for others who don’t want to stray too far from the norm. They have everything from their Chopped Greek Salad, with tomato, cucumber, bell peppers, red onion, kalamata olives, feta cheese, seasonal lettuce, simple oregano vinaigrette ($10) to a huge customer favorite, the Classic Herring ($12.) This is all accompanied by potatoes, pickled onions & carrots, the affordable and extensive menu speaks for itself. From small to large plates, and even a choice of 13 different sides to choose from, Stockhome prides themselves on their healthy options and ever-changing menu with the seasons to keep people coming back for more. Not only do they serve incredible dishes but the dessert is unforgettable with a candy station ready to go. Rows of various traditional Swedish candy lines the counter space making it very hard to say no when debating if you still have room for more. Cynthia Cushing, a fourth year at Sonoma State, said, “besides the incredible atmosphere and beautiful interior the food is like nothing I’ve ever tried before.” “As a Santa Rosa local, I love coming to Petaluma now because of the extensive selection in dining options and this restaurant just stepped up the food game,” said Cushing. “My favorite has to be the Chicken Kebab plate or Gioa Burrata ($12) side dish, as the flavors are out of this world.” There are both the options to dine in or take out,
STAR //KAILEY PRIEST but if that is too much, head over to their website, stockhomerestaurant.com, to order online. Open for lunch and dinner Wednesday through Sunday, Stockhome Petaluma should be next on your list of restaurants to try.
8 Student Life
NOV. 6 - NOV. 12, 2018 sonomastatestar.com
Haunted House delivers frights
MORGAN ARANCIO STAFF WRITER
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ssociate Students Productions, more commonly know as ASP, spooked students with it’s second Haunted House for Halloween. It was hosted on the third floor of the Student Center in the ballrooms. Sammi Glatt, graduating Senior Communications major, was in charge of this year’s event. “We do everything for the students by the students. Halloween is a huge thing on campus and we feel the students really appreciate it when we do the Haunted House,” Glatt said. The theme was based on a house that had been invaded by zombies and clowns. The characters were dressed in a variety of clown costumes, and lurked around corners and throughout the walk. ASP uses the company Simplified Entertainment. They bring in everything from lights and music to costumes and props. ASP used the same company last year and it makes it easier for ASP because all they have to do is set it all up. The line was down the hall before the doors had even opened. Students of all ages were eager to check out the Haunted House. Groups of four were allowed in a time, some of them nervously huddling together. Jessie Hawks, Freshman Psychology major, gave some insight as to why she chose to come out to this year’s event. “It seemed exciting since it’s the night before Halloween.” Hawks said. “I read about it on an email and talked some of my friends into coming with me.” Some students came out of the room laughing with
their friends because of how spooked they were. Others were a little less impressed and walked out unfazed. The students that loved it, complimented ASP, saying it was so great and scary but not too crazy. A few found themselves shutting their eyes a couple times. The majority of the students can’t wait for the event to come back next year and see what it’s going to be like. For the students that have been to an ASP Haunted House in the past, they were delighted with how this year’s house was. It was similar but had different elements to it that stood out. Lexi Irvine, Freshman Criminal Justice major, said “Halloween is my favorite time of the year. I love scary things like movies so this was the event for me.” As the night went on, the longer the line continued to grow. Those standing outside could hear the screams and banging from inside of the room and the excitement on their faces grew. Various students talked about how their favorite part of the Haunted House was the grunge crawling around following them. Others said it was the man at the end holding a chainsaw that caught them off guard. Many agreed that it was a fun night with peers that they don’t need to spend additional money out of their pocket to go and enjoy. Glatt is looking forward to see how they can make it even better for years to some. “Something we are thinking about is investing in our own type of haunted house and make it a tradition,” Glatt said. Many students talked amongst themselves about standing in line again, to go in a second time. Halloween is many people’s favorite holiday and love that they can spend it with their friends and not have to leave campus.
STAR // Jennifer Spence ASP member Sammi Glatt dresses up in costume for the Haunted House in the ballrooms.
STAR // Jennifer Spence Student Zoe Ashworth walks out scared at the end of the haunted house.
Student Spotlight: Makayla Freed MARIAH PONCE STAFF WRITER
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akayla Freed, a transfer student and experienced naturalist, has been lucky enough to get involved in a major and program that has shaped her experience here at Sonoma State University. The senior Environmental Studies and Planning student came to the university as a transfer student, unaware of how she would get acclimated. During her first weeks as a seawolf, when she was overwhelmed with a feeling of loneliness, she knew she had to get involved somehow. At the start of the Fall 2016 semester, Freed got an email that would change her college experience. The email entailed a naturalist program flyer. Freed was intrigued and attended the program meeting. Freed, recollecting uneasy feelings, stated she wasn’t ready for the commitment in the begining, but at the end of the meeting, she was signed up. “It was the start of my journey at Sonoma State, the program made me feel like a Seawolf.” Freed stated. Environmentalscience.org explains the term naturalist as “A type of biologist who studies the impact of living species on each other and the environments in which they live.” This is a term that Freed identifies with due to her love and inter-
est of the environment and the natural world. However, naturalists in the program at Sonoma State University learn not only about the local ecosystem, but also how to educate people on the environment around them. The volunteer naturalist program that Freed is involved in takes place at Fairfield Osborn Preserve, located 15 - 20 minutes away from Sonoma State. It is mostly unknown to many that this nature preserve is university property. People that work and encompass the property respect and treat the location like they would the campus. The program is open to students of all majors and ages and occurs both in the Fall and Spring semester. The Sonoma State Environmental Inquiry website describes research that volunteers and visitors can get involved in while on the property. “Research at the Osborn Preserve includes independent studies conducted by researchers and Preserve-coordinated efforts that target management needs.” These needs being managed by Freed as well as others. Freed has been a paid employee and volunteer at the preserve since she began at Sonoma State, stating that the preserve serves many purposes. It is used for research, field trips, as well as student engagement. It is open to children
and the general public, enlightening them on the excitement and amazement of the natural world through hikes that are offered. Each hike is lead by at least two naturalists. In addition to being a naturalist, Freed completed the spring Land Management program, which teaches students land stewardship and trail maintenance. Freed has been working at the preserve for two years now and has guided numerous hikes. Working at the preserve has helped her immensely, stating, “Leading hikes as well as just working at the preserve has helped prepare me for interviews as well as strengthening my interactive skills.” The preserve also serves as internship credit, which was needed by the Environmental Studies and Planning student. Being very involved with her major as well as the preserve, the benefits that Freed reamed from the Fairfield Osborn Preserve are tremendous. Her major of choice was very broad, leading her to question what her next step was after graduating. Fortunately, with working with the preserve, her path was narrowed down. Through all of these experiences, she got to see what was more suitable for her as well as learning what Freed could see herself pursuing for employment after she graduates this upcoming December. Looking back at her time
COURTESY // Makayla Freed with the preserve, Freed has only positive memories. “It prepared me, it gave me connections, it gave me knowledge and a sense of enquiry. It truly helped me feel like a kid again.” Although Freed’s plans for after graduation is unclear, she knows that she will not be left in the dark. Her interest is broad and she is excited for the many opportunities that have already been brought to her. Freed, stating her love for the environment as well as the biological side of things, knows
her future will be bright. Benefiting from being a loyal and loved employee and volunteer at the center, she is comforted to know she has made great connections that can lead to possible job opportunities. To get involved in the naturalist program, one should visit the environmental inquiry homepage on the Sonoma State website. To get in contact with the preserve and learn more about possible field trips and volunteer opportunities, email ssu.preserves@sonoma.edu.
Student Life Calendar Tuesday, Nov. 6
Dinner Table Talk: Kindred by Octavia
Thursday, Nov. 8
Blanket Making and Movie Viewing
Butler
2nd Annual National First-Generation
7 p.m.
6 p.m.
College Student Celebration
Student Center Ballroom, B
University Library, Schulz 3001
12 p.m. Student Center Ballroom, A
Wednesday, Nov. 7
It’s A Guy Thing: Redefining Masculinity
Lobo’s Pop-Up Pantry
6 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 9
11:30 a.m.
The HUB
Code: Debugging the Gender Gap
Zinfandel Village
5:30 p.m. Darwin 102
Student Life 9
NOV. 6 - NOV. 12, 2018 sonomastatestar.com
STAR // Emiliana Martinez Lobos Pantry team members working on Oct. 31. From left to right, Elizabeth Valadez, Andrew Butawan, Keth Penkian, Gabriella Morin.
Lobo’s Food Pantry open to all
EMILY HOFFMAN
STAFF WRITER
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obo’s Food Pantry, a rather new resource on campus that celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon ceremony in just February of this year, is holding a food drive this week. Lobo’s Food Pantry is an entity on campus located in Zinfandel across from the student health center. They house nonperishable foods including beans, pasta, canned vegetables, dry rice, breakfast bars, coffee and tea, quick meals, fruits, vegetables and bread and even basic feminine hygiene items when able. The purpose is to aid food security among students who are struggling to meet their basic needs.
The pantry is open for students Mondays between 11 a.m. - 2 p.m., Tuesdays 4 - 6 p.m and Wednesdays 3 - 6 p.m. Also included within this resource is the CalFresh food program assistance and referral services for students experiencing food insecurity. Any student on Campus can use this resource for free one time a week with their student ID. According to the Sonoma State website, about 40 percent of students at Sonoma State alone struggle with food security. Erik Dickson, Executive Director of Associated Students, reports that about 45 students a day use this program. This program stays up and running by none other than student run programs themselves: Division of Student Affairs, Associated Students, and
the Instructionally Related Activities Fund. Staffing is provided by Associated Students’ JUMP program. According to Dickson, this program has been extremely successful since the start. The shelves are always stocked and the students replenish it weekly. The students who run this program are launching a donation drive this week on Monday starting at 8:00 a.m. until Friday, ending at 9:00 a.m. as a part of Hunger and Homeless Awareness week that is held once a year. This is the first year Lobo’s Food Pantry has participated. Dickson explains that, “The point of this donation drive is the Pantry is contributing really two things. To collect materials, yes, and also to bring
awareness. As much as a product is great, knowing why your getting them is equally important. They go hand in hand.” There will be big bins on the first f loor of the Student Center accepting these donations. The products donation drive is aimed towards receiving are new hygiene products. Examples include but are not limited to deodorant, razors, toothpaste, toothbrushes and shampoo. Dickson states, “I think the most important thing out of any of this is that our fellow Seawolves who are in need know there is support out there for them no matter what. If they are having a hard time with hunger or homelessness there is a place you can go here.”
Ride share saftey a growing concern MARIAH MALDONADO STAFF WRITER
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he idea of ordering a car ride with a complete stranger went from a weary application to a nationwide phenomenon. Uber was founded in 2009 as a transportation network company that began in San Francisco. To get a ride, all one has to do is download the Uber application onto your phone, enter your destination, and then you’re given a price with your driver’s detail and location. It seems simple enough. The rising concern seems to come from the horror stories of Uber experiences gone wrong. Applications like Uber and Lyft tend to be heavily used by college students, who turn to this application to have an alternate ride when intoxicated. According to Uber’s Ride With Confidence Campaign, “the Uber experience was built with safety in mind. Through incident prevention tools, insurance coverage, and technology that keeps you connected, we’re dedicated to helping you move safely and focus on what matters most.” Junior Julia Harsch relies on Uber to put not only her own safety first, but the safety of others as well. She feels responsible knowing she’s making the right decision, but prepares herself
each time she steps into a ride, due to the concern that she never really knows who the person behind the wheel is, and all of a sudden she’s locked in the car with them. Harsch shared her scariest Uber experience in San Francisco on her way to a concert. She took an Uber alone and the man driving her “seemed nice but started asking personal questions. [The questions] started from how the night was to how old I was.” When she shared her age, he smiled back through the rear view mirror and said “So you’re legal” to her. Harsch continued with stating, “There were times throughout the ride where I could see him adjusting his mirror to look at my body. I was worried for my safety and instantly sent my friends my location and the drivers information.” Harsch warns that Uber should do stricter screenings when hiring drivers. According to Uber’s website, they require drivers to go through a background check that includes a Motor Vehicle Record Review as well as a criminal background check. Subject to state and local law, some serious convictions such as murder, sexual assault, and terrorism related offenses will result in disqualification. Although this prescreening does happen before a driver is allowed to work for the company, ill intentions are
still a large concern for riders. Amanda Endersby, a Junior, shared her recent ride experience. She said her fear that the Uber driver application is such an easy process, that it’s very easy to allow someone with those bad intentions to pick up riders that aren’t in their clearest mindset. When speaking about her trip the weekend of Oct. 27, Endersby said, “The guy asked how old we were when we got in and said he couldn’t drive minors. Then he tried to take us on to the freeway to Eureka so we started yelling at him to turn around and take us home.” Endersby ends by stating “I just think that Uber can be so unsafe, but it’s the only option to get home, so it’s kind of a double edged sword.” If one would hope to keep safe in an Uber or Lyft, there are applications that can be used for protection throughout your ride experience. SafeTrek is a single button application that acts as a trigger or silent alarm when you feel you are in danger. With the release of the single button, police will rush to your location. In October, Uber released its new in-app Safety ToolKit with the intention of adding an extra layer of security. This would allow riders to anonymize their pickup and drop-off locations so drivers couldn’t keep trip information. It allows you to put in five emergen-
COURTESY // Forbes cy contacts into the application, and 911 is reached in the click of a button. This was all done in effort to make their platform safer according to cnet.com. The Safety ToolKit can be found by tapping the shield icon in the bottom right-hand corner of the application.
Library Design Sessions All SSU students, faculty, staff, and managers are welcome! We are asking what the Library needs to serve our students, faculty, staff, and community members through 2050. Come hear architectural firm Noll & Tam present visions of what the University Library can be and share your thoughts on their preliminary design elements.
Location:
Schulz 3001
T UESDAY 11/13
W EDNESDAY 11/14
10-11am Donuts & coffee 11:30-12:30pm Pizza & drinks
1-2pm Cookies & coffee 2:30-3:30pm Pastries & coffee
Register today: http://bit.ly/SSULibraryDesign UNIVERSITY LIBRARY JEAN AND CHARLES SCHULZ INFORMATION CENTER
Questions? Contact library@sonoma.edu
10 Sports
NOV. 6 - NOV. 12, 2018 sonomastatestar.com
Women’s Soccer reaches tournament
KASEY WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER
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Lindborg at center field, curling out right and boxing-out two Wildcat defenders in the process. With a right-footed, left-post shot passed Chico State goalie Brenna Meier, the game was now 1-1 headed into the final 20 minutes of regulation, putting palpable pressure on both teams to put this one away early and rest-up for Sunday’s finale. It would prove unnecessary, though, as SSU went to overtime for the third time in the last four games. Despite the penultimate overtime periods and 110 minutes of play, the game went to a decisive shootout. Each squad’s Round 1 attempts were denied but Sonoma State’s Kristyn Lerma converted her attempt in Round 2 after a missed attempt by Chico’s Lauren Madero, putting the Seawolves up 1-0. Nadiah Martinez would make it 1-1 off a Round 3 goal, although Lindborg would convert as well, putting the score at 2-1 at the end of the round. Sonoma State goalkeeper Kristen Spear would prove to be the deciding factor here, making an excellent save off of Sarah Emigh’s attempt, allowing Madison Watts to finish-off the upset and setup a championship rematch with No. 1 UC San Diego on Sunday morning. With the daunting task of taking on a No. 1-ranked UCSD team, whose offensive and defensive talents were on full display in a 5-0 trouncing of SF State on Friday, the Seawolves chose to take their win on its own merit. “I don't think our season is near being over,” said Amyx. “But believing in ourselves moving forward, I think it means a lot. It's just another day that we get to go out and train and play again and I love it. Whatever momentum SSU gained last week was quickly halted with a 3-1 loss to top-ranked UCSD on Sunday. It was a game in which the Seawolves finally looked overpowered and outmatched, succumbing to a No. 1 seed that had both the 2018 Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year. SSU found themselves in a situation not too dissimilar to Friday’s match against Chico, going into halftime down 2-0 with 45 minutes of regulation left to play. Before they were able to get their chance to put themselves on the scoreboard, UCSD’s Mary Reilly put the Tritons up 3-0 with an 20-foot, farpost shot early in the second half, her fifteenth on the season. Nevertheless, three SSU players were selected to the 2018 CCAA Women’s Soccer All-Tournament Team: Bella Amyx, Kristen Spear, and Madison Watts. Next up, the Seawolves await Monday’s NCAA rankings to determine whether or not they make their way into the Division II Championship Tournament. With an overall record of 11-4-4, SSU currently ranks sixth in the West Region, just within the top seven teams to be seCOURTESY // @sonomaseawolves lected for the tournament. Madison Watts, Kristen Spear and Bella Amyx selected to the CCAA All-Tournament Team
he California Collegiate Athletic Association began its soccer postseason on Tuesday with a match between No. 5 CSU San Marcos against No. 4 San Francisco State Univerity (SFSU) and No. 6 CSU Los Angeles (CSULA ) against our own No. 3 Sonoma State University. While SFSU ultimately prevailed in penalty kicks late in the evening, the Seawolves were able to dispatch the challengers in front of a home crowd late in the first period of overtime on a quick right-side pass from Julia Pritchard to Bella Amyx, who snuck the ball in low on an awkward shot behind her back. They both combined for 10 shots on goal, three more than CSULA had in total on the night. Regardless, it was a hard-fought game by both sides, resulting in two yellow cards and a red for the visiting Golden Eagle’s Irma Pinzon early in the first overtime period, sending her home some 10 minutes earlier than the rest of her squad. Things would not get any easier for the Seawolves as they hit the road on Friday to challenge No. 2 Chico State University in La Jolla, CA, home of the UC San Diego Tritons. The Wildcats proved a tougher match, scoring just before the halfway point off a nice assist from Jordan Doukakis to Lauren Madero and sending the Seawolves into halftime with ground to make up. Halfway through the second period, Amyx converted a perfect setup from Sarah
Women’s water polo eager for upcoming season
JOEY PIOMBO STAFF WRITER
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he Sonoma State women’s water polo team practices year-round in preparation for their league games in the spring. The Seawolves are a member of the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA). Here they compete against other NCAA Division 2 opponents such as Cal State Monterey Bay, University of California San
Diego (UCSD), Fresno Pacific University and other programs. Water Polo requires many unique skills since it is played in a pool. A player must be skilled in swimming in order to move around the pool fast and play offense and defense. The athlete must have a great amount of upper and lower body strength because the players do not get to touch the bottom of the pool meaning that one must tread water the whole game. Water Polo is a very physical sport so strength is vital. The referees cannot see what is going on under the water so often times players will get away with being overly aggressive towards opponents. The rules of Water Polo are very unique. Each team gets six field players and one goalie. The field players are not allowed to touch the bottom of the pool. Each player cannot touch the ball with both hands when handling it. The goalie is the only player allowed to use both hands to save and handle the ball. In game fouls are actually called “ejections”. In game, if you get three ejections it is possible to get majored meaning that you can no longer participate for the rest of the game. The 2018 season for the Seawolves was not an easy one. The team ended up finishing 8-19. When talking to Senior Taylor Brooks, she described the season saying, “Last year was a very difficult season for us.” The team often found themselves competing against Division 1 teams last year. They competed against these teams because they found it very hard to find competition within their league games. Playing many top-tier programs did not help their record but it made the team better in the long-run. The team ended up finishing in third place in the WWPA's behind Cal State East Bay and UCSD. With a new season right around the corner the team has main goals COURTESY // Sonoma State Women’s Water Polo in mind but most importantly they plan on making it to the league chamTaylor Brooks, 18, swims past an opponent and rips a shot past the 5-meter line pionship game. Brooks described the team's aspiration when she said, “Aside from making it to the championship game, we want to have fun and build a team that knows how to work together.” With a new class of freshman planning to positively affect the team, the spring season is shaping up to be tremendous for the program. The squad practices roughly 20 hours a week. They spend their time lifting three times a week, and conditioning and scrimmaging in the pool every day. The team starts the day with a 6:30 A.M workout each day. The team then meets for weight training in the afternoon following a practice directly after. For most, this practice schedule seems very hard but the team shows up each day wanting to compete. They plan to reach their goal by “challenging one another so we get better and we are prepared for whatever teams we are playing” said Brooks. The teams fall scrimmages will take place next week on November 10 at Santa Clara University. They will then travel out of state to Hawaii in late January for a tournament. The team will play their first home game of the spring against Santa Clara University on February 16. Fans looking to watch the program compete in the spring can visit sonomaseawolves.com for more information.
Sports 11
NOV. 6 - NOV. 12, 2018 sonomastatestar.com
Women’s volleyball comes up short in senior night game
JESSICA BENNETT STAFF WRITER
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onoma State Seawolves lost against the San Francisco State Gators. During the first set, San Francisco State led from the start showing no mercy to the Seawolves, having a .100 hitting percentage, times accurately hitting the ball. In the second set, Sonoma picked up the slack but not enough to stop the Gators. San Francisco won the second set 25-18. Sonoma State made their comeback in set three. With 11 kills and a .235 attack percentage and a great block by Hannah Coe, Sonoma State won 25-17. With match four coming up Sonoma knew they needed to battle, there was a 1515 tie between the Seawolves and the Gators. Nevertheless, the Gators won the final set 25-21, taking the match 3-1; a Gator win and a Seawolf loss. During this game Sonoma State had ten aces while the Gators only had eight, Coe had a season-high of eight kills to go along with three assists. Tate Battistini and Amy Trephan had 12 kills, 13.5 points apiece and Trephan had a season-high of 12
digs. Every sports team likes to recognize their seniors and their accomplishments with the team and the school. Sonoma State Women’s Volleyball team recognized Morgan Annala for her commitment to the team. Annala chose Sonoma State for the community and for the comfortability. Playing 67 games for Sonoma State Annala was named to the CCAA second team the past two seasons. She also took CCAA All-Academic Team. The past four seasons Annala has contributed 439 kills, 549 points, and 61 assists. As for the senior night game Sonoma State, unfortunately, came up in a loss placing them 8-19 overall and 4-14 in CCAA ending their season. During this game, Ashleigh Phelps had a season-high of two assists and 16 digs. Also, during this game Number 12, Trephan and number 11 Battistini led the team in kills, while Jenna Miller had 37 assists. Annala’s final appearance as a Seawolf came to an end with a loss to Cal State East Bay. During set one things were looking up for the ladies in blue, with a 6-2 lead. Unfortunately, Sonoma did not end up on top, losing the match 25-21 against the East Bay Pioneers. With this first match, Sonoma hit a high with a .258 hitting percentage with 13 kills. During the second set, it was a constant tie, five ties, and four lead changes, Cal State East Bay won again with a seven-point lead, 25-18. Sonoma looked at set three as a way to redeem themselves and stay in the game. However, during this match, the Pioneers immediately took over 10-5 before Sonoma State came back with four points making a comeback 11-10 still in favor of the Pioneers. This set also had many, many ties going back and forth between the two schools, Sonoma State was in battle mode. Unfortunately, Cal State East Bay had six points putting themselves on top with a victory, winning the final match 25-17. It was a tough season for the ladies in blue but this team is so fresh and young who knows what's going to happen with the future season ahead for the Sonoma State Women’s Volleyball team.
Athlete Spotlight: Ugochi Anudokem NATALYA SWENSEN STAFF WRITER
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STAR // Jennifer Spence Amy Trephan, 17, goes for the kill
Club baseball aiming for post season
ALEX FUNCHESS STAFF WRITER
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onoma State’s Baseball Club aims to make a run in the National Club Baseball Association postseason. With returning talent from seniors, the team plans to bounce back from last season. Off of on great 5-1 start, the team hopes to continue its success through the rest of the season. The team has depth with club veterans, including Nick Mogannam, a Senior Outfielder. “This team has the most depth and talent that I’ve seen as a senior,” said Mogannam. “For me, this is a second fraternity with how close I am with these guys. Bonding is extremely important for us and you can see the results with our communication on the field.” The team’s chemistry is crucial to their success on the field. New players have joined the roster, proving to be reliable additions to the club. “Jonah Lewis is our rookie-sophomore who is the f lamethrower of the team,” explained Mogannam. “He topped out at 87 this fall and is a force to be reckoned with come spring. Clark Fahrenthold has also shown great improvement since his rookie year. He’s a junior and is sure to be an offensive threat this spring.” “Joey Whipple is a senior veteran for our team,” added Mogannam. “He’s a tricky lefty with a great power curve and deadly pickoff move. He’s our number one starter and is ready to help lead our team to the playoffs.” While Mogannam and the team remain optimistic, players will surely face individual challenges ahead. “Sometimes it’s hard to hit the batting cages and get my fieldwork in. In my final year at Sonoma State, my free time has shrunk with increased class workloads and commitments to my fraternity,” said Mogannam, a member of Phi Delta Theta. “Come spring I hope to be a role model for younger players and help them adjust and improve their game over the course of my final season.” The team faced multiple injuries last year and lost a significant amount of players due to graduation. The club has one remaining series against San Jose State this fall but plans to stay healthy as they prepare for spring. “We always have two to three crucial injuries that really affect us the rest of the season,” Mogannam explained. “We’re taking more proactive measures to ensure the health of our team moving into the spring.” Sonoma State is one of few Division II schools that competes in Division I club baseball. While other universities receive more funding for their teams, our Seawolves are confident they have what it takes to compete. Mike Lopez, a sophomore on the team, voiced his opinion. “The team works well together since it’s player coached,” Lopez said. “You don’t really get the divide between players and coaches that you see at the high school level. One of the challenges I personally faced last season was playing time. Last year I had 10 at-bats, so I hope to see more of the field and make an impact this season.” The team is off to an incredible start so far as Mogannam and Lopez hope to continue their club’s success. With promising talent from veterans and new players, the Sonoma State baseball club is confident they will compete deep in the postseason of the NCBA.
gochi Anudokem, number 42, is a proud member and Captain of SSU’s Women’s Basketball team. She grew up in San Jose and graduated from Homestead High School in Cupertino, CA. Since transferring from Concordia University Irvine she is currently a Junior at Sonoma State and is studying business. Her reasons for transferring were that Sonoma State is only an hour and a half away from her hometown which is far enough away from home, but not too far. She also enjoyed the atmosphere of the campus and liked the basketball coaches; to her it felt like COURTESY // Sonoma State Athletics the perfect fit. Coach Anna Harp had only good things to say about Anudokem, “her many strengths are power, athleticism, and her hands.” Anudokem is on her 6-year playing basketball and started the sport during her Sophomore year of High School. Her Uncle was an influence because he once played overseas. Her mom is her biggest supporter and was the one to push her to try out the sport. They talk about each upcoming game and her mom reassures her whenever she has doubts about how the game might go. Basketball did not come easily to her, she worked hard and continues to work hard and learn the sport to become the best player she can possibly be. She played for the summer team, West Valley Basketball Club, for three summers straight and it shows. Last season Anudokem had an average of 13.6 points per game. As a Captain Anudokem said, “being a captain is about setting an example.” She elaborated by saying that what she expects from her teammates she also expects from herself, she always goes one hundred percent. Her favorite aspects of the sport, other than the thrill of scoring, is the family bond the team has. “I have 14 new sisters that I can always depend on.” Anudokem likes learning about the sport and is very modest in saying “for me at least, basketball is really challenging, it doesn’t come naturally. Offensively yes it does, but defensively I really have to think, so I like the challenge of learning and making progress.” Her pregame ritual is that she writes down her goals for every game on her body so that during a game she can look at them and keep on track with what she wants to accomplish every game. Anudokem’s goal for the women’s basketball team is for them to become as well known as the men’s team. “I want us to be a presence and become as well known as the men’s basketball team at Sonoma State.” Coming to SSU from a much smaller school, Anudokem loves the energy that students and the community brings to each game. Coach Harp’s hopes for the team are high. “II want us to be smart, tough, and fun to watch. I want people to naturally gravitate towards our effort and capabilities. If we’re truly good and successful, I hope that it will be enough to start a buzz and following around the type of basketball we play.” The team made playoffs last season and Anudokem hopes that this year they make playoffs again, and beat teams that they know they can beat. She explained that “it is hard to define our goals right now because in recent years the women’s basketball hasn’t been as good.” The team has recently been thriving compared to past seasons. This past summer Anudokem wrote down her goals for the upcoming season. Though she was afraid that saying them might jinx herself she shared that her top three goals were “I want to get first team CCAA, average a double-double, and I want to be a defensive presence as well as an offensive presence on the court.” Coach Harp’s hopes for Anudokem are “to continue to refine her game and fundamentals. She didn’t start playing basketball until her sophomore year in high school which is crazy considering how dominate she is. Her basketball story is very unique, but it’s also a testament to her learning abilities and personal desire to be better everyday.” Anudokem is unsure what she wants to do in the future, post-graduation, but would probably play basketball overseas if given the opportunity. “I feel like I’ve been playing for such a short time that it can’t be over in just two years, I still need more.” Coach Harp has been a huge supporter of Anudokem. She commented, “if she wants to play overseas, then the coaching staff will do anything to help her reach her potential.”
12 Photo
NOV. 6 - NOV. 12, 2018 sonomastatestar.com
Seawolves battle on the court
STAR // Jennifer Spence Tate Battistini, No. 2, tipping the ball over the net.
STAR // Jennifer Spence Ashleigh Phelps, No. 22, cheering after getting a point.
STAR // Jennifer Spence Seawolves huddling for a pep talk before the game.
STAR // Jennifer Spence Hannah Engel pouring candle wax into her mason jar. STAR // Jennifer Spence (Top) Arely Alvarez, Alyssa Dennis, and Alexis Johnson making their own candles on Saturday night. (Bottom) Shane Gunari (right) and his friends painting their mason jars before filling their candles.
STAR // Luis Madrigal (Top) Culinary Service employees cooking while dressed up for the Halloween Special Dinner. (Bottom) Skyler Yocham (left) and her friends enjoying dinner in the Kitchens.