March 2024 A&F Times
March Column
As our newest Seawolves generally learn of their admission to Sonoma State in late fall and winter. Both new and returning students also learn of their financial aid award packages for the fall semester during spring. At SSU, we award an average of more than $50M in varying financial aid packages to our students each year. These awards are made up of funds from a variety of federal, state, and institutional sources and help our students to have access to a quality education.
The 2024-2025 award year is the first after implementing the Department of Education's (DOE) project to enact the FAFSA Simplification Act, which was approved by Congress in 2021. The project’s goal is to reduce complexity and increase accessibility to make completing the FAFSA more straightforward. Key changes include the elimination of certain questions deemed redundant or overly burdensome, such as those related to asset reporting, making the application less time-consuming for applicants. The DOE has integrated with the IRS to pull taxpayer information into the FAFSA to further simplify the process. These improvements aim to address barriers faced by low-income and first-generation college students, empowering them to navigate the financial aid process with greater ease and efficiency.
The changes brought about by this Act also updated Pell Grant eligibility criteria with the expectation that more students will qualify and there will be an increase in award amounts. At SSU, we are projecting an additional 270 students will qualify for Pell awards, and 1,000 students will qualify for increased awards. Total Pell awards for our students are expected to increase to $16.7M in 2024-2025 from $13.8M in 2023-2024.
While delays in the rollout from the DOE have put us slightly behind our usual financial aid award schedule, our goal is to have financial aid award offer letters to newly admitted students in time for Seawolf Decision Day. A big thank you to the Financial Aid and Information Technology teams for all their work to update MySSU for these changes.
What's Happening on Campus
Spring Budget Forum
Please mark your calendars for the Spring 2024 Budget and Planning Forum on Thursday, March 14, from 9 to 11 a.m. in Ballroom A of the Student Center. The event will also be livestreamed for those who are unable to attend in person. The forum will include remarks from President Mike Lee and other campus leaders, as well as a detailed budget briefing. The forum will also feature a town hall-style question-and-answer session, with questions fielded from those attending the livestream and in person. Campus Budget Plans are available for review on the University Budget and Resource Planning website. Thank you for your continued efforts to be engaged and informed on budgetary matters as we work to build our way to a more promising fiscal future. We hope you will be able to attend and participate in the Spring Budget and Planning Forum.
Here to Hear
Please join us for the next session of Conversations with Black and Brown in Blue on Wednesday, March 13 at 7pm in Ballroom A of the Student Center. Or, tune in to the livestream on Zoom. The featured speakers will be Mr. Arthur Chaney, retired law enforcement professional and local community leader, Dr. Greg Granderson, retired educator and local community leader, and Mr. Michael G. Miller, a lawyer and local community leader. Each of them have been instrumental locally in bringing people to the table to discuss a wide variety of topics through what they have called "Here to Hear." Please contact mo.phillips@sonoma.edu or visit the website for more information about the series.
Campus Safety Walk
Each semester, the Facilities Management team coordinates an evening walk around campus to identify any areas of concern in regards to safety. Top priorities include ensuring there is sufficient lighting along campus pathways, parking lots, buildings, and residences. These walks are open to all campus stakeholders, and past participants have included students, faculty and staff from all areas of the university. The spring walk will be focused primarily on the main campus and academic buildings. Anyone interested in participating can meet in the Student Center Lobby at 6pm on Wednesday, March 13th. For more information, email Dana Twedell at twedell@sonoma.edu.
2024 Chili Cook-Off Champions
Culinary Services hosted its 5th Annual Chili Cook-Off on February 22nd. Ten culinary services chili competitors enter their own scratch-made chili's and it was left up to the guests to decide the winner! Over 500 guests came
to experience the event for lunch that day and more than 250 people cast votes. The big winner was two-time champion Michael Kinton! Michael's #1 'Blazing Saddles' received an overwhelming majority of the votes and Michael has now won two out of the three years he's entered the competition. Michael intends to give the trophy to his Dad who created the chili recipe over 20 years ago and Michael was lucky enough to grow up enjoying it at home. The runner up's should be just as proud: 2nd place is one of Culinary Services' newer team members, Daniel White, with the #10 chili 'Silent but Deadly' and 3rd place was last year's chili cook-off champion, Saul Razo Aguilar, cooking the #2 chili 'King Pig'.
Thank you to everyone who came out to enjoy this year's event; Culinary Services looks forward to seeing you next year!
Shoutouts!
Leslie Johnston is doing an amazing job holding down the fort in the cashier’s office at this time while we’re down to one cashier! It's no small feat to keep operations running smoothly, and the Financial Services team is so appreciative of Leslie for all that she does.
Thank you to Kevin Munoz Lopez, Johna Beem, and Kristin Hillman for your eagerness to take on new tasks and keeping things moving in the accounting office!
Kudos to Carrie Schmidt for troubleshooting a very frustrating Peoplesoft payment issue with CMS Central, thank you for taking the time to work through it and find a solution!
Live at Cabernet Village Apartments
Cabernet Village Apartments are nestled in the northwest corner of the Sonoma State University campus and offer more than 1,200 square feet of living space. These two bedroom, one bathroom apartments include open living spaces, modern kitchens, are pet friendly, and the monthly rent of $2,500 includes all utilities (including laundry). A limited number of studio floorplans are available for $1,755 per month. Availability is limited, so if you are interested, please email cabernet.village@sonoma.edu for more information!
Anniversaries & New Hires!
Welcomed to SSU in February
| Name | Department |
|---|---|
| Tyler Clark | Workstation Security & Services |
Celebrated Anniversaries in February
| Name | Department |
|---|---|
| Elizabeth O'Brien | Seawolf Services |
| Trisha Ramos | Payroll & Benefits |
| Ivonne Manriquez | Financial Aid |
| Jaime Lugo | Landscaping |
| Brian Biggs | Enterprise Applications |
| Brian Schneider | Operations & Engineering |
| Tyson Hill | Risk Management & Safety Services |
| Evan Ferguson | Enterprise Infrastructure Services |
| Michael Alvarez | Housekeeping |
| Shyla Penn | Seawolf Services |
| Kelley Green | Operations & Engineering |
| Martiza Hernandez Sanchez | Housekeeping |
| Shawn Taylor | University Budget & Planning |
| Maria Alves | Housekeeping |
| Elsa Gonzalez Luna | Housekeeping |
| Jonathon Byers | Workstation Security & Services |
| Joshua Holliday | University Police |
| Aimee Studer | University Police |
| Taylor Green | Entrepreneurial Activities |
| Mary Ferrer | Kitchens |
| Madeline Cole | Entrepreneurial Activities Marketing |