As registration season winds down and finals are upon us, the next semester may not be the first thing on some students' minds. But others may be curious about the status of classes and how things are going to operate at Sonoma State University for the spring 2021 semester. Will Zoom classes remain the norm? Is there any hope of returning to campus if COVID-19 cases decrease? What can students expect from the University?

Over one week after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election, there is still controversy stemming from Donald Trump’s campaign team and Trump administration officials who refuse to acknowledge the defeat and are moving forward as if Trump will be serving a second term in January.

Here’s what passed and didn't pass on the county wide level…

Kamala Harris made history this weekend by becoming the first woman and person of color as vice president. She is the first woman to ascend to the high-ranking position of vice president in the 244 year history of the United States.

A mere 8 days before the 2020 presidential election, federal appellate judge and Notre Dame law professor, Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed to a seat on the United States Supreme Court. She was confirmed by a vote of 52-48 and her confirmation now gives conservatives a 6-3 majority on the highest court.

Across the United States, masks are highly recommended, but not required, for in person voting. According to state election guidelines, California voters who show up at the polls on or before Election Day without masks will be permitted to vote.

The California Republican Party admitted to putting up approximately 50 deceptively labeled “Official” ballot drop boxes in multiple Southern California counties last week, boxes that they say they will not be removing despite contention over their legality.

A bombshell report by the New York Times, published two weeks ago, exposed that Donald Trump paid $750 in federal income taxes the year he won the presidency and also his first year in office.

In spite of an 85% drop in students living on campus, and 97% of fall 2020 classes being taken online, the Sonoma State University Police Department has had its hands full taking care of campus facilities.

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday Oct. 2, with the President later being transferred to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland in “an abundance of caution” at the request of his physician and medical experts. Earlier in the day, he received an experimental treatment for COVID-19, a Regeneron polyclonal antibody cocktail.

Every Wed. at 4 p.m. the Sonoma State University Department of Mathematics and Statistics will be hosting a virtual “Math Colloquium” event. These meetings are described as “a series of informal talks open to the public”. People can join in every week via Zoom or choose to watch the talks once they are posted online via the SSU Mathematics and Statistics department webpage.

Ruben Salazar, the namesake of Sonoma State University’s Salazar Hall, could have been 92 years old if he was alive today.

50 years ago, on Aug. 29, Salazar was killed when struck by a tear-gas projectile fired by a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy during an East Los Angeles civil rights disturbance. He was a journalist covering the “National Chicano Moratorium March” for the Los Angeles Times and an L.A. based Spanish-language news station, KMEX.