Barley Lewis-McCabe and Nico Patakidis

Another increase in presidential pay across all California State University (CSU) campuses has been approved by the California State University (CSU) Board of Trustees in a meeting Nov. 2025. Among a base presidential salary increase as high as 20%, the meeting also saw the implementation of at-risk pay, and deferred compensation. Unlike at-risk pay and deferred compensation, the presidential base pay increases will be paid for using the CSU General Fund, which is composed of state funds as well as student tuition. 

“Our philosophy is to get folks as close to the median as we can get while remaining financially sustainable,” Trustee Diego Arambula said. “What are the ways in which we might do that? Of course, base pay is one. That comes from the money we get from the state, from tuition.”

CSU Trustee Jean Firstenberg introduced the programs to support the retention of presidents and attract qualified candidates. Deferred compensation programs provide an opportunity for university presidents to save an amount of their salary to be received at a later date and defer taxes until the compensation is received. At-risk pay is pay that is not guaranteed, but tied to performance. 

These policies were passed to ensure CSU presidents reach the median pay for a university president in America. The CSU Chancellor’s office enlisted the help of Segal, a private investment firm, to determine a competitive salary and benefits package that would attract a qualified president to head a CSU. Segal found that 18 out of the 22 CSU presidents base salary fell below the 25th percentile of the market median, meaning that the base salary of presidents in the CSU system falls below the median pay of university presidents in the U.S.. Within Segal’s presentation, the market median of base salary was not stated.

“It is based on achievement of specific goals throughout the year,” CSU Trustee Leslie Gilbert-Lurie said during the meeting. “I wanted to also make it clear that it is also linked to our northstar goal of market competitiveness and getting to median… it’s not only based on performance; it’s based on that they are under market getting to market.” 

Reiterated throughout the meeting and within the agenda is the CSU’s goal of attracting competent faculty, staff and leadership through the means of offering competitive compensation. In 2023, the CSU board of trustees approved a multi-year tuition increase proposal in which tuition will increase by 6% until the 2028-2029 school year. The proposal for tuition increases also includes emphasis on the CSU’s goal of providing competitive and sustainable compensation. 

The proposed base pay increases for CSU presidents would result in an additional estimated cost of $1,431,647 spent from the CSU General Fund. While he isn’t eligible for the new pay increases, President Richard Carvajal’s salary is $39,609 more than Interim President Spagna’s, amounting to $435,765. Humboldt California Faculty Association (CFA) President Ryder Dschida weighed in on appropriate uses of the Fund’s resources.

“Can that money be spent better elsewhere? Like, say, improving accessibility on campus, or providing clean, safe, sanitary places to live for students on campus in the dormitories,” Daschida said. “Yes, it should be, it could be better spent on those types of things. On top of the president’s salary increasing by about $40,000, they also get a housing stipend of about $65,000 a year to pay for housing in Humboldt and [$1,000 monthly for] a car. So in reality, his salary is probably closer to almost $600,000 a year.” 

Along with the at-risk and deferred compensation plans, Item 9 also proposed a removal of the 10% cap from salary adjustments for new presidents. Previously, new presidents were unable to receive a salary adjustment higher than 10% of the previous president’s salary. This policy is accompanied by annual fixed compensation increases that are guaranteed for current presidents. However, new presidents will not be eligible for these increases until completing their first triennial review as stated in Item 9 of the Nov. 19 2025 agenda. 

“Our philosophy is to get folks as close to the median as we can get while remaining financially sustainable,” Trustee Diego Arambula said, discussing the third way they plan on increasing presidential funding. “What are the ways in which we might do that? Of course, base pay is one. That comes from the money we get from the state, from tuition.”

The CFA thinks the presentation of these policies were more malicious. Base pay increases being paid for from tuition and state funds were only clarified once during the meeting, in contrast to the at-risk pay and deferred compensation funding source being explained thoroughly,

“These aren’t half-truths; they’re lies by omission, plain and simple,” The CFA wrote in a statement on the meeting released Dec 11. “Despite the emphasis on the policy having nothing to do with students or the state, more than half of campus presidents will now see their base pay increase as a direct result of student tuition and state funds!” 

Associated Students (A.S.) President Eduardo Cruz points out that the language used throughout board meetings can be difficult to follow — even more so for students who may not be familiar with these meetings. As a campus leader and president of A.S., Cruz understands that members can become captivated by the official terminology; they often struggle to account for those who may not understand it. Cruz said that while he can’t speak to the intentions of the board, the information presented was confusing, but overall accurate.

“They should be held to a higher standard of clarity and plain language for that transparency aspect,” Cruz said. “They could have done a better job at being transparent when it came to what they were actually discussing.”

Barley is the opinion editor and an untraditional reporter who focuses on social change and stories with a real human impact. If you’d like to reach him for whatever reason email bl258@humboldt.edu.

Nico is the photo editor with an interest in covering local government and political affairs. In his free time he enjoys hanging out and having fun with his friends. Reach him at np211@humboldt.edu.

by Bodhi Haugen

The warm smell of food and the golden glow of freshly poured beer welcomed Arcata performers and locals to the doors of Humboldt Brews this weekend.

A three-day, all-ages event called Arcata Rising brought together over 50 bands to raise funds for those affected by the Jan. 2 fire near Arcata Plaza. In addition to live music, the fundraiser featured private auctions and community donations to support neighbors and business owners affected by the fire.

The event was inspired by the fire’s proximity to Humboldt Brews. Shelley Ruhl, an owner of the brewery, said witnessing the fire firsthand motivated the decision to host the fundraiser.

“I saw it happening and just really felt terrible for my neighbors and business owners, watching it and not being able to do anything,” Ruhl said. “That night, I said we should do a benefit concert.”

The brewery was busy each day of the event, with organizers highlighting packed crowds and high community involvement. Event organizer Brian Swislow said Saturday reached capacity early in the afternoon.

“Yesterday, we were close to capacity by 3 p.m.,” Swislow said. “It stayed sold out throughout the day, completely packed from 3 p.m until 1 a.m.”

Swislow also spoke about the importance of local artists in Humboldt County and their role in fundraising efforts.

“There are ways to raise funds for the community in multiple areas, and music and culture are big ones,” Swislow said. It would be great to see the community lean on the artists so that we can actually raise money, as opposed to awareness.”

Arcata local Michael Lehaman, who attended the event to see a longtime friend perform, saw how Arcata’s community is supporting one another after the fire.

“I think it’s really great that people are making something positive out of a tragedy,” Lehaman said.

Musicians who participated in the fundraiser praised both the organizers and the diversity of performances. Musician and former instructor of Cal Poly Humboldt’s Marching Lumberjacks Jeremy Cotton, also known as The Wizard, said the event ran smoothly with a concise schedule.

“I was here yesterday from about three in the afternoon until about 10 at night, and I saw a lot of bands,” Cotton said. “The two stages going back and forth, and such a tight schedule, made it super smooth. There was such a variety of music, you can’t beat it.”

Wolf Navarro, singer and guitarist for War Möth, said he was impressed by how well the event came together over all three days.

  “Today, fundraising has been going great,” Navarro said. “I can’t believe how well it’s been organized and how everything just sort of melted together.”

Bodhi Haugen is a journalism major and writer for the Lumberjack at CalPoly Humboldt. Bodhis is on KRFH and enjoys reading, writing, photography, and art. You can reach him at bgh27@humboldt.edu.

by Sadie Shields

The Cal Poly Humboldt Wrestling team finished their season strong with one win and one loss against Simon Fraser University and Vanguard University. Their senior night performance earned them second place overall in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship (MPSF) this Sunday.

On Friday, Jan. 30, the Lumberjacks defeated Simon Fraser with wins in the 125, 133, 141, 149 and 157 pound weight class with wrestlers Joe Anthony Perez and Garen Keshishian dominating their opponent by six points. 

However, the Jacks’ momentum faded during their matchup against Vanguard, losing 18-21. Despite an early win at 125 pounds, where Dakota Sanders scored four points and Darrel Nguyen earned five points, it wasn’t enough to beat Vanguard. Even Sage Adie’s six point victory at 197 pounds couldn’t close the gap.

On Sunday, wrestling travelled to Atherton, Calif., to compete in the MPSF Championship, finishing second overall in conference with 126 points, behind Menlo College. The Jacks claimed victory over San Francisco State University and Vanguard University and lost to Menlo College who earned 155 points, the strongest showing from Humboldt since the championship began last year. Sophomore Josh Neiwert won the MPSF title in the 133 pound bracket, becoming a conference champion. Wrestling earned eight additional podium finishes, including three second place finishes from Darrell Nanpuya, Eric Ruiz-Cornelio and Isaiah Miller, and five third place finishes from Carson Hatch, Joe Anthony Perez, Micaiah Montalbin, Nathan Vasquez and Sam Weinberg.

The men’s wrestling team will be heading down to Golden Colorado for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Super Region IV Championship on Feb. 28. 

by Nick Escalada

Prior to his departure, Interim President Michael Spagna imparted the Lumberjack with optimistic words about Cal Poly Humboldt’s next head administrator. Richard A. Carvajal of Valdosta State University in Georgia was characterized as a cooperative leader — open to peer input in completing the school’s polytechnic transition, keen on successful athletics programs and perhaps most importantly, hip to local culture as a former Humboldt resident.

In a private Lumberjack interview near the end of his debut week, the president divulged more about his upbringing in Humboldt County and his excitement to return to a familiar setting. Born in Los Angeles, Carvajal’s family moved to the North Coast in his early years and held residences in Eureka, Hydesville and Carlotta, before his father eventually found employment in Oklahoma, bringing his family and teenage son with him.

“The only way he convinced me to get in the station wagon and go was that he promised that we’d only be gone for a year or two, and then we’d get to come back,” Carvajal said. “It obviously took me a little longer than that to get back. My mother literally bawled when she found out that I was coming here, because this is personal for my entire family, and so this is a place I love.”

Like many natives, newcomers and transients, Carvajal defines Humboldt by its unique natural beauty. Most of his memories of the region involve recreating in pristine wilderness, which he immediately got back to doing upon his return.

 “As a kid, right on my backyard was the Van Duzen River and [I would be] running through the forest and enjoying the river and fishing and all those kinds of things,” Carvajal said. “The day before I started work here, I’d spent a week just unpacking boxes and trying to move into our place. But I needed one day that I held back so that I could go to the ocean, and then I drove up a little north to the forest and just walked through the redwoods.”

Carvajal arrives at an institution midway through a historic identity shift toward STEM education and hands-on learning. Left with the new expectations of the Cal Poly branding and millions in the state’s transitional funding left to manage, the president envisions a broader approach to finishing this transition.

“Every place gets to define exactly what their version of Polytechnic can look like. Here, I met my wife in the theater. I have a real appreciation for the arts,” Carvajal said. “And so to know that those programs are going to continue to thrive here, while we also grow out our STEM programs and the like, and all of our students, no matter what major they’re in, we’re going to try to make sure that they have an experiential opportunity while they’re here.”

One of Carvajal’s more attractive qualities as a candidate to the administration was Valdosta State’s excellent Division II athletics records under his leadership. Carvajal attended a Jacks basketball game during one of his early campus tours, where he handed out pizza to students and talked shop about sports.

“I was talking with somebody during the course of the night, and they asked me about my past experience. And I said, ‘Well, what you can know about me is I like to win,’” Carvajal said. “It does communicate that championship culture to our public and to our supporters and to our own student body that we’re going to try to be good at what we do, whether that’s on the athletic field, in the court or in the classroom. I want us to have a championship culture in everything we do. I want us to be a place that is about winning.”

Carvajal is the son of a Mexican-American immigrant, and expressed his intent to uphold Humboldt’s hispanic-serving label and assist students of all documentation statuses.

“My wife, our new First Lady… she looks a lot like my mom, actually, she’s very fair-complected, blonde hair. Her family broke off all ties with her for picking me,” Carvajal said. “Does that mean that I understand what everyone has gone through in their own individual situation? No, but I absolutely understand what it’s like to be thought of as less than or different, and to suffer because of it. So while I still have much to learn about what we have done and what we’re going to continue to do, I want us to be a supportive place for our students.”

A major point of controversy surrounding previous president Tom Jackson’s resignation was his heavy-handed response to the pro-Palestine student occupation of campus. Students now hold their breath that their incoming overseer will handle such events more gracefully, a hope that Carvajal acknowledged.

“I love that the CSU and Humboldt are unequivocally committed to free expression here, and so I want this to be a place that is supportive for all,” Carvajal said. “I want all voices to be supported here. I want students to feel that those voices are supported here. What am I going to do? I’m going to be out there. I’m going to be very transparent. I’m going to communicate with folks in the same way I’ve been this week.”

The president’s excursions into lecture halls and out onto the Quad on his first week have undoubtedly been for introductory purposes. However, Carvajal says he wishes to maintain that presence among his constituents until he, as he hopes, retires from Cal Poly Humboldt.

“If I walked across campus, I really couldn’t do so without being asked several times to stop for selfies,” Carvajal said. “I want that experience. I want our students to know who their president is. I can’t do that by sitting in here.”

Nick Escalada is the News Editor of The Lumberjack. He studies wildlife and aspires to be a nature journalist. Find him bouncing between Gist Hall and the science buildings and reach him at ne53@humboldt.edu!