By Ethan LeVering
To the students of the university of Cal Poly Humboldt,
It is my regret to inform you that over the summer I was recalled by our campus’ administration from the Panetta Institute for Public Policy, I was disavowed by our dean of students Dr. Mitch Mitchell for being “unfit to represent” our university, and ultimately I was impeached and removed from the office of A.S. president on meeting number 2.5 of the board of directors. It is my understanding that this is unprecedented, as all of this occurred before the typical orientation/training that occurs for the position and before the semester even began. After being interviewed by Brad Butterfield, I was thinking about how he asked a question along the lines of, “If you were still president, then what policies would you be supporting on campus?” Afterwards, I wrote a list of seventeen policies that I would support if I were still the A.S. president. This list is not comprehensive and is in no particular order. It is focused around policies that I would support, rather than focus on policies that I oppose, although the two can often get intertwined. I would like to clarify that several points were written in reference to the lockdown of campus that took place over the summer. Since then, a new Time, Place, and Manner policy has been put into effect which officially closes off campus at night and removes the one-hour of sound amplification that was previously permitted on the SAC Quad each day. It is yet to be seen what impact this will have on the activism that takes place on our campus.
Keep it up out there,
Ethan LeVering
Seventeen Policies
1. I support the expansion of waste reduction techniques and our campus’ zero waste initiatives.
2. I support an end to the ticketing of students living in their vehicles and the implementation of a safe parking program on our campus for these students.
3. I support increased access to menstrual products to all public restrooms on our campus.
4. I support increasing the number of gender-neutral restrooms on our campus.
5. A Bachelors of Arts in Communications is currently the only degree our university offers to the prisoners of Pelican Bay State Prison. I support increasing the number of degrees the Incarcerated Schoolers Program offers.
6. I support increasing collaboration between the Associated Students and the cultural centers & collectives, such as ADPIC, El Centro, and Umoja on our campus.
7. I support the pro-ceasefire resolutions regarding the ongoing genocide in Palestine passed by the Associated Students and University Senate last semester (Spring 2024).
8. I support reopening campus to the wider community of Arcata. I oppose the new surveillance systems being put in place after the pro-Palestinian occupation of Siemens Hall.
9. During the occupation of Siemens Hall, access to Nelson Hall West (alongside that of the rest of our campus) was shut down. I support the Associated Student’s acquisition/purchase of a new building which is to be student-operated separate from the overarching key-card system on our campus.
10. I was very fortunate to have had the experience of taking the Yurok language class at Eureka Senior High School. I support the implementation of local indigenous language classes, such as Yurok, Wyiot, and/or Hupa, into the curriculum that our university offers.
11. I support our university reimplementing its currently defunct Industrial Technology program as a part of polytechnic rollout.
12. I support increasing the number of field courses, such as the Klamath Basin field course, Mattole River field course, and Costa Rica field course, offered by our university.
13. I support our university purposefully preserving several historic houses around campus. This includes guaranteeing the SJEIC’s continued residence in the Balabanis House and CCAT’s continued residence in the Buck House for as long as those organizations see fit.
14. I support the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology using the footprint of the now demolished Jensen House for the purpose of constructing a greenhouse attachment to the community garden.
15. I support, when also supported by respective departments, the implementation of new masters level degree programs.
16. I support the expansion of employment opportunities on campus, particularly within the core programs of the Associated Students.
17. I support implementation of more genuine student-lead democratic processes, and less systems of bureaucracy, within the general operations of the Associated Students board of directors.