Santa Rosa High School's "School-To-Work" Program, coordinated by Ron Reichmuth, was honored with the 21st Annual Jack London Award for Educational Innovation at a ceremony recently. The Sonoma State University School of Education presents this award to an outstanding K-12 school program that involves students, teachers and the community.
The School-To Work program encompasses four highly successful businesses run by Special Education students at Santa Rosa High School. The program enables student to move through their Career Awareness and Personal Management programs in pursuit of their high school completion certificates.
The programs assist the students in preparing for future employment opportunities. One judge commented, "There was a palpable feeling of energy and teamwork in the air. The varied business ideas/programs give each student an option to work and earn in an area of their own interest. They learn to succeed doing something they enjoy."
This year's other finalists were the "Pyramid of Support" project at Cloverdale High School coordinated by Theresa Burke, and the "Native Plant Nursery & Habitat Restoration" project at Casa Grande High School in Petaluma and coordinated by John Shribbs.
Information about these projects and the Jack London Award Program can be found at the School of Education website, www.sonoma.edu/education/.
May 28, 2008
Faculty, Staff and Students:
Below is the text of a letter from me to Tim Wandling, Chair, Academic Senate; Scott Miller, Chair-Elect, Academic Senate; and Derek Pierre, President, Associated Students, Inc. I wanted the campus to be aware of my decision, and reason behind that decision.
"This is to inform you that I will not accept the recommended action approved by the Academic Senate on March 4, 2008, "to rescind immediately the authorization of Blood Banks to operate on this campus, due to their discriminatory policy against gay men."
My principal reason for this decision is that the Food and Drug Administration's practice to bar donations from individuals engaged in man-to-man sex has not been determined to be unlawful by any court in this country.
The Non-Discrimination Policy of Sonoma State University states that, "Sonoma State University and its auxiliary organizations (hereon referred to as the University) supports an environment free of unlawful discrimination in any of the University's programs or activities of education and employment."
The policy goes on to reference a detailed list of federal and state laws as well as CSU Executive Orders and Collective Bargaining Agreements. The FDA policy has not been declared to violate any of these legal acts.
Further, I am accepting the Associated Students' Resolution that supports the Blood Bank drives on campus sponsored through JUMP while recognizing the negative impact of the FDA's policy on donor eligibility on many gay men.
At the same time, I am planning to send a letter to the Food and Drug Administration expressing our campus concerns with the appropriateness and fairness of the present donor eligibility criteria when it comes to man-to-man sex and to encourage the FDA to reconsider their deferral criteria in light of the recommendations of the Red Cross for a ban of 12 months. I hope that you join me in signing this letter."
I thank all the people and organizations that offered their advice and perspective on this issue.
Sincerely,
Ruben Armiñana, President
Sonoma State University holds its 47th annual commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 24 in an event that historically draws more than 10,000 people to Commencement Lawn on the Rohnert Park campus.
Of the approximately 2,100 students eligible to graduate, more than 1,500 are expected to participate with their families and friends in attendance.
The ceremonies are scheduled at 9 a.m. for the School of Science and Technology and the School of Social Sciences and 3 p.m. for the School of Arts and Humanities, School of Business and Economics, and the School of Education.
Keynote speaker for both the morning and afternoon ceremony is Dr. Ruben "Hurricane" Carter, a former boxer, writer, human rights activist and Doctor of Laws. He is also and CEO & Founder of Innocence International, a new generation of wrongful conviction services.
Bobbie Holmes, an 81-year old Petaluma woman, graduates with a Studio Art degree on Saturday. Holmes is a retired elementary schoolteacher who turned to teaching third graders so she could help children learn to read. An African-American, she focused her talents on learning painting at SSU and features Black art images in her work.
Struck earlier in her life with rheumetoid arthritis, she plans to try to get her diploma with the help of a walker. Family members and friends have sworn they will carry her across the stage, if necessary, so she can get her degree. She will graduate with distinction.
Also walking Saturday is Dakota Decker of Petaluma, the youngest graduate from the Physics and Astronomy Department, at 18-years-old. Decker has been attending classes at SSU since he was 14 and graduates with a degree in physics. He has decided to go to UCLA and pursue a masters degree in mechanical engineering and then on to Ph.D. work.
Casey Thompson of Petaluma is also graduating with a degree in Art Studio. Little did he imagine he would be graduating from college with his mother, Renee Thompson, who will also pickup her degree in Liberal Studies.
A highlight of the Commencement ceremonies are the 14 large public art works created by sculpture students on display throughout the campus grounds. Stained glass windows depicting the world's top petroleum tycoons, cast bronzes of migratory bird flight patterns and chairs fashioned from discarded shipping pallets are some of the works on view through May 25.
Special graduation celebrations will be held on Friday, May 23 in addition to the Commencement on Saturday. They include:
Second Annual Rainbow Celebration, 7-9 p.m., Thursday, May 22, Multi-Purpose Room, Student Union - For queer, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, two-spirit, intersex, questioning, same-gender-loving people and their friends, family, and allies to celebrate.
La Raza Graduation, 5 p.m., Friday, May 23, Everet B. Person Theatre - For students with Native American, Latino or Chicano heritage , the ceremony includes cultural music, keynote speakers, and a unique opportunity for the graduates to thank the individuals who have assisted them in obtaining their degree. The bilingual ceremony is conducted in Spanish and English and is open to the public.
16th Annual African-American Graduation Celebration, 6 p.m., Friday, May 23, Cooperage - This celebration is an opportunity for the University to acknowledge the achievements of African-American students and allow the students to thank their families, friends, faculty and mentors.
The Commencement ceremonies will also be webcast through a link found on the home page, www.sonoma.edu.
For further information, visit the Commencement 2008 Web site located at www.sonoma.edu/uaffairs/commencement.
For further information, contact Jean Wasp, Media Relations Coordinator,
Sonoma State University, (707) 664-2057 or (707) 477-5729.
Stained glass windows depicting the world's top petroleum tycoons, cast bronzes of migratory bird flight patterns and chairs fashioned from discarded shipping pallets are some of the 14 large-scale sculptural projects to be on exhibited throughout the Sonoma State University campus from May 15-25 in Rohnert Park.
The public is cordially invited to the artists' reception and tour of the projects on Thursday May 22, 4-6 p.m., in the SSU Sculpture Courtyard. "COMMENCE: Sculpture Projects 2008" will also be a highlight of the spring 2008 commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 24.
The exhibition includes projects widely ranging in concepts and materials - from Diana Meehan's "Migration," an expression in cast bronze of migratory bird flight patterns to Nicholas Harris' confrontational stained glass windows depicting the world's top petroleum tycoons.
The Sonoma State University Sculpture Department, under the direction of Professor Jann Nunn, has created a unique opportunity for students to realize large-scale, temporary outdoor sculptures for the public on campus grounds.
Itzul Gutierrez constructs and displays a diaphanous use of coffee filters while Robert Van Noord uses materials that challenge the viewers' perceptions of authenticity. Tamara DePaulo's procession of cement ashtray urns brings forth an interaction and reaction regarding addictions. Brook Johnson has created an hierarchy of chairs fashioned from discarded shipping pallets.
Other works include: Larry Fahy's "North Coast Breaker," a 3D representation of Hokusai's "Great Wave Off Kanagawa"; two works by graduating BFA student Joshua Forth that speak to the duality of life's monotony and absurdity; Greg Looney's "Bellowar," depicting his inner artistic battles; Nick Robles' three
dimensional line drawing in steel; Andrew Sanchez's haunting "Consigned to Oblivion"; Andrew Sofie's "Blanket Escape," actual bed sheets cascading from a third floor window of Stevenson Hall; and Nicole Stier's "Reassurances," a 7-foot-tall wood carving of a blanket.
"The expressed objectives are to not only enhance the already beautiful campus environment, but to showcase of the strong visual arts program at Sonoma State and to give students a hands-on educational experience that fosters their post-college careers as practicing visual artists," she says.
For further information, contact Jann Nunn, Associate Professor of Sculpture, jann.nunn@sonoma.edu, (707) 664-3043.
FOR A DOWNLOADABLE BROCHURE IN PDF, OF THE EXHIBIT, click here
Former boxer, renowned writer and human rights activist Dr. Rubin "Hurricane" Carter will be the featured speaker at the 2008 Sonoma State Commencement. Carter will speak at two separate graduation ceremonies on Saturday, May 24 at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on the Commencement Lawn.
Carter is a former boxer, writer, human rights activist and Doctor of Laws. He is also and CEO & Founder of Innocence International, a new generation of wrongful conviction services.
The life of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter has taken many twists, from obscurity to acclaim and back again. His boxing career began in 1961, and his fast and furious style made him a crowd favorite.
Five years later, while preparing for a World Championship fight, Carter was arrested for a triple murder. Although steadfastly maintaining his innocence, he was convicted and sentenced to three life terms, narrowly escaping the electric chair.
In 1974, upon the publication of his autobiography and the recantations of the state's two key witnesses (criminals who admitted they had lied at the trial), Carter's case attracted international attention.
He became a civil-rights cause celebrity and was immortalized in the Bob Dylan song "Hurricane." A new trial ensued, but the injustice was repeated. However, he never gave up, and in February 1988, the 22-year-old indictment was finally
dismissed.
Carter has spoken with former President Clinton on issues related to the death penalty, addressed the General Assembly at the United Nations, and has spoken alongside President Nelson Mandela.
His story was depicted in the critically-acclaimed film "The Hurricane" starring Denzel Washington. He holds two honorary doctorates from the University of Toronto and Griffith University.
Carter frequently lectures at bar associations, universities, law schools, high schools and libraries in the United States, Canada, and throughout the world on such diverse issues as literacy and education, wrongful convictions, habeas corpus, and the death penalty.
For more information, contact Daniel Kelly, Associated Student Productions, (707) 664-4129.
Dr. Ian Feinhandler, Professor of Geography and Global Studies at Sonoma State University, is available for comment on the current crisis in Myanmar.
Dr. Feinhandler can comment on political repression in Burma/Myanmar and why emergency supplies are being blocked by the government. In addition, Dr. Feinhandler can comment on the geopolitics of Burma/Myanmar, the history of the military dictatorship, the name-change from "Burma" to "Myanmar", the trade-relations that sustain the regime, illegal drug-production within the state, the uprising of September 2007, and the democracy movement led by Ang San Suu Kyi, winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize.
Dr. Feinhandler has conducted research on human rights abuse and the environmental destruction associated with the construction of a natural gas pipeline in Burma/Myanmar.
He is currently an Assistant Professor of Geography and Global Studies and teaches courses on geopolitics, resource wars, international development, and South Asia. He has presented his research at national and international conferences, and given guest lectures in his areas of expertise.
Contact Info:
Dr. Ian Feinhandler, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Geography and Global Studies
Sonoma State University
Phone: 707-664-2195
Email: ian.feinhandler@sonoma.edu
On Thursday, May 15, SSU is supporting 511.org's annual Bike to Work Day. Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to commute to campus using means other than their cars to promote alternative forms of transportation that benefit the entire community.
On Bike to Work Day, Energizer Stations will be located throughout the county to hydrate and encourage those participating on their way to SSU. At the final stop, SSU will host a station at the south entrance to campus (near the flagpole near East Cotati Avenue) with free gifts, food and refreshments and a chance at great raffle prizes!
Police & Parking Services is registering bicycles free during the Bike to Work Day activities. The first 15 riders to register their bicycles will also receive a free U-lock. In addition, bicycle maintenance and repair will be available at this location for SSU students, faculty or staff.
For those who do not own a bike, there are other options available. Visit the Sonoma County Transit web page for information on bus schedules and stop locations.
Visit http://www.sonoma.edu/ps/biketowork.shtml for more information.
A $2.5 million challenge grant from an anonymous Sonoma County family has been made to the Green Music Center at Sonoma State University.
Contributions to the matching grant are doubled in value and go toward completing construction. The anonymous family is also supporting a local effort underway to secure the naming of the concert hall Innovation Hall in honor of Sonoma County's telecommunications industry. Donald Green and his wife Maureen, for whom the center is named, and others in the industry have been responsible for raising $5 million toward the $7 million opportunity to name the hall.
Sonoma State University has been successful in securing over $90 million from more than 1,400 local donors toward the $110 million project to date. The complex's buildings are now in various stages of completion. Naming rights to the Music Education Hall complex is still available and is valued at $5 million.
The complex hosts classrooms, rehearsal rooms, and offices for faculty and staff, who will be moving in during July. Classes will be offered for the first time in August.
The University is also working toward completing and opening the Hospitality Center next year, and furnishing the concert hall's and Schroeder's Recital Hall's interiors, which includes the construction and installation of chairs, restrooms and all patron amenties.
The concert hall is expected to be one of the finest in the country. Designed after the Seiji Osawa Hall at Tanglewood in Lenox, Massachusetts (home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra), the hall will seat 1,400 inside and host a terraced lawn of 3,000 or more outside.
Both halls are scheduled to open in 2010, pending continued success at fundraising.
Those interested in learning more about the Green Music Center and participating in the challenge grant should contact the University's Development Office at (707) 664-2712.
*All lectures and events are free unless otherwise noted.
DR. ARTHUR M. SHAPIRO - Dr. Shapiro, Section of Ecology & Evolution, UC Davis, presents a lecture on Native Butterflies in the Anthropic Landscape. Biology Colloquium. Noon - 1 p.m., Tuesday, May 4. Darwin 103, (707) 664-2189.
JOHNN SEBASTIAN BACH'S MASS IN B MINOR - Bach's sacred magnum opus glorifies both voice and instrument, as the orchestra wings the listener to heaven with brilliant harmonies and depth of sound. Presented by the Sonoma County Choral Society. 8 p.m., Tuesday, May 4. For more information call the box office, (707) 664-2353.
WEST SIDE STORY - West Side Story dials Romeo and Juliet forward into today's landscape of gangs and warfare. Center of Performing Arts. 5 p.m., Sunday, May 4. Evert B Person Theater, (707) 664-2353.
JOSHUA GRANNELL (AKA "PEACHES CHRIST"): AN UNLIKELY CAREER - Grannell will speak about the bizarre realities of living in the world Peaches Christ inhabits. He will share clips from his films and television show to illustrate the evolution of what was once a queer, transgressive, underground performance scene that eventually ended up phenomenon. Queer Studies Lecture Series. Noon-12:50 p.m., Tuesday, May 4. Carson 68, (707) 664-2574.
LIGHTING UP THE DARK: GALAXIES AS PROBES OF THE DARK UNIVERSE - Dr. Risa Wechsler of Stanford University will describe how the dark matter that pervades our Universe is connected to the galaxies observed with telescopes, and how galaxy surveys can be used to understand the contents of our Universe. 4 p.m., Wednesday, May 5. Darwin 103. http://phys-astro.sonoma.edu/wpd/.
ROB KELLER - Keller presents the primary focus of his artwork, the Mummification Series. Visiting Artist Lecture Series. Noon-1 p.m., Tuesday, May 6. Art 102, (707) 664-3042.
THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE AS PROTOTYPE - Richard Hovannisian, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles, presents a lecture on the Armenian Genocide Memorial. 25th annual Holocaust Lecture Series. 4 p.m., Tuesday, May 6. Warren Auditorium, (707) 664-4296.
POCAHONTAS, A PICTURESQUE EPISODE IN THE HISTORY OF TWO NATIONS - Kathleen Noonan, History, presents a lecture in part of the Brown Bag Series. School of Social Sciences. Noon 1 p.m., Tuesday, May 6. Stevenson 2011.
INVESTIGATING PSYCHIC PHENOMENA WITH STASTICS - Jessica Utts, Department of Statistics, University of California, Davis presents a series of Anecdotal stories about phenomena such as telepathy and precognition. Scientists have studied these alleged abilities using well-designed experiments and statistical methods. This talk will cover the basics of these experiments, the statistical methods used to analyze them, and speculate on what can be concluded from this research. Math Colloquium. 4 p.m., Wednesday, May 7. Darwin 103, (707) 664-2368.
LA VOCE GLORIOSA: VOCAL REPERTORY CONCERT - Susan Witt-Butler, Karen Clark, Christopher Fritzsche & Lynne Morrow, directors. 1 p.m., Wednesday, May 7. Ives Concert Hall 119.
EFFECTIVE SOFTWARE TESTING - This presentation covers the lifecycle of software testing, beginning with the gathering and capturing of requirements in a process called Business Driven Development, all the way to runtime performance testing. The objective is the show that Rational software quality solutions and best practices can provide programmers with the framework and tools needed to use excellence in software testing as a strategic business advantage. Computer Science Colloquium. Noon, Thursday, May 8. Darwin 102, (707) 664-2667.
MUSIC TO MUSE UPON: INDIAN SINGING ENSEMBLE - Laxmi G. Tewari, director. Come and hear students performing classical compositions in Indian classical music and improvisation. Noon, Thursday, May 8. Ives 119.
POSH AND PROVOCATIVE! - SSU Latin Jazz Ensemble - The SSU Latin Jazz Ensemble in concert! Featuring the best of contemporary and classic latin jazz compositions from Cuba, South America the United States and Europe! Directed by Bob Afifi. 7:30 p.m., Thursday, May 8. Warren Auditorium.
GERI OLSON, PSYCHOLOGY - Olson presents "The History of Dolls, Part Two" as part of the Brown Bag Series. Noon - 1 p.m., Friday, May 9. Stevenson 2011.
PUBLIC VIEWING NIGHT AT OBSERVATORY - View Saturn, the Black Eye Galaxy, and the Spindle Galaxy at the SSU Observatory. 9 p.m., Friday, May 9. http://www.phys-astro.sonoma.edu/observatory/pvns08.html.
AN AMERICAN CHORAL LANDSCAPE - The Sonoma County Choral Society presents "An American Choral Landscape". The SSU Chorus, directed by Jenny Bent, offers an eclectic concert of American choral music by such composers as Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland and Moses Hogan. General Admission $12; SSU faculty, alumni, and staff $10; Students/Seniors $8. 8 p.m., Friday, May 9; 8 p.m., Saturday, May 10. Holy Family Episcopal Church, 1500 E Cotati Ave., Rohnert Park. SSU Box Office (707) 664-2353 (M-F, 12-5); online at sonomachoral.org.
Cynthia McKinney, Presidential Candidate for the Green Party Nomination, will speak at Sonoma State on Wednesday, May 7, at noon on the Darwin Quad.
McKinney, the first African American woman elected to Congress in Georgia, quit the Democratic Party last year in disgust at its failure to end the U.S. troop presence in Iraq.
She is a strong voice for minorities and immigrants, and a fearless anti-war critic. In response to the environmental crisis, McKinney calls for global understanding and global action.
Congressmember Cynthia McKinney is now seeking the presidency, not as a Democrat, but as a Green Party candidate. She is among the most outspoken critics of the Bush administration, and one of her last measures in office was to introduce a bill calling for the impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.
But Congressmember McKinney’s history of opposing war predates the Bush administration. In 1991, she spoke out against another Bush administration for the Persian Gulf War. She spoke out in the Georgia House of Representatives. But McKinney left the Democratic Party late last year after serving six terms in Congress. She said the Democrats had become "no different than their Republican counterparts."
Born in Atlanta, Georgia, McKinney is the daughter of retired nurse, Leola McKinney and one of Atlanta's first Black law enforcement officers, former Georgia State Representative Billy McKinney. She earned a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California, and a Masters of Art in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. McKinney's debut into public office came in 1988 when she was elected to the Georgia State Legislature. In 1992, Cynthia made history when she became the first African American woman to represent Georgia in the United States House of Representatives.
This event is sponsored by: Students for Media Democracy, Project Censored, Associated Students Productions, MECHA, BSU and Students for Justice in Palestine. To learn more, call (707) 664-2588.
