Community potluck for Humboldt State students

A potluck was held in the D Street Community Center on April 1. The theme of the event was for the Arcata community to bring Latin American food in honor of Cesar Chavez Day.

This is the fourth community potluck that the community has held for Humboldt State University students and the Arcata community. Pauli Bachemin is one of the event organizers.

“The purpose of holding this event is to not only have students meet with the community,” Bachemin said. “I want [students] to be able to network with city officials from the community.”

There were various city officials who were present at the potluck, including Karen Diemer, the city manager of Arcata.

“We want students to know that they are a part of the community,” Diemer said. “I was a former student of HSU, and the support I felt from the community made me want to stay in Arcata. I hope that students today will feel the same way.”

Isabel Quintaro is an HSU student who praised the university’s efforts.

“With the issue that has been going on lately, I think that the city has been doing a great job in listening to student’s voices,” Quintaro said.

Nacirema Johnson is another HSU student.

“With the city officials being present in this event, it shows that there is [a] genuine interest with what is going on with students,” Johnson said.

The food wasn’t the only thing that the event gave out, there was a “free stuff” table where students could pick up donated items.

“I really appreciate the help that the community gives with the free stuff they give out,” Kelly Garcia, a first-year HSU student, said.

While help is given from the community event, some have expressed how they truly felt about how the community has dealt with ongoing problems in the community.

Tina Sampay is a former student of HSU. She majored in critical race, gender and sexuality studies.

“It is important events like these are happening, but you can’t cover up the pain with fake progress,” Sampay said.

With the ongoing issues that affect HSU, the D Street Community Center has been making an effort by holding events for students like the community potluck.

Anne Hartline attended the event. She is a professor at HSU teaching English 124, and attended the event to support students.

“This event is a way for building a community,” Hartline said. “It’s important for students to be a part of the community.”

This article was changed from its original version on at 11:08 a.m. on April 5, 2018.