Sonoma State University’s inaugural Giving Day, a 24-hour virtual fundraising event for anyone interested in making donations, was held on April 29. The donations go towards campus campaigns and programs to support the school’s community, diversity and student success.

Although SSU has participated in other giving day events and originally planned to initiate Giving Day last year, the university was inspired to push the event to this year.

In response to the abrupt closures, state-mandated orders, financial hardships and public health orders, local Sonoma County restaurants and hotels are experiencing staffing shortages, but remain determined to keep businesses open as much as they can for the public and to maintain financial stability.

Restaurant managers and owners are focusing to keep businesses open at all costs in order to sustain the financial income that was lost within the past year.

As the nation works hard to overcome the fallouts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the year-long events of social injustices against communities of color, cities in Sonoma County and the Bay Area are taking initiative to pilot crisis teams that aim to uplift marginalized communities and to act as first responders towards mental health crises, homelessness and substance use treatment.

Since the beginning of the global pandemic, Sonoma County elected officials have been actively expressing their thoughts of disappointment throughout social media platforms in response to the series of events relating to Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick.

Back in May, at the beginning of social distancing and mask mandates, the sheriff wrote a post on Facebook which signified that all Sheriff’s Office staff should stop enforcing local health orders.

Over a year after the global pandemic began, Sonoma State University students had no other choice, but to adapt to methods in order to socially connect with each other. Some students feel comfortable enough to pursue nightlife activities, but others have found that they can recreate similar “nightlife experiences” from the comfort of their homes.

Story responses from followers of the Sonoma State Star’s Instagram (@sonomastatestar) calculated that a majority of students prefer to stay home and do activities such as having dinners with roommates or staying in with friends to watch a movie.

On Feb. 23, the California State University system authorized the temporary suspension of the Graduate Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR). They also reported that any high-stakes examinations be suspended.

Sonoma State University’s Advising Center announced to students that the GWAR is now temporarily suspended, making the Writing English Proficiency Test (WEPT) cancelled this semester and the Writing Intensive Curriculum (WIC) requirement no longer applicable towards graduation. Students who will apply or applied to the Spring 2021, Summer 2021, Fall 2021, and Spring 2022 terms will not be required to fulfill the GWAR in order to graduate.