Bridging the Gap: Networking in Humboldt Politics

By Jordan Huber

Bio: Jordan is a senior political science major and the president of the Politics Club. With a keen interest in current affairs and a passion for informed debate, Jordan brings a well-rounded perspective to their opinion column. Through their studies and leadership, Jordan is dedicated to exploring the complexities of political issues and fostering meaningful discussion.

Caption for photo: From left to right: Jordan Huber, Interim President Michael Spagna, County Supervisor Steve Madrone at the Career in Politics Night in Founders Hall 166 on October 3rd. Photo credit to Lana Nizhoni.

Last Thursday, the Politics Club held a Career in Politics Night in Founders Hall to give students a chance to talk to professionals in the field of politics. The event ended up having guests whose careers ranged from a future judge, lawyers, heads of political parties, someone running for congress, and a person who was a party’s nominee for President of the United States. We had been planning this event since early August, when our officer team got together at Cafe Mokka and hashed out everything we wanted to accomplish this semester. As the president of the club, I can tell you that I had been dreading everything and worrying for the last two months about if we would even be able to pull it off. 

So how do you get 16 people, ranging from anti-establishment political activists to the interim president of the university, to show up to an event run by students? It starts with a barrage of emails. We contacted every single person that held any sort of position of power or was running for office that we had any kind of relationship with. Whether we had only been in the same room as them one time or had known them for a year, our officers crafted emails and sent them off into the world hoping we would get just a couple of people to say yes. 

We went with the, “worst they can say is no,” approach — we got a lot of no’s. We got some who did not want to show up unless they knew other people were going to show up. Then we got a yes. A few more yes’s piled in after that, and by the end of it, we had over sixteen people coming to talk with students. Getting students to show up resulted in us purchasing a Costco flatbed cart of pizza, muffins and drinks, and the promise that there would be people who are in the field that they are looking to break into. 

This article may seem like a brag, but it is meant to show that even in a place as small as Humboldt, there are channels for students to network. Is it harder than other places? In some ways, yes. In other ways, the smaller community means that people who live here care, and are willing to show up for students. So many of our community members are alumni, and would love to pass on their knowledge to the next generation of students. There is a gap that exists between the university and community. The community feels that in some ways, the campus is a castle on the hill that looms over Arcata and the surrounding community. They do not know how to reach us. This puts more pressure on students. If you can, reach out. You’ll be just as surprised as the Politics Club was that there are people who want to donate their time and give you the break that each student is looking for.