Volume 82 // Issue 3

housing IN THIS Employee Read about the university’s plan to house current and future employISSUE ees on PAGE 4.

Art exhibit

Women’s basketball

Learn all about the library art gallery’s latest exhibit, with art designed by disabled people, on PAGE 7.

The Seawolves got a big win in San Francisco to keep their playoff hopes alive, on PAGE 10.

SINCE 1979

VOLUME 82 // ISSUE 3 FEBRUARY 12 - FEBRUARY 18, 2019

THE UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT RUN NEWSPAPER

@SONOMASTATESTAR

STAR // Jacob Loher The trees many that were torn down will be replaced when the development company plants new trees.

Demolition begins on downtown Rohnert Park

WILL HAHN

STAFF WRITER

T

he development of the future downtown of Rohnert Park, called Station Avenue, is well underway as the State Farm campus is now being torn down piece by piece to create a central area for the community of Rohnert Park to gather.

David Bouquillon, president of Laulima Development and the sole developer of the project, could not be any more ecstatic with the progress of Station Avenue.

“It’s been our experience leading some of the Bay Area’s most notable mixed-use developments that, with a 30-acre site, it’s important to create enough critical mass to make an impactful sense of place,” Bouquillon said.

The downtown area will be constructed into two parts, consisting of an urban core and residential blocks. The urban core is being developed first and will consist of 140,000 square feet of ground f loor retail, restaurants, and entertainment, while 130,000 square feet is dedicated to creative office space.

These areas, along with a 156-room upscale hotel, will be scheduled to open in the Fall of 2020, while residential move-ins will start around the end of the first quarter in 2021. Bouquillon also said remaining units will be completed in the third quarter of 2021.

The Mayor of Rohnert Park, Gina Belforte, said that the commercial area will be started first. This includes a brand-new brewery, retail stores, and the hotel. She said that there is no reason for the project to be delayed right now, despite having a few days of heavy rainfall.

The project timeline is aggressive, but she has confidence that the development team will meet their

Opportunities abound in law enforcement GABRIELLA NOVELLO STAFF WRITER

W

hile it may seem like a career in law enforcement necessitates a very obvious path through college, there are alternative pathways that can lead to the same destination, or so says Jon Kempf.

“Any major that you have can work into criminal justice and law enforcement,” explained Kempf, a detective at the Rohnert Park Police Department, which is a part of the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety.

Kempf, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, got his bachelors in behavioral science and law before going on to San Jose State, where he got his masters in criminal justice administration. He has spent the last 15 years in the force.

Often times, Kempf said, college students make the mistake of believing that, in order to be involved in the criminal justice field, they must receive a degree in an associated major, although he makes it clear that this is not the case.

Anything that one might be interested in, there most likely will be a need for it somewhere in law enforcement.

Whether it be somebody interested in computer science, journalism, or even engineering, there are needs for that. There is a need for computer science when it comes see LAW ENFORCEMENT on pg. 4

deadline. Nevertheless, excitement for the scale of the project is palpable. “It is so big, you could have three football games going on at the same time. That’s how big the State Farm office building was,” said Belforte.

Don Schwartz, the assistant city manager of Rohnert Park, has been collaborating with the developers of the project and wants to bring businesses to the city that residents want. He said that See’s Candy might have an interest in being one of their first businesses for the downtown area, since the company is expanding and Rohnert Park does not currently have an outlet. “We are the most business-friendly city in the county. I can say that with confidence,” Schwartz said.

Bouquillon believes in general that university administration at Sonoma State has been supportive of Station Avenue. He and his development company have suggested a bookstore for Sonoma State students or an alumnus office, but no commitment has been made from the university at this time.

He also expressed alternatives for student housing. “I’ve been very vocal that Station Avenue can help solve for the lack of facility and student housing,” Bouquillon said. “Although SSU has not expressed interest, we’re in active discussions with other local campuses who see Station Avenue as a benefit to fulfilling their housing needs and being part of a vibrant downtown community [alongside] SMART was critical.”

The importance of being environmentally friendly in the downtown area cannot be overstated. Schwartz talked about the residents’ concerns on the loss of the redwood trees that were taken down at the site.

The number of trees planted on Station Avenue will actually exceed the number of trees taken down,

with species including the London Planetree, Coast Live Oak, and California Buckeye trees. He also said that the developer is planning on reusing some of the wood from the redwoods that were taken down to donate to local school wood shops.

“As a progressive development company, we’re always looking to incorporate sensible environmental designs and materials in our projects,” Bouquillon said. “For instance, some of the exiting trees will be repurposed as potential street furniture, electric car charging stations will be placed throughout the development and energy efficient devices will be used thwroughout Station Avenue.”

Traffic has also been of concern for the future.

Schwartz said there will be improvements to the key intersections to mitigate the impacts and that the project is designed to encourage walking, cycling, and using the SMART train. “Regarding traffic, we’ve examined this in depth. A downtown area by its very nature creates traffic, and there will be more.”

However, Belforte talked about traffic in the area and said that she believes it will not be a problem because Rohnert Park Expressway was built as a result from the 1,200 employees at the height of State Farm’s heyday. She said the use of transit and bus stops will also help the f low of traffic.

Station Avenue continues to progress quickly, and the results will surely be surprising. Belforte wants the area to be family friendly, while also acting as an alternative so residents do not have to leave Rohnert Park.

“I hate having to go outside of town to do other things,” Belforte said. “I’m looking forward to a place where our Rohnert Park residents can hang out together.”

Sonoma County sees rare snowfall JULIANNA FERARRA STAFF WRITER

T

he North Bay awoke to rare snowfall Monday, Feb. 4, prompting winter weather advisory warnings throughout Sonoma and Lake County. Local areas above 2,000 feet received between 4-8 inches of snow overnight, along with a mixture of rain and snow that carried on throughout Tuesday.

What is more of a rarity is for snow to fall at street level, such as what we saw in Petaluma and in towns throughout the Bay Area. California has seen some dark times the last couple of years, specifically with the outbreak of various devastating wildfires.

Last year ended with the catastrophic blazes in Paradise, California and, at the dawn of 2019, unusual snowfall that Sonoma County has not seen in approximately 10 years.

It begs the question of whether or not there is any evidence that would point to climate change as partially to blame for California’s recent forecasts.

“It snowed about three times

COURTESY // Press Democrat Snow blankets Sonoma Mountain east of campus on Feb. 5. within the last 45 years, we typically get snow on top of Mount Saint Helena and Cobb Mountain, but that’s normal at higher elevations,” said Art Hayssen, meteorology professor at Santa Rosa Junior College. “What’s unusual is street level snow.”

Authorities shut down Sonoma Mountain Road in Petaluma on Feb. 5, due to the weather advisories for the North, East and South Bay areas. The National Weather Service (NWS) issued weather advisory warnings on Monday afternoon, reporting that “the last time snow dropped to 1,000 feet was 2011.”

Hayssen said that “within the last 45-50 years, Sonoma County see SNOW on pg. 4

2 Editorial

FEB. 12 - FEB. 18, 2019

sonomastatestar.com

THE STAR Editorial Board Braden Car twright, Editor-in-Chief Kasey Williams, News Editor Gillian Chaffer, Opinion Editor Alison Snider, Ar ts & Enter tainment Editor Haley Kara, Student Life Editor Brennan Craig, Spor ts Editor Natalie Dolan, Photo Editor Mandela Linder, Adver tising Manager Samantha Billingsly, Distribution Manager Corinne Asturias, Faculty Adviser Staff Writers Kayla Allen, Samantha Billingsly, Kaylie Boettner, Kelly Britton, Holly Chandler, Giulia Chlarson, Clark Fahrenthold, Julianna Ferrara, Alexander Funchess, Ashley Gieseke, Teresa Gulli, Will Hahn, Garrett Kitchen, Emily Kowalski, Katherine Kur tt, Madison Lam, Cole McKeith, Jack Messier, Gabriella Novello, Thomas Peterschmidt, Joseph Piombo, Devon Pique, Sunday Simon, Brandon Sparks, Jonah Trosky, Marissa Ugar te, Jackson Waldron, Aaron Waskowiak, Mattie Williams

Photographers Christine Von Raesfeld, Jessica Rivera, Kaitlyn Bradley, Jacob Loher, Ethan Prins Jessica Benne

Nichols Hall 323, 1801 East Cotati Ave Rohnert Park, CA 94928 Telephone: 707-664-2776 Business & General Inquiries: sonomastatestar@gmail.com Corrections and News Tips: star@sonoma.edu

Editor’s Pick This week’s can’t miss article: “Employee housing move-in delayed” The move-in date has been pushed back to March, after originally being set for January.

The story also relates to this week’s editorial.

Sonoma State should purchase off-campus student housing

O

ne of the biggest reasons why students come to Sonoma State University, rather than another CSU, is because of the on-campus housing. Most people would agree that it is a big perk to have a comfortable place to live while going to school.

The problem, though, is that once students begin their junior and senior years, it can be incredibly hard to find a suitable place to house themselves. There are the upperclassmen housing areas, but it starts getting pricey to get your own room and bathroom. In addition, things such as the lack of parking, and finding a time when a laundry machine is open, start to become a hassle.

Many of the houses in Rohnert Park do not allow for cosigners, and many members of the community do not want college students as their neighbors because of their contrasting lifestyles. This leads to higher rental prices in the area, which is a huge downside for many college students who are already struggling with money.

The solution to this would be a student section in Rohnert Park. This would be similar to what Sonoma State did in Petaluma when they bought a complex to house employees. There are two options for creating an off-campus student housing area. The short term option would be doing what they did in Petaluma and buying an off-campus area specifically for students.

Buying an already-constructed or almost finished housing complex would make the process go a lot quicker. The other long term option would be to use the open areas by K Section and build houses to create a student community.

To pay for either option, Sonoma State can do what they did in Petaluma and have the tenants (students) pay for it through rent. By creating a space for upperclassmen, Sonoma State could alleviate the congestion of freshmen and sophomores seeking to find housing in Sauvignon and the adjacent villages, and move them over to Beajoulais and Tuscany where the older students stay currently. So instead of having students live everywhere from Petaluma to Santa Rosa, they could create a space walking distance from the school that would instill a feeling of community and school pride.

One of President Judy Sakaki’s goals is to raise the percentage of students living on campus from 30 percent to 50 percent. One could only imagine this is to help instill Seawolf pride in the students of Sonoma State. By creating a studentonly area adjacent to campus, it would do the same things Sakaki is talking about, but it would create a more independent lifestyle that older college students desire.

This would be no easy project, but it would make life easier for students and help Sonoma State prosper for years to come.

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.

Read the article on page 4.

Corrections/Clarifications An article in last week’s issue of the STAR titled “Antihomelessness is nothing but a band-aid solution” incorrectly stated the percentage of homeless Californians.

The correct statistic is that in California in 2017, 34 in every 10,000 people experienced homelessness.

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.

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Opinion 3

FEB. 12 - FEB. 18 , 2019

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Ancient illnesses resurface due to lack of vaccines

BRANDON SPARKS

STAFF WRITER

D

iseases such as measles and smallpox have recently had outbreaks because of parents deciding to avoid the vaccine in case it gives their child a mental disorder.

These ridiculous claims need to be silenced, as many people are now suffering from diseases that have been long forgotten because of the lack of vaccines that were created for them.

Measles very recently has been scouring the news because of an outbreak that occured in the Philippines.

This outbreak started because kids were vulnerable to the disease from no vaccines. CNN stated in an article that “Most of the infections have oc-

curred in children, under age 18, who were unvaccinated. The outbreak includes 43 cases among those who were not immunized, six cases where immunization has not been verified and one case where the person had received a single dose of vaccine.”

Now, it is understandable from a parent’s perspective, based on certain articles in the media that vaccines can harm a child. They were just born into the world, and parents don’t want to risk any form of harm onto their immune system or to their health in any form. In an article written by Chephra McKee, PhD, she states, “Media that cite problems with components of vaccines such as thimerosal report that vaccines can cause autism, brain damage, or behavioral problems cause parents to be more cautious.”

But, for over a decade, thimerosal has been removed from vaccines that are given to kids under the age of six so they have extremely low risk of damage to their health.

Vaccines are improving every year and the problems that the media wrote about many years ago just aren’t entirely true anymore. With the vaccine being available for measles and with the recent outbreak, many hesitant parents aren’t taking the risk of their child being af-

fected by measles or other diseases, such as whooping cough and smallpox. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services states “Since 2010, there have been between 10,000 and 50,000 cases of whooping cough each year in the United States and about 10 to 20 babies, many of which were too young to be fully vaccinated, died each year.”

With this, many other parents will see the benefits of vaccination and that it is more of a risk to not vaccinate your children then to protect them from diseases in the world. Another big reason to vaccinate your children is that most schools won’t allow your child to attend without being vaccinated for certain diseases. So even if you didn’t want to vaccinate, you won’t be able to enroll your kid into most schools.

The negatives outweigh the positives if you choose to not vaccinate your children, and the consequences are now just becoming public, when diseases that were basically forgotten have come back. Parents need to realize that not giving their children these vaccines will impact the child and everyone else around them. Hopefully this outbreak wakes up some of the hesitant parents who have been holding back from vaccinating their kids, as it will only get worse as more diseases come forth.

Vaginal myths create a dangerous narrative

SAM BILLINGSLY STAFF WRITER

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aginal modification has been around for hundreds of years, and it’s no surprise that it’s still around with so many myths surrounding sex and the vagina’s role in it. One of the most common myths is that the vagina becomes looser the more sex the woman has. Another common myth is that, after childbirth, the so-called “husband stitch” increases sexual pleasure. Both myths are false, and both maintain a dangerous narrative, intentional or not.

The idea that a woman has certain roles and duties she must follow in order to keep her body sexually pleasing for her partner plays a part in controlling women’s bodies.

Keep in mind woman is referred to as the sex, not the gender, because everyone that has a vagina doesn’t always identify as a woman. That being said, there is nothing wrong with vaginal modification if it’s what the woman wants, as it’s her body, however it’s sometimes done without her permission. Or it’s done with her permission, but when she’s

uneducated or misinformed about the subject. However, sex and genitalia are a touchy subject to Americans, and it’s difficult to find accurate information on the subject.

The rumor that the tightness of the vagina is determined by sex is untrue. The vagina is actually a lot stronger than many think. According to Annamarya Scaccia, an award-winning journalist, the “vagina may become slightly looser as you age or have children, but overall, the muscles expand and retract just like an accordion or a rubber band.”

The muscles in the vagina are actually very durable, and compared to a baby, penises are small.

They have little to do with the vagina becoming loose. Age, and childbirth does; “in an aging vagina, there is a loss of tone and tightness due to slackness in the pelvic floor and of vaginal muscles after childbirth,” states a study done by the US National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health.

While there are certain limitations to the vagina, sex isn’t the thing that will doom the effectiveness of the it. The tightness of the vagina shouldn’t really affect the stability or passion in a relationship. If the partner is placing the happiness of the relationship on their amount of pleasure during sex, chances are the relationship isn’t steady or healthy. If women are being pressured to physically change their bodies for the pleasure of their partner, then the relationship needs to be closely examined as to why the partner thinks their sexual desires are more important.

Sometimes women aren’t given the choice. The husband stitch is sometimes done without the woman’s knowledge or consent, and as people should know a woman’s consent is an important factor in regards to what happens to her body. After childbirth the new mother is exhausted, and sometimes still under the effects of an epidural injection.

They rely on medical professionals to take care of their bodies after the physical stress of labor. Vagina tears are common after birth, and it’s the doctor’s job to sew up the tear. Sometimes during the process the medical professional will intentionally sew it just a little too much so that the vagina will be tighter for her partner’s pleasure. This is often called the husband stitch.

The North American Menopause Society states that a healthy pelvic floor can “increase strength and awareness of the muscles involved in pleasurable sexual sensations.” The husband stitch is actually doing little in regards to pleasure, and just makes sex uncomfortable for the woman.

Bodies change during long term relationships. Regardless of gender the need to maintain attractiveness can be detrimental to a relationship. Love between two people should not be determined by sexual pleasure. Not that sex isn’t important to mainstream relationships, but putting too much importance on sex to the point of pressuring the other partner into doing things they don’t want to. The vagina belongs to the person that has it, and they will decide what to do with their bodies on their own time.

Brad Pitt’s face will tell you lies

AARON WASKOWIAK STAFF WRITER

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e live in an age of ever-growing distrust and misinformation. Whether sanctioned and spread by political parties or disseminated by independent citizens via one of the many platforms available, the intent is usually clear: to mislead the public. This growing activity has led to a rising distrust in the media and press, a very dangerous and slippery slope seen frequently as a step taken in authoritarian governments rise to power.

Most notably this misinformation has been touched upon in Special Council Robert Mueller and his investigation into Russian interference into the 2018 US elections, as well as the topic of conversation in the Senate hearings with Facebook and Google executives. However, one of the lesser mentioned aspects of manipulated information comes in the form of highly sophisticated, doctored photos known as “deep fakes.” The term stems from the online handle of a 2017 Reddit user “Deepfakes,” who brought his creations to the internet spotlight with the manipulation of pornographic videos to include prominent celebrities.

The Guardian reports that the tool used by “Deepfakes” was introduced by a graduate student Ian Goodfellow as early as 2014 in the form of a ‘generative adversarial network’ or GAN. This piece of software creates new data given existing data sets, in this case the data sets consisting of videos, audio and photo files of the celebrities. While incredibly inappropriate and demeaning, it was not the sexualized videos of celebs of course that pose a threat to our society.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Hanry Farid, a professor working in the Darmouth College Computer Science department speculated, “How are we going to believe anything anymore that we see? And so to me that’s a real threat to our democracy…”

Take the recent example of the Covington high schoolers clash with Native Americans in Washington DC. A short video of students wearing MAGA hats face-to-face with Omaha Nation members sparked viral outrage, and while a genuine video, it is easy to see the immediate damage that can be done with video clips.

As technology and the research into AI learning advances, programs such as GAN and their evolution represent a new level of awareness that social media users will have to undertake when viewing content.

During a speech given at Missouri University, Lt. Col. Jarred Prier was quoted by the Columbia Tribune expressing his concerns on the implication this technology has on cyber warfare, “The next evolution of this social media attack as a national security issue is going to be precision messaging,” Prier said. “It is going to be somebody who looks and seems a lot like your friends and starts sending you direct messaging or things that are targeted towards you.”

This is not meant to spark panic, nor to deeper embed the distrust of the press. The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and so forth are reputable publications, and the fact they are facing growing public distrust is a terrifying byproduct of this day and age.

With social media giants such as Facebook navigating this new terrain or doctored information, it is up to the consumer of that information to be wary. It may be Brad Pitt in pornography now, but one day it may be your loved one asking for an account number.

The millennial version of family planning

MADDIE LAM STAFF WRITER

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or today’s generation, the norm is that the cost of living is simply too high for us to live on our own after college. The previous generation before millennials (generation Y), generation X, lived their twenties much different than millennials do. In fact, millennials aren’t just living much differently than our parents, but they aren’t having kids anymore.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention released new data showing that the birth rate has dropped to an alltime-low in the United States; “It seems

that the Millennials just aren’t having kids, or at least they’re not having them yet.”

There are many reasons why millennials aren’t having kids anymore, and the main one seems to be financial stability.

After college, most millennials are now paying off their student debt, making it impossible to move out of their parents’ home. This may mean that a young person has to work more hours or get multiple jobs, eliminating the chance for them to get married and start a family.

It can take years to find a stable career, and even longer to pay off student debt.

For previous generations, by age 29 most people were married, owned a home, had stable careers, and were already parents of two kids. It’s no secret that the norm is moving back in with your parents, simply because of the high cost of living.

“Although the recession has been over for nearly a decade, there may be a lasting economic insecurity that is causing young would-be parents to think twice before procreating,” states a Forbes article. Having children is stressful enough

on its own, and adding in money issues makes raising a child even more complicated.

Some other reasons for millennials not wanting children are staying single longer and getting married later in life, overpopulation, travel, work, or simply just not wanting kids. But the real reoccurring issue seems to be financial and economic stability. In the Bay Area, the average monthly rent for one bedroom apartments ranges from $1,900 to $4,000. Besides rent, there’s utility bills, car payments, car insurance, health insurance, cell phone bills, student debt payments, etc. Understandably, it is just too expensive to procreate. Kids require lots of money to raise and take care of, and many young people cannot afford this. Whatever the reason may be, millennials delaying procreation might have an effect on Baby Boomers and generation X. Joseph Coughlin, an AgeLab director, states in a Forbes article, “The majority of Baby Boomers’ wealth is not in the bank...but in their homes. Despite the

popular urban mythology of Boomer life in the big city, more than 70% of Baby Boomers are still living in suburban and rural areas.” Because of the Baby Boomers and generation X, the demand for suburban areas was at an all-time-high, but it is actually the opposite for millennials. Most millennials are looking for a one bedroom apartment, just for them and their pet, while baby boomers are looking to sell their homes and cash out on decades of equity so that they can survive the rest of their lives financially; but no one wants to buy their homes, or can buy their homes rather.

Although millennials aren’t having kids or are delaying having kids, many dream of buying a home, getting married, and having children. But because of the competition in the job market, student debt, and extreme high costs of living, many aren’t able to live out that dream until later in life. This may be the new normal, especially with predictions from The Guardian that the next economic recession is coming in 2020, greatly affecting those of generation Z.

4 News Employee housing move-in delayed

FEB. 12 - FEB. 18, 2019

sonomastatestar.com

ASHLEY GIESEKE STAFF WRITER

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eavy rain has delayed construction on the university’s recently purchased Petaluma housing decelopment. Originally, the university announced that tenants would be moving in January 2019, but the espected move-in date has been pushed back to early March.

Back in November, the California State University Board of Trustees unanimously approved a $42 million acquisition in which Sonoma State would purchase an apartment complex in Petaluma. The 90-unit complex is almost complete and is being used to house numerous faculty and staff from the campus.

About 20 of the 90 units will be reserved for future hires, said Associate Vice President for Administration and Finance Neil Makely.

The university hopes for the complex to be filled by August.

The property was funded by reserves and state bonds from the university. Housing services will manage the complex and its financial aspects.

“These 90 units, studios to three-bedroom apartments, are located about 15 minutes from campus, right off Highway 101 and near the SMART commuter train station. Securing this development will enable us to maintain excellent faculty and staff who in turn will help us better serve our students,” said Joyce Lopes, vice president of administration and finance.

The complex must also pass an inspection by the state fire marshall. The inspection date is pending.

The complex was constructed by Basin Street Properties, a commercial real estate company out of Reno. For them, their work is centered around creating spaces where a tenant can succeed, and with this project, they have created a multi-family, four and five story complex, which is adjacent to the Petaluma Marina.

Housing for the workforce of Sonoma State has been something that has been a major issue in previous years with skyrocketing prices for living in the area. Especially after the wildfires that raged throughout our county last year, the surrounding areas, if not already scarce, have become much less affordable.

With the fires destroying nearly 5,300 homes, Sonoma State faculty were having to live farther and farther from campus and

STAR // Jacob Loher The new apartment complex is right off Highway 101 and 15 minutes from campus. commute on a daily basis.

“To meet the needs of local demands, officials say the county needs to add 30,000 more housing units by 2025. In addition to adding more stress to the quality of life of our employees, we are finding that one in every five job candidates, faculty, staff, and administrators who are offered positions at Sonoma State have turned us down this past year due to the high cost and lack of availability of housing,” said Lopes.

By completing this new housing for the people of Sonoma State, the university is hoping to be able to hire more qualified staff,

while simultaneously providing them with housing they can afford.

The complex will cost the average tenant around $2,200 to $3,500 per month and will consist of studio f lats all the way up to three bedroom family apartments.

Associate Vice President for Administration and Finance, Neil Makely, added that they are keeping a detailed list of employees who are interested in the development. “They can email Jill Crenshaw with their name, email, phone number, employee type—faculty or staff—and type of unit desired; studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom or three-bedroom.”

NEWS IN BRIEF Rohnert Park

Two individuals sustained substantial, yet non-fatal, injuries after being involved in a car accident on Rohnert Park’s Golf Course Drive, according to the Press Democrat. According to eye witness accounts, excessive speed appeared to be a factor in the accident, which occured Sunday just past the Country Club Drive intersection on a winding portion of the road. It is the second such accident to occur on the same stretch of road in two weeks. On Feb. 3, a 20-year-old male sustained serious injuries when his Toyota Corolla lost control and hit a tree in the center divide near Halcyon Place. Police have stated that they will step up patrols in the area, particularly during heavy rains.

California

Gov. Gavin Newsom plans to withdraw hundreds of troops this week along the California/Mexico Border. This decision, which will remove roughly 100 of the 360 troops currently deployed at the border, comes after Governor Michelle Grisham, of New Mexico, decided to pull back her troops at the border. The California troops will be reassigned to bolster the fire preparation efforts ahead of the state’s next wildfire season while also being assigned to counterdrug task forces within the state. Texas and Arizona, both states with Republican governors, will continue to keep their troops at the border in an effort to deter Central American migrants from crossing.

LAW ENFORCEMENT: Det. Kempf exhorts graduates

SNOW: Trends may be due to climate change

continued from pg. 1

to crime scene investigations. If you are a communications major or somebody interested in journalism, the department is writing press releases extremely often.

For those interested in engineering, they are constantly doing road surveys.

“If there’s a bad traffic accident, there is a major accident investigation team that goes out and reconstructs the accident scene. They’re looking at crushed depths on cars, recreating the accident, and doing all the necessary calculations to say exactly what happened,” Kempf said.

“Pretty much any major can find their niche.”

For those interested in opportunities within law enforcement, he suggests to look at the desired departments’ requirements, for some departments require a four year degree, some require just a two year degree, while others may not require a degree at all.

Kempf states that the Rohnert Park Police Department has SSU interns working for them every semester and there continues to be a great deal of opportunities for those who are interested.

He encourages interested students to look into where they want to work and to do ride alongs. The process is as simple as calling the agency and letting them know that you are interested.

There are only two remain-

continued from pg. 1

COURTESY // North Coast Journal ing “public safety” departments left in California, Rohnert Park being one of the cities which still has one.

The idea behind them is to combine all resources so that officers can respond to any call, whether it be a fire, a medical matter, or something directly for the police.

These qualities set the Rohnert Park department apart in comparison to others. “We’re a public safety department, police and fire. The people here are great, this is more of a family. We try and take care of each other,” he said, emphasizing the unique dichotomy of the department.

While some may be interested in a career in law enforcement, it can be more than just learning the ins and outs of the job and taking a written test, as well as being able to pass a physical fitness test.

“This job you are tested not only on the street every day, but you’re tested academically and physically all the time,” Kempf explains.

In addition to being physically in shape, Kempf stresses the importance of having interpersonal skills.

“A lot of younger folks have spent so much time communicating over text message that they have a hard time talking to people on the streets that they don’t know. That’s what we’re doing. We’re pulling up on scenes, we’re talking to people we’ve never met before. We have to have interpersonal communication skills, that’s huge.”

As there are to every job, there are some of the positive and negatives of being in the force.

“You work outside, you work with a team, it’s fun, it’s rewarding work. You can really make somebody’s day, recover property for someone. But the job can also take a toll on you mentally as well. You see people at their worst, victimized of crime. It can take a mental toll on you.”

Sonoma State offers students the option to graduate with a BA in criminal justice, although that is not a student’s singular option if they wish to pursue a career in law enforcement. The possibilities, according to Kempf, are plentiful.

has seen snow about once per decade, where it actually snowed down to street levels in Santa Rosa and Rohnert Park.”

Hayssen discussed what the expected winter norms are for Sonoma County, especially that global warming continues to be on the rise. It is important to note that, despite the concerning temperature rise and melting ice in the greater Arctic areas overtime, changes in weather on a regional level are not characteristics that can be directly correlated with global warming in and of itself. There are just too many variables that account for climate change and Hayssen admits it is even difficult for scientists to pinpoint what directly causes certain anomalies.

“On a larger scale, our weather is changing, and it is in my opinion due to human activity and our inf luence on this earth,” said Hayssen when asked if there are any connections directly linking climate change with our inconsistent California weather patterns. “There’s irrefutable evidence that we’re changing the climate of the world, we just don’t know how it’s going to affect places regionally.”

It is, however, great news for snow sport hobbyists eager to hit the resort in South Lake Tahoe, where there have been reports of 14-28 inches of snow and a winter storm warning issued on Feb 8.

Perhaps this year’s snow is not as unusual as we may think. Those who have grown up in this area may not realize that, in the grand scale of time, 10 years is not that long of a segment. California is well known for its Mediterranean-like climate and mild winters due, in large part, to living so close to the sea. The truth is, our winters just are not cold enough. We live next to the world’s largest ocean whose continental effect accounts for little f luctuation of temperatures along the coast.

“What we do know is that the coldest temperatures we’ve had near sea level in Santa Rosa and Rohnert Park was the winter of 1989 and 1990 where we saw single digit temperatures of 8 and 9 degrees Fahrenheit,” Hayssen said. “We haven’t even come close to duplicating those temperatures.”

News 5

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Graduating theater major directing entirely student-run production

good show.”

Working on an all-student play does present a unique set of challenges. Potts, who is taking a full course load and working part time, has not directed since middle school. Many of the other students working on the production are doing their jobs for the first time, so Potts has to learn their jobs in order to teach them. “It’s a lot of me learning everything that I need to learn in order to teach people,” she said.

COURTESY // Natasha Potts Julie Anne Vargas, Technical TheA promotional poster for the student-run production, which runs from March 7-10. ater Arts major and MANDELA LINDER The play, which is set in the 90’s, is about three costume designer for “Sunday on the Rocks,” is STAFF WRITER women in their 30’s who all live together. One Sun- excited about working on a show that is set in the Students at Sonoma State University are putting day morning two of those women begin drinking 90’s. “I get to explore and watch 90’s TV shows, like on an entirely student-run production in March as a scotch when the other comes home. Tension ensues ‘Friends,’ and get a lot of inspiration from different senior project for Theater major Natasha Renae Potts, and the dynamics of the women’s relationships and fashion trends,” she said. “I went down the rabbit hole who is directing this production. Although the stu- characters come out. “I think it’s really powerful, the of denim on denim. It was really interesting to get to dents have received support from the university, the problems and situations that these women are going dive into the 90’s.”

Potts hopes that the show will reach women and through. I think these are situations that a lot of womshow itself is entirely of their making. give them a way to identify with the characters. “It’s en go through in their lives,” Potts said.

Potts chose “Sunday on the Rocks” by Theresa really about the perseverance of having all these Aliya Bacal-Peterson, a double major including Rebeck because she felt it was fitting for the current things occur in your life and having people tell you Theater Arts with a concentration in acting, plays one times. the way that you should be living, or the actions that of the main characters, Gayle.

She feels that working “The reason I chose this play is because of the you should be taking,” she said. “It’s about standing on an all-student production is a unique experience. message behind it. It’s an all women show, and it reyour ground and being the person that you’ve cre“It’s really interesting because you have this ally dives deep into their experiences and how they ated.” closeness with everyone that you’re working with,” deal with things,” Potts said. “It’s really interesting “Sunday on the Rocks” will be performed March to be a part of, especially now with everything that’s she said. “You’ve worked with them as fellow stu7-10 at 7:30 pm in Ives 76, which is being repainted dents before, so you understand how to work with happening with women.” According to Potts, most for the show. Tickets are available on the “Sunday on them, but you still have a level of professionalism beof the crew is also female, although there are some the Rocks” Facebook page. cause at the end of the day you want to put out a really males involved.

Disasters unearth compassionate narratives JACK MESSIER STAFF WRITER

J

ust 13 months apart, ravaging 190,146 total Northern California acres, stealing over 100 lives and displacing thousands of local families, the notorious Tubbs and Camp Fire were disastrously perpetuated by strong northern and northeastern winds.

But, with statewide recovery already well underway in both cases, surrounding communities rallying together have spread heartwarming stories far stronger and pervasive than the oncesweeping winds.

“You know, it’s kind of bittersweet.

It’s kind of crazy and it’s really sad.

I mean, I don’t know anybody that’s ever been through this and I never ever imagined I would with my family,” Joe Bykonen, Paradise resident at the time of the Camp Fire, said.

Bykonen, whose family was among hundreds in Butte County suffering at the expense of the fiery wrath, added, “We escaped from the fire and we lost everything we owned. It’s hard to talk about because we just bought our house [the year prior].”

Ref lecting strong sentiments felt among victims and workers throughout the ongoing relief effort in Sonoma and Butte County, Bykonen continued, “You know, we’re young, we’re resilient, and we’ll bounce back from this.”

Though material losses, like Bykonen’s, have paled in comparison to those familial, for some people like Lo-

ren Jade Smith and Sonoma native Josh Iverson — whose houses also burned down in the Tubbs and Camp Fire, respectively — losses of baseball memorabilia from their favorite teams mirrored the loss of family, with portions of scorched collections once handed down by close, deceased relatives.

According to the San Francisco Patch, for Iverson and nine-year-old Smith, the recovery effort was giant — joined by an assemblage of teams around the league, the San Francisco Giants led the charge in amending their loss.

Upon sending a hopeful letter outlining the ordeal to the Giants, Iverson was happily greeted by a team “care package” and soon took to twitter to share COURTESY // The Smith Family his brand new, signed memorabilia by the likes of hats, a baseball and a team Nine-year-old Loren Smith with his father, Tait Smith. the mix, posting, “We’re in too. to do,” Zanis said in a statement to jacket, among other things.

For young Smith, a Sonoma County #BayAreaUnite.”

KCR. “I happen to know this works.”

Yet, compassion and empathy local and baseball fan — primarily that Zanis, who drove over 2,000 miles of the Oakland A’s — his collection of for recent fire victims across North- from Chicago to the site of the Camp memorabilia lost in the Tubbs Fire was ern California has not been merely Fire’s aftermath in Butte County, rerevitalized by a rallied, league-wide ef- limited to the outward expression by cently visited the city of Paradise professional sports teams: generous to lay more crosses — adding to the fort.

After Katie Utehs, a freelance re- public figures, like Greg Zanis, have 26,000-plus crosses already planted porter for ABC San Francisco, posted lightened the suffering for local fami- across the U.S., according to the ChiSmith’s letter on twitter, A’s President lies and people across the country. cago Tribune.

Through his “Crosses for Losses” Dave Kaval responded soon after, assertOver the course of the year prior, ing, “This is so touching. So sad to hear campaign, Zanis hand paints white all across the country, from MLB about their loss; we would be happy to crosses to recognize and honor lives teams to charitable actions of citizens completely outfit the family in new Ath- lost in national tragedies, from mass like Zanis, the heroic efforts in the shootings to natural disasters. letics gear.” aftermath of the chaos have stretched “It changes a lot for them to show beyond those of the firefighters in Between the Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres and more than 13 other that somebody cares. We do care, but Sonoma, Butte County and dozens of teams, the Giants excitedly entered a lot of times people don’t know what assisting counties alike.

CAMPUS CRIME Crime

Date

Location

Status

Petty Theft

Feb. 3

SSU Bus Stop

Suspended

Harassing Communication

Feb. 4

Stevenson Hall

Suspended

Attempted Extortion

Feb. 6

Tuscany Village

Suspended

Unknown Sexual Assault

Unknown

Unknown

Chose not to report

6 Arts

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sonomastatestar.com

‘The Vagina Monologues’ returns to raise funds for local crisis center

EMILY KOWALSKI STAFF WRITER

“T

he Vagina Monologues” is back at Sonoma State University on Feb. 15, 16 and 17 in Ballroom A at 7:30 p.m.

“The Vagina Monologues” was written by Eve Ensler in 1996. The play has been translated into 48 languages and has been performed in over 140 countries Tickets are $5 for students, $10 for faculty and staff and $15 for community members.

Tickets can be purchased both online and at the box office in the Student Center. All proceeds go to Verity, Sonoma County’s only rape, crisis and trauma healing center.

“Some of the goals of ‘The Vagina Monologues’ is to promote V-Day, a day created by Eve Ensler to raise awareness about different issues which affect trans/nonbinary folks and all womxn, to support Verity and to highlight people’s stories that often go untold or underrepresented in mainstream media,” cast member and Sonoma State senior Giovanna Castellanos said.

Verity is actively trying to end violence on a local level. It was founded in 1974 as Women Against Rape, which stood solely against the rape of women and helped them with trauma support.

The company now focuses on preventing all violence, with a focus in rape and abuse.

With the proceeds from this show, Verity can provide prevention education workshops to over 5,000 Sonoma County youths ages 5 to 19 each year.

Being a non-profit, Verity relies solely on donations and grants to stay open and support women.

“The Vagina Monologues” showcases 58 Sonoma State students and strives to educate and change social attitudes towards violence against women and girls all over the world.

Ensler is an American playwright, performer, feminist and activist. She was awarded the Isabelle Stevenson Award at the 65th Tony Awards. This award recognizes an individual from the theatre community who has made a meaningful contribution of effort and time on behalf of humanitarian organizations.

Ensler was awarded with this because of her creation of the V-Day Movement, which is a non-profit that raises money and informs society about violence that happens against women and how to prevent and stop it.

The show includes a series of monologues performed by women of different races and ages. Most of the content is designed for mature audiences and addresses taboo ideas of sex, orgasms, rape and abuse.

“The show stands against gendered violence and shows society that we’re not going to stand for it,” senior Brieanne Forbes said. “We aim for awareness and public knowledge.”

The goal of this show is to normalize these taboo ideas and show women that being liberated and free is acceptable.

It is okay to talk about sex and masturbaSTAR // Christine von Raesfeld tion as a woman and this show tells the audi- Cast members Chloe Johnson, Sami Hill and Jenna Zager proence that fulfilling your own needs is not as mote The Vagina Monologues in Seawolf Plaza. unheard of as it seems in the media.

With the current standing of the women’s community,” junior Deja Whitney taboo ideas, so students won’t want movement and equality drive, this is a better said. “Being bisexual myself, I feel to miss the experience. time than ever for a compelling show to be like representation in that area is im“The Vagina Monologues” will produced. be performed in Ballroom A in the portant and present.”

“There are a good amount of people withThe strength of the cast and the Student Center on Feb. 15, 16 and 17 in the group that are apart of the LGBTQ+ context of the show is sure to compel at 7:30 p.m.

10 million gamers virtually attend Fortnite concert TERESA GULLI

STAFF WRITER

D

J Marshmello debuted a 10 minute live virtual concert exclusively to online gamers of Fortnite leaving the fans begging for more.

This virtual concert held over 10 million gamers and is consider the biggest concert ever, virtual or not, partially because a venue cannot hold that large of a crowd.

“What makes me happiest about today is that so many people got to experience their first concert ever. All the videos I keep seeing of people laughing and smiling throughout the set are amazing. Man I’m still so pumped.” Marshmello said on his Twitter, Inside the game, Pleasant Park appeared for a limited time only for players to join the party with the “Alone” song DJ. Fans were able to dance and listen to the live performance along with Marshmello and other fans for an experience in Fortnite’s history.

Fortnite, developed by Epic Games, has grown in popularity in the past year, now with more than 125 million players.

With such a large audience to reach, this is a great platform to host a virtual concert that can also

be recorded for those who cannot attend in the high quality.

As the platform is geared towards teenagers featuring fun and viral dance moves, it gains a lot of attention to streamers on Twitch, platform to stream game play, with one of the most known streamers, Ninja, and to celebrities like Marshmello, Travis Scott and Drake.

This widely known and used platform brings accessibility to teenagers playing.

Fortnite’s detailed graphics best captures the experience of an actual Marshmello concert.

To start, there was Marshmello on the stage performing with his turntables and visuals on the jumbo screens behind him.

The realistic lasers, holograms of the Fortnite skins (the players outfits), and his vocals throughout the show make it captivating to be apart of.

“And it was quite visually impressive. The stage came to life with building-sized holograms of Fortnite characters, while a custom set of graphics played behind Marshmello’s avatar.” According to The Verge, ”At certain points, timed to the shifts in the fast-moving dance music, the stage would alter gravity, sending players bouncing into the sky and even

f loating in place at one point.

Different dance moves could be played throughout the concert with the Marshmello’s exclusive dance move.

Weapons were also disabled during the event to ensure a fight and death free zone making sure that no player would miss out on the show.

Every person who attended could get a front row seat.

Fortnite also sold a Marshmello skin and specialized dance move in their item shop.

“This gave gamers an experience to be him while also attending from the comfort of your own home,” Fortnite’s account tweeted.

This may have set a whole new approach for fans to attend a concert and for free.

This is a way to give to the fans who cannot attend the concert due to financial reasons, transportation and age restrictions possible.

Virtual events such as this are especially important to those who cannot physically attend the event because of disability reasons.

By popularizing online and free concerts and events, Fortnite is able to increase awareness and help to fix the accessibility issue with large scale events.

Student Spotlight of the Week: Hailey Patrick

KAITLYN BRADLEY STAFF WRITER

I

gnoring the negativity to follow her passion, Hailey Patrick shines in her role of Johana in the play “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”.

Patrick is a sophomore here at Sonoma State University. She is a Music Performance major with an emphasis on voice.

Patrick will be staring in her second major role in her performance of “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” but getting there has not been the easiest.

Patrick first fell in love with musical theatre at a young age by watching the beloved collection of Disney movies, her favorite being “Beauty and the Beast”. She would dress up to dance and sing to the soundtrack of the movie.

Her grandma then took her to see her first real live performance.

“My first show was seeing ‘Mary Poppins.’ My grandma bought me a ticket for Christmas and I went absolutely crazy for just how beautiful a stage production was. After that I just constantly wanted to do theater,” Patrick said.

Patrick has been performing in plays since her freshman year of high school. Though she fell in love with theater, some of her memories from those days are not the fondest.

“When I got into high school I auditioned for the show that was going on,” Patrick said. “I actually was cast in the chorus all my time in high school because my director had a body bias, so since I was like a bigger looking woman she told me I was masculine

looking and she told me that I would never play a female romantic lead and that totally hurt my self esteem.”

Patrick’s freshman year at Sonoma State was a major turning point for her theatre career. She auditioned for the main lead of Charlie Brown’s sister Sally in “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” and with great shock she got the role.

This weekend, she will be performing in her second main lead playing Johanna in “Sweeney Todd.”

“Last year in ‘You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown’ was my first ever lead, my first time speaking on stage,” she said. “Then Johanna in ‘Sweeney Todd’ is a romantic lead so it’s my second lead of all time and it’s been here.”

Patrick has been preparing for several months for her dream role of Johanna in the production of “Sweeney Todd.” She gets to do it side by side with her best friend Noah Evans, who is playing the main role of Sweeney Todd.

“This is actually the second time working with Hailey now in a show, and just like the year before, she is an absolute gem. The way she handles herself on stage is so professional, and her voice is absolutely stunning,” Evans said. “My favorite part about her is how truly kind and genuine she is. She’s my absolute best friend in the world, and she is and always will be a ray of sunshine.”

Patrick is beloved by many of her castmates and they see how hardworking she is.

“Working with Hailey is an experience I won’t forget. She works incredibly hard for perfection and you can see that when you see the show,” said cast mate Vivian Knee.

Patrick went from being in the background of the chorus for four years to now in just the two years she’s been in college, landing two major lead roles.

She is the epitome of having confidence in yourself and hard work pays off.

Go see Patrick and her castmates perform in “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” in Person Theater.

This will be the last weekend you will be able to see them perform.

STAR // Jessica Rivera Sophomore Music Performance major and “Sweeney Todd” actress Hailey Patrick.

Entertainment 7

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sonomastatestar.com

COURTESY // Netflix

COURTESY // Down to Earth Cafe and Deli

Down to Earth Cafe and Deli Review

KAYLIE BOETTNER STAFF WRITER

H

idden in plain sight is the delicious gem that is Down to Earth Cafe and Deli. It is located in downtown Cotati right across the street from Friar Tuck’s Pub and Spancky’s Bar, making it a prime location for locals.

Down to Earth Cafe and Deli was started in 2017 by owner Chris Ball.

He has been in the restaurant business since he was 14 years old so owning and cooking at his own cafe and deli was a no brainer for him.

The first thing one will notice when walking into Down to Earth Cafe and Deli is the chalkboard walls behind the counter that read off the menu items.

It has a rustic theme with mason jar lights hanging down from the ceiling and local artwork hanging on the walls. Ordering is made easy at the corrugated steel counter where they give a number for the table.

The atmosphere is quiet with a mix between a restaurant and a cafe.

It is definitely busy around lunch time and while the cafe itself is small there is outside seating available.

They offer a variety of appetizers, fresh salads, sandwiches, sides, and entrees.

The local dungeness crab roll described as “fresh picked local crab is to die for. Tossed with garlic herb butter. Served warm on a torpedo roll.”

This sandwich is an all time favorite dish to get from Down to Earth Cafe and Deli. It is dripping in butter and filled to the brim with fresh crab.

The crab roll is served warm with either french fries or a small side salad.

The local dungeness crab roll is really rich since it is deliciously

drenched in butter so sharing it with a friend is always a good option unless someone is up for the challenge.

The roll costs $22 which may seem a little pricey for college students but freshness is priceless.

Keep in mind that this sandwich is seasonal because their menu is based on availability and seasonality.

Besides scrumptious food they also offer a variety of beers on tap, wine, and soda.

Down to Earth Cafe and Deli offers delicious alternatives if seafood does not hit the spot such as a classic wedge salad for $12, a pulled pork sandwich for $13 and shells and cheese for $11.

They also offer something to satisfy a sweet tooth. The beignets with powdered sugar and a whiskey sauce are light and f luffy and will do the trick.

Down to Earth Cafe and Deli is open Monday through Sunday for lunch and dinner. Sunday through Thursday open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Friday and Saturday is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

They also have catering and carry out available just call ahead of time.

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and if someone is not looking for expensive fine dining this is a great option for a cute and local venue.

This cafe is very delicious and supporting a local business is always a smart investment. The prices are fair and the food is local and fresh.

Down to Earth Cafe and Deli motto is “We are a local cafe making great, house made, locally sourced & sustainable food at reasonable prices.”

Their statement could not be more spot on with what their cafe and deli offers customers.

Netflix Original’s “Russian Doll” Review

DEVON PIQUE STAFF WRITER

O

n Feb. 1, Netflix released an exciting new miniseries, “Russian Doll”, created by Natasha Lyonne, Amy Poehler, and Leslye Headland.

At a glance it may seem as though it’s premise has been done to death, but a closer look reveals a surprisingly interesting story that takes a unique spin on the concept of time and emotional growth.

The show follows protagonist Nadia Vulvokov, played by Natasha Lyonne, as she navigates her way through her 36th birthday party, only to die and begin to repeat the night over again.

As this process of dying and starting over continues, clues as to what exactly is going on come to light and more of Nadia’s personal life is revealed. The more questions that are answered the more that seem to appear.

With a 5/5 rating on Vox, a 95 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and an 89 percent on Metatronic, it’s clear that the comedy drama has impressed critics.

The show perfectly balances humorous moments with darker scenes in order to keep the audience surprised and interested.

The miniseries, “turns from comic to mournful and back again, but at at no point does the show lose it’s soul,” according to Esquire.

Its writing is well done which brings a high level of depth to its characters and an interesting story to follow.

“Russian Doll” uses its plot almost as a backdrop to Nadia’s development as a character.

While certain things are happening in the plot, often times, they are metaphorical for what is happening in Nadia’s own mind.

Of course, the wittiness of the story is nothing if not backed up by a powerful performance.

Luckily Natasha Lyonne’s portrayal of

Nadia is marvelous and she delivers an outstanding performance. She really captures the character’s emotional growth well, while also managing to be hilarious at the same time.

“Lyonne, in a powerhouse performance, upstages her own series by managing to be even more memorable than its unique central conceit,” says Film School Rejects.

One gripe some people may have with the series is while “Russian Doll’s” ending explains a lot of the mysteries of the show, some small things are left unexplained.

While this may be frustrating for those who are nitpicky, the finale uses the time it could have spent on tying up loose ends on completing each character’s development and telling a rather symbolic story.

It gives you just enough things left unexplained that you can interpret them however you’d like.

The show has great replay value.

After watching the end it is fun to go back and see all the things you missed the first time.

“Russian Doll” does an excellent job of leaving subtle hints without giving away the ending, so when watching the second time you will wonder how you didn’t realize what was going on sooner.

At a little under 30 minutes per episode, it only takes around four hours to get through all eight episodes.

This makes it a great show to binge watch.

Overall, “Russian Doll” has a surprisingly unique plot with well written characters and superb acting.

It is a story with many different interpretations and one that makes you think about life and morality.

SSU art exhibit brings awareness to the creativity of disabled individuals GARRETT KITCHEN STAFF WRITER

T

he Sonoma State University Library Gallery has been recognized recently after a creative art exhibit was placed in the second floor of the building.

Alchemia: A Spectrum of Creativity, is an exhibition that displays many types of art such as paintings and ceramic pieces.

The exhibition was created collaboratively with the University Library Gallery Committee and the non profit organization Alchemia.

The organization is focused towards helping those with disabilities find a way to creatively express themselves. The pieces of art in this exhibit are all created by individuals with disabilities, varying from colorful, dynamic paintings to smaller ceramic animals.

The program helps to gain more awareness towards this unique style of art and what these individuals have to offer.

Liz Jahren, the artistic director of Alchemia, said that they were particularly interested with examining this style of art. Jahren is an alumni of Sonoma State, so she felt it was best to bring this exhibit somewhere she is familiar with.

She said that over the years, it has changed her life working with these individuals,“It’s an exuberance of life and spirit that comes through their choices of color, and what they choose to draw, paint, or create.”

Jahren enjoys spending time with these individuals, since she says can relate to the “outsider identity” that they may be facing themselves.

Jahren is also looking for any students interested in being a facilitator or mentor for Alchemia, which includes helping these individuals and being apart of someone’s artistic journey as they grow.

Along with Jahren, Darren Sargent took part in creating this exhibit in the university library. Sargent, curator of A Spectrum of Creativity, says that he was inspired by these artists’ talent and hard work that goes into creating these pieces.

Sargent chose which pieces would be placed in the exhibit, and also expanding it to other parts of the library as well. These additional pieces of art can be seen on the North side of the second f loor spreading out along the back wall.

“This exhibition gave me the opportunity to reexamine the joy of the creative process in my own work without the extraneous factors often inf luencing and motivating normal abled artists,” said Sargent. He adds that is was very inspiring and humbling to see the talent of these individuals and the creative pieces that they make.

Megan Sollenberger, a third year Geography major, was inspired by this exhibit and the message it is sending to others.

“It is important for everyone to express themselves creatively whichever way that will be; I am happy there is an exhibit on campus that is very inclusive for other students,” said Sollenberger.

She adds that it is special to have these pieces of art shown on a larger spectrum, since this style of art may not be recognized as much.

Sollenberger spends most of her time studying in the library, so she enjoys seeing the diversity of exhibits being shown periodically in the gallery.

The vision for Alchemia states, “A future in which all people with disabilities are valued as contributing members of our society.”

This exhibit helps to push those boundaries and allow these individuals to express themselves in a way they feel most comfortable.

The exhibit is specifically located by the en-

trance of the library through the second f loor. The exhibition will continue through March 25, with a reception being held on Feb. 27 from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

STAR // Jessica Rivera Junior Ava Garcia looks a unique piece of art at Alchemia: A Spectrum of Creativity in Sonoma State’s Art Gallery

8 Student Life

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sonomastatestar.com

LGBTQI leader comes to campus

OLIVIA WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER

T

he Women’s and Gender Studies (WGS) Department of Sonoma State University is collaborating with other campus groups and spokespeople to put together the Queer Studies Lecture Series 2019. Activists and members of the LBGTQI community are speaking on a different topic every Monday from 12:05 – 12:55 p.m. in Ives Hall Room 101 until April 29.

Award-winning advocate Aria Sa’id had her lecture, “The Paradox of Transgender Visibility,” on Monday, Feb. 11 this week. Sa’id presented on “the simultaneous rise of transgender representation in pop culture and hatebased violence against trans women of color in the streets,” according to the Seawolf Living website.

Sa’id is a senior policy advisor, cultural strategist, writer and the founder/director of the Kween Culture Initiative, which is a movement towards cultural equity for transgender people of color. Sa’id’s position as the senior policy advisor for the San Francisco Human Rights Commission has her focus on humanitarian efforts for LGBTQI violence prevention as well as trans women of color, sex workers and racial equality.

“I chose to discuss the paradox of transgender visibility to have an honest conversation on the abrasive reality of being transgender in the world,” said Sa’id. “I think with increased visibility people have been actionable in learning about the humanity of transgender people.”

On Feb. 1, Sa’id became the Executive Director of the Compton’s Transgender Cultural District, which is the first of its kind in the country. A key focus of the district is to “create a hub for social and cultural growth while preventing the displacement and the creation of employment opportunities for transgender residents,” according to the San Francisco Examiner.

Sa’id is an inf luential part of the community and continues to create new ways for people to feel represented and included.

“I hope students can think critically on how race and class/caste systems inform the experiences that we don’t get to witness often,” said Sa’id.

“Every moment has brought up race and yet we are consistently in denial of bringing it up both in the U.S. and the Western world overall.”

The Women’s and Gender Studies Department at Sonoma State has a mission of interrogating social structures, institutions and ideologies as they shape everyone’s gendered lives, as well as envisioning alternate possibilities through intersectional social justice views.

The WGS major has been interdisciplinary in the way students and professors examine the experiences and opportunities of both men and women as they relate to race, ethnicity, class and sexuality.

Professor Don Romesburg, Ph. D., a professor in the WGS department, has been a part of putting together the Queer Studies Lecture Series 2019.

Romesburg’s scholarly publications ad-

COURTESY // The San Francisco Examiner Advocate, policy advisor and strategist Aria Sa’id. dresses male youth sex work, the social history of queer performers and many others.

“Sonoma State’s Queer Studies Lecture Series brings movers and shakers in queer activism, scholarship and art from across the country to our campus,” said Romesburg. “Many students are transformed by learning about how queer studies and art connect to larger

social issues and their own lives.”

Sophomore Claire Leever chose to declare WGS as her major after she had taken a queer studies class last semester. “It involves a lot of feminist theory and brings to light a lot of injustices that happen in our country and within our society,” said Leever.

All lectures are free and open to the public. All are welcome.

‘No’ just as important as ‘yes’ THOMAS PETERSCHMIDT

STAFF WRITER

F

ebruary marks another Valentine’s Day. The day is about love and appreciating those around you. Many celebrate the day with chocolates, date nights and romantic gestures.

No matter if you are celebrating with a new significant other, the same person you’ve been with for a while, or with some friends, it’s crucial to remember the importance of consent.

As students need to take the Title IX course, they learn about consent.

However, with only a brief course, there can be many questions following.

A session called Embodied Consent, which focused on connecting the mind with the body when dealing with consent, was taught on Thursday, Feb. 7 in The HUB. “The learning is in your body, what does a yes feel like in our body… what happens in our body when we say no,” said Shauna Farabaugh, a Somatic Sex Educator.

Farabaugh, who lead the event, has been teaching Somatic Sex Education for more than a decade. Somatic is a type of psychology that refers to changing up your way of thinking so you understand, “My mind is great but my body is equal-

ly brilliant,” said Farabaugh.

Farabaugh has taught this workshop at high schools but has never taught at a public college in California besides Sonoma State. Even though knowledge of consent is not new information, it is still important and is not being taught how it should be used in everyday life.

As consent is a well known subject in our society due to the efforts of Title IX, people still have been accused of not using this powerful tool correctly.

“Being able to track our pleasure and then communicate what we want in a highly charged erotic situation is impossible without practice,” said Farabaugh, paraphrasing Caffyn Jesse, another well known Somatic Sex Educator.

With so much emphasis on consent being a tool for navigating sexual activities responsibly, many forget that consent is needed in everyday life outside of the realm of sexual encounters. Consent is needed for any sort of physical contact, such as hugging and touching a person.

This is usually started with a “May I” or a “Will I” before some sort of physical action, Farabaugh said.

As consent is talked about everywhere from on campus, the news and job trainings, it still needs to be implemented regularly throughout the nation.

COURTESY // Shauna Farabaugh Somatic Sex Educator Shauna Farabaugh.

“It’s not a surprise that we struggle culturally with consent because we don’t practice consent.” said Farabaugh.

Even though these important workshops seem to be far and few between, there was a good turn out of interested students and faculty. Many students return to these workshops because they see them as important.

“I went to [Farabaugh’s] last workshop. I thought her work is important and I want to learn how to be more in touch with my body.” said Kylie Walker, a senior English major.

As this workshop was meant to

teach about oneself, it was also a great way to learn more about expressing wants.

“If I know what I want and need, then I can listen to what they want and need.” said Alex Sahim, a senior Business major and Queer studies minor.

With Valentine’s Day coming and going and Sexual Assault Awareness Month soon approaching, everybody will need to understand how to express their feelings in the most appropriate way possible.

Farabaugh will be back in April for another workshop.

STUDENT LIFE CALENDAR Screening of El Canto del Colibirí

SHAC Puppy Play Day

Alpha Gamma Delta Presents: Lip Jam

Friday at Lobo’s - Game Night

Wednesday, Feb. 13 6 P.M. Student Center Ballroom B

Thursday, Feb. 14 11:30 A.M. Seawolf Plaza

Friday, Feb. 15 7 P.M. Weill Hall

Friday, Feb. 15 8:30 P.M. Lobo’s

BSU/VIBES Game Nights - “Spades”

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Sonoma Film Institute Presents: Walkabout

DIY Saturday

Wednesday, Feb. 13 7 P.M. The HUB

Thursday, Feb. 7 7:30 P.M. Evert B. Person Theater

Friday, Feb. 15 7 P.M. Warren Theater Ives 101

Saturday, Feb. 16 7 P.M. Casentino Room

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Charitable roses for Valentine’s Day KAYLA ALLEN STAFF WRITER

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alentine’s Day is coming up, and the ladies of Alpha Delta Pi are selling roses for Valentines Day. “Roses for Ronald” is Alpha Delta Pi’s charity event for the Ronald McDonald House, where people can buy roses and have them sent to their Valentine.

This year, the event lasted from Feb. 4 to Feb. 8. The ladies were tabling out in the Student Center Plaza everyday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

After the event is over, the sorority tags each rose and delivers them to each girl or guy in a greek organization on Sunday, Feb. 10 during the afternoon and evening. People who are not in greek organizations can purchase the roses as well and pick them up in the Student Center Plaza.

This year the chapter ordered 1,000 roses and sold 800 of them.

“We are selling the roses for the Ronald McDonald House which is a nonprofit organization.” said Karina Martin, sophomore member and philanthropy chair of Alpha Delta Pi. Roses cost $3 per single rose, $2.75 for 4-7 roses, $2.50 for 8-12 roses and $30 for a dozen.

For many years now, Alpha Delta Pi has been selling roses and donating the proceeds to the Ronald McDonald House.

The Ronald McDonald House Charities is an American independent nonprofit organization that focuses on creating, find-

STAR // Jacob Loher From left to right: Alpha Delta Pi members Juliana Wells, Maddie McGrogan and Karina Martin table for Roses for Ronald on Thursday, Feb. 7. ing and supporting programs that help the health and well-being of young critically ill children.

The Ronald McDonald House was founded in 1974 in Philadelphia, PA and now has 367 houses internationally. The organization has created programs to strengthen families during difficult times by providing vital resources and care for the children and families being served by hospitals worldwide, according to Ronald McDonald House.

“Roses for Ronald is a very sweet way to contribute to a good cause and a great

way to get your valentine a rose,” said Alissa Saylor, a junior Hutchins major.

“I’m happy to help out with something so meaningful.”

“Tabeling for Roses for Ronald was really fun. It’s one of our most prominent philanthropy events and it’s so fun to see people buy roses for their boyfriends, girlfriends and friends,” said Zayna Zinnel, a junior Hutchins major. “It’s really cool that so many Sonoma state students visit our table to support the Ronald McDonald House.”

Annually Alpha Delta Pi hosts Roses

for Ronald and competes in other philanthropies every year. In fall 2019 they will be hosting The Run for Ronald where all greek organizations on campus and people from the community participate in a 3 mile run.

The run costs $20 per person to participate. All the proceeds made from the event are donated to the Ronald McDonald House of Charity.

Last fall, the event was unfortunately cancelled because of the fire and other complications. Their hope is to have the run in the spring.

Seawolves SPEAK! “What is your ideal Valentine’s Day date?”

MARISSA UGARTE STAFF WRITER

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alentine’s Day is this week and it most likely won’t be like the Valentine’s Day enjoyed in elementary school.

In elementary school, Valentine’s Day was one of the most anticipated days of the school year. Everyone came to school decked out in pink and red, spending so much time perfecting the decorations on their Valentine’s box, all the while knowing that soon all the candy and desserts they can think of will be theirs.

The best part of the day was not just the collection of candy, but came when everyone got to exchange Valentine’s with everyone else in the class. More than likely, everyone left school with a pink and red box filled with candy and sweet notes from their classmates.

Disappointingly, Valentine’s Day isn’t celebrated that way at Sonoma State University. It’s not as socially acceptable or financially responsible for adults and college students to bring Valentine’s for the entirety of each and every one of their classes.

However, adults and college students are able to make their own plans for the special day.

“Spending Valentine’s Day with someone I truly love and she loves me and we accept each other for who we are and we go out and have a good time.”

Traditionally, Valentine’s Day is meant for two people to express their love for each other by presenting f lowers and notes signed “Your Valentine”.

However, Valentine’s Day isn’t just for couples anymore. Galentine’s Day, a holiday created by fictional character Leslie Knope of the television series “Parks and Recreation” to celebrate female friendship, has gained traction. Galentine’s Day is even giving Valentine’s Day and run for its money on social media and gift possibilities, according to The Atlantic.

Whether it’s spending the day with someone special or some friends, there are always ways to celebrate.

With Valentine’s Day this Thursday, most students and faculty will be stuck in class making it hard to celebrate with those they love and cherish. Nonetheless, most people already have an idea of what a perfect Valentine’s Day will look for them.

Some ideas include a fancy dinner date with someone special or a movie night with friends.

For inspiration on how to celebrate Valentine’s Day, here are some students and faculty sharing what their ideal Valentine’s Day date is.

“I would love to go on a hike at Annadel State Park and then go sparkling wine tasting around Napa, then end the day with some fire Mexican food.”

-David Macias, Business Department Accounting Professor

-Gabi Degen-Nosek, senior, Communications major

“A nice long couples massage, just relax and then end the day by going to a sushi dinner.”

“Taking a lovely gal to a great dinner in San Francisco and then take her dancing after.”

-Karina Dulberg, junior, Wine Business major

-Andy Oh, freshman, Kinesiology major

“Spending the weekend in Big Sur.”

“Going to the lake on campus and setting up a picnic blanket with candles and eating sushi.”

-Cole Monroy, freshman, Undeclared

-Nina Potts, sophomore, Computer Science major

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Anudokem’s 14 points lifts Seawolves past SF State Gators

HOLLY CHANDLER STAFF WRITER

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he Sonoma State Seawolves women’s basketball team took a big win in their game against the San Francisco State Gators on Saturday Feb. 9. The Seawolves won with a final score of 7865, allowing the women’s basketball team to get one step closer to qualifying for playoffs.

The Sonoma State women’s basketball team now stands at an overall record of 9-10.

The Seawolves were determined for a strong comeback after previously losing their first game against the Gators on home territory. Despite this game being in San Francisco, the Seawolves let their presence be known by coming out hot and with lots of energy.

The Seawolves took the lead immediately with a layup by number 22 Sophie Northern. This was followed with a good 3-point shot by junior Kylie Kiech. Kiech managed to score 11 points against the San Francisco State Gators on Saturday.

Sonoma State kept the lead the entire game with the help of freshman Zane Sheckherd who scored a solid 12 points.

When Sheckherd was asked how the team prepared for their game against the Gators she said, “We just knew we had to come out and play our game and what we know. Just the details needed to be put into this game and we did that."

Junior Ugochi Anudokem was an essential player and top scorer on the Seawolves fight to victory against the Gators. Anudokem showed her determination by dropping 14 game-defining points.

Anudokem said, “I think the biggest thing that helped us win today’s game was definitely our defense. We always rely heavily on our

STAR // Ethan Prins Junior Kiley Kiech goes for a shot at Pack the Den this past weekend. defense and we did a great job at limiting San Francisco’s offensive opportunities.”

Anudokem went on further to say that, “another thing that helped us win was the fact that we knew if we didn’t win this game, it would be much harder for us to qualify for playoffs.

We had a new energy that we have never had all season. This is one of the best games we have played all season.”

The Seawolves only have a handful of games left in the season before playoffs.

Playoffs for this team are definitely a strong motivator and push the athletes to perform to the best of their abilities. This season the Seawolves have thrived under pressure and use the competition as fuel towards reaching their goals of a championship.

Seawolves’ senior, Brooke Santander looks forward to

playing their next game against Cal State Monterey Bay. Santander was full of determination and confidence when she said, “There are a lot of things we felt good about leaving today’s game. Carrying over that level of energy and focus we brought today to next week’s practice will be crucial.”

Santander went on further to say, “Every game is a battle in this league so we know we have to bring our best, especially on the road.”

The women’s basketball team plays Cal State Monterey Bay on Feb. 14 at the Otter Sports Center. Sonoma State’s next home game is on Feb. 21 at 5:30 p.m. against University of California San Diego. For more information concerning scores and game times for the women’s basketball team, visit sonomaseawolves.com

Men’s lacrosse overwhelms Claremont in 21-6 win JACKSON WALDRON STAFF WRITER

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t was a cold and rainy home opener but that seemed to bring the best out of the Seawolf transition offense and man down defense. Claremont kept the game competitive early, but the precision of Sonoma State smothered Claremont in the big win.

The first quarter quickly entered a lock at 2-2. Sophomore Hayden Dall then proceeded to score and assist on three consecutive goals to close the quarter at 5-2. “The rain made the beginning of the game pretty sloppy and difficult but I think we came together and finished strong,” Dall said.

The Seawolves were plagued by penalties to open the second quarter. Although their man-down defense played well, eventually it was too much to overcome and Claremont scored to make it 5-3.

Junior midfielder, Joey Piombo, scored three goals in the game. Piombo was a top three goal scorer for the team last year and is excited about the team as he enters his third season.

The men’s lacrosse team celebrates their win against Claremont

Multiple penalties initially troubled the Seawolves production, but penalty trouble did not bother the Seawolves for long. They would close the first half by scoring three goals making the score 9-4.

The second half would see the Seawolves pull away in the game. Bad passing paired with the pressure of Sonoma State’s defense constantly interrupted Claremont’s f low. Due to this, they struggled to transition and sustain offensive pressure.

The third quarter opened with goals from Piombo and Dall, quickly making the score 11-4. After Claremont scored, the Seawolves would then erupt for five consecutive goals. The third quarter ended with the score at 16-6.

The fourth quarter gave head coach Panchito Ojeda the luxury of trying some different combinations of players on the field. After a strong three quarters, goalie Jackson Feinstein was relieved and Andrew Moore was able to see some time in net.

With their defense playing well and the offense firing on all cylinders, Sonoma State would score all five goals in the final quarter, making the final score 21-6.

The offense was led by senior standout, Angelo Lagomarsino and sophomore, Hayden Dall.

They had a clear connection in the game, scoring and setting up many of the Seawolf goals. With Dall scoring six and Lagomarsino scoring five, the Seawolves have plenty of offensive talent to be excited about this season.

Lagomarsino, who serves as a captain on the team, was proud of the team with their first game and win of the year, “I feel good about the game. We played a lot of man down defense but our goaltending and man down squad played outstanding,” The men’s lacrosse team, which have a storied history of winning and success, have their eyes set on winning the championship this year.

The Seawolves next game is at Rancho Cotate High School against Santa Clara on Saturday, COURTESY // Brian Baer Photography Feb. 16 at 1 pm.

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Sports 11

COURTESY // David Rhoades Senior Anthony Clyma take a big swing against Fresno State.

Seawolves begin baseball season 1-1

ALEX FUNCHESS STAFF WRITER

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ollowing their two games against Fresno Pacific University on Sunday, Sonoma State’s Baseball record is 1-1 to start the season. The team was able to pick up a win in their second game with strong defensive efforts. Senior reliever, Michael Byerline, emphasized his teams strengths and weaknesses goals in a post-game interview.

“We were able to throw a lot of strikes on the mound today which limited the amount of free bases we gave up,” Byerline said. “On the other hand, we got caught in a few base running mistakes that costed us some outs.”

The Seawolves lost their first game against Fresno Pacific 7-5 but managed to bounce back in the next game, winning 1-0.

“We should be a little more patient at the plate.”, Byerline said. “Our hitters got caught off balance and chased balls out of the zone a few times, but that’s to be expected in our first series of the season. Otherwise, we were pretty solid defensively.”

The pitching staff shutdown Fresno Pacific during game two of Sunday’s doubleheader. Junior, Robert Towne, had five strikeouts while Tyson Canfield, Senior, closed the game leaving Fresno Pacific scoreless.

“Our team works amazing together this season,” Byerline added. “This is the best team chemistry we have had out of my four years by far. Everyone loves playing with the guy next to him and that is really going to help us during the long season.”

With a 26-24 record last season, the seawolves were just shy of making the postseason in 2018.

“Our team last year underachieved in my opinion,” said the senior reliever. “We had a lot of talent but it never really meshed at the right time and it resulted in us miss-

ing playoffs by half a game.”

Byerline has been of great help on the field during his time at Sonoma State with a 2.70 ERA during his freshman year. Now in his final season as a Seawolf, Byerline expects to continue supporting his team with a positive mindset.

“One of the biggest challenges is staying positive and resilient when things aren’t going our way individually or as a team,” Byerline also added.

The team is optimistic about this upcoming season with hopes of winning the national championship. Catcher Patrick Tolbert is confident he can help carry his team to the postseason following the team’s win on Sunday.

“My individual goal is to drive as many runners in that I can,” Tolbert said. “Our goal is to win a national championship. As a senior captain on this team I have a large impact on that becoming a reality.”

Looking to bring his veteran experience to the field, Tolbert is prepared to conquer the team’s defensive struggles.

“The team works very well together on and off the field.”, the Catcher explained.

“The team struggled last season with some of the defensive consistency. If our pitchers hit the spots they need to hit, there is no stopping them.”

“I will personally face the individual challenge of increased playing time which will demand that I keep my body in the best possible shape,” Tolbert concluded.

Sonoma State’s baseball team has an exciting season ahead of them and appear prepared to overcome defensive obstacles. With significant support from team veterans including Michael Byerline and Patrick Tolbert, the Seawolves should have their eyes set on the postseason.

Men’s golf continues success in first spring tournament

JOEY PIOMBO STAFF WRITER

The Sonoma State Men's golf team traveled to Vista, California on Feb. 2 to compete in a tournament. The tournament took place at Shadow Ridge Golf Club on Feb. 4-5. This tournament was hosted by California State University, San Marcos. Here, 15 teams showcased their skills meaning the Seawolves were forced to compete with some great competition. Some teams that made the trip as well were Oklahoma Christian University, California State University, Monterey Bay, California State University, Chico and University of California, San Diego.

The team wrapped up the tournament finishing in fourth place. This placement is definitely something to be proud of considering the other great programs that attended the tournament. Another team member, junior Devin Gregg went into a play for a individual spot eventually ending up being defeated on the fourth play-off hole. This tournament was a success for the Seawolves.

Prior to this tournament the Seawolves have shown great success in the fall semester competing in multiple tournaments. The two most recent competitions being in Waikoloa Village, Hawai’i, and Marina, California where there were great opportunities for the team to prepare for their spring tournaments. The team placed 11th out of 17 teams during the Otter Invitational hosted by the CSUMB otters. The following week the team then travelled to Hawaii. Here they placed at a very well respected 3rd out of fifteen teams. These tournaments helped prepare the team for the road ahead.

The Seawolves brought five of their seven team members to travel and compete.

Throughout the two day tournament the competition was non-stop. Depending on the day, the individual team members would play either 18 or 36 holes a day. Basically, this means that each member of the Seawolves would be testing themselves against at least 18 challenging holes a day.

Senior golfer Spencer Clapp explained how the tournament was scored when saying, “We play either 18 or 36 holes each day and we take our best four scores out of five. The tournament is all stroke play so you must play your ball out until it is holed for all 18 holes.”

With every successful placing there are always lessons to be learned and improvements to be made. When talking to Clapp he explained something that could improve the team when stating, “We can all improve in our shot games.” Shot games are when strokes are taken inside 30 yards, which includes putting.

This will help the teams overall scores eventually landing them higher on the rankings.

The team was not completely satisfied, “Going forward we have all identified our weaknesses and realized it was not a bad tournament for us, however we definitely would have done better.” Clapp said.

As a team it is always important to take accountability and grow from competition. It is vital for the Seawolves to continue to build as a team in order to continue to climb the rankings.

The teams next tournament is only two weeks away.

The team will be competing in the Bay Area Invitational at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, California on Feb. 25. To help support the team or follow their future tournaments visit sonomaseawolves.com.

COURTESY // sonomaseawolves.com Senior Spencer Clapp follows his shot during the Fujkura Invitational.

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Vagina Monologues Ticket Sales Draw Excitement

STAR // Christine von Raesfeld Kelly Cruz (left) takes a promo photo of Christopher Aguilar (right) after purchasing his ticket to the show.

STAR // Christine von Raesfeld Cast member Chloe Johnson (left) describes the premise of Vagina Monologues to student Shasta Cobry (right).

STAR // Ethan Prins Student Blake Collins takes a giggle break from his homework while in the library.

STAR // Christine von Raesfeld Kevin Kosmatka (left) grabs a flyer from cast Chloe Johnson (middle) to learn more about the upcoming show.

STAR // Ethan Prins Students Meredith Ford (left) Timothy Wilbur (middle) and Stephanie Farris (right) concentrate on their Sunday night homework.

STAR // Jacob Loher Alpha Delta Pi members Juliana Wells (left), Maddie Mcgrogan (middle) and Karina Martin (right) talk to students who are interested in buying a rose to support their philanthropy event “Roses for Ronald�.