August 26, 2024

Warm weather is far from the only thing that students brought to SF State on Aug. 20 when moving into campus residence halls. Under sunny skies at 70 degrees Fahrenheit, thousands of students pushed boxes on wheels full of their belongings, hauled from their hometowns into their new homes for the next nine months. 

Clothing, sheets, hampers, toiletries and school supplies are a must of course. But so are stuffed animals, plants and posters of their favorite bands. 

“I brought my footballs because I like to stay active. I have a fan because it helps me sleep, for the white noise,” said Patrick Mendoza, a Photojournalism major entering his fourth year in the residence halls at SF State.  

Estefania Solis, moving into the Village at Centennial Square, made sure to pack photographs of her friends because she plans to decorate her wall with them. She also brought her new Dumbo stuffed animal to keep in her bed. 

“I wanted to move into a city — not super far, but not super close either,” said Solis, who is transferring to SF State from Folsom Lake College to study Accounting. “I’m excited to explore the city. I’ve never been on my own before. I look forward to meeting new people and finding new interests.” 

This year marks the opening of the West Grove Commons, a 751-bed building rising six stories high. It introduces a “pod-style” living environment to SF State’s residential community. There are an average of 12 rooms per pod and 4 pods per floor. Each floor includes a shared all-gender bathroom, and study and lounge spaces. An adjacent new building for the Gator Health Center and dining commons will open in early 2025. The project is supported by a $116 million from California’s Affordable Student Housing Grant Program.    

A new reduced-rate student housing program also launched this fall. The first program of its kind in the California State University system, it offers housing at approximately 25% less than the traditional rate to students who meet the qualifications to receive a Cal Grant A or B financial aid award. 

SF State President Lynn Mahoney walked her way through the campus residential communities to greet families and University Housing staff. “The weather is always this nice,” she joked to a family from San Diego. This family was dropping off two of their triplets rooming together in the Towers at Centennial Square. “San Francisco was our only choice,” said Claire Gaines, a Kinesiology major. “In San Francisco, there are a lot of opportunities to grow your career.” 

Her sister Gianna Gaines, a Child and Adolescent Development major, added: “There is so much to do. It’s different than back home. There’s so much good food. I love Chinatown.”  

Learn more about on-campus housing and apply online. 

Photo by Kevin Perez 

Whether you’re new or returning to SF State, you have access to a variety of resources, the most valuable being your peers. Students in SF State’s Peer2Peer Mentor Collective and First-Year Experience (FYE) Peer Mentor program have a wealth of advice to offer on the key to balancing a college career and city living.  

The mentors are continuing students who meet regularly with new students, most often virtually. In the Peer2Peer Mentor Collective, students text each other most frequently, while the FYE students most frequently meet in person. 

Kenya Bravo, an SF State student and FYE peer mentor, emphasizes the importance of keeping your life organized. She says students should use a planner (or a calendar or reminder app on their smartphone) to keep track of tasks, events and activities. Bravo also recommends reading the class syllabus as early as possible. 

“Not every professor is going to go over the syllabus,” she said. “It’ll tell you a lot of things you’d want to know, like dates for assignments and your grade breakdown.” To save money, she adds, students may be able to find free digital versions of textbooks. 

On the first day of classes, student mentor Rishika Patel likes to arrive to the classroom 10 minutes early. “You can pick out your seating, you can meet other students in the class and prepare yourself before the professor starts lecturing or explaining the syllabus,” she said. 

Even if you already know your way around the 144-acre campus, new discoveries await around the corner. SF State is home to more than 60 student resources and more than 200 student organizations. Student mentor Alpana Kallianpur suggests getting acquainted with where resources are located. “It’s important to know what you have available around you,” Kallianpur said.  

Student mentor Dylan Gillespie notes that the Student Services building is a central location for in-person assistance from Admissions, Financial Aid, the Registrar’s and Bursar’s offices, One Card, Student Engagement and Transition, Student Support Services, Disability Programs and Resource Center, and Veterans Services. The building is also home to the Dream Resource Center, Educational Opportunity Program, Counseling and Psychological Services, and Diversity, Student Equity and Interfaith Programs. The centers for Undergraduate Advising and Career and Leadership Development are in the Administration building. 

“They’re all extra support — here to support you,” Gillespie said. 

Sometimes, finding a coffee on campus or the best pho in the Bay Area might be your priority. When student mentor Isabella Sofia Ceja arrives on campus, she grabs a boba drink from Quickly outside of the Cesar Chavez Student Center. When she needs a recharge, she goes to Cafe Rosso for a cup of coffee and a bagel stuffed with bacon, eggs and cheese. When she is ready to leave campus, she takes the bus to Kevin’s Noodle House in Daly City. It’s only a 10-minute ride from the SFSU campus. 

“The Bay Area weather always puts me in the mood for pho,” Ceja said.  

Patel’s final piece of advice is something that students have been doing since kindergarten: “Make friends in every class that you have.” 

Students can sign up online to find a Peer2Peer mentor or become one themselves. Visit the Peer2Peer Mentor Collective web page to learn more and get involved. 

Learn more about the FYE Peer Mentor Program. 

SF State’s Kimberly DeBoer has been selected to represent the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) on the national stage as a nominee for the 2023 – 2024 National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) Woman of the Year award. 

DeBoer will be listed among the most elite student-athletes in each of the three divisions of the NCAA, as the Woman of the Year Selection Committee will choose the Top 30 honorees — 10 from each division — from the conference-level nominees. The top 30 honorees will be announced in the fall. 

For more information about DeBoer and this award, please visit the SF State Gators website. 

The Office of Strategic Marketing and Communications (SMC) continues its efforts to boost page views via search engine optimization, geared toward improving the user experience for future students. 

Future Students: Academics 

Refreshed content, new imagery and additional call-to-action buttons attracted users to revisit the page more frequently and drive them toward conversion goals.  

• 78.6% increase in user sessions 
• 71.5% increase in total clicks on page  

Future Students: Admissions 

Refreshed content, new imagery and additional call-to-action buttons improved traffic for prospective students, as they were more likely to revisit the page to follow their path to admission. 

• 13.7% increase in user sessions 
• 7.7% increase in total clicks on page  

Home Page Redesign 

SMC has increased the user experience for prospective students with a redesigned home page. This has resulted in a rise in clicks on the “Request Information” button, a key conversion metric for the website.  

• 184.4% Increase in clicks on the “Request Information” button 
• 657 total clicks on the “Request Information” button  

Snapshots: July 12 – Aug. 9, 2024 

Sciences Po, an SF State Abroad exchange partner in France, invites faculty to apply for a research stay. 

Research activities conducted by the visiting scholar should focus on one or more of the following areas of specialization of Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Evaluation of Public Policies (LIEPP): 

• Discrimination and category-based policies (research group led by Morgan Laouenan and Laura Morales)  
• Educational policies (research group led by Carlo Barone)  
• Environmental policies (research group led by Charlotte Halpern and Martin Hendel)  
• Evaluation of democracy (research group led by Lou Safra)  
• Health policies (research group led by Henri Bergeron and Thomas Rapp)  
• Socio-fiscal policies (research group led by Clément Carbonnier, Nathalie Morel and Michaël Zemmour)  

Applications by scholars with a broader (methodological or theoretical) specialization in evaluation are also welcome.

The selection of applications will be made by the laboratory council (composed of the research groups directors and the director of LIEPP), on the basis of the scientific quality of the project, its relevance in terms of policy evaluation and fit with one or more of LIEPP’s areas of specialization. 

The deadline for application is Monday, Sept. 10. The results of the selection will be made available at the beginning of October.  

Please visit the SciencesPo website for more information about LIEPP’s activities. For questions, please email Sciences Po at liepp@sciencespo.fr. 

Guest curated by Rogelio Cruz (B.A., ’24), “Waters Run Deep” is on display through Saturday, Sept. 7, in the Fine Arts Gallery, open Tuesdays – Fridays, noon – 4 p.m.  

Sixty percent of the human body is made up of water, and 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered in water. Water, in every shape and form, is a building block for life on Earth and its importance has been recognized by many, both in the physical by sustaining life, but also in the spiritual. Water is critical in many religious and spiritual practices around the world. This manifests as deities dedicated to bodies of water and rain, cleansing rituals and the recognition of the integral connection of water and life. 

The artists included in “Waters Run Deep” explore their own personal, cultural and metaphysical connections to water. Featured artists are: Maëlis Bekkouche, Alexis C. Garcia, Lindsay Gauthier with Fog Beast, Tiare Ribeaux, Ana Paula Teixeira and Jessica Tully. 

Take a stroll through the center of campus on Tuesday, Sept. 3, and Wednesday, Sept. 4, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., to see the International Education Exchange Council at the Study Abroad Fair. This event is on Malcolm X Plaza. 

The tables at the fair will represent the different countries where SF State students can study abroad, through SF State Exchange and CSU International Programs. International students and study abroad alumni decorate each table and will be available to talk about their country.  

At the fair, students can learn more about study abroad and prepare students thinking about going abroad in spring 2025, summer 2025 and/or fall 2025. The priority deadline for spring 2025 is Sunday, Sept. 15, at 11:59 p.m. 

Please encourage your students to attend and follow SF State Abroad on Instagram. Students can also explore their options on the SF State Abroad Database. 

The Office of Faculty Affairs and Professional Development invites tenure-track faculty and associate professors preparing for promotion to participate in a workshop this semester to help prepare for Retention, Tenure and Promotion (RTP). Sheldon Gen, interim associate dean for Faculty Affairs and Professional Development, will lead the workshops with a member of the University Tenure and Promotion and Committee. 

Faculty who will be reviewed in the next few years are encouraged to attend. The workshops are organized according to different phases of faculty professional development, but topics covered in each of the workshops will be similar, so feel free to attend the workshop that best fits your schedule. 

Workshops: 

• Friday, Sept. 6, noon – 1:30 p.m.: Focus on first- and second-year review 
• Tuesday, Sept. 10, 1:30 – 3 p.m.: Focus on tenure and promotion 
• Wednesday, Sept. 11, 1:30 – 3 p.m.: Focus on promotion to full 
• Thursday, Sept. 12, noon – 1:30 p.m.: Focus on third-, fourth- and fifth-year review 

Gen will have in-person RTP office hours available for faculty in Administration 451B on Wednesdays from Sept. 18 to Oct. 23, 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., and Thursdays from Sept. 19 – Oct. 24, 9 – 10:30 a.m. Drop in, or email Gen at sgen@sfsu.edu if you prefer an appointment or have questions. 

Please RSVP via Qualtrics to receive a link for the workshop of your choice. An invitation link will be sent to your SFSU e-mail address the day before the workshop. 

Do you know a Gator looking to boost their resume, gain hands-on experience or make valuable connections? Encourage them to join the Fall 2024 Service and Internship Fair hosted by the Institute for Civic and Community Engagement. It takes place on Monday, Sept. 10, 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., on the Quad. 

During the fair students will: 

• Discover opportunities: Meet a variety of organizations offering internships and service positions that match students’ interests and goals. 
• Network: Connect with professionals, community leaders and other students who are passionate about making a difference. 
• Grow: Learn about different fields, build skills and find chances to apply what they’ve learned in real-world situations. 

The SF State Alumni Association invites the campus community to a special wine tasting event at Ghost Block Wines in Oakville on Saturday, Sept. 28, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. This event will feature a guided tasting led by alumna Margaret Meraz, who will showcase some of the winery’s finest selections. Following the wine tasting, enjoy a lunch catered by Marco from SF State’s Taqueria Girasol.  

Seating for this event is limited, so early registration is encouraged to secure a spot. 

SF State welcomes persons with disabilities and will provide reasonable accommodations upon request. To request reasonable accommodations for this event, please email Ken Maeshiro by Friday, Sept. 20. 

Jane Bernard-Powers, professor emerita in the Department of Elementary Education, passed away on July 15 at the age of 82.  

She came to San Francisco State in 1990 and became emerita in 2010. She was chair of the department from 1997 to 2000. Previously, Bernard-Powers taught at the American School in Okinawa, and then taught social studies to middle schoolers in Pacifica for 12 years. She earned her Ph.D. from the Stanford University Graduate School of Education. 

Her book, based on her dissertation, “The ‘Girl Question’ in Education: Vocational Education for Young Women in the Progressive Era” (1992, 2012), reflects her lifelong interest in women and women’s issues. She was a pioneer in working for the inclusion of women’s and girls’ experiences in the history and social studies curriculum.  

A strong advocate for global education as well as gender equity, Bernard-Powers represented the National Council on Social Studies at the 1985 United Nations’ International Conference on Women in Nairobi. An active participant with the U.N. Committee on the Status of Women, she attended and presented at their conferences in New York each year until 2018.  

She had a deep commitment to women’s civic engagement. After retirement, she was one of the founders of Democratic Women in Action, a San Francisco political organization, and served as its president for many years. She was a treasured friend to many of her colleagues at SFSU, across the United States and internationally and will be greatly missed.