California State University tackles food insecurity and student homelessness

**Originally published in the Sonoma State STAR**

Since April 2015, the California State University Office of The Chancellor has been funding research regarding homelessness and food insecurity among CSU students. Recently, CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White, announced that the research was to be extended with a second phase.

According to an emailed newsletter from White’s office, he believes that systems need to put in place across every campus to ensure that students are supplied with support when they need it, in order to achieve success.

Across the 23-campus CSU system, only 11 campuses have programs in place to aid students struggling with hunger and shelter. Sonoma State University, is not one of those.. Some campuses, such as Chico State, have already created campus food pantries for students use or other methods of providing nutrition to students in need.

“Through our partnership with Center for Healthy Communities, 620 students have applied for CalFresh and over 50 percent have qualified for benefits. We have had students visit the Hungry Wildcats Food pantry 531 times and distribute Veggie Bucks to 128 people, enabling more students to avoid hunger,” Wildcat Food Pantry Founder Kathleen Moroney said.

Moroney also explained that one of the biggest hurdles in the fight against hunger on campus, is a general disbelief that a problem exists and a lack of resources. However, the community support that came along with the development of the programs was enough to encourage Moroney’s efforts.

“I’d say, building partnerships within the college community as well as your local community is key to maximizing your efforts.  We started with a food pantry, but it soon turned into a collaborative effort of campus-based programs whose goal is to improve student success through the provision of supplemental food, nutritious meals, government-funded food benefits, research-based education and single-point-of-contact referral services for students experiencing food insecurity, hunger and poverty,” Moroney said.

The second phase of the research being done will focus on gaining more in-depth information from students, earning funding to create programs, and creating program policies, according to the Chancellor’s newsletter. The data however, is being self-reported by students who are asked to participate in the survey, which means some figures have the potential to be skewed. It is still undetermined whether or not this effort will be system-wide across all 23 CSU campuses, or simply aimed to boost existing campus programs.

“The aim of the study is to assess how widespread the issue of hunger and homelessness is on CSU campuses. This is being done with the goal to launch campus-based intervention programs to support student success and degree completion,” Interim Manager of Public Affairs, Elizabeth Chapin said.

In the first phase, results of surveys showed that 21-24 percent of students experience food insecurity, and 8-12 percent live in an unstable housing situation. On top of that, only 14 percent of students had knowledge of available support services on campus. However, on the campuses with food security and shelter aid available, students are playing a vital role in the success of those programs.

“We also use student volunteers as needed to help with Pantry projects. Often a class will help the Pantry with fundraising, food donations or donated time. Students have been incredibly generous in contributing to the Pantry’s success,” Moroney said.

By using other CSU campuses as examples, Sonoma State could set up a very successful supplemental food program. Many campuses that already have them in place, are learning about how to improve upon their models lessons that we could learn from.

“We are looking at the programs that are out there, seeing what may or may not work here at Sonoma State University. So it is still early in the stages, but we are researching it,” Director of Dining Services, Lisa Andresen said. “As we go down this road, it would be my hopes that if we started a program, we would work in conjunction with the Associated Students.”

Sara Goldrick-Rab, a professor at The University of Wisconsin, published a study in Dec. 2015 about the same issue on community-college campuses. Her findings show that the issue certainly exists outside the CSU system.

“According to a new survey of more than 4,000 undergraduates at 10 community colleges across the nation, half of all community college students are struggling with food and/or housing insecurity. Fully 20 percent are hungry and 13 percent are homeless,” according to the ‘Hungry To Learn’ study, performed by Goldrick-Rab.

The majority of the issue was that many students wouldn’t buy enough food for the month, and run out of a budget for more. It wasn’t that they didn’t have access, but that they couldn’t afford it. However, the CSU Office of The Chancellor assured that tuition would not be affected, and that the research is important to future student success.

Showcase highlights possibilities of technology in the classroom

**Originally published in the Sonoma State STAR**

On Thursday Feb. 11, Sonoma State University held its fourth ever, Teacher Technology Showcase. The event was filled with educators and community members showing off technology ranging from robots to iPad apps. This year the event was moved into the, more spacious, third floor ballroom.

“This year, it was in a different venue. It was in the Cooperage before and it’s much nicer to be in this space. That’s definitely one difference, but so is noticing how the technology has evolved,” participant Rick Phelan said.

Phelan, who had attended the showcase before, was displaying two small robots from the Sonoma County Robotics Challenge. His booth was one that attracted some of the younger attendees. The robots, would wheel around the small arena set up on the table on their own without falling. They were completely autonomous, meaning no human control. Phelan also played videos of past Robotics Challenges, which helped show other robot examples. Kids in grades four through eight, would build and enter their own robots in a competition against other entries.

“Some of it is more glitzy stuff, but I think you can see what other student teachers are showing and ways that they’re integrating technology,” Phelan said.

Another educator hoping to show off her iPad application, was attending the showcase for the first time.

“I didn’t expect to it to be this big, I heard that last year it was in a much smaller room. But I didn’t know there would be a whole different area where you could interact and make different things,” Ellana Johnstone, a participating teacher, said.

Johnstone’s booth was displaying an app that would assist students and teachers in presenting lessons and information from an iPad. The technology she was using allowed her to highlight, make notes, or even create illustrations over documents or a virtual whiteboard. Johnstone demonstrated what she could do on her own iPad and a projector she had set up.

“It is the 21st century. I think it’s only going to get more and more complex from there, but it’s a great way to make connections with kids this century,” Johnstone said.

Today an increasing amount of schools are implementing the use of iPads in class to aid student participation. Although it hasn’t spread to the Sonoma State campus, it is a reality that could be on the horizon.

“I think it would be cool to use iPads in class. But I’m not sure what kinds of restrictions would be put on them,” junior and history major, Isaac Briones said.

Johnstone’s comments regarding the need for the showcase, especially in this century certainly speak to the goal of the event.

“The goal of the Showcase is to highlight how educators are creating better learning environments for students through the integration of technology,” according to the Sonoma State web page.

With how many advances there are today in the tech world, the need for the showcase couldn’t be more clear.

“We know that technology is a part of our world and teachers need to be up to speed with it. So this is one way of helping teachers get connected and see what’s available,” Phelan said.

Phelan had some advice for kids or educators hoping to stay up to date with the technology boom.

“Go and see what’s happening. Visit other teacher’s classrooms and talk with other teachers about what’s happening. Be a part of social networks and go to conferences,” Phelan said.

Multicultural dinner provides students with a new learning experience

**Originally published in the Sonoma State STAR**

Unlike many institutions, Sonoma State University creates outlets to help students represent the various cultures that are coexisting on campus. Recently, the Multicultural Organization Club and Alliance, or MOCA, held a multicultural dinner in the Kitchens to help spread awareness about other cultures.

“I think that our biggest challenge was choosing which activities to do at the dinner, because we had a long list of ideas,” senior Soshana Falk said.

Falk, President of Sonoma Hillel, has been a member of MOCA since it began in August 2005. Since it’s creation, MOCA has been creating opportunities to spread culture by hosting multicultural events or supporting other cultural club’s events. On Thursday Feb. 18, in the on campus dining hall, MOCA helped broaden student horizons by highlighting meals from various cultures.

“The beneficial aspect of the MOCA dinner is that students know that there are different cultural organizations represented at Sonoma State University.  The dinner allowed students to learn about each organization through food, educational material, and by participating in the ‘communi-tree’ activity,” Falk said.

Falk explained that the participating multicultural organizations each sent in a menu, which were then combined to create the menu for the dinner. Although the food wasn’t prepared by the students of each culture, there were plenty of different dishes.

“This event is important because now more students are aware of the different cultures represented on campus and were able to learn more about each of them by trying the different foods and learning about them,” Falk said.

Although some students didn’t head to the dining hall for cultural education, that is exactly what they received. The meal included Jewish, Latino, Filipino and African dishes among others.

“Next time we have another MOCA dinner, I think we can encourage more cultures to participate so that students are able to learn about even more cultures,” Falk said.

According to the Sonoma State website roughly 65% of the campus population is caucasian, while 15% are latino and 6% are multiracial. Although the numbers don’t suggest an abundance of diversity, there is still a broad collection of cultures around campus.

Although some students didn’t pay attention to the multicultural menu that night, many did take note of the different cultures being showcased.

“I think passing out informational flyers after people walk into the Kitchens would be beneficial, because then students would know why the Kitchens has food represented from different cultures,” Falk said.

Some students didn’t know about the dinner beforehand, but were still pleasantly surprised to see the event and various cultures.

Part of the success of the dinner, is due to the student body at Sonoma State being so interested in the culture of others. Instead of simply eating and leaving, the students were interested in the cultures to which they were being introduced.

“Overall, our first MOCA dinner was a big success.  Many students ate at the Kitchens that night and were able to try the different foods from various cultures.  Also, MOCA is happy that we were able to showcase our cultures to the larger Sonoma State community,” Falk said.

Is anyone visiting Chicago?

In almost any newspaper or publication, you can find a story about police brutality and another shooting. However we don’t often think about the total effect violence can have on an area, but in his Chicago Tribune piece titled “Can Chicago tourism overcome image of crime, police brutality?” Robert Channick looks at a bigger picture.

Channick doesn’t dance around the point, instead he jumps right in by explaining that in 2016 Chicago might not attract as many visitors as a result of violence. I can appreciate that the subject is important and sometimes those issues need to be stated bluntly.

Channick respects the research that is needed for this issue and supplies data for readers to show the changing atmosphere in Chicago. He explains that a record-setting 51.7 million people visited Chicago in 2015, but already the number for 2016 are down.

Henry Hearteveldt is a travel industry analyst that Channick quotes about the obstacles that Chicago may be facing this year. By using trustworthy sources like an industry analyst, Channick builds the confidence that his readers have in him.

Some readers may appreciate that Channick references that film ‘Chi-raq’ directed by Spike Lee, which talks about the Black Friday protests in Chicago. Channick also points to something President Barack Obama said in a recent town hall. These points, although not particularly important, may have been seen by his audience.

Channick shifts his focus back to the hard data suggesting that Chicago is in trouble. He references a campaign called ‘Choose Chicago’, which was started by Mayor Rahm Emanuel in 2012. He continues to supply numbers and facts on the campaign, which must be focused on the long-run with their goal of 55 million visitors by the year 2020.

Channick keeps his opinion out of the story by supplying quotes from various sources, all of which help shed light on the issue he is focused on. By allowing many people to talk on the issue, it rounds out the picture for the reader. The article feels much more accurate because of how many people contributed to the information.

Channick wraps up the article by talking about the expansion of tourism offices for Chicago in Canada and Mexico. I like that he ends with this because it’s the first time that he shifts his lens to a broader view for readers to think about. Overall, Channick supplies the reader with great sources, good info, and a unique angle about the future of Chicago’s tourism industry.

Here is the article: Chicago's future of tourism

Pot Problems Put Simply

The marijuana legalization efforts have been alive for decades, but only in recent years has the idea of medicinal marijuana actually seemed possible. Many people are aware of the situation that is occurring, but others are in the dark about what may be occurring nationwide in the near future.

In his Rolling Stone article titled ‘What Will Rescheduling Marijuana Mean for the Pot Industry?’ author Alex Halperin gives everyone a good overview of the subject in laymen's terms. He stays away from a one-sided, opinionated rant about pot and instead provides context on what worries the voters and the government--not his opinion.

The focus of the article, is mostly on the Drug Enforcement Agency’s decision to see if marijuana should be rescheduled as a different class drug. Instead of being classified as a easily abused, and very addictive drug, it may be changed to have potential medical benefits and allows research to be performed by labs.

Halperin doesn’t tell readers whether he smokes or not, he doesn’t say whether he would legalize it or not, instead he provides valid and trustworthy sources to give facts about the situation. One source, is a cannabis lawyer who represents a Washington firm, and admits that she isn’t optimistic about the DEA’s pending decision. But he doesn’t stop there, he also allows the other side a chance to speak by quoting a California based therapy company who has a brighter outlook on the issue.

Often when I read articles like this, I get lost in legal jargon and can’t really make out what the issue really is but Halperin doesn’t allow that to happen. He uses clear phrases and simplistic writing to accomplish the goal of educating readers. On top of that, he explains the differences between schedule II drugs and schedule I drugs which will aid readers in the long run.

Overall I felt that Halperin did an excellent job of providing information for readers to draw conclusions with, and used valid sources. He didn’t ignore any angles of the issue, and allowed quotes from people who feel differently on the issue. The only thing that would have really strengthened this article would have been a government quote about the DEA and what they will need to do to reach a decision.

The full article can be read here: Rescheduling Pot

United States and Cuba Reunited

When the United States began normalizing communications with Cuba in recent months, I wanted to find a better angle on the story. I thought about what might influence each publication when writing their story about the U.S. and Cuba relationship, and geographic location played a big part in my decision. I decided that for a different take on Cuba, I would read something that was published close to the action--which is how I found the Miami Herald.

Florida is known for it’s close proximity to Cuba, and it’s no doubt that Miami has a large cuban population. So, I decided to take a look at “U.S. business relations with Cuba seem to have one speed: slow” written by Mimi Whitefield and see how the story might differ from something I would read in California.

From the beginning I could tell that Whitefield was doing her homework. She starts with a hook to lure in readers with information on cuban companies, and quickly transitions in her next few paragraphs to a quote from a trustworthy source. Whitefield reached out to a lawyer for a Florida produce company, something I see as a great journalistic decision. Not only will a lawyer be trusted as an official source, he will be easy to defend if anyone question his comments.

Whitefield supplies a few more pieces of evidence in support of the speed claims, before shifting her focus and allowing the other side of the argument to enter. She shows good journalistic value in allowing her voice to guide the story, but not to supply the facts. She uses sources from various places to supply the hard data and simply lets the reader decide how to interpret it.

Whitefield does something that I really enjoy seeing when reading publications from across the country, she quotes a professor from a university in another state. She uses a quote from a professor at University of California at San Diego, which lets me know that she was aware that there may be better source outside of Miami where she could get information. With today’s technology, there isn’t much of an excuse for not reaching out to the best source of information for a quote.

Finally when wrapping up her piece, the author provides the reader good background information on Cuba and its political system. The time she takes to do so is important because it gives readers context on the information they just learned. As a result, she has equipped the reader with enough to draw educated conclusions and find a stance among the issue.

You can read her article here: United States and Cuba: Slow

Remembering Mr. Madoff

I’ve always had a fascination with people who run scams, ponzi schemes and pyramid schemes. It’s just something that I know I would have a hard time doing myself, so I am curious when I hear about others who are involved in these devastating plans. I’ll never forget learning about Bernie Madoff, the man who ran a ponzi scheme and stole himself millions that belonged to other hardworking people.

My interest in this topic has led me to read some stories on people who are arrested for this type of thing, or who have risen to infamy as a result of their involvement. One piece, title ‘The Talented Mr. Madoff’, which was published in the L.A. Times stood out to me as a solid example of good journalism.

The scandal involving Madoff, was covered by writers Julie Creswell and Landon Thomas Jr., who did an excellent job of covering all angles of the story. Creswell and Thomas aren’t opinionated or judgemental in their writing about Madoff, which I seem to find can happen when the subjects of the story are easy to dislike. Madoff stole millions from others who had actually done the work to earn it, so it would be easy to write an opinion piece on why he should be put in prison--it would certainly be more challenging to stay objective like Creswell and Thomas.

But that isn’t the only positive that readers can take away from this article. One of my favorite parts of this piece of writing, is the intro that grabs the reader’s attention. It begins by describing Madoff not as a scumbag who plans to rob you of all you’re worth, but as a affable and charismatic man. Many readers would jump right into the heart of the scandal, but Creswell and Thomas paint a picture for the reader before letting the scene unfold.

In my opinion, a strong hook can really bring in an audience and earn reader’s attention, but staying transparent is key. Creswell and Thomas make concessions after stating evidence about Madoff. After quoting an F.B.I former special agent, they admit that he hasn’t met Madoff. So any diagnosis about his personality or habits are purely speculatory and haven’t been confirmed in person. With this, they show the reader that they are aiming to stay accurate and can be trusted as a source on this topic.

After reading ‘The Talented Mr. Madoff,’ I was intrigued and ready to learn more about the subject. For me, that means the authors did their job. They educated me on the subject, supplied evidence and not opinion based facts, and made concessions about their point--all good habits of a hardworking journalist.

You can read the article here: The Talented Mr. Madoff