By Noah Pond
On Oct. 14, Cal Poly Humboldt published a statement on their website titled, “Launch of On-campus Living Requirement for First and Second-Year Students.” This statement notified incoming freshmen for the Fall 2025 semester that the university would be enforcing a rule in which they have to live in the dorms for their first two years.
“With the Cal Poly Humboldt polytechnic transformation and the addition of our new student housing complex opening in Fall 2025, the University is expanding opportunities for our current students to continue living on campus and enhancing the student experience for all,” the university’s statement read.
The university is also in the process of constructing the Craftsman Mall housing complex — set to open in Fall 2025, which holds nearly 1,000 beds. Enrollment has remained stagnant at about a 1% increase since becoming a polytechnic.
However, they have some statistics to back up their decision for mandatory on-campus living.
In the statement, the university cited a survey conducted by The National Survey of Student Engagement, which showed that first and second-year on-campus students GPA’s outperform their off-campus peer’s by 2%. They also mention that 92% of first-year students who live on-campus return as sophomores, as opposed to the 90% of students who live off-campus that do not return after their first year. However, this was a nationally conducted survey, and was not specific to that of Cal Poly Humboldt.
However, there will be an exception for students if they meet certain criteria. If incoming students graduated from high schools within Humboldt or Del Norte County, they will be exempt. Other groups who will also be exempt are students who turn 21 prior to the academic year, are currently active or military veterans, are married or have legally dependent children, have independent student status for at least a number of years prior to the academic year as defined by FAFSA, and medical or disability circumstances that cannot be accommodated.
Not all freshmen were aware of the new requirements or the university’s statement. Luckily for them, this change will only be implemented Fall 2025, thus not applying to them. Three freshman friends Avery, Derek, and Drew, had their own fiery opinions on the matter.
“I don’t wanna live here,” Drew said.
“It makes me feel limited,” Derek said.
“The food makes me want to jump out the window,” Avery said. “from the J, out the window into my car and straight to Chipotle.”
Holly Jalison, a marine biology major, is annoyed by this change and feels that it does not align with their Humboldt experience.
“Part of the reason I came here was because I liked how flexible Humboldt was,” Jalison said. “But now it’s kind of not, so that’s really annoying.”
Jalison and Harris are not the only ones annoyed by this change. Jennifer Jones, HSU alum and a resident of Eye Street, is irritated by this development for other reasons.
Eye Street lies below the seven story dorms being constructed on the old Craftsman Mall lot. Jones has lived on Eye Street for 12 years and remembers it being quiet before all the construction began.
“It’s been really fucking annoying, because people come down here because they’re curious,” Jones said. “I’ve lived here for 12 years. It was really quiet, it was pretty chill. But now, people try to cut through the lot and jump the fence.”
She remembers living in the dorms in the early 2000s and doesn’t plan on sticking around once the students move in.
“I never thought I’d want to move out of here, because I really like this spot, but I lived in the dorms back in ‘04,” Jones said. “I will not be living next to dorms.”
Not everyone on Eye Street was upset about this dorm project though. Lea Nagy, who has lived in Humboldt for 40 years and lives right next to the lot where the dorms are being built, is optimistic about the development.
“Any kind of housing we can get in Arcata is better than nothing,” Nagy said. “These kids were living in their cars. Then, the university decided they couldn’t be in their parking lot, so I would love to see some of this housing be for low-income families and people.”
It seems like most Arcata residents see this project as a good thing, at least for the housing market. With little housing already available in Arcata and locals competing with students for housing, the new housing requirements are shaping up well for locals.
Equipment operator and Eye Street resident James Figas voiced a similar opinion to Nagy.
“I’m not bothered by it, I mean I’m already two blocks from the campus, so having dorms down the street doesn’t really change anything for me,” Figas said.
After all, Arcata is a college town and the university brings a lot of money to the local economy. Locals like Figas are hopeful all that money will strengthen housing for all of Arcata, not just freshmen and sophomores.
“There is so little housing around here,” Figas said. “I am hopeful that if there’s more campus housing, that there will be more availability for the rest of us around town.”
Noah Pond is a Junior at Cal Poly Humboldt and a reporter and opinion editor for the Lumberjack. During his free time he enjoys cold beer and his skateboard.
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