Two or four year? The price may decide

COURTESY // housing.sonoma.edu

Is college for everyone? This is a pretty ironic question to ask in a college newspaper. As ironic as this is, many high school students debate whether or not they want to pursue higher education once they graduate. There are many factors that come into play when deciding whether it is the right decision but one of the biggest is if they can even afford to go to a four-year institution without drowning in debt. 

College can be very expensive especially when you consider the price of  tuition, board and meal plans. A more affordable option for high schoolers looking to further their education is to first attend a local junior college and then eventually transfer to a four-year institution. Transferring from a junior college is the only option for millions of students in the country. 

This reality can be seen right here on our own campus. An influx of transfer students over the pandemic has contributed significantly to Sonoma State’s student body as enrollment numbers are down nationwide. This has all come down to not being able to afford to live on campus as a first-time student. According to the school’s website, the cheapest dorm that Sonoma State has to offer is a triple suite for $11,938 a year. If you break this down to monthly payments it is almost $1,500 to share a room with two other students. One of the reasons why this number is so high is that first-year students that live on campus are required to get the all-access meal plan that allows them to eat at The Kitchens as many times as they want, as long as it is open. The all-excess meal plan is $3,033 a year and that is automatically added to all first-year students’ tuition that live on campus. ​​​

Third-year transfer student, Alexis Madrigal said this regarding why he didn’t come to Sonoma State straight out of high school, “The reason why I went to the Santa Rosa JC instead of Sonoma is because of the price, even though I had FAFSA, that still wasn’t enough to cover my board and tuition. I didn’t really understand why I was forced to get the most expensive meal plan, as that added another $3,000 to my fees. If I had the option to pick a different meal plan I would have definitely leaned more towards coming to Sonoma State than the JC”. 

Sonoma State, along with thousands of other universities nationwide are suffering from low student enrollment. This is a huge problem and whether it’s from similar reasons mentioned above or because of pandemic related reasons it is a problem that they hope can be solved very soon or the future of many schools may be murky. 

Work your wage

Putting in too much effort at work? Try quiet quitting, a new idea spreading around social media. The name is misleading, as it doesn’t actually mean quitting your job. The term means doing the bare minimum of what is expected of you at work and not putting extra effort into your job. 

The term quiet quitting began to spread after TikTok user @zaidleppelin posted a video explaining the term. “You’re not outright quitting your job but you’re quitting the idea of going above and beyond. You’re still performing your duties but you’re no longer subscribing to the hustle culture mentality that work has to be your life.”

Many comments on the video point out that this is the way work should be. This idea is also known as working to rule, meaning employees do only what is stated in their contract or in written rules. The rebranding of the idea from working-to-rule to quiet quitting is strange. It seems to imply that setting boundaries with employers about your work duties is almost equivalent to quitting. 

So, why is this an issue? Gen z is constantly being criticized for a lack of work ethic. Older generations believe that young adults are lazy and unwilling to put in the work needed to succeed. The problem with this is that the older generations were able to live off of the money they made. In today’s economy, many people are living paycheck to paycheck but are getting criticized for not being further ahead in life. 

A Sonoma State University student that wanted to remain anonymous said, “I think older people have a harder time subscribing to the ‘work smarter not harder’ mindset because they were sold the American dream, hook-line-and-sinker. Every GenX aged person I’ve talked to about the quiet quitting concept cannot let go of the idea that this is the employee being lazy.”

This criticism by older generations is unwarranted. People are working, they are just avoiding extra stresses that make it harder to manage a healthy work-life balance. 

The anonymous SSU student added, “I think quiet quitting as a concept is good and having a work life balance ensures the employees have better mental health over all.”

Why is doing the above and beyond the expectation in the workplace? Quiet quitting is about employees pushing back at their employers who are expecting them to complete extra work without compensating them fairly. The work is still being done, employees are just no longer putting in extra effort that just leads to burnout.  

Many part time jobs from large corporations do not value the work or time put in by their employees. If a job is not going to value their employees, why would employees value the job? Most jobs do not pay a high enough wage for employees to live off of, and they should not be expected to put their job before their mental well being. 

Why does growing up have to be so scary?

STAR // Montana Lahey

The transition from high school to college can be a trying time for many students. The many unknowns that go along with this ascension into adulthood can be met with unwanted anxiety. At the ripe age of eighteen, students are expected to leave home and fend for themselves. This can mean applying for jobs, paying rent for the first time or simply just learning to budget money. It’s understandable that these things are learned with hands on experience but shouldn’t high school have better prepared us for adulthood?

Adulthood is a tricky thing to maneuver through, especially without any preparation. High school courses are made to prepare students academically for college but the material lacks any practical application. Elizabeth Orona, a third year at SSU, offered her thoughts on the topic, “I wish high school would have taught me about everyday/adulting things. For example learning about budgeting. I feel like the sooner I would have learned about managing money, the more comfortable and confident I would be with my funds and spending. Especially because as college students we have to put money aside for things like housing, textbooks, groceries and more.”

College life is different for everyone and there can be many different questions that arise regarding what it is really like. At times it also seems that high school teachers put unrealistic ideas of what to expect from college. There are these stereotypes of severely strict professors and mountains of homework that accompany each course. But the reality of attending a university is far from bleak. It is a space to expand your horizons and study topics you may genuinely enjoy. 

In an interview with the STAR, Hutchins liberal studies major Alyssa Samuli, discussed what it was like applying for college, “There was a lot of fear around it.” Samuli continued, “at times, my teachers and counselors were so negative about college admission I didn’t even think I would get in anywhere. If they had been more positive and supportive I think my classmates and I wouldn’t have been so stressed during senior year.” 

Students are not only stressing out about life after high school graduation but they may also have a negative perception of what it means to be an actual college student. All around, it seems that high school’s should alter their curriculum to ease looming anxiety about what the future may hold for their students. There are some programs, that are offered as electives, put in place to better prepare these teenagers for university life. For example, many schools offer AVID programs, which stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination. 

Irania Guerrero Diaz, a post-grad student at Sonoma State, talked to the STAR about what AVID taught her, “During high school I participated in AVID and my then teacher taught my class and myself how to be successful in our college careers. I learned how to search for financial aid and how to start the college application process.”

Seeking a higher education should be a fruitful experience, one full of promise and overall excitement. If high schools attempted to teach practical skills like; balancing a checkbook, budgeting money, how to pay taxes, or even how to properly use a credit card, there would be less scary unknowns. High school teachers should also stay more in touch with the times and paint a happier picture of what college may look like. Adulthood wouldn’t be so scary if we had an accurate understanding of what’s to come. 

A chat with the Chief

COURTESY // afd.sonoma.edu

What is the first thing you would think of, if you came back to your vehicle after class and found the window smashed, possibly even missing some of your belongings? For most, the first thought that comes to mind is, “Did anyone see what happened, or who did this?.” Oftentimes, when a crime is committed, it is a crime of opportunity, meaning there most likely will not be a witness to help you get to the bottom of the incident. This example is perfect in illustrating the importance of having a good camera system in place, especially when considering the hustle and bustle one finds on a college campus. 

It’s not just about the cameras, though, we learned from University Police Chief Nader Oweis. When considering the safety of our campus, Oweis has a plan to overhaul the SSU system and introduce new forms of physical security, as he calls it, forms that he has already put to the test at his previous campuses. “The issue we are trying to improve upon, first and foremost, [is that] system-wide, the chancellor's office created a policy on cc cameras a while back. It was okay, it allowed for some cameras, but it wasn’t necessarily the most robust policy out there. I’ve been working with other chiefs in the system, and we are trying to get some of that language improved upon,” Oweis said via Zoom interview. 

Our campus does currently have cameras in place, in places one would expect, like the GMC, the Student Center, and the Rec Center. However, the system that Oweis has in mind, one that will mirror the changes he was responsible for at his last campus, UC Santa Cruz, is much more connected. At UC Santa Cruz, under Owies’ leadership, the campus went from 100 cameras to 1200 cameras by the end of Oweis’ time there. “None of this happens overnight. I was there for 10 years, and it took 5-6 years to get the system where I wanted it to be. I see the same [timeline] here at SSU,” Oweis said when asked about the parallels between the systems at UC Santa Cruz and SSU. 

The key to successfully installing cameras on the SSU campus starts with the infrastructure needed to run a system like this, thinking about how it will be powered, as well as preparing for cases where backup power would be necessary, “... Do we have the right cabling, do we have the right storage; [it’s about] all the bits and pieces to ensure if we put cameras up they will work properly and function well,” Oweis said. 

It’s not just cameras that are in Oweis’ vision for a safer SSU, “... We want more physical security systems. That includes access control, like swipe cards, [as well as] upgrading fire alarms, and burglar alarms… a whole physical security program… we are trying to better the physical security program and make it more robust so that there are deterrents…”

Physical security encompasses more than one might assume, with standards for lighting, pathways, signage, and wayfinding through Google. It can even include landscaping, something that was more unexpected to hear. “Physical security also means landscaping [crime prevention through environmental design]… there are certain principles around landscaping that we followed, we trimmed up trees, we purposely didn’t put trees, and we didn’t put certain kinds of landscaping because it would create other problems for us,” said Oweis.

With tangible results shown at previous campuses when adding cameras, it is safe to say that SSU is heading in the right direction considering these additions and updates, “ [At previous campuses], it gave us more visibility, it was a huge deterrent for people who might want to commit a crime… What it really did was it gave us a whole bunch of investigative tools, so that after the fact, we could go back and look at all of those cameras and see if we could capture anything.”

Looking at the big picture, Oweis is not sure exactly what number of cameras will hit the sweet spot at SSU, and says that the infrastructure will come first, and from there, his team will evaluate how many cameras that infrastructure can handle. Most importantly, the addition of cameras will provide peace of mind for everyone that attends, works, visits, or even passes through our campus, “... From a crime prevention perspective, [this system] helped reduce crime, and it made people feel safer,” said Oweis.

Welcome back! can we talk?

STAR // Nicholas Roth

Students are back at Sonoma State and the campus is bustling with life and energy with orientation week, the start of classes and the start of many of SSU’s sports teams’ seasons starting.  A feel of normalcy has fallen over campus due to the higher percentage of in-person classes with the fading of Covid and more students returning to campus. 

As incoming freshmen drove with their parents down Redwood lined Sequoia way to enter Sonoma’s campus they were greeted by construction vehicles and metal plates all over the road.  According to an email sent out by the University: the construction is: “...the work includes an underground electrical switchgear conduit that will extend from the existing utilities tunnel (south of Veterans’ Grove), through the flagpole median and crossing South Redwood Drive and East of the Sequoia Way road section.” This construction will run through Sept. 24.

Sonoma State sports are back in full force this fall which include volleyball as well as mens and womens soccer.  Volleyball has been off to a strong start going 7-1 in their first games including a 4-0 weekend here at SSU for the Seawolves/Penguins Classic tournament.  Mens soccer picked up its first win of the season beating St. Martins University 3-0.  Women’s soccer is also coming off a big win against tenth ranked Western Washington 2-1, their first victory against them in four years.  

In addition to returning to campus for a new year, we also have a new interim president at the helm for Sonoma State, Mike Lee, who jons SSU after the fallout of complaints about former SSU President Judy Sakaki and her husband, Patrick McCallum.  The Press Democrat and Los Angeles Times as well as the STAR reported on the the $600,000 settlement that was paid to former Executive Vice President Lisa Vollendorf for retaliation after Vollendorf reported McCallum’s sexual harassment.  This also led to former President Sakaki and McCallum splitting up, it also led to a vote of no confidence by SSU faculty late last spring that passed with ease. 

Another large story that we may still see the ramifications of was the leaked budget advisory group document that proposed drastic funding changes that would cut funding for many of the programs and schools within Sonoma State.  When this story came out the STAR received pushback from many levels of the university on why we ran a story about something that wasn’t necessarily going to come to fruition even though the title of the document read “Final Report.” This story and more so the document scared a lot of staff as well as students on campus who had come here hoping to stay in their program for four years. 

One lesson we as a campus should have learned after last semester is that transparency and the truth are of the utmost importance on a college campus.  Not being transparent allows for speculation leading to misinformation, and for a place that molds minds it’s not a good practice.  Avoidance of difficult topics and subjects creates the issues that arose last semester because in this day in age if something is covered up it will more than likely be discovered.  We as a student-run paper are going to work hard to find relevant and important stories again this semester.  We hope that with the new energy and student presence as well as more conversations among the SSU community, we’ll see more of the transparency that was missing last semester and that current times demand.

Students working on campus struggle financially with monthly paychecks

Learning to budget and juggle financial responsibilities is no easy feat, especially for young adult college students being faced with the harsh reality of the expensive world we live in. Working on-campus is a great opportunity for students, complete with easy access as they are often able to walk from their dorm or directly from class to start their shift. However, students quickly learn that they are faced with financial difficulties when they don’t receive bi-weekly paychecks like many other nearby workplaces.

Sonoma State University, along with all other California State Universities, pay many of their student employees once monthly, and for many, this is not frequent enough. According to the Labor Commissioner’s Office, part of California’s Department of Industrial Relations, this once-a-month payment system is not uncommon for state employees. 

As stated on the California State University Student Employment page, “CSU policy permits students covered under the FIC exemption to work in a part-time capacity, up to, but normally not in excess of 20 hours per week during periods when classes are in session and 40 hours per week during recess periods.” 

At Sonoma State University, hourly, intermittent, and student employees can expect to be paid once a month on the 15th. For many SSU students who find themselves taking jobs on-campus, this once-a-month paycheck is viewed as quite a frustrating obstacle.

Alma Gonzalez, a third-year Art Studio major, is currently working on campus as a Learning Community Mentor for the SSU's Learning and Academic Resource Center. Gonzalez expressed that getting paid only once a month can be quite stressful when it comes to trying to keep up with bills and budgeting. 

“I am not a fan of getting paid once a month. Given that I am a full-time student and work part-time, getting paid once a month is pretty impractical. There are several payments I have to make every month so getting paid twice a month would help a lot, especially considering I get paid on the 15th of every month so not even at the beginning,” said Gonzalez, “Although my paychecks would be smaller if I got paid every two weeks, it would help pace myself when I have to spend money.”

Many SSU students seem to share this sentiment that they would rather receive two smaller paychecks in a month than just a single paycheck at the end of the month. Ryan Harris, a 20-year-old Sociology major, used to work on campus at the Recreation Center. Harris explained that part of the reasoning behind his decision to stop working on campus and look for employment elsewhere was because of the once-per-month payments. 

“I got a decent amount of hours so that wasn’t so much of an issue - but when we add utilities, car insurance, food and groceries, and a little money for hanging out with friends, being paid once a month made it harder to ration and budget. When I get paid every other week, at least I have a little bit more consistency,” said Harris.

With the campus still not fully operational, there are fewer job opportunities available on campus for students. Despite the large gaps between paychecks, on-campus positions are often the only jobs that accommodate students' class schedules. Other students who work on campus also find themselves having to pick up second jobs in order to make ends meet.

Sean Kenneally, a fourth-year double majoring in Communications and Media Studies and Geography, Environment, and Planning (GEP), has been working on campus at SSU’s Welcome Center since his freshman year. Kenneally specifically spoke on the underlying issues of working on campus, citing that it has a lot to do with where everyone’s financial situation originates. “For some, [getting paid] once a month can’t pay bills or buy groceries. They can’t get an on-campus job because it won’t cut it, yet it is the only option. For others, like me, your part-time job is your part-time job: beer money and utilities. Each summer up here I’ve worked other jobs to front-load me for rent and help my folks out,” Kenneally explained. 

Kenneally also went on to express that he thinks there are two larger issues to be looked at. The first is the overall lack of hours that students, who are already being paid minimum wage, are allowed to work in a week, and the second is a lack of resources for students to become more educated on budgeting and overall financial literacy.  

Drew Davis, a fourth-year Psychology major, works on campus for SSU’s Associated Students, one of the only on-campus organizations that pays their student employees twice a month.

“I can’t imagine being paid only once a month. I already struggle sometimes with getting paid twice a month. Even with living on campus, finances always come up, whether that be groceries, gas, or medical expenses, it’s reassuring to know I have a consistent paycheck every two weeks,” said Davis. 

Following high school graduation, students are excited for the transition to college life as the first step of individual responsibility. However, when students are faced with these once-monthly paychecks, financial difficulties start to fall in the balance of this already stressful transition to adulthood. While the college experience is stressful in itself, it becomes abundantly clear that many students working for SSU would much rather find their paychecks being direct-deposited into their accounts on a bi-weekly basis as opposed to monthly.

COURTESY// admissions.sonoma.edu

Kanye West goes to social media to air personal drama and promote abusive behavior

The latest pop culture scandal to exponentially capture the media’s attention, surrounds the drama between American rapper Kanye West, his estranged wife Kim Kardashian and Kardashian’s new partner, Pete Davidson. West, who now goes by Ye, took the internet by storm with his attempts to win back Kardashian with several alarming social media posts attacking and harassing Kardashian and Davidson.

It is important to note that West is diagnosed with bi-polar disorder, but the subject of this social media drama goes beyond mental illness. West airing his personal drama to his 14.1 million Instagram followers not only creates widespread negativity, it also promotes harassment, and physical and emotional violence, especially towards women. 

This type of posting and usage of social media brings awareness to how vital it is for celebrities to use their media platforms more cautiously, as they are setting an example for their millions of fans. As their following grows, there is more of a spotlight put on their actions, so it’s imperative that these celebrity figures are more aware of what they are spreading out into the world. The scary reality is, West is using his influence and platform to glorify his toxic relationship, and the media can’t help but to take a front row seat on the action.

Through West’s social media postings, we are watching a domestic abuse situation unfold, in which Kardashian is harassed and stalked online by her ex-partner. West is clearly unable to accept the reality of his failed marriage, and in his twisted attempts to win Kardashian back, he’s trying to play the “hero” in a sweeping public romance. Kardashian has pleaded with West to stop sharing their private conversations, and in a screen shot of their text messages, she wrote to West, “Why can’t you keep any of our conversations private???” With West responding, “because I got a text from my favorite person in the world, I’m your number one fan. Why wouldn’t I tell everyone!!!” 

In West’s eyes, he might think that he’s doing Kardashian a favor by being obsessively romantic, but these actions are clearly alarming to fans. One social media user expressed, “Kanye West’s behavior is abusive, not romantic. It’s not romantic to refuse to let your ex-partner move on, to use kids as emotional manipulation, to reveal private conversations, and then to claim you do it all from love.” We can see that he is very publicly displaying manipulation and emotional abuse to not only his wife, but his entire family. 

Kardashian filed for divorce from West last January, and the rapper still refers to her as his wife, which makes it apparent that West is in denial and cannot respect the boundaries of his ex-partner. Some Twitter users are thinking critically about his patterns of abusive and manipulative behavior towards Kardashian, with one stating, “Kanye is just showing the world how scary it can be for a woman in Kim’s situation. Now imagine someone not having security, financial independence, or a way out.” This response brings up a vital point. Kardashian is lucky to have the means of financial and personal security for herself, and the unfortunate reality is that most women in abusive relationships don’t have these resources. West’s bizarre postings showcase what it’s like for a woman to be trapped with a partner who believes they have much more power.

West has a massive impact, his influence and image is seen by millions, and the rapper is known to promote his brand by portraying a “god-complex,” in which he believes his actions won’t face consequences. This image appeals to his fan base, and some of his fans are even encouraging West’s behavior in his attempts to reconcile with Kardashian. West recently prompted more harassment against Kardashian’s new partner by posting, “IF YOU SEE SKETE IN REAL LIFE SCREAM AT THE LOOSER AT THE TOP OF YOUR LUNGS AND SAY KIMYE FOREVER.” This demonstrates that the music artist is taking advantage of his platform to encourage more violence and harassment to win back Kardashian, and believing he can get away with it.  

West is arguably one of the most popular American rappers of the generation, with a net worth of over 1 billion. He undoubtedly can obtain the resources to better his mental health and lead a better example, but instead uses his resources to publicly display his brutal family drama. West is using his fame and wealth to directly inject his unhappiness into our mainstream media, which in turn, is promoting unacceptable violent behaviors. This dramatic spotlight of him and his family has captured our attention for all the wrong reasons, and opens up the conversation of what’s actually going on underneath the surface. West isn’t just having another episode, he's abusing his celebrity platform to cause havoc and emotional pain, and the media is indulging in every second of it. 

Sakaki receives raise as SSU faces massive budget deficit