The chemistry department used hot temperatures to their advantage when students, faculty and staff gathered for a afternoon back-to-school ice cream social on the lawn outside Sequoia Hall.

Attendees ate ice cream sundaes provided by Vic’s Ice Cream, played table tennis and took part in a scavenger hunt for an unknown professor. Many of them brought their family, appropriately enough, as the event was created with the idea in mind of the chemistry department creating its own family.

Laurice Young, an administrative analyst in the dean’s office, attended the event with her daughter Michelle Williams, who works as a staff member in the chemistry department. Young praised the event for creating a sense of community among department members. “The chemistry department has a family atmosphere,” Young said, “It makes the faculty more approachable.”

The family-feel of the chemistry department spans not only from generation-to-generation, it also has a long history there.

Evelyn Bradley-Owens has been working at Sac State for over 35 years; she started out as a clerk in the chemistry department while in school and is now an administrative support coordinator. Bradley-Owens called the chemistry department student-friendly and service-oriented.

“It’s a wonderful campus to be on,” Bradley-Owens said, “You can get your education while you work.”

Department Chair Dr. Susan Crawford described her students and co-workers as close-knit and said many of them consider the chemistry department special. “We have a large volume of student involvement,” Crawford said, including hands-on research, receiving grants, and going to meetings to present research papers.

Crawford said that often students work side-by-side with faculty and both are often around the department all day long. Many staff members work with students during the summer session because they are so dedicated and passionate about their interest in chemistry.

“There’s a huge level of mutual respect,” Crawford said, “We understand that each role is important.”

Professor Linda Roberts spoke highly of Sac State’s chemistry department, calling the tuition a bargain compared to some privates colleges she has taught at in the past, including Whitman College in Washington and Centre College in Kentucky.

“What the chemistry department offers is the same education that a student would get at a private liberal arts college at a fraction of the price,” Roberts said.

Crawford said that while the number of students in the department is small, the respect and consideration that department members afford each other makes the program unique.

“It’s just a very warm environment,” Crawford said. “People realize it’s a nice place to work.”

Julia Baum can be reached at [email protected].