Some have called them "teardrops from the moon."
Ancient cultures have seen them as a source of magic and sorcery.
To the scientific mind of Rolfe Erickson, they may be signs of ancient asteroids.
The Sonoma State University geology professor has seen a kind of serendipity to the story of how his dormant geological research took on new life a few months ago.
Erickson is making the rounds of rock and mineral societies these days putting out a call for "tektites" among amateur and professional rock hounds in the Bay Area.
Geologists call the tektites littered over a large area a "strewn field." There are only five known strewn fields on the planet in the Czech republic, the southeastern United States, Australia, Indochina and the Gold Coast in Africa.
Tektites from these areas each have their own distinctive look and feel. If Erickson can find evidence of enough tektites in a local strewn field, he may have come across the first in western North America.
Ranging in size from a walnut to a peach pit, tektites look like dark,
dusty, pitted glass. They were made in the distant past when asteroids hit the earth at enormous speeds and the impact pushed vaporized gas into the atmosphere.
Shaped by frictional forces on the way back down to earth, the gas froze in the cold of space and rained in various shapes and sizes back onto the planet in areas spanning 1,000 miles. "People are somehow attracted to these strange little pebbles," Erickson says.
They seem to be the kind of things people want to pick up off the ground and throw into a mason jar or bucket until they have a "collection." In this region, tektites are most easily found in vineyards or road cuts where the soil has been deeply churned up.
That was the case with his first collection, donated to him 12 years ago by a woman who used to walk in a nearby vineyard to get exercise and picked up the dark, pitted rocks along the way. Erickson put the collection of more than 100 in a small cardboard box in the bottom drawer of his desk after analysis of the rocks could not pin down their origin or type.
Six months ago, a geology student told him about an uncle who owned a vineyard who had his own tektite collection, made again from vineyard wanderings over time. Only recently, Erickson was told of a third collection by a vineyard manager he approached after finding about 20 tektites in the same area of Healdsburg as the others. It turned out all three people knew each other, but none of them knew they were private tektite collectors in Dry Creek Valley.
If you have been collecting tektites and can help professor Erickson, contact him at (707) 664-2296.
CAPTION: Geology professor Rolfe Erickson with tektites collected from strewn fields all over the world. (Photo by Jean Wasp)
The glass you are looking at turns ever darker, as more and more of the toxic chemicals are dumped in. Soon that clean, pure glass of water has become nothing more then a mass of congealed tar amidst the 14,000 chemicals found in today's cigarettes.
This will be one of the more graphic demonstrations that students will see at the annual Health and Wellness Fair from noon-1 p.m. on Thursday, May 1 in the Stevenson Quad on campus.
The main focus of this year's fair, according to SSU Health Center coordinator Toni Boracchia, will be the new campus smoking policy and the environmental and social ramifications of discarded cigarettes.
Boracchia is hoping to get the message across through the use of the Team 02 van, an interactive educational tool that uses videos and games to create a hip environment for visitors.
Groups at the fair will include Blood Bank of the Redwoods, the Sonoma County HIV Testing Van, the Healing Lotus Yoga Wellness Center, massage therapists and chiropractors. Recreation Sports will also sponsor a Tug of War in the quad from 12-1.
For more information, call (707) 664-2927.
By Sarah Epting
Though slavery has been abolished for over 140 years, Tim Wandling, an English professor at Sonoma State University, urges his social protest literature class to find parallels between what Harriet Beecher Stowe was trying to accomplish in her novel, "Uncle Tom's Cabin," to the aims of activist writers today in the realms of sexism, homophobia, and racism.
Wandling has set up his social-protest literature class to bring a well- rounded learning experience for the students by empowering them to create social change in their own community along with gaining the knowledge of how groups and individuals have done so in the past.
Through service learning projects, Wandling's students this semester have signed on to help homeless families in transition through a program called Family Connections, or to work with St. Joseph's Health System to promote neighborhood activism.
Besides having his students discuss the war in Iraq and examine how American citizens are protesting it's very existence, Wandling encourages students to see the issue of the war in Iraq from every side. Students write letters to a mother of a soldier who was killed in battle, and to a mother whose child was imprisoned for protesting the war.
Wandling creates a more complete learning experience as he leads his students to study and understand activist writing, to practice and participate in activist work and writing, to understand the ways writers
speak to audiences, to examine the place in literary history of social-protest literature, to reflect upon the literature with reference to their own life and times, and to make a difference in their local community.
Throughout the semester, students read classic authors such as Thoreau, Dickens, Melville, Jack London, Upton Sinclair, along with more contemporary authors such as Alice Walker and Barbara Kingsolver.
Sonoma State University invites the public to participate in a workshop on Sonoma County's greenhouse gas emissions study, the first in the nation, from 10 a.m to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 3, in the Cooperage.
Featuring a keynote address by Randy Hayes, founder and director of Rainforest Action Network, the event provides an opportunity for representatives from local city and county governments to meet with business, non-profit, and education sectors in order to evaluate local greenhouse gas emissions and discuss opportunities to reduce the impact on climate change at the local level.
The morning session will highlight Sonoma County's Climate Protection Campaign, spearheaded by local sustainability activist Ann Hancock, in collaboration with the International Council on Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), a United Nations-affiliated organization based in Berkeley.
Hancock worked with Mike Sandler, coordinator of the Community Clean Water Institute, to enroll Sonoma County and all nine city councils in ICLEI's climate protection project, making Sonoma County the first in the nation to have all of its cities committed to reducing emissions.
The first afternoon session, "A Restorative Economy for Sonoma County," will be facilitated by Ned Orrett, co-founder of Resource Performance Partners in Petaluma, and will focus on energy and sustainability-related initiatives in the local business community.
The second afternoon session will highlight climate-related initiatives in the schools. This session will be facilitated by Nancy Vogl, Service Learning Co-Lead for the Northern California region, and will highlight Randy Hayes and his climate change program for K-12, called Destination Conservation.
A $10 donation will be requested at the door. Free admission for students or with on-line pre-registration at www.sonoma.edu/projects/climatechange. Parking is free on Saturdays. Teachers will be able to receive academic credit through the School of Extended Education at SSU.
The May 3 event is the second workshop in the "Creating a Climate for Change" series. The next two workshops are "Building for the Future: Green Building Expo," June 7 and "Clearing the Air with Transportation" on Nov. 8.
For further information, contact Damon Knutsen, (415) 847-7523.
The InterCultural Center is hosting a series of events in celebration of Raza & Native American Heritage Month. Through these and other events, the InterCultural Center (ICC) hopes to bridge cultural gaps on campus and reaffirm our connections with one another.
The office operates from a strong philosophy based on multiculturalism and is committed to enhancing the educational and cultural experiences, as well as social awareness, of all students, faculty and staff.
A listing of events follows:
NAFTA and Plan Puebla Panama, Xiomara Castro - 5:15 p.m., Monday, April 21, the Cooperage. Xiomara Castro, a Salvadoran-American who has been involved in the social change movement discuses the Plan Puebla Panama which will pave the way for the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). Free Admission.
Noche Cultural - 7 p.m., Friday, April 25, the Common. The students of Elsie Allen High School and MEChA will perform a evening of plays and monologues by Luis Valdez and others including the Indigenous folk tale, La
Llorona. The evening will also feature an ethic fashion show, Mayan Ballet Folkl-rico, and a comedic featured performance. Admission is $5 for high school students, $10 SSU Students and $12 General. A $7 group rate is available for groups of 10 or more but must be pre-ordered.
Danza Azteca de Sonoma 2-year Anniversary Celebration - 10 a.m to 7 p.m. Saturday, April 26, campus lakes.
Latino Youth Art Exhibition - May 5 - May 30, InterCultural Center Gallery. An opening reception is at 5:30 p.m. on May 9. Students from E1 Molino, Analy, and Rancho Cotate High schools, as well as some feeder schools will be exhibiting. The students, ranging from recently self-proclaimed artists to art major hopefuls invite the public to experience with them, a public display of the world as they see it.
High School Day - All day, Thursday, May 8, campus wide. Featuring A Cultural Performance In Stevenson Quadrangle and Ethnic Food Sale at noon.
Ballet Folkl-rico Night - 7 p.m., Friday, May 9, Warren Auditorium. Folk dance featuring Ballet Folkl-rico Quinto Sol, Ballet Folkl-rico Tonatih, Ballet Folkl-rico de Rancho Cotate High School, Baler Folkl-rico Flor de Mayo, Ballet Folkl-rico de Cloverdale High School, and Danza Azteca de Sonoma. Admission is $3 for students, S5 General Admission and Moms & Children under 12 free.
Radical Visions For Transformation - 5:15 p.m., Monday, May 13, the Cooperage. Anzaldua, is a poet, writer, feminist and and cultural theorist. She was born to sharecropper/field-worker parents on September 26th, 1942 in South Texas' Rio Grande Valley. After relocating at age 11 to the city of Hargill, Texas on the border of the United States and MexiCo, she entered the fields to work. Free Admission for SSU Students, $8 General
These events are sponsored by InterCultural Center, in cooperation with the RAZA/Native American Council, and Associated Students Productions. For more information, contact the InterCultural Center at (707) 664-2537.
The California State University system recently honored two Sonoma State University students Angela Hoey and Kristen Cortenbach with special awards in recognition of their outstanding service and commitment to their communities.
Cortenbach is a volunteer at Sunburst Projects, a local agency that works to create a safe and supportive community for youth and families living with the HIV virus and AIDS. She served as a campus counselor at an overnight camp and was responsible for creating a fun, safe, and supportive environment for children affected by HIV and AIDS. Additionally, as a respite childcare volunteer, she provides support to the parents and their children. As a result of her dedication, she has provided practical and emotional support to improving the lives of children and families who have affected by HIV and AIDS.
Hoey and two of her peers coordinated "dialogue groups" with senior citizens at an assisted living facility which provide an opportunity for older adults to talk candidly with their peers and with college students about the concerns and challenges they face. By working together, the participants developed an agenda of mutual interest that included exploring societal attitudes towards older adults, coping with physical and cognitive impairments, and finding a meaningful role during retirement. Hoey also served as a guide when the older adults toured the campus.
Both students were awarded the STARS Award (Students That Are Recognized for Service) an annual award recognizeing the critical role students play in strengthening California communities.
"CSU STARS award recipients are role models at the CSU and exemplify our students' dedication and service to the community," said CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed. For instance, over 135,000 CSU students systemwide perform 33.6 million hours of community service annually--a minimum wage value of approximately $193.2 million.
These days the economy is slow and it takes the willingness to "go the second mile" to find a job, says Sonoma State University Career Advisor Anne Greenblatt.
The Career Center offers a series of workshops in April, often the month when students start thinking about polishing up their skills for after graduation job-hunting efforts.
The workshops, open to SSU students and alumni, include:
Guerilla Tactics in the Job Market - Noon-1 p.m., Tuesday, April 15, Salazar 1061, Discover a range of job search strategies that work to tap into the "hidden job market."
The Art of Chit Chat: A Key to Finding a Great Job - Noon-1 p.m., Tuesday, April 22, Salazar 1061. Create a "30-second story" about you and your plans, learn how to start and end conversations naturally, and discover information and contacts that lead to opportunities.
Preparing for Successful Interviews - 3:30-4:30 p.m., Thursday, April 24, Salazar 1018. Find out what to expect at job interviews and what employers are looking for in applicants. learn how to impress employers, dress, answer questions, understand body language, and follow up. Walk in with a smile and out with a job.
Winning Resumes and Cover Letters - Noon-1p.m., Tuesday, April 29, Salazar 1061. A good resume and cover letter can open the door to an interview. This workshop show how to make this important first impression to an employer.
For more information on these workshops or the services the SSU Career Center has to offer, contact Anne Greenblatt at (707) 664-3127 or e-mail anne.greenblatt@sonoma.edu.
Greenblatt also offers the following tips for college grads on how to look for work:
1. Follow through! Strong follow-through capability is your most valuable asset in the world of work, and definitely sets you apart from students who don't do it. When you meet an employer at a job fair or info session, follow up with a cover letter and resume tailored to their need.
2. Know your talents. You're not only earning a degree, you've building transferable skills in your classes, extracurricular activities, and jobs. Sample key skills are analyzing, organizing, coordinating, writing, researching, presenting, mediating, selling, designing, evaluating, etc. Practice describing them to friends and family who'll listen.
3. Build a strong network. Your connections are your most important job search asset. Jobs obtained over the Internet account for 4-5 percent of all hires, and jobs advertised in the newspaper, about 10-15% of all hires. Personal and professional contacts account for an incredible 60-70 % of all hires. Many companies, deluged with resumes, instruct their HR staff to consider only resumes referred by an employee of their company. So what should you do? First, keep an e-mail address book of everyone you've become acquainted with. That includes friends, faculty, administrators, counselors and advisors, student club members, and former employers, as well as family and relatives. Then let them know what kind of work you're looking for. If you're unable to name what you're searching for, then use a few people in your network to generate ideas or point you to new possibilities. Ask your contact for a short 20-minute informational interview (see a description of how to do this at www.sonoma.edu/sas/crc). You can increase your chances that you will be referred by an employee by devoting at least 50% of your job search energy to networking. Make an appointment with a Career Advisor at 664-2196 to learn how. Or take "The Art of Chit Chat" workshop on April 22, 12-1:00 in Salazar 1061.
4. Create a dynamite resume and for each job write a specially tailored cover letter that describes your strengths for that job in particular. Be sure that key words employers use for their job postings appear on your resume along with a clear job objective.You can have your resume and a sample letter checked out in a drop-in appointment in Career Services, Salazar 1070, any day from 10 � 3:00 PM.
5. Use MonsterTrak to search for jobs and internships. Employers interested in Sonoma State students, grads, and alums post jobs and internships on MonsterTrak. Check it out at www.sonoma.edu/sas/crc.
6. Consider a portfolio job search. Instead of seeking full time employment, try several part time positions for a while. Or a part-time paid job and part-time internship to build experience. That will build your talent base and add to your growing network of contacts.
7. Temp your foot in the door. Temp jobs, although often not exciting, can lead to full-time or summer-long positions. If there's a certain organization you'd like to work for, you can call their HR Department and ask them what temp agency they use, and then sign up with that agency, letting them know your preferences. It's important to stay current with a temp agency, once you've signed up, calling them every few days to remind them you're out there. It's also smart to sign up with 2 to 3 agencies to increase your chances. Once you get a job, network around the water cooler. Ask people about their work and offer to take on projects to showcase your skills. And be willing to do whatever asked to get started.
8. Volunteer to build credibility and skills. If you believe that you have talent to contribute to an organization, then offer to take on a short-term project that you'll deliver, without cost, to demonstrate your knowledge base. This can work when employers need help but don't advertise positions they could be willing to create a volunteer position or internship for
you.
9. Use the web to research positions, company's salaries, and professional associations. You can also post a resume at sites like www.hotjobs.com , but the success rate for on-line resumes is around 5%. Job searching takes a multi-pronged strategy.
10. Finally, maintain your vision and adaptability along with realistic expectations ..and take good care of yourself during a job search!
What do a symphony under the stars, The Call of the Wild, Puerto Rican salsa, and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons have in common with a dance troupe that has all the vigor of STOMP! and the flair of Irish step dancing?
They are all part of the Sonoma State University’s fourth annual Green Music Festival called Conversations in the Arts to be staged from June through August in a beautiful wine country setting by the lakes on the Rohnert Park campus.
The popular summer festival offers a bold combination of arts programming that permits masters from a diversity of disciplines to work together for the first time.
Under the artistic leadership of Jeffrey Kahane, the Festival offers a new range of programs from brilliant, physical dance by the Sean Curran Dance Company, to a salsa version of Vivaldi's Four Seasons by Salsa Dura master Jimmy Bosch, a double-sized chamber music concert series and fireside readings of Jack London's adventure tales.
The Sean Curran Dance Company performs July 11 and 12 to the accompaniment of Jeffrey Kahane on piano and Margaret Batjer on violin in four classical music pieces. Known for his wit, intelligence, ingenuity, and uncanny physical humor, Curran successfully blends a myriad of influences into a purely original style with influences from Irish step dancing, STOMP! and Alvin Ailey
Spellbinding, scintillating rhythms will pulse through the audience on Aug. 3 as Salsa Dura artist Jimmy Bosch and his band play with the Santa Rosa Symphony in a "call and response" approach to the most celebrated masterpiece of the Italian Baroque: Antonio Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. Salsa dance lessons will bring festival-goers to their feet as they did last year.
Honoring the 100th anniversary of the publication of The Call of the Wild, a captivating eight-week lecture series will explore the works and world of legendary author, Jack London, with the addition of Fireside Tales — two free family evenings under the stars featuring local celebrities reading their favorite London stories.
The festival's sell-out Independence Day on the Green is set for July 4 with the music of American patriotic classics by the Santa Rosa Symphony followed by the region’s most spectacular fireworks.
The Chamber Music Series has doubled in size for this year's mid-July series. Returning by popular demand, the Borromeo String Quartet will join an intimate circle of other nationally and internationally acclaimed soloists and principals, including cellist Alisa Weilerstein.
"This year, the Green Music Festival will enhance the emotional power of musical performances with a great deal of kinetic excitement," says artistic director Jeffrey Kahane.
For ticket information, call (707) 546-8742 or visit the Festival website at www.greenmusicfestival.org.
2003 GREEN MUSIC FESTIVAL Sonoma State University 1801 E. Cotati Ave., Rohnert Park
Jeffrey Kahane, Artistic
JACK LONDON LECTURE SERIES — 7 p.m.,Wednesdays, June 25 - Aug. 13, Alumni Amphitheatre (for Call of the Wild readings) and Evert B. Person Theatre (for historical lectures). Noted Jack London scholars, California authors and historians will explore the works and world of Jack London. Fireside Tales (7 p.m., June 25 and Aug. 13) offers free family evenings under the stars with celebrity guests reading excerpts from London's works including The Call of the Wild. Admission: $6 per lecture, $30 for six-lecture series, July 2 -Aug. 6. Call (707) 664-2353 for dates and topics of specific lectures.
INDEPENDENCE DAY ON THE GREEN—Friday, July 4, Sonoma State University lakes area. Santa Rosa Symphony with Tim Hankewich, conductor and Bonnie Brooks, mezzo-soprano and the San Francisco Starlight Orchestra. Patriotic favorites plus spectacular Sonoma County fireworks. Lawn seating: Adults $30, seniors $25, youth $10. Table seating: per person $55; table for eight $420. Gates open at 4 p.m., Starlight Orchestra, 5 p.m., Santa Rosa Symphony, 7 p.m.
CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES — 4 p.m., Sunday, July 13; 8 p.m.,Thursday, July 17; 8 p.m., Saturday, July 19; 4 p.m., Sunday, July 20, Evert B. Person Theatre. Jeffrey Kahane & Friends include Margaret Batjer, Chee-Yun, Eric Wyrick, Geraldine Walther, Peter Wyrick, Alisa Weilerstein, Todd Palmer, The Borromeo String Quartet, Jon Kimura Parker. Adults $30, seniors $25, youth $15.
SEAN CURRAN DANCE COMPANY — 8 p.m., Friday, July 11 and Saturday, July 12, Evert B. Person Theatre, Sean Curran Dance Company with Jeffrey Kahane, piano, and Margaret Batjer, violin. Curran is a champion Irish step dancer in his native Boston; he went on to become a leading dancer with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, and later a cast member of STOMP! Adults $30, seniors $25, youth $15.
GREENFARMFEST — 2-10 p.m., Saturday, July 26, and 2-7:30 p.m. Sunday, July 27, Ives Hall. A summer showcase for students from Greenfarm, the Green Music Center's Arts and Education program, where innovative pieces are presented from students who have developed collaborative works over the course of their summer immersion. Visit www.greenfarm.org for more information or call (707) 664-3312. Free admission.
SALSA VIVALDI — 4-8 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 3, (gates open at 2 p.m.) Sonoma State University lakes area. Salsa Dura artist Jimmy Bosch and his band, Leila Josefowicz, violin with members of the Santa Rosa Symphony. Lawn seating: adults $30, seniors $25, youth $10. Table seating: $45 per person, $340 table for eight. For ticket information, call (707) 546-8742 or visit the Festival website at www.greenmusicfestival.org.
Sonoma State University's Lifelong Learning Institute announced today it has become the first state-wide recipient of a $1 million endowment from the Bernard Osher Foundation.
Sonoma State's successful LLI program, begun two years ago, prompted the Osher Foundation to seed the program throughout the country. This is the first million-dollar grant made by the Osher Foundation in California. It offers a similiar endowment to universities that can establish successful LLI's on their campuses.
Representatives from 18 universities and colleges —15 from California alone are meeting at Sonoma State University through April 8 to coordinate their efforts and inaugurate an Osher Lifelong Learning education network throughout the state and nation.
Each has received smaller ($100,000 a year for three years) Osher Foundation grants to begin Lifelong Learning Institutes at their campuses.
The SSU conference is designed to share models and implementations plans including Sonoma State's highly successful LLI program.
Topics during the conference include creating a fundraising program, faculty and curriculum, marketing and recruitment, budget, finance, and registration.
The California State University campuses being funded by the Osher Foundation include California Polytechnic, San Luis Obispo, Hayward, San Jose, Dominguez Hills, San Bernardino, Fullerton, San Francisco and Sonoma.
The University of California campuses include Berkeley, Santa Cruz, Davis, San Francisco, Irvine and Riverside.
The out-of-state campuses are the University of Southern Maine, University of Vermont and the University of Hawaii.
A role model for the latest tidal wave in senior education is the Fromm Institute at the University of San Francisco, which for the past quarter century has offered programs in everything from classics to computing for retirement-age adults.
Sonoma State modeled its program on the Fromm Institute and offers eight-week courses, promising "no grades, no homework." Over 300 students attend each semester. The average age of an LLI student at Sonoma is 69 and most have college degrees.
The Osher Foundation began funding LLLI's several years ago to promote education for people "50 or better" who want to return to school "for the love of learning." The first Osher grantee was the University of Southern Maine in the late '90s in Osher's home state.
For more information on the kinds of curriculum offered, faculty, and students, and more about the Osher Foundation, contact the following:
Lou Miller, executive director, Sonoma State Lifelong Learning Institute, (707) 664-3189.
Jean Wasp, Media Relations, Sonoma State University, (707) 664-2057.
Steven Dobbs, executive vice president, Osher Foundation. (415) 479-4783.
Sonoma State University's Lifelong Learning web site can be found at www.sonoma.edu/ExEd/lifelong/.
Previous press releases on Sonoma's program can be found at:
http://www.sonoma.edu/pubs/release/2002/261.html
http://www.sonoma.edu/pubs/release/2002/226.html
http://www.sonoma.edu/pubs/release/2001/107A.html
Many established and emerging businesses find success elusive and raising capital difficult. They find that the secrets of the business world can come at a high price, or may not come to them at all - until now.
The Sonoma State University School of Business and Economics' Entrepreneurship Boot Camp, in its second year of existence, offers small businesses the secrets of the business world, the tips and guidance they need to survive and directions on the road to success in a three-day course set for May 6-8 in Rohnert Park.
M.L. "Tux" Tuxhorn, a local entrepreneur, is program coordinator.
"The Camp is geared toward existing businesses who want to expand to the next level and also to start-up businesses who are saying, 'I want to go for it�,'" Tuxhorn says. "It's also geared to people with an idea saying, 'I know it's going to work, but how is it going to get there?'"
Speakers at the Boot Camp will cover many topics, including raising capital, opportunity recognition, business valuation, preparing the business plan, building a management team, structuring the deal and exit strategy.
The attendees will also receive guidance and advice from successful entrepreneurs, North Bay Angels investors and business professionals at a fraction of the cost of hiring similiar experts.
Tuxhorn says, "I don't know any other place where an emerging business can get such high quality advice and guidance in a personalized setting."
Included in the list of distinguished speakers are attorney Ron Star, a nationally-recognized expert in deal structuring; Jim Andersen, an expert on business valuation, SSU business professor Armand Gilinsky; David Hehman, founder of Sprina; Gary Leopold, a partner at Pisenti and Brinker, Jean Hackenburg, former CFO of Atari, and many more.
"The first year was very successful," said Gilinsky, who teaches entrepreneurship and founded the program with Tuxhorn. Cynthia Riggs, founder of Making It Big, a successful women's clothing store, and student of the Boot Camp last year says, "this class was an experience that will resonate for a lifetime."
Another success story is Ari Cortez of Sonoma Cider Mill, who raised $1 million from the North Bay Angels investors a few months after attending last year's Boot Camp.
"With the current state of economy, small businesses can get a leg up on their competition and benefit greatly from the ideas, contacts and tips they receive at the Boot Camp," Tuxhorn says.
Also included in the program is the NOBLE Award Dinner, which honors a person who exemplifies "entrepreneurial excellence."
Tuxhorn started his first business in college and has developed over 25 business ventures including a very successful land development and construction business that has created around 1,000 residential homes.
The Entrepreneurship Boot Camp will be held May 6-8 at the Doubletree Hotel, One Doubletree Drive, Rohnert Park. The cost of the program is $895, which covers the cost of the entire conference, including all meals and course materials. Scholarships are available.
To sign up for the Entrepreneur Boot Camp, or to obtain more information, contact Tux Tuxhorn at (707) 569-0300, e-mail tuxhorn@concentric.net, or visit the the Sonoma State University School of Business and Economics website at www.sonoma.edu/programs/epp.
Firefighter Susan Hagen, and investigative social worker Mary Carouba will discuss the role women played in the months following 9/11 at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 17 in the Cooperage.
They will discuss their new book Women at Ground Zero. Admission is free for SSU students, with a five-dollar fee for the general public. The event is sponsored by Associated Students Productions.
The Women at Ground Zero features a collection of interviews with thirty women who either responded directly to the attack on September 11 or have been intensely involved in the rescue and recovery efforts since the tragedy.
It features photographs and interviews with women firefighters, paramedics, EMTs, police officers, and many others. These include stories about three female rescuers who died in the collapse and who are remembered by co-workers, family and friends.
Susan Hagen is currently a member of the Graton Fire Protection District, where she is a CPR instructor and assists with the Emergency Medical Services training program at Santa Rosa Junior College. Mary Carouba is an investigative social worker for the Human Services Department in Sonoma County, California.
For further information, contact Jenn Meyers, Associated Students, (707) 664-3949.
Two educational events featuring the voices of sexual violence survivors and victims take place this month in recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month including a special Clothesline Project and the annual Take Back the Night March.
On Wed., April 16, The Clothesline Project, a visual display of t-shirts with messages that graphically demonstrate the impact of violence against women, will be hung throughout the Main Quad from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The annual Take Back the Night March and Rally will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Wed., April 23 in The Cooperage Building in the Residence Halls. The SSU Women's Resource Center, Student Advocates For Education and the Office of Campus Life sponsor both events, with support from the community rape crisis organization, United Against Sexual Assault.
The Clothesline Project displays and Take Back the Night events are held in communities nationwide in order to educate about the epidemic of sexual violence against women. These events also offer survivors, their families and friends ways to "break the silence" surrounding these issues. FBI statistics estimate that, in the U.S., a woman is raped every 1.3 minutes, a woman is beaten every three seconds, and one in three girls will be sexually abused in their lifetimes.
The Clothesline Project was created by women in Cape Cod, MA in 1989, to visually testify to the harm of rape, incest, physical abuse and other forms of gender-based violence in a way comparable to the AIDS quilt and the Vietnam Wall. Since 1993, students, faculty and staff have created more than a hundred shirts to add to the SSU display. Some shirts express intense feelings of anger, loss, fear, shame and hatred, while others offer inspirational messages aimed at stopping sexual violence.
By making shirts and adding them to the clothesline, participants mourn those who have died or whose lives have been devastated by such violence, while others bear witness to survivors' courage and commitment to healing.
Each shirt's color symbolizes a different form of sexual violence, and the sounds played during the display represent how frequently U.S. women are battered, reported raped or killed by their partners. Staff from United Against Sexual Assault and SSU groups working against sexual violence on campus, will staff information tables during the display.
The first U.S. Take Back the Night March was held in San Francisco in 1978 to protest violence against women, particularly sexual assault. The idea was for women to symbolically take back the streets of their communities, demanding that they be made safe for women and girls and challenging the "It�s not safe to go out after dark" curfew mentality imposed on females. The SSU march and rally will unite the campus and the community to speak out against sexual assault and assert women's right to live without fear of sexual violence.
The rally will feature music and speakers, and offer survivors of rape the opportunity to speak as a step toward healing from their attack. The rally will be followed by a candlelight march around campus, with participants raising their voices to help stop rape.
For more information, contact The SSU Women's Resource Center at 664-2845.
