By Eli Farrington and Savana Robinson

Upon returning to campus after fall break, several things on Cal Poly Humboldt’s campus had changed. Some of the changes were positive. The brightly colored leaves cast an autumnal hue over the university and students bundled up in their favorite scarves, mittens, sweaters and hats as the campus’ true beauty blossomed with radiant wonder. However, some of the changes left a bitter taste in students’ mouths, most notably the removal of the beloved library circle tree and the repaving of the intersection at Harpst and B St., which was formerly laden with bricks. 

Xavi Smith, sophomore botany major and appreciator of trees, expressed his deep frustration with the university’s decision to remove the library circle tree. 

“I bike up here, and the bus was stopped and blocking it, and [I thought] they didn’t know what to do,” Smith said. “I was just surprised. Everything is gone; tree’s gone. Feels weird, like it never was there.”

As the afternoon sun cascaded down upon the void where the majestic tree used to reside, the reality of its absence began to set in for Smith. It was the same species as the adjacent tree in front of the Student Health Center. Now the tree stood alone. 

“I don’t know why they would [remove it],” Smith said. “It mirrored [the adjacent] tree. It was all a nice visual line, I’m so confused why it’s gone. They could have put something else there — plants, not more concrete. It just seems like a really strange decision.”

Eden Harnar, a junior botany major, was shocked and bewildered to learn of the tree’s removal.

“I’m so upset about this,” Harnar said. “I really liked this tree. I took a bunch of photos of it freshman year when the storm was going on because I thought it looked so cool with the leaves in the wind, and now it’s gone.”

As a botany student, Harnar has a special interest in trees. Upon discovering its removal, she was overcome with emotion. Many years ago, she would gaze out the second floor library window and marvel at the tree’s brightly colored leaves and twisting, knotted branches. The tree’s familiar presence had always provided her studies with a sense of comfort and warmth, but now it was gone. 

“One thing about me is, I love trees,” Harnar said. “I’m gonna talk to my professors about this.”

The botany majors both proposed replacing the tree with a garden consisting of native plants in the center of the roundabout, rather than the tall, skinny, bright orange traffic cones that are currently placed there.

The intersection of B and Harpst St. was paved with brick but now, a smooth, newly paved road has taken the place of the masonry.

Elyssa Sanders didn’t notice the change at first, but once she did, she was disappointed with the results. 

“I do miss the bricks,” Sanders said. “Because the bricks look a lot nicer.” 

Sanders also noted that the intersection previously felt pedestrian-oriented because of the bricks, and the new road felt vehicle-oriented.

“It felt like that was only [for] people who were walking in a pedestrian way,” Sanders said. 

Sanders’ walking companion, Courtney Tolhurst,  expressed a similar sentiment.

“It’s kind of sad to see another pedestrian walkway get taken over by a road.” 

Eli Farrington is a highly intelligent human life form working as the news editor for The Lumberjack. In his free time, he enjoys analyzing the complexities of the human condition. His passion for journalism knows no boundaries and exceeds time and space itself.