The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Category: News

  • Updates on Testing and Vaccinations for COVID-19 at HSU

    Updates on Testing and Vaccinations for COVID-19 at HSU

    Coronavirus testing will be available for all HSU students and employees in a matter of days. Here are some details on testing and vaccinations for students at HSU.

    Testing

    Beginning this month, Humboldt State, in cooperation with HealthQuest, will be offering free coronavirus tests on campus for all HSU staff, faculty, and auxiliary employees. An HSU ID will be needed when it comes time to take the test but HealthQuest will only bill insurance directly, so there is no need to worry about paying up-front.

    Students who are residing on campus will be tested when they move in and then again seven to 10 days later. These students will be contacted by Housing regarding arranging testing appointments.

    Athletes will be frequently tested as mandated by NCAA and County Public Health protocols.

    Vaccinations

    The University is currently working with County Public Health on plans to give out the vaccine to all HSU staff, faculty, and employees who would like to receive the vaccine when available. HSU aims to administer vaccinations to students when allowable based on state and county prioritization and vaccine availability.

    Additionally, all Humboldt County residents who want to be given the COVID-19 vaccine are able to submit their contact information through an online interest form to be alerted when doses are available for their tier.

  • Newly assembled trans task force takes shape

    Newly assembled trans task force takes shape

    With campus’s shift to almost pure online learning since the spring semester of 2020, new and concerning problems have arisen for the transgender population of HSU.

    “Don’t feel gaslighted into thinking this is the best you get,” AM Hueber, member and HSU undergraduate, said for transgender students at HSU.

    Canvas and Zoom class spaces, compared to in-person classes, often have a more painstaking process of correction towards the offender. These struggles join the decades-long “whisper culture” on campus regarding where safe spaces and faculty members for transgender students reside.

    Inspired by HSU student and AS Board Member Roman Sotomayor, in a presentation he held the fall semester of last year, the task force began as a small group of impassioned students and professors alike driven to change the social climate and resource accessibility for their trans peers. Now under the formal name of the Transgender, Nonbinary, and Gender Non-Conforming Task Force, members have begun the steps in helping facilitate and provide for the goals of this already over 30 members strong organization.

    Hueber hopes to see the many plans coming out of the group come into fruition along with the future of a strong physical space presence after the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are over. They expressed that the university has a long road ahead if it hopes to regain its 2012 title of being “one of the most LGBT+ inclusive universities in California.”

    Jenn Capps, Provost in Academic Affairs, expressed how the group has already begun to host faculty training for many of the departments at HSU. Many members of faculty were willing and wanting to learn how to provide properly for their transgender student but often lacked the knowledge and know-how to do so. Other resources the group is currently working to provide include the possibility of legal name-change workshops, trans support hotlines, advocacy reach teams, and a database of trans literature accessible to all students.

    “At HSU we aspire to be an open and welcoming space for our students. Specifically for transgender, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming students. You are important and this is important and near and dear to my heart,” Capps said with a nod of agreement from fellow member Elias Pence.

    “You are not alone,” Pence said. “We are everywhere. We are students, we’re staff, and we are faculty.”

  • COVID-19 Testing for Move-in Day

    COVID-19 Testing for Move-in Day

    Move-in day is Feb 19, and the Student Health Center is preparing to test the many students returning to campus after winter break. Due to the sharp rise of COVID-19 cases in California at the end of 2020, the school pushed back the date for students to return to their dorms. Now, hundreds of students from all over are returning to HSU and the Student Health Center is getting ready to test all of them, particularly if the planned return to limited face-to-face classes begins in the fall semester.

    According to HSU spokesperson Grant Scott-Goforth, the school has been testing constantly to keep an eye on campus COVID-19 cases.

    “They have been administering a few hundred tests per week, but that’s expected to go up as students move back and face-to-face classes commence,” Scott-Goforth said. “The Health Center has conducted a total of 5,013 tests since they began testing.”

    All this comes not long after a new strain of the virus, which is more contagious, was first reported in Humboldt County. While Humboldt had been lucky enough to have relatively low rates of positive cases, those numbers have steadily increased and pushed the county into the highest restrictive COVID tier. This comes at a time when many still do not qualify for vaccines and those who do have difficulty getting them.

    HSU is anticipating about 350 students which may increase the number of positive significantly. According to Scott-Goforth the positivity rate on campus is relatively low.

    “The positivity rate is 1.3% among students, and has increased slightly since testing began,” Scott-Goforth said. “For comparison, the positivity rate for Humboldt County is 4.03% and statewide it’s 6.9%.”

    Continued lockdown means the negative effects on students’ mental health are likely to continue as well. According to Student Health Operations Coordinator Elizabeth McCallion. The counseling office is maintaining several programs made to help students deal with stress and to socialize with other students on campus.

    “We have two support groups that students moving back on campus would particularly benefit from,” McCallion said. “The first is Breaking Isolation, which is focused on finding support, connection, and understanding in this time of social distancing. The second is the living on-campus support group, which is a great group for building community with others living on campus.”

    The links to both support groups can be found on the Counseling web page.

    Despite the risks and challenges of living on campus during the pandemic, many students remain hopeful that the school will provide adequate safety precautions to keep them from getting sick or helping them if they do with quarantine rooms and medical care. HSU student America Hernandez thinks the school is doing a decent job at keeping students safe.

    “I do think they are doing a good job,” Hernandez said. “Since they require COVID tests to move in and encourage self-evaluation of symptoms.”

  • Building Relationships Through ‘College Chats’

    Building Relationships Through ‘College Chats’

    The Humboldt County Office of Education is hosting Zoom sessions for high school and College of the Redwoods students, parents and anyone interested in learning more about HSU programs.

    These events are usually held in person every year but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they are now happening online on Wednesdays from 12–12:45 pm.

    Jim Ritter is the HCOE College Connect Coordinator and the main host of the sessions.

    “College Chats are meant to be casual, and give students an opportunity to learn about subjects on the university level,” Ritter said.

    Ritter explained how College Chats can help students start to build relationships with HSU professors whom they might have a class with someday.

    “I think it is important for high school students to get accurate information about what they can expect in college,” Ritter said. “A really good way to do that is for the students to speak directly to professors and lecturers who teach in different majors. College Chats are perfect for helping this happen.”

    Even though these events are usually held in person each year, there are still positives that have come out of the situation. It has allowed students and parents from all over the community to join the meetings. The first event held on February 3 focused on kinesiology and was attended by students from Hoopa, Academy of the Redwoods, Arcata and Six Rivers High School.

    Every week there is a new HSU faculty member joining as a guest based on different majors. For the first session Justus Ortega, kinesiology department chair, joined to talk about his subject of teaching.

    “[College Chats] allow students and the department to discuss solutions to some of the hardest and most pressing issues that people face today including racism, social injustice and food security,” Ortega said.

    Jana Ashbrook is an Early Assessment Program Coordinator at HSU and the co-host of the events. She loves helping the students and cheering them on by sharing tips.

    “It seems the more time and experiences students get exploring and researching different careers and college majors, the more confident they feel in their college decision,” Ashbrook said.

    After experiencing the first session, Ortega has learned that the events are valuable for both students and parents to not only learn about different majors offered but also build relationships throughout the HSU community.

    “This event opened my eyes to each individual’s needs and concerns, and allows me to work with other faculty in our department, as well as other campus resources, to develop strategies that support each individual’s needs to achieve success and happiness at HSU,” Ortega said.

    Spring Semester 2021 College Chat schedule, Wednesdays from noon–12:45 p.m. on Zoom:

    • February 10 — HSU Psychology

    • February 17 — NO CHAT, President’s Week

    • February 24 — College of the Redwoods Nursing and Dental Programs. (This chat will run 1 hour from noon-1 p.m.)

    • March 3 — HSU Theatre Arts, Film, & Dance

    • March 10 — HSU Economics

    • March 17 — HSU Native American Studies

    • March 24 — HSU Art

    • March 31 — HSU Geology

    • April 7 — HSU Oceanography

    • April 14 — NO CHAT, spring break

    • April 21 — HSU International Studies

    • April 28 — HSU Critical Race, Gender, & Sexuality Studies

    • May 5 — HSU Child Development

  • $11 Million of Uncertainty: HSU receives an additional federal stimulus package

    $11 Million of Uncertainty: HSU receives an additional federal stimulus package

    On Feb. 4, Humboldt State University released a press release saying that the institution has been granted another $16 million in federal stimulus funds. At least $5 million is specifically designated for emergency financial aid grants for students. How the remaining $11 million is going to be used has yet to be determined.

    According to Enrollment Management Director Jason Meriwether, the money designated for students can be requested now by students who are in need of financial relief. Students who do want to request the fund immediately can contact Peggy Metzger, Humboldt State’s financial aid director. An email will also be sent out to students notifying them that they can ask for emergency funding.

    “The funds are an incredible resource for our campus to enhance safety protocols, evolve instructional space and technology, expand student support, and improve operational efficiencies,” Interim Vice President for Administration & Finance Sherie C. Gordon said in a press release.

    The university is seeking the help of key staff, faculty, and student groups across campus to ensure a unanimous decision on where the funds are going to be allocated.

    The request for the campus community’s help comes as groups across campus feel indifferent about the allocation of these funds.

    On Dec. 9, 2020 Humboldt County’s Faculty Association launched a campaign to push pause on cutting classes or faculty positions in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The campaign also addressed that planning for budget cuts two years from now is premature because the Biden administration may approve a stimulus package before the end of the school year that could have the potential to make a financial difference for HSU.

    Grant Scott-Goforth, HSU’s communications specialist, responded to questions regarding how these one time resources could be used to potentially tackle HSU’s budget deficit and allow them to make adjustments to the $20 million reduction plan.

    “The $20 million budget shortfall makes ongoing spending reductions necessary,” Scott-Goforth said in an emailed statement. “The CARES funding is intended to support students and to offset losses and pandemic related costs.”

    Each university in the CSU has felt similar losses to HSU. CFA members within each institution are challenging their administration to take advantage of allocated funds in equitable ways with faculty and staff in mind.

    On Feb 4, the United Students Against Sweatshops student organization held a CSU statewide call to stand in solidarity with CFA members. The importance of students and faculty coming together was emphasized throughout.

    The group discussed the need for Chancellor Joseph I. Castro to put an end to layoffs across the CSU as they highlight the CSU’s $1.7 billion in surplus funds.

    “The spin they try to do with this money is that they will never say it is a surplus, they will always say that it is a designated balances and reserves,” Alex Vermie, one of the panelists on the call who was representing as a research analyst for Teamsters Local 2010 said.

    The pandemic has caused universities across the CSU to suffer unpredictable losses. HSU is currently in a position to use the additional $11 million to help support students, as well as tackle a multitude of pandemic related issues.

    The University is taking input through Feb 28 and will announce the final decisions in the first week of March.

  • Black Liberation Month Speakers

    Black Liberation Month Speakers

    February 4 marked the first of five events meant to celebrate Black History Month. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the speakers cannot be on campus but each Zoom meeting is open for registration. Coordinator Douglas Smith and the students at the African American Center for Academic Excellence (AACAE) have brought together the speakers this Black History Month with the theme of different methods of liberation.

    “The theme is mapping routes of liberation with the idea that there are different routes for us individually or as a community,” Smith said.

    The AACAE, in conjunction with Center Arts, puts together their monthly speakers each year largely through the efforts of members of their student staff, like Imari Washington.

    “When we initially chose our guest speakers, we tried to choose individuals who we thought Black/African American students would benefit most from,” Washington said. “We are very big on supporting our students in personal development, mental well-being, and academic success at the center.”

    The first of the month’s speakers was Dr. Safiya Noble, Associate professor at UCLA and author of the book “Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism.” Information technologies open worlds of information to people that may otherwise be out of reach, but as Noble states, these technologies do not develop in a vacuum, they contain the same biases as the people who created them. While they seem impartial and mathematical and separate from the personal bias of individual people, technology is still designed by people who themselves may have racist bias, or in the cases of algorithms like Google will begin to take on the racial bias that exists in society and in doing so reinforce it. As this technology has advanced, it has created new avenues for discrimination rather than providing liberation.

    “We have more data and technology than ever,” Noble said. “And with it more social, political, and economic inequality and injustice to go with it.”

    Along with containing all of their own biases, Noble says the over-focus on technology creates a situation where what would otherwise be public goods like libraries, open meeting places, or other public institutions are replaced by technology-based solutions, which are privately controlled by a single company and so are subject to any kind of change they see fit without any real avenue for public complaint other than speaking out against the service itself.

    Noble says this tech can’t really fix social inequality on its own it’s just a tool, but they occupy so much of our world that they seem to leave no room for other avenues for finding solutions to social problems. Worse, they force people to work within their confines and therefore limit what people can actually do and instead funnel people into the profit-driven patterns of the medium itself.

    “Social inequality will not be solved by an app,” Noble said. “What we see are these technologies displacing our ability to adjudicate our lives without them.”

    Other speakers for the month include; Director of Campus Life at GVSU Dr. Kyle Boone presenting “The Grey Area: Creating a Space for the Engagement of Black Students”, Farm Manager at Soul Fire Farm and food sovereignty activist Leah Pennimen with “Liberation on the Land” about Black land reclamation, Author and CEO Ja’Net Adams with “Going Deeper than Google: How the History of Black Wealth Can Help Close the Racial Wealth Gap of Today” and Psychology Professor and mental health expert Dr. Nina Ellis Hervey. The events will be going on until February 27, and are available for registration on the Virtual Quad or on the AACAE web page.

  • HSU is in search of a new VP for Administration/Finance

    HSU is in search of a new VP for Administration/Finance

    In the third week of the spring semester, HSU held an open forum for the final four candidates for the vice president of administration and finance position. The school welcomed students, faculty and staff to join the live Zoom meetings to meet the finalists who were selected by the search committee.

    The vice president for administration and finance is responsible for reporting to the university president and in collaboration with colleagues across the campus, the incumbent is responsible for the administrative leadership, management, and oversight of the university’s division of administration and finance.

    Each candidate had one hour via Zoom to present their resumes, answer questions and explain their intended approach to the position.

    Candidate Sharooz Roohparvar elaborated on his transparency in handling school budgets and putting student interests first.

    “I believe that my position and everything in the institution is subject to public records requests, so there’s no reason for anybody to keep anything hidden,” Roohparvar said. “I start every conversation with how does this initiative serve students? And how does it improve that college going experience? Really at the end of the day, we’re here to serve those students.”

    Andrew Boyd, another contender, put an emphasis on his prior work at Humboldt State University in the design department, dealing with financing projects and environmental impact on campus.

    “There’s so many opportunities at Humboldt State to think creatively around how we set up the ecosystem and how to partner with the town of Arcata,” Boyd said. “Ideas for strategic planning or where we are in leaning into that is something that I think is critical for the growth of the institution is something that I would look to try to facilitate as a CFO.”

    Candidate Doreen Ferrington shared how her experience at John Hopkins School of Public Health in the dean’s office and as business operations officer at the Architect of the Capitol has led to her diversity in dealing with different groups including staff, students and faculty.

    “I had the opportunity to interact with a variety of individuals across the university and it enabled me to understand university operations and the pain points that each division was experiencing at that time,” Ferrington said. “I can reach out to faculty, I can talk to students, I can walk the hallway and talk to talk to the staff about their experiences. I can go to the cafeteria or the dorms and see what it’s like for the students to be on campus and I can engage.”

    Kathy J. Johnson, Vice President for Finance & Administration at Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota reiterated her understanding of the school systems and student success.

    “I’ve been a part of students earning nearly 12,000 degrees in my tenure. I love higher education and all the opportunity and hope it provides to the students.” Johnson said. “I lead the division, with full focus on students from ensuring they have the proper resources and learning materials available in the university bookstore. To the best technology infrastructure and classroom technology, we can afford a safe, clean, diverse, inclusive, and sustainable campus.”

    With HSU receiving $16 million in funding via the CARES Act, eyes are on the administration to use the money responsibly. $5 million has been allocated to students experiencing financial burden while the other $11 million is to be distributed in school funding for classes, faculty and staff.

    With the election of a new vice president for administration and finance, the candidatewho gets the job will be responsible for overseeing the distribution of funds to benefit the future of the school.

    “The funds are an incredible resource for our campus to enhance safety protocols, evolve instructional space and technology, expand student support, and improve operational efficiencies in ways which can innovate how we teach, learn, work and engage,” Sherie C. Gordon, Interim Vice President for Administration & Finance, said.

  • Composting at HSU

    Composting at HSU

    Students at HSU are working to find a solution to the food waste on campus. Kimberly Cossio reports.

  • New Covid Strain Touches Down in Humboldt

    New Covid Strain Touches Down in Humboldt

    Humboldt County is one of the most isolated counties in California. From this came low numbers of coronavirus cases, a luxury that other counties in the state didn’t have. That has all changed recently. Cases have shot up in every county in California and now there is a new coronavirus strain making its way around.

    Known as L452R, this variant largely remains a mystery to local health officials and there has only been one confirmed case for this new strain in Humboldt County as of publication.

    Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Ian Hoffman believes that while the new variant may be unique, it is not necessarily more dangerous than other current strains.

    “I think from just knowing about the other variants, symptomatology should be the same. The UK variant doesn’t show any worse outcomes, it’s just more transmissible,” Hoffman said in a video interview with the Humboldt County Department of Human Health and Services.

    Clairissa Keesey, an HSU senior and a studio art and business marketing double major, is on edge about possibly contracting the new coronavirus strain given her job.

    “I’m a healthcare worker, I work with direct patient contact as a caregiver, so it definitely makes me nervous,” Keesey said. “But I just got the vaccine so I’m hoping it works.”

    The guidelines and practices surrounding coronavirus in Humboldt County remain steadfast.

    HSU’s Campus COVID Safety Coordinator Jennifer Sanford outlined some of the ways that HSU is readying itself for the onset of the L452R variant.

    “The campus emergency team, and advance planning team both meet twice weekly and continue to be responsive to new developments in terms of campus plans,” Sanford said in an email interview. “We are keeping an eye on the new strain and other happenings and these will be considered in plans concerning the current semester, summer, and fall.”

    On a county-wide level, Dr. Ian Hoffman doesn’t foresee any new rules being enacted, even with the arrival of this new strain.

    “There should be no change in our practices because the things that we do to prevent the new strains are the exact same things we do to prevent the old strains,” Hoffman said. “So that would be: distancing, masking, avoiding gathering, washing hands.”

    For Sanford and her group, the landscape of the situation is constantly evolving and thus they need to be ready for anything.

    “In a nutshell, plans adapt as new information comes to light,” Sanford said in an email interview. “Lots of on-campus testing will continue moving forward and we are looking now at how to get the vaccine out to the campus community in an efficient manner as soon as it is available.”

  • Nina G uses comedy to start conversations

    Nina G uses comedy to start conversations

    On Jan. 28, HSU students were able to tune into a virtual event held by the SDRC where comedian Nina Ghiselli, better known as Nina G, provided laughs and a deeper insight into how she got to where she is today.

    Nina G, a comedian, professional speaker and author of “Stutterer Interrupted” reflects on the importance of student resources for students with disabilities.

    “It was resources like those provided by the SDRC that allowed for me to get through school,” Nina G said as she reflected on the struggles that she faced in grades K-12.

    When she was eight-years-old, Nina G was diagnosed with dyslexia and accommodations became essential for her progress in school. It was not until eighth grade, after receiving a failing grade in her math class for only doing half the work, where she recognized the lack of awareness surrounding the accommodations set for those with disabilities.

    Heather Hollingsworth is a first year transfer student at HSU and resonated with Nina G when it came to the lack of understanding when it comes to accommodations.

    “Some of the professor’s excuses are that accommodations give me an unfair advantage”, Hollingsworth said. “It would be too much work on their part, they do not think I need them, and lastly, my favorite, that I need to find a way to get over my disability and stop using it as an excuse to be lazy.”

    Back in October of 2017, the SDRC launched a “1 in 10” campaign. It was an effort to spread awareness about the amount of students with disabilities on campus, encouraging inclusion and acceptance. The campaign expressed that although disabilities are not always apparent, they are still widely present among the student population.

    Kim Coughlin-Lamphear, a student access advisor for the SDRC, feels like it is important that students at HSU keep in mind that the SDRC makes up 10% or more of the student population at times.

    “We are really trying to take away the negativity surrounding disabilities,” Coughlin-Lamphear said. “The usual, visual picture that students will have is someone who has a physical disability that you can make note of, but that is not always the case.”

    The reality of living with a disability is diverse and Nina G focuses on that, along with other stigmas surrounding the misconceptions that society has when it comes to understanding and including people with disabilities. Her journey of being a stuttering comedian is continuously a work in progress as Nina G constantly wants to improve her art and reach more audiences. She wants to continue to bring awareness, while also using humor as an unconventional approach to tell her story.

    For the SDRC it is important for the students at HSU to have a deeper understanding of where everyone is coming from and encourage inclusivity across campus.

    “For any individual, there’s this notion about being included, of being understood,” Lamphear said. “So having someone who promotes that understanding and inclusiveness is what Nina brings forward for a lot of people.”

  • The Biden Administration’s Long Road to Student Loan Relief

    The Biden Administration’s Long Road to Student Loan Relief

    President Joe Biden leaves his first day of office with continued pressure to follow through with his proposal to relieve $10,000 off all borrowers’ debt following his extension of the nearly year long federal student loan freeze through September 2021.

    At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March, Biden took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the first stimulus bill, where he also urged that some sort of student loan relief should be included within it.

    It's simple: The White House and @senatemajldr have tried to put corporate bailouts ahead of families.

    No bill should pass without conditions on corporations to ensure the help they get goes to their workers, not their CEOs. No blank checks.

    No bill should pass without immediate, generous relief for workers who are losing jobs and hours, small businesses losing revenue, and communities facing emergency needs.

    Additionally, we should forgive a minimum of $10,000/person of federal student loans, as proposed by Senator Warren and colleagues. Young people and other student debt holders bore the brunt of the last crisis. It shouldn't happen again.

    We should also increase monthly Social Security checks by $200/month, as proposed by Senator Wyden and colleagues. Seniors and people with disabilities are uniquely at risk right now.

    In this moment of crisis, we should be sending federal resources to those who need it most. It's not just good economics — it's the right thing to do. We have to get this right.

    Originally tweeted by Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) on Sunday, March 22, 2020.

    Within his first day of office, Biden made progress with his proposition to tackle the student debt crisis through addressing the issue within one of the 17 executive orders made. This consisted of extending the pause on interest and principal payments for student loans through Sept. 30.

    Following this busy first day, many members of Congress are pushing Biden to do more. The likes of Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer are leading a group of other influential Democrats in pursuit of asking for $50,000 of forgiveness per each federal student loan borrower. A few of the more progressive members of Congress, such as Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders, are calling for complete cancellation of student debt. As COVID-19 cases are on the surge, they collectively believe that tackling the burden of student debt is essential to combat the financial hardship that citizens are going through.

    Lily McIntire received both her Bachelors and Masters degrees studying Biology at HSU. She is currently in the process of obtaining her PhD in Ecology at San Diego State University.

    In regards to what she hoped for student debt forgiveness with this new administration, McIntire was apprehensive. She explained that the accumulation of the student debt crisis has always been a looming issue, but the pandemic has made it more of an upfront issue.

    “I’ve been in school continuously, so I’ve been in deference,” said McIntire when asked how the burden of student loans has affected her personally. “However, they have stopped interest fees until September too, which is a huge relief for me because a lot of my debt from grad school was unsubsidized.”

    According to data that was crunched by the Department of Education, the average debt for an HSU graduate student is around $20,000. However, only around 26% of these students are making some progress toward repayment.

    Peggy Metzger is the Director of Financial Aid Services at Humboldt State and feels enthusiastic about the change that the Biden Administration has the potential to make for recent graduates.

    “There are a lot of students at the University that are out there with a debt of $10,000 or less,” said Metzger. “The amount of students that would be able to wipe out their debt completely is quite large.”

    Metzger also said that the relief of student loan debt could potentially help graduates focus on obtaining their first job or buying that first house. It would allow them to get a better start in life.

    Karolyn Fagundes is currently a graduate student at HSU who is in the process of obtaining a masters in forestry and has thought little about her student debt situation post-graduation.

    “I’m pretty deep in student loan debt, but I don’t know how it’ll affect me after graduation,” said Fagundes.

    Fagundes explains how the idea of being in debt is not entirely concrete since she has yet to make any payments. However, she feels skeptical about the current administration’s capabilities to make a real difference when it comes to student loan debt. Like many, Fagundes is questioning whether this first executive action made by the Biden administration is setting the tone for further progress with student loan forgiveness.

    “In the coming days and weeks we will be announcing additional executive actions that confront these challenges and deliver on the President-elect’s promises to the American people,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement on a press call the on Jan. 19 before inauguration day.

    In the coming months, the Biden administration is going to be watched closely as they are expected to make longer strides toward combatting many pressing issues during such a vulnerable time. The student debt crisis is currently on the hot seat and Biden’s exact plan of action is still unclear for many.

  • New funding aims to reduce turnover in special needs teaching program

    New funding aims to reduce turnover in special needs teaching program

    The HSU special needs teachers program was awarded a residency grant worth about $200,000 per year. This covers the resident education fees and any other fees within the program. The administration of funds are from the Humboldt County Office of Education as well as partner Humboldt State University. A major part of this program is to reduce the turnover or drop of special needs teachers in Humboldt County.

    The four individuals partners are David Ellerd, a professor and program leader, program coordinator Bernie Levy, Colby Smart, superintendent of educational services, and Jenny Bowen, Director of Personnel Services Humboldt County Office of Education.

    The grant was first established three years ago when Ellerd, among other members, wrote the grant to provide funding for local schools that were having issues getting special needs teachers as well as having them stay for five years. Levy, the program coordinator, wanted to help with getting school teachers and credentials for those teachers.

    “Apart from being a resident, they have the opportunity to continue working and most people in this program are already working as a classroom aid and they were ready to sort of taking the next step,” Smart said.

    “It provided funding for the residency program for ten residents,” Levy said. “It could be ten different schools, it could be less spending on how many residents in a particular school for five years.”

    Prior to this program, there was a mentoring program established but had little success and high turnover in teachers.

    “They found over the years in research that retention rates for special education using the internship model have been huge turnovers, in other words, you might get a teacher staying in the profession one or two years and then leaving prematurely,” Levy said.

    Since the partnership with HSU has simplified credentials and residency, this program has been a great success in helping the community. Smart has seen great success in this program and even more than ten residents apply.

    “Part of the agreement is that the student will teach in the district for four years,” Smart said. “That’s really the goal, we really try to match residents with school districts who are looking for or needing additional special education teachers.”

    With this program’s success, there have been a few complications in the program regarding the pandemic, but some new opportunities as well.

    “One of the benefits with virtual instruction is that we realized that we can deliver our course work to outlying areas where the folks can’t leave their school to come to Humboldt,” Ellerd said. “One of the things we have been discussing is being able to continue to deliver our course work online so those folks in the outer areas will be able to participate in the program.”

    The overall goal is to help students get the credentials they need to become special education teachers and stay in that district to stop the turnover in Humboldt County.

    “Primary goal of this program is to build up and promote special education in our community,” Smart said.

  • Huffman addresses US Capitol attack in virtual town hall

    Huffman addresses US Capitol attack in virtual town hall

    The Capitol in Washington D.C. was met with an angry mob of President Trump supporters on January 6. While Congress was in session to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral victory, the group stormed the Capitol in an attempt to stop the electoral count.

    U.S. Representative for the 2nd Congressional District, Jared Huffman, held a live stream via his Facebook page on January 12 to address the attack and plans moving forward. Huffman is the representative for Northern California’s coastal region which spans from San Francisco to the Oregon border.

    “When that disgraceful mob stormed the Capitol and literally took it over for a few hours, where no help was coming and they had control of the place, that’s just a wake-up call for all of us. It speaks to the level of violence and insurrection that we all saw with our eyes and ears,” Huffman said.

    The mob broke into the Capitol building looting and vandalizing as a sign of defiance to the election results. Trump has repeatedly accused the election of being rigged in Biden’s favor, demanding recounts and overturns of results to no avail.

    Though the riot at the Capitol has captured the attention across the world, the FBI has warned states across the country of possible violence in the coming days.

    Huffman alluded to the idea of local and state violence in response to the days leading to Biden’s inauguration.

    “The intelligence suggests that the threats of violence are not going to be limited to the Capitol,” Huffman said.

    Danny Kelley, the Chair of the Humboldt County Democratic Central Committee, commented on the vandalism that had taken place at their headquarters where a window was destroyed on the same day as the Capitol attack.

    Kelley said that though they could not confirm who was responsible for the vandalism, they can assume it was an action in the spur of the moment.

    “It is clear that the vandalism at our headquarters was random and unplanned, but it is also clear that it was spurned by an intense personal belief based on the lie that the election was stolen,” Kelley said.

    The Democratic committee was able to repair their window the same day with the help of a local business. The vandalism that occurred is not deterring the local office from reaching out in the community to help cultivate a space for the Democratic party.

    “Destruction like this has happened to the local Republican headquarters many more times than it has happened to us. Thoughtless acts like this can’t stop us,” Kelley said.

    In plans of moving forward and protecting democracy on a local level here in Humboldt, there are many groups and organizations to get involved with across the political spectrum. As for the Humboldt County Democratic Central Committee, Kelley encouraged students to get involved in local politics.

    “We need students to get involved with the Humboldt Young Democrats and to step up and become members of our Central Committee,” Kelley said. “There is so much work to be done and so many opportunities for grassroot leadership to really make a difference.”

  • MLK day of service zoom event

    MLK day of service zoom event

    MLK day of service is a national initiative. This year at HSU there was an event hosted via Zoom for Martin Luther King Jr. that began with a keynote speaker, LaTosha Brown and continued into two breakout rooms with workshops such as Art and Community Activism by Aundrea Stuckey from Youth Art Will Succeed (YAWS).

    Prior to the event, Molly Kresl, the student life coordinator, was excited about the event still going on regardless of not being able to host it in person due to the pandemic protocols.

    “Last year we did MLK day of service and we had three different volunteer sets and over a hundred people to volunteer and eighty participated,” Kresl said. “It was totally successful and we were so happy.”

    Kresl wanted to continue the event virtually to allow the community to be able to participate in the event from the safety of their home and still get a meaningful experience.

    “Us being in a virtual semester, we wanted to continue the tradition because it is a brand new tradition, we think it is a really valuable and important event,” Kresl said. “So we had to kinda reinvent what it looked like.”

    Towards the end of introductions, a slide was dedicated to labor and land recognition such as native land in Humboldt county and acknowledging the labor that built this country.

    LaTosha Brown was the first keynote speaker and spoke about what MLK day means, the work she has done for Black Voters Matters, experience, and motivating the audience. In the beginning, she sang a song and spoke on the impact of the song.

    “A song in their heart, they had hope,” Brown said.

    Brown’s speech related to addressing those who have been affected by COVID-19 and this year in general.

    Within the break, there was an option to join breakout groups composed of participants and main speaker interactions through the chat and aloud. Most of the content of the breakout rooms was back and forth conversation and understanding the importance of MLK day.

    Stuckey’s breakout room focused on subjects within the art community and involvement with POC artwork in Humboldt county.

    “Where do you see black art? Black people?” Stuckey said.

    The second breakout room was dedicated to discussion between participants and main speaker Ron White from the Humboldt Area Foundation discussing his presentation “The Salvation of Democracy: Civic Engagement of the Dispossessed.” Sarah Hammoudi, a senior bachelor’s social work major, attended the second breakout session with White and was a participant for the event.

    “I then attended the workshop held by Ron White on civic engagement and it was an amazing opportunity,” Hammoudi said. “I was even able to speak in a small breakout group with him which gave me even more insight and inspiration.”

    Overall the end of the event ended with questions from participants to the main coordinators and speakers and leveled into a deep discussion.

    “LaTosha Brown, the keynote speaker, was absolutely inspiring and provided amazing insight,” Hammoundi said. “ She said ‘we are called to evolve’ which makes me remember despite how unpredictable the past year’s circumstances have been, we surely can be a piece to making real change one day.”

    Hammoundi was inspired not only by Brown but also the event, the other speakers, and the meaning behind the day itself.

    “MLK day to me definitely is a reminder to do good for others as you wish to receive,” Hammoudi said.

  • Backcountry Horsemen of California kick off food drive on horseback

    As a part of the Food For People food drive the volunteers trotted through Old Town Eureka

    • The Redwood Unit of the Backcountry Horsemen of California ride through Old Town, Eureka while kicking of Food For People’s food drive on November 21, 2020
    • Bodie the horse stands in front of the Carson Mansion while the Redwood Unit of the Backcountry Horsemen of California ride through Old Town, Eureka while kicking of Food For People’s food drive on November 21, 2020.
    • The Redwood Unit of the Backcountry Horsemen of California ride through Old Town, Eureka past the Carson Mansion while kicking of Food For People’s food drive on November 21, 2020
    • The Redwood Unit of the Backcountry Horsemen of California pause up by the Carson Mansion for a photo oppertuynity while kicking of Food For People’s food drive on November 21, 2020.

    All photos by Thomas Lal

  • McKinleyville launches the first Christmas lighting contest

    McKinleyville launches the first Christmas lighting contest

    McKinleyville plans its first Christmas lights, house decorations and door decorating contest.

    McKinleyville will host their first Christmas lighting contest. The contest consists of Christmas lights and Christmas decorations on McKinleyville houses. The contestants are judged based on inflatables, Christmas lights and Christmas decorations.

    The Christmas lighting contest, will have a map drawn out of all participating homes. There will be first, second and third placements with prizes. Participating in the event is free and the event itself will take place Dec. 23, 24, and 25 from 6 to 9 p.m.

    Keith Ownsbey was the first to launch the idea and hopes the event can become an annual tradition. Ownsbey started a Facebook page dedicated to the idea and posted his contact information for those interested in participating and volunteering.

    “I was bored,” Ownsbey said. “I decided to make a post on the local Facebook page and said ‘hey this is who I am, my family and I are lucky enough to call this community our home and I plan on decorating a lot this year and I wanted to put on a Christmas lighting decorating contest.’”

    The event will be following COVID-19 protocol by looking at Christmas lights within the McKinleyville area. The event is being held over a three-day span, rather than one giant event on a single day, as another COVID-19 safety precaution.

    The Christmas light contest is only happening locally in McKinleyville, but the Christmas door decorating contest is available throughout Humboldt County, so more people can participate.

    “Not everybody can drop two or three grand on a bunch of stuff,” Ownsby said. “But almost everybody can decorate a door and send in a picture.”

    Local community members and businesses who wished to contribute to the event offered prize money and donations.

    “All the prize money coming solely from the community members, business and donations,” Ownsbey said. “That’s what we are gonna use for the awards.”

    Cyndi Bainbridge, the treasurer for McKinleyville’s Lions Club, is excited about participating in the event. The Lions Club is a community and worldwide known club that partnered with Ownsbey to help out with the Christmas event.

    “I talked to the Lions Club,” Bainbridge said. “The president felt it was a really good idea to get behind something like that.”

    The Lions Club, by partnering, has helped with donations and credibility regarding the event. COVID-19 has taken a lot from communities this last year, Bainbridge is hopeful the outcome of this event can change that.

    “The community needs this,” Bainbridge said. “It’s been a hard year, we are the type of community that likes to come together and be involved.”

    Kacy Tonkin is a participants in both the Christmas lights and door decorating contest. Once she found out about the event, she messaged Ownsbey asking to participate because she enjoys the Christmas season a lot.

    “I am super excited,” Tonkin said. “Personally I really enjoy driving around at Christmas time looking at lights, and I think less and less people were decorating, so this kind of gives them the incentive for people to decorate.”

    Tonkin mostly decorates inside her home, she’s excited to decorate the outside and help bring cheer regardless of the contest.

    “Gives people something to do,” Tonkin said. “I think that more than any monetary gain, I think just the joy or the happiness it brings people.”

    The deadline to sign up for the event is Dec. 15. The deadline for door decoration contest will be Dec. 22. To participate or ask any questions, reach out to the Facebook page, 1st Annual Mckinleyville Lighting Contest.

  • Students for Quality Education statewide Abolitionist Meeting

    Students from different CSU locations demanded changes and ideas on how to accomplish them

    Hosted on Zoom Fri., Nov. 13 by Faith Garcia from California State University San Marcos, SQE held a statewide abolitionist meeting.

    The meeting consisted of 65 students from different locations within the CSU system. The meeting began by going over the Key Principles of Freire to discuss popular education, including learning from social realities to make actual change, the importance of respect and dialogue and actually committing to change.

    Adela Gutierrez-Diaz, a CSU student leader, expressed the need to be aware of an injustice and the call to action.

    “Start with issues that carry fear, anger, sorrow, hope,” said Gutierrez-Diaz.

    The discussion examined how to build a new future, to make a difference and accept that emotions will come into play. For this reason, dialogue is even more important and needs to stay open and available.

    “Everyone can learn from each other,” Gutierrez-Diaz said. “Folks have different perspectives rather than more knowledge.”

    Students should search for solutions considering both fact and emotion, as well as reflecting on what had occurred and what could be learned and made better.

    “Use what you learn to change the world because we truly have no choice at this point,” Gutierrez-Diaz said.

    The discussion began with things students had seen from police within their own lives, or through others, and why they hated them.

    They shared instances of mistreatment of the LGBTQ+ community, watching family being unfairly treated or killed, or the way police profile and target communities differently.

    “They treat people like they’re straight up above everyone,” said Andy Aleman-Alvarez from CSU Los Angeles.

    This led to other issues, such as problems within their own communities. Many expressed homelessness as a main problem. Arcata and the HSU community also consistently struggle with homelessness.

    Students mentioned getting School Resource Officer’s out of schools, the access to healthcare and its expenses, prison and unfair treatment, and student debt.

    “I already have debt for my graduate degree,” said Silvia Angulo from CSU Los Angeles.

    Students were not just speaking about issues but finding ways to address problems and plan to do something about it, talking specifically about the risks associated with being outspoken.

    “You need to be willing to lose something,” said Louise Barros from CSU Stanislaus.

    Reforming institutions founded on white supremacy was a heavily discussed topic. The goal moving forward is creating alternative systems and finding other ways for the people to do it themselves.

    “Power can come from all of us supporting one another,” said Nia de Jesus from CSU Stanislaus.

    Led again by Guterriez-Diaz, students engaged in group grounding exercises to calm down after the discussion. Instructed to put their feet on the ground, relax their jaw. loosen their shoulders and breathe in peace, breathe out justice.

    “These conversations can make you very tense very fast,” Guterriez-Diaz said.

    After the grounding exercise, three breakout rooms were created where students could reach out to the Campus Contact, CSU Board of Trustees or State and Local Governments. Contact information and scripts were provided to aid students, as well as access to graphics that could be posted on their social media.

  • Humboldt County skips from yellow to red tier

    Part of a statewide effort to slow COVID-19 cases, Humboldt county enters a heavily restrictive tier.

    Humboldt County moved into a heavily restrictive tier as part of a statewide COVID-19 response. California saw a rise of cases within the past weeks, reporting 57,000 new cases within the past seven days. Governor Gavin Newsom said this will slow down any plans of reopening.

    Part of a 40 county reorganization, Humboldt has been moved from the lowest tier into the second highest tier, with 4.8 cases for every 100,000 tests conducted.

    42 percent of positive, reported Humboldt county cases have occurred within the Latinx community, despite making up only 12.3 percent of the population according to 2019 US Census Bureau data.

    In a Humboldt Health Alert sent out on Nov. 16, Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Teresa Frankovich said that the current case rates could possibly move Humboldt into the most restrictive tier.

    “Since the state first implemented the Blueprint framework, they’ve signaled that they could move faster if conditions warranted,” said Frankovich. “Our recent data shows why that makes sense because this virus is moving faster than we have ever seen, and rapid response can help to slow the upward trajectory.”

    Under the new tier list all bars, breweries and distilleries will be closed while wineries can be open outdoors only. Restaurants, retail shops and places of worship can be open “…indoors at maximum 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer,” according to the Humboldt Health Alert.

    The CDC and the Humboldt Department of Health and Human Services both highly advise against having gatherings for the holidays as this will most likely increase the spread of COVID-19.

    “We simply need to stop traveling and stop gathering, especially indoors. It isn’t safe, and it is impacting our schools and our business communities,” Frankovich said in the health alert. “The upcoming holidays need to be single household celebrations if we want to get through this pandemic with fewer hospitalizations and fewer lives lost.”

    Nationwide, cases continue to spike. The New York Times is currently tracking around 11.4 million cases reported nationwide and nearly 250,000 deaths attributed to the virus, as of time of publication.

    The Center for Disease Control has predicted that “…the number of newly reported COVID-19 deaths will likely increase over the next four weeks, with 5,500 to 13,400 new deaths likely to be reported in the week ending Dec. 5, 2020. The national ensemble predicts that a total of 260,000 to 282,000 COVID-19 deaths will be reported by this date.”

  • Savage Henry Comedy Club faces potential closing

    Savage Henry Comedy Club faces potential closing

    The club’s GoFundme is near its deadline

    The Savage Henry, known for its magazine and comedy club, is being threatened with shutting down. Their current GoFundMe stands $9,000 short, as of publication, and the deadline is coming up.

    The club temporarily shut down from March to July due to COVID-19.

    Co-owner of Savage Henry Chris Durant first opened the club in November 2018. Ever since, the club and magazine have been a hit locally and statewide but due to pandemic restrictions, the club faces financial troubles.

    “We couldn’t pay any bills because we couldn’t sell anything,” Durant said. “We were dead in the water,” Durant said.

    Calista LaBolle, a stand-up comedian at the Savage Henry, has been performing at the club for a year and has been friends with Durant prior to stepping on stage. LaBolle emphasized the beauty of the comedy club and it’s importance in the community.

    “It’s a mecca for comedy in Humboldt. It is for many comedians,” LaBolle said. “In our region, it is very well known. A rest fit for a lot of the comedians, a place that they can come and be themselves. That will be difficult for a lot of us, if it has to close.”

    Eric Fitzgerald, a stand-up comedian at the Savage Henry, found the club from open mic acts. For Fitzgerald, the club is a place of creativity and expression, a supportive outlet for local comedians to get their art form public and have fun.

    “A place to get together and see good entertainment that’s hilarious and to get a good laugh,” Fitzgerald said. “Especially now with the pandemic I feel like comedy kind of essential to break up the monotony.”

    Although the club had shows in alternative forms during the pandemic, like drive-in and movie theatre-style comedy with protocol being followed within the building, it is not bringing in as much money as it was.

    “If the comedy club goes away, there’s other things that will go away too and then we are all stuck in our houses staring at our phones,” Fitzgerald said.

    Only certain drive-in and comedy streaming shows within the club are available making it hard to bring money in with the club shut down. Usually, the club packs the week full of different comedy sets.

    “We would have local comics, open mics on Wednesdays and Sundays, the comedians produce their own shows, on the weekends we usually have headliners from out of the area,” Durant said. “The only dedicated comedy club between the Bay area and Portland, OR.”

    The GoFundMe money would go towards rent and keeping the building. There’s still time to raise the money and with flexibility between landlords and the owners, Durant is hopeful.

    “We make jokes about it now,” Durant said. “I would turn to the camera and say, ‘Please donate so this guy doesn’t come running up to you in the store and try to tell you jokes, give him a safe place to do his craft’.”

    To donate, visit their GoFundMe at http://www.gofundme.com/f/save-savage-henry.

  • How to cope with post election anxiety

    The election may be over but the emotional aftereffects can be difficult to manage

    In addition to handling mental health post election, students have reached the middle of the semester and are working to finish strong after adjusting to the new virtual learning conduction of class.

    Resources are available for all students during these stressful times. According to the Humboldt State University’s website, “Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) promotes the well being of students through outreach, consultation, educational and counseling services.”

    Students are able to utilize CAPS from traditional one-on-one counseling support, group therapy, Single Session Therapy, “Web-In Wednesdays,” a “walk-in” service for students, and on-call services from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon-Fri.

    The university also holds formalized events in the virtual quad for students to attend and discuss their mental health with professionals.

    On Nov. 4, a student dialogue event was hosted to discuss the election.

    The event was led by professional therapists and counselors of HSU. It was a safe environment and a fully confidential meeting where students were able to talk about their recent feelings surrounding the presidential election, the pandemic or anything else on their mind.

    One of the hosts of the meeting, Cedric Aaron, is a multicultural specialist and staff psychotherapist at CAPS. His advice for students is to not ignore or minimize any feelings.

    “If we distract ourselves to the point of ignoring them, then our wellness tank will overflow and spill out onto different areas of our lives,” Aaron said.

    He also suggests students lean on their peers for emotional support even if it’s as simple as a text message or a written letter.

    The election has not only affected students but many individuals in our community. Aaron, as a Black man and candidate in a local election in Humboldt County, has had to discover ways to manage his own stress and anxiety. His fear for our community intensified these past few months of elections.

    “Maintaining a strong connection and being in space within my Black/BIPOC community was key in getting me through these stressful months,” Aaron said.

    Paula Nedelcoff is a staff psychotherapist and community outreach coordinator at CAPS. She suggests movement is a good way to relieve stress. Whether it’s walking or talking out our feelings, movement is what works best for her.

    “The faculty and staff at HSU are here for the students, we at CAPS want to support your needs,” Nedelcoff said.

    For more information about confidential support, contact CAPS at (707) 826-3236, Humboldt County Mental Health at (707) 268-2900 or the 24-Hour County Crisis Line (707) 445-7715.

  • New schedule for spring semester classes

    A look at the spring semester schedule for online and in-person classes

    On Nov. 2, Humboldt State University informed the student body on how classes were going to be conducted in the spring 2021 semester. Classes will start online and move in-person up until spring break, where classes will switch back to online for two weeks before going back to in-person for the rest of the year.

    HSU Provost Jenn Capps says this is essentially the same type of schedule as last year.

    “We landed at probably the same amount of face-to-face time for students, but what we did is that there is probably more hybrid courses that have a little face-to-face component versus more limited full face-to-face classes,” said Capps.

    The biggest challenge was working around spring break in the middle of the semester and planning for the return of students from the break.

    “Folks are gonna wanna go home for spring break and come back and how do we have safe reentry back to campus,” said Capps.

    A question was brought about possible moving spring break to a different time or completely removing it and ending a week early.

    “So I did actually take that question to Senate and to Associated Students and asked their perspective, as well as faculty and staff,” said Capps. “That feedback informed that we should not move it, that we should just leave it where it was. Maybe the only consensus was, please don’t take our spring break away, which I totally understand.”

    Students were uncertain about the schedule but enjoyed some of the safety aspects factored into the decision to start online. Kyra Cherry, a biology major at HSU, is one of those students who appreciated the safety precaution.

    “I think that in the beginning having virtual instruction only, is pretty good especially since we don’t know where everyone is coming from, who all they’ve been around,” said Cherry. “So, I think that’s important.”

    After spring break, the on and off switching between virtual and in-person instruction forces students to adjust for two weeks and switch again.

    “I also think that it’s a pretty decent window of time before the face-to-face instruction,” Cherry said. “But I think that after that, since it starts switching back and forth between virtual and face-to-face, that’s kind of an issue with scheduling with certain students.”

    For Cherry, changes in class schedules as a result of switching between face-to-face and virtual threw off her personal schedule.

    “I had a class where some unfortunate things happened and the course got switched up quite a bit and I had to reevaluate what I was doing for my class, cause I already had my weekly schedule of when I would do what for each class set,” said Cherry.

    Environmental studies major, August Andrews, prefers face-to-face learning and an in-person, social environment.

    “To be honest, I prefer in-person stuff. It’s just the connections you can make and the learning style,” said Andrews. “Personally I’m managing with online classes, they’re not terrible, but at the same time it’s not nearly as preferable in my opinion to in person classes or even some kind of hybrid class.”

    He does have concerns regarding COVID-19 and how it would fare in the winter months.

    “The only concern I share is that, at least from what we know from the Coronavirus that it thrives more in the winter months, but other than that I’m actually really excited about [the schedule] and I do miss the partial face-to-face classes,” said Andrews.

    There are university policies set to catch COVID-19 cases early when students return for the spring semester.

    “Students living on-campus will be required to be tested and students residing off-campus will be encouraged to seek testing if they are returning to Humboldt county for spring (from home that was outside of the county) or if they fail their self-wellness check,” said Capps in an email.

    Capps is very happy with how students have stepped up during this semester and continued to wear masks and socially distance.

    “I’m really proud of how we did and hats go off to our students and our faculty and our staff,” said Capps.

  • UC Board working to address termination

    UC Board working to address termination

    The University Center continues to work toward resolving President’s termination notice

    Following the notice of termination issued by President Tom Jackson, the University Center group has been working on an official response.

    The letter, emailed out to Humboldt State University on Sept. 24 by Jackson, outlined a series of violations that the HSU administration believes the UC group committed. These include the opening of lines of credit for the North Humboldt Recreation and Park District, which runs the Arcata Community Pool, and apparent failure to comply with the President’s review of UC programs earlier in the year.

    The notice gave 90 days for the UC group to address and correct the allegations made against them, placing an end date on Dec. 23. If the UC fails to produce acceptable remedies or isn’t granted an extension, the UC’s contract with HSU will be officially terminated.

    The UC Board of Directors have repeatedly stated that the allegations were unfounded but would actively look for resolutions. With over a month left, the UC Board has started to draft a response.

    “The response letter is still in draft format as the Board does a final review and still has the opportunity to make changes,” Interim Executive Director Wendy Sotomayor said in an email. “Once the letter is final and issued to the President, it will be a public document that we can provide. We hope to have it released early next week.”

    During the Oct. 22 UC Board meeting, Vice President Enrollment Management Jason Meriwether listened to the concerns of board members, but provided little feedback into whether or not the proposed ideas would resolve the notice.

    “Some of the answers, and I apologize if I sound like a broken record, but it really is similar to my earlier answer,” Meriwether said during the meeting. “I think the board has to review the letter, review the attachments and investigate how it got here then make a determination about what the cure would be.”

    Steven Martin, Ph.D., one of the faculty representatives on the UC board has stated that the board’s response will be made public after the administration has a had a chance to review it.

    “I think once the response has been approved by the Board and given to the President, it will be public,” said Martin in an email. “But until then, I don’t think we’re in a position to share it, because it could still change between now and then, and the President should get it from us before the public sees it (even though he didn’t afford the Board the same respect when he released the termination notice to the media at the same time the Board got it).”

  • Protestors seek to defund HSUPD

    Protestors seek to defund HSUPD

    Two local, activist organizations work together to stage a sit-in against Humboldt State’s police department.

    A small group of concerned students and community members gathered outside Humboldt State University on Nov. 7 to protest the University Police Department.

    The two day protest was organized by Abolish Humboldt Police and Students for Quality Education groups. The two labeled it online as an information sharing session regarding the history of the UPD and Interim Chief of Police Scott VanScoy. VanScoy is the second interim chief that HSU has had this year.

    The UPD Chief position has not been permanently filled since the retirement of former chief Donn Peterson, who retired in May of this year. Peterson faced allegations from his fellow officers of creating a hostile work environment and making racially motivated statements. A independent investigation concluded that there was not enough evidence to either exonerate Peterson or to sustain the complaint.

    Two candidates for the position were recently turned down, with a campus wide email stating that both “…did not demonstrate the leadership needed for our campus.”

    A leader of the Abolish Humboldt Police group, who wish to only identify themselves as an alumni of the school for their safety, said that they seek change in all departments within the county but chose UPD as a jumping off point due to events within the past year.

    “They are adding more psychological load and heaviness to [students] trying to go to class and learn,” the Abolish Humboldt Police organizer said. “That is what the police do in order to keep you from learning, and we do not want that on our campus.”

    Irritation within HSUPD further imploded in the earlier parts of the year when Black Lives Matter protests exposed police brutality specifically targeted on the Black community. Campuses across the nation started questioning the need for campus law enforcement.

    “They have been going on for too long and they have damaged too many people’s lives,” the organizer said. “I didn’t like seeing them as a student here, I don’t like seeing them as an alumni.”

    On the Instagram page for the activist group, the SQE listed the demands they wish to be met if UPD were to be defunded. The demands included the removal of firearms from campus, establishing “a student and faculty run, mutual aid based, program for the emergency/blue lights,” and the creation of a system to address virtual harassment.

    Outside of UPD reform, the group seeks better funding for BIPOC organizations on campus and better protection for LGBTQ+ members of the community.

    Kei Chow was an incoming freshman when they heard about the investigation. Chow was proud to see groups like Abolish Humboldt Police and SQE in the area, sharing the discontent for UPD.

    “I saw their Instagram page when I first came here and I didn’t realize that the school had a defund the police movement,” Chow said. “I think that’s really important, especially since I’ve seen what the campus police spend their time doing.”

    Jasmine Martin, a marine biology major, helped organize the Abolish Humboldt Police event after being directed by other activist organizations in the area.

    “Being white, I have a lot more safety and privilege than a lot of other people do to speak my mind,” Martin said. “I felt it was important to use my privilege to hep the BIPOC members of the group feel safe and encourage other white allies to show up and listen.”

    As cars drove by, some honked their horns in support or gave a thumbs up as the protestors held up signs calling for the abolition or defunding of UPD. At one point a driver expressed their support for the protest by dropping off a carload full of coffee.

    For Chow, the decision to join the Saturday night protest came after witnessing an impactful and resonating event of officers flashing their dominative power.

    “Seeing a group of six squad cars pull up to my residence hall and have a picnic,” Chow said. “They were all in their uniforms and they were in their squad cars. It’s one thing to do it when they’re not on duty and having a lunch, but to do it on campus in their uniform with their cars, I don’t think that is right.”

    While they have plans for future protests on their social media, members of both Abolish Humboldt Police and SQE at the protest said they plan to continue to voice their demands and concerns against HSUPD.