Sonoma State University’s institutional U.S. flag flies in the front of campus at the main entrance to the campus on Sequoia Way. The flags are maintained by our University Policy Personnel.
The Chancellor of the 23-campuses of California State University has designated decisions related to the U.S. flag to the president of the individual CSU campuses.
Protocol
Sonoma State generally bases decision to lower the U.S. flags on directive and executive orders sent to federal and/or state agencies by either the President of the United States or the Governor of California. The Chancellor of the California State University System, or the President of California Sonoma State University, grants the authorization to fly the flag at half-staff out of respect for events, occurrences, or based on discretionary consideration.
The Office of the Vice President for Administration and Finance is designated as the primary office responsible for requesting the flag to be lowered to half-staff and informing the campus at large. The University will be notified via the CAMPUS listserv when flags are flown at half-staff.
Below is a list of pre-established dates on which the U.S. Flag is customarily flown at half-staff:
- Peace Officers Memorial Day, May 15 (sunrise to sunset)
- Memorial Day, last Monday in May (sunrise to noon)
- Patriot Day, September 11 (sunrise to sunset) - in accordance with Public Law 107-89 and Public Law 111-13
- National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Day, traditionally the first Sunday in October (sunrise to sunset) in association with Fire Prevention Week - in accordance with Public Law 107-51
- Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, December 7 (sunrise to sunset) - in accordance with Public Law 103-308.
SAMPLE ANNOUNCEMENT
Campus Colleagues:
As a mark of respect for Robert Joseph Dole, a statesman like few in our history and a war hero among the greatest of the Greatest Generation, President Biden has issued a proclamation directing the flag of the United States be flown at half-staff until sunset on December 9, 2021.
The presidential proclamation is available for viewing at the following website: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/12/05/a-proclamation-on-the-death-of-robert-joseph-dole/