Despite some hiccups along the way, it has been a solid season for the Sonoma State women’s volleyball team, who are hitting their stride and getting the recognition they deserve at just the right time. Not only did the team go 2-0, with wins over nationally ranked teams Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State San Bernardino during the week of Oct. 24-30, but freshman Kaden Young and senior Kiana Richardson were named CCAA (California Collegiate Athletic Association) Player of the Week, for defense and offense, respectively.

Last Thursday was a special day for the Seawolves’ Women’s Soccer Team. Not only was it senior day, but the team also clinched their third consecutive CCAA (California Collegiate Athletic Association) regular season title, with their 3-1 victory over the San Francisco State Gators. Entering the day the Seawolves sat tied with Stanislaus State at the top of the CCAA table, with a record of 6-2-2, for a total of 20 points. Even though both teams won their final match of the regular season (bringing them to 7-2-2, with 23 points), the Seawolves earned the edge with a 4-2 head-to-head victory when the two teams met earlier in the season. This gives the Seawolves the number one seed, and homefield advantage for this week’s CCAA tournament.

The weather may be cooling off, but things are just heating up for the Sonoma State women’s basketball team, as they get ready for the upcoming 2022-23 Season. This will be the team’s second season back since the Covid-19 pandemic cut short the 2019-20 season, and wiped out the 2020-21 campaign entirely. After finishing with an overall record of 10-16, while also going 9-10 in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), the Seawolves believe this could be a special season.

Since 2011 the Sonoma State Rugby Club has given male students the option to play a sport that promotes the highest levels of community and teamwork. On top of that, since there hasn’t been a football team representing the school since 1996, it’s perfect for those who love running and tackling. Rugby is most popular in places like Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and South Africa, but has been gradually growing in the United States through the success of leagues like Major League Rugby (MLR), which since its inception in 2018 has seen its number of teams grow from seven to 13.

Courtney Shoda spends four to five days a week training. Similar to when she was a member of the Sonoma State Women’s Soccer Team from 2014-2017, appearing in 55 matches and scoring three goals as a defender. The only difference is now, instead of training to make the first team, or help her squad reach the top of the league table, she’s training to relearn much simpler things, like walking and cooking. This is due to a pair of scary life-threatening heart complications that have changed Shoda’s life.

A high school who’s alumni list consists of: Jackie Robinson, a fortune 500 CEO, the lead singer of Van Halen, and many other accomplished individuals across all fields and of all races, should be recognized as one of the very best in the country. Blasphemously, this is not the case, for John Muir High School, in Pasadena, CA. John Muir High and Sonoma State alum, Pablo Miralles, shed light onto why this is, in his documentary “Can We All Get Along? The Segregation of John Muir High School. On Thursday, Sept. 29, at 6 p.m. in Ives Hall, the School of Arts & Humanities gave students the opportunity to watch the documentary and participate in a Q&A with Miralles. Students were given the unique chance to learn about a problem that needs attention, and talk about it with the very person bringing it to light.

Life is constantly changing, and because of that students consistently have to make tough decisions regarding finances. Last week the STAR ran an editorial article discussing the difficulties of growing up and budgeting while in college and learning to navigate the real world. Recent economic changes have caused many things that are necessities for students like gas, housing, and food to become much more expensive and hard to get. With this in mind, it was the perfect opportunity for us to chat with some students and get their varying perspectives and experiences managing their lives and finances during this time.

It’s been over two years since the COVID-19 pandemic first began to change our world, and since that time many facets of our lives have returned to normalcy. That is not the case for the school’s culinary staff, which has faced a slower return back to full-staffing levels. This has led to many popular campus eating spots remaining closed despite a full student-body now back on campus. As a result, lines at the spots that have been open, Sip and Lobos, are typically long for customers and overwhelming for workers.

For almost a decade the Woman of Color Collective (WOCC) has offered a confidential space for Sonoma State’s women of color (WOC). With SSU being a Predominantly White Institution (PWI), the WOCC plays an important role in making sure WOC have a safe space on campus to be both vulnerable and authentic. Each week the collective meets on Wednesday’s at noon to have a discussion co-facilitated by WOC Counseling and Psychological Services staff, as well as staff from the HUB.