Category: Life & Arts

Any one of us

Humboldt State alumni gives voice to incarcerated women in play

On an overcast afternoon with lightly peppered rain, the Siren’s Song Tavern in Eureka doubled as a rehearsal stage for the upcoming play “Any One Of Us: Words From Women In Prison.” Humboldt State University alumni and activist for formerly incarcerated rights, Vanessa Vrtiak, will direct Eve Ensler’s production for the second time in Humboldt County. The press release states the play “is a collection of stories from formerly and currently incarcerated women from across the nation moving forward toward healing, understanding and change with the goal of using their writing and voices to impact policy, laws and treatment of incarcerated women.”

“These women are not defined by their crimes, but we hear news of some horrific crime and define someone solely on that,” Vrtiak said. “These issues trickle down and almost make re-entry impossible. We label constantly because it’s so easy to cast stones before we know who they are.”

Caterina Keen, Megan McAllister, Michelle “Chelly” Purnell, Vanessa Vrtiak, Nezzie Wade, and Klark Swan at rehearsal for the play “Any One Of Us” at Sirens Song Tavern. | Photo by T. William Wallin

Vrtiak first directed the play in 2011 with five shows and is excited to be creating it again. After rehearsal she said it feels more intense than before because of where the state of the country is, but believes it’s the right time to be performing.
[perfectpullquote align=”left” bordertop=”false” cite=”Nezzie Wade” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=”18″]“What these women have been subjected to it’s amazing they’re even alive to be incarcerated.”[/perfectpullquote]
“Still after all this time there’s a lack of support and resources for formerly incarcerated individuals in the community,” Vrtiak said. “I know how powerful and poignant this play is. It’s dark but there is hope in this play.”

Community activist and founder of the Affordable Homeless Housing Association (AHHA), Nezzie Wade, has performed with Vrtiak before and said the acting in “Any One Of Us” uses criminal justice dialogue to bring light to all of our systems of court and prosecution. The stories are heavy and link the correlation between women in prison and the violence they have endured.

“Peeling back the layers of these women is very moving,” Wade said. “But what these women have been subjected to it’s amazing they’re even alive to be incarcerated.”

Wade, who works closely with the homeless population in Humboldt County, said we use incarceration as a tool to manage and store people and this play sheds light on our current system.

“It’s become so easy to dehumanize people and detach,” Wade said. “We want a community that cares deeply about the situation.”

Actress and HSU alumni Michelle “Chelly” Purnell agrees with Wade and said she is acting in the play because there aren’t many people of color in Eve Ensler’s plays.

“They aren’t intersexual in Humboldt County,” Purnell said. “There should always be a person of color in those works because there isn’t any.”

For Purnell this play reaffirms how important art and activism is to allow voices to be heard.
[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”Michelle Purnell” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”Art is activism in every shape and form.”[/perfectpullquote]
“We don’t think about how people get to where they are,” Purnell said. “We need to ask: ‘What has happened to them that we could have changed?’ Art is activism in every shape and form.”

Vrtiak said this play will be a kick-off for a bigger project in the community and is only the beginning. She is starting Humboldt County Re-entry Initiative, a non-profit that will benefit formerly incarcerated individuals in the community.

“The money from the play will go to formerly incarcerated individuals to be reintegrated back into the community,” Vrtiak said. “We have a lot of work to do in the community with incarceration, homeless, people of color and the list going on and on and on.”

Nezzie Wade, Michelle “Chelly” Purnell, Vanessa Vrtiak, Megan McAllister, Caterina Kein, at rehearsal for the play “Any One Of Us” at Sirens Song Tavern. | Photo by T. William Wallin

“What we say on stage helps the community to engage and understand what happens in the criminal justice system,” Wade said.

Performance Dates:

March 23, 7 p.m. at The Sanctuary in Arcata

March 24, 5-9 p.m. at The Sanctuary in Arcata

April 5, 7-9 p.m. at the Siren’s Song Tavern in Eureka

April 19, 6-9 p.m. at the Eureka Women’s Club, the dinner starts at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m. *This show includes a dinner*

General Admission: $12, $10 with a valid student ID

The April 19 show is $25, which includes a dinner before the performance.

Tickets on sale: Feb. 1, at Wildberries Marketplace.

Tickets are also available online at: brownpapertickets.com

Monday, February 11, 2019
Blotter bytes
The Rolling Count

As mentioned in a previous article, it is still illegal to possess weed on campus. Since the new year, four people have been charged with marijuana possession on campus, two of them being for individuals between the ages of 18-20. Although it happened last year, it is worth noting that there were 22 cases of either paraphernalia or “contraband” being seized in 2018. “Contraband” can be considered bongs, bowls, pipes, grinders, you know all the things needed to “blow ‘dro”, “puff cheeba”, “blaze up” or whatever else you call it.

As part of this series, The Lumberjack will be keeping track of all marijuana possession charges, as well as paraphernalia and “contraband” charges. So far the “Rolling Count” for possession charges is at four and the the “Rolling Count” for paraphernalia and contraband is at zero.

“Hollerin’ ‘hootie hoo!’ when we see the cops”

Monday Jan. 28
- Ew what is that?!?!—Bloody tissues were found along side a blanket near the Rohner Admission Center around 9:00 a.m., however the owner of the bloody tissues and blanket were nowhere to be found.
- Someone stole something—A petty theft of an item valued over $50 was taken from the Music B building at around 1:30 p.m. hopefully the item will be returned in the near future.
Tuesday Jan. 29
- Someone buttdialed the cops—This happens way too often as you will see in future Blotter Bytes.
- You can’t smoke here bro!—UPD was called to respond to multiple reports of someone smoking on campus. Listen up folx, HSU is a no tobacco campus, puff that stuff elsewhere.
- A case of mistaken identity (aka fraud)—A camera was previously checked out from the Library using someone else’s ID and was not returned and was reported at 8:19 a.m. as fraud.
- A trespassing charge was issued to a man “asking the housing department desk for info regarding a homeless shelter.” It is shameful to think that when a person was asking for help, he was detained and arrested instead. Shame on the powers that be.
Wednesday Jan. 30
- The skatepark is that-a-way homie!—Someone called the cops to report “skateboarders creating a hazard to pedestrians.” Skateboarding is not a crime…unless UPD catches you.
Thursday Jan. 31
- An issue worth addressing—Some of our more marginalized and needing counterparts call our streets, parking lots, forested areas and underpasses home for the night. UPD was called because of a camping violation under the underpass that leads from campus to G Street. The individual was let go without a ticket.
- Another unneeded call to 911—Arcata Police (UPD and APD work together sometimes) responded and the caller said it was an accident.
- No Fly Zone—A man was flying a drone around campus at 11:46 p.m. UPD responded and told the individual to land his aircraft, because people thought that aliens were coming. JK JK aliens aren’t coming here, he just didn’t have the proper paperwork.
Friday Feb. 1
- Nothing too substantial happened. Just another unneeded 911 call (I told you this happens a lot), someone drew something on a “Telecom box” outside of Maple Residence hall and some people were pulled over for not stopping at a stop sign. I thought Fridays were supposed to wild.
Saturday Feb. 2
- Umm excuse me, but you don’t live here—“Two suspicious subjects” were asked to leave the Sunset Residence hall at around 10:00 p.m.
- Drug Activity! (calm down it’s just weed)—Someone was cited for 11357 (a)(2) at around 10:15 p.m. 11357 (a)(2) is written out for marijuana possession for adults ages 18-20.
- What the eff is that smell?—A burning smell was reported in Fern Residence hall at 3:14 p.m. Turns out nothing was on fire but a fan in one of the bathrooms stopped working.
Sunday Feb 3.
- Super Bowl Sunday! Things are going to get lit AF for sure, right?!?! Turns out not really. Just a couple of people got pulled over and someone accidentally went into the wrong room.
Saturday, February 9, 2019
Transgender is not a trend, it’s tough

Transgender professor identifies how legislation hurts the trans community

Dr. Loren Cannon, an award-winning HSU philosophy professor with numerous published essays, presented a talk focused on trans-directed injustice to a room overflowing with students and community members on Thursday, Feb. 7.

HSU students Elijah Patterson and Summer Gilstrap, who identify as trans, were inspired by Cannon’s experience and wanted to show their support.

“[Cannon’s] a successful, fully transitioned male and it’s a goal [for me],” Patterson said.

Students and community members gather to hear Loren Cannon talk about trans injustice on Thursday, February 7. | Photo by Christina Samoy.

Cannon believes the Obama administration had an understanding of Title IX, a law that protects people from being sexually discriminated against, which he said the Trump administration does not.

“Title IX should be interpreted how the Obama administration did,”Cannon said. “They did it correctly.”
[perfectpullquote align=”left” bordertop=”false” cite=”Summer Gilstrap” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=”18″]”It’s a blatant attack against trans people. They’re not interested in protecting people.”[/perfectpullquote]
Gilstrap, a political science major who identifies as a trans woman, agrees that the Trump administration is silencing trans people, not allowing them to be heard.

“It’s a blatant attack against trans people,” Gilstrap said.. “They’re not interested in protecting people.”

After showing “Keeping Massachusetts Safe,” a commercial made to inflict fear that trans people will assault cisgender people in restrooms, Cannon shared a story where he found himself in a similar situation.

A couple months into transitioning, while teaching at Arizona State University, Cannon went to use the restroom, not knowing two little girls were in the stall next to him. A woman ran out alerting the girl’s fathers that a man, Cannon, was in the restroom. Cannon, gender ambiguous looking at the time, tried to look as womanly as possible, smiling as he exited.

“I preformed femaleness well, so I didn’t get hurt, but the option isn’t always there,” Cannon said.

Some people eventually choose not to go out because they can’t participate in society because they’re prohibited from using restrooms due to their gender identity. Cannon found studies showed trans people are likely to develop PTSD due to fear of bathrooms, which can lead to urinary tract infections.

“A lot of other trans people have debilitating dysphoria around restrooms that can cause real psychological harm,” Gilstrap said.

In response to a student asking how HSU can improve the safety of trans lives, Cannon said gender neutral bathrooms on the BSS side of campus is needed, as well as a LGBTQ+ center funded by professionals as a permanent position so administration can be there to advocate for LGBTQ+ people.

Students and community members gather to hear Loren Cannon talk about trans injustice on Thursday, February 7. | Photo by Christina Samoy.
[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”Neesh Wells” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”There’s still a lot of things trans folks that are affected by. We just want to be respected as people.”[/perfectpullquote]
While HSU has made improvements like allowing students to change their preferred name and pronouns in their student center, there are still improvements that can be made. Neesh Wells, a non-binary-identifying student, wants others to know that they don’t have to be afraid of trans folks or non-binary people.

“There’s still a lot of things trans folks that are affected by,” Wells said. “We just want to be respected as people.”

Offering classes that bring awareness to the LGBTQ+ community more often in course rotations may help people from outside the community gain more knowledge about people within the community and the struggles they face.

“I personally think it’s super important to continue involving folks who don’t identify as cis gender,” Wells said.

Maral Attallah, who planned the event, pointed out that Lisa Bond-Maupin, the College of Arts and Humanities dean, was the only university administrator to attend the talk. Attallah, like many other supporters, highlighted the importance of representation and support from allies outside of the community to help advocate for issues the LGBTQ+ community faces.

Having representation is important for groups who don’t always feel welcomed. Giving Cannon a platform to share his stories and knowledge allows others to use that safe space to share their own thoughts and experiences.

“It’s inspiring to see someone be successful, who I can relate to,” Patterson said.

Correction Feb. 20 5:25pm: This article previously listed Lisa Bond-Maupin as the only faculty in attendance.

Friday, February 8, 2019
Slackjack Sunday

The sport where slacking off and eating is expected and encouraged

Levitating above the ground on a line not much wider than your big toe, slackliners use their arms and core to maintain balance while walking along their line suspended between two trees.

Meet the Slackjacks, a new club devoted to sharing the sport of slacklining, not just to HSU students but to the community at large. Established last fall by club president Amanda McDonald, the young club has already partnered with the Trinidad Coastal Land Trust in an effort to spread environmental awareness and protect their slacklining spots.

“We are all environmental stewards, everyone here loves nature,” McDonald said. “The Trinidad Coastal Land Trust approached us after seeing one of our high lines on their beaches.”

Every Saturday, the Slackjacks have stewardship work day, where they volunteer at the Trinidad State Beach aiding in restoration work.

“They [Trinidad Coastal Land Trust] love what we do and we embody their mission,” McDonald said.

Besides the physical preservation work, the Slackjacks impact and connect to the community through the practice of slacklining. Every Sunday, the club sets up in the Arcata Plaza and opens up their lines to the people.

“Slack Sunday isn’t something I can take credit for as a club,” McDonald said. “The Humboldt Slackers are not associated with the school, but they are a group of friends, maybe alumni now, and they started Slack Sunday. It’s all about the young kids and elders, and just holding their hand.”

The connection created between the Slackjacks and the community is far deeper than the physical linkage of hands. Slackliners can enter a state of mind called “the flow state.” In this state of mind one experiences:

“Heightened awareness, it feels easy, and you totally lose sense of time,”McDonald said.

Liam Murray-DuMond, is the treasurer of the Slackjacks, and describes the insane euphoric feeling associated with the flow state.

“When you find your flow, I’ve had moments where I black out,” Murray-DuMond said. “I literally don’t remember walking. It’s the highest you can be without doing drugs.”

The flow state occurs when one is faced with a challenge that adequately correlates with the level of skill of the slackliner. This perfect balance in challenge and skill causes one to drift and experience the effects of the flow.

“I’ve seen kids in it when they slackline for the first time, they click with it,” McDonald said. “They want to keep trying and you can see they are getting exposure and want to latch onto it. Kids are very profound with wanting to keep slacklining.”

Slacklining is a physically demanding sport. Buddy Mitchell, a transfer student at HSU and member of the Slackjacks, describes the effect it has on the human body.

“Slacklining is definitely a sport,” Mitchell said. “You sweat, your arms get tired, your tummy gets tired and your core is sore the next day, and your back and your legs.”

While slacklining posesses the physical exertion of other athletic sports, it maintains a heavy emphasis on social interaction and connecting with the community.

“Since there can only be one or two people on a line, a lot of it is sitting down in the park and eating,” jokes Mitchell.

The Slackjacks embrace their club as more of a community of friends. Wanting nothing to do with exclusiveness, the club is constantly reaching out to the community and encouraging others to slackline.
[perfectpullquote align=”left” bordertop=”false” cite=”Liam Murray-DuMond” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=”18″]”It’s the highest you can be without doing drugs.”[/perfectpullquote]
“I absolutely wanted a club, it provides this,” McDonald says as she looks around the room of members enjoying their Friday potluck. “Otherwise we don’t have this. By not having a club, it would be restricting us from tapping into the community, and all the resources HSU provides, like the ability to create space, education and community.”

With a goal of integrating slacklining into the normalcy of society, McDonald explains how regardless of their positive presence in Arcata, they still receive pushback.

“It’s hard to break through. When climbing evolved into society, people did not like climbers, it was taboo, same with skateboarding in the 90’s, slacklining is exactly like that,” McDonald said. “We’re stuck in this transitional time period, but we want to keep our wholesome values. We don’t want to be non-welcoming or snobby.”

Regardless of the challenges, the Slackjacks continue to practice and share the benefits of their sport.

“I slackline for the feeling. It’s pretty hard to describe, but once you do it you just want to be in that moment and have that feeling as much as possible,” Murray-DuMond said.

Slacklining is one addictive activity that serves not only the individual but the community at large. With a constant emphasis on welcoming others to practice and preserving the communal values they identify with, why wouldn’t you slackline?

“It’s fun, a great way to spend the afternoon, or morning, or evening,” Buddy said. “I can’t really put it into words, I do it for different reasons. Mostly, it’s very social, probably the most social thing to do, and the easiest way to make friends.”

Between Friday club meetings in Siemens hall, Slack Sundays in the Arcata Plaza and environmental steward work Saturdays, the Slackjacks are hard to miss.

“I know we look crazy but come try!” McDonald jokes.

Thursday, February 7, 2019
A farmer’s purpose

The Diekmeyer family opens up about farming in Humboldt

Amy and Fred Diekmeyer, owners of Luna Farm, recently moved into their new 26 acre plot of land in Redcrest that provides organic fruit and vegetables for local community members. The Diekmeyers fell in love with the local climate and became inspired to start their own business.

“Everybody was growing weed around here and we didn’t want to grow weed,” Amy Diekmeyer said. “We wanted to grow something because we were into plants so we just got into growing food.”

Fred Diekmeyer handing money back to customer at the Luna Farm stand at the Arcata Farmers Market on Saturday, Feb. 2. | Photo by Christina Samoy

Fred Diekmeyer was offered a farming job in his late 20s. During that time he learned organic growing practices and gained experience in harvesting produce. After years of working various jobs, Diekmeyer found to prefer the hard labor, and came to find that farming was the most worthwhile job he’s ever done.
[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”Amy Diekmeyer” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=”18″]”Humboldt has this great food thing going on, everyone’s interested in nutrition.”[/perfectpullquote]
“Working with plants is very rewarding,” Fred Diekmeyer said.

Julie Slater North, a social work lecturer at HSU, attends the Arcata farmers’ market every week with her family and frequently shops at the Luna Farm stand. She browses every stand, but makes an effort to visit Diekmeyer’s stand because she knows they have high quality produce.

“[The farmers’ market] is the highlight of our community,” Slater North said.

Ivy Matheny North, Julie Slater North, and their child gather in front of the Luna Farm stand at the Arcata Farmers Market on Saturday, Feb. 2. | Photo by Christina Samoy

Amy Diekmeyer enjoys growing food for her family and community because she loves to cook and knows that she’ll have something good to eat every night.

“Humboldt has this great food thing going on, everyone’s interested in nutrition,” Amy Diekmeyer said.

With students coming to Arcata from all over the country, having a farmers’ market so accessible may feel overwhelming and new. Resources like Oh SNAP can help students apply for CalFresh points that can be used at the Arcata farmers’ market to purchase produce.

“The vast majority of us are thrilled to have students in our community and we want to welcome them here and help them be a part of our community,” Slater North said.

Fred Diekmeyer, owner of Luna Farms at his stand during the Arcata Farmers Market on Saturday, February 2. | Photo by Christina Samoy

While Fred Diekmeyer prefers summer, because he loves hot crops like tomatoes and hot peppers, nothing is more important than connecting with locals.

“I like to be in the cycle of producing food, it’s a nice connection to society,” Diekmeyer said.

Wednesday, February 6, 2019
Wing Eating Contest at Six Rivers Brewery

For 14 years, Six Rivers Brewery has been the host of the Wing Eating Contest during halftime of the Super Bowl. This year, our very own staff member, Cassaundra Caudillo participated. Although she didn’t win, she showed Lumberjack pride as she finished off seven chicken wings.

The winner was Tommy Hernandez, he has been the winner for three years but this was his second year in a row. He devoured 15 chicken wings in the three minutes.

Tuesday, February 5, 2019
A Grateful Dead dance party

Humboldt Brews welcomes Arcata Dead Heads to dance the night away

On Saturday night, Feb. 2, local Grateful Dead fans gathered at Humboldt Brews (HumBrews) in Arcata to experience good food, drinks and a psychedelic light show while the Grateful Dead blasted in the background.

Will Ozone was one of the few fans who attended this event, hoping to enjoy a welcoming environment while listening to a personal favorite. Ozone heard of The Grateful Dead back in 1982 at the age of 14. While he was drunk; he thought he was listening to “slow country music” and didn’t get into to it at first. Later, Ozone went to college at Lafayette, in eastern Pennsylvania, where the “hippy” scene was huge in the Northeast and acid was used by almost everybody. Thus sparking an interest with the band once again.

“It was all about the acid, and you know like ‘seeing God’ and everything, and seeing the shows,” Ozone said.

Found footage from the 80’s and 90’s being shown throughout Hoff’s presentation. Saturday, Feb. 2. | Photo by Skylar Gaven

Like many others, Ozone spent the rest of the night smiling, laughing and taking advantage of the dance floor. Visual effects and video were provided by the host of the late-night event, “Marmalade Sky,” also known as Fred Hoff.

Fred Hoff is a fellow “Dead Head” who has seen the band in concert over two hundred times, and has met multiple members once or twice over the years. He made “tie dyes” back in the day and would sell them at Grateful Dead concerts. Hoff traveled from southern California up to Oregon, back and forth just to see one band.

“I still would’ve been at it if they were still playing; it’s like a drug, it’s addicting, that whole like seeing America on the road, seeing new people, and you’re seeing music; it’s just totally addicting, completely,” Hoff said.

Fred Hoff (“Marmalade Sky”) managing each visual effect as the videos continue to play during the show. Saturday Feb. 2. | Photo by Skylar Gaven

Hoff created a ‘light show’ that lasted for almost four hours; filled with old camcorder recordings he found through the internet of Grateful Dead concerts, and his own visual effects that he made or recorded to go in the background of the videos.

“When the Grateful Dead used to play stadiums and different venues, somebody back in the 80’s and the 90’s snuck in one of those old camcorders and set up there and filmed the whole show,” Hoff said. “That’s one of the cool things about the ‘Dead Scene’ is that they allowed all that stuff to happen, they looked the other way.”

An open dance floor for local “Dead Heads” to show off their moves, as old footage plays in the background. Saturday, Feb. 2. | Photo by Skylar Gaven

“It’s cool, you don’t see that kind of video everyday,” Ozone said. “I see a lot of different ones, this one’s kind of unique, you know?”

Hoff has been producing and hosting extraordinary ‘light shows’ like this at Humboldt Brews since the early 2000’s. He mentioned that him and the owner of this Arcata pub used to play in a band together. To this day the owner continues to let events like these take place because of his love for music.

“He has given me the chance to do this Grateful Dead night right? And I’ve done it for like the last 10 years, and I try to make it better, put more stuff into it, more set up, because when I first started doing it none of that stuff was set up; the walls, all of the backdrops, all that stuff we put up and left in there we just keep adding to it, making it better each time; and then when bigger bands come into town, he usually hires me to do that,” Hoff said. “I have it all set up and just bam, go for it.”

HumBrews offers a variety of interesting events and live shows for Arcata residents to check out. Humbrews employee Paul Roach explains how each showing has a different turn out depending on who is playing. Regardless, Humbrews still continues to carry out lively entertainment for all adult ages, younger or older.

“We probably got three to five shows a week,” Roach said.

Psychedelic effects in the background of footage created by Fred Hoff. Saturday, Feb. 2. | Photo by Skylar Gaven

The Grateful Dead Dance Party was a nice example of how an inviting venue can bring back a nostalgic setting for a small community of “Dead Head” hippies.

Hoff was thrilled to bring back the Grateful Dead experience to Humbrews, as the band truly meant something special to him.

“It was just endless, cause they played like every season; there would be at least 25 shows,” Hoff said. “It was a trip.”

Tuesday, February 5, 2019
MCC Celebrates 25th Anniversary amid relocation concerns

The Humboldt State Multicultural Center has been supporting students for years, but its days in Balabanis House are numbered

Humboldt State’s Multicultural Center celebrated its 25th year of existence with a open house Monday, amid growing concerns from regulars about the future of the building itself, and the programs and resources found within. The center has been suffering from budget cuts and quick leadership turnover, and resides in one of several old buildings on campus slated to be demolished.

The MCC was founded in 1994, and serves as a hub for student activists and a home-away-from-home for many students. The house has tons of resources for students, including free printing up to 10 pages, a full kitchen with microwave and refrigerator, a prayer room, and several quiet spaces where students can work. Colorful murals, posters and couches galore create a warm, friendly vibe.
[perfectpullquote align=”left” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]They don’t help us…we’re underfunded.[/perfectpullquote]
Frank Herrera officially assumed the role of MCC Coordinator 12 days before the open house, and describes his position as a mentor to the students employed to work at the MCC. The MCC had been shuffling through interns and temporary hires for about two and a half years before settling on Herrera for their coordinator position.

“It’s all about helping the student employees manage everything, become leaders and have them look at ways of doing things and point out things that we haven’t done yet…I’m just part of the team,” Herrera said.

Herrera thinks that employing students is important, and the work they do at the MCC provides valuable learning experience.

“I would have loved to do that when I was younger. It would’ve helped me today,” Herrera said.

Unfortunately, the future of the MCC in its current state is in jeopardy. Deema Hindawi is a co-coordinator of the yearly Social Justice Summit, and said the center suffers from underfunding, and is located in one of the buildings currently slated to be demolished.

“HSU tokenizes this house a lot. They don’t help us, we’re underfunded, and they took a very long time to find us a new coordinator,” Hindawi said. “We lose power in half the building if you use the microwave and the toaster oven at the same time. We also have really bad asbestos in the basement.”

Relocation would mean a drastic loss in volume of the programs and resources offered by the MCC. The building as it currently stands is expansive, with a meeting room, multiple offices, study rooms, a prayer room, a woman’s resource center, an expansive foyer and front desk area, a full kitchen and two gender-neutral bathrooms. Trying to cram all that into a single room would be an exercise in futility, and valuable programs would have to be cut. And, the number of students employed to work in the building would be cut drastically.

Daniel Segura is a regular who’s been coming to the center for the past year, and said he wishes he found out about it sooner. As his friend Rahkiv Lewis strummed an acoustic guitar, Segura said there aren’t any places on campus like this building.

This room houses the meetings of several different school clubs, as well as students in need of a comfy place to study or decompress. | Photo by Jett Williams

“It deserves so much more,” Segura said. “This place has helped me gain a part of myself back that I felt I had lost living in this community. I think places like this center, the LatinX center and the African-American center for Academic Success are important, but I am worried about the future of these places.”

During the open house, students filtered in and out, grabbing food and chatting with other visitors or working on assignments. Music was playing and the energy in the house was positive and warm. The center’s future may be shaky, but the resolve of students who have made the house their home will ensure that no lack of funds or relocation will crush their spirit.

The MCC is open Monday through Thursday from 10-6 p.m. and Friday from 10-5 p.m. They’re located south of the library, in Balabanis house and will be throwing a 25th Anniversary Gala on April 25, in the Kate Buchanan Room.

Monday, February 4, 2019
Rolling into the new derby season

The sound of clashing skates and women yelling over each other filled Redwood Acres this past Saturday as the 12th season of Humboldt Roller Derby began. Women rolled past community members with sweat already pooling on their bodies as each team did multiple practice runs before their respective game. As the opening game came close to starting the crowd grew in size filling up every crevice of Franceschi Hall settling in their seats bubbling with excitement.

The first game of the double header night was the Widow Makers versus the North Jetty Betty’s. The Widow Makers had dominated the season before, crushing every game they played and now the time had come to see if they still had it. In the first half of the game both teams were neck and neck with every other jam switching up who was in the lead. By the second half the North Jetty Betty’s were solidifying their lead and eventually took the win for the night. The final score was 112 – 162.

Widow Makers offense and defense form a pack as they try and keep the jammer from going through them. The jammer from the North Jetty Betty’s had just been knocked down by them. Photo by Cassaundra Caudillo

Member of the Betty’s, Bianca Swagger, has been a long-time part of the roller derby since 2012. For the last five years she has been a team player as well as the president. After taking a few good hits and tosses to the floor, she had this to say about the game once it was done.

“It was really well matched and we got to try out new strategies on each other which was super fun,”Swagger said. “I’m really excited for the season, we have a couple of really big tournaments for our A team that are going to help us in rankings and we want to move up as far up as we can this year.”

The second game of the night had local team Root Force playing against out of state team, the Sis-Q Rollerz from Medford, Oregon. This was the main event of the night and Root Force is Humboldt Roller Derby’s B team with a few players from the other two teams in this one as well. Right from the start Sis-Q Rollerz dominated the ring with nearly a 2:1 ratio all throughout the game of scoring points. In particular, their jammer was whizzing past the offense and defense of Root Force.

Root Force and Sis-Q Rollerz got up close and personal as Root Force tried their hardest to prevent the Rollerz jammer from coming through their pack to become lead jammer. Photo by Cassaundra Caudillo

By the end of the night they had definitely made their hours long drive worth it, having won the game with a final score of 90 – 135. Member of the Sis-Q Rollerz, West Coast Choppins was one of the key jammers of the night and has been skating with the team for going on 11 years now. She said that aside from practicing with the team three times a week, she skates to and from work and anywhere else she can think of with her son by her side. She has the same hopes as every other skater on the floor, wanting to jump through the ranks this season crushing every tournament.

“This was our first great of the season and it was a great start,” Choppins said.

By the end of the night the Sis-Q Rollerz and Root Force came together to take a group photo to commemorate the end of the first game of the season. Photo by Cassaundra Caudillo

Monday, January 28, 2019
From watercolors to surrealism

April Abbot’s art pops into life with bold colors and intricate colors

April Abbott fills the details on a new painting in the Art B building. | Photo by Freddy Brewster

Sunlight casts through the windows of the Art B building, drawing long shadows across a color filled canvas. Stroke by stroke, April Abbott fills the void, paying close attention to detail and color choice.

“The striking and graphicness of a pattern and mixing it in with something that is more organic is something that strikes me as interesting,” Abbott said. “I like mixing things that don’t seem like they should work.”

Abbott, a junior, is an art education major at Humboldt State, who is also minoring in English. Born in southern California, her family moved to Humboldt when she was nine. Art has played a big role in her life since she was a child.

“I’ve been using watercolors and acrylics since I was a little girl,” Abbott said. “My grandma taught me how to do it when I was four or five.”

Abbott’s preferred medium are oil paints, after shifting from digital art a few years ago. Her first piece of art that she is proud of is a digital piece where she took photos, found a pattern within them and layered them on top of each other. But it is oil painting where she said she found herself. Her influences come from the beauty in the simplicity. Everyday things such as shapes and unique colors play a role in her art, as well as what she sees on Instagram. A connecting theme across most of her pieces are patterns and bright colors.

“There is something obnoxiously pretty about [bright colors] and I dig it,” Abbott said.

One of Abbott’s pieces is currently on display in the Art B building on the first floor. Hanging in the hallway is a painting of a woman with green and yellow pixelated hair. Pop culture and collage influences jump out right away with the visual aesthetics of flowers that follow.

“I was definitely playing off of that 50s-pop culture-y thing,” Abbott said.

Untitled Piece painted by April Abbott. Photo courtesy of April Abbott

The piece is untitled, like most of her work. If there is any sort of art Abbott tries to avoid, it is realism. She said that she doesn’t dislike it, but whenever she tries to paint it she turns it into something abstract. Teresa Stanley, one of Abbott’s professors, described her work as “strange and dream-like” and bordering on surrealism.

“She loves juxtaposing flat patterns against things that are more rendered, creating unexpected effects,” Stanley said. “She paints her flawless patterns in oil which is extremely difficult to do.”

Abbott’s studies here at HSU have also brought her under the guidance of Dr. Jim Woglom. Woglom received a Ph. D in art education from the University of Georgia in 2014 and is currently an Assistant Professor.

“April is an incredible student and positive,” Woglom said. “She’s committed to bringing art to other students.”

Woglom said that the work Abbott does in his class focuses on producing public art and developing future lesson plans. Some of the public art they have made in his class has gone towards fundraising for English language classes for adults in the greater community. Abbott’s positivity and kindness has also extended to her classmates. Amanda Feathers is a senior also majoring in Art Education. Abbott and Feathers met at the beginning of the semester, when Feathers first moved to Humboldt from Chico.

“April is the most welcoming and warm person I’ve ever met,” Feathers said. “She is really sweet and caring.”

Feathers said that Abbott’s art is intricate and “some of the most painstakingly detailed” she has seen. Amethyst Shelton is also a friend of Abbott’s; having met her when they attended high school at Arcata High.

“April is one of the most driven people I know,” Shelton said. “She’s a sweetheart to almost everyone and has a lot of patience.”

That patience shows in Abbott’s art. The patterns that transpire across her work are visually pleasing and impressive; allowing the eyes to find a sequence and resting point from the bright colors.

“I just do what I think looks good and it usually ends up working out,” Abbott said.

Once she acquires a wider collection of pieces she plans to showcase them. But for now, she is focused on her studies. Abbott said she wants to continue a career in art, bringing it to the public at large.

“I want to show that there is a lot of importance in [art],” Abbott said. “And that even though there are people who aren’t ‘artistic,’ they can still find an appreciation for it.”

Wednesday, January 23, 2019
Nevertheless, they persisted

Women’s March continues despite rumors of cancellation

Women and allies gathered at the Madaket Plaza Jan. 19 in Humboldt’s typically dismal and dreary weather to march alongside one another under umbrellas for the third annual Women’s March. Dressed head to toe in winter attire were an estimated 700 to 800 hundred people who came out in support of the march. Some had attended the various marches before and some had come out for the first time ever. Among the busy crowd of parents covering up children as best as possible were some students strewn in the mix as well.

Roman Thompson, a member of the HSU debate team, Black Student Union, and New Tide 18 attended the march to show support for women and see how people of color were being represented in the march.

“I feel like they did have a bit of diversity problems, but I feel that the fact they were here today despite all, that it’s still representing multiple people throughout the struggle,” Thompson said. “It would be more of an issue if they cancelled it just because it was like not that many people of color so we couldn’t do it until the next month and then the month after that in which it would just delay the cause”.

Kathy Srabian, one of the lead organizers for the march shared that when previous march organizer Linda Atkins had to take a rest from planning the march for health reasons, she stepped in to help, going with the flow. Srabian said that whatever happened, happened and she would not be helping out again, due to the unexpected events that occurred during the march. Halfway through the march the parade itself went off course and caused some issues. Srabian had received a call from EPD saying that the parade was not going along the pre-decided march route.

“My fucking parade is out there somewhere,” Srabian said while sitting on the floor of the Madaket Plaza wondering how her and her team had not thought of this possibly happening.

Despite there being a few hiccups throughout the day, the march made a good impact on the community said new community member, Kathy Rile. Just having moved here six months ago, she thought it was important for everyone to show up and stand up for what they believe in.

“I’m so grateful for everyone coming especially because it was so rainy this morning,” Rile said. “I believe it is very important that we have to show up…with the groups of people who are marching for justice, healing, peace, goodwill, change, and helping people who have been exploited and ignored.”

Tuesday, January 22, 2019
Something in the sauce: Humboldt Brews

Humbrews’ wings make students’ stomachs happy

Arcata can get fairly chilly once the sun goes down. In response, many flock to Humboldt Brews on Saturday nights for drinks, food and to hang with friends.

Located on 856 10th St., Humboldt Brews (or Humbrews for short) is a great place to immerse yourself in the Arcata lifestyle. With 25 beers on tap, award winning hot wings and a banquet room/nightclub for shows, there aren’t many places around to get a more complete college town vibe.

As you walk in, there is an instant feeling of Humboldt State University as many of the patrons are wearing HSU gear while they wait for their drinks. There are sports broadcasts on all televisions with a distinct focus on the Bay Area’s teams like the Golden State Warriors or San Jose Sharks.

Not too many people yet as its only 7 p.m. but the servers do well in making sure everyone has their drinks filled. Along with a pool table, seating for the restaurant and even some old school arcade games, Humbrews has everything you’d want from a college bar. The bar transforms from a mellow early dinner setting to a more energetic “party” setting as more people start to pile in to escape the cold.

What better way to warm up from the cool breeze than with hot wings?! Humbrews offers a basket of wings including a side of french fries and some celery as a palate cleanser for $10. The sauces vary depending on the bravery of the customer, but for the fan of traditional wings you can’t go wrong with the hot buffalo sauce. A perfect amount of spicy earns this wing its “award-winning” title as soon as you take a bite.

Portions are sized reasonably to what you’re paying and you’ll have extra hot buffalo sauce to dip your fries in after. This goes great while treating yourself or watching a game with friends on the large projector screen in the back of the restaurant.

For those who dare, you can also try Humbrews’ handmade “Suicide Sauce” which is made from many different spices including the notoriously hot “ghost pepper” for an extra $2. Ask for the “Suicide Sauce” on the side to enjoy at your own pace. If you don’t mind sweating through your shirt, this sauce will definitely have you breathing fire.

Ordering a pound of wings ($12) with a side of “Suicide Sauce” can be fun with a large group as everyone grabs a wing and a dab of sauce to see who can ride the bull without getting kicked off. Wash it down with one of Humbrews’ many beers or ciders. One of the best is from Eureka’s own Humboldt Cider Company called Hibiscus Hemp Cider. A pint of Hibiscus Hemp cider ($6) along with a pound of wings will have you full and feeling good all for under $20.

Humbrews sets itself apart from other Arcata bars with its variety of quality food choices and upbeat vibe. It is also well lit so you don’t get the creepy, “dingy” feeling that other Arcata bars give off. It’s open daily at 11:30 a.m. until 2 a.m. on most nights. Stop by after class and you might be able to catch happy hour from 3 p.m. – 6 p.m. for drink specials.

Overall, Humbrews is a staple bar for the HSU student or any Arcata resident with its exceptional drink choice and consistently well-made food, not to mention the hottest wing sauce you can find in Humboldt County!

Monday, December 3, 2018
America’s tallest living Christmas tree continues to shine bright

Ferndale gets into the holiday spirit on Dec. 2

Like a flare in the dark night, America’s tallest living Christmas tree was lit up. Once the tree was glowing in the night, the energy spread through the crowd. Christmas time was here at last.

On Dec. 2 the city of Ferndale continued its 84th annual Christmas tradition of the lighting of America’s tallest living Christmas tree.

Crowds of people were scattered around town, going into mom and pop shops. As soon as the sun went down and the Christmas music became louder, everyone started to make their way to the tallest living Christmas tree.

Main street Ferndale became a collection of people huddled together, trying to keep warm on the chilly night. As soon as 5:30 p.m. hit, the anticipation for the lighting of the tree had grown, and newly appointed Mayor of Ferndale, Michael Sweeney took the stage to start the festivities.

“I want to thank everyone for coming out to this year’s annual Christmas tree lighting,” Sweeney said. “This tradition that we have held since 1934 has always brought Christmas spirit to the city of Ferndale and I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas.”

After Sweeney’s message to the crowd, the Chameleon singers took the stage to begin Christmas caroling. The carolers began with “Jingle Bells” and encouraged the crowd to sing along. As soon the carolers and the crowd became synced together, everyone felt the Christmas spirit.

Soon after the caroling ended, the lights that lit the festivities where cut, and anticipation grew as a countdown ensued to the lighting of the tree.

President of Ferndale Chamber of Commerce, Paul Beatie attended the lighting ceremony.

“Ferndale seems to capture that essence of Christmas spirit each year we do this lighting,” Beatie said. “The small-town American feel, Christmas decorations everywhere, along with free hot cocoa, how can one not get into the Christmas spirit here in Ferndale?”

Immediately after the lighting fake snow was scattered on the crowd, and Alvin and The Chipmunks, filled the ears of the crowd. Free hot cocoa and homemade cookies were provided by the 4-H and Ferndale’s Community Pride, making the atmosphere more invigorating.

Angela Chism was at the lighting ceremony with her husband and her two kids. They have attended the Ferndale tradition since they moved to the area from San Francisco six years ago.

“Down in the bay area you can always tell when it’s Christmas because of all the decorations and crazy traffic from shoppers,” Chism said. “Here in Ferndale, not only can you tell its Christmas, but you can actually get into the Christmas Spirit.”

Sunday, December 2, 2018
Deven’s top seven pump up songs

Seven songs that’ll electrify your soul

Whether you are about to go out for the night, practicing for the big game, or getting ready to ask that person out, we all have our songs that pump us up and get our blood flowing in anticipation. Here are my top 7 pump up songs:

1. “Eye of the Tiger” – Survivor
We start with the quintessential pump up song from Rocky III. You will always feel epic when listening to this song. Channel your inner Sylvester Stallone and take on the day!

2. “Get on the Floor” – Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson has a lot of pump up songs, but this one doesn’t get the credit it deserves. It’s groovy, it’s funky, and it always gets me out of my seat and onto my feet.

3. “Learn How to Watch” – Carnage, Mac Miller, and MadeinTYO

Whenever this song plays, I immediately feel like I am walking into a wrestling ring as someone is taking off my robe and yelling in my ear to pump me up. Nobody can mess with you when you’re playing this song

4. “Glowed Up” – KAYTRANADA and Anderson Paak

This is a song for when your just simply feeling yourself. You look good today and you know it. You’ve come a long way and you are killing it. Also KAYTRANADA’s house-esque hip hop beats blend amazingly with Anderson. Paak’s raspy but soothing voice.

5. “Sabotage” – The Beastie Boys

The Beastie Boys also have a wide catalog of pump up songs, but this one stands out the most to me. With the multiple breakdowns and build ups, chunky guitar chords and a record scratching solo, this song was destined to be one of the best pump up songs.

6. “Good Vibrations” – Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch

The song and video are incredibly cheesy, but every time it comes on it always lifts my mood. Part of it might be how it’s so fun to watch a young Mark Wahlberg rapping and dancing around. And to top it off, everyone who knows the song always sings along to chorus.

7. “Final Countdown” – Europe

Just in time for finals, this is one of the most important pump up songs in history. You could add this song to the background of anything and it immediately becomes more impressive. The opening riff that is sustained throughout a lot of the songs is one of the most instantly recognizable riffs of all time. And just like with Good Vibrations, your going to get everyone in the room singing “It’s the final countdown!”

Sunday, December 2, 2018
Meet the Professors: Amber Gaffney

Social psychology professor Amber Gaffney opens up about her hobby and profession

Dr. Amber Gaffney, social psychology professor at Humboldt State University, has traveled all over California for her studies. She received her bachelor’s degree at HSU in 2006 and her doctorate at Claremont Graduate University in 2014. In between she traveled to Mexico and Canada for her past hobby, professional bike racing.

“I like to be athletic,” Gaffney said. “The idea of riding my bike professionally came when I was in grad school, which is pretty late in the career, but I wanted to do it.”

Gaffney participated in many tournaments in her professional cycling career. While it was expensive, it was all worth it for her.

“Since teaching here at HSU, I have not been able to go cycling professionally anymore, but I still like to go for runs when I get the chance,” Gaffney said.

Gaffney comes from Denny, California a small town east of Willow Creek.

“It’s a town in the middle of nowhere,” Gaffney said. “People won’t understand rural towns until they go to Denny”.

Gaffney became a psychology professor at HSU after years of studying. She teaches social identity and social influences. Her expertise is how social identity is affected by political party alliances.

“We research on how your political alliance can shape your view of the world,” Gaffney said.

One of her research papers was on the 2016 presidential election. She looked at how the Trump administration grew to represent the Republican party.

“We called that concept ‘prototypicality’,”Gaffney said. “We looked at pre-2016 election, and it was fairly low, but post-2016, it increased. So that meant that more Republicans viewed Trump as representative of the Republican party.”

Dr. Gaffney explains the textbook definition of prototypicality is ‘a set of attributes that best defines your group in a specific context with respect to another group’. In the context of Gaffney’s research, the aspects of the Republican party can be shaped because of Donald Trump’s leadership.

Gaffney is very passionate about teaching social psychology, and as a psychologist she has fun lecturing and teaching in her classes.

“I want students to look at the psychological mechanisms of why people support certain groups,” Gaffney said. “When we talk about prejudices, when we talk about inter-group relations, when we talk about inter-group bias, these are things that almost everyone has experienced.”

This story was corrected at 9:56pm on Dec. 6. The previous version of the article listed Gaffney as only having graduated with a masters degree from Claremont Graduate University.

Friday, November 30, 2018
A budding industry

A look at students who work in the marijuana industry

Humboldt State University senior Brianna Chapman is the floor manager at the Heart of Humboldt marijuana dispensary in Arcata. On Fridays, Chapman spends the morning organizing products, preparing the cash registers and getting things together for the shop’s opening at 10 a.m.

“My grandma had a (California Proposition 215 card) as soon as she could and I watched how much it helped her,” Chapman said. “I was taking her to Chemotherapy every week and I saw the value in medicinal cannabis. It’s definitely a family business for me. My sister and I have both worked in dispensaries for the last five years.”

Chapman started worked in the cannabis industry right after high school. Chapman said the marijuana industry has always played a vital role in her life.

“I didn’t smoke in high school or anything,” Chapman said. “So, it’s kind of funny that I grew up in this stoner family, but I waited until I was fully ready.”

California Proposition 215 passed in 1996 allowing the legal use of medical marijuana. Since then, marijuana has seen a bumpy road on its path to legalization in California in 2016. Raids from the federal government and a back and forth on policy from the federal Attorneys General have contributed to an environment that left many wondering where legislation stands.

But throughout all of the confusion, the marijuana industry of Humboldt county remained.

Marcia Brownfield owns and operates Heart of Humboldt alongside her husband Danny. Both of them are Humboldt natives and believe in giving back to their community. Recently, they started a campaign to give $5 for every t-shirt sold to the Sequoia Park Zoo.

“I wasn’t sure the zoo would be thrilled to be associated with us,” Brownfield said. “So, I called them and said we would love to advertise that we are donating $5 from every t-shirt sale to you and they said let me check it out. They called me back and said it’s a go.”

Brownfield said she is from an older generation where marijuana still isn’t fully accepted the way it is with the Millennial generation.

“A lot of people my age, and a lot of educators and people in those jobs, are uncomfortable coming into a dispensary; it has that stigma for older people,” Brownfield said. “And more and more that is getting dispelled. It’s an innocent plant that has somehow been demonized. It has so much medicinal value that people shouldn’t think of it as a negative thing.”

Abel Anaya is another HSU student who works in the marijuana industry. Anaya is a junior majoring in journalism and works for Humboldt Legacy Organics in the processing department. Anaya said that the job mainly consists of cutting down plants and hanging them up to dry, cutting buds from the stem–or “bucking” as it’s known in the industry– and preparing hash, live resins and wax.

“I’ve been doing this for about two to three years now,” Anaya said. “I did it back home in the (Central) Valley, but being up here is a lot more complicated because there is a large number of plants we have to work with.”

Anaya said he used to work in the industry when it was still illegal, but was just trimming at the time. However, since he moved to Humboldt county he has found the vast benefits of working in the legal industry.

“Now that it is legal, it has been a benefit to me because I’m getting payroll now,” Anaya said. “I’m able to use my W2s and my taxes now. I can use it as a job now. It is opening up the whole job industry.”

Marijuana is still illegal on the federal level and students who get charged with certain marijuana offenses are at risk of losing their financial aid. The current question on the FAFSA form states: “Have you been convicted for the possession or sale of illegal drugs for an offense that occurred while you were receiving federal student (such as grants, work-study, or loans)?”

This question leaves some ambiguity for students in states where marijuana is legal. But according to Sergeant John Packer of Campus Police, their policy is clear.

“Literally nothing has changed for us whatsoever,” Packer said.

Packer, a 15-year veteran of the Campus Police, said they still cite individuals who are caught with marijuana. He said anything under an ounce is considered a misdemeanor, while anything over an ounce, as well as concentrates, could result in a felony charge. Anaya said the ambiguity in the law has given him some pause.

“If I get locked up I can ruin my whole college career,” Anaya said. “I’m not a bad person, I don’t have a criminal record. You could say I am an average person just working and stuff.”

The marijuana industry provides a legal and steady income for many in Humboldt county and Chapman wants to continue a career in it long after she finishes school this year.

“We want to make sure people are getting the products that are best suited for them because we know it works and we’ve seen how much it works,” Chapman said. “I am at a real place, at a real job. I pay my taxes, everything is so normal, it is so mild mannered. The worry is not nearly as much of a thing. Definitely not nearly as afraid as we used to be.”

Humboldt State University communication major Brianna Chapman stands behind the counter at Heart of Humboldt where she is the floor manager. Chapman said there isn’t a “one size fits all for cannabis” when it comes to the right amount or strain for someone. | Photo by Freddy Brewster

Madison White, an alcohol sober student at College of the Redwoods, makes a purchase from Humboldt State University student and floor manager Brianna Chapman on Nov. 16. | Photo by Freddy Brewster

Abel Anaya bucks down marijuana at a grow ran by Humboldt Legacy Organics. Photo courtesy of Abel Anaya

Thursday, November 29, 2018
Students present the Margaret Kelso short play festival

Six original 10 minute plays directed and written by Humboldt State students

A student based team of six directors, six playwrights, 15 actors and a crew of 12 people backstage, launched the preview of the Margaret Kelso play festival on Nov. 28.

Production manager Michael Thomas said the Margaret Kelso Play Festival has been around for decades but only happens occasionally.

“The festival is named after Margaret Kelso who taught playwriting,” Thomas said. “We wanted to thank her for many years of service and contribution to dramatic writing.”

Actors Rosemary Allison-Brown, and Victor D. Para acting out a scene from the play”Contrary.” Photo courtesy by Michael Thomas.

The festival consists of six 10 minute plays that are written and directed by HSU students. The director of the play “Contrary” is theatre arts senior Sammi Stowe. Stowe said the job of the director is to create the world of the play. She is also excited to see new faces in crowd during opening night on Nov. 29.

“It’s always exciting to see someone’s first reaction,” Stowe said. “There’s nothing quite like watching someone’s first time seeing your art.”

Actors Brianna Fergus, and Katie Lem acting out a scene from the play “Injection.” Photo courtesy by Michael Thomas.

Freshman biology major Katie Lem played the role of Juliet in the play “Injection.” Lem feels very excited for opening night. She’s happy that everyone is doing their best and looks forward to see how everything turns out.

“I want there to be a big energy coming out into this show, and I want everyone to accept it with open arms,” Lem said.

Theatre arts senior, Madison Glee, was apart of the play “Adjustments.” She was nervous in front of the preview crowd but she said the nerves washed away. Glee is looking forward to working with her co-actor during opening night and gauging the reactions and energy with a different audience.

“It’s different every night but it’s beautiful every night,” Glee said.

The opening show will be on Nov. 29 at 7:30 pm in the Gist Theater.

Screen grab of dates and times of the Margaret Kelso short Play Festival.

Thursday, November 29, 2018
‘SpongeBob’ creator dead at 57

Alumnus Stephen Hillenburg makes permanent mark at HSU before passing

Stephen Hillenburg, Humboldt State alum and creator of Nickelodeon cartoon “SpongeBob SquarePants,” has passed away.

Nickelodeon confirmed the news in a Tweet on Tuesday.

“We are sad to share the news of the passing of Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of SpongeBob SquarePants,” the network wrote. “Today, we are observing a moment of silence to honor his life and work.”

The 57-year-old Hillenburg revealed March of last year to Variety Magazine that he had been diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s Disease, or ALS.

Hillenburg and his wife Karen gifted $135,000 to HSU back in Sept. to grant awards for students doing research with faculty in the marine sciences. The couple used the money to create the Stephen Hillenburg Marine Science Research Award Endowment fund.

According to an HSU press release, Stephen Hillenburg furthered both his knowledge of marine biology and his talent as an artist while he attended HSU. The creation of SpongeBob SquarePants was a natural merging of Hillenburg’s passion for art and the ocean.

The animated series first aired on Nickelodeon in 1999 and features a square yellow sponge named SpongeBob SquarePants. He lives in a pineapple under the sea with his pet snail, Gary, in the city of Bikini Bottom on the floor of the Pacific Ocean.

SpongeBob SquarePants has won both U.S. and British Emmy Awards and has been translated in more than 60 languages, including Urdu, Azerbaijani and Maori.

Hillenburg is survived by his wife of 20 years Karen Hillenburg, son Clay, mother Nancy Hillenburg and brother Brian Kelly Hillenburg.

Tuesday, November 27, 2018
Wildwood music never stops

Humboldt State Alumnus keeps small music shop legacy alive

Music is a big part of Arcata and Wildwood Music has been an Arcata staple for 40 years.

Errol Previde, an HSU alumnus, owns and runs the Wildwood Music Stores, which first opened its doors back in 1974.

Arcata is a creatively gifted town with artists from all walks of life.

You would be hard pressed to walk downtown on Friday nights and not see a plethora of musicians performing in the streets or at local businesses. Local bands also perform at the Farmer’s Mark every Saturday.

Previde bought the store from its previous owners on the 30 year anniversary of its opening.

“I had worked here in college so I was friends with them from back then.” he said. “I was having my first kid right around that time, so it just sort of worked out for me.”

Previde’s focus for the store since he took over has been primarily on the sale and repair of instruments.

“We sell used stuff, we sell new stuff, we’re a dealer for Martin and Taylor guitars, two really big guitar lines,” he said. “We try to carry a little bit of everything. We get a lot of trade ins, with people wanting something we have and they having something they want to get rid of.”

Previde said he has four or five permanent employees working at the store.

One of his employees, Anthony Taibi, began working at the store 10 years ago. Taibi was a musician moving in to town and happened to know the old owners, but Previde was the one that hired him, turning him from a customer into an employee.

“I used to come in a lot and sell my gear here,” Taibi said. “They liked what I was selling and figured I might be a good fit for the shop.”

At Arcata’s center, Wildwood draws people in with its free nature. Errol has no issue with people coming in and trying the instruments, even the expensive ones. He also said the increase in students coming in to the city every autumn helps the store. Business booms every year during that time.

One of the regular customers who often plays at Wildwood Music is Taz Trancid, who goes by his artist name “Tazmaniac.”

“I’ve been playing music for a very long time so I know what I’m doing,” Tazmaniac said. “I think for me, music is just a feeling.”

Tazmaniac plays in several bands and hopes to one day be a Metaliniost. He said whenever he is in town, Wildwood is the only music store as far as he is concerned.

Although it’s becoming increasingly difficult for local businesses to stay open, the artistic community of Arcata band together to support Wildwood Music, allowing them to keep their doors open for forty years and more.

Monday, November 26, 2018
MOVIE REVIEW: Less Than Fantastic

A weak installment in the Fantastic Beasts franchise

Coming from a huge Harry Potter fan, I wasn’t looking forward to this revival of the Harry Potter universe. I said my goodbyes senior year of high school when “Deathly Hallows Part 2” came out.

Now there’s a new story to come out in theaters that not many fans asked for. “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” was a fun revisit to the universe that showed more characters and creatures that the books only brushed on.

However, four movies seems an exhausting excuse to delve into a period of the wizarding world that is important but not as pertinent as other stories that haven’t been well explored (still waiting on a story about the Marauders). “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” dips into an important part of wizarding history, but doesn’t have the focus to make it interesting.

Returning to Newt Scamander and his magical creatures, he is banned from international travel due to the events in the previous film where he was blamed for nearly destroying 1920s New York. Scamander is beckoned to Paris where he believes Tina Goldstein (future wife) is working to find a long lost descendant of a pure-blood family. Grindelwald, the original Voldemort, is also seeking this descendant to use them on his team to conquer the world.

There are too many plot lines to keep track of and it would be more confusing for those who haven’t watched the previous Fantastic Beasts film. There’s a conflict of Newt Scamander and his love for Tina Goldstein, then there is an added love triangle with Leta Lestrange. There’s a whole story about Credence Barebone, who may or may not be an important descendant and capable of killing Albus Dumbledore. There are a lot of old politics at the Ministry of Magic in multiple countries.

Then there’s Grindelwald himself. Johnny Depp’s inconsistent accent was the least of the problems. His Grindelwald wasn’t as scathingly evil as Ralph Fiennes’ Voldemort was. Grindelwald was trying to be a more relatable evil, notably when he says that he does not hate the non-magical people. This sounds similar when Donald Trump’s campaigns had him say that he believes that some Mexican people are presumably good people after calling them rapists. Relatable, but doesn’t strike fear.

Jude Law’s casting as young Albus Dumbledore was a good fit. Not the best, as I was hoping for Domhnall Gleeson but Law had the softness and mischievous nature Dumbledore has.

The new creatures the film introduced were fascinating, particularly the Chinese Zouwu was adorable and want to see more of than nifflers.

Otherwise, the film was too long to fit in so much information that wasn’t set up before like in books or maybe on Pottermore. If this was meant to be a five-part series, then it should set up it’s time better and made more accessible for new fans to join the wizarding fandom and not alienate them.

Monday, November 26, 2018
Top 5 Hangover Remedies

Are you looking for a quick solution to feel better? Here are the top five quick fixes for hangovers

The day after a night of drinking…your head spins, the room spins, and the toilet becomes your comrade. On days like these, it’s useful to have a remedy to help battle that stinking hangover and to shorten the time where your body becomes sluggish. Below are some handy remedies to tackle pesky hangovers given by bartenders and a liquor store owner.

1.

Yerba Mate , Advil , and coconut water set on a terrace in McKinleyville. Photo credit: Bailey Tennery

Owner of Arcata Liquors Jeff Nagan’s hangover remedy is Advil, coconut water, and yerba mate.

“Advil helps with headaches,” Nagan said. “Coconut water helps with electrolytes, and yerba mate, well that gets you back into the game.”

Electrolytes from coconut water helps to replace the salt and potassium that you lose when drinking alcohol.

2.

Bacon cheese burger from the restaurant Stars in Arcata. Photo credit: Bailey Tennery

Darren Sumption, a bartender at the Alibi, says greasy food and gatorade helps a hangover.

“Gatorade and greasy food. If your stomach can’t handle greasy food then you’re on your own,” Sumption said.

3.

Can of Bloody Mary in the Hutch liquor store in Arcata.

Owner of Central Station Mary Acres’ hangover remedy is a good old fashion Bloody Mary.

“A good Bloody Mary helps because the tomato juice and veggies help hydrate you,” Acres said. “A Bloody Mary gets rid of all the sugar you’ve been pumping into you the night before.”

4.

Jagermeister logo on a fridge behind the counter at Hutch in Arcata. Photo credit: Bailey Tennery

Bartender at Toby and Jacks Val Graham’s hangover cure is Jägermeister.

“The sugar and alcohol, from Jägermeister gets back into your system and fools the body and your brain. Never been one for a Bloody Mary.”

5.

Bugs Bunny sitting at a bar drinking a glass of carrot juice .
Image credit: tumblr

Sidelines bartender for nine years, Kelly Ridgway, hangover remedy is hair of the dog.

“Hair of the dog, drinking whatever you were drinking the night before,” Ridgway said.

The phrase “hair of the dog” means that whatever troubles you, you should have more of. So, if vodka troubles you when you wake up, you should have more vodka.

Saturday, November 24, 2018
Project addresses prison as system of slavery

Liberate the Caged Voices comes to Humboldt State University to shed light on criminal justice system

Most people in their 50s do not suddenly turn to social justice activism.

They don’t organize marches to support prisoners rights. They don’t travel around the state informing ordinary citizens of solitary confinement.

But when Nube Brown hit her 50s she had what she calls “a midlife awakening,” and did just that.

Brown is the creator of Liberate the Caged Voices, a project formed out of the California Prison Focus that provides a platform and structure to get incarcerated voices heard. California Prison Focus is an Oakland non-profit that advocates for the immediate stopping of all solitary confinement.

They publish a quarterly newspaper, Prison Focus, that is written by and for incarcerated individuals, their family and friends. They travel regularly to Pelican Bay and Corcoran state prisons to document conditions on the inside, they keep correspondence with incarcerated individuals and have a radio station.

“This project is beyond the reports,” Brown said. “It’s literally just to get people behind bars known by people outside the bars.”

Brown started volunteering with California Prison Focus about two years ago and knew this is exactly where she wanted to be. Brown, who also works a full time job in San Jose, said this work has opened her eyes to modern day slavery that is still going on. Letters are constantly flooding in at California Prison Focus and Brown said the content in the letters especially moved her and eventually prompted her to start Liberate the Caged Voices.

“I was blown away by the letters, so much intelligence and talent,” Brown said.

Brown started Liberate the Caged Voices earlier this year with the first in San Jose. Brown said there is a basic structure to the event but she keeps it very flexible. She said at a Liberate the Caged Voices event people read letters from incarcerated individuals and create an open space for awareness.

On Nov. 16 Brown hosted Liberate the Caged Voices at HSU with the help of Nathaniel Mcguigan, member of Humboldt’s chapter of Party of Liberation and Socialism and M.E.Ch.A and Deema Hindawi, member of Students for Quality Education.

“Humboldt is a racist but also progressive place,” Brown said. “Completely other energy that is malleable and open to human rights and justice.”

Brown’s mother, Karpani Davis, brought the idea of bringing Liberate the Caged Voices to HSU to Mcguigan and Hindawi at a Justice for Josiah committee meeting. Both agreed it would be a perfect event for the campus and decided to help organize.

Nathaniel Mcguigan became active in Humboldt’s chapter of Party of Liberation and Socialism or PSL in 2017 because he said it was a bigger platform with like minded individuals who were fighting for justice. Mcguigan, who is a prison abolitionist, said there is a lack of mentors because older people are being incarcerated for their freedom fighting

“There are a lot of comrades in the movement who have been imprisoned by the state,” Mcguigan said.

Deema Hindawi, also a prison abolitionist began her school career pursuing law enforcement but soon learned it was not for her and switched to criminology. She said the learning material and experiences changed every outlook in her life.

“In criminology you’re either a reformist, abolitionist, or ignorant,” Hindawi said.

Brown said she is excited to bring Liberate the Caged Voices to a university campus. She said it’s important to get students involved and to educate them to understand what is happening.

“We’re putting kids away in the juvenile system for bad grades and missing school,” Brown said. “It’s disgusting.”

This will be the fourth Liberate the Caged Voices in an on-going series. Brown said after Humboldt it will be a once a month event and hopefully just keep on continuing in different places.

If she could, Brown said she would do it every week but with a full time job it limits her time.

Brown said the idea for Liberate the Caged Voices future is to have other people host them in their areas. She said she is just building a base, a working template so other people can do it that is unique to those involved.

“I don’t really call it the criminal justice system,” Brown said. “Its a system of slavery.”

Saturday, November 24, 2018
Veterans shelter from the storm

Seventy volunteers and hungry community members found shelter from the rain thanks to the fourth annual Harvest Feast at the Arcata’s Veteran Memorial Building.

Volunteer Coordinator Leslie Zandervan-Droz has been volunteering on Thanksgiving for the last 38 years in Arcata. She said the recent Harvest Feast is a cooperative effort between The Veteran’s Hall and Arcata House Partnership, but the community as a whole has been involved for 40 years.

“I’m really into community building and cooperation,” Zandervan-Droz said. “This is where the community joins to feed each other.”

Zandervan-Droz said volunteers do prep work on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons to get ready for Thursday. On Thanksgiving, volunteers start at 5 a.m. to begin setting up and all the food is donated.

The dishes consist of barbecued turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, mac n’ cheese, cranberry sauce, lentil soup, and pumpkin pie. Volunteers included many people, from HSU faculty to homeless veterans.

“I’m really glad to see people get fed who would normally not get any food today,” Zandervan-Droz said.

Veteran volunteer and grandmother, Gail Coonen, was one of three volunteers greeting community members as they entered the Veteran’s Hall.

Coonen said she was tasked with coordinating seniors and disabled community members upstairs, storing and watching backpacks and keeping non-service animals outside. She said her son was making the turkey dinner this year which allowed her to volunteer worry-free.

“I just felt like I had to help out,” Coonen said.

Second year volunteer Mary Ella Anderson said she was here because it’s the right thing to do. Anderson said there’s a need for more people to reach out because there are a lot of homeless and forgotten people in the community. She said there needs to be a shift in our economic gap to share the wealth equally.

“There’s such a terrible economic divide in our community that we need to start including everyone,” Anderson said.

Zandervan-Droz said the event doesn’t end until the food runs out. She said volunteers who sign up to help in the morning almost always stay until the end because of how enjoyable the event is. There are a lot of familiar faces she said and there are always new volunteers who became a part of the community.

“We see a lot of the same old faces,” Zandervan-Droz said. “Its chaotic and fun.”

Saturday, November 24, 2018