Can you believe it's already November?! We know it's cliché, but the year has truly flown by!

With Thanksgiving 🦃 just around the corner, and finals, Commencement and winter break just after that, it'll be a new year before we know it! But some of the best times of the year are still ahead, so breathe and hang in there!

If you start feeling the burn of the late semester blues, just remember, everything we do is for our students. It's also important to take a moment for you. You can't be your best self for our students if you're not taking care of your own needs. ⭐

Keep those Stingers Up! 

“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”

– Jane Goodall, author, scientist, and conservationist

The Buzz hits your inbox the first week of every month. Your partnership is the heartbeat of The Buzz. We’re eager to hear how we can elevate this newsletter.

Please share your thoughts, feedback and ideas with us. 💌

Don’t forget to connect with us on Instagram for a peek into campus life! 📸

The unit of Student Academic Success and Educational Equity Programs (SASEEP) is devoted to developing the whole student through a rich core of services aimed at promoting student success and life readiness. SASEEP places a strategic emphasis on experiential learning and career readiness through an arsenal of programming shaped by campus and community partnerships.

To meet the ever-evolving needs of students, SASEEP provides success workshops, individualized advising, student advocacy, and campus referrals and generalized support. In addition, to advance access initiatives and the transition to college, our unit provides access to a college degree for high-need students and works to enrich the lives of students through advising, coaching, and peer-based mechanisms for all students on campus.

As a dynamic unit serving students, we are equipped to leverage experiential learning opportunities to increase engagement, foster student belonging and life skills, and create an environment of care that leads students through the pathway to the degree and along life’s trajectory of success.

Join SASEEP in its new and existing innovative programs including: the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), Hornet Connect, its global Student Success Initiative, Male Empowerment Collaborative, DEGREES Project, specialized innovations, U-Mentor, and equity partnerships and community-engaged projects designed to uplift communities and capitalize on the dream of educational, experiential, and life success.

Sincerely,

Dr. Marcellene Watson-Derbigny

Associate VP for Student Retention and Academic Success

The University reaffirms its enduring commitment to advancing and uplifting our designations as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), a Black-Serving Institution (BSI), and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI). We remain steadfast in fostering a campus community that is inclusive, safe, and welcoming for all students, and in honoring national and cultural celebrations that reflect our diverse Hornet Family.

This month, we honor Veterans Day and Native American Heritage Month.

We encourage all members of our Hornet Family to participate in these events and gatherings hosted by our Cultural and Academic Resource Centers, in partnership with campus collaborators, as we continue to honor the diverse identities and cultural traditions that enrich Sacramento State.

From Our Perspective: Our student assistants are the heartbeat of Student Affairs IT. They keep things running smoothly, prepping and tracking equipment, troubleshooting issues, and helping staff across the division with their technology needs. Their energy, professionalism, and positive attitude make a lasting impact every day.

We’re grateful for all they do and proud to see them grow. They gain hands-on experience with IT systems, troubleshooting, and customer support while building the confidence and technical foundation that will power their future careers.

Read below to learn a bit about each of our current Student Assistants. 

Full Name: Diego Carreon Garcia
Major: Computer Science
Expected Graduation: May 2027
Career Goal: AI engineer
Favorite Thing About Sac State: The beautiful, nature-filled campus—it’s a peaceful and inspiring place to study and unwind.
Fun Fact About You: I’m passionate about music. I play guitar, piano, and ukulele, and I love to sing. I also enjoy producing and recording my own music from scratch. Additionally, I train in Muay Thai.

Full Name: Alejandro Nambo
Major: Computer Science
Expected Graduation: Spring 2027
Career Goal: Cybersecurity
Favorite Thing About Sac State: The awesome students that I get to share ideas and study methods with. There's nothing better than finding a group of people motivated to study!
Fun Fact About You: I am a part of the MESA program and I am the Historian for The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE)!

Full Name: Eduardo Rojas-Osorio
Major: Criminal Justice
Expected Graduation: Spring 2029
Career Goal: SWAT Officer
Favorite Thing About Sac State: The WELL. I have made a lot of friends there. I also enjoy my time playing soccer and lifting weights whenever I have free time or am bored. I can never get bored at Sac State!
Fun Fact About You: I play the piano and the guitar. I can also cook a very tasty and yummy Lomo Saltado!

Full Name: Laiba Shahzad 
Major: Computer Science
Expected Graduation: Spring 2028 
Career Goal: Not too sure yet, but I have been exploring my options.
Favorite Thing About Sac State: My favorite thing about Sac State is the trees on campus.
Fun Fact About You: I speak three languages: Urdu, Punjabi, and English. 

From the Student Perspective: Being a Student Assistant in SA-IT is more than a job; it’s a chance to learn, grow, and make a difference. We get to help staff and student assistants with real technology solutions, take part in projects that improve campus systems, and be part of a team that truly supports us. Every day brings something new, and the skills we build here—customer service, communication, teamwork, and problem-solving—are ones we’ll take with us wherever we go.

Saray Aguirre, program coordinator for El Centro Serna, embodies the divisional values of collaboration, service, inclusivity, and integrity in every aspect of her work. Saray’s commitment to collaboration, genuine care for students, and dedication to advancing equity make her an extraordinary colleague and a true STAR for our Division of Student Affairs.

Click the button below to read more about Saray. Congratulations, Saray! 

You cannot work in Student Affairs without being personally or professionally affected by Amy Brown, lead personnel analyst for Student Affairs Business Resources, and her legacy. Amy has served in Student Affairs for several years and continues to be a beacon of light and guidance for so many of us.

Click the button below to read more about Amy. Congratulations, Amy! 

The Staff Talent Appreciation & Retention (STAR) Awards program acknowledges the exemplary performance and contributions of staff members within the division.

Head to our submission form below to NOMINATE the next STAR of the Month!

Welcome to Honey, Wings & Stings!

The Buzz highlights members of the Student Affairs family who have been promoted (Honey 🍯), newly hired (Wings 🦋), and those who are leaving our division, including retirees (Stings 🐝).

Join us in celebration as we congratulate these extraordinary employees! Please give them a shout out if you see them around!

COMING SOON: This section will recognize our staff who have been promoted to new roles, including details on their current role and new position.

Wings recognizes new hires, with a list of names, titles and start dates. We welcome our newest division members, who started in October!

Stings recognizes members of the Hornet Family who are departing the division, including our retirees.

After 18 years of dedicated service, Karyl Burwell, Executive Director of Student Affairs Business Resources, will retire from Sacramento State.

Throughout her time here, Karyl has been an invaluable member of the Student Affairs team. Please join us in expressing our heartfelt thanks and best wishes to Karyl as she embarks on this exciting new chapter.

We will host a retirement reception on Wednesday, November 19, from 3-4:30 p.m. to honor her career and many contributions to the University. Please watch for a formal invitation, which will announce the location, coming soon.

Congratulations, Karyl — you will be greatly missed!

The Division of Student Affairs honored and welcomed new staff on Tuesday, Oct. 21, with a reception in the Riverview Hall Elderberry/Beetle Rooms.

Several dozen staff members who began their roles in Student Affairs on or after June 1, 2025, joined VP for Student Affairs Aniesha Mitchell and members of the Student Affairs Leadership Team for an introduction to the division.

The event gave new staff the opportunity to connect with colleagues, learn more about the work we do in Student Affairs, and to get to know the division's leaders. Festivities included a meet and greet, refreshments and even a visit from Duke, Sac State's therapy dog, who is a recent hire 😉 with Student Health, Counseling, and Wellness!

We'd like to extend a warm welcome to all of our new staff across the division!

The annual Outstanding Staff Awards recognizes "employees who demonstrate excellence in their work and go above and beyond in their pursuit of the strategic imperatives in the 2023-2028 Strategic Plan."

Awardees Include Two Members of the Division of Student Affairs!

Jeanne: third from left; Gabriela: third from right. Photo: University Communications

“Whenever we at Sacramento State have been great, we have to thank the staff for that," President Luke Wood said. "... The individuals who are being honored here today for their outstanding work and their years of service, are indeed heroes and sheroes. We owe everything to them.”

Join us in celebrating these two exemplary members of our Student Affairs family.

Congratulations, Gabriela and Jeanne! 🎉

Additionally, the following Student Affairs staff members were honored for their years of service at Sac State. Congratulations to these folks, and here's to many more years of success!

Join Learning & Development for Customer Engagement training! Employees will get the inside scoop on what customer engagement means, and how to rock it in-person, on the phone, or through email. This session is for all levels – employees new to this role, those needing a learning boost, or leads responsible for training others. This upbeat course is fun and guides participants through scenarios to use best practices.

Learning & Development offers a wide variety of employee professional development trainings, events, and activities each month. See the full calendar below for events, additional information, and to request accommodations and register.

📝 Finals week is fast approaching, with only a few weeks until December. A great way to support students through finals is by supporting the Finals Friends program! On three evenings during finals week, we coordinate volunteers to pass out snacks to students who are studying in the AIRC (and the Library and Union while supplies last).

Visit the link below if you're interested in volunteering to distribute snacks from 8-9 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 8, Tuesday, Dec. 9 and Wednesday, Dec. 10. Your office may also donate snacks by Tuesday, Dec. 2, by sending them to Lassen Hall 3008. 

🎉 The Student Affairs Holiday Celebration & Annual Star Awards, our yearly winter party, is fast approaching and it's time to nominate your co-workers! The celebration is on Friday, December 12, from 2-4 p.m. in the University Union Cottonwood Suite. 

Annual award nominations will be accepted through Wednesday, November 12.

Visit the link below to nominate your co-workers in the following annual STAR Awards categories: Individual Excellence in Student Service Award, Team Excellence in Student Service Award, Diversity and Inclusion Award, Outstanding Mentoring Award, Outstanding New Professional Award, Excellence in Administrative Support Award, Outstanding Long-Term Professional Award, and Outstanding Manager Award.

“The need to have everybody in the class doing the same thing, being assessed in the same way, will seem totally old-fashioned.”

– Howard Gardner, psychologist and social scientist

By 2050, education will look radically different than it does now, according to psychologist and social scientist Howard Gardner — the originator of the theory of multiple intelligences — and Anthea Roberts, a visiting professor at Harvard Law School and founder and CEO of the AI tool Dragonfly Thinking.

Gardner ... called AI as fundamental a change to education as the world had seen in 1,000 years — and even said it may render obsolete many of the forms of mind he is famous for describing.

More stories about artificial intelligence in education: 

As you may have seen in recent updates from the IRT Office and in last month's The Buzz, Microsoft officially ended support for Windows 10 on Oct. 14. To help protect the University’s network and data, any devices still running Windows 10 have been temporarily quarantined.

What This Means for You

If one of your devices has been quarantined, don’t worry, we’re here to help! Just reach out to our team, and we’ll work with you to determine the best next steps.

Why This Matters

Without ongoing updates from Microsoft, Windows 10 devices are more vulnerable to security risks. Quarantining these systems helps keep our entire campus network safe.

Thank you for helping us maintain a secure and reliable technology environment!

If you have any questions, remember that you can always reach out to us by email, by phone at 916-278-2745 or via Teams (search for stdaf-01 or Student Affairs IT).

The CSU is currently implementing the new Procure-to-Pay (P2P) system, and Sac State is on schedule to implement P2P in January.

It is important that managers and staff are fully aware of the new system. The CSU has hosted demonstrations since July. Recordings of these demos are available online. Procurement requests that folks please complete a survey to help them plan future P2P training sessions.

Be prepared! Managers will have a much bigger role in approving purchases in P2P! 

Hornet Weekly – Sac State's digest email newsletter for students – launched in September 2025 in an effort to reduce the number of emails in students' inboxes while keeping them better informed. It is sent on Tuesdays and includes news, events, resources and more.

Take a look back on our recent newsletters, including the Nov. 4 edition, which features our new Grad Corner section for graduate and credential students: 

We appreciate your support, as we cannot produce Hornet Weekly without submissions from our Student Affairs staff and all of our campus partners.

Want to keep up with the latest editions of Hornet Weekly? Have items to include? Click the buttons below to learn more, submit your items and visit the archive.

Upload your events to Trumba, Sac State's event management platform. It's designed to help organize, share and promote campus events with ease. Uploading to Trumba only takes a few minutes and is an easy and efficient way to keep students up-to-date on all the exciting events we have planned!

Have you heard? We have a brand new way to request campaigns, emails and more. Use our new forms to request graphics, photos, videos and targeted SacSends!

We are here to help. Let us guide you on the best practices and platforms for reaching students. Planning ahead streamlines communication pathways, helping you connect with your target audience. Contact us today!

Thanks for reading the November 2025 edition of The Buzz Around Student Affairs!

The Buzz is usually sent the first week of the month. Please submit updates for the next newsletter by 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. 🐝

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California State University, Sacramento
6000 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95819
(916) 278-6011  |   www.csus.edu