Volume 82 // Issue 6

IN THIS ISSUE

SSU Softball

Coffee with a cop

Art exhibit

After losing by 10 in their first game, the Seawolves bounced back big-time. Read the story on PAGE 10.

The chief of police wants to bring university police and students closer together. Read more on PAGE 9.

The university art gallery is showcasing art from 39 different alumni. Read about it on PAGE 7.

SINCE 1979

VOLUME 82 // ISSUE 6 MARCH 5 - MARCH 11, 2019

THE UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT RUN NEWSPAPER

Nursing program receives two awards SAMANTHA BILLINGSLY STAFF WRITER

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onoma State University’s nursing program recently received two top-ten awards for its registered nursing and graduate nursing programs.

“We have a very cohesive and strong faculty that works really well together, and we all hold the students to a really high standard,” said Dr. Mary Wilkosz, the chair of the nursing department.

Sonoma State’s nursing program was rated number five out of the 126 similar programs in the state for achieving a 98 out of 100 passing rate on the NCLEX. The NCLEX, or the National Council Licensure Examination, is an exam that each college uses to determine whether or not the student is prepared for an entry-level nursing practice.

The graduate program was also rated in the top ten in a different study for a number of things, such as its student services and graduation rate.

But what makes the nursing program stand out among all the other programs at Sonoma State University? Well, according to the faculty and students of the nursing program, it is the people that really set the welcoming and academic atmospheres.

The nursing program is exceptionally difficult to get into and the competition is fierce. The minimum GPA for the program is a 3.0, and a long list of other requirements must be met in order to get in.

Around 400 applications will be sent in vying for a spot in the pre licensure program, although only 24 will be accepted. According to Wilkosz, “Out of the 400 applicants there were maybe close to 200 that met all the requirements. Half of them we didn’t even look at, because there was something missing.”

Currently the program has 48 students, 24 of those students in the pre-licensure program, and they are pushed much harder than the average college student.

The idea that the students need to be near-perfect is something that adds to the stress of the program.

Despite the competitive nature in the program, the students do their best to help each other out. With the knowledge their classmates will also apply for the limited 24 seats, they study together, compare notes, and do their best to support one another.

The faculty also supports the students as best they can, despite their challenging courses. They have office hours, sometimes stay after class, and inform the students about tutoring options.

It’s clear the program is competitive and taxing, however the program is outstanding not just because of its high success rates, but also because of its passionate faculty and helpful students.

@SONOMASTATESTAR

Major flooding in Sonoma County BRADEN CARTWRIGHT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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eavy flooding from a large winter storm greatly impacted Sonoma County last week, flooding the Russian River area, shutting down businesses, creating mudslides, fallen trees and road closures.

On Wednesday, Feb. 27, the entire town of Guerneville was f looded, where residents were ordered to evacuate.

The water level of the Russian River reached 45 feet, well above the 32-foot f lood level. This led to Guerneville becoming virtually an island, as the city was inundated by brown river water. Rescue boats and resident canoes patrolled roads turned rivers.

The f looding prompted California Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency.

“Repetitive atmospheric river storm systems continue to cause widespread impacts throughout California; and these conditions require continual emergency response, including significant f lood fight, repair, reconstruction work, and debris removal…I find that conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property exist due to the winter storms,” the proclamation stated.

County Supervisor David Rabbitt announced the county’s staggering damage assessment of the f lood on Facebook on March 2. They estimate a total of $155 million in countywide f lood damages.

Approximately 1,760 houses and 545 took “major damage,” according to Rabbitt.

Beyond the Russian River area, many cities across the county dealt with the effects of the atmospheric river, even

COURTESY // Press Democrat An aerial photo by the Press Democrat highlights the extent of the flooding in Guerneville, with houses half-submerged.

Pictured, the aptly named River Road swamped with water on Feb. 28. those that weren’t necessarily in f lood-prone areas. Seventeen school districts closed 45 campuses, according to the Press Democrat. This means over 12,000 kids stayed home from school. Rancho Cotate High School, adjacent to Sonoma State, was closed after the campus lost power.Traveling was increasingly dangerous and time-consuming with cars stuck trying to cross f looded roads, and major commuter arteries closed by fallen trees.

Story continued on page four.

“Handshake,” the new job search engine JONAH TROSKY STAFF WRITER

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onoma State University has made a change to their job search engine from “Seawolf Jobs” to the much more userfriendly “Handshake,” aiming to make students’ job searches easier in the process.

“Handshake has some more dynamic features and gives us access to more jobs for students,” Career Center coordinator Audra Grady Verrier said. Handshake is often mobile as well, “So students can access more of the system on their phone,” continued Verrier.

The job-seeking platform for recent graduates was launched in 2014 by three Michigan Tech graduates who were “struck by the inequality in access to opportunities.

By the end of last year, Handshake had partnered with over 500 schools and had as many as 100 employees and counting.

Handshake is not only used for full-time jobs but is used for internships and part-time jobs also. “I am so excited we can bring this much-needed change to our community of Seawolves,” career advisor Becky Young said.

The switch from Seawolf Jobs to Handshake is in full effect and as of March 1 there will no longer be a Seawolf Jobs. The change has an abundance of benefits, but having “employers [that] are already on Handshake… creates more opportunities for [students],” career advisor Kelsey Bensky said.

Now employers can connect directly with Sonoma State “rather than creating a new login on simplicity and remembering they need to hire Sonoma State students specifically,” Bensky added.

With employers being one click away from posting their jobs for Sonoma State students, “The timeline is much quicker as well and jobs are available more quickly,” Bensky

said. Handshake will be benefiting Sonoma State students, alumni, and employers alike, something Seawolf Jobs could not necessarily say.

Seawolf Jobs was a nice place to look for jobs, but when comparing it to Handshake, it is laughable. Handshake will have around 1,500 different employment opportunities, Seawolf Jobs would have about 300-400 jobs at a time, Young said. The career advisors are happy “to better serve our students,” Young said.

The only concern is “implementing it, so making sure students are aware and educated about [it].” Verrier said. Often times customer service can be tricky to get ahold of, but Handshake allows that problem to disappear. “So far they’re great; their customer service is awesome, their help desk is awesome, so we’re able to as things come up really troubleshoot with them very quickly,” Benskey said.

With new technology, there are often issues that arise, but students can call the Career Center for help anytime at (707) 664-2198.

Another unique difference between Handshake and Seawolf Jobs is Handshake is meant for college students. “The employers who use Handshake want college students,” Young said.

With that being said, there should be a lot less wasting of time, “There is no searching through 20 jobs only to find you don’t qualify,” Young said.

Handshake is not only an awesome tool for finding jobs and internships, but it is also going to be used for this year’s career fair. “They can see which employers are coming to the fairs and they can even go so far as to what employers are being hired for,” Verrier said, referring to Sonoma State students.

Handshake is really becoming popular because of how user-friendly it is; multiple CSU’s and UC’s have started using it. To make an account, all you need is your username and password. Once an account is made, Handshake

gives you a plethora of options to demonstrate your interests and to help employers better find you.

For recent graduates, there are a myriad of job-seeking websites out there, although there is currently no better tool than Handshake.

Handshake is the way of the future and Young believes it is easy to see why. “Handshake is going to change how we get students connected to their career,” she said.

COURTESY // Handshake Handshake was launched in 2014 by three Michigan Tech students who noticed a “massive opportunity gap.” Sonoma State has made the switch from Seawolf Jobs to not only make searching for jobs and internships more accessible, but to triple the amount of available jobs and internships for students.

2 Editorial

MARCH 5 - MARCH 11, 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

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: “New Title IX changes turn universities into courtrooms” Last week’s social justice events brought a number of notable speakers to Sonoma State. Hear from one of them, on the changes to Title IX that will allow for victims to be cross-examined.

Read the story on page nine.

Corrections/Clarifications

An article in last week’s issue of the STAR titled “Club fair bring together diverse groups” incorrectly identified Joanie Ly, who is the Campus Life Advisor for Clubs, and misspelled her name.

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.

STAR // Kevin Flores

Lack of diversity deserves attention

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onoma County is a notoriously white region. So white, in fact, that nearly two-thirds of the estimated 496,253 citizens in 2015 were white, an astounding 40 percent more than the next-highest ethnicity: Hispanics.

While the Hispanic population grew 36 percent from 2005 to 2014, the African American population continues to hover just above one percent, or an estimated 6,506 people.

That is only eight percent more African Americans than were in the county ten years prior; an estimated increase of 519 people.

With such a startling discrepancy in the prevalence of minorities, and with almost no discernable growth among minority groups -- other than Hispanics -- over the last decade, it can be easy to see why issues of racial tensions seem few and far between.

However, this is not to say that they do not occur.

On Jan. 29, Sonoma State’s Hollis Robbins, the Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities, recited several poems by renowned African American poets, including the works of Langston Hughes and Amiri Baraka, among others. She recited them in their entirety, reading aloud several racial slurs, including the N-word, in the process.

“When I’ve read it in the past, it’s been with respect, because I respect these poets,” Robbins said. “I’ve never said

the word except when these poets say it.”

As the Star has covered extensively in recent weeks, outcry over the event was swift, prompting Robbins to issue a public apology at a discussion forum in the Sonoma State HUB, an “integral center for diversity, vitality, and creativity” located in the Student Center, on Feb. 7.

Robbins explicitly said at the forum that she was more interested in hearing the stories of those which she offended than explaining or defending that which offended them.

Which was the right choice.

Sonoma State, while more diverse than its county, is about 50 percent white, with another 28 percent being Hispanic.

Still, though, the student body is only two percent African American, meaning that, of the estimated 9,400 undergraduate and graduate students that attend, less than 200 are African American.

Coming from a predominantly-white population, a majority of the students and faculty at Sonoma State—and others within county lines— cannot, and will never, understand what it means to hear or see racial insults and indignities used in reference to them or their peers.

This, to logical minds, should leave them with two things to do in such an instance: shut up and listen.

Stop rationalizing. Stop explaining. Stop trying to re-

solve it. Instead, try listening to what happened. Listen to why it upset them. Listen to what can be done to prevent it from happening again.

Far too often, people accused of wrongdoing or carelessness spend the following moments, days or even lifetimes explaining, apologizing or justifying what they said or did instead of doing what most people would consider sagacious: paying attention.

Instances like the #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter movements come to mind, where those accused—rightfully or wrongfully—seem to take up more time denying or explaining than they do listening.

The minority population may never change in Sonoma County, although recent trends look to prove otherwise. Regardless of that, it is important that the county is as welcoming as possible to the minorities that currently live here, and in order to do so, its residents need the proper mindset.

“At the HUB, mostly I wanted to hear the hurt,” Robbins said while speaking at the forum. “I heard the hurt, I acknowledge the hurt, and I’m sorry about the hurt… I want to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.”

By acknowledging the situation and giving those voices a platform, Robbins made a decision that granted them the simplest—and most important—action of all: her attention.

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.

Letter to the editor

Dear editor, I have been an avid reader and loyal fan to the Sonoma State Star, but Volume 88 Issue 4 left me rather disappointed. I found the front-page headline article to be extremely unfair and slandering to the Dean of Arts and Humanities.

The department of Arts and Humanities enables and promotes the professional study of literature.

Art and literature are intertwined with history—bringing along with that is sensitive material such as the United States history with slavery. It is no secret that there has been turbulence and tension with the issue of race in today’s world making the topic sensitive and difficult to talk about. I think it is great for Sonoma State to be talking openly and discussing issues around the campus’s racial climate, but I believe the article unfairly jeopardizes Dean Hollis Robbins reputation on campus for merely doing what she has been educated to do.

As a student studying Literature here at SSU, I find English to be a way to appreciate the linguistics of words, art, and history simultaneously. A text is a piece of art; one that holds its own beauty for every aspect. In reciting poems written by artists Amiri Baraka and Langston Hughes, Robbins would be doing an injustice to their art by reciting it any other way than the original way it was written. If Robbins were to omit the N-word within the poems, she would be altering long standing art and history. We are all scholars here studying at a University and should be able to be professional when studying a text. All the words in a text (specifically poems) are selected intentionally; Baraka and Hughes wanted that word in their works; if they didn’t, it would not have been there in the first place.

Dean Robbins is a professional woman, and by reciting the N-word she was only doing what English scholars do; respecting a text for what it is and how it was written. While everyone is entitled to their own opinions and feelings about the situation, having Robbins face with a controversial headliner be front page news for doing exactly as her department teaches students to do (appreciate a text), is a stretch and sends a false message to everyone that sees the newspaper. I find it even more unfair that this is happening while Robbins has only been part of the Sonoma State community for a single semester, putting a stain on her name so early in her career here.

Jessica Miller

Opinion 3

MARCH 5 - MARCH 11, 2019 sonomastatestar.com

Youtube Kids leaves parents concerned for children online

KAYIE BOETTNER STAFF WRITER

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illions of people of all ages use the internet daily whether it be through a computer, tablet, or phone. A plentiful proportion of those users are young children on gaming sites and video sites such as Youtube.

The internet is not regulated and with children being so tech-savvy nowadays it is hard to know what exactly they are getting themselves into. Parents do not want to have to regulate their child’s every move, so Youtube came up with an apparent solu-

tion. Youtube Kids was launched on February 23, 2015 with the concept of having a safe place for kids to explore and watch videos.

Parents have the ability to customize their child’s experience with a screen timer, sound setting and search settings. Youtube Kids has included a space for parents to leave their comments and concerns.

Youtube writes on their blog, “For years, families have come to YouTube, watching countless hours of videos on all kinds of topics. Now, parents can rest a little easier knowing that videos in the YouTube Kids app are narrowed down to content appropriate for kids.”

The problem with this statement is that the app has not actually narrowed down the content to make it appropriate for kids. Youtube Kids has been facing backlash for years over the safety of the app. The Youtube Kids videos may seem like kid friendly videos at a quick glance but upon further inspection they contain disturbing content. Inappropriate videos of well known Disney and Nickelodeon characters in lewd positions or commit-

Ancestry corporations give DNA access to FBI

ting suicide are some of the videos that slip through the algorithm.

The New York Times wrote, “Many have taken to Facebook to warn others, and share video screenshots showing moments ranging from a Claymation Spider-Man urinating on Elsa of “Frozen” to Nick Jr. characters in a strip club.”

“Young children are often frightened by sudden changes and transformations, and so may be particularly upset when characters they know and trust are portrayed in disturbing situations,” Matthew Johnson, director of education for MediaSmarts, a Canadian non-profit organization that focuses on media literacy programs told CBC.ca.

These videos are teaching children subjects that are far past their age and could emotionally affect kids in the long run. There are always going to be horrible people out there that do disgusting and disturbing things and it is everyone’s job to protect the children of this world.

Pedophiles have been known to use the comment section of Youtube Kids.

They will timestamp a specific moment a

Opposing inequality, and other heroic positions

COLE MCKEITH STAFF WRITER

TERESA GULLI

STAFF WRITER

T

he trust between companies and the public is being broken by a breach in the privacy for the customers. Ancestry DNA testing companies have now given permission to the FBI to access the DNA, but this is leaving many customers betrayed and upset that their information was given away without formal consent.

Ancestry DNA testing have been a recent trend and people are willing to spit their saliva into vials and have it sent off in result for their ancestry results. Although the testing is not fully accurate with changes constantly, there is a trust between the company that their data is the most up to date. There is not much more that finding your ancestry or health possibilities. Policies have been changing so now there is more that can be done with the DNA and that is in the hands of the FBI FamilyTreeDNA is the one of the first to let the FBI have access to their customer’s DNA. It’s soon before the big named companies such as Ancestry.com and 23 and Me give up their information.

According to New York Times, “A company spokesman said late Monday that the FBI is only able to see other DNA profiles on FamilyTreeDNA that share some of the same genetic profile. Users can disable the “matching” option in their account settings, which would prevent the FBI, as well as ordinary users, from seeing their information.”

Numerous ancestry DNA testing companies have given information to the FBI for criminal analysis. This will be to help run a larger database to be able to track criminals and serial killers to create a lead.

According to Fortune, “On a case-by-case basis, the company has agreed to test DNA samples for the FBI and upload profiles to its database, allowing law enforcement to see familial matches to crime-scene samples.”

Although the FBI cannot access to more than the user, customers are still upset that they have access as that is not what they intended when giving their saliva.

Companies such as 23andMe are not handing the DNA to the FBI as easily. There must be a court order to get the information but are still working with the pharmaceutical industry.

According to the Atlantic, “Co-founders Anne Wojcicki and Linda Avey outright told the San Francisco Chronicle that selling kits was only the first step.

‘The long game here is not to make money selling kits, although the kits are essential to get the base level data.

Once you have the data, [the company] does actually become the Google of personalized health care.’”

When the public became aware of their DNA being used more than just for ancestry informational purposes, the trust with the company banishes. Customers become weary of where their DNA is going and now understand that there is a goal of consumer profit.

According to BBC, “In a blog post when the deal with GSK was announced last year, CEO Anne Wojcicki said she believed combining 23andMe’s genetic research with GSK’s drug development expertise would accelerate the development of scientific breakthroughs.”

Soon customers will have their health data scanned and profiled for what drugs could fit them and be sold directly. However, many individuals feel uncomfortable with their health and wellness data being accessed by major drug corporations.

It is always important to research and understand all the different sides before giving away your personal information and data.

child could seem to be in a suggestive pose even though to the average person it just looks like a kid playing with their toys. Pedophiles will also connect with each other through the comments and will even post links to pornographic videos.

Pedophiles invading a supposedly kid friendly site is any parents worst nightmare. Parents do have the ability to flag videos on Youtube Kids they find inappropriate but the problem with that is most children are watching unsupervised.

The lack of parental supervision is not Youtube’s fault. Youtube has recently disabled the ability to comment on videos featuring young minors and even older minors “that could be at risk of attracting predatory behavior” according to Youtube’s blog.

Youtube needs actual humans to watch the videos that are uploaded from unfamiliar channels claiming to be for kids.

If parents are going to let their children use technology unsupervised they need to consider the risks involved. The internet is not meant for children and never was so parents need to be more vigilant if they want to protect their child’s innocence.

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any would agree that while college campuses have always been a center of politically and culturally progressive thought, today’s students take a larger interest in the promotion of progressive politics than they have in the past. It would be difficult to find any college student who confessed support for the social ills often the subject of criticism from campuses across the nation: racial and gender inequality, wealth disparity, man made climate change, and so on.

Any person that possessed the virtue of reason could find no stance from which to combat the concerns that many express on these topics.

However this general atmosphere of progressivism does not

easily apply to the actual politics of college students. According to The Atlantic, American students are more polarized now than any time in the last 51 years. Of course, there’s nothing inherently wrong with homogeneity of cultural values if they are well-founded, but the issue here is that there may exist an illusion of shared values where there may not be any meaningful overlap.

Regardless of students’ political leanings, college freshman are still more politically engaged now than they have been since around the mid-20th century, according to FiveThirtyEight. There exists a significant and unprecedented interest in political discussions and public policy-making, such that this interest palpably affects the atmosphere on college campuses.

It isn’t valid to criticise the uniformity of political opinions on college campuses; it simply doesn’t exist. One may suggest that the problem, rather, is that the suggestion of this sameness of opinion can only occur in the absence of meaningful political discourse, the sort of discourse that demands conflict, criticism, and disagreement. A more relevant point is that are not often forums on college campuses that promote unheard voices that do not align with a popular narrative.

A common occurrence is the repetition of popular opinions that collect praise and approval from others. Very few could openly and confidently disagree with others’ as their concerns relate to the matters political instability in the U.S. government, or the threat of crises created by climate change, or the intensifying stratification among America’s wealth groups. The problem is not with any single one of these ideas, but with the notion that any one of these concerns deserves or needs to be regularly repeated as a means of solidifying their importance. It may be taken for granted that any of these or related issues are constantly on the forefront of many college students’ mind, especially when they directly concern many modern students.

For the health of of public discourse, political discussions on college campus require more sincere, constructive conflict. It may be difficult to judge the nature of such discussions in their best form, but they may be preferable to conversations in which inside and outside the classroom students and instructors alike anticipate support for the simplest political virtues, even as their repetition gradually dilutes the alarm with which they were once treated but always desire.

The exhausting reality of workism worship

JACK MESSIER STAFF WRITER

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he ever-daunting term, workism, is subsumed under two core areas: the belief that work is not only vital to economic production, but also the leading hallmark of one’s identity and life’s purpose—defined by economist Derek Thompson.

Significantly, as it permeates American families in Sonoma county, the Bay Area and across the country, the the fiery drive for financial success is ignited by more than a burning incentive for working til’ the flame runs out--especially via the most common incentive, money.

Namely, it’s also been drilled into us as a belief that any hopes of maintaining—let alone elevating— human welfare, for the vast majority of American workers, is only achievable through more work.

Alas, now more than ever, as the American dream dangles its appeal over the American (work) fiend, ritualizing workism, though we all do it, only reaches a profound point of “transcendence” for -very- few.

Namely, for the “college educated elite” of the country, as Thompson references.

Whether we point to high-ups of local Silicon Valley juggernauts, “Hollywood elites,” or those at the helm of American transnational corporations, of course, it has become increasingly clear that true engagement at the workplace is, at the least, conditional on -lots- of money. However, if we view workplace engagement as a backbone of successfully upholding a strong “moral code” by which workism demands--the harsh reality of our engagement, or motive to ritualize workism, is one that has inevitably plummeted across the employee spectrum: among the middle class, especially.

In February 2017, management consulting company, Gallup, conducted a nationwide poll to understand the state of the American workplace. The findings surrounding workers’ engagement were jarring: 70 percent of U.S. workers are not engaged. Just like the employers of disengaged workers, one would also think that money, the most commonly used incentive to elevate engagement, then becomes the catalyst to quit if such workers’ dissatisfaction pushes them there--but its not.

Rather, as 89 percent of employers believe employees leave for more money. However it comes as a surprise that only 12 percent of U.S. workers actually do for such aims. This is not stupefying, though, considering the shackles modern workism’s extremity places on the ubiquity of American people.

Nevertheless, components like a real, harnessed sense of community--let alone a transcendence of worldview-- is rampantly declining throughout workism’s facilitation in American livelihood.

Seemingly, the tiresome wings of dissatisfaction expand even wider in U.S. workers across the board: corporations constantly catapulting ads our way, daily, among a myriad of other culprits, masks Americans’ sense of what to value and why to value it.

Case in point, with the average modern American relinquished to roughly 5,000 advertisements daily-- a figure gathered by marketing firm Yankelovich, Inc.-- it becomes increasingly easy for corporate elites and tech giants, like Apple, to subdue U.S. citizens to the belief that new, advanced products open opportunity for an advanced lifestyle, or welfare status.

Be that as it may, with more U.S. workers enlightened to the dehumanizing means of monetary enslavement, workism’s crumbling masquerade as a vital, ritualized centerpiece to an elevated and happy lifestyle is a belief unveiled for the worse.

Ultimately, in what Thompson believes has evolved into an engine for identity production, workism and its relationship with the state of American values today is a love affair by which the former has steadily lost control. One can’t help but question: how quickly will this already steady loss of influence become more drastic?

4 News

MARCH 5 - MARCH 11, 2019 sonomastatestar.com

SSU expands freshman housing Commentary

CLARK FAHRENHOLD STAFF WRITER

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t the start of the 2018 - 2019 academic year, Sonoma State University made the guarantee that all freshman would have on-campus housing available to them.

The University announced the decision this past fall that the plan would be put into action as they felt “ Guaranteed housing for first-time freshmen provides peace-of-mind to students and families while they explore their university” The university feels that providing campus housing to first-time freshmen is critical to the student’s success from day one to when they graduate. The plan was also spurred into action by the 2017 wildfires that struck Sonoma County, which destroyed more than 5,000 houses in the area.

With Sonoma State’s plan, the housing initiative will help alleviate concerns of incoming students to find housing in such a competitive rental market, and while there is no denying the benefits of guaranteed housing for the freshman, there are still some possible issues that could arise for the university in the near future in terms of overall living spaces for students.

With freshmen now taking up a majority of dorms, it will leave some sophomores and Juniors who rely upon on-campus housing in an odd situation, based purely off of there being less living spaces and options for older Sonoma State students.

Ryan Winer, a sophomore at Sonoma State, said, “While I think the new policy for freshmen is one that is beneficial, I also think it kind of forces some non-freshmen who want to live on campus off [of campus].”

Some upperclassmen even expressed a desire to stay on campus, like Jimmy Torosian.

“The dorms at Sonoma State are just great, I almost would say it’s better than any place you can live off campus based purely off quality.”

It is not just students like Torosian who think like this either, as the dorms have been listed in the “National Top 20 Best College Dorms” list by the Princeton Review, making it clear why so many students decide to stay in the dorms for two or three years.

This concern has become more prevalent for students due to a limited amount of off-campus living options in the greater Cotati and Rohnert Park areas, as these respective areas have become limited due to there being such a competitive housing market.

For some students at Sonoma State, finding a place to live off campus is one of the biggest challenges facing them in the coming years.

“Many properties and homeowners simply don’t want to rent in the current housing market were in right now,” said Wyatt Lewis, a junior at Sonoma State. “And many of them don’t want to rent out to college students as well.”

And truly this is simply a reality that many Sonoma State Students face, as ever since the 2017 wildfires the number of renters in Rohnert Park has dropped, with many people deeming their house more valuable to sell rather than rent.

Trulia.com, a home and neighborhood site for renters and buyers, has seen a decline of over six percent in the number of rentals available in Rohnert Park in the last six months alone, further indicating a tough housing market.

This past year, Sonoma State admitted one of its largest freshmen classes in recent history, as well as admitting over 2,300 new transferring students to campus as well.

When reached for comment, the Housing Department at Sonoma State said, “As of right now, we don’t have any plans to build any more on-campus housing.”

Sonoma State may not have an issue with housing right now, but it may be time for the university to look into expanding the housing on campus for all students.

STAR // Jacob Loher Sonoma State has guaranteed that all freshman will have on-campus housing available to them despite the potential ramifications for upperclassmen.

FLOODS: More rain expected this week Continued from page one.

After f loodwaters receded, a large-scale cleanup of leftbehind mud and debris began.

The Press Democrat reported how this latest North Bay disaster underscores the growing need for f lood insurance, which home and business owners must buy separately from property insurance. The Press Democrat reported that policy premiums often start at $325 a year and go up to $500 or more.

Twenty percent of policyholders live outside of f lood prone areas according to The Press Democrat.

Another storm is expected to hit the Bay Area this week, according to the National Weather Service. Although most of the rain is expected to fall south of the area in Central California, the North Bay is still expected to get roughly an inch and a half of rain, depending on the area. This is nothing compared to the five and a half inches Santa Rosa saw on Feb. 26, the day serious f looding began. It was the rainiest day in Santa Rosa’s history.

COURTESY // Press Democrat An aerial phto shows how Guerneville became flooded. A creek leading to the Russian River spilled over into the town, which has flooded numerous times in the past.

NEWS IN BRIEF Washington D.C.

House Democrats on Monday sent more than 80 letters demanding documents from family members, political confidents, business partners, and others who had connections with Pres. Trump, formally opening a large investigation as to whether he and his administration engaged in a littany of charges, including abuse of power and obstruction of justice, although the massive quantity of documents has led many to question the House Democrats’ strategy for probing the administration.

Alabama

At least 23 people are confirmed dead, three of which were children, in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia as tornadoes ravaged the south.

So far, it is the worst tornado outbreak in the United States in the past six years, potentially outpacing the category EF-5 tornado that ravaged Oklahoma in 2013, killing 24 people and leaving more than 200 injured.

California

Rainfall, flooding, and mudslides will return to California this weekend, although not in the Bay Area. Another atmospheric river is expected to hit the coastline and inland areas between San Francisco and Los Angeles, prompting many areas that avoided disaster last week to prepare for the worst next week. Rainfall is expected to range between one to three inches for coastal regions while snowfall is expected in the Sierras.

Vietnam

President Donald Trump met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un last week for an encore of their first summit. This time, however, both parties stepped away from the negotiating table without having reached any form of an agreement. Although South Korea and Japan praised Trump’s refusal to withdraw troops from South Korea, and despite national secuirty advisor John Bolton’s opinon that the meeting was a “success,” the summit was largely viewed as a failure by American media.

News 5

MARCH 5 - MARCH 11, 2019 sonomastatestar.com

Maintenance plans new landscaping

MADISON LAM STAFF WRITER

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onoma State is loved by many students, alumni, administration, and staff for its beautiful landscape and scenery.

Recently, some of Sonoma State’s oldest trees were cut down between Salazar Hall and Ives Hall.

The trees surrounded the miniature outdoor amphitheater, where many classes and peer groups do group and outdoor class activities. An informational email was sent out to all students and faculty during winter break brief ly stating the cutting down of the trees.

“As part of our campus tree care program, crews will be removing a few trees located south of Salazar Hall and north of Stevenson Hall over the next few weeks,” the statement read. “We will be taking down these pines and cottonwoods to prevent the risk of injury as these trees have reached the end of their life cycles.”

Paul Gullixson, Sonoma State University’s spokesperson, reiterated these words. “The trees were removed because they were getting old and needed to come down,” he said. “Most of the trees that were taken down were pines and cottonwoods that were starting to present a risk for those on campus.”

The removal began on Saturday, Dec. 22, and continued through Friday, Jan. 11. Because it was winter break, many students did not even realize that this removal was going to happen -- and when the spring semester began, many were wondering what looked so different about the area.

Some students and staff are sad to see the trees come down, but there is a plan being put in place to compensate for the removed trees. With every tree that is removed, Facilities are committed to

STAR // Jessica Rivera The amphitheatre between Ives Hall and Salazar Hall saw extensive landscaping over winter break with several trees being removed. planting a tree where the old one was removed.

Dana Twedell, the associate vice president for administration and finance for Facilities Operations and Planning, said, “As we remove trees, we’re committed to planting a tree for every tree that is removed. Some areas are over-planted, which causes stress to our trees, as well as to our buildings, so we need to review each condition case by case.”

Finance and Facilities Operations and Planning will be working with the campus Energy and Sustainability team as well as several members from Sonoma State’s Academic groups to make the “new tree and plant pallet for our campus” happen.

The new design will utilize materials that are drought tolerant, California native, climate resistant, and indigenous to the Sonoma County area, according to Facilities Operations and

Planning.

Although it is sad to see these beautiful landmarks go, it is exciting that there will soon be a new landscape design for Sonoma State’s campus.

“Nobody wants to see a tree come down, but like us all, they’re subject to illness, disease, and do have a typical lifespan as well,” said Twedell. “For safety purposes, especially in high-trafficked areas, we’ll always seek to bring them down, before they fall down.”

Barlow flooded, sustains heavy damage KASEY WILLIAMS NEWS EDITOR

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xtensive flooding in Sebastopol’s “Barlow” center late last week forced tenants to evacuate the area, leaving their shops at the mercy of the rising

tides.

Following three days of f looding, cleanup is now underway and damage is currently being assessed. Early estimates predict roughly $6 million in damages, both to the properties themselves and the inventory of the businesses.

Located along the Laguna de Santa Rosa, The Barlow was just one of several dozen areas impacted by the intense rainfall.

With f lood waters steadily rising higher and higher on Tuesday, tenants were told by management in an email late that night that they may implement the f lood barriers, although they did not receive any other updates until the following morning — but it was already too late.

The “city-approved” f loodgates, which Barlow owner Barney Aldridge and his advisors crafted over a six-year period, did little to prevent damage to a large portion of its shops, and the pumps installed during construction did not work quickly enough to mitigate the f loodwaters.

In the end, a handful of the business — once popular and thriving — may not reopen, including both the Village Bakery and The Crooked Goat.

Tenants like Kenner and Kendra Kolling, who lost their home in the 2017 wildfires, spoke with The Press Democrat about their misfortunes.

“I am just not sure if I can do this anymore, not after all the trauma my family and I have endured,” Kolling said, crying. “We are responsible for everything in the interior of our stores and The Barlow protects the exterior. But they sunk our interior by not having enough labor or responsibility to prepare

COURTESY // Press Democrat Some of the shops within The Barlow saw extensive flooding -- up to four feet in some areas -which lasted for three days, leaving most shops heavily damaged. for the f lood.”

With more rainy weather on the way, it is not known whether or not the f looding will reach The Barlow again this year.

Questions have arisen concerning, among other things, the management’s handling of the emergency protocol and the city’s approval of the development’s

plans in the first place, as surrounding business districts were raised some 20 feet in order to prevent disasters like this from happening.

As cleanup continues throughout the week and into next, more will become clear in the coming weeks as to the well-being of The Barlow and its tenants, although lawsuits may be on the horizon.

CAMPUS CRIME Crime

Date

Location

Status

Auto Burglary

Feb. 20

Parking Lot M

Suspended

Obstuct Police Officer

Feb. 22

Salazar Hall

Closed

Vandalism

Feb. 25

Art Building

Incident Only

Robbery

Feb. 27

Student Center

Closed

Disturbance

Feb. 28

PE Building

Closed

Disturbance

March 1

Old Redwood Hwy

Open

Trespassing

March 1

Provence Dorms

Open

6 Arts

MARCH 5 - MARCH 11, 2019 sonomastatestar.com

Student Spotlight of the Week:

JESSICA RIVERA STAFF WRITER

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Reilly Milton

itting the stage again next month, Reilly Milton plans to bring energy to the spotlight with her delightful performance in Sonoma State University’s upcoming theatre festival.

Milton is a third year student at Sonoma State University, and she is also the assistant membership recruitment chair as well as being on a committee for Phi Sigma Sigma. Milton started as a Theatre Arts major but later switched to an Early Childhood Development major with a minor in Theatre Arts with an emphasis in acting. After graduating, she hopes to find a way to incorporate theatre in helping socialize mentally disabled children.

Milton doesn’t know how she got involved with acting but has loved it for as long as she can recall. She always had a set path of wanting to do something in the arts. She used to do the tech-side of things in high school plays, but also found performing fits her as well.

“The very first show I can actually remember being in is at my old church when I was a child, so I did church theatre for a while when I was about 4 years old,” said Milton.

“Power Lines: A New Play Festival with Hard Hats” will be her third time hitting the stage at Sonoma State, her other performances were “Twelfth Night” and “Super Mega Molten Hot Lava.”

“Power Lines: A New Play Festival with Hard Hats” is a student-ran production that is coming to Sonoma State for the second year in a row. The show is featuring four separate pieces that are written, directed, designed and performed by Sonoma State students. The performance will be April 4-6 and 11-13 in Ives Hall.

Milton plays Dusty in the piece “Eat Your Heart Out” by Kyle Kiefer. The storyline is about Dusty who has recently died and is in another world with three Egyptian gods Imp, Osiris and Neptus. There she is faced with a ultimatum and it is up to Dusty to choose whether she wants to keep living lives on Earth or she will continue to fall into despair and no longer exist.

Dusty gets to relive parts of her life, but in the end she makes a decision that you will have to wait to see.

“I have a huge monologue in the show where its a page and a half of me doing a stand up comedy routine,” said Milton. “It’s a little terrifying every time we come to the page, but I know I can do it.”

Before every performance Milton explained that she finds herself nervous but the only way to break that is to just get on stage and do

what she has been practicing for this whole time.

Writer of “Eat Your Heart Out” Kiefer said, “So far, Reilly has taken to her role beautifully and already exceeds all of my expectations.”

Milton credits her grandmother who introduced her to theatre art by taking her to her first live production ever which was “The Lion King.” She described how her grandmother took her on a journey into theatre and helped her not only become interested in it but taught her as well.

“When I go with her, not only am I just having fun, but I get to learn all these new things, she’s like a historian about performance; she never went to college for it but she knows so

Musical director dies at 94

JULIANNA FERRARA STAFF WRITER

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STAR // Jacob Loher Early Childhood Development major and “Power Lines” actress Reilly Milton.

ollywood has lost a prolific director known as one of the pioneers of musical films, Stanley Donen, who died at 94 of heart failure in New York on Feb. 21.

Though his legendary works, Donen seemed to have slipped under the radar of high notoriety in Hollywood. He was never Oscar-nominated for his famous works such as “On the Town,” “Singin’ in the Rain” or “Funny Face,” starring Audrey Hepburn, but he did receive the lifetime achievement Oscar later on in his life in 1998 and will forever be remembered as a classic and innovative director. A huge, often neglected talent by Michael Phillips, an American film critic for the Chicago Tribune newspaper.

Several notorious members of the film industry have paid homage to Donen including Edgar Wright, and Guillermo del Toro who said, “before Stanley Donen actors sang and danced, he made the camera dance and the colors sing.”

Donen wasn’t only known for his musical classics, he’s also contributed much to the comedy, thriller and drama genres. Perhaps his most famous non musicals – “Bedazzled,” “Charade” and “Two for the Road,” where he worked closely with film stars such as Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant and Albert Finney, who also recently passed in early Feb, 2019.

Donen, born and raised in Columbia, South Carolina often faced tensions for being one of the few Jewish families in the community. He used film as an escape and after a short time in college, he dropped everything and moved to New York to become a Broadway dancer.

He started to gain momentum shortly after American dancer and actor Gene Kelly propelled himself in the movie business. Kelly got Donen a job helping to choreograph the 1944 film “Cover Girl”. Over the next few years he helped choreograph films such as “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” and “The Kissing Bandit,” both starring Frank Sinatra.

Donen lived an abundant life. Having been married five times, he had three sons and an embroidered pillow in his New York home that reads, “Eat, Drink and Remarry”.

Musical films were at their prime during the 1940s and 50s. Donen’s contribution to film will be noted upon for lifetimes to come having worked in multiple types of genres and even told The Associated Press in 1999, “there are limits to TV, and that’s what was fun: to try to find a way to be surprising within limits…because then you have to be inventive.”

The American Film Institute ranked their top 100 Greatest American Films of all Time in 2007 awarding “Singin’ In the Rain” number five on their list where actor Gene Kelly reported having a bad cold and a fever while performing the movie’s most famous scene.

It wasn’t until the 1980s and 90s that it started to be seen as a classic and was originally underrated after its first debut, seen as “high entertainment rather than art” according to USA Today.

Though Kelly played a huge role in Donen’s ascension to fame, the two actually had quite a tense relationship.

Donen often spoke of Kelly being hard to work with and reported that he could be “cold and condescending,” Donen said to The New York Times in 1996. “He could be difficult with me and everyone else.”

Nevertheless, the show must go on, and in Donen’s case it always did. His musical classics will indeed go on as giants in Hollywood history.

Director of the Theater Arts Department at Sonoma State University Scott Horstein can undeniably recognize “Singin’ In the Rain” as “one of the great film musicals.”

“My wife and I for years have been quoting all the wonderful lines from it to each other,” said Horstein.

Donen’s classic became a turning point in the modern film industry. One that paved way for the future standards of performance in musical films.

much.”

Milton’s grandmother always reminded her and her younger cousins, “you may sing well, but I sing with joy and passion,” and Milton will never forget that about her.

From a young age and not much direction her family always wanted to see her succeed. Her mother was very prominent in making sure she was receiving the proper classes and training she needed. It’s not everyday that you hear families being supportive of their kids trying to make a career out of this, but her family never lost hope.

Entertainment 7

MARCH 5 - MARCH 11, 2019 sonomastatestar.com

Art alumni get a new opportunity to share work WILL HAHN

STAFF WRITER

T

he Art Department at Sonoma State University is currently holding an alumni exhibition in the art gallery from Feb. 14 to March 10.

The gallery is titled “Then and Now” and features the work of 39 former Sonoma State students who are either currently pursuing careers as professional artists or teaching art at the college and high school level.

The exhibition contains beautiful oil on canvas paintings, ink on paper drawings, sculptures, photographs and more that are represented by former students all over the country.

Michael Schwager, art gallery director and professor in Art History at Sonoma State, said that all of the pieces came from Sonoma and the Bay Area to other areas such as Hawaii, New York and the northwest.

Schwager said that 17 of the former students in the current show had taught or are currently teaching art at the college level, while others have taught art in high school and beyond. He only chose former students for the exhibition who are currently producing art are active artists, while also looking at current pieces on some of the artists’ websites.

“I looked through all of our records starting in 1978, and you know, it’s not easy to find all of the artists that continue to make art,” he said.

Nevertheless, Schwager was delighted that everyone he contacted was thrilled about being able to be a part of the exhibition. He said that everyone he contacted got back to him quickly, with the exception of a few alumni due to inaccurate email addresses.

There was no rush to receive the art from the artists since the shipping of most of the art took about a week and the art department was planning the exhibition in the Fall.

Carla Stone, university art gallery coordinator, said that the shipping for all of the art was fairly straightforward with no damages or complications.

“All of the shipping was straightforward—either the work was shipped from out of town or it was handdelivered by artists still living in Sonoma County,” she said.

Stone also knew many of the artists that submitted their work and therefore correspondence with them was enjoyable.

The exhibition contains about two to three pieces of work from each artist, which was Schwager’s idea.

He also said that the title of the exhibition refers to former students’ current work that they accomplished since then. All of the pieces are contemporary, mostly ranging from the mid 1990s to today.

The pieces in the art gallery are made with similar materials, but vary in style. There are paintings of a self-portrait and a movie audience, to a photograph of a costume store and a silicone sculpture with sushi on top of it.

“For so many works of art, there’s not always an easy explanation,” Schwager said. “Especially when the artist gives you a title like ‘Untitled’, you are like, ‘Okay, I have to figure this out myself,’ and having it down on the f loor and not up on a pedestal just makes you kind of wonder what story it is.”

Schwager said that he is very pleased with the way this exhibition has been handled. He has dealt with in the past trying to obtain art from around the world and many other areas of the United States, which can be quite difficult.

Fortunately, most of the students who participated in the exhibition were from Sonoma County and the Bay Area. Not only does the proximity help, but former students who submitted their art handled it properly with care, so there were no worries about

STAFF WRITER

STAR // Will Hahn The University Art Gallery presents “Then and Now: The Fortieth Anniversary Alumni Exhibition.”

Sculpture by Amy Sampson.

STAR // Christine von Raesfeld “Then and Now” features art from 39 Sonoma State alumni and will be on display through March 10. damages or altercations with the work being shipped.

Some of the alumni had not been in touch with Schwager for at least 20 years, so it was a great experience for him to reach out to them and he hopes to have more alumni exhibitions in the future. Subsequently, he hopes that not only students will visit the art gallery and shows, but also the surrounding community.

The “Then and Now” exhibition would also be a great learning opportunity for students and faculty.

“I’d like to encourage any faculty to make use of the gallery as a resource; to bring their students to write

about the art, look at the art, or talk about the art,” he said. “You know, find connections to what’s in the gallery with what they are teaching.”

For some, art can just be staring at a painting for five seconds and then walking away to look at a sculpture for the same amount of time. However, for others, art can inspire, spark creativity and make us think. This exhibit is a fantastic representation of contemporary art from all different angles.

“I think one of the great beauties of looking at contemporary art is that the viewer is required to step up and do some work themselves,” said Schwager.

Duke Ellington Ensemble and Latin Band perform for spring concert

KAITLYN BRADLEY STAFF WRITER

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ooking for some exciting music to listen to on a Tuesday night? Come see the Sonoma State University Duke Ellington Emsemble and Latin Band perform live at Sonoma State’s Schroeder Hall on March 12 at 7:30 p.m..

The Sonoma State Duke Ellington Ensemble and Latin Band are made up of wonderfully trained musicians found at Sonoma State. They join together to put on this show filled with a range of music to make a fantastic night.

The Duke Ellington Ensemble is directed by Kasey Knudsen. She is an educator, composer, and saxophonist. Knudsen attended Berklee College of Music in Boston where she received her B.A. of Jazz Composition in 2001. She later relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area.

Knudsen performs with the Faculty Jazz Ensemble as well as teach Jazz Saxophone to students.

The Latin Band director, Kendrick Freeman, has been directing at Sonoma State for the last seven years and also a little bit of time back in the mid-1990s to early-2000s.

Freeman has had a very successful career with getting to tour, playing his favorite instrument, the drums, getting to record

music and directing music for all different groups like his Sonoma State students.

“I appreciate the dedication that college students have, particularly since many of them are considering a career in music. With that kind of focus I don’t need to try to get them excited about music; they’re already as excited about it as I am,” Freeman said.

Freeman has had a love for the drums since a very young age and thanks his mom for showing him the way to his love of music.

“The drums have been in my life since I was about 8 years old,” Freeman said. “I love all instruments but the drums support the band, and I enjoy that role and being able to connect with a wide range of musicians through them.”

Teaching the age of young adults in college, Freeman can see that majority of his students will want to play professionally after college. Having a long career himself, he knows what it takes and how hard you have to work to get there.

“You need to be persistent, both in your work ethic and your efforts to play with as many people as possible. This is a lifetime study and it may take awhile

before you have the musical experience and self-knowledge to direct your career towards what is congruent with your voice and spirit,” Freeman said.

“Never plateau, keep adding to your skills and understanding,” Freeman said. “Financial success is fine but if you got into music to make money there are way better ways of making money. Keep the love of art and humanity alive in your heart and explore.”

Sophomore Kevin Munoz is very interested in attending this event. He plays the jazz saxophone and classical clarinet for groups in school and around the area.

“I’m really looking forward to hearing what my classmates have been working on this semester. It’s also a great way to improve my playing,” Munoz said.

The show is a great way to not only show support for the music program at our school but also just to have a fun night out.

COURTESY // Sonoma State Music Department Sonoma State University Duke Ellington Ensemble performs.

8 Student Life

MARCH 5 - MARCH 11, 2019 sonomastatestar.com

Club Spotlight: SSU Mock Trial Team DEVON PIQUE STAFF WRITER

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he Sonoma State University Mock Trial Team won the school’s first major mock trial award, “Outstanding Witness,” at a Feb. 22 competition.

Mock trial is a club where students analyze made up cases, create lines of questioning, develop case theory and expand their argumentative analysis.

“What we do is we prepare for the actual trial. The competition is actually trying the case we’re working on,” said Team Captain Rebecca DeMent, “We have witnesses who memorize their statements from the case and then they have to respond to direct and cross examinations. The lawyers work on questions for the witnesses of our team and the other team.”

The team had been preparing for this competition since August, but were thrown a curveball when they arrived at the opening ceremony.

The host explained a team from the East Bay had two members drop from the competition so they could not compete. Instead, they would need to make a bye team, a team with students outside of the school, consisting of volunteers. One of these volunteers happened to be second year Hutchins major Erin Charlton.

“It was surprising because going into the weekend I hadn’t actually prepared to be a witness.” Charlton said.

“I told them I’ve only ever been an attorney but I’ll be whatever you need.

They said they needed me to be an expert witness, a primatologist.”

This turn of events seemed to be a huge stroke of luck, however, as Charlton managed to clinch the “Outstanding Witness” award, beating out students from Stanford, Berkeley, Davis and a litany of other universities in the CSU and UC systems.

Earning this honor was huge for Sonoma State as it was the first time the school has come back from competition with an award.

“We were all really happy,” said Mock Trial President Jennifer Bluestein. “Lots of these schools have had established teams for years and we’re relatively newer to this so it was pretty

COURTESY // Sonoma State Univeristy Mock Trial (Top) The SSU Mock Trial team in November 2018.

(Bottom)The SSU Mock Trial prosecution team with “Outstanding Witness” award winner Erin Charlton second from right and President Jennifer Bluestein on the far right. big for us to come in and win an award like that.”

Students on the Mock Trial team encourage seawolves who are interested in the club to check it out, as it has a plethora of benefits.

Academically, the club gives opportunities for you to grow and improve upon certain life skills you’ll need.

DeMen said there are opportunities for actors to sink their teeth into the many characters available, as well

many chances for critical thinking or argumentative analysis for those interested in law.

“It’s a great way to build on your leadership skills, critical thinking and your public speaking skills. It can only help you. Overwhelmingly it’s a wholesome experience for you academically.”

Of course, it’s not all just hard work. The club gives people the chance to grow socially as well.

“I think both years we’ve found a

strong sense of community...We become such a family at the end,” said Bluestein, “We get so close when we practice on the weekends for months and months. If you have the time to commit you should also do it for the social aspect.”

Ifinterested in more information on Mock Trial and how to get invovlved, you can e-mail them at mocktrial. ssu@gmail.com or check out their instagram page at @mocktrialssu.

Self-defense class returns to SSU GABRIELLA NOVELLO STAFF WRITER

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here are countless amounts of benefits when it comes to selfdefense training.

Being trained in self-defense gives you the resources and knowledge to be able to protect yourself and the people you love in situations where it’s necessary.

Alpha Delta Pi put on their fourth annual self-defense workshop at 7:30 p.m. on March 4, 2019 in Ballroom A. The Self-Defense Presentation and Class is an annual event hosted every spring.

Although the workshop was specifically catered towards women, it was open to all who were interested.

The speaker, Ben Brown, is the head coach at Phas3 Martial Arts in Santa Rosa. He understands the importance of self-defence in this society and wants to educate others on this topic.

In this workshop he will began with a powerpoint speaking about this topic and then moved onto a segment of the presentation where he encouraged people to join him and try out the tips and tricks he was teaching.

“There have been a lot of issues happening on Sonoma State University’s campus and on college campuses in general where women should know self defense. That’s why I think it’s so important we bring Ben.” said Sonoma State student Christa Pehrson. “To give an opportunity for all women on campus to have a free session on how to defend themselves because it is such a relevant issue on college campuses.”

Based on the Annual Security Report, in 2017 there were 19 cases of rape at Sonoma State University campus, two cases of statutory rape, and one case of aggravated assault.

According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), “11.2% of all students experience rape

or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation” despite only 20 percent of female student victims, aged 18 - 24, report cases of sexual assault to law enforcement.

These cases are realities and it is important for all to be as knowledgeable as possible in order to protect themselves fully.

One of the topics Brown discussed was sexual assault, which can be triggering and sensitive for certain individuals. However, sexual assault is one of the reasons why knowing self-defense is necessary.

Workshops like this are extremely useful and are a practical way for people to become educated on this topic given that it is free and open to university students as well as the public.

“Sometimes when I’m walking to my car late at night, even if it’s on campus, I honestly get nervous. I think knowing self-defense would help me feel more confident in times when I’m alone.” said Juliana Wells, an SSU student. “I think it’s important for all people to feel that confidence and security, whether you’re male or female.”

Whether it be going to the gym and strength training with weights, going to different conferences where you learn more about the body and tricks that can help you guard yourself, there are many different ways you can stay informed and ensure you are doing all in your power to protect you and your future self.

“As a man, I honestly haven’t had to feel that threatened when I’m places alone at night that, for lack of better words, feel kind of sketchy. With this being said, I recognize that most women have felt this way at times.” said Ian Fitzgerald, a greek life student. “I think this workshop is a powerful tool to not only give women the confidence when in those situations, but also the actual knowledge to protect themselves and to not feel that uncertainty.”

COURTESY // Alpha Delta Pi

Student Life 9

MARCH 5 - MARCH 11, 2019 sonomastatestar.com

New Title IX changes turn universities into courtrooms IX policy and how they will affect Sonoma State In November of last year, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos released a rewrite of the federal rules governing campus sexual assault. The regulations include establishing a narrower definition of sexual harassment, relieving colleges of the responsibility of investigating off-campus incidents and tightening reporting requirements.

“As an advocate for victims and as an attorney with a history of working for marginalized people, I

with a presumption of innocence.

If someone is sexually assaulted and they report it to their school, in order for the school to be allowed to discipline the person accused, they have to appear ocial Justice Week took place at Sonoma State at a live hearing and be willing to be questioned by University last week with speakers from difan attorney. ferent communities and backgrounds speaking “These changes are coming to Sonoma State,” on important issues facing our world today. Keynote said Neeley. “People are going to have to be willing speakers, panels and performances were held on camto be cross-examined.” pus and raised awareness of many social justice isCross-examination can be damaging to victims sues in our current society. and put them in a position of vulner“Social Justice Week covers mulability by having them recall what tiple sessions on various social justice traumatic events happened while beissues, many of which are rarely dising asked possible distressing quescussed on campus,” said Sociology protions by the opposing attorney. fessor and Social Justice Week organiz“Having a student cross-examer Peter Phillips. “As for sexual assault, ined by an attorney is just difficult women need to understand their rights to watch,” said Courtney Bullard, a and ability to safely report.” former general counsel at the UniverOn Feb. 27, Zach Neeley used his sity of Tennessee, in an article from voice to inform students and faculty The Chronicle of Higher Education. about the harrowing changes of Title “It doesn’t feel right in an educational IX that will soon be coming to our setting. It doesn’t feel appropriate.” campus. Focusing on the sensitive - Zach Neeley, Prevention Specialist for Verity, Many cases of sexual assault or topic of sexual assault, Neeley shared misconduct against students happen his knowledge with Sonoma State in on nationwide changes to campus Title IX rules. off campus, including off-campus the hopes that we understand what housing, parties, Greek houses, etc. can happen to us as college students.

Now schools will be allowed but won’t Neeley is a Prevention Specialist at Verity, Sonoma County’s rape crisis trauma and believe these changes are bad,” Neeley said. “We need be required to investigate those cases, that will be up to local law enforcement. healing center. Verity provides counseling, advocacy, to figure out what we are going to do about them.”

One of the policy changes that has faced intense “The bottom line is that by allowing schools to intervention and education in the community to help criticism from Neeley and many women’s groups, is use this new process and evidentiary standard, this eliminate all forms of sexual violence.

In his lecture, Neeley used his experience as an the new rule that schools would be required to hold rule would make it harder for survivors of sexual misattorney for legal aid and an employee at Verity to live hearings through third parties, which would be conduct to achieve justice,” said Rep. Bobby Scott, speak about what changes are being made to the Title conducted by a neutral decision maker and conducted D-Va, in a press release.

OLIVIA WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER

S

“As an advocate for victims and as an attorney

with a history of working for marginalized peo-

ple, I believe these changes are bad. We need to

figure out what we are going to do about them.”

Come have coffee with the chief of police KATHERINE KURTT STAFF WRITER

I

and an opportunity to ask questions while engaging UPD in great conversation,” out of the event.

Transfer student Hannah Brandon thinks that the event is a good idea for students to get to know the police officers.

“They are looking out for people and not trying

to do any harm.” Brandon said.

If any students, faculty, or staff are interested in a conversation with the University Police officers, be sure to head over to this event. It will be held Wednesday, March 6, from 9:30-10:30 a.m. at Charlie Brown’s Coffee on the first f loor at the library.

t’s imporntat for students, faculty and University police to be able to have a conversation. The University Police Department (UPD) is inviting all students and faculty to share a warm and inviting cup of tea or coffee at the Charlie Brown Cafe on Wednesday, March 6 in hopes to bring the UPD, faculty and students together. Chief of Police David Dougherty tries to regularly host “Coffee with the chief ”. Dougherty became the chief of police in 2018 after serving as interim chief since 2016. Prior to being the chief of police, Dougherty has served with Sonoma State University Police for 13 years. Dougherty wants to bridge the gap between students and the police force.

“I’d like the event to emphasize that the UPD is a great resource for our community and our team is approachable, knowledgeable, and dedicated to serving our community” Dougherty said.

The event is designed to bring students and oncampus law enforcement together in a relaxing environment and to engage in conversation without any tension.

“We do not bring a prepared agenda. The event is a great opportunity for students, faculty, and staff to simply talk to law enforcement professionals.”

Dougherty said. “In many instances, people never receive an opportunity to talk to police officers in a casual, non-enforcement type setting.”

Senior at Sonoma State University, Joshua Alegria, thinks that the event could be helpful.

“I think the event could hold a lot of potential and couldn’t do any harm.” Algeria said.

The UPD has made an effort in the past to make sure students are more informed on the safety on campus by coming to Greek Life meetings and sending out Clery Act emails concerning anything from sexual assaults to thefts. Chief Dougherty hopes stuUniveristy Chief of Police David Dougherty smiles at his desk last semester. dents get “Coffee, tea, our UPD Twitter username,

STAR // Analy Bravo

Student Life Calendar Tuesday, March 5

Wednesday, March 6

Thursday, March 7

Friday, March 8

Holocaust and Genocide Lecture Series: Refugees, Climate Change And Conflict

Goal Setting And Planning For The Future

Sunday On The Rocks

Glitched: Smash Brothers Tournament

4 p.m.

Warren Hall Ives 101

3:30 p.m.

Erin Fisher Room

7:30 p.m.

Ives 76

5 p.m.

Student Center Ballroom A

Spiritrials

It’s A Guy Thing

Free Bowling

Friday At Lobo’s - Trivia Night

7:30 p.m.

Person Theater

6 p.m.

The HUB

10 p.m.

Double Decker Lanes

8:30 p.m.

Lobo’s

10 Sports

MARCH 5 - MARCH 11, 2019 sonomastatestar.com

COURTESY // sonomaseawolves.com Cameron Kirtlan gets ready to hit against Cal State Domiguez on Friday, March 1.

Seawolves softball bounces back HOLLY CHANDLER STAFF WRITER

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he Sonoma State Seawolves softball team split their doubleheader against Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday, March 1 with both games getting run-ruled in the sixth inning.

The Seawolves were defeated in their first game against the Dominguez Hills Toros 13-3.

Julie Davis, a sophomore on the team, started off the first game with a double and was batted in when number 17 Cameron Kirtlan jacked a two-run home run over the right-field fence.

In the second inning, number 24 Jordann White followed up Kirtlan with another home run to right field.

Unfortunately, the Seawolves were held to only 3 runs for the rest of the game while the Toros managed to score in almost every inning until the sixth, when the Seawolves were officially run-ruled.

Getting run-ruled is extremely discouraging and most teams struggle to come back after such a devastating loss. However, the Seawolves managed to go into the second game with a refreshed attitude and with something to prove.

The Seawolves not only beat the Toros in the second game, but they took full revenge when they run ruled Dominguez Hills with a score of 10-2.

Talking about the improvement between the games Kirtlan said, “We changed our attitudes towards the things we cannot control. We focused more on what we can control and that was our cheering.” She went on further to say “We are able to feed off everyone’s energy’s so if one person is feeling a vibe we can easily catch on.”

Kirtlan has been hot all season and it was no surprise when she went 3-3 in

the second game with 2 RBI’s.

Senior pitcher, Brielle Vidmar did a fantastic job at holding the Toros to only two runs the entire game.

When asked what made her pitching so successful against the Toros Vidmar said, “I started the game throwing hard, getting ahead of the batters and moving the ball well. My drop curve was looking good today and they struggled to get a piece of it.” She said, “The defense played well during the second games keeping the bases free to a minimum. I got a lot of easy ground balls and pop-ups throughout the game, keeping it easy on the defense.”

Offensively, the Seawolves did a phenomenal job stepping up to the plate in the second game.

Senior on the team, Alee Balanon went 3-5 in her at bats against the Toros.

Freshman Jordyn Martinez also did a great job going 2-4 with one home run.

Freshman Nicole Renner had a stand out performance at the plate when she hit two home runs for the Seawolves, resulting in 3 RBIs. Renner explained her approach in the box when she said, “When I’m hitting I try not to think, but that doesn’t always work for me. My goal is to focus on the pitcher’s hip and try to find the center of the ball as quickly as possible, so I can square up and make solid contact.”

Day two of the Seawolves series against the Cal State Dominguez Hills Toros was cancelled do to the rain.

This upcoming Friday and Saturday, March 8 and 9, will be the highly-anticipated home series against UC San Diego Tritons.

Women’s track focused on avoiding injuries this year

ALEX FUNCHESS STAFF WRITER

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ollowing a noteworthy meet this weekend, the Sonoma State Track and Field team looks to send several of their girls to the conference championships. As runners and throwers prepare to beat their records, senior team captain, Taylor Towne, pushes her teammates to set and accomplish new goals this spring. There is no doubt that the track and field team is determined to win following Saturday’s meet in Stanislaus.

“We all worked hard in each of our events,” Towne said. “There are some little things some of us need to work on for next race, but other than that I think everyone did pretty well. I see so much greatness that is just ready to be released onto the track.”

The Seawolves had a successful spring last season, sending five runners and five throwers to the conference meet. With fresh talent from freshman runners in addition to leadership from team veterans including Towne, the team expects to send more Seawolves to the CCAAs. “The team goal this season is to get more girls running and throwing at conference than last year,” Towne said. “As well as making sure we are taking care of our bodies with rest, treatment, and eating right.”

Remaining healthy is key to ensuring the Seawolves can meet their goals of qualifying for the conference meets.

While several of the team’s runners and throwers are cur-

rently injured or ill, Seawolves hope to return to the track as soon as possible, including junior runner, Bailey Stone.

“I’m just trying to stay healthy get back into competing and running with my girls,” said Stone. “I’ve been injured for the past year so my individual goal is to be able to compete to my fullest.”

While combating injuries and illnesses are always an endeavor for student athletes, it doesn’t stop Stone from pushing her teammates overcome their challenges.

“We all need to work on finishing our races,” Stone added. “A lot of us are able COURTESY// sonomaseawolves.com to get out strong and run well The Seawolves’ Track and Field Team placed high at Stanislaus State this past week. through a majority of the race but don’t have a kick to finish the race.”

One of the biggest challenges is understanding the mindset that is required for college running. While it is important for runners to push each other, it’s crucial they remain level headed when competing on the track. Freshman runner, Rachel Spektor, explained her struggles on the track this weekend as she looks forward to breaking her records.

“My mindset was the thing COURTESY// Women’s track that hurt me,” said Spektor. “I let the unwanted weather conThe women’s Track and Field Team placed high at Stanislaus State this past week. ditions get to my head which caused my nerves to act up Regardless of the conditions during track meets, the Seawolves must keep a steady pace when sooner than normal and waste racing. more of my energy. I need to “I think the biggest challenge is going to be as simple as getting out of our own heads and realize that everyone else is go- learning to push through when we’re tired,” added Spektor. “My individual goals consist of breaking through the same thing as ing 5:10 in the 1500m, breaking 20 minutes in the 5000m, and drinking more water.”

I am.”

Sports 11 Women’s water polo wins 3 out of 4 in SoCal tournament

MARCH 5 - MARCH 11, 2019 sonomastatestar.com

JACKSON WALDRON STAFF WRITER

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he Seawolves rattled off three straight wins in a four game tournament that was played in Pomona, CA. After wins against Chapman, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and La Salle the Seawolves lose the final game to fifteen-ranked Loyola Marymount. “We all feel really good about the games this weekend. It was a huge turnout for us going 3-1,” said Taylor Brooks.

The first game of the weekend tournament was played against Chapman.

This resulted in a dominate 11-4 win for Sonoma State. They had five different players score in this game, including four goals from Annika Erickson. Goalie, Brooke Sullivan had an impressive nine saves on 13 shots.

Later that same day, the Seawolves would play Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in game two of the tournament. This was a very hard fought game from both sides.

Sonoma State was down 2-1 after the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Seawolves shut out their opposition, while getting goals from Jojo Williams and Annika Erickson. At the end of the first half, Sonoma State held a 3-2 lead.

The game continued to go back and forth in the second half but Sonoma State was always able to hold onto the lead. In a physical and defensive game, Sonoma State got the victory by a score of 6-5.

“I feel really good about the games this weekend,” said Jojo Williams. “The team worked as a cohesive unit which really pushed us into those close games.”

The third game of the weekend certainly proved to be the most exciting. The Seawolves faced off against the La Salle Explorers. The first quarter showed explosive moments from both teams. Erickson scored a hat trick in the opening quarter, which brought the score to 3-3.

Taylor Brooks and Hailey Gellert both scored for the Seawolves in the sec-

ond quarter. After allowing a goal with under a minute left, Sonoma State was up 5-4 to close the first half.

The Seawolves and Explorers continued to battle for control of the game in the second half. After strong play from both teams, the Seawolves were down 9-8 with under a minute remaining in the game. With 20 seconds left, Jojo Williams ripped a perfect shot to tie the game.

In a game that seemed destined for overtime, Gellert had other plans in mind. With three seconds remaining, she scored the winning goal for the Seawolves. Final score, 10-9.

Jojo Williams said, “We just trusted in ourselves and in each other and we dominated on defense when it came down to the wire.”

In the fourth and final game, the red hot Seawolves would play against nationally ranked, Loyola Marymount. Sonoma State found themselves down 7-1 after the first quarter. They continued to battle but were not able to secure their fourth consecutive victory. Final score 15-5 in favor of Loyola Marymount.

These games served as a welcomed boost to team morale. Winning three out of four against top competition has the team ready as they head into conference play next week.

“We lost to LMU who is #15 in the country but we still played well against them. I’m super excited to start conference after a big weekend like this. We have a lot to look forward too.” said Brooks.

The Seawolves now have a 5-7 record as they get ready for their first WWPA game of the season. They will open conference play on the road against Cal State Monterey Bay on March 10.

COURTESY // Sam Sanon SSU Sports Information Senior Amanda Weddle gets up out of the water to take a shot.

Men’s golf places 2nd overall Their next tournament is in San Diego on March 5 JOEY PIOMBO

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Women’s basketball will face Pomona in first round of the CCAA tournament THOMAS PETERSCHMIDT

STAFF WRITER

he Sonoma State Men’s Golf team traveled to San Francisco, to compete on Feb. 24-26 in a tournament that was hosted by the Academy of Arts.

Here, the Seawolves were forced to compete with some great competition. Some teams that made the trip as well were Western Washington University, University of California, San Diego and Concordia University.

Prior to this tournament the Seawolves have shown great success during their fall season 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 CSUMB. The following week the team then travelled to Hawaii. Here they placed at a very well respected third out of fifteen teams. These tournaments helped prepare the team for the road ahead.

The team also succeeded in their first tournament of the spring coming in fourth place overall.

The Seawolves brought five of their seven team members to travel and compete. Throughout the three day tournament the competition was non-stop. Depending on the day, the individual team members would play either 18 or 36 holes a day. The team travelled back and forth from Rohnert

Seawolves qualify for playoffs STAFF WRITER

Park to San Francisco each day.

When talking to Senior Golfer Spencer Clapp he helped explain how the tournament was scored when saying, “We take our four best scored out of five each day.” He continued saying, “The point system is all stroke”.

The group achieved second place out of fifteen teams. 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 on to win individual medalist.

This accomplishment meant that the Seawolves took care of business individually and as a team.

When talking to Senior Dexter Simonds he explained, “Overall, the performance in San Francisco was good but it left us wanting more”. The team has high hopes of succeeding and a second place finish is just shy of the teams hopes of winning a tournament later in the season.

The team’s season is far from over.

When asked about goals for the rest of the season, Junior golfer Devin Gregg said, “As far as goals for the rest of the season, we want to win as many tournaments as possible...We have a special team this year with loads of talent.”

The teams next tournament is next weekend. The team will be competing in the San Diego with the goal to take first place. To follow their future tournaments visit sonomaseawolves.com.

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he Sonoma State University Seawolves women’s basketball team split the week with a loss to Humboldt State and a win against Chico State.

In the first away game this week the Seawolves had a tough battle against the Humboldt State Lumberjacks. The Seawolves could not seem to string together a consistent game to match their opponents play.

“We finally played a great third quarter that kept us in the game but just wasn’t able to close [it] out,” said Serna Santos, a Junior point guard.

A promising fourth quarter gave the Seawolves a temporary lead of 48-44. But the Seawolves momentum came to a halt, ending in a 58-53 loss.

“It’s all a learning experience,” Zane Sheckherd said. Sheckherd plays forward and is new to the squad as she is one of five freshman. The Seawolves changed their offense in the middle of the season. “[We are] adapting to a new environment,” Sheckherd said.

A new environment comes with growing pains, and a bounce-back win against the Chico State Wildcats boosted the morale.

When it was time to face off against the Wildcats, the Seawolves left it all on the court as they played their last regular season game.

The Seawolves dominated each quarter with more points and rebounds than Chico.

Ugochi Anudokem put up 15 points

as the highest scorer on the Seawolves team. This game had multiple Seawolves scoring in double digits. The Seawolves won the game 71-59.

“We put all four quarters together and executed on defense. This has been a major goal for us for the whole season.” Anudokem said. As this win marked an end to the regular season it allowed the Seawolves to keep playing basketball as they will now be able to compete in the playoffs.

This win was very much hand in hand with “staying together as a team and keeping the chemistry,” Sheckherd said.

With this win, Santos is not yet satisfied, and there are still improvements needed to be made before playoffs. “The team can improve on putting four quarters together and not just winning one or two quarters.” she said “[this would then be] leading into digging ourselves in a hole that would make us have to fight in the end to get the win.”

The Seawolves first playoff game is an away game against the second seed, Cal State Pomona.

Coming off their dominant win against the Wildcats, Anudokem is still looking towards the near future. “I, personally want us to go farther than last year in playoffs and play the best basketball we can. We all believe we are reaching our peak right now as a team and just want to show it every time we play,” Anudokem said.

12 Photo

MARCH 5 - MARCH 11, 2019 sonomastatestar.com

Seawolves get their craft on during Saturday’s at Seven

STAR // Brandon Sparks STAR // Brandon Sparks Alyssa Dennis, CSA for on-campus housing, adjusts her craft under the light to precisely execute her artwork.

(Top) Kevin Norton laughs as he focuses on decorating his mug during a crafting event. (Bottom) Mary Mullen, a liberal studies major, happily draws her own personal touches on her mug.

STAR // Jacob Loher Artisitc Director Liz Jahren (middle) speaks with Sonoma State students at the Alchemia: A Spectrum of Creativity panel in the University Library.

STAR // Jacob Loher Sonoma State students sing their hearts out in duets and solos during Lobo’s karaoke night on Friday.

STAR // Christine von Raesfeld The ladies of Lambda Theta Nu showcase their dancing skills onstage at the Multicultural Greek Council Talent Show on Wednesday night.