News and Announcements
Three SF State alumni made history in late 2024 after two were sworn in as mayors and another won a city council seat. Robin López (B.S., ’15) became the first person of Latino and mixed-Indigenous (Purépecha) ancestry to serve as the mayor of Albany. Eddie Flores (MBA, ’19) is the first Salvadoran immigrant mayor in South San Francisco and in the history of the Bay Area. Belle La (B.A., ’04) is the first Asian American elected to Pleasant Hill’s city council.
Elected in 2022, López and Flores rotated into the mayoral seat of their respective cities in positions they’ll hold for a year. Meanwhile, La ran and won her Pleasant Hill city council seat. Getting involved in local politics, they said, was about more than just solving problems in their communities. It was also about showing future generations what’s possible.
“If we don’t see people who have similar experiences or shared values and cultural experiences, it’s really hard to project ourselves into those spaces,” López said.
The whole community benefits from a government that’s reflective of the community, López added. “It’s more than the color of someone’s skin, or their national origin. It’s bringing in different experiences, different cultural perspectives to that decision-making table,” he added.
“Sometimes when we think about solutions, we don’t always consider the impact it may have on someone, the way they live or the way they go about their lives. Having this type of representation as a leader of a community can go a long way.”
All three alums recently shared their journeys to public office with SF State News, offering advice to students interested in serving their communities.
Eddie Flores’ story
At 7 years old, Eddie Flores and his mother fled the turmoil of civil war in El Salvador and sought refuge and a brighter future in the United States. He’s felt gratitude ever since for the opportunities he’s received in his adopted country. As an adult, he’s devoted his life to serving his community and country, a testament to how deep his appreciation runs, he says.
After graduating from the University of California, Berkeley, with a degree in Public Policy and Public Health he began a career in education and at nonprofit organizations. As he grew into more senior roles, his professional path expanded into marketing, communications and event planning. To further advance his expertise in those areas he enrolled in SFSU’s executive MBA program.
SFSU’s program exposed him to different career paths and students of different professions
“Our professors encouraged us to step out of our comfort zone. If you have been in an education trajectory, step out and understand what it looks like to be in a nonprofit or in the public or private sector. That really enriched my perspective,” he said. “I was able to touch on the different aspects of public service, as well as private entities, corporations, the challenges that exist in big tech and upcoming startups. It expanded my knowledge and I was able to also increase my network of individuals in various fields.”
He’s no stranger to elected office (he was a school board trustee for the South San Francisco Unified School District from 2018 – 2021), but it was his MBA program that broadened his exposure to different professional realms. His diverse background prepared him to address the challenges facing South San Francisco, including retail displacement and the establishment of a business improvement district. A few months into the role of mayor and he’s already made substantial progress.
“I am fully prepared for the hard work ahead and feel deeply honored to serve,” he said.
Advice to students: There are small actions students can take. “It could be providing public comment on an issue or a particular area that you’re very close to, or have been affected [by], or want to provide some change,” he said.
Belle La’s story
The daughter of immigrant parents who fled the Sino-Vietnamese War in 1979, Belle La grew up in San Francisco listening to her parents’ stories about the injustices they faced in Vietnam as people of Chinese descent. It’s their experiences that compelled her to fight for a more just and equitable world.
In high school, she watched a video about the criminal justice system featuring San Francisco’s late Public Defender Jeff Adachi. She had found the perfect stage to wage her battle against injustice. After graduating, she enrolled in SFSU’s Criminal Justice program and became active in the Criminal Justice Student Association. Eventually, she became the club’s vice-president and expanded its membership from 30 to 300 students.
Meanwhile, she took courses in Asian American Studies to meet a general education requirement, but ended up declaring it her second major. Learning Asian American history created a new way to connect with her parents and understand their history. “It was almost as though I didn’t hear the full history because I didn’t learn that in American history in high school,” she said.
At the recommendation of a faculty member, she landed an internship at Huckleberry House for at-risk youth. She eventually became a case manager and developed workshops to help educate and advocate for youth and families. Her advocacy work led her to enroll in SFSU’s paralegal program — she wanted to better understand the legal system.
Before completing that program, she landed her dream job at the San Francisco Public Defender’s office. She later worked for the city as a contracts analyst and is currently working at the University of California, San Francisco as a senior financial analyst.
The throughline in her career has always been serving her community. “It was always about helping people in some way, shape or form, not only for their well-being, but really for their future, and how to help them navigate through systems that may not have been easy for anyone to understand,” La said.
Outside of work, La was active in her community, volunteering in her children’s schools and other organizations. Running for city council in Pleasant Hill, the place she’s called home for the past 12 years, was just a continuation of her life’s calling.
Her opponent had more experience in the political arena, but she led a grassroots campaign that became a family affair. Her son was her legislative aides and helped with the marketing. Along the campaign trail she accomplished another key goal — her three kids got a front row seat to civic engagement.
La won narrowly (by 33 votes), but voter turn-out was the high, she says. La became the first Asian American on Pleasant Hill’s city council. “I’m hoping to inspire others to run and also have their voice be heard,” La said.
Advice to students: Her father once told her, “Follow your dreams, work hard and you can achieve anything you put your mind to.” She often reflects back on the words, especially during a difficult time and it gives her a much-needed push.
Start small and think about your interests. And remember, there’s no idea that can’t grow and expand. “Talk to faculty, talk to someone about your idea. Bring it up to someone and say, ‘Hey, I have this specific idea. How do I navigate through this? Is there a pathway?’ Through asking questions and dedication, you will see many opportunities unfold before your eyes.” she said.
Robin López’s story
In high school, Robin López never could have predicted he’d become mayor of the city adjacent to his hometown of Richmond. At one point his GPA was 1.7 and school officials placed him on a vocational track.
“We weren’t the students [the school] was going to give up on entirely, but we also got rendered the students that they didn’t think were university material,” he said. “You start internalizing that.
At that time, Richmond had a reputation of being a high-crime area. Many of López’s friends had run-ins with law enforcement or were victims of gun violence. López managed to rise above his circumstances. After a few failed attempts at college, the sudden death of his best friend fueled him with a renewed purpose: earning a college degree in civil engineering.
He enrolled in Contra Costa Community College and later SFSU’s School of Engineering — both for the second time. At SFSU, he joined Alpha Phi Omega, a fraternal service organization, eventually becoming its service vice president. He recalled co-chairing the group’s AIDS Awareness Day. He promoted testing and provided resources to students with HIV. That’s when he felt the power of advocacy.
“That’s what really started helping me project myself into these elevated roles of advocacy and taking up these spaces,” he said. “I like the idea of being a connector and facilitator. Bringing people together and providing service was really dope. I attribute a lot of those skills to me being an effective leader now.”
The father of two went on to earn a master’s degree in engineering from San José State University. He then pivoted to environmental science and is now a Ph.D. candidate in Environmental Science, Policy and Management at the University of California, Berkeley, living in student housing in Albany.
Wanting to get involved in his community, he joined Albany’s Social Economic Justice Commission. In 2022, he ran for the five-person city council and won. He’s enjoying his time in city government but doesn’t plan to ascend higher, he says. His true passion is students. He wants to become a professor at a California State University. He hopes to leverage his time in office to again be a connector and facilitator, but this time for students looking for internships and jobs.
Advice to students: “Get involved with campus organizations that align with your values. That could be your conduit for community organizations,” he said.
More information about SFSU Alumni is available online.
Photo by Trini Vasquez
Calling all hands! SF State’s 124th Commencement ceremony will be Friday, May 23, at Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants. The campus community is encouraged to participate and help make this a special event for graduating students, their friends and family members. Assignments will be 1:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
As in years past, all ambassadors are asked to receive approval from their supervisor and attend an informational training via Zoom in late May for their assignment.
Many assignments involve large amounts of walking and standing. To request accommodations, please note them on the signup form under “Questions or requests.” For questions, please email Dania Russell at drussell@sfsu.edu.
SF State’s 124th Commencement ceremony will be Friday, May 23, at Oracle Park in San Francisco. To make this event even more memorable for graduates and their families, faculty members are encouraged to serve as faculty marshals. Assignments will be 1:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
As in years past, all faculty marshals are asked to attend an informational training in late May via Zoom for their assignment.
Many assignments involve large amounts of walking and standing. To request accommodations, please note them on the sign-up form under “Questions or requests.” For questions, please email Ken Maeshiro at kmaeshir@sfsu.edu.
SFSU has an open position for associate dean of Faculty Affairs and Professional Development. The associate dean will assist the associate provost in all faculty-related processes and have significant responsibilities in the development and implementation of all new and continuing priorities and initiatives. The associate dean reports to the associate provost for Faculty Affairs and Professional Development.
Application review begins Saturday, March 15, and will continue until the position is filled. Start date is negotiable but is anticipated between Tuesday, July 1, and Monday, August 4.
Please visit the Human Resources website to view position details and application information.
Academic Technology (AT) and the Center for Equity and Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CEETL) invite the campus community to enroll in this spring’s “Excellence in Online Pedagogies” professional development course. This course is updated to include brand-new modules on student engagement and the universal design for learning framework.
Whether revisiting familiar content or exploring these new additions, this course is an opportunity to refresh your knowledge and gain new insights into effective online teaching. The “Excellence in Online Pedagogies” course equips faculty with foundational and advanced approaches for designing and enhancing online synchronous and asynchronous courses. AT and CEETL encourage taking advantage of this professional development opportunity to revisit core principles while exploring innovative strategies for fostering inclusivity and engagement in online teaching.
Please visit the “Excellence in Online Pedagogies” page for more information and to enroll.
The Center for Equity and Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CEETL) is delighted to announce the call for 2025 Teaching Awards, which will recognize faculty who have made a significant impact on their students’ learning and development. These awards are open to all faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in teaching and a commitment to student success.
Please submit applications by Tuesday, April 1. Please visit the Call for 2025 CEETL Teaching Awards page for details.
Summer and fall 2025 courses are now available to faculty in Canvas.
Faculty who have been scheduled as instructor of record for summer 2025 or fall 2025 classes can access the courses in Canvas by logging into Canvas and clicking on the “Courses” button (the book icon in the purple navigation bar on the left), and then selecting “All courses.” Instructors whose courses are not listed should contact their departments to verify that they are on the official class schedule as instructor of record.
For questions, comments or concerns, please contact Academic Technology via email at at@sfsu.edu or phone at (415) 405-5555.
As the final step in the transition from iLearn to Canvas, all remaining iLearn services, including iLearn collaborative sites, will be retired on Wednesday, March 19.
After March 19, iLearn will no longer be available online. Instructors who still require archive copies of materials after this date can request course backups by emailing at@sfsu.edu. Include the name, section and semester of the course (for example, TECH 101-01 spring 2021).
For help with iLearn, please email Academic Technology at at@sfsu.edu.
The SF State Academic Senate met on Tuesday, March 4, via Zoom. A summary of the meeting follows.
The Senate:
- Passed by general consent:
- Revision to Policy on Program Sustainability, Continuance, and Discontinuance #F24-177
- Revision to Graduation Requirements for Baccalaureate Students, #F24-309
- Passed:
- Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Graduate Pathway Program (TESOLGPP-SELF): new certificate.
- Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Graduate Pathway Program (TESOLGPP-SELF): new certificate.
- Heard in first reading:
- Certificate in Youth and Human Services Nonprofit Administration: discontinuance
- Master of Sciences in Interdisciplinary Marine and Estuarine Science: discontinuance
- Heard presentations from:
- Andrew Roderick, assistant vice president of Academic Technology: “SFSU Computing Updates”
- Anna Titus, assistant vice president for Title IX and Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation: “Title IX Update”
The nomination period for the 2025 – 2026 Academic Senate elections opened March 10 and runs through Thursday, March 28. All faculty and staff members are invited to review the list of committees and nominate themselves or colleagues. Each position represents an opportunity to express your perspective and influence the future of the University.
Openings include all-University committees, committee seats based on college or rank, seats for college-specific committees, and seats filled by Academic Senate or Executive Committee vote.
Please submit nominations by Friday, March 28. Voting will take place Monday, April 7 – Friday, April 18.
Nomination forms via Qualtrics:
- Lam Family College of Business
- College of Science & Engineering
- College of Ethnic Studies
- Graduate College of Education
- College of Health & Social Sciences
- College of Liberal & Creative Arts
- J. Paul Leonard Library
- All staff
Faculty are also encouraged sign up for pools for 2025 – 2026. This is helpful to the Executive Committee and the Academic Senate for considering initial interest and willingness to serve on special committees and searches.
For questions, please email the Office of the Academic Senate at senate@sfsu.edu.
The Educational Opportunity & Pathway Programs (EOPP) holds its annual “Adopt-A-Plant” event on Tuesday, March 11, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., in Student Services 202 and 203. The campus community is invited to attend and donate plants, plant cuttings and small, recyclable spice jar-sized containers.
This year’s event focuses more on water propagation, where new plants are grown in water using plant cuttings, pieces of a plant cut from a mother plant. Students will be able to pick plant cuttings and place them in the containers for easier (and greener) transport home. Students will also be able to paint terracotta pots for their new plants.
Donations can be dropped off at the EOPP office in Student Services 201.
CalPERS-enrolled employees who are ready to retire within a year are encouraged to attend a walkthrough of the retirement application on Tuesday, March 11, 2:30 – 4 p.m., via Zoom. This will help complete the retirement application. Human Resources CalPERS Retirement Specialist Mary Saw offers this workshop.
Participants can bring their CalPERS retirement allowance estimate to this workshop (Please view the PDF document for instructions).
Please RSVP for the CalPERS retirement application workshop via Qualtrics.
Staff members are invited to the next Staff Forum on Wednesday, March 12, 10 – 11 a.m., via Zoom. All SFSU staff, except Management Personnel Plan (MPP) employees and faculty, are encouraged to attend.
Presentations include:
- Student work-study hiring by the Office of Student Financial Aid
- National College Health Assessment report
- update on Gator Give Day
To opt into all meetings and for the Zoom link, please RSVP via Qualtrics.
The “AI Literacy Essentials: Critical Analysis of Generative AI” course explores the critical analysis of generative artificial intelligence (AI) to support responsible use of this technology. It will be held Wednesday, March 12, 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., via Zoom.
Learn how AI models are trained and why misinformation and biases may occur in AI-generated content. Develop strategies to analyze AI outputs and assess AI tools for quality and ethical considerations. Participants will be expected to engage in the evaluation process through collaborative, hands-on activities and reflective discussions.
This course is an elective that counts toward receiving a digital badge for the AI Literacy Education Program.
Please visit the SF State AI website to register and learn more.
The Associated Students Legal Resource Center will host “Know Your Rights: Tenants Rights Workshop” on Wednesday, March 12, noon – 1 p.m., in the Richard Oakes Multicultural Center, Cesar Chavez Student Center. Lunch will be provided.
Andrew Westley, a tenants rights litigator with over 35 years of experience, will lead the workshop. Westley has worked with tenants experiencing wrongful evictions, harassment, negligence, landlord bad faith, habitability claims and more. He will be provide resources and answering your questions.
Are you stressed and exhausted? Do you experience neck and shoulder pain? Does your mind never stop? The University community is invited to the Holistic Health workshop series to learn skills to enhance health on Wednesdays, March 12 and March 19, 1 – 2 p.m., in HSS 306.
The activities are sponsored by the Institute for Holistic Health Studies and the Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism.
The campus community is invited to Associated Students Project Rebound’s and Associated Students Productions’ screening of the acclaimed film “Sing Sing” on Wednesday, March 12, at 7 p.m. in McKenna Theatre, Creative Arts building.
Based on the real-life Rehabilitation Through the Arts program at Sing Sing Maximum Security Prison, the film centers on a group of incarcerated men involved in the creation of theatrical stage shows through the program. Following the screening, formerly incarcerated actors will lead a conversation about the rehabilitation and stage theatre.
Please visit University Tickets for more information and tickets.
The “Collaboration with Zoom AI Companion” course introduces participants to the Zoom AI Companion and its practical applications within a university setting. It will be held Thursday, March 13, 2 – 3:30 p.m., via Zoom.
The course covers key features such as meeting summaries, real-time Q&A, interactive smart recordings and whiteboard tools for generating sticky notes, tables, mind maps and flowcharts. Participants will learn how to apply these tools to enhance productivity, collaboration and learning in academic and administrative contexts through guided demonstrations and hands-on activities.
This course is an elective that counts toward receiving a digital badge for the AI Literacy Education Program.
Please visit the SF State AI website to register and learn more.
The Department of Philosophy hosts Otávio Bueno on Thursday, March 13, 4 – 6 p.m., in Humanities 587. Bueno will present his paper, “Evaluating Films: An Empiricist View.” He is professor and chair of Philosophy and the Cooper Senior Scholar in Arts and Sciences at the University of Miami.
The presentation will be followed by a Q&A and an opportunity to meet and chat with Bueno at a catered reception. All are welcome.
Abstract
“Film evaluation is a significant part of the experience of films. It is important to distinguish whether a film is good (or not) from whether we like it (or not). We may like certain films even though we realize they are not good; other films are good, but we simply do not like them. What are good making features of films? Is it possible to determine these properties in a way that is objective and sensitive to the complexities involved in film making and in their experience? In this talk, building on Noël Carroll’s work, I present a framework to address these issues indicating how films make claims; how the evaluation of films inevitably requires settling issues of interpretation; the complex ways in which shots, narrative structure and range of emotions contribute to a film’s central point. Throughout the account, experience plays a decisive role. The result is an empiricist way of evaluating films.”
Please visit the Philosophy Department website for more information.
SF State plans to roll out OpenAI’s ChatGPT Edu as part of a CSU artificial intelligence (AI) initiative, making ChatGPT Edu available to active campus users (faculty and staff in spring; students in summer). Attend an informational session Monday, March 17, noon to 1 p.m., to learn more about ChatGPT Edu, ask questions and prepare for the responsible and ethical use of AI on campus.
Please note this session is for staff and faculty only; ChatGPT Edu for students is planned for summer.
Tracie Canada, assistant professor of Cultural Anthropology at Duke University, will discuss her new book “Tackling the Everyday: Race and Nation in Big-Time College Football” (University of California Press), on Monday, March 17, 2 – 3:15 p.m., in Burk Hall 224. All are welcome.
The Center for Equity and Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CEETL) invites the campus community to a visit to the Library Collections & Archives on Wednesday, March 19, at 3 p.m. in Library 460.
This event is part of CEETL’s “WE Wednesday” series, which aims to cultivate rest, joy and community in our academic lives.
The University Budget Committee (UBC) invites campus employees to attend its next meeting on Thursday, March 20, 10 a.m. – noon, via Zoom.
UBC members represent staff, faculty, students and administrators. Please visit the UBC page to access slideshows and minutes from past meetings or request the recording from a recent meeting.
UBC staff and faculty members also offer virtual office hours on Friday, March 21, to ask questions or share feedback with your UBC peer-members about budget-related matters.
Please RSVP for the Feb. 27 meeting and/or office hours to ubc@sfsu.edu.
SF State Spotlight
Latina/Latino Studies Assistant Professor Carolina Prado and longtime community collaborators, the Colectivo Salud y Justicia Ambiental, published results of a community-based environmental justice survey in the open-access journal Social Sciences.
This article addresses long-standing water runoff sites in an urban region of eastern Tijuana, México, which community members have identified as having an impact on residents, including contributing to flooding. The project used the geospatial surveying tool Survey 123 to conduct community-based monitoring of five runoff sites. Results from 170 completed surveys showed that water runoff was present at these sites on 45% of the days surveyed. While there was a significant relationship between water runoff volume and precipitation events at the water runoff sites, there were 65 surveys collected that showed water present when there had been no precipitation event at the site. This finding supports the community partners’ assertions that the runoff experienced in the study area is not always connected to precipitation events or pluvial flooding. This project’s results contribute to policy advocacy by countering the policy narrative that this issue is simply a stormwater issue, and by identifying the specific runoff sites to be prioritized in this region.
Autumn Thoyre, lecturer faculty in Biology and co-director of Climate HQ, appears on the KNTV-TV newscast on Feb. 25 to discuss SFSU’s Environmental Sustainability and Climate Action graduation requirement.
“For example, we have a new course on climate change and refugees, climate refugees,” Thoyre said, “which is just really meeting students in the understanding that they are seeing around them around climate change and the impacts that it has.”