The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Category: Life & Arts

  • Chicano Batman brings growing Latino music scene to Humboldt

    Chicano Batman brings growing Latino music scene to Humboldt

    by Abraham Navarro

    Hit Los Angeles band Chicano Batman sold out the Arcata Theater Lounge on April 27. The American/Colombian band Divino Nino warmed up the audience. Received with open arms and a few reeling mosh pits buzzing with fervent energy, this show firmly confirmed a living foothold for the growing Latino music scene in Arcata.

    Divino Nino were joyous to receive before the main event. They started with the intoxicating song “Quiero” from their 2019 album Foam, which got the crowd swaying to song after song.

    Divino Nino, formed by childhood friends from their hometown of Bogota, Colombia, plays surreal psychedelic dream-pop with Spanish lyrics and a unique style perfect to open for Chicano Batman.

    When Chicano Batman were ready to perform, the crowd was reeling and ready for the four piece team to rock the night.

    Their iconic sound is marked by familiar basslines and funky swaying beats, characteristics of the psychedelic-soul twisting inspirations they derive from.

    Photo by Abraham Navarro | Lead vocalist Bardo Martinez and guitarist Carlos Arévalo of Chicano batman at the Arcata Theater Lounge on April 27.

    “Polymetronomic Harmony” from their 2020 album Invisible People was the haymaker that turned the crowd into a swarm of music hungry fiends, flailing every which way in the pit.

    The energy out of every note nudged listeners to their feet, electric energy flowing through the audience as lead guitarist Eduardo Arenas’ fingers flew across every fret of his guitar with lightning speed. For some songs, he danced gracefully up and down the neck of his bass, laying out the backbone for the rest of the band to follow up and deliver.

    Carlos Arévalo rocked the guitar and held the melody together from his stronghold on stage right. Though he seldom moved from his spot, his presence was felt throughout the entire set.

    The music was medicine, but the performance was deliverance. Lead vocalist Bardo Martinez took the entire stage, jumping in the air and dancing like a possessed person writhing to the beat of the music and the rhythm of the roaring crowd.

    Not only did Martinez sing, but he took on the keyboard, kept up with his bandmates on the guitar and danced his heart out to the screaming fans in the sold out show.

    Not a single fan walked out without the marks of Chicano Batman firmly on their souls.

  • Cal Poly Humboldt Theatre presents the return of the 24 hour play festival

    by Sophia Escudero

    Putting on a play is traditionally no quick process. It takes months to take a script, design the set, costumes, and lights, cast actors, direct it, and have something polished enough to perform. The 24 hour play festival, however, turns that notion on its head. From 7 p.m. Friday night to the same time Saturday, a group of theater students wrote scripts and presented them as a series of short plays before an audience.

    The event was entirely student run and organized, and was produced by Cal Poly Humboldt students Austin Maisler and David Fisher.

    Maisler served as a producer, director, light designer, and stage manager. He had heard about the 24 hour play festival in his first year at Cal Poly Humboldt, but nothing came of it due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When campus reopened, the idea for the festival returned.

    “Spring came along and our department chair, Dr. Troy [Lescher] brought it up, like, ‘hey, does anybody want to run this?’” Maisler said. “I didn’t want to run it, I wanted to act in it, but nobody came forward so I talked to David. David and I decided to step forward and run this thing.”

    The process of organizing the festival was, by its nature, chaotic. Scripts were written overnight, and given to directors at 7 a.m. the next morning. The actors were cast less than twelve hours before they had to be off-book and ready to present the scene, and rehearsals were intermittently interrupted by costume fittings and discussions of the script. Lighting was finalized shortly before the house opened, and many people found themselves taking on roles that they had not previously had experience in.

    “This is the first show I’ve ever designed lights for,” Maisler said. “I’m actually in the lighting class this semester, so I just stepped forward, like, I kind of know how to do this, so I’ll just do it.”

    The four scenes, each about ten minutes long, took on themes of college-aged ennui, failing romance, finding meaning in absurdity, and impending doom. Of the four playwrights, two also participated as actors, and one as a director.

    Actor and writer Ben Wimer had not been involved in a 24 hour play festival before in either capacity. He found writing for a 24 hour play festival to pose a unique challenge. As the script is to be presented less than a day after its completion, certain factors had to be considered.

    “I wanted to write something that was simple, but had an authenticity to it, and had dialogue that was easy for the actors to memorize⁠— hopefully, it was easy to memorize⁠— but still gave them a lot to play around with,” Wimer said.

    Mollie Donaldson had participated in a previous 24 hour play festival at Cal Poly Humboldt in early 2020 as an actor, a role she repeated two years later. She considers the festival to be intense, but rewarding.

    “It’s definitely stressful,” Donaldson said. “You’re handed a script at 8 a.m. and told at 7 p.m. that you’re supposed to perform it and block it and have everything memorized. It’s a stressful thing, but one of my favorite things is kind of shocking myself with how quickly I can memorize things.”

  • Reese Bullen Gallery features Cal Poly Humboldt student artists

    Reese Bullen Gallery features Cal Poly Humboldt student artists

    by Nina Hufman

    The Arts Graduate Exhibition for the class of 2022 is now open at the Reese Bullen Art Gallery at Cal Poly Humboldt.

    Kylie Maxfield, a senior whose work is featured in the exhibit says that having one’s work in a gallery is an integral part of being an artist.

    “Being a student artist myself, I think it’s really important to be able to showcase my work,” Maxfield said. “To feel validated for what I’ve been working on. It inspires me to continue my education in art.”

    Photo by Angel Barker | Reflective Perspective, made of bronze and glass by Lisa Heikka Huber

    The exhibition showcases the work of graduating students in the Art Department. It features work from a variety of mediums including painting, sculpture, illustration, drawing, printmaking, photography, ceramics, and jewelry.

    “There’s a lot more diversity than I would expect,” said student Duncan McDougall.

    Another student, Justin Henderson, also appreciated how diverse the selection of art is within the gallery.

    “Each one is pretty unique,” Henderson said. “I like that there’s a lot of creativity going on.”

    McDougall and Henderson were excited to be able to attend an exhibition of their peers’ art. Student exhibitions allow for their work to be seen by those outside the art department.

    “Otherwise, I wouldn’t see any of their art,” said Henderson. “I don’t have any art classes, so I’m never over here.”

    “There’s a lot of student creativity,” McDougall said. “You don’t really see a lot of these student galleries.”

    Displaying their work also gives student artists new opportunities.

    Photo by Angel Barker | “Present” by Kaitlyn Ladines. This paining invites students to be apart of the exhibit by sitting in the chair. This piece won 2nd place for the Glenn Berry Painting Award.

    “Having this graduate exhibition also gives students the chance to be awarded for what they’ve been working on,” Maxfield said. “I think that if students didn’t have the opportunity to do something like this that feels real, then they probably wouldn’t make as much or be inspired to.”

    One of the opportunities that Cal Poly Humboldt art students have is the opportunity to win the Permanent Collection Purchase Prize award. The honor is given to one student from each graduating class. The work is then added to Cal Poly Humboldt’s permanent collection of student artwork.

    Maxfield says that selecting the correct piece for an exhibition is a challenging task.

    “I think critiques really narrow down, like what are people interested in and what is catching people’s attention,” Maxfield said. “Getting a lot of opinions on what strikes people as an interesting photograph.”

    Maxfield also discussed challenges with her chosen medium, photography.

    “I think that sometimes it’s hard to get through with people,” Maxfield said. “Like a lot of people kind of think ‘oh, well they just press a button.’ With paintings or drawings it’s a lot more evident the amount of work that goes into it, but with photography, not as much.”

    Photo by Angel Barker | “Human Flower” by Emily Newark. Made from low-fire white clay. This ceramic sculpture won the Phoenix Ceramic Award.

    There were many interesting pieces featured in the gallery. One sculpture entitled The Human Flower was the topic of discussion among students.

    “I think The Human Flower rules,” McDougall said. “If I had a million dollars, I’d buy it right now.”

    Another opinion on the piece was offered.

    “I appreciate that a lot of work went into that, but it just freaks me out,” Henderson said.

    The exhibition will run through Saturday, May 14 with a reception to follow the College of Arts Humanities & Social Sciences commencement ceremony.

  • Gutswurrak official naming ceremony

    Gutswurrak official naming ceremony

    by Ione Dellos

    On Wednesday, April 20th, the University officially renamed the Student Activities Center to the Gutswurrak Student Activities Center in a ceremony at the building located by the UC quad. Pronounced “guts-wuh-dock”, it is the Wiyot word for “many people gather”. The name for the student union was originally suggested by the Wiyot Tribe, led by Wiyot Tribal Chair Ted Hernandez. He was also a guest speaker at the event, and he expressed his gratitude to the University and to the students, who pushed the renaming effort.

    The event started right at noon, with opening remarks from Wendy Sotomayor, director of the SAC, and Micheal Moore Jr., associate director of the SAC, and the two read Humboldt’s new formal land acknowledgment. Working with the College of the Redwoods, Humboldt has developed the following land acknowledgment:

    “We acknowledge that the land on which Cal Poly Humboldt is located in the unceded territory of the Wiyot people who continue to live and thrive today. It is surrounded by the traditional, ancestral, and present homelands of several indigenous nations including the Hupa, Karuk, Mattole, Tolowa, Wailaki, and Yurok that make up Humboldt County.”

    Following the land acknowledgment, Vice President Jason Meriwether spoke about coming together with the local Native tribes, and on the importance of a name.

    Ted Hernandez gave his remarks after Meriwether’s speech and welcomed students and staff members alike into his home. He offered his blessings to the building, not just to the students who came to the ceremony, but for all students in the future.

    Adrianne Colegrove-Raymond, special assistant to President Jackson, unveiled a new special feature of the building, which is a QR code on the wall that links to a recording of Wiyot youth and adults pronouncing “gutswurrak”. Anyone who visits the SAC can now scan the QR code with their phone and hear the recording of the Wiyot word.

    It was a relatively small ceremony, although, despite the small size of attendees in the SAC, the speakers definitely filled the room with their presence. The event was originally set to be held in the SAC quad, which might have increased the number of students that attended, but was moved indoors to the SAC West Lounge due to the rain. The ceremony only ran until about 12:30, as the speakers were done giving their presentations at that time. Students filtered through the small crowd like minnows, darting from space to space to grab a complimentary t-shirt and a handful of free food on their way out.

    The renaming effort is part of Humboldt’s effort to bring Native histories to the forefront of the University, which has not been the case in the past. The University is attempting to build new bridges and improve their relationship with Native communities through community activities like the SAC renaming.

  • Indigenous Foods Festival highlights the importance of food sovereignty

    Indigenous Foods Festival highlights the importance of food sovereignty

    by Krisanne Keiser

    On a bright sunny Saturday morning, students, faculty, and local tribal peoples came together to celebrate the Rou Dalagurr Food Sovereignty Lab & Cultural Workspace at the Indigenous Foods Festival. The event was held on the Cal Poly Humboldt campus on April 16 and was part of a month-long Food Summit that is focused on educating students, staff, and the public about food sovereignty. The event featured special featured films, keynote speaker presentations, and numerous outdoor volunteer opportunities working with plants and learning thoughtful ways to gather that respects Indigenous self-determination of land.

    Several speakers presented in the Native American Forum, each giving information about their respective organizations and how they are practicing food sovereignty. One event hosted by the California Indian Museum & Cultural Center was incredibly informative. Executive Director Nicole Myers-Lim led the presentation and discussed the projects their native youth are working on as part of the museum’s Tribal Youth Ambassadors program. One of those projects was creating acorn bites, which was an idea that came from one of the youths, and was being sold during the event. I must add that they were extremely delicious!

    During the presentation, Myers-Lim reminded the audience that in order to practice food sovereignty, there are several elements to consider such as land access, settler laws and regulations within park systems, as well as handling public harassment and racism when gathering on public lands. Additionally, the monetization and over-harvesting of natural foods such as abalone have prevented their tribe— the Pomo Tribe— from utilizing this natural resource, which is a large part of their culture.

    “Our Pomo food that we love is abalone…we can’t eat abalone right now but when abalone was harvested, it was overharvested,” said Myers-Lim. “We’re really trying to educate non-native communities that this is our cultural resource; we need it for the continuity of our culture. It doesn’t have to be sold for $70 dollars on a plate at Oma’s in San Francisco.”

    Another aspect that Myers-Lim highlighted was how native youth had gradually lost interest in gathering natural foods and resources due to being subjected to harassment by the public. At one point the racism and harassment became so severe that the youth feared practicing their traditional gathering activities at local parks on local trails. To help mitigate this issue, the Native Youth Program created an educational card pamphlet called the ‘Culture Card: Tribal Member Educational Handout’ to give to park visitors who questioned, disturbed, and accused them of harming the environment while they were gathering. The culture cards discuss the cultural significance of traditional harvesting and gathering as well as explaining how and why gathering is a healthy activity. It also highlights gathering and harvesting permits.

    “We’re out there praying and giving gratitude to the plants that are sustaining us and so to be accused of abuse is ironic,” said Myers-Lim. “After hundreds of years of the abuse that’s happened through the Gold Rush, the wildfires and the dams and everything else.”

    If that wasn’t harmful enough, the program also has to obtain special 24-hour permits before gathering which is just another hoop to jump through.

    “We have to work with them to have ancestral gathering rights that are recognized throughout the state,” said Myers-Lim. “As tribes we need to advocate for that through our consultation policies and try to change that on those levels.”

    Past Cal Poly Humboldt chemistry major, Sunny Rojas (Yurok/Karuk/Apache) stated that his people were not equipped to consume processed foods, and doing so has caused much damage to the health of his community.

    “It has a devastating effect on Americans and my people…we never ate like that in the past and our bodies are not quite equipped to deal with a lot of things that are surprisingly allowed in our food,” said Rojas.

    He expressed that one of his goals as a chemistry major was to learn more about the components of the earth, people, and the contents of America’s food.

    “I wanted to try and find some way to help this poisoned food system we have in America right now,” said Rojas.

  • Take Back the Night coordinators raise concerns about event speaker

    Take Back the Night coordinators raise concerns about event speaker

    by Matthew Taylor

    Corrections: The event was not hosted by CAT or the North Coast Rape Crisis Team but instead the Women’s Center at CPH, they were important guests and coordinators there.

    Cal Poly Humboldt’s Campus Advocacy Team (CAT), along with the help of the North Coast Rape Crisis Center, hosted the annual international event known as Take Back the Night last Friday. This college campus-focused event looks to empower women and other vulnerable minorities. This year’s event began with a presentation by Dr. Rachel King, a specialist in issues of sexual misconduct within higher education. Her presentation explored the usage of restorative justice in situations of sexual assault on college campuses.

    Restorative justice focuses on the rehabilitation of offenders through reconciliation with their victim(s) and the community at-large. The framework often assumes that the offender committed their crime due to a perceived need in their life that wasn’t being met or a lack of knowledge towards the harm they inflicted. Proponents say that restorative justice has the capability to be incredibly effective and healing to all parties involved in a crime. However, should we assume sexual assault falls into this category of effectiveness?

    An hour into the presentation, many participants were disheartened, disgusted, and frustrated. At multiple points in the Zoom-based presentation, King implied that many perpetrators of sexual assault did so based on a simple ignorance or misunderstanding of the situation. While this could be true for a minority of cases, statistically, the vast majority of sexual assaults are done with the explicit understanding that these actions were unwanted.

    “It’s not about ignorance, it’s about power and control,” an event coordinator said after the presentation.

    Many of the event coordinators present refused to speak on the record regarding their feelings on the hour-long speech. Their reasons ranged from the sensitivity of the topic to a perceived backlash from the administration.

    “I personally have a very hard time with restorative justice as a survivor myself, working as an advocate, and hearing survivors on a daily basis,” another event coordinator said. “I’m not saying that the normal system is [made] to protect the survivors in any way. It’s not. The traditional justice system is very re-victimizing and very re-traumatizing for survivors, but the model that was shown today could also be set up for survivors to be re-victimized and re-traumatized.”

    Whether intentional or not, restorative justice processes can put the offender and the victim on equal levels of legitimacy. In the case of sexual assault, this makes little to no sense. As advocates in this area, the members of CAT and the North Coast Rape Crisis Center know that these actions predominantly come from an abuse of power or a complete apathy towards the victim, not due to innocent miscommunication.

    “I feel like this presentation weighed a bit too heavily on the perpetrator and their choices,” a coordinator said. “It just wasn’t all that comfortable for me to hear, it’s like ‘if they get this little bit of accountability, then they’ll never do it again’ when we know that that’s not true.”

    The event ended four hours earlier than its intended conclusion, in part due to the extremely low turnout. It is unknown if CAT and the North Coast Rape Crisis Center will continue to use Rachel King as a resource for sexual assault trainings, especially in light of the negative reaction towards her presentation.

    Both teams stand firm in their mission to empower survivors on campus, whether they wish to take a restorative justice approach or a traditionally retributive one. Their concern lies solely with the victims and their personal well being.

    The Campus Advocate Team runs a 24 hour anonymous support line for any and all student victims of sexual assault that can be reached at (707) 445-5881.

  • Cal Poly Humboldt campus hosts Food Summit

    Cal Poly Humboldt campus hosts Food Summit

    by Angel Barker

    A three-week-long Food Summit is on campus, and you’re invited. On-campus organizations El Centro, HEIF, Umoja Center, the Food Sovereignty Lab, Oh Snap!, WRAPP, and La Comida Nos Une all collaborated to make this event happen.

    Liszet Burgueno, Developmental Manager for the Humboldt Energy Independence Fund (HEIF) and environmental resource engineering major, talked about the nature of the event.

    “The Food Summit is a collaborative event where multiple campus organizations came together to start conversations about food justice, food sovereignty, and to give people food,” Burgueno said.

    The first week was about the general topics to introduce people to the issues of food sustainability and justice. This week is about jobs and exploration in the food industry, and next week is about environmental justice and social justice.

    HEIF is funding the Food Summit according to Katie Koscielak, Cal Poly Humboldt’s sustainability analyst and advisor for the event.

    “The campus has done other food summits, but not in several years, and this is the first one funded by HEIF,” Koscielak said.

    Photo by Angel Barker | Katie Koscielak, sustainability analyst for the campus, and Liset Burgueno, development manager for HEIF and environmental resource engineering major at the table for HEIF at the food summit on April 6.

    HEIF funds sustainability projects on campus through instructionally related activities fees that students pay for each semester. Past projects have included water refilling stations, compost bins, lots of lighting upgrades throughout campus, hand dryers, and many more. These projects take effect when students submit proposals to the organization.

    “Last semester, El Centro came to HEIF and submitted an idea paper, where they wanted to get reusable utensils,” Burgueno said.

    Darin Torres, criminology and journalism major, pitched the idea this semester for a food summit. Torres spearheaded the ideas and planning, and after months of collaborating with many campus groups and local organizations, the event planning has been successful.

    “I am really proud of what we’ve done so far,” Torres said. “Education is power.”

    This event is not only to educate, but to get students involved with interactive events to help make the planet a better place. This event is really important to Torres, as food insecurity is a huge part of the greater Humboldt community.

    “We have issues with indigenous cultures’ food not being respected,” Torres said. “Food is a major insecurity in Humboldt County, we have students who face hunger and homelessness so much. So we just wanted to incorporate it all into the food summit.”

    “We have regenerated, and hopefully it will continue,” said Fernando Paz, coordinator for El Centro.

    According to Paz, the event itself is, a way to really reflect on our carbon impact in terms of food that we use.

    This Thursday, April 14, there will be a film screening of Gather hosted on Zoom, and on Friday there is a plant tour on campus and an opportunity to volunteer at Bayside Farm. Many more events are also scheduled throughout the week. To find the whole event schedule, go to https://lcae.humboldt.edu/food-summit.

    “This event is made for you in mind, it was made for students, by students,” Torres said.

  • Toyon volume 68 heals tender wounds

    Toyon volume 68 heals tender wounds

    by August Linton

    The 68th edition of Toyon, Cal Poly Humboldt’s multilingual literary magazine, was released on Tuesday, March 29. It is the culmination of a year of work by the staff, through forced distancing caused by COVID-19, across vast distances, and from a multitude of perspectives.

    Contributions to this year’s Toyon came from countries around the globe. The submission base’s broad scope means that works in many languages are featured. Some of the works originally submitted in a language other than English are presented in both languages, and some of the translation work is only available online on Toyon’s website.

    Maurizio Castè’s ‘Germogli verdi,’ or ‘Sprouts of green,’ published in both the original Italian and translated into English by Toti O’Brien, is a gently insistent witness to the beauty of spring, and to nature’s resilience in the face of climate change. This is a theme that surfaces at other points in Toyon 68, in Dobby Morse’s “The Fate of the Earth,” “Climate Change” by Larissa A. Hul-Galasek, and Meghan E. Kelley’s “What’s Left for the World to Say?”

    In these works, there is a deep veneration of both nature’s delicacy and of her strength. There is also an anger that seems to well up from deep within the Earth; anger for the future of humanity in the face of a climate apocalypse and for the fate of the natural world in our aftermath.

    There are many other standout poetic works in Toyon 68. The magazine’s opening work “Each Time I Held a Dying Bird” by Grace E. Daverson pulls the reader into delicately described and emotional pocket memories. As Daverson methodically describes each bird she has known, the wild joy of holding a bird in one’s hand and the childlike wonder of shining a flashlight into developing eggs organically melt into the glass-sharp grief of not being able to protect the ones you love.

    Toyon also publishes short stories, academic literature, and visual art.

    “Dismantling Structural Systems of Oppression Through a Revolutionized Pedagogy” by Ambar A. Quintanilla systematically explores the institutional barriers to education which Latinx and Black students face, multiplied by conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Quintanilla’s emotional connection to the subject matter as someone who has experienced these barriers (and who has seen the people she cares about be affected by them) is as important to the piece as her efficient and insightful analysis of the complex contributing socioeconomic factors.

    Among the magazine’s small selection of visual art, “Thinking” by Ernie Iñiguez and Mario Loprete’s “Concrete Sculptures” stand out. “Thinking” is a polished and pastel digital illustration of a meditating robot, while “Concrete Sculptures” is photos of the artist’s graceful and haunting sculptures of folded clothes.

    The theme of Toyon 68 is “hope and healing,” which is self-evident from the works within. The contributors’ love for this world and for the always painful process of healing is strung throughout the magazine, as taut and musical a guitar string. Healing takes time, passion, work, and love, and Toyon 68 has all of those. On the back cover of the volume, their sendoff is this:

    “WARNING: This product contains love, anxiety, dysphoria, tenderness, birds, affection, grief, orange juice, trauma, anger, and maternal bonds. Side effects may include self-reflection and a sense of inner peace.”

    Toyon 68 is available now in print and online.

  • Cal Poly Humboldt music department performs a once-in-a-decade recital

    Cal Poly Humboldt music department performs a once-in-a-decade recital

    by Sophia Escudero

    One o’clock on a Tuesday afternoon is not the usual time for a music recital. However, this particular performance was more than just a display of student skill. Accreditors from the National Association of Schools of Music were in attendance, after two days on campus visiting classes, listening to students perform, and ensuring the university meets standards for music programs. According to music department chair Cindy Moyer, this process is one that happens only once every ten years.

    “For this particular recital, what they wanted to see was the full spectrum of the program, which is why you can see there were all different music concentrations and students performing,” Moyer said.

    A highlight of the afternoon’s performances was staff accompanist John Chernoff’s rendition of a moody piano piece by composition major Theo Singer. The audience watched in captivated silence as Chernoff played through to the last, lingering note with an intensely focused expression, leaving the music hanging in the air for a moment, before breaking the spell as he turned to the audience with a wide smile and a quick bow, freeing the listeners to rapturous applause. Singer is a senior, but the performers comprised the full range of experience.

    “This was hard because we needed a real breadth of things, we had to find freshmen and sophomores,” Moyer said. “We do an honors recital every year and that’s pretty easy, students audition and the very best play— but that was not the goal here. The goal was not the most advanced, most skilled performers entirely, it was the whole spectrum of performers.”

    Marimba player Makani Bright was singled out by Moyer as a particularly talented senior performer. Bright has been playing for about 12 years, and has an upcoming senior solo recital on April 10. They are a double major in percussion performance and applied mathematics, finding beauty in both.

    “The way that I relate both of my majors in my mind is that I think of them artistically,” Bright said. “I think of mathematics as an art form, it’s perfect and there’s many beautiful things you can do within mathematics. Both of them, to me, are an art.”

    Bright’s piece, “Chain” by composer Kazunori Miyake, was not one they had previously performed before an audience. The instrumental composition had almost narrative elements, combining multiple different feelings and rhythms into a complex and beautiful melody.

    “I feel really good about it,” Bright said. “I feel like I was able to express what I wanted to express and I really enjoyed myself.”

    The majority of the music on display was instrumental, with pianists, percussionists, and a saxophone quartet as standouts, but music education major Pablo Murcia was selected to represent the vocal arts.

    “I’m very honored, honestly,” Murcia said. “I was the only singer chosen, and that’s quite an honor. I’m very flattered, and happy that some people came out to support me. That was nice.”

    Murcia’s piece was an aria from Mozart’s Don Giovanni, “Deh, vieni alla finestra.” He performed in Italian, but his smooth baritone voice, expressive performing style, and connection with the music (which has been part of his repertoire since last semester) carried the story of the song to the audience.

    “Don Giovanni, he’s a Don Juan, he’s a player, and he’s trying to get the attention of a woman at her window,” Murcia said. “The whole piece is just him saying, come to me, come to me, trying different tactics to get her attention, and she just keeps sort of playing coy, and finally, by the end of the piece, she finally gives into his charms.” He laughs. “Quote, unquote charms— he’s kind of a narcissistic jerk, but yeah.”

    Music department ASA Samantha Heppe was excited to be involved in such an important production for the university.

    “I’m just excited for our music students to showcase their talents,” Heppe said. “This recital is in honor of the accreditation team, so this type of recital won’t happen again for another ten years.”

  • Painting it teal for sexual assault awareness

    Painting it teal for sexual assault awareness

    by Matthew Taylor

    Pamphlets and papers flew around the UC Quad. Three teal blue tables stood to the right of The Depot entrance, pushed up close to the SAC’s concrete stairs. Dozens of paint bottles cluttered the leftmost table while various pins cluttered the right. April is international recognized as Sexual Assault Awareness month and The North Coast Rape Crisis Team alongside its on campus program Campus Advocate Team (CAT) have worked together to host its annual Take Back the Night week. The week-long event lasts from April 4 to April 7 and includes activities such as Denim Day, Clothesline Project Workshop, and Take Back the Night.

    Photo by Matthew Taylor | Liliana Cortez (center) speaking with students on the UC Quad about Teal Day on April 4.

    Tuesday marked Teal Day, a day dedicated to the awareness of sexual assault survivors and their stories. Students at the tabling event were encouraged to paint their expressions of positive growth and healing. By the end, all the small canvases would be placed together to form a larger mural. Liliana Cortez, the Violence Prevention Advocate at the Women’s Resource Center, expressed that the mural was an optional part of the activity.

    “It’s up to them,” Cortez said. “If they want to create their piece and keep it, or if they want to go ahead and give it to us so we can make it part of [the mural].”

    Together with Cortez, CAT Education Coordinator Kira Morse was also present at the table.

    “We provide services here on campus for survivors of sexual assault,” Morse said. “We have counseling, we have an office here, and we also respond out if there’s any incidents or things like that and help with [things] like Title IX and accommodations.”

    Rachel Mack, a Rangeland Resource Management major, was one of the handful of students painting at the table.

    Photo by Matthew Taylor | Painting by Rachel Mack created during the Teal Day event at the UC Quad on April 5.

    “It’s nice to have something positive as well as it being important for what it stands for,” Mack said, whilst painting her sunflower piece. “I think [it’s] really important for survivors to be able to have control over their own situation.”

    Alexa Farias, a Critical Race, Gender & Sexuality Studies major, expressed this event is very important to her work and role within Students for Violence Prevention.

    “We actually want to be part of the whole Speak Out, because it’s a really good way to show people what it feels like to really look through the situations,” Farias said.

    Speak Out is one of the many sub-events planned within Friday’s Take Back the Night program. This event will provide a safe space with counselors on hand for survivors to ‘speak out’ about their experiences and tell their stories.

    “The main movement and push with Take Back the Night is that people can feel safe here on campus and have their voices heard,” Morse said. “I feel a lot of times that survivors feel like they’re hush hushed. There’s not that open space where people can name their experiences. Take Back the Night, there is a lot of this amazing support where people feel comfortable.”

    Friday’s event will begin with a speech by Dr. Rachel King that will culminate into a rally and the aforementioned Speak Out event. Lasting between 6 to 10 pm, the event will end in a vigil dedicated to the victims of sexual violence.

    “I feel like [this] is really good,” said psychology major John Clark. “If this could happen at most events, then people would start to see that this is a [common] thing that we should talk about.”

  • Slack is Back at Cal Poly Humboldt

    Slack is Back at Cal Poly Humboldt

    by Liam Gwynn

    Ethereal flute, harmonious tarot prophecies, and a faint vaguely skunkish smell: you’d think it was a description of a sixties wet dream. However, you would be wrong, that dream is very much alive in Humboldt county, particularly with a group of students who have started a slacklining group that meets every Sunday.

    Before the pandemic, Cal Poly Humboldt had a thriving slacklining community with a club that would meet weekly. The club fell apart in 2020, however, one former member has gathered a group of fellow slackers and begun the process of getting this group turned into an official club at Cal Poly Humboldt. Joseph Aguilar, organizer of the prospective slacklining club, joined the original club in 2019 and has been slacklining ever since.

    “I love how when you’re on [the slackline] it’s just you, you have to be focused and present, and in that moment and you have to be hyperaware of all the muscles in your body,” Aguilar said. “It’s really good for core strength and all sorts of stuff.”

    Aguilar decided to start throwing “Slack Sundays” with a group of his friends and it gradually blossomed into a communal gathering of musicians, slack enthusiasts, and an assortment of nature lovers.

    The atmosphere at “Slack Sunday” was laid back and welcoming. Unlike many sports activities, there was no sort of competitive spirit or pressure to perform perfectly. People stretched back on picnic blankets and relaxed while others painted, played a variety of instruments, gave tarot card readings, threw a frisbee, and even tossed around a boomerang. Others came just to meet new people and hang out.

    The skill levels at “Slack Sunday” were equally diverse. For some, it was their first time and veterans held their hands and gave tips on how to cross. On the opposite side of the spectrum, genuine professionals showed off their skills with remarkable tricks on a line five feet off the ground.

    Photo by Abraham Navarro | Gabriela Vargas and Joe Mallory, both experienced slackliners do tricks and balance on their lines at the Mad River Pump Station on March 22.

    One of those professionals was Gabriela Vargas. She started by slacklining in her hometown Mexico City and moved to the US after receiving a sponsorship for competing in a trick line competition. Vargas originally moved to Colorado but was attracted to Arcata because of the slacklining culture that exists here.

    One issue that many professional slackliners face is debilitating injuries. Vargas said one injury she had forced her out of the competitive space after a leg injury that took six months to recover.

    “I like to take my healing slow, because if you don’t let it fully heal and just go back to doing it, it can get chronic and I don’t want that to happen,” said Vargas.

    Despite the setback from her injuries, Vargas has continued to expand her skills and has become proficient in highline, when a slackliner is harnessed to the slackline and balances over massive heights. Vargas showed a picture of her slacklining over an incredible drop of over 6,500 feet.

    People enjoy slacklining for a variety of reasons but one central theme is the benefits of achieving mental and physical balance when on the line. The appointed treasurer of the prospective club Ella Feick explained how her passion for slacklining stemmed from that need for balance.

    “You’re thinking in your head, you’re breathing in your body, and you’re focusing on your balance in a way that you’re not typically. If you’re stressed out or having a hard day you can’t really be thinking about all that stuff, you’re just there,” Feick said. “It’s a very present activity.”

    “Slack Sundays” are hosted every Sunday from 12-5 p.m. at the Mad River Pump Station 4 – Disc Golf Course.

    Photo by Abraham Navarro | Destiny Vera, Joey Agualar, Ella Feic, Ang Younger and Younger, all students interested in the Slacklining club on campus, at the Mad River Pump Station on March 27.
  • Students jam out on campus

    Students jam out on campus

    By Lex Valtenbergs

    On a sunny day in early March, Wildlife sophomores Olie Espinoza and Dee Naranjo played guitar and conga drums in a hidden alcove near the Art Quad. The sound of the impromptu music could be heard from several feet away.

    Photo by Abraham Navarro | Dee Naranjo Plays the Conga drum he uses for for class near the art quad on March 7.

    Espinoza (@itsolie_909 on Instagram) just started learning how to play guitar last year and has been playing it ever since.

    “I picked it up in maybe June of last year,” Espinoza said. “It’s definitely something that I always wanted to do and I never got a chance to do it.”

    Espinoza and Naranjo met in the dorms during their freshman year and jam together whenever they get a chance. Naranjo (@deedeedeedeedeedeedeeeeeee on Instagram) didn’t play any drums prior to learning how to play the congas in a class that they took to fulfill a General Education requirement.

    “I just took it as a GE class for the credits, for the art section of GE,” Naranjo said. “I saw it, it sounded cool. I’ve only been taking it for a month so far, so I don’t know much but it’s been really fun.”

  • Sex toys for the soul

    Sex toys for the soul

    By Alana Hackman

    The college experience is something you hear about before you get the chance to step foot on campus. Whether it’s beer talk with dad or sorority rushing advice with mom, we all get a little taste of the dining hall food and frat parties from the people closest to us before our own orientation day, but they usually skim over one major detail: sex. Blame it on your nearing 20s or the newfound freedom of living hours away from your parents, but sex is definitely a part of the college experience. Whether you participate in it or not, with sex comes sex toys.

    Graphic by Sierra Cosper

    Cal Poly Humboldt’s Peer Health Educators (PHE Humboldt) are here to promote sexual and mental health on campus. The program is funded through the Student Health Center and works to provide student-to-student education surrounding sexual and mental health. The peer educators apply their and others’ experiences to create interactive health promotions such as workshops or guest speakers. The program also focuses on sexual wellness within yourself as well as with partners. The educators encourage the use of sex toys and even have some silicone dildos on display in their office located in the Recreation and Wellness Center in room 127.

    The current Peer Health Educators are Sierra Cosper, Selena Aguilera, and Emily Black. All have been with PHE for over two years now. Cosper explained how they feel there is still a stigma around sex toys and sex education as they experienced it first hand as a peer health educator. Cosper also noted that discussion about sex toys and the use of sex toys sometimes intimidates those who identify as male and is more taboo in their daily discussions compared to women.

    “Sometimes when I talk to them [men] about the job I’m doing they’ve said ‘oh why would I come in here to know anything,’” said Cosper. “ There’s this idea with men and sex toys that they can’t be better than their penis.”

    Black also added they have a tendency to leave out the part about sex toys when explaining their job role to new people they have met to avoid assumptions. She also mentioned how she lacked exposure to toys and sexual wellness before coming to CPH and participating in PHE events.

    The group recommended the local storefront Good Relations in Eureka for those interested in dipping their toes into the world of sex toys for a wide selection of toys in discrete packaging as well as informative and helpful staff.

    “If you’re too embarrassed to go, you gotta remember they’re choosing to work there, they want people to come,” said Aguilera.

    “And then come,” joked Cosper.

    “They want you to be as healthy and comfortable about it as possible,” said Aguilera.

    The group also advised beginners to use toys by themselves before introducing them to a partner as it can cause some miscommunication sometimes. Although, all agreed using toys doesn’t have to be solitary and using them with others is an experience as well.

    Graphic by Sierra Cosper

    “It puts a lot of pressure on relationships sometimes, like ‘I’m not good enough’ feelings cause you’re using this toy, but they’re actually just really fun,” said Cosper. “You can’t expect your partner to get you off every time also.”

    “It’s supposed to enhance your experience not take anything away from it,” added Aguilera.

    Black, Cosper, and Aguilera also encourage proper care of sex toys to avoid sexually transmitted diseases or infections. They recommended a lot of toys are able to be boiled but toys usually come with care instructions on how to clean and properly care for them, also mentioning to steer clear of toys made of porous material and the use of silicone lubes on silicone toys to avoid degradation over time.

    “Something people forget to do sometimes is clean communal toys, which are more popular in queer communities,” said Cosper. “The communal strap-on, you should be using condoms on it between each person. Same with vibrators to avoid any risks of spreading.”

    The PHE educators all agreed they encourage more open discussions about sex toys to break the fears and taboos surrounding them, which is exactly what they’re doing within their roles on campus.

    Black encourages students to participate in their tabling events to enter a safe space for open conversations about sexual health and wellness.

    “Everyone gets embarrassed, but liking what you like is sexy,” said Aguilera. “Not being afraid to show what you like is nothing to be ashamed about, you know.”

    Join the Peer Health Educators at their annual Sexland event on April 23, a sex-positive, kink-based, informative event including sex toy giveaways and much more.

  • Jimmy Baca brings poetry to the people with Project Rebound

    Jimmy Baca brings poetry to the people with Project Rebound

    By Abraham Navarro

    A group of formerly incarcerated students picked up their ultra-wide pizza slabs and towering salad mounds from the counter at the Arcata Pizza Deli. They dragged two tables together, commandeering chairs from the surrounding tables and gathered for the feast. Each of the Project Rebound members were hungry for conversation with the famous award-winning Chicano poet, memoirist and member of the family Jimmy Santiago Baca.

    One of them asks him across the table as he takes a sip of his drink, “So, what’s the pale white monster that’s coming up to get you, Jimmy?”

    They were asking about an excerpt he read from a story where he steps out over frigid ice as it splinters beneath his weight to prove his love for his wife, Stacy.

    “Ah when you’re a kid you look deep in the water under the ice, you imagine all sorts of things,” Baca says.

    Photo by Abraham Navarro | Jimmy Santiago Baca, Chicano Poet, speaks to Cal Poly Humboldt Project Rebound in the Great Hall on March 23.

    Baca has a deep raspy voice, and he lights up when he talks to the student. He has a shaved head, furrowed brow with welcoming brown eyes and a warm complexion. Although he’s bundled up against the Humboldt evening chill in a black turtleneck and a blue down jacket, he feels cozy and right at home amongst the formerly incarcerated and system-impacted students from Cal Poly Humboldt’s chapter of Project Rebound.

    Earlier in the evening in the Great Hall above the College Creek Marketplace he read exclusive excerpts from some of his unpublished work and other poems and stories of his during the Project Rebound’s third annual Reentry Forum.

    Project Rebound is a program for formerly incarcerated and system impacted students at Cal Poly Humboldt. According to their website they aim to empower individuals convicted of a crime in a county, state, or federal jurisdiction who have clearly expressed their desire and readiness to earn a degree at Humboldt.

    Baca has been to previous reentry forums, even attending via Zoom during the pandemic restrictions to show his support for Project Rebound and getting to know the members like Tammy Phrakonkham, 30, a Cal Poly Humboldt Project Rebound member and a returning graduate student majoring in geology in the fall.

    When Phrakonkham heard Baca read his stories and share his wisdom, she felt as though her experiences being formerly incarcerated were validated. Her family comes from Laos as refugees to the United States. Growing up in impoverished conditions, she remembers her brothers and uncles all working in gangs, and she followed suit. Phrakonkham was incarcerated for stealing cars and trafficking ecstasy.

    “It was all I knew,” she said. “When I listen to Jimmy, I feel like I’m not the only one.”

    Despite years of isolation due to the pandemic, Baca was happy to make an appearance in Humboldt to visit his friends at Project Rebound, the first event he said he has been to since COVID-19 caused the shift to online events.

    “You all have become like my adopted family,” he said to them. “If it wasn’t Project Rebound I wouldn’t have even gotten on that flight!”

    Baca was adamant that poetry was for the people, those who suffer and work, play, cry, feel, live and die; poetry was not something that could be hoarded by the wealthy, kept from the poor. It was created by the people and it should be given back to the people. By sharing his work with Project Rebound, Baca feels like he has done that, and he has made a family out of them in the process.

  • Doug Smith curates space for Black liberation

    Doug Smith curates space for Black liberation

    by Lex Valtenbergs

    Growing up as a Black person who attended a predominately white school in his hometown of Palmdale, California, Doug Smith learned early on how to code-switch, or alter his behavior to fit white societal norms. Still, his peers expected him to act a certain way because he was Black.

    “People had perceptions of what it was like to be Black; they have their own ideas,” Smith said. “I remember one time a new Eminem song had come out and some white dudes in my P.E. class knew the lyrics and I didn’t know the lyrics, and they’re like, ‘Oh, so we’re Blacker than you are.’”

    Smith’s formative lived experiences with code-switching and microaggressions – subtle statements or actions that are discriminatory against members of marginalized groups – made him very cognizant of other peoples’ perceptions of him early on.

    “That was really my first understanding of code-switching,” Smith said. “I would totally present differently because I was really conscious of how people were perceiving me.”

    As a Cal Poly Humboldt international studies alumnus, staff member and graduate student majoring in English, Smith has been involved in the campus community since 2013. Today, he is the coordinator at the Umoja Center for Pan African Student Excellence at Cal Poly Humboldt, a position that he has held since July 2019.

    “It’s such a rare opportunity for Blackness to be centered,” Smith said. “So I really want Black students to be able to make it theirs.”

    Smith’s vision for the Umoja Center going forward is to foster Black student development, including but not limited to publishing their writing, and foster Black liberation by curating spaces that are made for and by Black people. Amplifying Black voices that often get silenced or ignored is key.

    “[I’m] always visible because I’m a Black person, because you stand out,” Smith said. “But then at the same time, I think that oftentimes my voice isn’t always audible or isn’t always heard.”

    Although the Umoja Center is first and foremost a space for Black students, faculty and staff, it’s open to everyone on campus.

    “I think it’s so cool that we have an educational, Black-centric space [at] a university that really has an opportunity to educate our campus and local community,” Smith said.

    To learn more, visit the Umoja Center in Room 206 at Nelson Hall East, follow @umojahumboldt on Instagram, or go to umoja.humboldt.edu. To get involved, attend an event listed on the website or volunteer with the Umoja Center on Fridays from 11 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Bayside Park Farm on Old Arcata Road.

  • Something Rotten! opens at Cal Poly Humboldt

    Something Rotten! opens at Cal Poly Humboldt

    by Nina Hufman

    The Cal Poly Humboldt School of Theater’s production of Something Rotten! was entertaining, energetic, and full of innuendo. On opening night last Friday, March 25, patrons filled the Van Duzer Theater to see the comedy, set in the 16th century.

    From the opening song, ‘Welcome to the Renaissance,’ the cast dazzled in beautiful costumes on a stunning set. All of the actors are extremely talented singers and performers. It was clear that they all put in a lot of work and are proud of what they have accomplished. Jeremy Stolp, an English Education major who played one of the lead roles, Nick Bottom, feels that being in theater is a rewarding experience.

    Photo by Michael Thomas | Jeremy Stolp (left) and Miah Carter (right) star as power couple Nick and Bea Bottom.

    “Theater is such a privilege and so much fun to do,” Stolp said. “If you ever have the opportunity, I suggest you try it.”

    The musical was incredibly entertaining. Some of my favorite scenes included Shakespeare’s John Cena-esque entrances, Bea’s hope for a gender-equal future, and the show’s lampooning of religion. One of the best songs was “Will Power,” featuring a leather pants-clad William Shakespeare (Jaese Lecuyer) and his crowd of adoring fans. I also enjoyed “A Musical,” a comic number during which fortune-telling Nostradamus (Sammi Pietanza) tells Nick Bottom that the next big thing in the theater will be musicals, all while wearing a hat that I am convinced was a paid actor. Many of the jokes are meant to be ironic, making fun of musicals and the theater. The way that this is incorporated into the story is very clever.

    The cast was rightfully proud of what they accomplished and are looking forward to adding to each performance in future shows.

    “I don’t think that they (the cast) expected the reaction that they got so when they did it was just this moment of awe,” said Katie Lem, a member of the ensemble. “Everybody standing up at the end was such a beautiful moment for everybody.”

    Photo by Michael Thomas | Zoë Saylor performs an upbeat musical number about the bubonic plague.

    One of the most compelling performances was Miah Carter as Bea, Nick’s wife. Throughout the play, Bea disguises herself as a man to maintain several different jobs and help her husband financially and push for gender equality. Carter’s performance showcased her talents as an actor and singer, particularly in her solo “Right Hand Man.”

    “This is my first ever lead, so this was a good step up for me,” Carter said.

    Carter says that theater is a great community to be a part of and that they are all incredibly supportive of one another.

    “All of us were so proud of what we pulled through,” Carter said. “I love everyone in this cast.”

    The cast and crew are looking forward to continuing to develop this musical as they perform it more.

    “I’m excited for the depth and complexity that we kind of add into it every single show,” Lem said. “Not every night is the same.”

    The musical is running this weekend on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m and on Sunday at 2 p.m. The musical will have you loving to hate William Shakespeare right along with the Bottom brothers.

    Photo by Michael Thomas | From left to right: Zoë Saylor, Sophia Escudero, Jeremy Stolp, Jaese Lecuyer, Jake Hyslop, Michael Jaye, and Miah Carter pose on set of Something Rotten!
  • Gander at these Geraniums

    Gander at these Geraniums

    by Nina Hufman

    These lavender-blue blooms belong to the Wallich geranium, also known as the Wallich cranesbill. The full scientific name of this species is Geranium wallichianum. The flowers pictured here are of the Buxton’s Blue variety, distinguishable by their purplish-blue petals with pale centers and purple veins.

    Like other species of geranium, Wallich geranium flowers have five petals and five sepals, the green leaf-like structures surrounding the petals. The plants grow low to the ground and have wide leaves with three to five lobes. Another noticeable feature of these flowers is their dark purple stamens, or pollen organs, that project from the flowers’ centers. Stamens are usually present in multiples of five. The National Gardening Association says that Wallich geraniums are pollinated by various insects including honeybees, bumblebees and butterflies.

    According to the Missouri Botanical Garden Association, Wallich geraniums are native to highland regions in the Himalayas from Afghanistan to Kashmir. These hardy plants can grow at elevations up to 3500 meters. The Buxton’s Blue variety is a result of a naturally occurring, whole plant mutation and was discovered by Sylvia Morrow in 1999. This particular variant received a U.S. Plant Patent in 2010.

    Wallich geraniums belong to the herbaceous family Geraniaceae. This group of flowering plants is characterized by low-growing foliage, lobed leaves, and floral features such as petals, sepals and stamens in multiples of five.

    According to nativeplants.org, members of Geraniaceae either actively eject their seeds or use hook-like structures to grip onto the fur of animals in order to disperse their seeds. In addition to geranium, the Geraniaceae family includes the genuses Erodium and Pelargonium.

    Wallich geraniums can be seen in several places in the Cal Poly Humboldt campus, including in the flower bed in front of the theater building. These plants bloom throughout the spring and summer, so we can look forward to seeing these lavender-blue blossoms in the months to come.

  • Cal Poly Humboldt Directors in the spotlight

    by Carlos Pedraza

    In the Van Druzer theater on Thursday, March 3 for the first time since the start of the pandemic student films were shown to a live audience. Around 40 people came to the showing of Cal Poly student films. Several of the films were made in the fall of 2020 there showing being delayed by the COVID pandemic.

    The short films ranged from psychedelic, documentary, serious, and funny; some of the films were a combination. The audience made sounds of laughter, shock and sadness reacting to each film with emotion equal to the film itself.

    A film director who was in the audience was Kylie Holub, a senior film major. Holub directed and wrote the film “Abstraction” in the fall of 2020. They film . During the pandemic Houlb said “ just keeping our crew really lean and realing thinking about how to tell stories with minimum actors.”

    The narrative film “Abstraction” is the story of a beach treasure hunter finding an alien artifact and the fallout of her discovery. The unknown and aliens being major inspiration for the film.

    Holub said “ you see a lot of people with metal detectors, we know very little about the ocean and aliens are fun to play around with.”

    Another director was alumnus Valerie Rose Campbell created the experimental film “Recipe for Young Mothers.”. Campbell goes through the recipe of banana bread while she narrates the experience of a young mother and her attempts to reclaim her life from an abusive relationship and societal expectations of a mother.

    The COVID pandemic heavily impacted the creation of the film Campbell said “ everything got done digitally and that was really hard.”

    The film is inspired by Campbell’s own experience in the local family system. “ How it felt so unjust for my kids and family.” said Campbell describing her own life experiences.

    There will be another film showcase in the fall of 2022 showing films created in the spring.

  • Latinx artists collaborate on chorus

    by August Linton

    Like the blossoms of our early spring, genuine and vulnerable artistic collaboration is blooming at Cal Poly Humboldt.

    The Toyon Multilingual Literary Magazine’s ‘SANA, SANA: Hope and Healing for Latinx Communities in Times of Precarity’ was a contest that asked for submissions of poetry, with the intention of having the winning entries set to music.

    The poem selected to be interpreted into a choral work by the award-winning composer Carlos Cordero was Alannah Guevara’s ‘Fresh Fruit.’ It is a deeply affecting rumination on vulnerability and intergenerational trauma, filled with haunting and tender images of bruised fruit and parental care.

    Guevara says that she wrote the poem thinking of her father, who passed over ten years ago. She’s a native of California’s Central Valley, where many Latinx people have settled and work on the area’s vast orchards. Guevara is half Mexican; she sees in her family and in her community an unwillingness to discuss the painful past, and an unending hope for the future.

    “I have really vivid memories of going to an orchard in the town I grew up in… It all melded together, these words that I had and these memories,” said Guevara. “Here in Southern California, who’s working in those orchards is Latinx people, Mexican people. And it got me thinking about my familial trauma, my generational trauma, the things that my dad left me to deal with.”

    Graphic by August Linton

    Guevara is about to become a parent herself. In ‘Fresh Fruit,’ she feels the protection and hope that her parents struggled to give her, and also the intense desire to protect and uplift her own child.

    The final choral piece is deeply beautiful, modern, and connected to the emotional core of Guevara’s poem. Cordero was a fantastic composer for the ‘SANA SANA’ project, both as a stunningly talented musician and also as a member of the Latinx community.

    Cordero’s Friday talk, hosted by CPH’s El Centro Académico Cultural, focused heavily on his personal struggle towards vulnerability, and how that has affected his compositions and musical career.

    Cordero’s writing process is a very visual one, although his medium is entirely auditory. He works with charts of inter-connected words and line graphs of emotional intensity to visualize his compositions in a more visceral way.

    “[Vulnerability] isn’t always going to come back to you immediately, but it’s coming to build or to open that door for people who want to connect with you,” Cordero said. “I’ve learned in art that I open up the door, I don’t make you come in. All I can do is present myself.”

    He recounted a story of opening up about his family’s experience of losing his younger sister to members of a choir he was working with. They came to him with stories of their miscarriages, of their losses, and that allowed the whole group to access an emotional connection that was not visible before.

    Cordero is originally from Maracaibo, Venezuela, and now lives in Austin, Texas. He says he, like Guevara, has struggled with an unwillingness to have hard conversations with his family about the traumas they’ve experienced.

    His piece ‘¡Ayúdame!’ was written as a “Venezuelan plea for life.” Members of the choir cry out “ayúdame, escúchame” (help me, listen to me) in Cordero’s attempt to communicate the suffering and disillusionment of the Venezuelan people.

    However, ‘¡Ayúdame!’ also represents the importance of being vulnerable, both by asking for help and by letting other people support you.

    Cordero spoke about the expectation within Latinx families and communities that people be strong, that they don’t show their struggles. As he struggled with the trauma of being Venezuelan in the midst of an ongoing humanitarian crisis, Cordero realized that he sorely needed help, that people need to ask for help.

    “[In ‘Fresh Fruit,’] Alannah showed me that the struggle is OK. It says to our kids, to our generation, to our families: we want to show that everything is ok but we can also share in their struggles,” said Cordero.

    The Cal Poly Humboldt University singers will perform ‘Fresh Fruit’ on Sunday, April 24th, alongside other musicians performing other works from the ‘SANA SANA’ project.

  • Humboldt Hot Air takes over local radio airwaves

    by Eddie Carpenter

    Nearly four years ago, Cal Poly Humboldt decided to abandon local-based programming for KHSU. This heartbreaking decision left local radio personalities with no creative outlet to broadcast from. Recently, some of those same people were able to redeem themselves on a radio station known as Humboldt Hot Air. In its humble beginnings, the station began as a simple recording studio. Any content that was created would be sent to a community-based radio station known as KZZH. In October 2021, station manager Neroli Devaney had set up a live streaming service, which gave rise to an underdog known as Humboldt Hot Air.

    “We are an online internet radio station,” Devaney said. “We are based in the Arcata Playhouse. We are very eclectic and diverse in our programming. We have talk shows [and] lots of music shows. We program every other day of the week except for Tuesdays.”

    Devaney made it clear that she was not the one who founded Humboldt Hot Air. However, the 24-year-old manager also shared what inspired her to take on this role.

    “I did four years of radio at UC Santa Cruz. When I was there, I worked at KZSC, which is the radio station on campus there,” Devaney said. “When I was there, I did a bunch of different stuff, I was also a hip-hop director through a bunch of events, I just found myself really into radio and really passionate about it. I am from Arcata and when I graduated from UC Santa Cruz, I came back to Arcata. When I was in high school, I used to volunteer with the Arcata Playhouse with their teen program, which is called Apprentice Entertainment. Jackie Dandeneau, who is executive director of the Arcata Playhouse reached out to me. [She] said that she started this project called Humboldt Hot Air. They were recording audio and they had this goal of eventually having a live stream…She asked if I wanted to get involved and I said yes. [I] thought it sounded really fun.”

    Devaney also explained how the former KHSU audience had become her most avid listeners.

    “When we started a lot of people felt that there was this need for community radio in Arcata. A lot of the DJs saw that we were doing Humboldt Hot Air and I started getting a couple old KHSU DJs,” Devaney said.

    “We’re still kind of attracting that crowd, which has been really awesome, especially for our own publicity,” Devaney said. “KHSU had this huge fanbase in the community, so to be able to bring DJs back and have them do their shows again– a lot of the community has had a positive response to that, those are our most popular shows, people will be like, ‘oh my god I listened to that show for thirty years and it’s back, that’s so amazing! It’s the same DJ.’ It’s just been really fun.”

    Humboldt Hot Air strives to one day become an FM station.

  • Concrete masquerades as the moon in Bradshaw exhibit

    Concrete masquerades as the moon in Bradshaw exhibit

    by Nina Hufman

    “Photography as Material,” a photography exhibit featuring the work of Julia Bradshaw, is now open at Cal Poly Humboldt’s Reese Bullen Gallery. The exhibit will be featured in the gallery until March 26. Gallery hours are on Tuesday and Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursday and Friday from 1 to 6 p.m.

    Bradshaw’s work involves taking high resolution photos and then processing them through traditional darkroom and editing techniques as well as computer photo editing.

    “I’ve never seen anything high resolution like that, it’s almost an illusion,” said Isabela Acosta, a Cal Poly Humboldt art history major. “I want to touch it because it looks like it’s coming at you.”

    The exhibition features two of Bradshaw’s bodies of work, “Stacks and Shapes” and “Survey.” “Stacks and Shapes” features manipulated images of paperback books. Photographs of books are arranged to create geometrical forms, some of which resemble landscapes. “Survey” includes images of concrete that resemble scientific photographs of the moon.

    Photo by Morgan Hancock | Julia Bradshaw’s “Survey” project inspired by early astrological photography.

    “All of those are concrete, that’s just concrete, but she’s making it look like images of the moon,” Acosta said. “She does that through different processes of developing films and taking things at a certain angle.”

    On her page on the Cal Poly Humboldt Department of Art website, Bradshaw says that the pieces included in “Survey” were inspired by scientific diagrams and notes. The photos were taken using a cardboard box and were edited using knives, inks, dyes, and other techniques.

    “The simplicity of the materials is a subtle poke at the vast gap between investment in science and investment in art,” Bradshaw wrote. “By pointing my camera at the most abundant of materials, I aim to empower imagination in conjunction with science.”

    Former Cal Poly Humboldt student and current faculty member at the Cultural Resources Facility in the anthropology department, Zedekiah Minkin, was impressed by Bradshaw’s moon-esque photos.

    “Compared to the real scientific images, it looks like it could be straight out of NASA,” Minkin said.

    Religious studies and art history major Cass Jensen also commented on the realism depicted in the photos. They also think that, by comparing concrete and the moon, Bradshaw is commenting on recurring patterns and themes throughout the universe.

    “I really like the collage work because it does look exactly like some sort of scientific model that you would see come from NASA,” Jensen said. “It helps elaborate how certain things can be very similar but very different all at the same time. It’s like how a lot of things that may look really far away and intangible are just, like, everywhere.”

    Jensen is a collage artist as well. They are inspired by how concisely Bradshaw is able to convey her message through her artwork.

    “I like the simplicity of it, it still makes a point without being too much,” Jensen said. “It’s not as complicated and overwhelming as sometimes my pieces come out to be.”

    Overall, the most striking quality of Bradshaw’s work is the illusion that she creates. The images are created to allow the viewer to see beyond just the materials used in each piece. The pieces do not necessarily resemble the materials that they are made of.

    “I get a raw sense,” Acosta said. “She’s just doing things from a different perspective.”

  • Goth Night at Richard’s Goat

    Goth Night at Richard’s Goat

    by Cherish Fulcher

    Photo by Lexi Rangel | (left to right) Lalo Rivera, Gigi Salazar, Chris Servi, and Josie Licavoli pose for a photo at Goth Night at Richard’s Goat on Feb 25.

    On Friday, Feb. 25, Richards’ Goat Tavern & Tea Room hosted its first ever Goth Night, created by recent Cal Poly Humboldt graduate Jamie Cocking. The event was a tribute to the Goth subculture, which originated in the United Kingdom in the early 1980s. The subculture is open ended, yet is heavily saturated with darker tone aesthetics and music.

    “I think goth subculture is all about expressing yourself in your truest form,” Cocking said. “Since I’ve lived here and have turned 21, I haven’t found any clubs or events with the music that I love to dance to, so I just decided to do it myself.”

    Being a small town, Arcata is not well-known for its nightlife. However, contributions to the scene, such as Goth Night, keep it going.

    “I just wanted to create a space where people could dress up as much as they wanted and not feel like they are sticking out like a sore thumb,” Cocking said. “Because for me, I mean everyday is Halloween.”

    Richards Goat will be hosting another Goth Night on April 9.

  • Humboldt Circus clowns around campus

    Humboldt Circus clowns around campus

    by Gabriel Zucker

    As his staff flew around his body. It became an extension of himself, twirling over the pavement. Man and tool became one through dance. Liam Boyd, a transfer student, and part-time circus performer ran up to the booth with a clown nose and a staff in hand. He had no idea Humboldt had a circus club and was overjoyed to meet everyone. Boyd started to perform with his staff and soon was joined by others, slowly growing into a full-grown performance.

    The Humboldt Circus is one of many student-led Cal Poly Humboldt clubs. These clubs give students a safe place to meet like-minded individuals and learn new skills.

    Photo by Gabriel Zucker | Louis Parr and Isla Marten sit behind the Circus Club banner, calling people over to check them out. Feb. 11.

    On Wednesday, Feb. 10, student clubs set up booths around the Quad. This gave new students a chance to learn about and join these clubs, opening the door for new friendships and experiences.

    Louis Parr, President of Humboldt Circus, brought a box full of circus props to their booth. Immediately the traffic in front of the booth increased.

    “Circus is a magical place, full of fun and free creativity,” Parr said. “You are allowed to do whatever you want to, within the circus.”

    Every week Circus hosts “Play Time” Monday from 5-8 pm at the West Gym. There they give students a chance to let their inner freak out in an artistically unique way. In this space, students are given complete freedom to explore and experiment to their heart’s content, trying new things every time, or perfecting one act over the course of the year.

    Isla Merten, a longtime member of Humboldt Circus, walked around the Club Fair. They juggled everything from bowling pins to thin disks. Soon they were joined by more and more interested students, all signing up for the club and trying out some of the cool props. By the end of the club fair, multiple students had stopped what they were doing and taken a couple of minutes to try out different props and write down their emails.

    Photo by Gabriel Zucker | Louis Parr, President of Circus Club, does bike tricks around the quad, during the Club Fair on Feb. 11.

    Humboldt Circus gives its members endless possibilities for what they can perform and act out. Character acting and improv also have a place in Humboldt Circus. Props are used for tricks, laughs, and skits, adding a new layer to the performance. This year Merten moved away from the props and instead focused on improv and clowning.

    “A clown means being creative and open to work with what you are given,” Merten said. “The spirit of play and creation.”

    Embodying the clown, they act out scenes by themselves and with others. Merten uses improv to expand and perfect their character. Humboldt Circus, like all the other student clubs, gives a social place for students to bond with one another. When asked about who usually joins the club, Merten didn’t miss a beat.

    “It’s a club for introverted weirdos,” Merten said with a laugh. “We have extroverted weirdos too.”