November 2025 A&F Times
November Column
It’s been so nice to see the seasons start to change across campus. The fall colors, the cooler mornings, and the energy of the semester all make this a special time to be here. Everyday I am reminded of how lucky I am to work on such a beautiful campus.
In the Budget Office, we’ve been reflecting on how far we’ve come since this time last year. It’s taken a lot of hard work, creativity, and collaboration across campus, but we are now in a much healthier position with a balanced budget plan for 2025–2026. That’s a big milestone, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the efforts of so many people and kept working together through some tough years.
We’ve also begun the planning process for the 2026–2027 budget. At the system level, the CSU Board of Trustees has asked the state to restore the budget cut from this year and to provide the 5% base increase that’s part of the state compact funding. These requests are important for supporting the CSU’s mission and student success. We’ll know more about how the state responds when the Governor releases the budget proposal in January.
It is encouraging to be looking ahead with a stronger foundation. Thank you for all that you do to support our students and one another.
What's Happening on Campus
It's a Great Christmas Charlie Brown!
Christmas is coming early at The Kitchens on Thursday, November 13! We’re bringing Peanuts holiday vibes to the table with a feast that feels straight out of the comic strip. Think cozy classics, festive flavors, and a few surprises that would make Snoopy do his happy dance. Grab your crew, grab a plate, and let’s celebrate the season—no tiny trees required. This special themed dinner takes place Thursday, November 13th from 4-7pm at The Kitchens, price is $17 per person for all-you-care-to-eat.
Check Out Student Art
The Juried Student Exhibition features original artwork by current SSU Students in a variety of media, such as painting, sculpture, photography, printmaking, drawing, and mixed media, which reflects courses offered in the art studio program at Sonoma State as well as the students’ own individual creativity. The exhibition opening reception takes place Thursday, November 13th from 4-6pm at the University Art Gallery. Please contact [email protected] for more information.
Celebrating Peace & Resilience
On Tuesday, October 28th, the campus community celebrated the installation of two powerful symbols of peace at Sonoma State University, the Hiroshima Peace Trees and a Peace Pole. The three Hiroshima Peace trees were grown from seeds descended from a gingko tree that survived the nuclear bombing at Hiroshima and were brough to the university through a partnership with the Peace Crane Project. The Peace Pole features the phrase "May Peace Prevail on Earth" in eight different languages and was brough to the campus through a student-led initiative in the SSU Rotaract Club.
The university commemorated the day with a Peace Ceremony featuring powerful remarks by campus leadership, students, and members of the community. Special thanks to the members of Facilities Management Landscaping and Carpentry teams who contributed to the design and installation of both items!
The ceremony was also featured in an article in the Press Democrat as well as a feature on the SSU News website.
Halloween Fun!
The A&F Team got into the spooky spirit this year! The team brought the creativity and the energy to celebrate Halloween. A special shoutout to the winners of this year's costume contest!
Best Team
- First Place: "Where's Waldo?" Carmen Diaz-Mia, Whitney McDowell, Julia Ibanez, Ivonne Manriquez, Teresita Ornelas Vega
- Second Place: "Mrs. Roper" Erin Taylor & Erin Rock
- Third Place: "Cat in the Hat & His Things" Jessica Avner, Elizabeth O'Brien, Shyla Penn, Kelly Cambou
Best Individual
- First Place: "Betty Rubble" Melissa Castro
- Second Place: "The Lady of the Lake" Sadie Pettit
- Third Place (tie): "Face Off", "Wednesday", and "Willie Nelson" Lucy Reyes, Paige Berendsen, and Alec Rich
Shoutouts!
Our very own Ivonne Mejia Berzunza of IT was a presenter at the annual CSU Smartsheet Day! Ivonne shared insights into how to utilize tools in Smartsheet to support project management efforts. Attendees for the session included staff from across the CSU system. Way to go Ivonne!
Kudos to Mike Nelson of IT and Tessa Bradley of the Box Office for their work in successfully migrating the box office software and printers to a new cloud platform!
And a very BIG thank you to all the members of Facilities Management, Risk Management, Culinary Services, and all others who worked throughout the weekend to address the campus' water quality issue. These teams worked together to ensure the issue was resolved quickly, while maintaining support and providing bottled water for our students living on campus, and keeping the campus community informed of important updates throughout the disruption.
Anniversaries!
Celebrated Anniversaries in October
| Name | Department |
|---|---|
| Dustin Cole | Kitchens |
| Sarah Campbell | Kitchens |
| Juan Gonzalez Orozco | Housekeeping |
| Danica Hulbert | Kitchens |
| Athony Milani | Campus Prints |
| Matthew Ali Witzel | Housekeeping |
| Jamie Hermann | Facilities Administration |
| Tyron McCarter | Housekeeping |
| Koushik Damera | Enterprise Applications |
| Lucia Silva | Housekeeping |
| Franklin Reed | Operations & Engineering |
| Chandra Holte | Human Resources |
| Ruben Sanders | Housekeeping |
| Adelino Alves | Housekeeping |
| George Atkinson | Landscaping |
| Natalie Sanchez | University Budget & Planning |
| Amanda Visser | Accounting/Financial Reporting |
| Ira McKern | Operations & Engineering |
| Michael Nelson | Workstation Security & Services |
| Kindra Kautz | Conference & Event Services |
| Tiffany Perry | Payroll & Benefits |
| Daniel Kizirian | Operations & Engineering |
| Jenifer Barnett | Purchasing |
| Jessica Way | Entrepreneurial Activities |