Creative minds come together in Petaluma campus clubs

Arthur Gonzalez-Martin, Staff Photographer • March 13, 2017

SRJC students play board games and video games to relieve stress at the various clubs located on the Petaluma Campus.

The Petaluma campus. To some it’s a cool high tech branch of Santa Rosa Junior College; to others it is conveniently close to home. To the rest of us it is “Oh my God! That’s what ‘PC’ means,” before having to rush for that 9 a.m. class halfway across the county.

Beneath the sterile exterior, the campus hosts many clubs ranging from board games to eSports to the Computer Security club. The Maker’s club is looking into an outside sponsor to finally reward itself with compatible computers for 3-D printers. The Anime club only has three official members including eSports club President Alex Spangler.

The board game club, run by President Crystal Hotz, inspires students to come together and take a step back from the pressures of school. Whether treated as a time of relaxation or a way to unleash their competitive spirit, the club is a massive success. All games are welcome with select favorites like Cards Against Humanity, Super Fight and Exploding Kittens.

“We’re [also] planning to have an organized game of Magic: the Gathering…maybe even a draft,” Hotz said.

The club’s expansion toward Magic will be organized by veterans in order to help coach the club into learning the strategy of the game. A small tournament is planned for March 16.

The prestigious eSports club, is run by Alex Spangler, at the gaming station in the school café. Constructing the setup of four PlayStation 4s connected to pristine high definition flat screens finally finished last fall semester. It even includes online capability. “We’re playing against real [players], the thing about this place is that we have a router so were not restricted as much. We’re not type 3 but the upload and download speed is pretty decent for a campus [setting],” said club president Thavisay Vorachak during a competitive match of Overwatch; one of the club’s most popular video games. Every club meeting room ends with cheers of victory and sighs of defeat. The adrenaline-drenched atmosphere keeps everyone coming back for more.

Petaluma is filled to the brim with exciting and creative experiences for all students; positioning itself as more than just a sister campus 30 minutes away.

About the Contributor

Arthur Gonzalez-Martin, Staff Writer

Arthur Gonzalez-Martin is a left-leaning social libertarian/Blue Dog who's been going to the SRJC for nine years, exploring everything it has to offer till he took a journalism class and decided to stick with it. After four semesters at The Oak Leaf, one of which he was senior photographer, he's continued as an intern for the program. In his spare time, Arthur writes short stories, including a collection of which he's trying to get published; playing games like Dungeons & Dragons, board games and video games; and taking long hikes into nature.