The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Day: March 30, 2022

  • The rising cost of visiting Humboldt

    The rising cost of visiting Humboldt

    by Cheyenne Wise

    As May is fast approaching, so is the dreaded inflation of renting in Humboldt. During the year you can get a hotel room or rent an Airbnb for a couple of bucks. On spring graduation weekend, hotel rates double and even triple in price.

    It’s not something uncommon in Humboldt but usually, high prices make it hard to find a place to rent. It’s an opportunistic extortion to get college students to overpay for rundown places. Housing is first-come, first-serve but to take advantage of people who don’t have money is gross.

    For some people, this is the first and only time they can make the trip to Arcata, and it’s to see their family member graduate which is an incredible opportunity that shouldn’t be missed. Just checking the hotels near campus the usual cost of a hotel room for two people is at most $150 at any point during the year. But when you look at the same exact hotels during the week of graduation is $600 for two people a night.

    At Cal Poly Humboldt, about 78% of full-time undergraduates receive some kind of need-based financial aid. That’s 78% of people whose families might not have the ability to see them walk across the stage and be handed their diplomas. Hotels and Airbnb hosts take advantage of people who want to support their loved ones.

    Forget peoples’ families for a second. What about the people who are graduating and haven’t lived in the area for some time because of the pandemic, who are trying to find a place to stay so they can be there for their own graduation? It’s not just the issue of finding a place to stay. The prices of buying a cap and gown are so high for something you will only wear once and not for a long time. I guess you could say the same thing about a wedding dress, but even those are absurd.

    Maybe I’m just someone who likes to count pennies and is a bit of a pessimist, but the price of graduating is excessive. We’ve already shoveled a bunch of money into the burning money pit of college so it would be lovely to be able to step away from the flames and not have to worry.

  • Something Rotten! opens at Cal Poly Humboldt

    Something Rotten! opens at Cal Poly Humboldt

    by Nina Hufman

    The Cal Poly Humboldt School of Theater’s production of Something Rotten! was entertaining, energetic, and full of innuendo. On opening night last Friday, March 25, patrons filled the Van Duzer Theater to see the comedy, set in the 16th century.

    From the opening song, ‘Welcome to the Renaissance,’ the cast dazzled in beautiful costumes on a stunning set. All of the actors are extremely talented singers and performers. It was clear that they all put in a lot of work and are proud of what they have accomplished. Jeremy Stolp, an English Education major who played one of the lead roles, Nick Bottom, feels that being in theater is a rewarding experience.

    Photo by Michael Thomas | Jeremy Stolp (left) and Miah Carter (right) star as power couple Nick and Bea Bottom.

    “Theater is such a privilege and so much fun to do,” Stolp said. “If you ever have the opportunity, I suggest you try it.”

    The musical was incredibly entertaining. Some of my favorite scenes included Shakespeare’s John Cena-esque entrances, Bea’s hope for a gender-equal future, and the show’s lampooning of religion. One of the best songs was “Will Power,” featuring a leather pants-clad William Shakespeare (Jaese Lecuyer) and his crowd of adoring fans. I also enjoyed “A Musical,” a comic number during which fortune-telling Nostradamus (Sammi Pietanza) tells Nick Bottom that the next big thing in the theater will be musicals, all while wearing a hat that I am convinced was a paid actor. Many of the jokes are meant to be ironic, making fun of musicals and the theater. The way that this is incorporated into the story is very clever.

    The cast was rightfully proud of what they accomplished and are looking forward to adding to each performance in future shows.

    “I don’t think that they (the cast) expected the reaction that they got so when they did it was just this moment of awe,” said Katie Lem, a member of the ensemble. “Everybody standing up at the end was such a beautiful moment for everybody.”

    Photo by Michael Thomas | Zoë Saylor performs an upbeat musical number about the bubonic plague.

    One of the most compelling performances was Miah Carter as Bea, Nick’s wife. Throughout the play, Bea disguises herself as a man to maintain several different jobs and help her husband financially and push for gender equality. Carter’s performance showcased her talents as an actor and singer, particularly in her solo “Right Hand Man.”

    “This is my first ever lead, so this was a good step up for me,” Carter said.

    Carter says that theater is a great community to be a part of and that they are all incredibly supportive of one another.

    “All of us were so proud of what we pulled through,” Carter said. “I love everyone in this cast.”

    The cast and crew are looking forward to continuing to develop this musical as they perform it more.

    “I’m excited for the depth and complexity that we kind of add into it every single show,” Lem said. “Not every night is the same.”

    The musical is running this weekend on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m and on Sunday at 2 p.m. The musical will have you loving to hate William Shakespeare right along with the Bottom brothers.

    Photo by Michael Thomas | From left to right: Zoë Saylor, Sophia Escudero, Jeremy Stolp, Jaese Lecuyer, Jake Hyslop, Michael Jaye, and Miah Carter pose on set of Something Rotten!
  • Last Cal Poly Humboldt home track meet of the year

    Last Cal Poly Humboldt home track meet of the year

    by Eddie Carpenter

    On March 26, Cal Poly Humboldt hosted an invitational track meet. The Jacks have competed in a total of six meets so far. This was Humboldt’s first official home track meet of the season. The event kicked off with the women’s and men’s 4×100 meter relay. It was a blink-and-you-miss-it experience consisting of six rival teams.

    Sophomore Joy Hano competed in the long jump, 100-meter hurdles, 100-meter open, and the 4×400 meter relay. She described how ecstatic she felt during her events.

    Photo by Morgan Hancock | Joy Hano leads the 100-meter hurdles at the Cal Poly Humboldt Track invitational on March 26

    “I had this energy in my body just being home,” Hano said. “After a really long stretch on the road, it felt amazing. It was super exciting. Literally, I could not contain my excitement all week long. It’s just an amazing feeling being home. So happy that we have great weather today and a great showing.”

    Hano set new personal records in all of her events. After some hardships in long jump at an OSU meet, Hano was able to come back and set a personal record by five inches. She placed first place in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.85 seconds, third in the 100-meter run, and set a personal record by 0.2 seconds with a time of 12.63 seconds. She also competed in the 400-meter relay where she dropped a second from her personal best time.

    Decathlete Travis Allen believed that the invitational helped him prepare for upcoming meets.

    “I had some highlights. Did pole vault, cleared a couple heights,” Allen said. “Did the hurdles, got a PR there… Going to these events, you’re not going to see improvements every single time, but if I can get more points here and there overall, that’s going to help my decathlon.”

    Distance runner Elliot Portillo was enthusiastic about his performances and those of his peers.

    “Today I ran the 1500 meter and the 1000 meter. I think that the training we’ve been doing- we’ve been out here pretty much since January,” Portillo said. “I think now as we get into the mid of our season, everyone’s been seeing a lot of improvement. Even if you see today, a lot of people came away with personal bests in a kind of more low-key event…Everyone came out today much more confident in their ability to execute when it matters.”

    Portillo hopes to put a time on the record list at the school before he leaves.

    Humboldt’s first section of 4×100 men’s relay team placed third with a time of 3:34.02. Their second section of 4×100 men’s relay was not recorded because they did not finish. In the women’s 4×400 meter relay, Humboldt placed second with a time of 4:02:87. Humboldt athletes are now preparing for the Mike Fanelli Track Classic on March 31.