Humboldt State Alumnus Josh Ferrell talks food and travel storytelling
Join this Friday, Sept. 27, as the Anthropology and Journalism and Mass Communication departments invite Humboldt State University alumnus Josh Ferrell back to his stomping grounds to educate students on his dream-like career in a free event that is open to the university community and general public.
Ferrell graduated from HSU in 2005 with a Bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication. He quickly worked his way up the ranks and become a television producer for National Geographic and CNN. Some notable shows that he worked on include “No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain” and CNN’s “Parts Unknown.”
According to a press release for the event, Ferrell has traveled to more than 40 countries for his work with the late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain (1956-2018). During the event Ferrell will discuss food and travel storytelling.
Visit the Library Fishbowl at 1 p.m. to hear Ferrell present Food and Travel Journalism: Compelling Storytelling in Digestible Portions.
“Parts Unknown” crew shooting an episode in Antarctica. Josh Ferrell is center with Anthony Bourdain to his left. | Photo courtesy Josh Ferrell
Representatives working with Humboldt’s League of Women Voters tabled at the Humboldt State University library on Tuesday for National Voter Registration Day.
With national elections just around the corner, Vincent Thomas, environmental resources engineering senior and receptionist for Associated Students, urged library visitors to register.
“Voting gives you the right to complain about what’s going on,” Thomas said. “If you don’t vote, you can’t complain.”
Beside Thomas sat Margaret Augustine, a 20-year-old Eureka resident and member of the League of Women Voters. Augustine simply wanted to provide students with information on how to vote.
“It’s non-partisan,” Augustine said. “We just get people to vote and express their opinion.”
According to National Voter Registration Day’s website, the holiday has been held on the fourth Tuesday of every September since 2012. The holiday’s goal is simple: get people to vote. According to the site, 800,000 people registered to vote on the holiday in 2018.
The U.S. Census’ website also reports that 61.3% of U.S. citizens registered to vote in 2018, and 49% actually did so.
The lowest voter turnout in 2018 came from citizens between the ages of 18 and 24, at 30.1%. Voter turnout increased with age, with the highest voter turnout from citizens between 65 and 74, at 65.6%.
Thomas emphasized that voting gives citizens a voice.
“Just getting people to register to vote so they have that option to vote if they need to is very important,” Thomas said. “We want to get as many people to have their voices heard as possible.”
At midday on Tuesday, Thomas said around a dozen individuals had registered.
“Most of the students who have come by said, ‘yeah, they’ve already got it done,’ which is pretty good,” Thomas said.
Thomas said registering only takes about five minutes. Outside of National Voter Registration Day, a prospective voter can register at their local election office or online at Vote.gov, an official website of the U.S. government that helps people figure out how to register. The nearest election office to HSU resides in Eureka at 2426 6th St.
AHS and HSU students strike to advocate for climate action
Video by James Wilde & Collin Slavey | Editing by Chelsea Wood
Anxious and irritated with the lack of governmental action against climate change, masses of young people and students from Arcata High School and Humboldt State University took to the streets surrounding the Arcata Plaza on Friday as part of the Global Climate Strike.
Inspired by the International Youth for Climate Action, the Humboldt Sunrise Movement in association with the Extinction Rebellion and students of AHS organized and executed the local school strike protesting climate change.
Students were excited to show how strong their voices could be when used in unison. Maddie Marriott, a member of Extinction Rebellion, said the organization was aimed at gathering people for peaceful protest and that is what they hoped to achieve.
Maddie Marriot stands out in the crowd of demonstrators as she walks down I Street on Sept. 20. | Photo by Collin Slavey
Locals with an interest in helping the environment and pushing the government toward action participated in the youth strike too. | Photo by Collin Slavey
Maddie Marriot and Vanessa Argonza march down I street, shouting out chants and slogans on their way to the plaza. | Photo by Collin Slavey
“We dance, yell, sing and chant to show our energy,” Marriott said. “This shows we are cheerful and hopeful and happy in the face of this threat. It is rejuvenating and these friends are empowering. Now we have to wait and see if our voice is being heard.”
Marriott ended up agreeing to hold a sign that said “Protect Rainbow Ridge, our forests and our climate.” Ecological protection is one of the main goals of the movement, but Extinction Rebellion as a national organization demands governments tell the truth about climate change and act now to prevent species loss and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Vanessa Argonza, a Humboldt State student and member of the Extinction Rebellion, said speaking out and advocating for action is important. Change requires people to care and be passionate about an issue, while also realizing we can come together to create change.
Members of the Extinction Rebellion stand and watch the demonstrations on Sept. 20 in the Arcata Plaza. | Photo by Collin Slavey
Creative signs were a centerpiece to the demonstrations. | Photo by Collin Slavey
Maddie Marriot walks down I Street on Sept. 20 on her way to the Arcata Plaza. | Photo by Collin Slavey
Demonstrators gather in Arcata plaza, carrying with them a blow up planet earth. Hundreds of people were in attendance. | Photo by Collin Slavey
Signs help spread messages aiming to educate and advocate for action. | Photo by Collin Slavey
Vanessa Argonza leads the crowd of young people standing against climate change on Sept. 20. | Photo by Collin Slavey
“In moments of injustice you must speak out because if you do not, you are part of the problem,” Argonza said. “The youth is well aware and willing to be part of the change because it affects them. We can come together and make change. You just have to be aware of your footprint and educate yourself before you speak out.”
The protest did run into some technical issues as it spilled out into the Arcata Plaza. Unfortunately, the strike organizers failed to bring a speaker system that was loud enough for all of the attendees to hear, causing the message to fall flat. Joanne McGarry, a local supporter of the Environmental Advocacy and self-prescribed ‘gadfly’ suggested better planning in the future for a more impactful demonstration.
Jene L. McCovey delivers a powerful, emotional speech about the threats to the Earth faces. | Photo by Collin Slavey
“I am more than happy to let young people lead, they just have to lead well,” McGarry said. “Having music is important when you’re walking into the plaza, during the demonstration and as you exit the plaza. Having a speaker that is loud enough for the entire crowd to hear is unbelievably important.”
The Sunrise movement was originally created as a youth advocacy group to show support for the Green New Deal, a stimulus package proposed by politician and activist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in February of this year. The Sunrise Movement intends to work within ‘the system’ while actively changing the system, in pursuit of environmental and social justice through nonviolent and direct action. They are building an army of young people to stop climate change and create millions of good jobs in the process.
Tribal elder Jene L. McCovey began the rally in the plaza with a song called “Feeling Sorry for My Womenfolk,” a somber tune that spoke of hate and woe. She went on to tell stories and sing more songs to give purpose to the actions of the demonstrators.
“The stumps are really big- that is all we have left of the old forest,” McCovey said. “Clear cutters, defilers, denude the land down to the earth and they burn it. Wherever you find your trials, be that healer. Be that person that walks with people in that good way. Be the water protectors.”
Humboldt State’s Budget Committee seeks best path forward
Humboldt State University’s University Resources and Planning Committee met on Sept. 12 to begin planning a three-year university budget.
Art Education Assistant Professor and Co-Chair of URPC James Woglom said URPC hopes for a budget that will allow HSU to be its best.
“My hope is to have the best university we can be in the context of what we have,” Woglom said. “I think that is the hope of everybody involved.”
URPC exists as part of the University Senate, with 14 members, including administration, faculty and students.
URPC released an update on Sept. 16 in which it estimated a $5.4 million budget gap by the fiscal year of 2021 to 2022.
HSU Budget Director Amber Blakeslee said HSU has already made over $10 million of budget reductions in the last few years. The $5.4 million projected gap comes from the continuing decline in student enrollment.
Assistant Professor of Art Education and Co-Chair of the University Resources and Planning Committee James Woglom in the HSU library on Sept. 20. Woglom emphasized the need for imaginative thinking to create the best budget possible for HSU. | Photo by James Wilde
“If there are less students on campus there’s less tuition coming in the door,” Blakeslee said. “So it’s not that all-of-the-sudden we’re spending more. It’s that there’s less revenue coming in to support the spending that we have.”
HSU’s enrollment dropped from 7,774 to 6,763 students this year. Projections expect enrollment to continue to drop. HSU has yet to update its website, which still lists 7,774 students enrolled and advertises having over 8,000 students.
HSU issued a press release on Tuesday, Sept. 24 detailing new efforts to increase enrollment, including a focus on local recruitment, improving student analytics and decreasing costs.
However, Blakeslee said that HSU’s plans to recover enrollment numbers will take time. Until then, the budget gap must be reconciled.
Blakeslee hoped the budget cuts won’t have an impact on students, but Blakeslee acknowledged that any cuts will be difficult.
“There’s not a single thing we do on this campus that doesn’t have strong, passionate people behind it,” Blakeslee said. “If you’re talking about cutting things, you’re talking about the difference between multiple good things.”
“If there are less students on campus there’s less tuition coming in the door. So it’s not that all-of-the-sudden we’re spending more. It’s that there’s less revenue coming in to support the spending that we have.”
Amber Blakeslee
At this early stage, neither Blakeslee nor Woglom could rule out any specific cuts.
“We do need to have everything on the table in terms of our discussion so that we can make the best decision,” Woglom said.
Woglom emphasized multiple times that URPC will have to use its imagination to maintain HSU’s educational mission while cutting back financially.
“We do need to be creative within the context of the resources that we do have,” Woglom said. “If a course is not offered, how do we make sure that the curricular needs of the students is met with what we do have?”
Blakeslee said that while HSU is currently reducing expenditures, it is still trying to improve the student experience.
“There is simultaneous new investment happening, so it’s not like we’re just in a reduction mindset purely” Blakeslee said.
URPC expects to complete a plan by Dec. 6. Before then, both Blakeslee and Woglom emphasized the importance of seeking input from the HSU community.
“As much stakeholder input as we can get, the better our decisions are going to be, and the more interpersonally-invested we’re going to be,” Woglom said.
Blakeslee and Woglom said URPC will be holding public forums to discuss the budget, but no dates have been set.
Once URPC finalizes its plan in December, the plan will go to University President Tom Jackson, Jr., who will have the final say over the plan.
This article was updated Sept. 26 to include information from Humboldt State’s press release on the topic.
It’s not just Humboldt State that has a parking issue
Arcata’s Transportation Safety Committee held its monthly meeting on Tuesday, in which they opened up for public comment on city parking restrictions.
Netra Khatri, staff liaison of the committee and Arcata assistant city engineer, thanked the small crowd of about ten locals gathered in the City Council Chamber of Arcata City Hall.
“We decided to make this meeting annual three years ago, where we can take public comments and hopefully make changes from input,” Khatri said.
After discussing minutes from a previous meeting, the committee of eleven opened the meeting for public comment.
The comments varied in severity and scale, but revolved around one central theme: the city of Arcata lacks sufficient parking.
Arcata resident Vernon Price proposed a plan to allow some Arcata citizens to park their cars freely from dusk til dawn. Price said he was unhoused for 15 years, and wanted the committee to keep the homeless in their hearts and minds.
“There are people who have lost their homes, and their only tangible property is their homes—and they live in those,” Price said.
The committee noted Price’s suggestion and promised to look into designating overnight parking spaces.
Arcata resident Collin Wingfield brought to attention a parking overflow resulting from the recent construction of the 142-apartment Sunset Terrace complex located between Sunset and Foster Avenues.
Wingfield, who said he lives on Wilson St., just off of Sunset, has noticed an influx of Sunset Terrace residents parking their vehicles along Sunset Ave. and even on his street.
Even though Sunset Terrace residents are allotted one parking space in their complex, Wingfield said residents often park their cars along Sunset Ave., leaving other homes with insufficient parking.
“They will leave their cars parked for weeks at a time,” Wingfield said.
The committee sympathized with Wingfield and discussed possibly issuing parking permits for Sunset Ave. residents.
Arcata Library Branch Manager Susan Parsons brought to attention a lack of parking for library visitors. Parsons said parents with children often have to walk through a lot marked by uneven terrain and frequent drug users.
“Parking for visitors of the library is an issue of safety,” Parsons said.
In response, the committee suggested designating specific parking spots for the library or enforcing time limits on the spaces outside of the library to prevent them from filling with non-library visitors.
Tisha Farrer, an employee of the North Coast Co-Op, urged the committee to get rid of parking meters and two-hour spaces. The Co-Op, Farrrer said, reserves its lot for customers only and employees often have to park far away.
“I just want them to feel safe and have parking where they work,” Farrer said.
The committee noted Farrer’s concerns while making clear that Arcata’s parking shortage comes at a tricky time as the city tries to encourage the reduction of personal vehicular use to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
TSC will now take the public comments and bring their recommendations to the Arcata City Council on Oct. 16. TSC meets the third Tuesday of every month at the City Council Chamber.
Dr. Kimberly Perris leads the reestablishment of HSU’s bachelor of science in nursing program
Four weeks into the job, Humboldt State University’s nursing program Director Kimberly Perris has started putting the pieces in place to reform HSU’s bachelor of science in nursing program.
Perris said she wants to empower local nurses to fill empty leadership roles in local health services.
“My excitement, what I’m hopeful for and why I’m grateful to be here is because I really envision a role for nurses where they can go beyond the hospital walls, work in team-based care models and just take on more autonomous roles,” Perris said.
Director of Special Projects and Executive Director of HSU’s California Center for Rural Policy Connie Stewart at HSU on Sept. 14. Stewart, an HSU graduate and former Arcata mayor, believes HSU’s BSN program will be essential for Humboldt County’s future. Photo by James Wilde.
HSU canceled its BSN program in 2011, citing a lack of funding and qualified faculty. After years of a lack of BSN-educated nurses, HSU is relaunching the BSN program with the help of a $2 million dollar grant from St. Joseph Health.
Director of Special Projects Connie Stewart leads the California Center for Rural Policy, an HSU program designed to improve rural communities. Stewart currently oversees fundraising for the BSN program, and she hinted the receiving of more than just the St. Joseph Health grant.
Stewart, a former Arcata mayor who has served the community for more than thirty years, said that Perris is perfect for the job.
“She’s got really great, fresh ideas about how to improve health care in Humboldt County,” Stewart said. “I couldn’t be more excited to be working with her.”
Stewart emphasized the importance of the BSN program not just for Humboldt County, but for HSU. HSU students and faculty, Stewart noted, need healthcare too.
“I’m grateful that we can provide the opportunity for nurses to expand on their education—I know for me it was life-changing to do that.”
Kimberly Perris
“This program has to be successful in order for HSU to thrive,” Stewart said.
Perris dabbled in health-related fields in her youth, where she said she picked up a passion for helping and educating patients.
Perris graduated with an Associate of Science in Nursing in 1991. She worked in family planning before she worked at the HSU Student Health Center from 2004 to 2016 as a nurse, a job Perris said she loved.
“I loved the education piece of it,” Perris said. “Working there is where I really decided to go back to school, and I saw a role for nurses that could be a little bit more fulfilling and autonomous and help improve access to care.”
Perris earned a Doctor of Nursing Practice Executive Leadership from the University of San Francisco in 2018. Perris said she’s driven to give other nurses the same educational opportunities she had.
“I’m grateful that we can provide the opportunity for nurses to expand on their education—I know for me it was life-changing to do that,” Perris said.
HSU’s BSN program is designed for already-registered nurses who want to further their education. Perris said this will allow nurses to become more involved with the community and work outside of hospitals.
HSU’s new BSN nursing program director, Kimberly Perris. Perris is working towards a goal of graduating 50 nurses from the BSN program by 2022. | Photo by James Wilde.
The program’s goal is to graduate 50 nurses in 2022, with 25 students entering a part-time, two-year program in 2020, and another 25 entering a full-time, one-year program in 2021.
Perris said she’s developing relationships with local health centers for BSN nurse roles. She’s also working to make the transfer process from College of the Redwood’s RN program seamless.
CR’s Director of Nursing and Health Operations Roberta Farrar echoed Perris’ hopes.
“My hopes and goals would be to see each class filled to capacity with a waitlist of those wanting to enter the program,” Farrar said in an email. “That the registered nurses who choose Humboldt State are satisfied with their education and use knowledge gained to make necessary changes in any healthcare setting they are employed.”
Both Farrar and Perris said the program won’t bring more nurses to the community, but will instead give more opportunities to nurses in the area, enticing them to stay in Humboldt.
“We have a struggling health care system right now and I think nurses are one of the missing pieces that can help to improve that… The missing links.”
Kimberly Perris
“A lot of nurses leave the area because they want to continue their education or there aren’t the kind of positions that they’re looking for,” Perris said. “So this role will provide more nurse leaders for the community and nurses to have more of a systemic look at the population.”
While Perris said she has felt overwhelmingly supported in her first few weeks, she did acknowledge the pressure of her position.
“I feel pressure because I want this to be successful,” Perris said. “And I want to make sure I have all the details in place to keep moving it forward and not let anything fall in through the cracks.”
Despite the pressure, Perris said she doesn’t have any significant fears.
“There will be likely a little series of things that don’t work, and that’s normal in a new project,” Perris said. “I’m sure there will be some hopefully-just-mini failures because this is a brand-new program, but that’s okay.”
Long-term, Perris said the BSN program will help nurses have a broader understanding of the community and its healthcare needs.
“We have a struggling health care system right now and I think nurses are one of the missing pieces that can help to improve that,” Perris said. “The missing links.”
No pee, hair or spit. One blow is all it takes to show marijuana intoxication levels with new breathalyzer.
Marijuana has been a touchy topic since Colorado and Washington made their first moves to legalize recreational use in 2012. Since then, 29 states have followed and declared marijuana legal for medicinal and/or recreational use.
Tension forms at the discrepancy between state and federal opinion on where marijuana falls legally as a drug. The lack of legal confirmation from the federal government makes it difficult for government employers, especially police officers, to execute and process circumstances surrounding marijuana intoxication. Recent developments in marijuana detection technology suggest a breathalyzer is in the works.
Current marijuana testing requires a hair, urine or blood sample. The test results detect past use up to six months and reports the current THC level in the body. This testing proves to be unreliable as past use of marijuana will distort a current reading of bodily intoxication, which is what law officials care about.
The two technology companies racing to release their version of a more accurate breathalyzer are Hound Labs and SannTek.
Hound Labs was established five years ago and is leading the race with an expected release of late 2020. The Hound Labs breathalyzer operates on a specified time basis. It can detect marijuana if it’s been used in the last three hours. The three-hour window comes from two findings; one, marijuana is only detectable for the first three hours. Afterward, THC levels drop so low and so fast that it becomes virtually undetectable. Second, the initial three hours of intoxication are the most impaired and therefore the most crucial.
The breathalyzer method proves to be more accurate and better suited for law and medical officials, as alternative testing can take hours to produce results. In addition, this method is also beneficial to the participant, as the regulated three hour time interval doesn’t hold participants liable for past usage beyond that time frame.
If this new testing method becomes normalized, the three hours prior to testing will be the most critical, but anything before those three hours is merely tangential. Ideally, someone tested for their marijuana use could not be held liable for their marijuana use prior to the that three-hour window because the breathalyzer would not be able to detect it.
The opposing company, SannTek, and their breathalyzer the SannTek 315 will operate similarly to the Hound Labs breathalyzer. SannTek 315 is still in early development so the company is not providing much information. Like Hound Labs, their product will utilize a time interval to reveal the last ingestion of marijuana and current intoxication.
Hound Labs conducted clinical testing in 2017 in cooperation with University of California, San Francisco. However, no findings have been concluded publicly due to the small sample size. SannTek 315 lacks any formal testing or trials at this time.
El Centro event welcomes and connects Latinx students and community members
Music and cheerful chatter filled Arcata’s Redwood Park on Sunday as Humboldt State University’s El Centro Académico Cultural held its Convivio de Bienvenida, a convivial welcoming event.
Ritz Garcia, a junior and critical race, gender and sexuality studies major and liaison for El Centro, said he has loved being a part of El Centro.
“It’s made me feel like family,” Garcia said. “Like there’s somewhere I belong.”
Ritz Garcia, junior critical race, gender and sexuality studies major, at the Convivio de Bienvenida on Sept. 15. Garcia is a liasion for El Centro. | Photo by James Wilde
The gathering served as an opportunity for Latinx students, families and community members to convene and connect with one another.
Resource centers from HSU and the local community offered information on a wide range of topics that included parenting lessons, food pantries, housing insecurity, drug addiction recovery, communication with law enforcement and the expansion of diversity in the community.
Meanwhile, children played in the grass and members of Latino Outdoors led hikes into the surrounding redwoods every 30 minutes.
Daniel Gallardo, vice president of LatinoNet and coordinator for the Assisting Families to Access Change Through Resources Americorps program, hoped to connect attendees with community offerings.
“There’s a perception of Humboldt not having a lot of resources,” Gallardo said. “We’re trying to debunk that.”
Gallardo emphasized that resources for the Latinx community are available in Humboldt but can be difficult to access. Gallardo urged students to join the AFACTR program, which has a goal of preventing child abuse in Humboldt County. AFACTR awards up to $10,000 per year in services.
Jorge Matias, health educator for St. Joseph Health, pushed table visitors to check out health classes offered in Eureka and Fortuna. Matias promoted a Zumba class for physical health but also emphasized the importance of mental health.
Vice President of Latinonet and Program Leader at Americorps Daniel Gallardo at the Convivio de Bienvenida, a Convivial Welcome from HSU’s El Centro Académico Cultural on Sept. 15 at Arcata’s Redwood Park. Gallardo hopes to make resources more available for the surrounding community. | Photo by James Wilde
“We want to get rid of the stigma with mental health,” Matias said.
Before rain clouds crept in, attendees enjoyed a free lunch alongside a brief mariachi performance. A table for Adventure’s Edge offered raffle tickets for two new backpacks while another table for Equity Arcata offered information on housing, employment and education.
El Centro intentionally designed the event with inclusivity in mind. El Centro, which was previously known as the Latinx Center for Academic Excellence, changed its name to better represent those it serves.
Lunch at the Convivio de Bienvenida, a Convivial Welcome from HSU’s El Centro Académico Cultural on Sept. 15. The event, held at Arcata’s Redwood Park, had free food for all attendees. | Photo by James Wilde
“Not everybody identifies as Latinx,” Garcia said. “El Centro sounds more inviting.”
HSU’s Hispanic Serving Institutions STEM grant, a $3.9 million U.S. Department of Education gift spread over five years, from 2016 to 2021, funded the event.
Each table offered its own brand of services focused on improving the local community. Bertha de la Cruz, a representative for Food for People, sought to connect attendees with free food resources.
“There’s tons and tons of food,” de la Cruz said. “I wish I would’ve known all of this as a student.”
Devon Hernandez, academic and career adviser, helmed a table for HSU’s Academic and Career Advising Center.
Academic and Career Advisor Devon Hernandez at the Convivio de Bienvenida, a Convivial Welcome from HSU’s El Centro Académico Cultural on Sept. 15 at Arcata’s Redwood Park. | Photo by James Wilde
“We’re here to make sure students have the resources they need,” Hernandez said.
For attendees of the Convivio de Bienvenida, resources appeared abundant. More information on El Centro and their upcoming events can be found in room 205 of Nelson Hall East or on their website which is still branded as the Latinx Center for Academic Excellence.
HSU chatbot introduced to new students to answer campus questions
This fall, Humboldt State University introduced artificial intelligence chatbot HumBot to provide basic information for new students and transfers.
Director of Communications and Marketing for Enrollment Management Josh Smith led the project over the last two months until its release.
Thus far, HumBot has received more than 1000 questions and comments.
“There is a good chance that those questions may not have been asked if that avenue was not available to them at the time,” Smith said. “We get them at all hours of the day.”
Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Alexander Enyedi initially pushed for the development of a chatbot two years ago after hearing about a chatbot at Georgia State University. Pounce, the name for GSU’s chatbot, delivered more than 200,000 answers to incoming freshman within the first few months of its implementation in 2016.
Enyedi, with help from Smith and Associate Professor of Social Work Jen Maguire worked together to create HumBot.
“I’ve been a passionate proponent for the chatbot technology for over two years,” Enyedi said in an email.
HumBot is one chatbot among seven within California State Universities. AdmitHub, an AI chatbot service designed for students, developed all seven chatbots.
HSU created HumBot in the last two months after receiving an $80,000 grant from the Irvine Foundation.
AdmitHub handed over HumBot pre-seeded with answers to the 700 most common questions asked by first-year students. HSU then needed multiple departments to analyze the answers.
“It was started off by everybody just going in there, reading all the questions and answers, and first making sure that it was accurate, and second, trying to make it a little bit more friendly,” Smith said.
HSU staff and summer students then seeded HumBot with an additional 150 questions before it was released this fall. HumBot will continue to learn as students interact with it.
HumBot responds to fisheries transfer student Matthew Howe on Sept. 3. HumBot has answers to over 850 questions so far. | Photo courtesy Matthew Howe
“That is going to be an ongoing, multi-year, get smarter each time kind of thing,” Smith said.
Associate Professor Maguire is conducting research through the bot and Smith said she has been shaping HumBot to address issues specific to HSU. Maguire could not be reached for an interview.
“She is kind of the intellectual arm of the chatbot,” Smith said. “She and her colleagues are seeding the knowledge base of the chatbot with questions that relate to housing insecurity, food insecurity—HumBot is still learning those things, but it is our particular brand.”
Transfer fisheries student Matthew Howe used HumBot to find out where to pick up his mail. Howe admitted to being surprised by how well HumBot worked.
“I thought it worked fairly well,” Howe said. “I was expecting it to not perform at all. I was surprised at how well it did work.”
Howe said he would use HumBot again, although he doubts he would ask it anything personal.
Smith noted that questions sent to HumBot can be viewed by the project staff. HumBot is unlikely to be helpful for personal matters, although with the possibility of endangerment HumBot can notify university police.
Smith hopes HumBot can play an important role in the modernization of HSU’s accessibility.
“I would just encourage students to kind of re-look at those things that maybe they don’t know about or maybe weren’t up to par with a couple years ago,” Smith said.
For now, HumBot is only available to new students, but it is expected to roll out for second and third-year students next fall.
Humboldt County firefighters, community members and HSU students walk HSU’s Founders Hall stairs in honor of those who died at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
Arcata Fire Disctrict Battalion Chief Sean Campbell’s gear and water bottle sit by the base of the Founders Hall stairs on Spetember 11 as Arcata Fire Department prepares to walk 20 flights of stairs in memory of those who lost their lives at the World Trade center.
Arcata Fire Captain Luke Walker walks with his wife Sinei and their daughter Lina on Spetember 11 in remembrace of those who lost their lives at the World Trade Center.
Humboldt County firefighters, Arcata Police officers and community members walk 20 flights of stairs at Founders Hall in remembrance of those who lost their their lives at the World Trade Center on September 11.
Arcata firefighter Russell Kadle makes his way up the Founders Hall stairs with a New York hook on September 11 in honor of those who lost their lives at the World Trade Center.
Arcata Fire Disctrict Battalion Chief Sean Campbell (Center) walks up the Founders Hall stairs while others head down in remembrance of those who lost their lives at the World Trade Center on September 11.
Public Information Officer Amy Conlin and James Hamilton walk up the Founders Hall stairs on September 11 for Humboldt Bay Fire and Cal Fire Del Norte Unit repectively in remembrance of the firefighters and civillians who lost their lives at the World Trade Center.
Volunteer with Kneedland Fire Ruger West walks up the Founders Hall stairs on Spetember 11 in remembrance of those who lost their lives at the World Trade Center.
HSU president Tom Jackson cariers an oxygen tank while walking with firefighters and community members on September 11 in recognition of those who dies at the World Trade Center.
Kneeland Fire Captain Everett Buell makes his way up the Founders Hall stairs on September 11 in honor of those who lost their lives at the World Trade Center.
Arcata firefighter Luke Walker gives a brief speech about walking in remembrance on those who lost their lives at the World Trade center as firefighters from around Humboldt County and community members prepare to walk 20 flights of stairs on September 11.
Students from Arcata Christian School wave American flags as firefighters and community members walk up and down the Founders Hall stairs on September 11 in honor of those who lost their lives at the World Trade Center.
HSU to repurpose Trinity Annex building into larger Children’s Center with $8.6 million grant
Starting this semester, Humboldt State University will begin to redesign the Trinity Annex building at the corner of 14th and B streets into an updated facility to house a new Children’s Center. The current Children’s Center facility will continue child services until it moves in 2021.
“We want folks that are going to be in the building to give feedback as to what it should look like,” HSU Associate Vice President of Student Success Steven St. Onge said.
St. Onge, who oversees the Children’s Center, said the design phase of the new building will explore increased space, updated playgrounds, manipulative toys, dynamic crawling textures and additional infant care. The education program will not change, but the physical space will be improved.
The staff responsible for the design held a recent meeting to develop ideas for the ideal facility. Staff will meet again later this semester to draft blueprints.
The Children’s Center Administration building is located above the Children’s Center. | Photo by Michael Weber
“I think we’re switching from the facility impacting the program—to the program impacting the facility,” St. Onge said. “Which I think is a good step forward.”
The redesign is funded by an $8.6 million allocation to HSU from a statewide grant for California State Universities. Betty Wilson, Children’s Center Program Director said the facility is limited by its budget.
“We are constantly searching out new funding streams to help create better experiences,” Wilson said in an email.
The Children’s Center daycare and education programs are regularly funded by Associated Students (both state and federal grants) and the university itself. This one-time grant will allow for a new facility.
“There are 86 students in the Children’s Center, about 60% are children of HSU students. The rest are a combination of faculty, staff and community members’ children.”
Steven St. Onge
The current buildings that house the Children’s Center have reached maximum capacity for the number of children.
“Right now, we’re limited by what the facility can give us,” St. Onge said. “The room size dictates how many children can be in a room, as well as the staff ratio.”
The sign-up process for the programs begins with a wait list that prioritizes current HSU students.
“There are 86 students in the Children’s Center, about 60% are children of HSU students,” St. Onge said. “The rest are a combination of faculty, staff and community members’ children.”
Infant care is the most demanding service the Children’s Center provides because they require more attention than toddlers. St. Onge said the ratio of care for infants compared to toddlers is three to one.
“It’s harder to find someone who will watch infants,” St. Onge said. That’s probably the largest wait list in that particular room.”
Bikes are parked in one of the playgrounds of The Children’s Center on Sept. 9. The playground sports multiple textures for kids to walk on. | Photo by Michael Weber
According to St. Onge, the new facility will improve operational efficiency. Currently, there are five buildings housing five different age groups. Each building has its own space, equipment and toys for its respective age group. The new facility will consolidate these spaces, improving efficiency.
St. Onge said the design phase will be tied closely to the childcare and early education programs. The Children’s Center and St. Onge did not explicitly state ways the recent grant will benefit the children and parents of the program. St. Onge said the academic aspect of the Children’s Center will remain the same.
“I think it’s exciting for the younger kids that will experience that new facility,” St. Onge said.
One main function of the Children’s Center is to provide a place for students, faculty, staff and community members to drop their kids off when they are busy at school or work.
According to Humboldt State Now, a recent survey conducted by the Campus Center for Rural Policy found that childcare improves student retention rates and work environments. Wilson said that the Early Head Start Grant allows parents to spend more time on schoolwork.
A Harbert Roofing truck parked at the Humboldt State University Annex on Sept. 9, 2019. The Annex will be refurbished into a new Children’s Center. | Photo by Michael Weber
“Family Service Coordinator Amy Pires-Moore helped to fulfill annual goals which the families create,” Wilson said. “By doing this, she is able to create a secure emotional base for the families to be able to succeed academically as some of their daily concerns can be taken care of.”
The other main function of the Children’s Center is providing care and education to the children and student workers. They are accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
The NAEYC website says, “The accreditation process provides a framework for self-study, external evaluation and improvement in the quality of teacher preparation programs.”
And yes, you can walk between Laurel Dr. and the library again
Lined with ground marks, gravel, orange fencing and machinery, the parking spots of Laurel Drive are no longer accessible to staff and students. Where a tree surrounded by brick once stood, now lies a sectioned-off zone where two workers constructed a new pathway.
Over the summer, Humboldt State staff and students received several updates about on-campus infrastructure arrangements including general maintenance, building renovations and repaved roads. Humboldt State Project Manager Michael Fisher said these updates are part of a large list of planned and required maintenance.
The pathway from the library to Laurel Drive is open as of August 20. | Photo by Michael Weber
Parts of Laurel Drive are now closed off for this construction. On the bright side, the Theatre Arts building is now open since its closure in 2018 and will hold classes this semester. The pathway from the Library to Laurel Drive is now open as well. Gist Hall is also open as of August 12 after the asbestos contamination discovered last Spring.
Starting this semester until December 2019, Laurel Drive and Library handicap parking spaces, as well as pathways, will be redone to provide a path of travel to the Theater Arts Building and Library, respectively. The new path for wheelchair access from Laurel Drive will start at new handicap spaces and lead to the elevator in the Theatre Arts Building.
Notable projects finished over the summer include Wildlife and Fisheries Building roof replacements, repaving of the Library Circle and LK Wood Boulevard left turn, six HVAC control replacements, housing maintenance, refurbished lecture halls, a new elevator in the Natural Resources Building and the near-completion of the Theatre Arts and Library seismic retrofits.
Part of Laurel Drive’s parking lot is excavated for updated handicap spots. | Photo by Michael Weber
Fisher also said portables in the Campus Events Field, which previously held the tutoring center and other facilities temporarily, are being moved out as the relocated tenants return home to the library.
One of the most visible changes to returning students is the repaved library circle and left turn lane on LK Wood Blvd. Fisher said this new turning lane, built in partnership with the City of Arcata, helps ease congestion and improve bus route times.
Less noticeable improvements are general “building system” updates in HVAC, electrical, plumbing and structural.
“Every component of our built environment has a life cycle,” Fisher said. “That includes streets, roads, sidewalks, our buildings, and our building’s infrastructure.”
Administration rehires union protected station broadcast engineer
Humboldt State University has rescinded the lay off of one KHSU employee out of the seven laid off in April.
Kevin Sanders, a full-time employee who primarily works in Information Technology Services was rehired after his union, the California State University Employees Union, pushed back against the university. Sanders was and is the National Public Radio affiliate’s only broadcast engineer.
“Kevin is employed, working mostly in the Information Technology Services area, but is available to assist with broadcast engineering for KHSU if the need arises,” HSU Communication Officer Grant Scott-Goforth said in an email.
[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”Steve Tillinghast” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=”18″]”Humboldt realized over the last several months that the chief engineer of KHSU is a critical employee and that the station could not operate, even in its reduced form, without him.”[/perfectpullquote]
Humboldt chapter president of CSUEU Steve Tillinghast said in a press release that HSU management did not expect the Union to care.
“Or perhaps they did not even realize that one of the employees in the group they terminated was part of a Union and that they would be held accountable,” he said. “Humboldt realized over the last several months that the chief engineer of KHSU is a critical employee and that the station could not operate, even in its reduced form, without him.”
KHSU runs with the help of Chico’s North State Public Radio station to air its programming off and on since April.
At the beginning of August HSU signed a short-term interim agreement with Capital Public Radio in Sacramento for programming assistance with KHSU Public Radio. The agreement will keep KHSU running till the end of October.
According to a press release, “the agreement allows KHSU to continue airing national and state programming as the University considers various approaches for KHSU’s future.”
HSU will be assessing ways to ensure KHSU aligns with the university’s teaching missions after an advisory audit report. The audit report, ordered by the previous HSU president Lisa Rossbacher, found the station lacking in the opportunities it was supposed to provide for students.
The report suggested that over time the station had evolved from an exclusive student training ground to primarily a community servicing station. The report said the university should assess student involvement at KHSU and determine whether or not to develop more opportunities for students through “employment, internships, academic programs and coursework.”
The advisory team did not, however, suggest laying off employees as an answer to any suggested shortcomings.
For now, the university is considering joining the discussion of a three-way regional partnership with the Chico and Sacramento stations.
This partnership could bring about certain opportunities such as a Public Service Operation Agreement, which would formalize cost-sharing for programming and management.
Structural organization was also an area of improvement listed on the KHSU audit.
HSU President Tom Jackson wants to gather input from faculty and students to learn more about their interest in KHSU before committing to anything further.
Introducing Tom Jackson Jr., Ph.D., Humboldt State’s new president
It’s not everyday you meet a university president who has the tenacious intention of changing their student body’s perspective beyond their educational experience.
Tom Jackson, Jr., Ph.D. began his incumbency as Humboldt State University’s eighth President in June 2019. In his second university president position, Jackson plans for more than just the future of the university, but also for the success of the current and future students.
“The students I want to gain are important,” Jackson said. “But the students we have now are more important. They are the ones that we want to see succeed and want to see finish now.”
With 11 professional positions under his belt, Jackson is far more than familiar with holding an administrative position at a university. From Assistant Director of Residence Life to Dean of Students, Jackson has worked at campuses across the United States, including the University of Southern California, Texas A&M University, University of Louisville and more recently as the president of Black Hills State University.
Aside from his educational work, Jackson spends his free time riding horses, scuba diving, flying planes and watching college sports. The last 21 years of his life, however, have also been spent raising his now 21-year-old son and 18-year-old daughter with his wife, Mona Jackson.
President Tom Jackson socializes at the Staff Family Picnic on August 23 in the UC Quad. | Photo by Collin Slavey
“I can’t have too many expensive hobbies,” Jackson said. “And being a pilot and plane owner is a very expensive hobby, particularly when you add in being a father of two college-aged students.”
When asked about the number one lesson that could be taken away from his previous presidency position at Black Hills State University, Jackson replied with the idea that he has based every administrative position around providing students with a positive, educational and meaningful experience.
“It’s the focus on our student body,” Jackson said. “It is really simple. The arguments all go away when we connect the importance of what we’re doing to what students are aspiring to do.”
Acknowledging the ups and downs of education as a meaningful practice creates for a positive outlook on day to day life. It is this similar thought process that Jackson hopes to bring to light as the new president of HSU. Over the past few semesters, students have been searching for support and protesting about issues that are important to not only the student body but the surrounding community as well.
“If you had a positive day and you learned something that links to your educational experience, you’ll be just fine the next day.” Jackson said. “If you wake up angry at the world, then you’re not starting off the day in the most positive state of mind.”
With the murder of David Josiah Lawson and the verdict declining to indict any person a part of his stabbing, students have felt pain and worry as they continue their education at HSU. Feeling safe on campus and in the community is important for students and their parents, and Jackson thinks so too.
“If you wake up angry at the world, then you’re not starting off the day in the most positive state of mind.”
Tom Jackson Jr., Ph.D.
“We have to be able to provide our students a controlled opportunity to figure it out for themselves,” Jackson said. “It is no different than what our parents tried to have us do… if they were that type of parent.”
In July 2018, an HSU press release stated the final decision made to cut the football program after the end of the season. Students, faculty and community members were outraged and disappointed with the decision.
“There is no secret that football is expensive,” Jackson said. “To keep a football program usually means you have a student body that is willing to pay a pretty good price to keep it here because that is where the source of funds comes from along with the donors.”
Jackson talks about the recent knowledge of head injuries in the sport of football and how it can add to the perspective of why so many universities cutting their teams may be a positive change. He asks the question, “Is keeping a football program the most responsible thing we could be doing today?”
According to Jackson, the Saturday evening excitement that comes with supporting a football team is an emotional experience that most students and community members look forward to.
Tom Jackson sitting in his new office. | Photo by Skye Kimya
“We’re missing that excitement on a Saturday that brings people together,” Jackson said. “That is what we have to revisit as a university. What is it that is going to bring us together today?”
With the loss of football, came the conversation of a potential diversity decrease that may result from losing the program. Although Jackson accepts the intention behind that conversation, he mentions his rejection to the argument.
“In its simplicity, that is saying that football was about diversity,” Jackson said. “That’s troubling because there are other ways to have diverse conversations.”
One of Jackson’s many goals for students is to be able to comfortably have diverse conversations on campus without having to go out of the way to do so.
In the coming years, he hopes to create a community where diversity is not just based upon the color of your skin, opinions on complicated subject matters or what you look like, but the person that you are.
Jackson is also focused on the improvement of HSU’s retention rate through marketing and outreach, which links to enrollment. He mentions that the cost of off-campus student housing may be the biggest limiting factor the school has involving enrollment.
“Another goal is to strengthen our relationships in the community and connect our student body to the community as one,” Jackson said. “Tied to that is branding ourselves in a different way.”
Jackson brings a different perspective to light when he talks about the way HSU portrays itself. He alludes to the idea that hearing all of the negativity and baggage prevents people from wanting to a part of the school’s community and believes showing off strengths is more attractive and promising.
“I want us to focus on the good,” Jackson said. “I want us to celebrate the good and enjoy the place that we happen to be at today.”
Two-wheeled transportation celebrated all month with a range of bike-related events
Cyclists, rejoice! May 1 officially ushered in Bike Month, an international holiday that Humboldt County takes very seriously. Events will be happening all month long and a variety of businesses have stepped up, offering discounts and special deals for those who arrive by pedal-power.
Oona Smith is a member of the Bike Month Humboldt Coalition, an informal group of bike enthusiasts and advocates that helps curate the events and deals being offered. She was tabling at the Trails Summit held last weekend in the Kate Buchanan Room, and said to many participants that “every month is bike month.”
“Our goal is to normalize biking as a convenient, fun and accessible form of transportation,” Smith said. “Not enough people use bikes for those short, one to three mile trips that are beyond a reasonable walking distance.”
One event that Smith expects to have a large turnout is Arcata’s bike-to-work day which takes place on Thursday, May 9. All you have to do to participate is ride your bike to work, but early birds or those in need of bike maintenance will want to make it out to the Arcata Co-Op from 7-9 that morning. A pop-up station will be offering free breakfast snacks and coffee for riders and free tune-ups if your ride has been acting up recently.
A similar event will be held at the Eureka Co-Op on Thursday, May 16. There will also be a rally at noon on May 6 where cyclists can congregate in the Arcata Plaza for food, fun and bike tune-ups courtesy of Revolution Bikes.
A variety of bike-friendly-businesses are offering their own special deals and discounts to celebrate this month. Highlights include Los Bagels offering free coffee and Richards’ Goat Tavern and Tea Room offering 25 percent off your tab if you mention Bike Month, both of these deals available May 5-11.
Other events like a bike film festival, kid’s bike rodeo and an array of morning “pancake” rides with a complimentary breakfast will be happening throughout the rest of the month. Details for these events can be found on the Bike Month Coalition website at bikemonthhumboldt.org.
The other major component of National Bike Month is the National Bike Challenge. Participants can register at the Bike Month Coalition website and use a tracking app like Strava to track the miles they travel by bike over the course of the month. The team or individual who logs the most miles wins a litany of discounts and prizes from local businesses.
Last year Humboldt riders were able to log over 31,000 miles in just this one month. Thanks to an especially quick start this year, Smith thinks that Humboldt cyclists can collectively track more than 35,000 miles before the end of the month.
Smith thinks that commuting by bike is not just a fun way to stay fit, but a way to de-stress on the way to work. She thinks it’s important for the future of our planet.
“Cars should be the exception, not the go-to. We can’t treat our planet that way,” Smith said. “Bikes bring a quality of life that many haven’t been exposed to. They’d be surprised at the joy and freedom of simply riding a bike.”
Source calls Josiah Lawson trial unprofessional and amateur
A source with knowledge of the criminal grand jury that presided over the stabbing death of David Josiah Lawson has expressed concerns with how the proceedings took place. The Lumberjack has agreed to withhold the person’s name for protection of their identity. The source said the trial was unprofessional, poorly investigated and wasn’t given the attention it deserved.
The source also said Deputy District Attorney Joel Buckingham used the charge of self-defense to steer the grand jury away from a charge of manslaughter or murder.
“Maggie Fleming and Buckingham’s motives were contrary to protecting the community from a killer,” the source said. “The whole thing was an amateur performance. The DA, the judge and police officers all seemed amateur. It all seemed unprofessional, especially for the level of this case.”
The source said the decision to not indict Kyle Zoellner was based on self-defense, but to their understanding the grand jury’s task was to vote only on murder or manslaughter. On April 19, 2017 Zoellner pled “not guilty” to a charge of murder and was released on May 5, 2017 after Humboldt County Superior Court Judge Dale Reinholsten said evidence was insufficient to hold him.
Buckingham never told the grand jury that Zoellner made a claim of self-defense in the murder of Lawson, according to the source. During the preliminary hearing on May 4, 2017, Arcata Police Department Detective Todd Dockweiler was asked by Assistant District Attorney Roger Reese if Zoellner thought about pulling out a knife because he was getting beaten up. Zoellner said “he wouldn’t do that” and “he would rather take a beating than stab someone,” Dockweiler said. The mention of self-defense was never made.
David Wise, a San Francisco criminal defense attorney, said a grand jury’s objective is to decide whether or not there is probable cause and enough evidence to indict or not indict a person who may have committed a crime. Wise has 26 years of legal experience and went on to say if a defendant never claims self-defense but claims innocence, then that is a decision for a regular jury, not a grand jury.
“They can decide the acts they heard can determine the murder was malicious, but they wouldn’t say it was because of self-defense,” Wise said. “The grand jury is there to decide on either indictment or no indictment, and self-defense never comes into play.”
Former Humboldt County District Attorney Paul Gallegos agrees with Wise and said if a suspect denies they did a crime, then self-defense doesn’t make sense as an option.
“Under those circumstances it doesn’t make sense to me,” Gallegos said. “That makes things a little more quizzical or puzzling.”
Gallegos was Humboldt County’s district attorney for 12 years and said a prosecutor can steer a grand jury a certain way. He said the public has some reason to believe a grand jury is fair and represents the community’s values, however he also acknowledged it is possible for prosecutors to go into court with a slant, or intent. He said if a prosecutor wants an indictment, they’ll get an indictment. In 28 years of practicing law, Gallegos said prosecutors are usually not asking for self-defense unless there is an indication of a crime.
“If a defendant claims they did not stab the victim, generally one doesn’t get a self-defense instruction if it isn’t consistent with the defendant’s case,” Gallegos said.
The source said Buckingham guided the grand jury on deciding a non-indictment decision by ordering them to make a decision on self-defense before making a decision on an indictment. According to the source, deliberation lasted less than six hours over a three-day period. On March 11, deliberation began and the source said Buckingham gave each member of the grand jury 20 pages with information and definitions pertinent to the case. The definitions of “legal self-defense,” “manslaughter” and “murder” were on those pages, in that order, and read aloud by Buckingham.
There are distinct differences between a grand jury and regular jury. Wise said a grand jury makes a decision whether or not felony charges should be rendered against somebody so they can be tried by a regular jury on a later date.
Wise said a grand jury and regular jury have different standards of law. A regular jury decides beyond a reasonable doubt someone committed a crime while a grand jury decides on cause to indict.
“The grand jury is a prosecutor, a secret proceeding with no defense lawyer and no one cross examining witnesses,” Wise said. “It’s secret, in a regular [jury] there are two lawyers defending their case.”
During the testimonies the source said one of the three surprise witnesses claimed they were punched in the face by Lawson a few months prior to Lawson’s death. According to the source the witness wasn’t at the party and didn’t know who punched them until photos of Lawson surfaced in the media after his murder. On April 3, during a KMUD News evening talk, DA Fleming spoke of the witness, Christopher Griffin, and said they brought him in front of the grand jury because “it is our responsibility to present any and all evidence that is relevant to the charges. That is our duty, that is our obligation.”
When the source was asked why they thought Griffin was called in to testify the source said, “it only affected the image of Josiah Lawson’s character. It was an attempt to defame his character.”
When asked if Zoellner had any witnesses called to the stand to state similar claims on his character, the source said no and that Buckingham told the grand jury more than once that Zoellner had no past violent acts or criminal records.
Former Humboldt County DA Paul Gallegos said if there is an indictment and not all evidence was put forth in front of the grand jury, then defense attorneys would say the prosecutor didn’t do things right. Gallegos said in a criminal case the victim doesn’t have the same rights as the defendant and because of this it is not uncommon to bring in character witnesses against the deceased.
“The one currently being prosecuted is the defendant or suspect and in a criminal case it’s the defendant’s rights we have to protect because they are being prosecuted,” Gallegos said. “The defendant is the person we are taking rights from. The defendant has rights the victim doesn’t.”
The source also said there were a total of 25 witnesses that took the stand. Wise said there is no average number of witnesses that go in front of a grand jury because every case is different, but 25 is unusually high.
“Twenty-five seems like a lot unless it was a complicated corporate fraud documented case,” Wise said. “That’s like a very complex case with people around the world.”
The source said during a preliminary vote, the grand jury had 15 of the 18 jurors in favor of Zoellner stabbing Lawson by the end of March 12. When the grand jury reconvened on March 13, a juror claimed Zoellner’s stabbing was in self-defense and became angry and annoyed if someone disagreed with them. The source said this person was intimidating, had threatening mannerisms and appeared to change the vote of most of the jurors toward self-defense. The end result of the grand jury was Zoellner killed Lawson on April 15, 2017 in self-defense.
“It seemed like it was rushed,” the source said of the entire proceeding. “The Deputy DA did not display the confidence of an attorney speaking in a court. He seemed very cautious or worried or careful, as if he knew he was doing something wrong and the grand jury would know he was doing something wrong.”
The Lumberjack reached out to the Humboldt County District Attorney’s office and is currently awaiting a response.
College of the Redwoods biology professor helps students at Pelican Bay earn their Associate Degree for Transfer
On a Thursday evening a California golden-hued sunset blankets the far north Pacific coast region where Christopher Callahan tells his students to tend to their plants. His students are checking Ph levels, adding fertilizer and formulating a hypothesis for a controlled experiment.
Like any other science classroom, the walls are covered in posters with the periodic table of the elements, the genetic codon chart and a display of eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell breakdown. The only difference with Callahan’s classroom is his students are wearing light blue loose-fitting jump suits with CDCR block lettering on the back, a handful are blasted head-to-toe with tattoos and a corrections officer paces down the hall every so often. Callahan teaches inside Pelican Bay State Prison and his students are inmates enrolled in the College of the Redwoods’ Pelican Bay Scholars Program.
Christopher Callahan answers questions regarding the difference between seals and sea lions for students Marcus Benavidez and Jose Catalan. | Photo by T.William Wallin
“Teaching in this environment is going back to the basics for me,” Callahan said of what it’s like to teach inside a prison. “The [students] come with a certain engagement I don’t see in regular college classes.”
Callahan always refers to the individuals in his class as students, because that’s what they are. He said they may be in prison, but inside the classroom they are college students getting an education with a strong sense of enthusiasm.
On this particular Thursday evening Callahan is teaching Bio 1, a transferable biology class with a lab on the B yard, which is a level 4 restrictive level housing unit. It’s locked down most of the day and there is no inmate control over the locking of doors.
Having transferable biology courses on a level 4 yard is a big deal, not only for Pelican Bay but for any prison. Callahan said this is a huge accomplishment. An entire summer was spent designing the lab course and getting equipment together which had slight modifications, like replacing glass beakers with plastic ones. Everything Callahan wanted to do was approved by the warden with relative ease.
Biology professor Christopher Callahan’s Bio 1 class is exactly the same model as it is at College the Redwoods. The class items are slightly modified but students are still able to use microscopes. | Photo by T.William Wallin
“My reasoning is to start at level 4 because if you can implement it there then you can implement at level 2,” Callahan said. “Pelican Bay has a reputation as the worst of the worst and if we can do these programs there they can be done anywhere. Pelican Bay can be a model for prisons nation-wide.”
Callahan is right. Pelican Bay is the nation’s only supermax state prison. Its purpose when built in 1989 was to house California’s most violent male prisoners. It was notorious for the lowest of the low, but that’s changing.
After hunger strikes in 2011 and 2013, the Center for Constitutional Rights won a lawsuit against Pelican Bay that forced the state of California to end its unlimited isolation policy. Before the lawsuit inmates were spending decades in Solitary Housing Units, or SHU. Today half of the building that contained SHU was knocked down and re-purposed for a lower-custody level 2 housing unit where Callahan also teaches a marine mammal biology class.
In 2015 College of the Redwoods implemented a program for inmates to earn their Associate Degree for Transfer while serving time. Callahan was quick to mention most people in prison will be released at some point, so programs like the Pelican Bay Scholars Program are important because they help reduce recidivism rates.
“All of the courses we teach there are existing courses at the Eureka and Del Norte campus,” Callahan said. “Some modifications are made but we just implement whats already there. It’s as if we were teaching on a regular community college campus.”
Biology professor Christopher Callahan brings in BBC documentaries narrated by David Attenborough for his biology class at Pelican Bay State Prison. | Photo by T.William Wallin
David Nguyen, a student of Callahan’s, agrees with this and feels like he’s on a college campus when in class. Nguyen transferred to Pelican Bay from High Desert Prison in 2011 and every year requested to be sent to another prison. That was until 2015 when he joined the first pilot class of the Pelican Bay Scholars Program. Now he is one of the first students to graduate from the program and earn his Associate Degree for Transfer.
“I didn’t want to be here at all but then I started college and I requested to stay for once,” Nguyen said. “This is a real class room experience and I had to take advantage of that.”
Getting to graduate almost didn’t happen for Nguyen though. In the beginning of the semester he was supposed to be transferred to a lower level yard but instead he requested to stay at a higher secured level so he could finish school. Transferring yards would have meant his schedule would change and he couldn’t take the necessary courses to graduate.
“There was a day when I was walking through campus and forgot I was in prison,” Nguyen said. “I looked around and said to myself, ‘I’m a student right now’.”
In Nguyen’s experience the program is changing the culture of Pelican Bay. With around 300 students enrolled, different races and gangs are starting to interact with one another and even study together, something that just wasn’t possible before.
“Some people are changing their lives around,” Nguyen said. “A lot of people have been rehabilitated here.
Nguyen is one of those people. He chooses his words carefully and is meticulous in his speech. Nguyen carries with him a type of ivy league school confidence you wouldn’t expect in prison, and it shows in his writing. He recently created ‘The Pelican’ with other students, an informational newsletter that circulates within the prison’s walls.
Pelican Bay Scholars Program students test experiments on their plants during their transferable Bio 1 class. Having a biology class with a lab on level 4 yard is an accomplishment for any prison. | Photo by T.William Wallin
Nguyen glows when he talks about school. He said students grow plants, pollinate them with Q-tips, take measurements of different liquids like nitrogen and phosphate and learn about male and female reproductive systems. They even use microscopes to look at dividing cells in sperm, testes and ovaries.
“We’re learning the scientific method, how to hypothesize and see if we reject it or accept it,” Nguyen said. “I’m a science dude, I love this stuff. When we do labs most students get woke real quick.”
This is the type of feeling Callahan got when he was a student. Callahan is so invested he even scheduled this course at night because he wanted to allow his working students fit the class in their schedules.
“Biology is hands-on and for them that’s totally different because all other college classes like history or business are not hands-on,” Callahan said. “To experience this is not like any other course. Its catching momentum on the yard.”
Even though it doesn’t have a lab, his lower security level 2 D-yard marine mammal biology course is integrated with hands on activities. Callahan brings in porpoise skulls, dolphin bones, whale baleen, krill in a jar, sperm whale teeth and plenty of documentaries narrated by David Attenborough, which captivate the students and boost their engagement.
One of the students is Marcus Benavidez, who is set to be paroled in a month. Benavidez is taking with him 30 transferable credits to Riverside City College in southern California.
Like Nguyen, Benavidez has been in the program since the first semester. Benavidez has a slow drawl, faded tattoos on his forehead and a huge embracing smile. He is optimistic with the pace he set for himself and said he was “half way to the finish line.” Benavidez never imagined he would come to prison and get to earn a college degree.
Pelican Bay Scholars Program students log in the results of their experiments on their plants for Bio 1 class. | Photo by T.William Wallin
“I was in the SHU for a few years and when I was sent back I was told people in CR wanted to see if I was interested in classes they were offering,” Benavidez said. “I went to one class and was hooked. The next semester was more classes and it just kept rolling and now I’m at the half-way point.”
Benavidez said he loses interest easily but Callahan keeps his classes fresh. Benavidez went into marine mammal biology skeptical but by the end of the course, it was one of his favorites. He said Callahan was a great instructor and admitted he is a little envious about leaving because won’t be able to graduate in the program.
“I feel like a student, they treat us like students,” Benavidez said. “Once I get out of my building and come to class I am a student, it doesn’t matter that I’m in Pelican Bay.”
Always up for a challenge, Callahan is currently designing more classes for the future. He said next year there will be another biology course taught, making Pelican Bay the only prison in the CDCR system to offer three. It will be a botany course, which Callahan said was inspired by the Pelican Bay Garden Club. With the addition of this class a science exploration degree will be possible.
“The course will be Plants and People, and we will grow veggies and plants,” Callahan said. “When you go to college you take courses that are of interest to you. I always encourage my students to follow their passion.”
The World Surf League is once again being terrible
At this point, you may think I sound like some crotchety old surfer who likes to complain, but if the WSL is going to keep taking advantage of viewers with stupid competition formats I’m going to keep bitching about it.
If you’re not up to date, the WSL brought back an all-aerial competition last July in France where 18 surfers competed for the title of King of the Air. In typical WSL fashion the format was a mystery until days before the event.
The silence finally broke when Arial Commissioner Josh Kerr announced there would be two 30 minute semi-final heats of nine surfers. The top three in each heat would advance based on their best two waves to compete later that day in a 40-minute final.
Kerr promoted the event by promising 540’s, backflips and once-in-a-lifetime airs, all live. Many surf and sports fans were excited, picturing aerialists like Italo Ferreira 15 feet above the lip spinning with a smile on his face. A fool’s dream if you ask me.
Because let’s bring some logic into this. There are nine surfers in the water, all with the same goal. Not just surf the best two waves of their lives but the best two airs of their life, in a matter of only 30 minutes. It’s not too plausible if you think about it.
The competition was a complete disappointment, as surfers of all skill levels tuned in to watch professional surfers struggle in sub-par surf and chop-hop their way to a forced one-foot air that you see in regular competition.
Graduate Student Taylor Team was let down by the event.
“It just didn’t make sense,” Team said. “I wasted two hours listening to announcers hype up airs that never happened.”
I don’t think the WSL understands who their viewers are, because none of the competition formats represent the average surfer’s ability and don’t give the viewer a chance to relate to what they’re seeing.
The average surfer can’t do an air. They will tell you they can, and they’ve landed one. In reality, there’s a select group of surfers with the skill and practice required to successfully land these tricks.
San Francisco surfer Mike Krakauer can’t do airs and doesn’t care.
“Airs are something you mess around with for fun at the end of a wave,” Krakauer said. “Why would I want to watch an event where I can’t do anything they’re doing?”
The WSL’s stupidity and lack of relatability will soon be their downfall. Arial competitions will not last because people don’t care, there will seldom be the right surf conditions for this competition and the surfers aren’t doing anything out of the ordinary for their standards.
That’s why there should be just three competitions a year, all in Hawaii and all from December to February. I’m talking about the historic, prestigious, triple crown of surfing.
In 1970 the Pipeline Masters was created. This event served as the Superbowl of surfing as it was once a year, winner takes all. The event ran successfully for 12 years before Haleiwa and Sunset beach were added to the circuit, to create the triple crown.
This circuit was perfect because surfers would congregate to the north shore, the mecca of surfing, when the waves were the best to show who the best surfer truly was. The best would be the one who placed highest in the three events with the highest cumulative point total.
The three waves that make up the triple crown are not suitable for airs, bringing me back to my question to the WSL: How on earth is an aerial surfing competition relatable or relevant?
The Red Bull King of the Air needs to go, and the WSL needs to take a step back and realize who their audience is. Their audience of around 1000 viewers is mostly average surfers who don’t ride the same surfboards and don’t paddle out in crappy, blown out conditions.
The people watching are not dreaming of paddling out into eight-foot closeouts, nor do they want to take off with the sole purpose to do an air, because the average surfer would fucking hurt themselves.
There isn’t an audience for this silly event. If you logically think about the probability of an aerial competition going right, you will realize how many factors there are against the surfers and viewers, because too many things have to go right for the event to be a success.
Don’t portray yourself as Hispanic when you have no right to
Hear it straight from the mouth of a Hispanic woman: it is frustrating to see people use Cinco de Mayo as an excuse to get drunk and wear sombreros.
White people who complain about illegal immigrants coming into the country and not doing a single thing should not be celebrating on Cinco de Mayo.
Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of the Mexican Army’s victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862 led by General Ignacio Zaragoza. Cinco de Mayo is frequently mixed up as Mexico’s independence day, which actually celebrated on September 16.
Caucasian men and women are the worst perpetrators of this cultural appropriation. I don’t agree with people who think Cinco de Mayo is an excuse to drink and be Hispanic for a day. It baffles me that these exact people make fun of Mexicans, and all Hispanics for that matter. There are groups of Caucasians who say that Hispanics who came across the border to have a better life don’t contribute to the nation. Meanwhile, as they are getting drunk, Hispanics are working to support themselves and their families.
My dad came into this country illegally. He is a gardener who supports three kids. He also pays for my tuition. He is not a stereotype, he is a hardworking man with a family he supports and loves.
Additionally I want to address all white people: do not act like you belong in this culture and portray yourself as a Hispanic when you have no right to. There is a huge difference between supporting us Hispanics and using our culture as a fun event to be part of a “trend.”
White people are also practicing cultural appropriation when they dress up like Mexicans. Putting sombreros on and wearing ponchos is not “cool” or “funny,” you are mocking Mexicans and all Hispanics. I believe Cinco De Mayo can be celebrated, just not how everyone wants to view it as “celebrating.”
You don’t have to put anything on to represent Mexicans and mock them as if they are a funny gag. Caucasian people, please remember Cinco De Mayo is not an excuse for you to get drunk and dress up as a Mexican and this is not Mexico’s Independence Day.
CSU Chancellor Timothy White sends update regarding ongoing HSU president search
A message containing an update for the Humboldt State University President search was sent campus wide today. According to CSU Chancellor Timothy White the eighth HSU president will be announced May 22, 2019. This will be in between the end of the spring semester and beginning of summer session classes when no students will be on campus.
The last update from the administration was when they held an open forum for the first meeting of the Trustee’s Committee for the selection of the president on February 4, 2019. The Lumberjack has been unable to speak with Lisa Rossbacher on her departure as of yet.
Rossbacher will retire at the end of June after a controversial five-year run as HSU president. Under her presidency HSU lost their football team, the Third Street Art Gallery, the community radio station KHSU and not to mention what many observed as a lack of responsiveness for the April 15, 2017 fatal stabbing of HSU criminal justice major, David Josiah Lawson.
According to the press release the search is “on track” and there has been interest to fill the position of HSU president across the country. Finalists will be chosen and ultimately interviewed by the full Board of Trustees.
The press release is as follows:
Sent on behalf of the CSU Office of the Chancellor:
The search for the next Humboldt State University president is on track. From a sizeable group of candidates that included interest from across the country, the search committee has culled the pool to a handful of semifinalists.
From that group, finalists will be interviewed by the full Board of Trustees. We are on schedule to announce the eighth HSU president on May 22, 2019.
A growing and thriving HSU is key to the prosperity of the North Coast community. It provides transformational educational opportunities and generates a substantial economic impact for the region.
Thank you to everyone who attended the forum on campus or who has shared input about the knowledge, skills or experience requisite of the next campus president. Your feedback has been invaluable as we work diligently to identify the next HSU president.
Under the Bridge Awareness Benefit event raises money for SHAA, new book to be published on student homelessness
The benefits of attending a four year university attract more than 484,000 students to enroll in the CSU system, yet more than 50,000 of them have experienced homelessness in the last year.
Eleven percent of CSU students have gone to school without having a roof over their head. This finding was part of a research study for “Addressing Homelessness and Housing Insecurity in Higher Education,” a book set to publish in June.
The book is authored by Assistant Professor of social work at CSU Long Beach, Rashida Crutchfield and Associate Professor of social work at Humboldt State University Jen McGuire.
They also found that roughly 400,000 students enrolled in the California community college system have experienced homelessness in 2019, and nearly 20% of students at HSU reported being housing insecure at least once in the last year.
Community members bid on art donated by HSU students and local artists during the silent art auction at the Under the Bridge Awareness Benefit. All proceeds went to SHAA. | Photo by T.William Wallin
One group helping to reduce these numbers and offer resources for students at HSU is Student Housing Advocate Alliance (SHAA), who has worked closely with McGuire since the group was founded three years ago.
The purpose of SHAA is to advocate for the rights of homeless students, locate resources to assist students, engage in activism to help push this issue to the forefront and engage the larger community in the struggle to end homelessness.
Because of the work they do, recreation administration senior Ines Aguilar co-coordinated the Under the Bridge Awareness Benefit event at the Humboldt Bay Social Club to raise money and spread information about SHAA. The event was her senior project and she said her and her event partner felt SHAA’s cause was the best to address.
“I was homeless with some friends for a while,” Aguilar said. “We found housing eventually but it was scary. You think, ‘I’m a student paying tuition, how can I be homeless?’ I didn’t know what I was going to do or how I was going to go to school.”
Aguilar said she didn’t know there were resources like SHAA on campus, and more students need to know what they offer. Aguilar would like to get involved with a similar non-profit organization once she graduates and said the goal is to be able to give back to community.
“We have a large percentage of homeless students dealing with housing insecurity,” Aguilar said. “(SHAA) helps with housing, food and just basic needs getting met.”
Art was donated by local artists and HSU students. | Photo by T.William Wallin
SHAA staff member Daniela Prada also experienced homelessness while working on her senior project at HSU and said it encouraged her to get involved with SHAA. Prada’s project was about policy processes of homelessness and while conducting research she met other students who were navigating school without a home.
“I wanted to make it a personal project,” Prada said. “We started talking with community members who were experiencing similar experiences. There were a lot of students going through the same thing but not voicing it.”
Prada has been with SHAA since its beginning. She first worked as a secretary and then started working towards policy changes. She is currently an apprentice for a local law firm that she said is involved with family and juvenile criminal law, which intertwines with housing issues.
“There is a plan for us to look into complaints with tenants and landlords so we can know the platforms people go through in Humboldt county,” Prada said. “We are in a fucked up system when people are living on the streets and we are one of the wealthiest nations.”
SHAA Co-founder Michael Barnes agrees with Prada. Even with money in their savings and good credit, Barnes and his partner had trouble securing a spot to live when he transferred to HSU. It took them three months to find a rental.
Barnes said HSU was falling short of helping students secure housing and one of the goals for SHAA was to get HSU to partially take responsibility for the state of the current housing issue.
“They eventually took some responsibility, they should take more but it was a start,” Barnes said. “We felt validated, like all this effort was for something.”
Barnes said that other CSU campuses are looking to SHAA so they can improve their own campuses and help their students. A point-in-contact position was created last year for the first time, not only at HSU but for the entire CSU System. Co-founder of SHAA, Chante Catt, filled that position as off-campus housing liaison.
Barnes said they collaborate with other CSU campuses who don’t have a point-in-contact position and advocate for them. Barnes said in other states like Washington this position is carried out by professors who have rapport with students.
“It’s someone students can rely on and have an ear to the ground about what’s happening with housing opportunity in the community,” Barnes said. “The person of contact has the info but also the empathy of being able to relate with the experience of the student.”
Workshops on permaculture, public banking systems and the opposition of big corporations gave students optimism for the future after attending the Post Capitalism Solidarity Economy Conference, held in Humboldt State’s Kate Buchanan Room last weekend.
More than 250 people including students, professors, activists and community leaders attended a range of workshops sponsored by Cooperation Humboldt on the nuts and bolts of building a more just, sustainable society.
Presentations displayed work that is currently going on in Humboldt, like building a public bank, using permaculture to turn lawns into gardens, cooperative housing solutions and more.
HSU student Oscar Mogollon said people were openly optimistic and happy they attended, because they could see a transition in Humboldt that’s already happening. Mogollon said the conference enabled him to see the pieces of the puzzle coming together.
“It is very powerful to know that there is support for the change to happen,” Mogollon said. “We need that change now because climate breakdown will be on our soil, on our coastline, in the next 12 to 15 years.”
Political science and philosophy double major Johnny Ferdon was always interested in developing community outside of capitalism. He got more than he expected from the conference.
“I found tons of people making a world outside of capitalism, more than I expected to meet at the conference,” Ferdon said. “The Plenary Session was super awesome. It laid the general framework for the workshops.”
Ferdon was personally excited about the Permaculture workshop with local expert Marlon Gil, and Own Yourself: Worker-Owned Co-ops, led by Cooperation Humboldt Member Caroline Griffith and Edge Caliber Owner Danny Kelley.
Ferdon reserved words of deep praise for the workshop led by Kali Akuno of Cooperation Jackson, a deep dive into building a solidarity economy in Mississippi.
“It is possible to become paralyzed by having a government not favorable to what we want to do,” Ferdon said. “Akuno shared the experience of building Cooperation Jackson while being surrounded by hostile forces. He gave us examples of how much work can be done and examples that teach us not to rely on the state.”
HSU student Emily Mossman Smiley was also happy that she attended the workshops. She was especially inspired by the idea of a public bank.
“The only state-owned public bank in the country, the Bank of North Dakota, was the only bank during the 2008 crash that was able to maintain stability while the rest of the banks needed to be bailed out,” Mossman said.
Mossman said the presentation was so informative, “It was enough to light a fire under my ass to push for public banking in California.”
“While public banking is not a silver bullet, it will enable the citizens of California to keep capital within their communities and make it serve the community as opposed to serving the big corporations that are crushing us,” Mossman said.
Cooperation Humboldt Co-founder David Cobb said the conference brought together movement through leaders who shared best practices for creating a new world within the exterior of the old.
I am grateful for them, and for the members of the community who came together to learn from and inspire each other to actually build that world,” Cobb said.
KHSU radio station is left in shambles under the Rossbacher administration
The decision to gut the KHSU radio station lays solely at the feet of the Rossbacher administration.
On April 11, 2019 HSU President Lisa Rossbacher along with Vice President of University Advancement Craig Wruck made the decision to get rid of all volunteers and terminate all but two paid positions.
The two paid employees have since resigned. Caught up in the firings were five student interns who were also let go due to the lack of professional mentorship. The decision was abrupt and took many by surprise.
Starting in the fall 2018 semester, Wruck began to have conversations with the Associated Students of Humboldt State about a desire for more student involvement at the station.
Former AS Administrative Vice President Bennett Perrault began having meetings with Wruck during this time period as well. Perrault said that his interest in KHSU was piqued after reading articles about the station in the Mad River Union.
Perrault said that in his meetings with Wruck and KHSU General Manager Peter Fretwell, they envisioned a station where students could work under the tutelage of some of the volunteers and paid staff, while working on content geared towards a younger audience.
Perrault said that he wanted to have more student-run shows filling the air waves from Crescent City to Garberville when the nationally syndicated shows from NPR weren’t running.
“The ideal situation would be that the very best students from KRFH would have shows and get professional experience,” Perrault said. “Why should the university spend money on stuff that students are not going to benefit from? I understand that we impose ourselves on a community, but if the students could be more involved and put out quality content that the community could appreciate, then that’s all the best.”
According to Perrault, Wruck said that one of the barriers for this vision to come to fruition was the large number of volunteers at the station and by freeing up volunteer positions, the university would be making room for more student involvement.
Perrault also said Wruck acknowledged that he and some of the people at KHSU were “butting heads” and President Rossbacher is “in a position that she could make big decisions” before she left.
“[Wruck] painted this picture of all these volunteers not allowing students in there,” Perrault said. “He said that the whole station was run by people that haven’t left since the 80s and that HSU is putting a lot of money into it.”
Given this background knowledge and after conversations with Wruck, Perrault began to draft what would become the Associated Students’ draft resolution No. 2018-19-08, “An Act of Formal Support for Increased Student Involvement in KHSU Radio Station.”
The goal of the resolution was to “encourage the KHSU station to increase student positions (paid and volunteer), student-produced content, student air time and more,” according to an email chain obtained by the Lumberjack.
Perrault also said that he and Wruck discussed budget issues surrounding that station. Budget issues were cited by President Rossbacher as one of the reasons for the gutting of the station.
A statement from the university on the day of the firings said they were eliminating the positions of general manager and chief engineer, “saving the University more than $250,000 annually.” The statement also said that they were eliminating five other paid positions.
The HSU University Senate voted to condemn the decision. State Senator Mike McGuire and State Assembly member Jim Wood along with two retired state representatives wrote a letter to California State University Chancellor Timothy White calling the decision a “slap in the face” to the local community.
One of the 59 volunteers that was let go is Halimah Collingwood. Collingwood hosted a radio show that played music from across the world since 1991. Collingwood graduated from HSU in 1990 with a degree in philosophy.
“When they said something about how the community wasn’t supporting the station, that isn’t true,” Collingwood said. “After Katie Whiteside was fired, the community acted and the station lost $80,000 to $90,000 because of membership cancellations and underwriting cancellations.”
Collingwood said HSU is misrepresenting the numbers and not owning up to their role in the situation. Since the day of the firings, the adminstration has been tight-lipped with any information regarding KHSU. Associate Vice President of Marketing and Communications Frank Whitlach did not respond to requests for a comment.
Wruck has been out of his office since at least the day of the KHSU firings, “Isn’t available for an interview,” and retired from his position on May 1.
Collingwood and Perrault spoke during the KHSU protest at the Arcata Farmers Market on April 13. They both agreed that more student involvement at the station would have been beneficial and the way the plan was implemented was problematic.
“I talked to Craig Wruck about this five months ago, and it’s just happening now because they wanted to fix some things before they left I guess,” Perrault said. “The way it was pitched to me, was that it was all too good to be true.”
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