Humboldt State women’s basketball team came out victorious in their pre-season exhibition game against Southern Oregon University at Lumberjack Arena on Friday, Oct. 29, with a score of 75-67. The ‘Jacks started strong, racking up 20 points by the end of the first quarter to lead by six.

Freshman starter Jadence Clifton played well early, leading the team with nine points by the end of the first half and 14 points overall. Sophomore forward Madison Parry and junior guard Julia Iman followed shortly behind Clifton with 13 points each by the end of the game. Junior guard Sharon Roldan ended with 10 points and Senior Ashley Taylor Peralta totaled 12 points for the ‘Jacks.

Southern Oregon University kept the pressure on the ‘Jacks with a twenty-two-point comeback in the second quarter, giving the Raiders the lead. The visitors would control the game for most of the second and third quarters, ending the third quarter with a score of 54 – 48.

Roldan helped narrow the score with a 3-pointer bomb from the corner of the court a little more than halfway through the final quarter. Roldan also netted two free throws, closing the gap 58 – 60 with a few minutes left in the fourth quarter. A pair of free throws by Parry only seconds later tied the game 60 – 60 with five and a half minutes remaining.

The squad played solid defense in the final minutes of the second half, forcing the Raiders to battle against the shot clock in multiple attempts to make clean breakaways to the hoop.

Clifton drained a 3-pointer in the final 45 seconds of the fourth quarter, sealing the deal with a leading score of 71-64. The Raiders attempted to claw their way back to victory with a couple of final shots, but overall fell short by eight points with a final score of 75-67.

The women’s basketball team travels to Seattle, Washington on Friday, Nov. 12 where they play against Western Washington University. Both Humboldt State men’s and women’s basketball teams will lead a public ‘tip-off’ event to celebrate their upcoming seasons on Monday, Nov. 1 at Lumberjack Arena.

This weekend a tangle of costumes and limbs could be found in Arcata’s music venues. Local bands played experimental indie, psychedelic cumbia, punkadelic gutter blues, disco jams, and some mosh-worthy crust punk sounds. The collective of sound kept show-goers dancing through the Halloweekend.

Since the pandemic, Arcata music venues have been quiet without the familiar sounds of local bands. As pandemic life becomes second nature, the music scene has adapted. Bouncers check for vaccine cards and IDs to keep showgoers safe. Halloweekend marked the occasion for a music scene revival. In the past few weeks shows have started happening again. This weekend brought the music scene back from the dead in true Halloween fashion.

On Friday at The Siren’s Song Tavern, the bands Over Yonder, Biomass, and Horse played the start of the Halloweekend. Over Yonder is a punkadelic gutter blues band local to Humboldt, Biomass is a psychedelic sound collective bringing riffs to the people, and Horse brought the mosh-worthy punk noise and got everyone moving.

On Saturday, Pablo Payaso fought the rain and played psychedelic cumbia for Dia de Los Muertos celebration. The event was planned with Centro Del Pueblo, a local community organization. Later in the night, Pablo Payaso played at Blondies. The band started playing together this past summer, and now they have the opportunity to get back into venues and play live shows. Connor West plays for Pablo Payaso and is glad to see the return of Arcata’s music scene.

“The music is back, it’s sad that it was ever gone,” West said. “Blondies has always been a hub for up-and-coming bands. God bless Blondies. They’re back in business, same as Richard’s Goat, and some house shows are going on too. It seems like everyone is coming back.”

Playing in both Pablo Payaso and in Over Yonder is Eduardo Gutierrez. Gutierrez plays a wide spectrum between two bands’ genres, bringing swampadelic sounds to Over Yonder and singing for Pablo Payaso’s cumbia sound.

“I’m stoked about [music] coming back,” Gutierrez said. “It had kinda displaced me for a bit when there was no music. I’m glad we are able to figure out a way to play where everyone is safe and comfortable. Keep supporting local artists. I love being able to uplift each other in this community in all forms of art.”

Horse played with Pablo Payaso and Over Yonder on Saturday and revived the nostalgic Blondies mosh. The fresh band is made up of Arcata locals and HSU alums, much like the other bands in the lineups. Brayden O’Brien donned their Halloween getup and messy eyeliner to lead the punk band.

“It’s a very welcoming and supportive community here, if you like to make noise there’s always a way to do it,” O’Brien said.

On Sunday, Medicine Baul, Biomass, and Dream Honey played a show to close the weekend. Dream Honey played experimental indie blues through the rain. Skye Freitas welcomed a familiar crowd that made the show feel especially nice.

“The music scene is super supportive here, which makes performing and creating comfortable and I love that,” Freitas said. “All around acceptance and hype for all different genres of bands on the scene. Another thing to love is the eclectic variety of bands in the area.”

Arcata welcomes its eclectic artist back again to fill venues with their collective sounds. Venues like Humbrews, Richard’s Goat, Blondies, and Arcata Theatre Lounge are hosting shows again. Support your local bands and listen to some good jams.

From Nov 1 through the 12 Full Cycle Compost and WRRAP are teaming up to offer a pumpkin pickup to Arcata residents for free. You do not have to be a customer of Full Cycle Compost to reap the benefits of their service. As long as you sign up on their website to notify them where to pick it up, they will take the pumpkin off your hands.

Full Cycle Compost is a recently established co-op where five individuals bike around the city to pick up people’s food and plant scraps to turn into compost. Once they pick up the scraps, they turn it into compost at the Jacoby Creek Land Trust farm and the Jardin Santuario.

Their mission is to keep local food waste out of the landfill and to feed the local food web with healthy and nutritious soil and vegetables. Tobin McKee is a worker-owner there and helped establish the business with Morgan King from WRRAP. McKee is a Humboldt native who starts up new co-op’s but fell in love with the business so much he decided to become an owner.

McKee stated that 30% of landfill mass is made up of material that could have been composted. More waste means more unnecessary trips to the landfill for the trucks picking them up, which is not beneficial to the environment.

“When you take out your garbage, ecology picks it up, then takes it to a processing facility, and then they put it on a big truck that drives to Medford and all the food waste can’t compost in the landfill,” McKee said. “It rots and decomposes which releases a lot more methane than composting.”

The offer originally ran till Nov 5 but has since been extended. Now you are able to enjoy an extra week with your festive creations.

Starting in January a new law will be enacted that requires all multifamily dwellings and businesses to compost their food waste. Unfortunately Arcata does not have a composting facility due to the high cost so Full Cycle Compost is doing what they can to support the community.

“It’s gonna be a lot more hauling than we’re used to, but we’re going to do as many trips as it takes to pick up people’s pumpkins.”

Squeals of children and classic Halloween anthems resounded through the streets of the Arcata Plaza last Sunday. The streets were blocked off from traffic and packed with art vendors celebrating the weird and the wonderful of Arcata’s art scene.

The local cover band, The Dead Drops, played classic spooky bangers from the center of the plaza while adults and children alike danced and sang along in costume. The band played from 11am to 4pm, serenading the audience as they enjoyed the local food vendors surrounding them.

Art vendors brought a particularly interesting and strange array of creativity this year. From tarot card readers to exotic jewelry, the art vendors matched the Halloween spirit to a T.

One vendor brought a healthy dose of strange, with jewelry made from “ethically sourced” animal bones. Desert Lilies Bazaar is run by artist and belly dancer Ania Vogel. Vogel asked her mother Lia Sullivan to run the booth for her while she was busy performing.

Sullivan was dressed in a full witch costume and was sporting some of her daughter’s unique jewelry.

“This is half of a raccoon pelvis, so you look at her jewelry and they’re all from real bones, ethically sourced,” Sullivan said.

Art vendors weren’t all that was in store for Arcata residents on Sunday. A line stretching down the street waited in anticipation for the inflatable haunted house set up in the general store parking lot right outside of the plaza.

Families enjoyed a host of different activities including face painting, a dunk tank, and several other classic parade activities. The Humboldt State Marching Lumberjacks band gave a rousing performance that filled the crowd with lively energy and reverberated across the city.

It was a refreshing feeling to watch the streets of Arcata come alive with joyous celebrations given the last year and a half of turmoil and isolation. From the children trick-or-treating to the college students showing off their elaborate costumes, this year’s Halloween celebration was a rousing success.

The Mad River Levee trail was surprisingly calm. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves and a friendly elderly woman was walking her dog. It was a jarring sight given this was the scene of a violent murder only a week ago. A month before that, another man was murdered in an especially brutal fashion another mile away.

On September 11, 2021, the first body was found. He had been stabbed multiple times and received blunt force trauma. His name was Eugene Steven Segal and he was found on a trail off of Hatchery Road near Mad River.

On October 10, 2021, the body of Levi Harold Hernandez was found on a trail near the Mad River Levee and Taylor Way. His death was ruled a homicide, but the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) has yet to confirm how he was murdered. Both Hermandez and Segal were known to be living a transient lifestyle.

The HCSO released a press statement addressing the murders and why they can’t release all the information regarding the deaths to the public.

“Autopsies have been completed for both victims, however, cause of death information is being withheld pending the ongoing investigation,” said the HCSO.

The two murders happened to people with similar status in very close locations. However, the Sheriff’s department has yet to officially link the two murders. It is possible that they are unrelated.

“Despite the close proximity of these cases in location and date of discovery, investigators have not officially determined a connection between the two incidents at this time,” said the HCSO.

There are still people camped out on Mad River despite the recent attacks. Talking with a resident couple, it became clear that this situation did not surprise or startle them.

Dorothy and Mike are a middle-aged couple with a camp set up by Mad River. Neither one of them had heard of the murders despite the fact that they are camping so close to the scenes of the crimes.

“I’m not worried at all, not with her around,” Mike said referring to his german shepherd napping by his side.

“If someone comes around I’ll hit him in the head with something big, I have things to protect myself you know,” said Dorothy.

The HCSO has multiple tips on how to enjoy the river trail while continuing to stay safe, such as staying on defined trails, informing a friend of your location before going out on the trails, and keeping one’s phone out of view.

The problem with these tips is that they are not for the people who are being targeted. While the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office tells the public to take self-defense classes and avoid listening to music too loud, people with no option but to camp out on the river bank are left in the dark. It is concerning and disheartening that the people living on the river have not been sufficiently warned. The investigation into these two brutal murders remains ongoing.

Anyone with information regarding the alleged murders are urged to contact the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Division at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip Line at (707) 268-2539

A government isn’t a government without its constituents. No different is our own student government without us. Since the adoption of COVID guidelines and social distancing, participation numbers within the Associated Students organization have continued to decrease. Many of the positions within the organization have remained vacant and policies going into effect are voted on by only a small portion of the overall student population.

“We’re trying to make a change,” Rosa Granados, External Affairs Representative and a major in social work, said. “We just need [students’] assistance to show up and to be there as a vote when these policies are being made.”

Student housing, food access, and mental health are always hot topics being discussed in these policies, Granados expressed. All of these issues, she noted, being present in the many different committees spread out across the AS.

Malluli Cuellar, Legislative Vice President and a major in political science, further explained that these committees are like smaller boards within the organization. Each one is uniquely centered around their own mission or topic, such as sustainability, diversity, bylaws, and more. These committees are also open to any student of any skill level and background to participate in without formal election. It is through the presence of everyday students working within these committees that many of HSU’s important events and policies come into being.

“The nice thing about our committees is that typically they are meeting biweekly,” Cuellar said. “So compared to the Board of Directors it tends to be a smaller time commitment. It’s a really good place to start!”

The AS itself is headed by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors are a predominantly student-elected group of fellow HSU students who work as the connecting mouthpiece between student and faculty relations as well as oversight members within the previously mentioned committees. The Board is currently made up of 18 positions, of which half still remain empty this late fall semester.

“We represent the students,” Chase Marcum, Student Affairs Vice President and a major in anthropology and international Studies, said regarding the AS as a whole. “And we represent our fellow peers, in creating a healthy and positive environment for their educational pursuits, creating and effecting change that they want and desire.”

This ability, Marcum explained, to represent and advocate for the needs and desires of HSU students, was the common factor among all the board members interviewed that had inspired them to first apply.

“All these programs that I’ve utilized,” Granados said. “Student athletes, mental health services, food services, and even housing service have helped me be here getting my degree and so I really want to be in spaces where I can advocate for [them].”

The chance to make a change through the AS was not only the catalyst for each member’s initial application but also is the reward that has kept them coming back semester after semester.

“It’s one of those positions and roles where, yes, it is extremely time consuming,” Marcum said specifically in relation to his position. “But at the same time it gives back tenfold!”

“It’s a labor of love,” Cuellar said, adding after Marcum. “If the amount of work that you’re putting in meets how rewarding the work is to you it’s really sustainable.”

Not all members expressed that working with AS has been all work and no play though. David Lopez, Administrative Vice President and HSU student majoring in cellular/molecular biology, expressed that it is the students who join that dictate how much work they wish to take on. They do this by the positions or amount of committees they choose to dedicate themselves to. In his words, it’s a low risk environment to make high risk impacts.

“There is a place in AS for anyone who is able to give any amount of dedication to it,” Lopez said. “It’s a buffet, an endless buffet! You get to choose however much you want to put on your plate.”

No matter what type of student you are, no matter your major, or what year you may be, AS wants to hear your voice and to get you involved.

“We don’t need you to be the best student leader,” Cuellar said. “We don’t need you to have the skills yet. We’re going to help you and empower you with those skills. As long as you have that spark within you to keep you motivated, that’s all we’re looking for!”

The best place to get started if you are interested in getting involved with AS is to visit their website at https://associatedstudents.humboldt.edu/ and to send an email to hsuas@humboldt.edu to get connected with the members themselves.

I moved to Arcata in the spring of 2020. After recently graduating from community college with an associate’s degree in communications, I was eager to begin work on my bachelor’s. I worked up my courage, moved myself and belongings to a musty house in Pneumonia Gulch, and began to work. I was just finding a routine and making connections on campus when COVID hit. With worries of getting sick and the loneliness I began to feel at my rental, I packed up my belongings, one sickly anthurium and panic-moved in with my boyfriend in southern Humboldt. I worked through the rest of the semester. And the next semester. And the next. Now, halfway through the fall of 2021, I have learned to cope with HyFlex. The results? It’s difficult. It’s hard to hear what’s going on in class and I find myself missing the collaborations built on campus. I feel disconnected from my peers and teachers. Maybe it’s my anxiety talking, but the online community just doesn’t jive with the in-person folk. It’s hard to pipe up from Zoom, and if there is a shoddy internet connection, or the people in class are having a rowdy discussion, there’s just no point to even talk.

Although it is arguably more difficult to communicate via HyFlex, I do appreciate the freedom that comes with online school. I have more time to focus on my studies, I don’t have to account for drive time, which always eats into the schedule, and I don’t have to relocate, which can be difficult in itself. During the pandemic, I also got a puppy. A giant goofball of a puppy, and my mom gave me her small dog. I also have a cat and chickens. I live on a decent sized farm in SoHum, but these responsibilities make moving more challenging. Even if I were to relocate, it would be difficult to find a place that allowed a petting zoo. Other options include some rehoming, maybe for the cats and chickens, but…who wants to rip apart the pack? Not me.

At this point, I don’t even want to move to Arcata. With winter just beginning and Delta variant trends and rates of sickness only bound to increase due to winter’s lower temps, I just don’t think it’s feasible. What if campus shuts down again? Will I find myself in the same place as spring 2020?

On one hand, Hyflex gives me the freedom that I love. I can accomplish my educational goals from the comfort of my home. I also have more time to focus on other irons I have in the fire, and believe me, there are a lot of them. On the other hand, I lack the camaraderie found in classroom settings. I find myself isolated from my peer group and unable to communicate effectively. It’s also difficult to work through the challenges of being a college level senior alone.

Overall, I feel like my college experience was ripped from my hands. Now, with graduation just one semester away, I’m in limbo. Even though HyFlex has its downsides, it’s a better option than uprooting my menagerie. So for now, I’m staying put. HyFlex, shcmy-flex. I’m getting my degree no matter how many times I have to ask someone to repeat themselves.

Humboldt State Men’s Soccer played a full offensive and defensive effort over 90 minutes of action, but it wasn’t until a shot in the last minute of regulation by junior Dylan Tovani that the Lumberjacks were able to pull away, outlasting visiting San Francisco State 1-0 at College Creek Field on Senior Day this past Sunday.

Head coach Fred Jungemann said he was proud of the effort his team put into the match today, and that he was glad the effort paid off with a victory.

“The boys put it in start to finish today,” Jungemann said. “We had a lot of chances. The boys played really really well, but it was just one of those games where we’re just a half step late or the ball was a little early. It was one of those games where it just wasn’t clicking in the attacking third.”

Despite missed opportunities offensively, the Lumberjacks still outshot their opponents 26-12. Goalkeeper Adrian Gallardo anchored another solid defensive effort, earning his 7th shutout match. This puts him second on the all-time school single season shutout list.

“We had another amazing performance from our defense and Adrian,” Jungemann said.

With less than a minute before extra time, Tovani got a touch about 18 yards from the goal. This time though, the junior business major captured the opportunity, sailing a beautiful ball into the back right corner of the net to clinch the win.

“Dylan stepped up in the last minute,” Jungemann said. “He took on the responsibility and scored an amazing goal.”

For Tovani, the last thing he wanted was for the game to go to extra time.

“When I took the touch I heard ‘one minute left,’” Tovani said. “All I thought was to shoot it, because we need a goal with 50 seconds left or we’re going to overtime, so we have to score.”

Tovani felt the score reaffirmed the dominant effort his team had shown all game.

“I think we dominated the whole game,” Tovani said. “We got a little sloppy at times at the end of the second half, but we dominated pretty much the whole game, the first half especially.”

Sunday’s victory marked the 4th consecutive win for the Lumberjacks, as the team also won a nailbiter on Friday with an overtime golden goal victory over Northern California rival Sonoma State.

The hot streak comes at a crucial time for the Lumberjacks, as the squad sits in fifth place in the CCAA regular season standings with only 3 games remaining in the regular season. Only the top six teams will advance to the conference playoffs beginning in November.

Senior Marco Silveira, who currently sits in first place in the conference in assists and game-winning goals, noted that it was the perfect way to close out the final regular season homestand of the season.

“That’s exactly what we wanted: the battle to the end,” Silveira said, “We had been pushing the whole game, so it was the perfect way to end our career here at College Creek Field.”

Depending on how the next two weekends play out, Silveira may still yet be able to play at home one more time, as the jacks sit only two points behind fourth seeded Cal State San Bernardino. If the ‘Jacks can overtake the Coyotes in the standings with three matches remaining to jump into the top four seeds, they would host a first round home match on Nov. 7 for the opening round of the CCAA playoffs.

With that being said, the team closes out their regular season with potentially the hardest road trip of the year. The squad begins its road trip on Friday Oct. 29 against Cal Poly Pomona, currently seeded second in the conference. On Oct. 31, the team faces off against #8 Cal State LA, who currently sits at the top of the conference standings. After that, the team will return to NorCal where they close out the regular season against their traditional foes, the Wildcats of Chico State on Nov. 4. The ‘Cats will be fighting for their playoff lives as well over the last two weekends, as they currently sit in the final tournament spot.

Sophomore Saedy Williamson and graduate student Rosa Granados both turned in excellent results for the Green & Gold at this past weekend’s CCAA Conference Cross Country Championships on the campus of Cal State San Marcos.

Williamson finished 8th while Granados finished 10th to both claim all-conference honors, leading the Lumberjack women to a 6th place team finish. The pair are the first Lumberjack women to earn all-conference recognition since 2017.

For Granados, both her and Williamson raced strategically in what is historically a fast starting race.

“We raced pretty smart,” Granados said in a press conference on Tuesday. “There were a lot of teams that went out super hard the first half and me and Saedy really kept taking it upon ourselves to keep moving forward and passing girls. We started off around 20th and built ourselves to top-10. It’s just awesome to see the hard work we’ve been putting in.”

Williamson also felt proud to achieve a goal she set at the beginning of the season.

“That [top 15] was my goal the entire season,” Williamson said. “Through about half of the race, I was in there and I was like ‘ok wow I’m doing this,’ so it was kind of a shock to me too, but I’m really happy with it.”

On the men’s side, transfer Ian Rusk led the way with a 32nd place finish as the Lumberjack men finished ninth.

Both squads return to action at the NCAA Division II West Region Championships in Monmouth, Oregon on Saturday, Nov. 6.

For both women, a good performance could potentially vault them to the national championships in Tampa, Florida on Nov. 20.

“There’s a chance that me and Rosa could make it to Nationals,” Williamson said. “Going into it [the regionals] there’s expectations for us and the competition going into this race is pretty good. It’ll be a fun race, exciting and fast.”

The Humboldt State University campus doesn’t just house students. A whole ecosystem of local wildlife is nearby, living in the redwoods or hidden away on campus and eating all the food we toss in the trash. If you head out late at night you can probably catch a sighting of our neighbors, the raccoons. They are commonly seen all around campus on their search for something to eat and somewhere to hide.

What brings raccoons to our campus? As mesocarnivores, they mostly eat meat, but are also able to digest a whole lot else. According to HSU Wildlife professor Barbara Clucas, this adaptability is what makes them such a common sight here and in cities across the country.

“Raccoons are pretty adaptable, they do well in urban areas,” Clucas said. “They like the food, the trash.”

This highly flexible diet is one of the reasons why raccoon populations are actually growing around the world and have even become an invasive species in some places. Their ability to eat nearly anything humans can and their skill at getting into garbage cans or forcing open food containers gives them access to food sources that other animals miss out on, and lets them stay fed with much less overall competition.

According to the 2019 study “Current and future climatic regions favorable for a globally introduced carnivore the raccoon,” by Vivien Louppe, Boris Leroy, Anthony Herrel and Géraldine Veron published in Scientific Reports, raccoon populations are likely to grow and spread across more of the world as urbanization increases and areas that were previously unsuitable for them become warmer as weather changes.

While this has already occurred to a degree, according to the report, by 2050 the population will spread quite a bit further.

“The raccoon presents a tolerance to a very wide range of bioclimatic conditions resulting in extensive regions currently favorable to the species,” the report said. “Moreover, predictions for 2050 reveals wide newly favorable areas north of the current favorable regions.”

Because campus is so close to the redwood forest, our raccoons can come back and forth between wild and urban environments, but those living in larger cities with fewer wild spaces face some problems. Animals in an urban environment tend to live in close proximity to each other and at a greater density. Because of the more abundant food, raccoons are more likely to end up all congregating around the same source. This makes them more likely to spread disease to one another and possibly to pets and even people.

According to Richard Brown, a wildlife professor at HSU focusing on animal pathogens, animals in close contact with people can become a health issue.

“Raccoons in urban areas may congregate at garbage dumpsters or in areas where people feed their pets outside, and congregation can also facilitate spread of some pathogens,” Brown said. “Rabies, of course, is a risk for humans as well as other mammals. Raccoons can also carry raccoon roundworms which can be a risk for people who try to clean up their latrine sites or people that are crawling around under houses, etc. Of course, there are a lot of pathogens in nature, but those are the two that come to mind.”

While they may like the food, raccoons may not be better off for living in an urban area with us.

“There is a perception that animals are doing great but that’s not really the case,” Clucas said. “They could have lower reproductive rates or be less healthy. They may be here but that doesn’t mean they’re doing great.”

The Juvenile Hall Recreation Program (JHRP) is one of the YES house’s longest running volunteer programs at HSU. Developed in 1974, the program took a short, few year hiatus, and has been running since 1980. It is one of the YES house’s many hands-on volunteer opportunities and a way for students at HSU to get practical experience in their fields.

“Volunteers of JHRP spend time with the incarcerated youth at the Humboldt County Juvenile Hall in Eureka, and provide outside community contact during regularly scheduled recreation time,” the program’s mission states. “JHRP volunteers provide support and positive guidance to the youth they serve in an effort to restore a connection to the outside community.”

It’s one of the most popular and long standing programs at YES. Typically volunteers visit during recreation time and help engage participants with art and games while providing social connection and productive distractions to youth in difficult situations. The HSU volunteers help build bonds and create prosocial connections.

COVID-19 has been a challenging obstacle for these hands-on programs, but part of the goal for YES is to sustain the programs throughout the pandemic. Due to COVID, the typical protocol has shifted from a one hundred percent hands-on community learning experience to a remote program focused on juvenile justice issues. Deeper learning for volunteers has included presentations from alumni, films, and other media-based features to build personal knowledge.

This semester, JHRP was able to collaborate with Scotia Middle School to create a pen pal program for students to engage with JHRP volunteers. This new collaborative effort is less tied to the JHRP mission, but still allows for HSU students to get hands-on learning experience.

The current co-directors for JHRP, Brenda Ramirez and Ashley Ramos, have been working with the program for three semesters. Both started as volunteers and moved into leadership positions during the pandemic. For Ramos, the leadership deepened her understanding of JHRP.

“It was a whole new perspective on the program,” Ramos said. “I felt like I valued JHRP more, being on the inside of it, seeing how much hard work goes into making sure our volunteers have a good experience.”

Ramirez’s work within the program has been a time of growth. “It was a lot of personal growth,” Ramirez said. “For an introvert, that’s kind of going out of your shell.”

Before COVID, JHRP created a support system for the youth at juvenile hall. Social collaborations were cornerstones of the program which all shifted due to the pandemic. Still wanting to sustain the program’s mission, the current directors have appreciated the hands-on experience of the pen pal program.

“JHRP wants HSU students to collaborate with the community hands on,” Ramos said. “So [the pen pal program] was the only way we could provide that.”

Current volunteer and social work major Jasmine Rafferty is eager to sustain the program and build knowledge throughout, and after, the pandemic.

“[JHRP] creates a safe and welcoming space for everyone,” Rafferty said. “I can see myself staying with them for a while. They address community needs and support community organizations which really is what social work is about.”

Rafferty is also passionate about the program’s mission and working with the incarcerated youth.

“For me, it’s a super interesting focus to be working with kids that have met adversity in their early childhood, because if we can hopefully get through while they are young, then they won’t have to go through a lot of things that unfortunately might happen,” Rafferty said.

Former program director Meg Bezak worked in leadership for three semesters and volunteered for JHRP for a year. During her time, the program worked often with the youth and did visits three times a week. The group would hold book drives, bring card games, and play board games or basketball, all centered around team building.

“It was always amazing to see them open up, because in the beginning, they didn’t want anything to do with us,” Bezak said. “But as time goes on and you get to know them a little better, they realize, and you realize, how much you can get from maintaining that relationship.”

Bezak describes the relationships she built as fleeting. “Some are there for a week, some are there for months, some come and go frequently.”

However, these relationships were inspiring for the volunteers and helpful for the incarcerated youth.

“It’s important for us to be that safe place for them and give them the hope that once they do get back out and start to live their life on the outside that they can do it,” Bezak said. “We try to provide them with the tools that can kind of help them transition back into that life again.”

Charmaine Lawson, the mother of HSU student Josiah Lawson who was murdered in 2017, unveiled a new organization in front of the Humboldt County Superior Court in Eureka, Justice in Humboldt. This was the 54th vigil that has been held for Josiah Lawson. Justice in Humboldt (JIH) is a collaborative effort between Justice for Josiah, Centro del Pueblo, Humboldt State Alumni, Buenlucha: Parent and Student Advocacy in Humboldt, and community members.

The stated goals of JIH are to educate the public on the failures of Humboldt’s judiciary, policing, and other publicly-funded systems. The organization says that awareness will hold these systems accountable for how they have failed the BIPOC residents of Humboldt County.

“From Maggie Fleming to Judge Dale Reinholsten, to the Eureka PD,” said Justice in Humboldt committee member Christina Lastra. “We’re putting it all on Justice in Humboldt, exposing behind the redwood curtain to let everybody know, in our beautiful Humboldt County, what is going on.”

Lawson challenged the vigil attendees to educate anyone they can on her son’s story. She also said that she intends to keep advocating in Humboldt County even after justice is served for her son, and that it feels like home to her.

“I’m going to challenge myself as well, to keep coming back and sharing other stories. So with Justice in Humboldt, bring your story to us, so that I can share that story, and we can get some type of justice. We have to get justice, and we will not give up,” said Lawson.

Several Humboldt County mothers affected by similar issues spoke at the event, including Beverley Steichen. One of her sons, Aaron Kurt Steichen, was killed by her other son Jacob Steichen in September 2020 as the latter was in the midst of a psychotic episode. She says that her son’s death could have easily been prevented if Humboldt County law enforcement and mental health services had listened to her family’s pleas for help over the five weeks prior.

“The connection that [Charmaine Lawson] and I have is that we’re in that mom’s club that we’re never supposed to be in,” said Steichen. “We also have the connection that we’re learning about the intricacies of this very corrupt county.”

Lawson faced the courthouse and spoke directly at District Attorney Maggie Fleming as she closed out the vigil.

“Maggie Flaming, I know that you don’t think my son’s life matters, but it matters,” Lawson said. “I’m not going anywhere. You will not silence me and you will not silence this community.”

Justice in Humboldt has launched their new website justiceinhumboldt.com and are on Facebook and Instagram @justiceinhumboldt. There is an ongoing Gofundme campaign to raise funds for a billboard which the organization says will raise awareness for the organization, and for the unresolved case of Josiah Lawson.

On their Gofundme page, JIH says, “If you, your friends, or your family have experienced a lack of justice due to indifference or disregard by the justice system in Humboldt, please contact Justice In Humboldt for free resources and to connect with other community members seeking justice.”

Far North Climbing gym is back and offering new climbing events. This month the gym will host Neon Dawn: a late night, glow-in-the-dark, costumed competition. Doors will open at 6 pm and the competition starts at 7 pm. Categories will be inclusive to beginners, intermediate, and advanced. The event also plans to be gender inclusive with men’s, women’s, and open (all gender) categories. Prizes will be awarded for each category.

So how does a climbing comp work? Fifty routes will be set in order of increasing difficulty. Climbers will climb to the highest number they can. Gym staff will sign off on each attempt. Each climb is worth a certain number of points. In the end, points are tallied to determine who climbed the hardest for each category.

Gym staff and HSU wildlife major Bella Norton plans to compete. For Norton, the gym offers a chill space with familiar faces. Norton expects the event to be an opportunity to climb with friends.

“The laid-back environment at Far North makes competitions more enjoyable,” Norton said. “I thought it would be like everyone watching me. But everyone all climbs together and hangs out, making it a lot less intimidating,” Norton said.

Joaquin Estrada, general manager at Far North, encourages everyone to come to the event. For those who would like to come as spectators, there is no entry free. The competitor entry fee is $15 for those with a gym membership and $20 for non-members. First-place winners have the opportunity to win prizes from local businesses, cash, or climbing equipment.

“There will be plenty of climbs accessible to folks of all climbing abilities,” Estrada said. “Many prizes to be awarded from climbing companies and local businesses, as well as at least $100 cash prize.”

Several of the setters are HSU students bringing their creativity to route design. Taylor Woodruff challenges climbers to use their bodies in unique ways in route problem-solving. Woodruff designs routes that require climbers to pull with their feet or try funky positions to make moves possible.

“The real joy comes when you get to watch people come up with different ways to solve the problem, whether or not they climb it in the way you envisioned,” Woodruff said. “I hope people come to Neon Dawn excited to get into some funky positions in order to get up the wall.”

Kyle Fisher, HSU alumn and avid climber, will also be setting some routes for the event. Fisher tries to create sequences that are available to all climbers. He hopes to see folks get involved, have fun, and get some sick prizes.

“There will be a boatload of sweet prizes for all categories,” Fisher said. “We’ve done some blacklight competitions before. It’s gonna be a great time”.

Far North Climbing gym hopes to create a community of sport and fun. Soon to be announced are more climbing events, student nights, and more competitions. To stay in the loop, find them on Instagram or Facebook, @FarNorthArcata.