While uncertainty shrouds COVID-19 and the world’s future, reports coming out from other countries shine a light on the few solid facts officials do know; that an immediate and efficient response to the virus saves lives. In order to combat potentially overfilled hospitals in the near future, Sonoma County has decided to make Sonoma State University an alternate care site.
An alternate care site, ACS, is typically a non-traditional site, in this case, a college campus, where patients with COVID-19 can receive medical care and treatment. There are two types of ACS, general care and acute care.
The stores in Rohnert Park are lined with empty shelves where food was once spilling out of containers in abundance, and few people roam the streets making Rohnert Park feel more of a ghost town than anything else, inducing worry among college students in this revolutionary time period.
However, even in this hectic time with an economic crash, panic buying, the virus, and more, Sonoma State can still rely on their custodians to keep the campus clean, safe, and bring a sort of normalcy back onto campus even as they might be forced out of their job come summer.
As the world halts and lives are changed because of the onset of the worldwide pandemic of the COVID-19 virus, many students worry about the changes that are happening at Sonoma State University and in the state of California.
According to the California Department of Public Health, California has conducted around 25,200 tests for COVID-19 and reported 1,224 positive cases and 23 deaths relating to the disease as of Sunday, March 22.
The Coronavirus, COVID-19, spread quickly around the world and sparked many different theories and discussions on how to help prevent the virus. Now, with the county of Sonoma declaring a Local Public Health Emergency and two confirmed cases in Rohnert Park, Sonoma State University is attempting to prepare their students to help prevent the spread of this disease.
A press release about the Local Public Health Emergency, from the County of Sonoma’s Department of Health, stated, “These proclamations empower the County to more effectively respond to the outbreak, seek and utilize mutual aid, potentially obtain reimbursement, coordinate communications with stakeholders and the community. The proclamations will also ensure that the County's public health professionals have all necessary tools at their disposal to keep the community safe.”
According to Sonoma State University’s crime logs, in the past two months, there have been 15 petty theft cases, and ten of them were suspended. Furthermore, many of the petty thefts and burglaries that happened during the evacuation when Kincade fires were burning have remained unsolved three months later.
Petty theft is defined by someone stealing under $950 of property or valuables, and burglary is illegal entry into a building to commit a crime, usually theft. Suspending the petty theft investigations means that SSU police are no longer actively working on the case.
Just a little under a month ago, Sonoma State custodians, many who take care of children and elderly family members, were overworked and understaffed, with many just able to make ends meet by working two jobs. About two weeks ago, they lined up at their union’s door with anger and betrayal in their eyes after receiving a notice that they might be forced to quit the job they rely so heavily upon.
On the morning of Friday, Feb. 2, the custodial night crew was handed a notice by J. Dana Twedell, the associate vice president for Administration and Finance, said that as of July 5, their hours would be changing from 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 to 10:30 a.m.
Sonoma State University welcomed a new and unique member to their Seawolf family, that no other public university has had the privilege to acquire. Chef B, a smoothie-making robot, was unveiled on Jan. 22 at Sonoma State’s Charlie Brown’s Cafe.
