Sonoma State University opened its arms to potential incoming freshmen Saturday, April 23, for Seawolf Decision Day. The event, hosted by the university, acted as a campus open house to incoming freshmen. Undecided or not on choice of college, soon to be high school graduates had the opportunity to meet current students, faculty, and staff, as well as SSU alumni. 

The event included sessions and presentations about various aspects of the school such as academic programs, student life, campus housing, and financial aid. A strong highlight of this event was the featured academic departments and their presentations. 

Many visitors attending got to explore options into different studies and learn about each program that SSU offers. Various programs such as Science and Technology, Business, Nursing and others offered presentations led by department Deans and Chairs.

A club fair was also hosted in the seawolf plaza for visitors to explore various clubs and affiliated groups.SSU organizations had the opportunity to connect with visitors and showcase their group’s general purpose.

SSU Fraternity and Sorority Life coordinator, Abbie Paige shared her thoughts on Decision Day and the impact organizations had on the event, “Our fraternities and sororities, sport clubs, and general student organizations played a significant role in highlighting the Seawolf experience by sharing their own stories and the importance of getting involved. It just takes one person, one club, or one event to help a student find meaningful connections and establish a sense of belonging.”

Kelley Kaslar, the Welcome Center Manager at Sonoma State shared her thoughts on the day, “It has been incredibly rewarding to plan and coordinate Seawolf Decision Day.  It’s inspiring to see our entire SSU community come together in making this day special for our prospective students. And while Decision Day is an open house for new students, it is also a celebration for all of us: students, staff and faculty” 

Kaslar continued, “This is our time to showcase our amazing and unique campus.  Our campus has a lot to offer, and my hope is that all of our guests feel the Sonoma State spirit throughout the entire day.” 

The spirits were certainly running high through Decision Day, especially with the addition of SSU Baseball and Softball teams playing games over the course of the day. The two games were available for viewing to all visitors and students. 

If athletics didn’t fall under interest for visitors, then on campus housing departments were offering tours and informational sessions. Sonoma States residence halls are ranked first in the CSU system for best on-campus housing. These on-campus housing tours were made a popular feature during Decision Day. Villages that were available to tour were Sauvignon, Verdot and Zinfandel.

Visitors were expected to get hungry and with that in mind SSU culinary services offered a reduced priced all you can eat pass into the kitchens. Other on campus locations offered food services to visitors such as Sip Cafe and Lobos Pub.

A huge component of the event were the current SSU students that attended decision day and connected with visitors. Fourth year student Connor Howard shared his experience at Decision Day, “Saturday was a lot of fun, it was super exciting seeing some new faces come out and explore what SSU has to offer. It was especially fun getting to table and represent my organization.”