Volume 81 // Issue 3

Tyranny of Objects’ IN THIS ‘The Artist Stephen Whisler dedicates on campus art exhibition to military ISSUE surveillance on PAGE 6.

Kaepernick Ad

Athlete spotlight

What does Sonoma State think of the controversial new Nike ad? Find out on PAGE 4.

Transfer student Derik Engerbresten is competing for the starting goalie spot.

Read about him on PAGE 11.

SINCE 1979

VOLUME 81 // ISSUE 3 SEPTEMBER 11- SEPTEMBER 17, 2018

THE UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT RUN NEWSPAPER

@SONOMASTATESTAR

University releases budget This year’s budget plans for $23 million more than last year’s

AMANDA HADLEY STAFF WRITER

S Sonoma State STAR

More plans for Stevenson remodel announced ASHLEY GIESEKE STAFF WRITER

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n the next few years students are going to be affected by a huge construction project that is in the making right now. Stevenson Hall, a busy place with an abundant flow of people in and out, will be undergoing major renovations.

Stevenson Hall is one of SSU’s oldest buildings being built back in 1966.

Chief Planning Officer, Christopher Dinno, is in charge of the project and wants Stevenson to have a better environment than it currently does. During this remodel Dinno, along with other staff, want to disrupt the classes taking place as little as possible so students can get their education to the fullest extent.

According to a story ran in the STAR back in April, this renovation project is expected to start by the fall of 2020. In May of 2020 there will be a surge design and construction will start in full affect in June.

The project is set to be completed by March of 2022 and move in day is in July of 2022.

The budget for the entire renovation project is $108 million Dinno’s team said they are considering several options for temporary classroom space before the building is actually closed for the renovation. He said that if students have any questions on the renovation that they can access the information on the Administration and Finance website. He also said there is a feasibility study and academic senate powerpoint presentation available for more information.”

The said powerpoint explains how Stevenson’s current facade is not appealing to visitors. It is also not the easiest to navigate, even with the efforts the school has put into changing it so far.

Energy, lighting, and plumbing are just a few of

SSU lands on multiple college rankings lists MARIAH MALDONADO STAFF WRITER

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onoma State University has recently found itself on various college rankings lists across the internet. The school ranks 20 in “party schools” on the Princeton Review, 88 in Forbes Magazine’s top colleges in the West, and 20 on Student Loan Hero’s list of places where students can work and pay their way through college.

In the August issue of Forbes magazine, Sonoma State placed 88 out of 150 colleges in the nation. Out of the CSU’s, Sonoma State was ranked 12 that made the list. This list was compiled and ranked based on alumni salary, debt upon graduation, academic success, graduation rates, and opportunities that lead to successful lives and careers after college.

President Judy Sakaki was proud to hear the news of recent recognition, which was publicized by the university. Sakaki became Sonoma State’s seventh president as of July 2016. Her focus for Sonoma State’s was to emphasize inclusion and opportunity for our students. She is a drive behind student and alumni opportunity and success.

Sakaki expressed her gratitude on Sonoma State’s website about the school’s recent Forbes’ ranking. see RANKINGS on pg. 4

the huge issues that the renovation is planning to fix.

Dinno and his team also think that space proportion and assignments are inappropriate and is affecting the productivity of the building.

Stevenson Hall is home to the president’s office, as well as many other faculty offices According to Sonoma State’s Administration and Finance webpage, Sonoma State has shown great growth each year over the last decade and it just continues to expand. Per year there has been a constant 1% growth in the enrollment and they continue to hope for more, eventually attaining 10,000 students.

With this constant growth, there is always a need for more places to give students the proper resources for their education. It states that the renovation is necessary to help meet basic contemporary educational requirements. The needs that are going to be met with the remodel will benefit those of the School of Social Sciences, Education and Business and Economics.

Students who are going to be affected by the renovation are slightly nervous about how the remodel will be changing their daily lives. Junior, Rachel Mounce, who takes classes in Stevenson is one of the students who thinks the remodel will be a tricky situation.

“Having to move around different parts of campus during the renovation doesn’t sound that great, along with a lot of construction around the area. I’m glad they are remodeling the building though because after so many years it needs an update,” she said The school’s website goes on to explain what the core objectives of the project are, so students know exactly why the campus wants to undergo these upgrades.. These include improving educational aspects, improvinh classroom utilization; reducing resource utilization; and improve environmental quality. The renovation is also being done to create a more welcoming environment for visitors, students, and staff.

onoma State’s budget this year is planned to total $141 million, with 61 percent of the money going to academic affairs.

There was a proportional decrease in the amount of money budgeted for academic affairs compared to last school year, when 68 percent of the money went to academic affairs. Administration and Finance now receives 22 percent of the budget instead of the 15 percent it received last year.

Sonoma State’s Senior Director for University Budget and Planning Laura Lupei gave some insight about what the CSU system is doing with their budget and specifically how Sonoma State will incorporate the money into the school system for the 2018-2019 school year.

The prior year campus budget was at $135,495,068. There was a financial aid grant reduction of $533,100 this year because less students need the financial aid at Sonoma State, therefore it was distributed to other campuses across the CSU system.

43 percent of Sonoma State’s operating budget comes from student fees, with the rest coming from the state.

Lupei says, “As enrollment target stays the same, and head count decreases, then our revenue falls.” She mentions that this is, in fact, “Good news because it shows that students have more chances of getting classes. We want the unit load to be higher so more students can graduate on time.”

The CSU Board of Trustees, requested a total of $282 million for the 2018-2019 school year. Lupei mentioned how it was stressful when the Governor’s budget was only $92.1 million. Luckily, the final state allocation ended at $197.3 million for all schools in the CSU system, which came out in June for the 2018-2019 school year. It can be stressful for the budget coordinator to find out the total budget that late in the year. $122 million of the state allocation was used for the mandatory costs such as salary increases as well as benefits. The total 20182019 state funding for CSU was $358.4 million.

The good news and bad news for the school budget is that Tech High will be ending their lease this year, and their school will be moving off of Sonoma State’s campus. see GRANT on pg. 4

Committees looking for student members EMILIANA MARTINEZ STAFF WRITER

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acancies in student committees at Sonoma State offer opportunities for students to get involved and have a say in important university decisions. There are still many vacancies in student committees and the Associated Students office is making an effort to fill those positions as quickly as possible.

“It is important that these seats get filled because if they remain vacant there is a lack of student voice and input into the decision making process on campus,” John Dunstan, the Associated Students’ executive Vice President and chair of the senate said, “We also find ourselves in a very interesting time in relation to decisions that are going to be happening on campus in relation to the GE pattern changes, the schools five year plan, and the Stevenson Remodel. It is a great time to serve on committees because of how much change is happening on campus and I am really excited to get student voice into these changes.”

The student committees on campus have a real effect on the lives of students and can greatly impact the college experience of many. With so many big decisions being made daily, the faculty greatly benefit from having a student committee to remind them of the people that those decisions need to be benefiting. “The purpose of including students onto these committees is so that faculty can keep stu-

dent perspective in mind when making important decisions that affect the campus, which of course in turn would affect the lives of students. It really is great that we have this system of shared governance when it comes to this process as it is one way that the faculty and administration show that they care about student voice and without it they may miss important ideas/perspectives that might otherwise not be noticed,” Dunstan said.

Currently the seats that are filled are mainly taken by AS Senators and also the AS Executive team being the President, the Executive Vice President of Finance, and the Executive Vice President.

Students feel that they should have a say in university decisions. A senior at Sonoma State Christian Oliver said, “I think it’s important to be heard as a student so that the university is making the right decisions for us.”

These student committees are set in place by the university to make sure that students are heard. “Essentially the Academic Senate is a body that represents the faculty voice on campus and help to make decisions and recommendations that go to President Sakaki and her cabinet,” Dunstan said Being part of the a student committee is very important and those who choose to apply for the positions should understand the responsibilities that come with the position. see COMMITTEE on pg. 4

2 Editorial 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, Kaylie Boettner, Kelly Britton, Lukas Brown, Madeleine Brown, Nicholas Ceschin, Gillian Chaffer, Mar tin Contreras, Christian Francisco, Alex Funchess, Ashley Gieseke, Maria Gulli, Amanda Hadley, Emily Hoffman, Laurie Kelso, Mandela Linder, Luis Madrigal, Mariah Maldonado, Emiliana Mar tinez, Carly Olsen, Kathleen Perry, Joseph Piombo, Michelle Ponce, Kailey Priest, Renee Rodgers, Alison Snider, Jennifer Spence, Natalya Swensen, Emily Twisselmann

Photographers Analy Bravo, Michelle Tadlock Natalie Dolan, Jessica Bennett

Nichols Hall 323, 1801 East Cotati Ave Rohnert Park, CA 94928

SEPT. 11 - SEPT. 17, 2018 sonomastatestar.com

New bill strives for higher renewable energy California has just passed a bill that will require the state to get its energy solely from renewable resources. This means state operations will produce zero emissions by 2045. This futuristic goal is ambitious, but it sets the right tone.

In a nation where emission regulations are regularly being thrown out, the onus is on California, with the largest state economy, to provide an example for the rest of the country to combat climate change.

The Trump administration is now trying to repeal restrictions for burning methane. The Environmental Protection Agency is reducing requirements for companies to monitor and repair methane leaks, while the Interior Department is preparing to repeal a restriction on burning methane during during drilling operations.

These rule changes aren’t the first from this administration that attack common sense rules for limiting pollution. There has been a routine effort to roll back climate protections since Donald Trump took office. His administration has launched a major campaign against against any regulation that is supposed to help the environment.

California has been on the opposite end of the spectrum. The state is setting determined goals to further the fight against climate change. 50 percent of the state’s energy must be renewable by 2026.

Sonoma State is already well ahead of schedule to obtain this goal. 55 percent of Sonoma State’s power is carbon-free, according to Joyce Lopes, the Vice President for Administration and Finance. Another 25 percent comes from renewable resources that qualify under this new state law. This means Sonoma State gets 80 percent of its energy from renewable resources, well above the state’s upcoming required threshold.

Although getting this much energy from renewable resources is commendable, there is always more the university could do.

When we were looking for good displays of renewable energy on campus, we found that there is no good displays of the university creating energy on campus. The best example was a couple of solar panel powered lights in the parking lot.

Sonoma State can do better.

There is plenty of open space for solar panels to be installed. The

university opts to buy its energy instead of creating its own. There are no solar panels on the roofs of any building, from what can be seen on a satellite view.

Our campus sits in the heartland of innovation. San Francisco is hosting a global climate summit this week which will bring leaders from the energy industry, the United Nations and California together.

Sustainability needs to remain a key tenet of Sonoma State’s strategy as a university. As an academic institution in a forwardthinking state, leading by example should be the university’s goal.

It is not obvious what Sonoma State is doing within its campus to combat climate change. More efforts could be made. With a budget of over $100 million, the university has the ability to create serious change through where it invests its money.

There is an entire course dedicated to studying climate change offered here; it even gives students General Education credit. While the university is grooming the next generation of climate scientists, it should also be making tangible steps to fight climate change here on campus, today.

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.

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: “SSU art exhibition commemorates Vietnam War” Staff Writer Nina Lopez explains why artist Stephen Whisler dedicated his entire art exhibition to military surveillance and nuclear weapons of mass destruction.

Read the story on page 6

Corrections/Clarifications

In Volume 81 // Issue 2 of The STAR, the story “Local Dog, Bismarck, adored on campus” we included a photo of Bismarck with a sorority incorrectly listed as Lamda Beta Nu. This soroity was Lambda Theta Nu Sorority, Inc..

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. 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.

Cameras needed in parking lots?

Editor: I am writing to you about a deep concern for public safety.

I am a staff employee at SSU. Thursday September 6, I unfortunately incurred my fourth non-injury accident in the past two years to my automobile in a university parking lot and an aggravating experience with police notification.

However, SSU police officers were courteous and efficient.

This accident occurred while I was at work and discovered only when I was ready to drive home. While this damage to my property was maddening, I began thinking about student/ employee safety, especially at night. What if a person was injured on campus? You see, no cameras record activity in these parking lots, as I have discovered with considerable damage to

my vehicle so no way exists to prove who is responsible.

In addition, an unwieldy process to reach police for help is in place. One must have the Cotati police called by the dispatcher on campus who then call SSU officers. What if someone was seriously injured?...a very cumbersome system, possibly with unfortunate consequences.

We need cameras in our parking lots and a review of police notifications. Your publicizing this situation will enable better safety on campus.

Sincerely – Dena Peacock, SSU Computer Science/ Geology Administrative Coordinator

Opinion 3

SEPT. 11 - SEPT. 17 , 2018 sonomastatestar.com

Tweets and likes trumping stats and facts in social media news raid

KASEY WILLIAMS

STAFF WRITER

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onald Trump has 54.2 million followers on Twitter. Kim Kardashian, 58.7 million. And Cristiano Ronaldo, 74.3 million. The president, a reality television star, and a musician are just a handful of some of the most influential people in the world and owners of some of the most powerful social media presences in the world.

To put that power and influence into perspective, Michael Cernovich, an altright conspiracy theorist, currently has access to some 450,000 followers on Twitter. Small time compared to Bieber or Ronaldo, but still a large enough following to be considered a sizeable me-

tropolis. In the lead-up to the 2016 Presidential Election, Cernovich gained a bulk of his following while promoting a conspiracy theory in which a pedophilia ring was being run out of pizzeria basement in Washington, D.C.. He firmly believed that leaked emails from Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager contained “coded” messages about human trafficking and its correlation to several high-ranking members of the Democratic Party.

As a result, in December 2016, a 28-year-old man from South Carolina traveled to the pizzeria to “investigate” the theory and ultimately fired 3 shots from an AR-15 rifle into the restaurant.

No one was injured, but the death threats the staff received continued well after the incident.

The point is that with the right amount of susceptible followers, social media is a highly influential (and free) tool available to anyone with an internet connection and a couple minutes of downtime. Sometimes, this breeds trouble.

According to the Pew Research Center, as of August 2017, two-thirds of Americans admit to receiving at least some of their news on social media sites, and 78 percent of those under the age

of 50 almost entirely as such. Sites like Twitter, Snapchat and YouTube have seen no less than 11 percent increases over the past year alone, and despite the fear, in the right hands, social networking can certainly be used for good. PETA, or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, consistently ranks third among the most media-savvy users on the internet.

According to Medium, an online catalog, during Super Bowl 50 in 2016—one of the most competitive days of the year for brand awareness—PETA managed to be trending while promoting their anti-cruelty campaigns and petitions.

Most individuals looking for reputable sources would likely pick a CNN, or a New York Times, or Fox or any other of the dozens of established corporations available to the general public.

Today, it seems to be more important to be trending than it does to be right, and since the rise of social networking sites, popularity and “fake news” have replaced trustworthy rhetoric and honest reporting in exchange for retweets.

However tempting or convenient it may be to gather information for the coming midterm elections on Twitter or Facebook, it may be wise to start looking for that information elsewhere.

Sports sexism is no stranger to double standards

NATALYA SWENSEN

STAFF WRITER

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ven with the rise of feminism having brought improvements to society, sexism still exists everywhere you look, especially in sports.

People are not born sexist, this is a concept that manifests through experiences. In an advertisement campaign by feminine hygeine company Always titled “#LikeAGirl,” a video of girls and boys of all ages depicted their interpretations when told to act “like a girl.”

All of the boys and the older girls portrayed being a girl as being weak and inferior, but the younger girls did the complete opposite.

Their reenactment portrayed girls as tough, powerful, and strong, all traits that they very much are.

This powerful video shows how sexism is taught and proves that society is able to change, and yet these stereotypes are still ingrained in people’s minds.

A common insult in sports has always been that someone “plays

like a girl.” This phrase is another way of saying that someone is weak, fragile or a coward, and is practically always used in a negative sense. Women in sports are treated differently than men because of stereotypes like this.

Take Serena Williams, for instance. One of the most famous professional tennis players in the world, who according to USA Today, was recently scrutinized for wearing a catsuit during a match in France.

The outfit in question covered her entire body with the purpose of showing that she had not lost confidence in her body after recently having a baby. This is just one example of how women are treated very differently than men in sports.

If it were a man wearing something tight, there would not have been the same backlash. This sort of sexism happens all the time.

Another example of the unequal treatment in professional tennis was a recent incident in which Alize Cornet received a violation because of a shirt change. The video of her quickly fixing her shirt went viral.

However, in the second part of the video, professional male tennis players were shown repeatedly being shirtless on the court.

The fact that such a big deal was made about the female athlete, but not the male, goes to show how unequal the treatment in sports is.

All sports experience sexism, but the NBA compared to WNBA is a whole different ball game. According to CNBC, the average salary for in the WNBA is $50,000-

$110,000, whilst NBA players make an average of $560,000. The gender pay gap is ridiculous.

Many fans believe the pay gap in regards to the NBA is simply because watching men play sports is more entertaining than watching women.

Women’s sports are typically stereotyped as less aggressive, having little or no contact and overall less physicality when compared to their male counterparts.

These ideas come from the concept that men are statistically proven to be physically stronger than women.

Though this is true in most cases, the contrast derives from women being generally built and developing differently than men. It does not make them less capable as athletes.

Strength is just one component you need to be an athlete. Studies have shown that women have a higher pain tolerance than men, which would obviously help them in playing contact sports, but according to the International Socialist Review, studies have proven that women can also have a stronger lower body than men.

Though muscle size and strength helps in being a good athlete, many other factors, like genetics and age play a more crucial role in somebody’s abilities.

Sexism is a concept developed as we age, but it should not be used to define an individual, or an athlete. While it has previously been used to keep women a minority, our recent progression is indication that these stereotypes will not last forever.

Purebreds caught in impure practice

KAYLIE BOETTNER STAFF WRITER

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ccording to the ASPCA, “Each year, approximately 1.5 million shelter animals are euthanized.” Of those 1.5 million shelter animals put down, 670,000 are dogs.

It is well known that there are animals in need of homes all across the United States, but still people continue to buy dogs from breeders instead of adopting them from local shelters, leaving many dogs in a deadly situation.

There is an abundance of dogs locked in shelters waiting desperately for a home, and for some it may never come. In Sonoma County alone, 212 dogs were euthanized from July 2016 to June 2017. Most of the animal shelters in Sonoma County are identified as ‘no-kill’ shelters, so this number is actually much higher than it needs to be.

If everyone who was considering adding a dog to their family first consulted an animal shelter, it would help counter the crisis. In truth, considering a mutt over a purebred dog would help empty out shelters and hopefully stop overbreeding.

Many purebred dogs are not neutered properly or spayed due to an owner wanting to breed them for puppies in order for them to make a profit. Purebred puppies can range from $500 to a whopping $15,000 or more depending on the breed. Shelter puppies range from $0 to $250, and often specials are offered at the time of adoption. Saving money is a plus, of course, but saving animals’ lives is even better. Not only is there a large cost gap between purebred puppies and shelter puppies, but shelter dogs are fixed so that they cannot add to the growing number of unwanted dogs.

As a result, another downside with buying purebred dogs is their tendency for health problems. A majority of the time, breeders will breed their dogs with other dogs from that exact family line. Many breeders own award winning dogs and therefore do not want to “contaminate” one blood line with an inferior alternative. This way, those winning dogs are kept at the top of their class.

What is overlooked, however, is how each purebred breed can have their own health issues or genetic defect that is passed on from generation to generation.

According to the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, some purebred health problems include, “dachshunds with herniated discs, pugs with faces so flat and noses so narrow they cannot breathe, skin infections and so on.” These are serious and scary conditions that any fur parent should be concerned about, but fall behind a veil of ignorance when not aware of what particular dogs go through.

If someone is looking for a specific breed of dog and they have the money, then it would make sense to buy a purebred. Understandably, it can be difficult to find a specific breed of dog at the shelter, but not impossible. The search will take time and possibly the visit of many locations, but when looking for the right dog, the search is well worth the wait.

Imagine seeing the face of a dog finally adopted and taken to their new home. No longer will they have to sleep in a cold and cramped cage, but instead on a warm, cozy bed with new owners and sincere love. While the decision may come difficult, the truth not so much. Shelter dogs are just as beautiful and deserving of praise as purebred dogs. At the least, they are entitled to a safe home too.

New vape debate sparks same song and dance

GILLIAN CHAFFER STAFF WRITER

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aping has taken off as a new way for people to enjoy the experience of smoking without the dangerous effects of tobacco, an obvious culprit for cancer. Many electronic cigarette companies claim that vapes are a safer alternative to cigarettes. However, many of these products are just as bad, if not worse, than traditional cigarettes.

With a lack of reliable and consistent research on these products, the dangers can be high, or potentially unknown for many young smokers.

Vapes and E-cigarettes were originally invented to help smokers rid of their pesky habit. They were made to look and feel like a traditional cigarette without the aftermath of tobacco, but still provide the nicotine high that smokers crave. Since smoking is not only a chemical addiction but also very visual, the Ecigarette was born. Vapes can contain a high level of nicotine—the chemical that fuels addiction—and can have even more nicotine than a traditional cigarette.

According to an experiment that researched the impacts of vapes at Georgia College, “some E-cigarettes contain harmful toxins and greater amounts of nicotine, which can lead to severe addiction.”

Yes, vapes might be an alternative for smokers hoping to quit, and yes, they might not crave cigarettes any longer.

But the addiction will continue, making the individual addicted to their vape, assuming that it is somehow healthier for them.

Regardless of the risk of developing cancer, smoking anything is not good for you, and can impact your lungs. It does

not matter if something contains nicotine, tobacco, or other chemicals—inhaling smoke has dangerous effects. It causes damage to one’s lungs as well as causes someone to start using cigarettes to fuel their addiction.

According to NBC News, “the substance that E-cigarette users breathe in and exhale can contain harmful and potentially harmful substances like nicotine, chemicals and heavy metals.”

Due to this, many smokers might not be aware of what is in their vapes. And for certain products like personal hookahs that are rechargeable, there have been a few injuries reported due to them.

These batteries have been known to be faulty, resulting in mild to severe burning of the face and hands. Though rare, the fact that these vapes could harm your outside appearance is enough evidence to suggest that they aren’t the best behind the scenes for your lungs either.

Vaping is at an all time high in today’s society. The amount of teenagers who engage in the daily usage of these products has risen immensely. According to the American Journal of Medicine,

those who vape are 4 times more likely to start smoking cigarettes. This means that if someone is a smoker and starts vaping, they might go back to their habit, or a person who vapes might start smoking and develop a dangerous addiction.

People constantly look for a quick fix, a cheap alternative, and a disposable option for their habits.

Many people assume that the vape versus smoking debate is like picking the lesser of two evils. However, there are negatives to both. Even the companies that make these products claim they could be worse than typical cigarettes.

According to the Juul website, one Juul pod is the equivalent of smoking 20 cigarettes in the amount of nicotine.

Vapes contain candy-like flavors in their juice which could attract a younger audience. Those who have access to vapes and E-cigarettes are likely to start smoking traditionally.

Even if electronic cigarettes are less dangerous, it is not worth taking the risk of addiction on products that have not been heavily researched, and could have deadly effects on the body and brain.

4 News

SEPT. 11 - SEPT. 17, 2018 sonomastatestar.com

Sonoma State reacts to Kaepernick advertisement

MANDELA LINDER STAFF WRITER

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n a controversial move Thursday, Nike aired its first commercial featuring Colin Kaepernick, former NFL player who famously took a knee during the national anthem in 2016 in protest of police brutality and racial inequality. Sonoma State students and faculty have mixed reactions.

The approximately two-minute ad, which is narrated by Kaepernick, depicts a series of successful athletes, while Kaepernick tells viewers to “dream crazy.” A still from the Nike campaign shows a close-up of Kaepernick’s face with the caption “Believe in something. Even if it means giving up everything.”

Public reaction to the Nike advertisement has been mixed, with some calling for a boycott of Nike and even going so far as to burn their Nike gear, while others are supporting the company’s decision. CNN reports that a college in Missouri, College of the Ozarks, is even dropping their affiliation with Nike. However, according to the Huffington Post, Nike’s sales are up 29% from the same period last year-showing an increase linked to the ad campaign.

Sonoma State students and faculty ref lect the nation’s mixed reaction, with some coming out in support of what Kaepernick has supported, while others are unhappy with the advertisements. Lewayne Grant, an AMCS major at Sonoma

State, supports Kaepernick.

“I feel his image is very strong,” Grant said. “He stood up for something that he believed in, even if it meant losing everything he dreamed of his entire life.

But I feel at this moment it’s going pay off for him.”

Grant will continue to shop with Nike.

However, other students don’t feel the same way.

Alex Farfan, a Kinesiology major at SSU said, “For Nike to come out and get involved with this whole political issue was a bad business move. Colin Kaepernick was and is still a great athlete, but he did not ‘sacrifice’ everything. He is still able to make a lot of money due to his new Nike ad. He COURTESY // USA Today is still able to live comfort- A Nike billboard featuring the former 49ers quarterback stands in Union Square. “Beably and be with family and lieve in something, even if it means sacrificing everything,” the advertisemt reads. friends. The ones who really sacrifice everything for backlash. Martin Luther King and the South- ad does make me question Nike’s true values. this country are our troops.” ern Christian Poverty Law Center knelt at Civ- Do they really care about making improveAlthough Farfan is unhappy il Rights Movement protests in prayer,” Hess ments to their product or are they just here to with Nike’s new ad cam- said. “Kaepernick himself was inspired by a make more money than every other brand?”

Hess agrees. “Nike as a corporation just paign, he is still going to buy friend in the military who told him it was a respectful way to indicate the disproportionate wants to make money,” she said. “They are Nike products.

Dr. Janet Hess, Profes- violence against African Americans [that vio- calculating that being provocative will do so. sor of Art History/African lence against African Americans is dispropor- Kaepernick took a real risk in his action to and Diasporic Studies at tionate is acknowledged by the United States raise people’s awareness. There is not much risk for either Nike as a corporation, or for SSU has a background in Supreme Court in McCleskey v Kemp].”

One thing a majority seems to agree on is people who dispose of their shoes. Why not social justice. “NFL players have kneeled in the past that Nike is less interested in social justice than do something productive to advance your befor pro-life causes without they are in making money. Farfan said, “The liefs?”

BUDGET: Loss of Tech High means less revenue continued from pg. 1

COURTESY // University Budget and Planning

RANKINGS: School listed in “Top 20 Party Schools” continued from pg. 1

“We are proud of the fact that within the past year we have been recognized by Forbes as a university that offers both a quality education and a great value,” she said.

Sonoma State squeaked into the bottom of Student Loan Hero’s list ranking, at 20, where students can work their way through college. The intention of this list was to discover where students could work at least 15 hours a week and earn enough to cover their own college costs. According Student Loan Hero’s website they compromised the list by defining the local minimum wage numbers through Economic Policy Institute. They then compared the wages to average tuition and fees in over 1,500 colleges.

Sonoma State and Rohnert Park had total annual and tuition fees that added up to $7,724 and an $11 minimum wage. Sonoma State’s tuition was $856 below what a student working minimum 15 hours a week would make getting paid minimum wage.

Third year student Juan Carlos Munguia expressed how he was able to balance both a part time job and school full time. Munguia has worked at the Rohnert Park Raleys for the past two years, where he works an average of 16 hours a week.

“Working while going to school is always a hard thing, especially with these house prices and trying to keep your grades up, but it is manageable.

Rohnert Park is a college town so employers understand the struggle and do everything in their power to put school first and the job second,” Munguia said.

Susan Gutierrez serves as the the Director of Financial Aid at Sonoma State University. She was happy to hear about the recognition of our low registration charges but didn’t think the article gave a balanced picture about the cost of living.

She commented that, “For commuter students who aren’t moving into the area to attend SSU, the

part-time job at minimum wage would probably be all that’s needed for affordability. However, most SSU students come from out of the area and need funding for room and board on top of registration charges.”

The ranking that has received a lot of student attention was ranking 20 in the Princeton Review as a top college school in the country. Based on hours studied outside of class, alcohol and drug use at the school, and the popularity of Greek Life on campus.

According to the Sonoma State Greek life page online 20 percent of undergraduates are involved in a Greek organization. Greek life on campus is composed of 6 Multicultural Greek Council, 12 Panhellenic sororities, and 9 Fraternities.

Incoming transfer student Gia Nazarian is expecting to go through the Panhellenic Recruitment process. Originally from Southern California she comes to Sonoma State knowing very few people but has already been advised to join a sorority in order to create new friendships and have a sense of involvement with the school. From what she’s heard and researched the Greek life on campus seems to be thriving and allowing a personal connection for student.

“I have talked to various students about their experiences with either fraternities or sororities and I received a lot of positive feedback. I was never once told that they regretted their decision,” Nazarian stated.

Munguia, who is experiencing his second semester in Alpha Psi fraternity, said that being in a fraternity has allowed him to become more involved with the students around him and drastically improved his grades. He claims that we deserve that ranking due to the hard work that is put in by all in our Greek community, striving to boost student involvement.

In his final statement Munguia said, “Sonoma State has come a very long way since my freshman year and I can’t wait to see where we can take it before I graduate.”

Their lease was not up until 2032, but the university agreed to shorten the lease. Tech High’s lease payment revenue reduction was a total of 223,000. “Their revenue will no longer be to the school, but we will gain more space,” Lupei said.

Emily Neel, a junior at Sonoma State University says, “I was concerned about finding out that Stevenson Hall is going under construction, because that meant less class space, and I feel like there is already a shortage of space.” After finding out that Tech High will no longer be on campus, she says, “Although that is unfortunate for Tech High to lose their space, but that will definitely help us out with more classroom space while Stevenson is under construction.”

For the 2018-2019 school year, Sonoma State received $9,715,970 in one-time allocations. $150,000 will be for designing new courses, and re-designing courses we already have. With Stevenson Hall being renovated, they will use $4,893,000 on the buildings system renewal and $3,000,000 on the renovation surge spacing. The school is currently working on design works and drawings for the Stevenson Hall renovation.

As a 2018-2019 preliminary budget by division, Academic Affairs is 61%, Administration and Finance is 22%, the Green Music Center is 2%, President’s Office is 1%, Student Affairs is 4%, University Advancement is 2%, and University Wide is 8% equalling a total Campus budget of $141,506,551.

If you would like to hear more information about the CSU’s budget in person, Laura Lupei will be presenting about the fall 2018 Campus Budget Forum on Tuesday, November, 27, 2018 from 2:00-4:00 pm in the Student Center Ballroom A.

COMMITTEES: “Its a great time to serve” continued from pg. 1

Dunstan explained, “What we expect of the committee members is that they show up to the designated meetings days for their committee, are active in the discussions that take place there, and write up a report detailing what things were talked about in the committee that they sit on.”

He also explained that the vacancies in the student committees are due to students not being able to find time in their busy schedules and because they were just offered to students. Therefore it is taking some time to fill the positions. Dunstan said “The ones that I see applying are those that are driven to be involved on campus and who want their voice to be heard.”

Dunstan believes that his college experience has been enhanced by his involvement in AS and at the university as a whole. He said “Being involved with AS and going to the events was the way that I was able to form friendships, bonds, and meet other students that I would otherwise not meet within my classes; and I think this is true for many others.” Being part of student government not only enhances your college career, but also sets students up for success in the future.

The student committee positions are available now on orgsync under the AS Student Government page.

News 5

SEPT. 11 - SEPT. 17, 2018 sonomastatestar.com

Congressman visiting Sonoma State today LUKAS BROWN STAFF WRITER

C

ongressman Mike Thompson, from the 5th district of California, will be interviewed by David McCuan, Professor of political science at Sonoma State University, about hot political topics today in Ballroom A on the top f loor of the student center from 12:30pm to 2:00pm.

The Emeritus and Retired Faculty and Staff Association (ERFA) at Sonoma State -- a group of retirees who maintain an interest in the wellbeing of the campus -- is excited to host this event to bring attention the major election coming in November.

“This election could result in control of both the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate passing from Republicans to Democrats,” said Rick Luttman a representative from ERFA. The forum will be important for students because there will be topics, such as, student debt, governmentpaid higher education, DACA, climate change and voter suppression. Professor McCuan will interview Congressman Thompson on a variety of issues facing our campus community. “As citizens, voters, and taxpayers, we should all be concerned with all these issues,” said Luttman Thompson has served as one of the 435 members of the House of Representatives since 1999 and is known

as a relatively centrist Democrat. His district includes SSU, the eastern part of Sonoma County, Napa, Lake and Solano Counties. Thompson served as an aide to Democrat Jackie Speier before winning election to the California State Senate in 1990. He has served on various committees and caucuses including, Committee on Ways and Means, Subcommittee on Health, and Congressional Arts Caucus.

“There is a possibility of impeachment hearings against Trump. There is a possibility of halting his takeover of the Supreme Court for his extremist pro-business and pro-Christian agenda. There are very serious and significant differences in the platforms of the Republicans and the Democrats, so a change in control of Congress will have a major effect on the policy directions of our country.” said Luttman.

There has been a lot of buzz about this event and has resulted in changing to a bigger room to be able to hold more people. All SSU students, faculty, and staff are invited to attend this event.

“Our representatives in Congress need to hear from us, the people they represent and whose interests they are supposed to serve,” said Luttman. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask Congressman Thompson questions on a variety of issues.

COURTESY // Congress Mike Thompson is the representative for California’s 5th district, which includes Sonoma State in its boundaries.

Seawolves Speak!

In your opinion, what is the biggest problem facing Sonoma State students?

Max Bieber Fifth Year Business

Impacted classes. It’s super hard to get classes to graduate.

Another problem would be the quality of the faculty.

Royal Wilson Sophomore Wine Business

“There is no Greek row or fraternity and sorority housing.”

Katelyn McGrath

Kaitlyn Bradley

“The lack of quality food on campus. Stomping Grounds now has good food, but it’s super expensive. We need more quality food for reasonable prices”

“Parking. The University needs to build bigger parking lots to accommodate the students.”

Jacquan Brown

Kaitlyn Bradley

Senior Human Development

Fifth year Accounting

“We don’t know where our money is going. Recently there was a charge on our accounts for ASB, and we don’t even know where exactly that money is going to. Also, the roads and pathways need to be repaved; there are some that are dangerous to skateboard on.”

Junior Communications

Junior Communications

“Off campus housing. Since the fires happened, lots of people moved from Santa Rosa to Rohnert Park, causing there to be off campus housing for students.

The parking is also very bad.”

6 Arts Selena Gomez fights to end modern day sex slavery

SEPT. 11 - SEPT. 17, 2018 sonomastatestar.com

KATHLEEN PERRY STAFF WRITER

“A

bolish slavery everywhere, forever.” This is the mission and slogan of A21, an organization celebrity-singer Selena Gomez has recently become vocal about as an intern working for the non-profit. The goals of A21 are to put an end to human trafficking and end all slavery. In an interview with Elle Magazine, Gomez said, “I can’t be silent about this... The idea of human trafficking to me is ... I’m flabbergasted.”

According to the A21 website, human trafficking is one of the fastest-growing criminal industries, making more than $150 billion every year. Gomez, who is currently working on a new album after moving and changing the pace of her life, has been volunteering and interning with A21 since March of this year. Their goal is to stop human trafficking in all forms, which includes sex trafficking, forced labor and child soldiers.

Gomez’s goal in doing her interview with Elle was to spread the word and help strengthen this organization, as well as promote some of her new music and her new fashion line with Coach. Instead, the interview focused on Gomez’s personal life: church, both her intimate relationships as well as her friendship with long-time friend Demi Lovato who recently overdosed, and unreleased lyrics to some of her new songs. Gomez quickly took to her Instagram to clarify, “I understand that reporters are working to grab the attention of a reader, however I will always work to ensure that what is public represents my truth,” Gomez said. “I’m a bit bummed but rarely surprised.”

While sometimes thought of as problem of the past or a problem for third-world countries, human trafficking hits much closer to home today than it appears. According to Humantraffickinghotline.org, the statistics for human

trafficking in 2017 in America show that 1,305 cases were tracked in California, followed by 792 cases in Texas.

However, this statistic is only based on calls received and cases reported, not able to include cases unreported.

This form of modern day slavery continues to get closer with some cases being reported in Sonoma County.

According to the Press Democrat, a man and his mother were charged with human trafficking in Santa Rosa in February of this year. The mother-son duo have been running a sex trafficking ring out of their home for a decade and were expanding to a home in Rohnert Park when police were tipped off by property management. One of the girls who was recruited into the prostitution ring was a child, the Press Democrat reported.

This story was broken just a month after a local girl came forward to the press with her own story of human trafficking also taking place in Sonoma County. ArgusCourier reported the story of Maya Babow, a Petaluma resident who faced years of sex trafficking after being seduced by an abductor at the age of 12. Babow, now 21, said, “I was so discombobulated and scared and tired and hurt. I’d do anything for food and water … it was a cycle of men and sleep and being forced to have sex and people beating me.” Babow hopes that by telling her story, she’ll raise awareness of human trafficking, especially at the local level.

Petaluma Police Detective Sgt. Paul Gilman told the Argus-Courtier, “Generally what we’ll see is someone trafficked from a nearby jurisdiction for the purposes of having underage sex and that person doesn’t have a way out. They’re stuck in the lifestyle due to separation from family and controlled through narcotics and stuff like that.”

After a long 2017 for Gomez, she found herself at an orientation for A21 to end all human trafficking every-

where. “I know my voice is very prominent, but I’m not careless with it” Gomez said. “I’m selective.”

Actor Ashton Kutcher has used his platform to also shine the light on A21 in hopes to end modern slavery.

Many other celebrities have supported similar organizations like the HRC- Human Rights Campaign. Some of these other big names include George Clooney, Lady Gaga, Whoopi Goldberg, Brad Pitt, Chelsea Clinton and many others according to the hrc.org. For more information on these organizations, what they do, and how to help, visit A21.org or HRC.org.

COURTESY // Selena Gomez

Slim Shady is back with a vengeance ALEX FUNCHESS

Review

STAFF WRITER

“T

ried not to overthink this 1,” Eminem tweeted on August 31st after unexpectedly releasing his 10th studio album, Kamikaze. Treating fans to a transformed sound that delivers the Detroit Rapper’s attitude driven f low, Eminem responds to his haters, throwing shade at those that bashed his rather dull 2017 project, Revival.

With 10 studio albums under his belt, Eminem has remained one of the most significant figures in Rap. From 1999’s The Slim Shady LP to 2009’s Relapse, Eminem’s angry Rap f low has accumulated over 10 Grammy’s. Visiting the thoughts and emotions of the rapper’s life once touched by drugs and violence in his early projects, Shady’s albums take a unique turn as we entered the 2010’s.

Eminem’s 2010 album, Recovery, steered the rapper into the pop genre. While the project focused on Shady’s battle with depression and drug use, the rapper shied away from authentic 90’s rap, featuring pop singer Rihanna on the song “Love The Way You Lie” and P!nk on “Won’t Back Down.” The album prospered, setting the tone for Eminem’s 2013 album, The Marshall Mathers LP 2, featuring several

pop artists including Sia, Rihanna, and FUN’s Nate Ruess.

Slim Shady’s 2017 album, Revival, served as a disappointment to many. Although the album was loaded with notable features, Eminem’s bland production and spiceless hooks left fans uninspired and confused. While the album focuses on Donald Trump and police brutality, Eminem failed to deliver his once electrifying 2000’s f low that we once appreciated.

Fans definitely weren’t sure what to expect when Eminem dropped Kamikaze a couple of weeks ago.

The message of track #1, “The Ringer,” is clear: Shady is angry! Marshall successfully brings his original uptempo f low back to life, dissing all the “haters” in his path behind a powerful backbeat.

“Do you have any idea how much I hate this choppy f low...I can see why people like Lil Yachty, but not me though,” Eminem proclaims as he disses the style of today’s “mumble rappers”.

My personal favorite on the album is track #3 “Lucky You,” featuring Joyner Lucas. The modern trap production creates a sound by Eminem that fans are not used to. “Hatata batata, why don’t we make

a bunch of f****** songs about nothin’ and mumble ‘em!” Shady exclaims as he imitates today’s triplet f low often used by Migos and Future.

Eminem shames several rappers in Kamikaze, especially on the track “Not Alike,” featuring Royce Da 5’9. Using the Tay Keith beat from the song “Look Alive,” by Drake, Shady calls out rappers Machine Gun Kelly. “And I’m talkin’ to you, but you already know who the f*** you are, Kelly,” Marshall raps. “I don’t use sublims and sure as f*** don’t sneak-diss.

But keep commenting on my daughter Hailie.” This verse snippet fires shots directly at Kelly, who made inappropriate comments about Eminem’s daughter, Halie Mathers, on Twitter back in 2012.

As a response, MGK quickly responded on his track, “Rap Devil.” “Mad about something I said in 2012,” Kelly raps. “Took you six years and a surprise album just to come with a diss. Homie we get it, we know that you’re the greatest rapper alive. F****** dweeb, all you do is read the dictionary and stay inside.”

Eminem responds to his haters in Kamikaze, successfully crossing over his classic f low with modern trap beats.

SSU art exhibition commemorates Vietnam War

NINA LOPEZ

STAFF WRITER

T

he exact words of artist Stephen Whisler, who dedicated his entire art exhibit to military surveillance and nuclear weapons of mass destruction are “You know I could have done imagines of mushroom clouds and burnt babies or something like that, but to me, that’s too obvious.”

Whisler’s exhibit, “The Tyranny of Objects,” opened at the Sonoma State University Art Gallery on September 6, featuring pastel and ink drawings of bombs, rockets, military drones and a life-sized sculpture of The Fat Man - an atomic bomb detonated around 1,600 feet over Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945.

Although having been interested in military surveillance and weaponry in the past, Whisler’s inspiration behind this specific series of art pieces stemmed from his father who was in the United States Navy during the Vietnam War. Aside from being a pilot, Captain Whisler was also responsible for choosing bombing locations in Northern Vietnam - a disturbing piece of information Whisler did not learn of until after his father’s death.

Given this newfound connection to military involvement, Whisler was thus inspired to delve further into his artistic fascination of nuclear power and the devastation it could leave behind.

Upon viewing the artworks in Whisler’s exhibit, there is a common element that is prevalent in his colorful pastel drawings: fingerprints. The process of making these pastel drawings starts with a digital photo of the destructive objects, and the end result is developed from “the most ancient digits,” as Whisler cleverly mentioned. Specifically, his very own fin-

gerprints, which he describes as being the most primitive and ancient tools to create art.

Whisler believes that his fingerprints have the ability to humanize the stark images he’s created and sees them as a metaphor for the human involvement in creating these metal monsters. In addition, by creating these drawings with his hands, it puts into perspective how real-life bombs and military armament were similarly made by man.

Although all of Whisler’s pieces are ominously beautiful in their own right, perhaps the most impressive art piece amongst his collection is that of the The Fat Man at 11:02 AM which is a near perfect replica of the actual atomic bomb that infamously detonated over Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945.

Made of papier-mâché, wood, steel and steel wire, this colossal sculpture stands alone in its own sector of the art gallery and was made specifically to fit in the Sonoma State University Art Gallery.

Similar to that of Whisler’s pastel drawings, this sculpture also features moldings of the artists handprints which, yet again, signify the human involvwment in nuclear weapons and widespread destruction.

It comes as no surprise that Whisler could have approached this subject matter in many different ways, and he was incredibly aware of that. However, he wanted to present these art pieces without any commentary or information about his background, because he wanted his art to be ambiguous. So instead of showcasing images of mushroom clouds and burnt babies, he opted to present the military objects as they were and elude to the potential of destruction in order to get his point across.

Stephen Whisler’s exhibit will be at the Sonoma State University Art Gallery until October 14. The gallery is open Tuesday to Friday from 11:00 a.m.

- 4:00 p.m. as well as 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Informational catalogues about Whisler’s exhibit are available upon request for $5.00 and all proceeds go to the Sonoma State University Art Gallery.

COURTESY // Nina Lopez “Fat Man at 11:02 a.m.” by Stephen Whisler.

Entertainment 7

SEPT. 11 - SEPT. 17, 2018 sonomastatestar.com

COURTESY // newonNetflixUK

COURTESY // PodcastOne

‘The First Degree’-new Netflix Original’s ‘like Father’ suspense thriller KAILEY PRIEST STAFF WRITER

P

Review

odcasts have been around for years, but only recently have they started to gain major popularity. The range of podcast topics are endless--from comedy, to politics, to crime, the podcast scene covers a wide variety of topics to keep it’s target audiences intrigued and wanting more.

However, if you’re a lover of CSI and chilling Netflix crime specials, a new podcast, “The First Degree”, has taken all the things we love about crime, murder, and mystery, and put a new spin on it.

True crime stories are being told by real people who were one degree away from the crime itself. This appealing take on crime is different because others focus on the detectives, lawyers, and police involved in a case. “The First Degree” refers to friends, neighbors and family members to discuss the events leading up to the crime, their relationship with the perpetrator, and details of the crime itself.

The podcast is run by Jac Vanek, one of the three from the Lady Gang Podcast, true crime TV producer Alexis Linkletter, and investigative journalist Billy Jensen. Linkletter has taken part in shows such as “Snapped,” “She Made Me Do It,” and “CNN’s Unmasking a Killer.” Billy Jensen has written articles for The Rolling Stone, NY Magazine, and the Times.

“The point of “The First Degree” is that everyone in their lives is one degree away from a violent crime and those are the people we are bringing on the show each week,” said Jensen. “These cases can touch people in so many ways but you never know the person sitting next to you, in the cubicle sitting next to you, the person in the other car listening to this, they may be a killer at some point.”

With only four episodes out so far, “The First Degree” dives into crimes their guests were only one degree away from. However, it also discusses crimes

Review

the hosts themselves were connected to. In approximately one hour there is a lot to discuss and unpack.

The first episode dives into the story of millionaire Ryan Jenkins, who becomes a reality TV star and then commits a murder. The podcast airs footage of Jenkins talking with his ex lover Megan from his first reality show, as well as her best friend and an acquaintance of Jenkins.

The episode takes a look at Jenkins’ personal history before he committed the heinous crime of murdering his wife. To Megan, he was caring, affectionate and sympathetic, while to others (such as Megan’s best friend) he was manipulative and seemed a bit “off.” Discussing his upbringing in television, his money, and initially what drove him to brutally murder his wife with people who knew him personally tells a unique story while shining light on the facts and his actions.

Another episode exposes the sad story of one of the hosts. Linkletter’s first degree experience was with her old best friend Chunga, who commited a murderous crime.

In an effort to steal drugs from another student, Mathew (who Linkletter also knew), Chunga attempted to murder him and succeeded in murdering his 70-year-old grandma. Not only do the hosts tell the disgusting and shocking story, but they shine light on the opioid epidemic and drug problem that played a large role in this case--something that is far too often overlooked by police investigators.

“It’s interesting because when you hear a lot of these podcasts or watch these true crime shows you’re always hearing from a detective or something after the fact,” said Vanek. “We don’t get that many insights into people before these gruesome acts happen and seeing into their personal lives because, we’re still human.”

MARIAH PONCE

STAFF WRITER

N

etflix’s new original film, “Like Father,” is a drama starring Kristen Bell and Kelsey Grammer.

The film is one hour and 43 minutes long and will keep you completely hooked.

The film is worth a watch if you’re looking for something to indulge in without having to go to theatres. It has a great mixture of laugh-out-loud comedy as well as some heart-wrenching drama.

After watching the Netflix original, I would rate it three out of five stars.

The story begins when the audience is introduced to a striking, hard-working blonde. Rachel, played by Kristen Bell, grabs the audience’s attention when she is in the middle of her beautiful white wedding, but is left at the altar right before she says I do. Her soon-to-be husband realizes Rachel’s work life is more important than her love life.

As if getting left at the altar wasn’t hard enough, Harry, Rachel’s estranged father played by Kelsey Grammer, shows up unexpectedly. She hasn’t seen or heard from him in years. Heartbroken, angry, and confused about her father’s return, Rachel decides a night out drinking with her father will help with the pain.

After many drinks, Rachel and Harry find themselves on a beautiful cruise that was prepaid for her honeymoon.

While drunk the two believed this was a great idea, but once she comes back to her senses Rachel realizes this “honeymoon” is not what she wanted at all.

Rachel’s desire to get off the boat is in full force.

Sailing across the sea, Harry decides this will be a great time to reconnect with his daughter and rebuild the relationship.

Harry tries to be as positive as possible

and is harshly rejected by his unhappy daughter. Throughout the movie viewers begin to feel for Harry and his efforts, but also understand Rachel’s frustrations.

You may find yourself grabbing for more popcorn as their rocky relationship goes up and down, rooting for the fatherdaughter relationship to flourish.

The cast of the film grows while Harry and Rachel are onboard their tropical cruise, with Rachel adopting a love interest with well-known actor Seth Rogan.

Rogan plays a role completely different from his usual raunchy comedies. Cast as a dorky, sensitive man, he falls into the arms of Rachel as they have a one-night stand that ends up leading to more.

Sonoma State University student, Amanda Endersby stated, “When he came into the movie I expected a completely different character, seeing him as the innocent, dorky guy was super surprising and hilarious.” Endersby, along with others, recognized the well-known cast and appreciates them playing rolls that aren’t common to them. Bell, known for her sweetheart attitude, both on and offstage, plays a mean, hothead in “Like Father.”

While aboard, Harry and Rachel are accompanied by three other couples, that help make the movie. Sonoma State Junior, Brihana Marmol stated, “The couples that went on the boat with them literally made the movie for me, I loved their dynamic.”

“Like Father,” did a wonderful job of casting characters that reached all walks of life, bringing great comedy to the movie.

“Like Father” is a movie that you can watch and enjoy. A couple laughs and a few tear jerking moments will come with the Netflix original. When scrolling through Netflix’s new arrivals, know Kristen Bell and Kelsey Grammer are going to do a great job of keeping you involved and wanting to watch until the end.

Variety Magazine Honors three at Power of Young Hollywood event ALISON SNIDER

STAFF WRITER

O

n Tuesday, Aug. 28, in West Hollywood’s Sunset Tower Hotel, Variety Magazine honored comedian Pete Davidson, musician Shawn Mendes, and actress Amandla Stenberg at their annual Power of Young Hollywood event. The event serves to bring light to the achievements and inf luences of the younger generation of Hollywood.

Variety also recognized Riverdale actress, Lili Reinhart, for her activism on body positivity and mental health awareness, with the H&M Conscious Award.

At just 20 years old, comedian, Pete Davidson, was one of the youngest cast members in the history of Saturday Night Live. Although not in attendance, Davidson was one of the honorees at the Power of Young Hollywood event. Now at twenty-four, Davidson has continued to serve as a cast member on the popular late night comedy special for the past four years, and has used his painful life experiences as inspiration for his work. At age seven, Davidson’s father, a firefighter, lost his life in the attacks on 9/11.

Since then, Davidson has struggled with mental illness and suicidal ideations. He uses his personal life in his stand-up comedy and appearances on Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update,” where he has spoken about his father’s death, his drug use, and his struggle with mental health. Most recently, Davidson has been in the public spotlight for his engagement to pop singer, Ariana Grande. Despite all this fame and popularity, in his interview with Variety Magazine, Davidson told a fan, “I’m not a celebrity.”

Beginning by posting six second singing videos on Vine, twenty year-old Canadian musician, Shawn Mendes was also honored at Variety’s Power of Young Hollywood. Much like another young Canadian mu-

sician, Justin Bieber, Mendes was discovered by his manager, Andrew Gertler, via YouTube. By early 2014, Mendes had already accrued four thousand followers on Twitter and almost one million followers on Vine. Gertler told Variety, “he was so inquisitive and willing to learn. That humility—‘How do I do this?’—told me this is a once-in-a-lifetime artist, that this kid is going to do anything in his power to be great.” At fifteen, Mendes’ first single “Life of the Party” hit number one on the iTunes chart. After opening for several artists, such as Taylor Swift, Mendes began touring as a headliner, and released his second album “Illuminate.” As for Mendes’ personal life, Mendes told Variety, “I want to push myself to my limit of what I can handle and play as many shows and write as many songs as I can and f ly around the world 10,000 times in a year, pushing myself to the point where it seems crazy.”

In 2012, then fourteen year-old actress, Amandla Stenberg broke through into Hollywood’s critical eye as Rue in the “The Hunger Games.” Immediately facing racially based criticism for her role, Stenberg has continued to work as an actress and activist. Since her breakthrough role, Stenberg has been increasingly active about using her platform and inf luence to call attention to the need for diversity and representation in Hollywood. When Marvel approached her for an audition for the role of Shuri in “Black Panther,” Stenberg ultimately decided to abandon her pursuit of the role. As a biracial actress, Stenberg saw the importance of young darkskinned girls seeing themselves represented in a place of power on the big screen. Stenberg told Variety, “That was not a space that I should have taken up.” Stenberg works to increase diversity seen on the silver screen. Her role in the film, “The Darkest Minds,” was originally written as white. Stenberg told Variety that it was important that the standard

dystopian narrative was now being told through the eyes of a black woman. This past summer, Stenberg also came out as gay, telling Variety, “I wanted to be transparent about who I was and stand with pride and hopefully, through that, make other people feel proud of their identities.” Stenberg also stands with the Time’s Up movement, and will only sign onto projects where half of the crew on sets are non-white and female.

COURTESY // Variety Magazine

8 Student Life

SEPT. 11 - SEPT. 17, 2018 sonomastatestar.com

Student-led classes return to SSU EMILY TWISSELMANN STAFF WRITER

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or the first time in over twenty years, Sonoma State’s Women and Gender Studies program is providing two classes created and lead by full-time students.

According to long-time activist and Women and Gender Studies Professor Don Romesburg, “What we’re doing now hasn’t been done in our department for many many years... but we think now is an excellent time to re-introduce student-led teaching to Sonoma State. I think there’s a lot of great student activism right now….there’s a lot of students who are deeply engaged and passionate about particular issues.”

One of these courses, relating to prison abolition and gender, was created and is being lead by senior David Kruz. The other class, “Trans Lives in the New Millennium,” was organized by Carly Solberg, a senior Women and Gender Studies major who identifies as trans & non-binary. Both classes are supervised by the Women and Gender Studies department advisors.

In the 1970s, Sonoma State’s Women and Gender Studies program relied mostly on student-run courses. According to Dr. Romesburg, “it was part of the general philosophy of the program at that time which was, in part, recognizing that it wasn’t just professors who could be experts or authorities who could share knowledge... that’s a very feminist philosophy of teaching.”

According to Dr. Romesberg, goals of the Women and Gender Studies major include looking “at how power relations around gender, sexuality, and race saturate everything from our innermost sense of self

to the broadest structures and institutions of society.”

Solberg continues to explain that “[Women and Gender studies] can be applied to pretty much anything that goes on, especially on the news [and] in history… it dissects the way that we are as humans.”

While both Solberg and Kruz’s classes study specific, contemporary Women and Gender Studies topics in-depth, their similarities pretty much end there.

According to Kruz, their class focuses on the “exploration of the prison system through a feminist lens.”

Kruz explains that their goals include looking, “at how the prisons acts on people of different gender... exploring how and why punishment occurs within the context of our entire society... [and] looking at the ways in which sexuality is criminalized be it through the criminalization of AIDS and more broadly homosexuality, crossdressing, or sex work.”

By the end of their class, Kruz hopes that students will leave the class understanding the effect of prisons and how to institute change.

Students curious about Solberg’s ‘Trans Lives in the New Millenium’ course are also encouraged to attend their public review of Sonoma’s commitment to its transgender student policies. The presentation will be held in the HUB on Nov. 19 from 2 to 2:50 p.m.

Despite the excitement, the future of student-led classes is still unclear. According to Dr. Romesberg, the fact that these courses are only offered this semester, due to the fact that their student leaders will graduate in a semester, is one of the things that make them special.

COURTESY // Emily Twisselmann

Some advice that Kruz has for students interested in their class is to look into prison letter writing. “Send a postcard to an inmate,” they said, “or get a penpal. Look up Critical Resistance- they have tons of resources. Black and Pink can get you queer pen pals as well. SWOP -Sex Worker Organizing Project- can get you incarcerated sex worker pen pals.”

Other fascinating courses and resources that Dr. Romesberg recommends includes the Fall Feminist Lecture series and the Spring Queer Lecture series. Both

are free to drop-in students and are available to take for a credit. Sonoma State’s Queer Straight Alliance also meets on Fridays from 12 to 1p.m. in the HUB.

“This kind of activism is difficult to engage in,” Kruz stresses, “but there are ways.”

In addition to being a peer educator, Solberg also facilitates a weekly studentlead Trans and Gender Questioning group.

Students interested in joining can reach out to Solberg at solbergc@sonoma.edu.

STAR // Michelle Tadlock Students Kayla Shields, Allison Lepere and Jodi Edmunds enjoy listening to karaoke performances.

Students shine during “Late Night with Lobos” LUIS MADRIGAL

STAFF WRITER

S

onoma State students filled up Lobo’s Friday evening as they gathered for “Late Night with Lobo” featuring “Pop Takeover” karaoke. Every seat was taken as students were eating, drinking and enjoying their peers’ singing.

Karaoke night at Lobo’s was a perfect way for students to relax and have fun after completing their third week of school. These events are put on by Sonoma State for students on campus who are looking for something fun to do on the weekend. “Late Nights with Lobo” takes place every Friday night at Lobo’s, and students can come participate in activities like trivia nights, crafts and karaoke.

With over 2,000 songs available for karaoke, students had many options to choose from. Vida Mina, a junior, was one of many students enjoying the event and cheering on her classmates and friends who were willing to sing. When asked about what she thought about events like these, she said “Late nights with Lobo are awesome! It’s a great opportunity to de-stress, meet new people

and “[it’s ]” wonderful to see people cheer on one another.” Mina, like many other students present, came to the event with her friends to get something to eat as well as enjoy the students signing. “I would definitely encourage people to come out, the environment is very welcoming and I always have a great time” Mina said.

Nayeli Lozano, a junior at Sonoma State, was also there cheering people on and was there to show support for her friends who were in charge of the event for the night. “I decided to attend with friends to see what it was all about and we had a great time. I would definitely come again” said Lozano. When asked if she would encourage other students to come Lozano said, “ I would definitely encourage people to come by even if they don’t want to sing because you can still have a lot of fun.”

Karaoke night at Lobo’s was a success as people kept coming in throughout the night giving the performers a bigger and better audience. Julia Barragan, a senior at Sonoma State, was in charge of the karaoke that night and said, “I think because it’s the beginning of the school year, students are looking

STAR // Michelle Tadlock Abagail Wallace asks Manu Lopez to play “She Will Be Loved” by Maroon 5 so she can perform it for the rowdy crowd at Lobos. to meet more people and are wanting to come out to campus events which is awesome!” This seemed to be true as every table was filled up that night,“I was really happy with how many people came out, it made the night so much fun!

Karaoke nights at Lobo’s happen once a month!” said Barragan.

Students present were having a great time singing and cheering people on song after song until the employees announced they would be closing soon.

Although there were many students at this event, there are still a lot of students on campus that are unaware of events

like this and miss out on these fun opportunities. It is important to be updated and pay attention to the advertisements on campus.

To get more information for future events like late nights with Lobo and other activities students can search “Seawolf Living” online for times and locations. According to this website, it is “your guide to living the ultimate Seawolf life, and it will help you get info on events, news and lifestyle happening at Sonoma State. Visiting this website can help you find events and activities throughout the semester.

Student Life 9

SEPT. 11 - SEPT. 17, 2018 sonomastatestar.com

COURTESY // @ssuifc From left to right: IFC President Ethan Spector, IFC Risk Manager Luke Lenfestey, and IFC Senior Representative Thomas McCarthy.

Frats aim to change stereotype

JENNFIER SPENCE

STAFF WRITER

F

raternity recruitment has always been looked at negatively from those outside of Greek life. What gives them a bad reputation is how recruitment is heavily associated with hazing, but the fraternities at Sonoma State University are trying to get rid of this stigma and show everyone their true values and priorities. Cole Bobbit, the recruitment chair of Alpha Epsilon Pi makes a good point, “The negative view of rush comes from the few bad apples of any organization, not only Greek life.”

On Sonoma State University’s campus, there are seven fraternities that are part of the Interfraternity Council (IFC). IFC is the governing and representative body for six international and one local affiliated fraternities: Alpha Epsilon Pi, Alpha Psi (local), Alpha Sigma Phi, Nu Alpha Kappa, Phi Delta Theta, Pi Kappa Phi, and Tau Kappa Epsilon. To start off the two-week recruitment process that happens every semester, IFC hosts an Information Night.

Fraternity recruitment started the Tuesday after Labor Day and each chapter creates their own events and times throughout the two weeks and ends the process with IFC Bid Night where each new member class is presented.

Fraternities are so much more than the stereotype given to them by society. They are organizations that provide leadership, philanthropy, and other opportunities to their members. When asked what qualities they are looking for in a new member, Riley Scott, the recruitment chair of Pi Kappa Phi said, “Guys who genuinely care about their brothers and are determined to make a positive impact on their lives and the world around them.” Scott explained that as the newest chapter on campus, they have to surpass the expectations put on them.

Not only do fraternities give back to their community through service, but they

provide events on and off campus for the students.

“Last year we worked with the SSU Outreach office and another sorority to bring 500 people to campus and host a children’s carnival and workshops that teach young adults how to get to college, pay for it, etc.” said Erick Nunez, the recruitment chair for Nu Alpha Kappa. Each fraternity also has their own philanthropic event to help them raise money for their specific charity philanthropy. “St. Jude’s is TKE’s national philanthropy and we actively fundraise with community walks, tabling events, and visits to St. Jude’s Children Hospital,” says Collins, one of the recruitment chairs for Tau Kappa Epsilon.

Even though the fraternities on campus are trying to move away from their negative stigma, there have been incidents in the past with some chapters getting in trouble with the school, even suspended or kicked off. Those who were suspended in the past are now in good standing with the university and working closely with greek life advisors to repair their relationships.

Building and maintaining a good relationship with the school is crucial for Greek life but especially for fraternities because they are viewed as a bigger risk management. Brett Klein, the recruitment chair for Phi Delta Theta says, “My fraternity gets to know all the greek life advisors and make sure that everything we do is approved.

We also have community service events to make sure the school knows we are doing what we can to help out.”

Getting rid of their negative stigma will not happen overnight, but the fraternities on Sonoma State’s campus are doing everything they can to make the public see them in a better light. Through open communication with the school, community service, and campus events these seven chapters could change the stereotypes of fraternities.

STAR // Morgan Arancio Students watch Marvel’s “The Black Panther” on Weill Hall lawn as a part of the Socical Justice Series.

HUB shows social justice films

MORGAN ARANCIO

STAFF WRITER

I

f you want to meet new people that come from different backgrounds and have diverse ideals, go to The HUB. The HUB stands for Honoring the past, Uniting the present, and Building the future. Their mission is to celebrate everyone despite their differences and to create a safe, comfortable space.

They are located on campus on the second floor in the Student Center.

One of the Hub’s attractive events every year is their movie nights on the Green Music Center lawn. Friday, Sept. 7 was the first event of the year for the Social Justice Film Series introducing the film “The Black Panther.” Hanna Green, a senior majoring in Kinesiology, said, “I think one thing to take away from the movie is when they were debating on whether or not to help outsiders and have it backfire.

But in the end, they help people that are outside of their community. A lesson that although there are risks that accompany integration of different cultures, the collaborative benefits outweigh those risks.”

“The Social Justice Series” is a year long event showcasing films that may be related to current social justice issues going on. There is approximately one film per month. Lauren Morimoto, a Kinesiology faculty member, and Mo Phillips, Director of Student Invovlement, were the ones who worked together to create the social justice movie series in 2017. They work together to pick the movies and partner up with The HUB. Some of the movies screened last year were “Moonlight”, “Get Out” and “Lion”. The focus of the series is to bring in all kind of students from different backgrounds and majors together to discuss social justice issues.

The HUB also has professors or someone to come in a facilitate questions

about the movie. It gives everyone a safe space to come in and talk about the film and critique it.

Shelly Gomez, a senior majoring in Women & Gender Studies, is an intern and student assistant in the HUB. She said, “All of our programs that are facilitated under the umbrella of gender and sexuality, race and ethnicities are really a focus on those specific things. We try to have different programs and speakers in order to really promote those issues. We want the students on campus to know that they can come here to not only be a part of that, but to also give us their ideas and thoughts on what they want to see. This is a comfortable place for anyone.”

Shelly also stated how important the film series is and that it is a great way to merge pop culture and cinema with Sonoma State.

This year, the HUB is bringing in new things to discuss. In honor of celebrating Coming Out Month in October, The HUB will be screening “Love, Simon” in the bllrooms of the Student Center and after the film, one of the directors of the movie will be speaking to the students and answering questions via skype. In November, they will be kicking off a new documentary series beginning with “Rumble”.

The HUB has ongoing weekly events and programs. A few being every second Wednesday is spoken poetry and open mic at 7p.m., “It’s A Guy Thing” on every first and third Monday at 12p.m., and Multicultural Organizations & Clubs Alliance happening every first and third Tuesday at 12p.m. Additionally, they offer many different resources for students. For example, a library and a mini kitchen that is open to all and presentations on various topics.

“It’s A Guy Thing” welcomes all NICK CESCHIN

STAFF WRITER

I

f you are looking for a safe environment to openly debate controversial topics such as masculinity in modern-day society, your prayers have been answered.

The HUB, located on the second floor of the Sonoma State Student Center, is the cultural center that offers plenty of programs related to diversity, social justice, inclusion, race, identity, ethnicity and much more.

“It’s a Guy Thing” is an open discussion that anyone can attend, which revolves around masculinity and the characteristics thereof, such as the role of masculinity in media, sports, and videogames. It is important to discuss masculinity in this day and age to be to able to see what it is in other people’s eyes and to not confuse real masculinity with what many people fantasize it to be.

Wednesday’s discussion was led by Jordan Grapentine, the Gender and Sexuality Program Coordinator, and Rob Smith, the Campus Life Advisor for Sports Clubs, but was very casual and anyone can speak their mind freely.

We began with introductions, as well as a little bit about us. Then, hypothetical discussion questions and icebreakers got everyone feeling a little more comfortable with the people next to them: hot hands, followed by rock-paper-scissors, followed by thumb wars, followed by a staring contest.

Grapentine kicked off the main course conversation with the online definition of masculinity (possession of qualities tradi-

tionally associated with men), which immediately got the ball rolling. The discussion delved into public opinion: what does masculinity mean to you? What is toxic masculinity? What are positive and negative traits associated with it?

One of the topics was if it is hard to live up to society’s expectations of masculinity.

When the topic transitioned from masculinity to true strength, one student explained how mothers show strength when making sure that their children always have food on the table, even if it meant that she herself would not eat. Gender roles were thrown into question, and one topic of discussion was how men can protect women in other, more unorthodox ways, such as putting trust in her when she claims to feel unsafe.

As time went on, people became more open, more comfortable, and the HUB began truly to live up to its reputation of existing as a position for spiritual retreat.

“In this first meeting, we broke down a lot of tension and nervousness that was there in the beginning of the meeting. I noticed that towards the second half of the hour, it seemed more folks felt comfortable to speak,” says Martín Herrera-Pazmino, a senior and double-major in CALS and sociology. Martín is also the student assistant for the HUB. Like many in the room, Kaylei Aschwanden, a freshman Communications major, didn’t know what to expect in the beginning. “Initially, I was really intimidated being one of the only people that

STAR // Jessica Bennett Discussion leader Rob Smith warms up the students to discuss a heavy topic.

identify as female in the room,” says Aschwanden. However Aschwanden, like Herrera-Pazmino, noticed the comfort levels increase by the end of the hour. Aschwanden says: “It seemed like we were all on the same page.”

This semester is the coordinator’s, Jordan Grapentine, first semester with Sonoma State, having previously worked in Student Affairs at the University of Denver.

Grapentine says: “Given the fact that a lot of people didn’t know each other in this space,

it went very well. I was very impressed by the conversation and appreciated the vulnerability and authenticity shown by our students.”

The event ended within the hour, and it seemed like everyone still had a lot to express. That’s how you know that you were a part of an engaging and thought-provoking conversation.

“It’s a Guy Thing” happens once a month in the HUB. Other events at the HUB include: “Spoken Word” and “Poetry Night.”

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STAR // Jessica Bennett Junior outside hitter Caiti Weisner goes up for the hit.

Seawolves women’s volleyball undefeated in conference play JESSICA BENNETT STAFF WRITER

B

ump, set, spike! Sonoma State Women’s Volleyball crushed the California State Monterey Bay Sea Otters in a four game match, this past Saturday. The Seawolves came out on top 3-1, continuing the successful conference start.

Sonoma State Women’s volleyball out matched Monterey Bay in every single category. (75-69) points, (67-57) kills, (52-38) digs, (59-49) assists and (6-5) aces.

Sophomore Tate Battistini had a crushing spike that took the Otters for surprise. “I feel like personally, I was

very motivated to beat Monterey Bay since they are a solid team so, I tried to give it my all for every play.” Battistini said.

During this game Battistini reached a career-high of 19 kills against the Otters. Battistini continued to say, “After our win last night, I think it really showed the potential we have and we are super excited to keep growing together as a team.”

Being a fresh ‘new’ team number, Battistini has high hopes in her teammates. “This year we have a really young team so it is really just about learning and getting better each game.”

The first two games Sonoma State had it in the bag, but, let it slip during

game three when number 12, Adriana Baysigner, was taken out of the game with an ankle injury leading to a loss during that set.

“Our team this year is one of a kind, we are very versatile with who we can play, every one of us ready to play and we can all get the job done.”

Basinger continued, “I think one of our goals this season is to grow as a team since we are all younger, but even though we are a young team, I believe we can fight and play like an older team can.”

Thankfully, Baysinger came back in the fourth to close it out, and won that last match with her teammates.

During the final set, sophomore

Amy Trephan came in with four kills, Baysigner had one kill and an ace by number 11 Jenna Miller. Ending the game 28-26, a Seawolf win.

After the match, the ladies in blue improved 2-0 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association conference.

Monterey Bay falls into a projected fourth place in the north division for the pre-season coaches’ poll.

The team is looking forward to this year and the opportunities they are able to bring.

The ladies of the Sonoma State Seawolves are traveling down to Cal Poly Pomona next weekend, September 14 and will start at 7:00 pm against the Broncos.

Men’s rugby looking to break no-win spell JOEY PIOMBO STAFF WRITER

W

ith the 2019 rugby season right around the corner, the Seawolves men’s team are looking to get back into the swing of things and they are using the fall semester to do just that.

The sport of Rugby was introduced to Sonoma State in March of 2011 when the Sonoma State University Men's Rugby Club was founded. They currently compete in the National Small College Rugby Organization. Within the NSCRO, the Seawolves are a member of the Northern California CRC Division.

They compete against schools such as University of San Francisco, California State University Monterey Bay, Humboldt State University, Santa Rosa Junior College and the University of Pacific.

The sport requires a combination of many skills such as strength and speed, and involve skill-sets similar to soccer and football. A rugby match is eighty minutes long with a halftime at

the forty minute mark. Each team has fifteen athletes on the field at all times.

The ball can only be passed legally sideways or backwards and the only way the ball can move forward is by running with it or kicking it forward.

For a team to score a try, the rugby version of a touchdown, a player must physically touch the ball to the ground within the try-zone. A try is five points and the kick after adds an additional two points if successful.

Last season, the Seawolfs were plagued with injury and did not win a game. The injuries forced many new players to step into roles that were unfamiliar. With no wins, the team focused on the positive aspects that were taken from last season.

Jonathan Torres, president of the rugby team, gave insight on the season when saying, “What we took from last year was all the bonds we made, and the experience we got from the minutes we played together.”

The team practices five days a week. These practices take place on the Beaujolais fields. The girls team practices with the team as well, helping both clubs improve.

During the off-season the team holds morning runs and weight room sessions as well as spending time on the field from 3-5pm practicing their skills. The team will also be competing in preseason scrimmages. On October 20 the team will face California State University, Chico. They are also hosting a tournament on campus on November 18. These events will be a good test of how they match up against their future opponents.

This new season presents another opportunity for the Seawolves to grow as a team and get better. With the new season arriving soon, the team has an opportunity to fulfill some goals.

“Some goals for this season would definitely be to win some games and even take home a championship.” said Torres.

With all of the hard off-season work they have been putting in, this goal is not out of reach. The team recently had two players, Jonathan Torres and Josiah Butler, be selected for the Pacific Coast Grizzlies all-star team. With the help of these two Seawolf players, the team ended up winning the all-star championship in Texas

this past summer. Not only was this a tremendous experience for the two athletes, but it is also seen as an experience that can benefit the Sonoma team as a whole.

“So with this knowledge, we gained from playing at a high all-star level, we took back to the team to help our players learn and grow.” Torres said.

The team plans to achieve their goals by sticking together and making smart decisions as a group. President Jonathan Torres makes this clear when he explains, “Some keys to success would be thinking outside the box when it comes to what you could do on the field in terms of plays and situational calls and decisions, essentially just boosting more rugby IQ.” The team welcomes all new members and would love to talk to any interested athletes. To get in contact with the club come out to any practice and talk to the players.

To watch the rugby team in action this year, go to the Beaujolais fields near the baseball diamond and cheer on the Seawolves.

Sports 11

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COURTESY// Seawolves Men’s Soccer Club

Men’s club soccer team looks to instill family values and a winning culture

CHRISTIAN FRANCISCO STAFF WRITER

T

here are many different ways to find your own group at Sonoma State. Whether it's joining a club, student government or even greek life. For many individuals and students, finding a place of belonging is an important aspect of many peoples lives. The Sonoma State Men's Club Soccer Team is looking to coincide athletics and brotherhood. This club is for players who still want to play soccer for sport without having to fully commit themselves, such as the athletes that play for the school. Club sports are a great way for athletes to continue with their craft and enjoy the hobby they've been playing for their whole lives.

Garret Kustin, President of Men's Soccer Club, is a fourth-year psychology major here at Sonoma State and assumed the presidency position when he was a sophomore.

He's been playing soccer since he could walk. His father played soccer for his entire life and once Kustin was able to walk, there was always a soccer ball under his feet. He states that "It developed into something special and something I loved to do.”

Kustin's overarching goal and vision throughout his terms as president was to create a tradition and culture of family within the club.

With only 20 spots on the team, Kustin has a huge responsibility on deciding who makes the final cut.

The group of 20 people who makes it on the team are joining something special that Kustin created. This family

environment stretches back since two-years ago when he created this vision while president.

Kustin goes on to say, "One thing I made sure to do when I took over the club team my sophomore year was to make it a family where we all hung out together and became close.”

Once accepted into the club, the hope is that it becomes a lifelong bond that stays past graduation. Kustin continues to add, "This club team offers not only the chance to play other colleges but a family to go to, to be a part of something special with 56 other guys.”

Austin Dameron, a senior at Sonoma State, talks about his experience being a part of the club soccer team. He has been involved with the club team since last year, and he talked about the relationships that were made there. Dameron states, "I've made some great friends that I wouldn't have met if I weren't on the team."

Not only is the club soccer team a group of great friends, they are also extremely competitive with each other. Everyone on the team pushes each other to the best of their abilities during practice, and in any competition, everyone on the club team is out there to have a fun time and to get better at their craft. Dameron goes on to say, "It's competitive but we don't let that take over the fact that we're out there to be a team and work together to better everybody."

The Sonoma State Men's Club Soccer Team is excited to get their season started as they've been practicing since the start of the semester. The club team has maintained a solid training regimen getting ready for the upcoming season.

Sophomore Gabe Russo is in his second year on the club team and has continued practicing his craft. Russo goes on to say, "Right now we're training four times a week and integrating heavy conditioning in order to get in shape for the upcoming season."

Russo is also optimistic about the team this season, although they have a tougher schedule than last year. Russo states, "we had a lot of new talent come this semester with the freshman class and I look forward to seeing how that will transfer on the field." Russo goes on to add that this season should be a good one, as the main goal for the team is to qualify and make a run for regionals.

Our Sonoma State Club Team will be finding themselves in San Diego for a soccer tournament. Playing teams such as Brigham Young University, University of California Los Angeles, San Diego State University, and many other club teams.

One of the newest members of the club team, Blake Collins, is excited for the San Diego club soccer tournament. The junior states, "I've only been down there for vacation, I'm ready to give San Diego State the business!"

The season for the Sonoma State Men's Club Soccer Team will be starting on Sept. 22 at the Petaluma community sports field against their rivals, Chico State. Last year, the matchup ended up being a physical and intense game. Our club soccer team is excited about this matchup again. Come out and support the men’s club team as this season is turning out to be an interesting one.

Athlete spotlight: Derik Engebretsen MADELEINE BROWN STAFF WRITER

N

ew year, new player.

You can catch transfer student Derik Engebretsen playing for Sonoma State University Men’s Soccer team, a sport he has been playing his entire life. This year Engebretsen will be competing with two other goalies for the 2nd string spot.

Growing up in Encinitas, Engebretsen played for the La Costa High School team. He often enjoyed playing soccer with his dad, brothers, and sister when he was younger and continued to play becoming a striker and goalkeeper. However, being 6’6”, Engebretsen is expected to focus on goalkeeping and working hard to be ready when he gets called onto the pitch.

His passion for the sport began when he was a junior in high school. The “rush and adrenaline from big tournaments” sparked his love for soccer when his team nearly clinched the National Championship title.

What Engebretson likes most about the game is the feeling of saving a ball before it scores the opposing team a point.

“The competitiveness of the game creates a rush that can only be filled or recreated when you get in those big game situations,” says Engebretson.

Thibout Courtois, the Belgian goalkeeper, is his favorite

player, but Engebretsen admits he watches whoever is playing.

“When I was first getting interested in goalkeeper I saw him for the first time and after that first I’ve thought of him to be one of the best goalies and looked up to him.”

Although he’s been playing soccer since he was five, Engebretsen admits to almost quitting his freshman year at Saint Mary’s College of California due to the full workload.

“It’s more than a full time job,” Engebretsen conceded.

The motivation from his dad and unwillingness to walk away from the game he had played his entire life powered him through and he now considers playing soccer after college if given the opportunity. His dream job would be to play for the Chelsea Football Club.

Now at Sonoma State University, Engebretson admits he has become much better at managing his time and putting school as his first priority.

As a new player for Sonoma State, Engebretsen said he’s “always nervous” before a game.

After playing soccer for St. Mary’s College and San Diego Mesa College, his coach encouraged him to finish off at Sonoma State University not only because it was a good fit for him in terms of soccer, but also academically.

Engebretsen is thrilled to play this season and beat Sonoma State’s biggest competition, California State Univer-

sity, Chico.

With family-like relationships between the team players and their head Coach Marcus Ziemer, Engebretsen acknowledges he “not only plays for [himself ], but for the rest of the team as well.” This is a key part of playing for the men’s soccer team as it truly motivates the players to work hard for each other.

Engebretson concedes that practice has been really good and they are mimicking the intense rush and pressure of games to really get a feel for their upcoming games. However, something they are working on is finishing the game strong. They have lost or tied a couple games after going into the last 15 minutes with a lead, but simple mistakes resulted in a loss or tie.

The Sonoma State University Men’s Soccer team hopes to win

the CCAA tournament and make it to the NCAA tournament this year.

COURTESY OF // Seawolves Men’s Soccer

12 Photo

SEPT. 11 - SEPT. 17, 2018 sonomastatestar.com

Students tested on pop culture

STAR // Natalie Dolan Host of the night, Matt Lights introducing contestants Savannah Kavert, Ashlynn Gunther and Maritza Camello at the Pop Culture Game Show on Wednesday night.

STAR // Natalie Dolan

STAR // Natalie Dolan Host Matt Lights puzzles Kiana Richardson, Madori Smith and Nikki Mansubi with a hard pop culture question at the Pop Culture Game Show.

(Top) Alejandra Alvarado-Basulto, Jacqueline Saldana-Pimentel and Fernanda Garcia-Pardo discussing before they answer their final question. (Bottom) Alejandra Alvarado-Basulto, Jacqueline Saldana-Pimentel and Fernanda Garcia-Pardo flaunting their prize money after taking home first place.

STAR // Natalie Dolan

STAR // Natalie Dolan

Alpha Psi members Royal Wilson and Nathan Dostal promoting their charity event in Seawolf Plaza.

Members of Lambda Theta Nu talking to a potential new member at their table in Seawolf Plaza.

STAR // Natalie Dolan Maddison Marnin bowling at the ASP free bowling night on Thursday.

STAR // Natalie Dolan Maddison Marnin laughing with her friends as she gets ready to bowl.