Gator Tales - November 2023

Hello SF State Student Body! 

 I hope all of you are successfully navigating both academic and personal goals thus far this semester. More importantly, I hope all of you are present in your experience here at SF State, reflecting on who you are becoming, and challenging yourself to be better than you were yesterday. On behalf of the Division of Student Life and Dean of Students team, let me congratulate each of you on transitioning to campus, taking mid-term exams and engaging throughout our global community. We believe in you, and we are always ready to support your journey!  

Since last month, I am excited to share a few accomplishments our team has been able to secure in partnership with many of your peers. The first update is focused on new space we were able to create in Student Services Building room 404. This space will be reservable for student clubs and organizations to meet, plan, and connect with other student leaders. The official opening will be in early November, and we will host an open house early Spring semester to celebrate the new space. We also invite students to consider helping us name the new space. We are excited for this to become a dynamic flexible space for both clubs and any student to use in the weeks ahead. This transition will also allow the SET (Student Engagement and Transition) team to create reservable space for student clubs and organizations in the Student Life Event Center (Annex I) available starting in January. For more information, please visit Student Activities & Events.  

 A second update I hope you will be excited to learn about is the expansion of the SF State Associated Students Food Pantry Program and Gator Groceries. Associated Students Food Pantry started in 2017 as a "Pop-up" Food Pantry. This service was located in the Student Events Annex I. Lessons learned at the end of their first year feeding 300 students with fresh, free groceries each week included seeing the need for not only more fresh and nutritious groceries, but also a need for emergency snacks that might not constitute a full meal.  This experience inspired your Associated Students leaders to create a new accessible and permanent location in the Rec and Dining area of the Cesar Chavez Student Center. Associated Students now differentiate between these services by designing Gator Groceries to be an emergency snack program that is an extension of the Food Pantry Services. The Food Pantry is the main distribution of fresh produce and canned goods.  All of this food comes from a wonderful partnership with the SF/Marin Food Bank and Associated Students.  

Gator Groceries is a program designed for students to repeatedly use throughout the year. Many of our students rely on this program weekly, and your use of these resources will only help us continue to grow the program. 

One last exciting update we want to share is an opportunity to celebrate our very own Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, Dr. Jamillah Moore, who was recently… named one of the Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business by San Francisco Business Times. VP Moore was honored on Oct 3rd in San Francisco at an event that showcased the leadership, community service, and mentorship that women have to change the world. Dr. Moore joined the esteemed list of SF State winners including President Mahoney (2020) and Provost Sueyoshi (2022).  

 Alright good people, that is all I have to update you on for now. I will leave you with the following thoughts: Stay focused. Keep going. Do not give up. Remember why you started, and let that fuel you! 

Associated Students 

• Annual Chicken and Juice Event - November 13th from 12pm to 4pm in Jack Adams Hall. Hosted by Africana Studies x Culture and Social Justice Division of Associated Students  

• Connect & Create – Tuesday, Nov. 14 from 10am-2pm in Jack Adams Hall/ Presented by Associated Students Project Connect  

• QTRC Trans Day of Remembrance - Nov.16 from 4:30-5:30pm Malcolm X Plaza  

Athletics Home Games 

• Women's Volleyball - Nov. 9 SF State vs Sonoma State at 5pm  

• Men’s Basketball – Nov. 10 SF State vs Dominican at 7pm 

• Wrestling - Nov. 11 SF State vs Nebraska Kearney at 12pm 

• Women's Volleyball - Nov. 11 SF State vs Cal Poly Humboldt at 1pm 

• Men’s Basketball – Nov. 11 SF State vs Academy of Art at 7pm 

• Wrestling - Nov. 12 SF State vs Chadron State at 12pm 

• Men’s Basketball – Nov. 18 SF State vs Westmont at 3pm 

• Women’s Basketball – Nov. 22 SF State vs Pacific Union at 5pm 

• Men’s Basketball – Nov. 22 SF State vs Pacific Union at 7pm 

Campus Recreation 

• Pool Event: Dive-In Movie - Thursday, Nov. 9 from 7pm-9pm Mashouf Wellness Center Natatorium 

• Pool Event: Women in Rec Pool Night - Tuesday, Nov. 14 from 5pm-7pm in Mashouf Wellness Center Natatorium 

• Pool Event: Gator Races - Thursday, Nov. 30 from 4pm-6pm in Mashouf Wellness Centef Natatorium 

City Eats 

• Paella Day - Nov. 9, Celebrating Internation Education Month. Join us to treat your taste buds to this delicious Spanish meal.  

• Thanksgiving Lunch - Nov. 16, Join us for a Thanksgiving Lunch at City Eats before the break! 

• Dubokki Day - Nov. 17, Second event celebrating International Education Month. Dubokki is a spicy rice cake street food popular in Korea. Join at lunch to experience a flavorful journey! 

Division of Equity & Community Inclusion (DECI) 

• LGBTQ+ and Questioning Support Group - Tuesday, Nov. 28 from 12 – 12:50 pm in the Student Services Building (SSB), Room 401. Within our LGBTQ+ and Questioning Support Group, students explore a range of issues related to gender identity, transitioning, coming out, finding community on campus, and many more. The group is an open support group and students can drop-in or come as often as they like. The purpose of this group is: For mutual support for students on campus who identify as LGBTQ+., to have a safe space to talk about things that come up in relation to students’ identities as LGBTQ+. 

• Project Connect Workshop: Choosing Your Major, Balancing Family Expectations & Your Interests and Wants - Tuesday, Nov. 14, from 10am–2pm at Jack Adams Hall, 3rd floor, Cesar Chavez Student Center. Hosted by the Asian American and Pacific Islander Student Services. Finding it hard to choose a major that's right for you? Are you also feeling the pressure of family’s expectation on career choice? In this workshop, we hope to shine light on the reality of the college experience and find tangible ways we can choose a major that works for you. We will also be discussing ways we can navigate family expectations and support systems at SF State that can help you through this journey. 

Division of Disability Access & Student Well-being (DDASW) 

Disability Access and Student Well-Being, includes Disability Programs and Resource Center, Student Health Services, Counseling and Psychological Services, Health Promotion and Wellness, and the Children's Campus. These areas work together to create a holistic culture of well-being, access, and belonging on campus. The DDASW team understands that student health and well-being is inextricably linked to academic success and persistence to graduation, and they strive to help students achieve these goals.   

The departments of Gator Health (Student Health Services, CAPS, and HPW) within Disability Access and Student Well-Being provide essential health mental health and   health education services to students. They play a critical role in helping students engage in healthy behaviors and self-care through direct services, educational and prevention programs on topics like alcohol and drugs, nutrition, mental, emotional, and sexual health.  The Disability Programs and Resource Center provides a full range of services for students and employees with disabilities to help them to achieve autonomy and it support the efforts of the University to achieve a culture of campus wide access, equity, and inclusion for all. Additionally, DDASW provides child observation and training opportunities for SFSU students in psychology, Child and Adolescent Development, and other related fields through the Children’s Campus – an invaluable childcare center for families of SFSU employees and the community at large.   

There are a lot of opportunities to get involved with Disability Access and Student Well-Being. If you have a passion for health and wellness, please contact the Health Promotion and Wellness Program.  Students have an opportunity to become peer mentors, conduct workshops, lead health activities, and provide advice and guidance to the university regarding the delivery of health programs and services on campus through participating in a Student Health Advisory Committee.  

The Division of Disability Access and Student Well-Being is led by Dr. Dai To, who is the new Associate Vice President. Dr. To is also an SF State alumnus (’91), who has twenty years of management and leadership experience, with 25 years of clinical experience, and 12 years in Student Affairs & Health and Wellness Services.   

Student posing with Ali Gator At Discover SF State Day!

CAPS Tabling on Campus in Malcom X Plaza

City Eats hosted a PB&J Drive where they crafted over 1000 sandwiches with the help of students and faculty to donate to Food Runners SF, to aid those facing food insecurity.