It’s that time of the year again. On-campus residents are hunting for off-campus housing, and while doing so may not be as complicated for some students, it sure was for me and for a lot of friends.
While mass media corporations like CNN and ABC called President Trump’s joint address to Congress presidential, unifying and inspiring, immigrant communities across the country were further terrorized and alienated by a speech that was supposed to do the opposite.
Over the past week, immigration officials conducted several raids around the country resulting in the arrest of more than 700 undocumented immigrants, fueling concerns that undocumented students, including those at Sonoma State University, may be at risk of deportation.
Living on campus can provide a plethora of opportunities for both first-time freshmen and upperclassmen alike. Social development, health and wellness and convenience are only a few of the benefits. However, for students at Sonoma State University, securing a spot to live on campus can sometimes be a nightmare due to the $400 down payment required by Housing Services prior the start of the academic year, when financial aid hasn’t been disbursed.
The Mario Savio Speakers’ Corner serves the purpose to promote freedom of speech and civil rights at Sonoma State University. It’s also where former Sonoma State employee Thomas Sargent and his lawyers held a press conference last Thursday regarding the controversial asbestos situation in Stevenson Hall. In the conference, Sargent and his lawyers challenged the university to address the accusations.
The commotion caused by the potential hazard presented by asbestos in Stevenson Hall may come to a conclusion sooner than expected. Vice President of Administration and Finance Laurence Furukawa-Schlereth announced on Thursday, during an Academic Senate meeting, the administration is planning a potential renovation of Stevenson Hall. However, according to Furukawa-Schlereth, the renovation is not directly related to asbestos.
A controversy on campus about the potential health risks of asbestos in some of Sonoma State University’s older buildings is rooted in a lawsuit filed by a former environmental health and safety inspector who resigned in July 2015 after raising concerns about asbestos and other issues on campus.
Lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma are a few of the many health hazards related to the breathing of asbestos — a set of fibrous minerals formerly used for the construction of buildings prior to the 1980s.
Sonoma State University is nationally recognized for providing students with high-quality housing accommodations, however; it may soon berecognized for having one of the highest off-campus living costs, according to reports.
More than 36 million Californians are still living in drought-affected areas — roughly 95 percent of the state’s population, according to the National Drought Mitigation Center. The fight to end the drought in California, is far from over.
During the 2014 primary elections, Sonoma State University made national headlines for hosting an election to which absolutely no one showed up to, according to Sonoma State University Professor Richard Hertz. Despite having a population of more than 9,000 students, not a single student showed up to vote. Actions like such, have contributed to the belief that young people are apathetic about politics, according to Hertz.
![[Both photos courtesy of sonoma.edu]
Ming-Ting Mike Lee stepped in as the new SSU president following Sakakis resignation in July 2022](https://sonomastatestar.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CC4520AB-22A7-41B2-9F6F-2A2D5F76A28C-1200x1200.jpeg)
