On Wednesday, May 3, the Sonoma State University Police had an event honoring important members of the SSU community as well as swearing in a new sergeant, Jason Hight. The night was described by the SSU Chief of Police Nader Oweis as, “A night of giving back, commitment, dedication and hard work. We truly try to make sure everyone feels safe.”
Sonoma State University President, Mike Lee announced on Monday, April 24 that he has appointed Dr. Edward Mills as the new Vice President of Strategic Enrollment for a three-year term. The position is currently held by Dr. Elias Lopez who will retire in June. Lee states that Lopez has been given a, “Universal thanks of the whole campus for building a strong team and a bold and visionary Strategic Enrollment Management Plan.”
On Sunday, April 16, an adult woman was the victim of a sexual assault on Fairway Drive in Rohnert Park. Her attacker was riding on a black bicycle around 8:30 p.m. where he then reportedly got off the bicycle, groped the victim from behind, tackled her to the ground and then proceeded to assault her.
On Tuesday, April 5, former President Donald Trump was charged with 34 felony counts connected to falsifying business records. It is the first time any president has received criminal charges. As the 2024 presidential race is approaching with Trump as a Republican candidate, Seawolves discuss how these charges could affect his campaign.
Last year, Sonoma State was rocked with scandal and uncertainty. Former President Judy Sakaki resigned in July 2022 after sexual assault allegations were made against her husband, Patrick McCallum, and a $600,000 settlement was paid by CSU to the alleged victim and former SSU provost, Lisa Vollendorf.
Trevor Leopold was a freshman at Sonoma State when he died of a fentanyl overdose in 2019. Trevor was battling with addiction, so what he thought was oxycodone, a pain medication, was instead a fentanyl counterfeit. At 18 years old, that unknowing decision cost him his life. He was said to have a very positive outlook on life and was actively working toward a bright future. As fentanyl overdoses are becoming more common, no one is immune to the possibility of counterfeit drugs.
More than 23,000 are dead and tens of thousands are injured after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Turkey and Syria on Monday, Feb. 6. Could an earthquake of the same magnitude affect Sonoma State?
Sonoma State University has seen a decline in enrollment since fall 2018. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a decrease in enrollment in schools across the country, and SSU was no exception.
![[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)
