In the past, the beginning of the semester new and continuing students could be found all over campus chatting and going around campus from class to class. Walking through Seawolf Plaza on any given day, one would hear the familiar sound of students watching Lobovision, talking about different events on campus and seeing all the clubs tabling, hoping someone will stop by. 

The ability to walk through campus and see a familiar face has helped many students feel welcome at Sonoma State. With classes moving online this type of exposure to new and continuing students hasn’t been able to happen. Seawolf Plaza has helped numerous students find a group that has the same interests, whether it be Disney Club or Greek life. Through the transition students and staff have been working together to try to navigate this new way of interacting and building the SSU community that many know and love.

Virtual campus events hosted by Associated Student Productions have been leading the way. Director of Student Involvement, Mo Phillips, has started events called Seawolf Plaza Online. To explain what the Seawolf Online Plaza was, Phillips said, “Evenys are opportunities for you to connect in this virtual environment with other new and continuing students. Each meet up will have a topic/interest area/region connection.  Find the topics you like, take a step out of your comfort zone and engage!”

Students all over the nation have had their social lives and ways of interacting with one another taken away. Without the ability to interact on campus, school has just been classes and their respective workloads. Cassie Wildes, a junior at SSU said, “The transition to remote learning has been somewhat hard,”

The different meetings are the online alternative for Seawolves to connect with one another so they have a space to relax and get to know each other. Some of the events have included regional meetings, and game discussions. The most recent event was a Super Smash Brothers meetup for students to talk about the popular game and it acted as a precursor to Associated Student Productions’ (ASP) Super Smash Brothers tournament to get potential students more comfortable and create a group.

With there being so many Seawolves with a plethora of interests, the events are based on numerous themes. The different themes of events include things such as mindfulness as well as academic success resources. The variety of virtual gatherings are being held by the different clubs and organizations on campus, guest speakers, current students and alumni. The upcoming events can be found throughout the Sonoma State media pages such as Seawolf Living, Engage@SSU and Loboconnect. Events found on these pages are available with a Zoom link. This week Seawolves will be able to participate in Academic Success Week by attending  Academic Success Resource events that are being hosted by Student Involvement, School of Extended and International Education, and Counseling and Psychological Services.

The goals of these online events are to get students to attend, talk about themselves, make connections and continue to talk outside of the meeting. Students at these meetings are invited to breakout rooms created by the host and encouraged to participate in small icebreakers so a conversation can form. Phillips said she wanted students to “…get talking and share experiences, connect and have that sense of belonging at SSU.” 

These shared experiences are usually formed through move-in, or hanging out and playing pool at the Recreation Center but now they are through the pandemic and online classes. This new reality has affected students but these Zoom meetings have created a community bonded by a shared experience.

 Jessica Martinez, a junior at SSU said, “These events give us that chance to create that sense of community. Though I can’t say it’s the same as going to Lobo’s for game night or a craft night with my friends and being there with them.”

Phillips hopes the online events can provide students the same opportunity of feeling a part of the university community. This includes resources for new and continuing Seawolves by hosting different groups such as Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), alumnae, and fun ASP events to make SSU students aware that online learning doesn’t have to take away from their Sonoma State experience.