Sonoma State University is home to many admirable students that have used their abilities to help fellow Seawolves at the university to grow in their academic careers. Two students from the Arts and Humanities department have been given the opportunity by the Career Center to be the host of a podcast, The SSU Career Chat, centered around career outlook and exploration.

Dr. Irene Wise at Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at Sonoma State University is holding a mindfulness workshop entitled: “The Struggle is Real, So How Do We Deal.” This workshop provides an opportunity for students to learn and experience mindfulness and self-compassion practices when dealing with intense or difficult emotions. It also gives students the tool to navigate challenging relationships and softening the hard critic inside students’ heads. The event will consist of six independent modules ranging from activities such as methods to calm down, meditations, and journaling exercises.

The raging Glass Fire has burned over 65,000 acres and destroyed over a thousand structures. Additionally, the Shady and Boysen fires have merged with the Glass Fire, and together they have affected both Sonoma and Napa county.

Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order last Wednesday that bans the sale of gas-powered vehicles in the state of California by the year 2035. This bill was signed in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. by motivating California drivers to switch to electric cars.

Robert Eyler, the Interim Public Relations Officer, gave notice that “So far, one student and two employees who have been on campus have tested positive since the Fall Semester began.” This contradicts the email recently sent out on September 17 to the whole community at Sonoma State University, which only mentioned one student testing positive for COVID-19.

Internet access is essential to the success of students during the virtual 2020-2021 school year. Lack of access to an academic setting is already a struggle for many students, and if rolling blackouts continue throughout the state of California, students will face a huge disadvantage in their virtual learning environment.

In the past couple of weeks, the Latino and Hispanic community of Sonoma County is continuing to suffer at the hands of fires, heatwaves, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The Hispanic and Latino community in Sonoma County make up 27% of the population. Dr. Sundari Mase, county Health officer stated, “They are now statistically about nine times more likely than their white neighbors to become infected by the coronavirus.”

The areas affected by the LNU fires are experiencing a tremendous rise in air pollution. The unhealthy levels have caused the Bay Area Air Quality Management District to urge local residents to limit their outdoor activities and to always wear a mask when outside. The thick haze of PM2.5 that has always been over the heads of residents in the North Bay, has now transitioned to toxic clouds of smoke.

Four new deans join the SSU community and are bringing the perspective of other schools and fresh new ways of doing things to Sonoma State.