The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Category: News

  • Mondays are no longer meatless

    Mondays are no longer meatless

    No more Meatless Mondays. They will now become Pollo-pescetarian. HSU Residence Hall Association decided last Monday, Oct. 9th by a unanimous vote to incorporate white meat into Monday’s dining services, and add more vegan and vegetarians options throughout the week to compensate. Chicken, turkey and fish will now be served at the J cafeteria on Mondays.

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    Students getting food from the J cafeteria on a meatless Monday. Photo credit: Ahmed Al-Sakkaf

    “We came to a vote last week, instead of one whole day for vegetarian and vegan options, we’re going to incorporate it more throughout the week,” Destiny Mendoza, sitting President, said.

    Meatless Monday is an international movement that launched in 2003. Its goal is to reduce global meat consumption by 15 percent. In Spring of 2015, about 700 HSU students signed a petition in support of Meatless Mondays. RHA then voted to implement Meatless Mondays at the J starting Fall 2015.

    Ron Rudebock, director of Dining Services said that the foot traffic in the J has dropped by 15 percent on Mondays compared to compared to other weekdays.

    RHA National Communication coordinator Nicole Laureano said that besides the dip in sales at the J on Mondays, dining services didn’t see an increase of sales anywhere else on campus.

    “The big question was where are people [students] going to eat? Are they not eating? Are people starving themselves? Or leaving campus in order to get what they want?” Laureano said.

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    The J food servers behind a counter waiting to serve students. Photo credit: Ahmed Al-Sakkaf

    Many students around campus dislike Meatless Mondays at the J cafeteria. Cynthia Godinez, a student coordinator who works at the J cafeteria, hears students complain and express their frustration about Meatless Mondays.

    “Students come in and they literally roll their eyes and scoff because they hate Meatless Mondays,” Godinez said. “People complain about Meatless Monday all the time… I hear it, I hear it.”

    A large amount of the food served on Mondays is dairy-based and contains a lot of cheese, making it hard for students who are lactose intolerant to eat at the cafeteria.

    “They [students] want to see less cheese,” Mendoza said. “We had Ron from Dining come in and we told him to lay off the cheese.”

    Godinez thinks that the food served on Meatless Monday isn’t healthy as it contains large amounts of fat.

    “You’ll think something like Meatless Monday is healthy, but it’s not healthy, it’s all cheese. It’s very heavy greasy food,” Godinez said.

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    Harrison Cole on a meatless Monday making a salad at the J cafeteria salad bar. Photo credit: Ahmed Al-Sakkaf

    With the dip in the number of students going to the J on Mondays, a lot of food went to waste said Godinez.

    “A lot of food goes to waste because of Meatless Mondays,” Godinez said. “We [Dining services] waste a bunch of food, we waste a bunch of money.”

    Last year, chefs from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) visited HSU and suggested changing Meatless Mondays to include some meat. This was to avoid steering students away from the J on Mondays and avoid making them feel excluded.

    The changes made are open to reevaluation and change.

    “If this is not the solution then we’ll reevaluate,” Mendoza said, “it’s not set and stone. Nothing is set and stone.”

     

  • Open Access Week escape room

    Open Access Week escape room

    By | Charlotte Rutigliano

    Imagine a mad scientist is trying to take over the town, and you and your friends are the only ones who can crack the code and stop him.

    In an upcoming escape room simulation presented by the library for Open Access Week, students can do just that.

    According to Kimberly Stelter, first-year experience librarian, this four-day event is about giving greater access to students.

    “Open Access Week is about opening up a number of resources they have access to,” Stelter said.

    According to the Open Access Week website, the global event is entering its eighth year and gives the academic and research communities the opportunity to continue learning.

    Stelter said the library is wanting to students to become more familiar with this information in a fun way.

    “It’s about learning and teaching in a different way, ” Stelter said. “I love games for learning, it’s gamifying education.”

    This skillshop takes place Monday, Oct. 23 through Thursday, Oct. 26 at 5 PM. Registration is still open.

  • Convenience costs

    Convenience costs

    By | Curran Daly

    Getting food on campus is convenient for students, yet comes with an additional price. Humboldt State Dining food is more expensive than food bought at Safeway in Arcata and WinCo in Eureka.

    Chris Bautista has been at Humboldt State for three years and eats on-campus for the convenience.

    “Some things are expensive, but some things are not,” said Bautista, while holding a three dollar cupcake. “Eating here is more convenient so I just eat here.”

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    Graphic by Curran C. Daly

    Humboldt State is far from the cheapest option for food in the area. When compared to Winco and Safeway, Humboldt State is almost always the most expensive option for many quick grab options for food.

    Humboldt’s beloved Yerba Mate teas are $3.39 on campus when paying cash versus $2.22 at Winco and $2.49 at Safeway.

    Director of Dining Services, Ron Rudebock, wants students to know that due to Humboldt’s small size compared to national chains the price we pay for food is higher.

    “Safeway and Winco beat our prices,” said Rudebock. “At Winco, sometimes, we can find things for sale at a cheaper price than we can buy them wholesale.”

    Humboldt might not be able to beat all the prices of other local retailers, but the money spent at HSU stays at HSU. Rudebock also wants students to understand all the places that their money goes after they spend it at an on-campus location.

    “Food sold on campus helps pay for operating costs of the UC Center,” said Rudebock. “Money spent here on campus stays on campus.”

    According to the 2016-2017 Fiscal Budget for the University Center, Dining’s annual intake from food sales of more than 12 million dollars accounts for 74.8 percent of total revenue for the University Center. Despite the large in-take, Dining’s gross profit is only around $700,000 after paying for food cost, employees, and other operating costs.

    While Dining contributes the most amount of money to the University Center’s revenue, it also must pay its many student employees who make up the majority of HSU Dining’s staff.

    “We only have 28 full-time employees between our various locations,” said Rudebock. “Without student employees, we couldn’t operate.”

    The excess money from the Dining’s revenue goes towards keeping prices down across campus for other University Center organizations such as Center Arts, Center Activities, and the Student Rec Center.

    Ameer Abdullah, a transfer Recreation Major, believes that keeping food affordable is key when serving the college community.

    “It’s college it should always be affordable,” said Abdullah. “The food should be better if we are paying so much for it.”

     

  • Luck has nothing to do with it

    Luck has nothing to do with it

    By | Michelle Meyers

    On Friday the 13th, people flooded into the doors of the Sangha Tattoo Studio to make a decision that will stick with them forever on the unluckiest day of the year.

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    HSU students Sara Graves and Jordan Kovalcikova-Gillgren stood among the crowd lined up outside the studio that led out of the building.

    Graves and Kovalcikova-Gillgren said that they have been trying to attend a Friday the 13th event for quite some time – anywhere, anyhow. So after hearing about the event, they lept on the timely tattoo opportunity.

    “None of the tattoo shops seem to be doing this,” Graves said.

    The Sangha Tattoo Studio was offering a “flash sale” on Friday the 13th themed tattoos. The tattoo’s that were part of the sale were listed on three sheets of art, called “flash sheets,” for customers to choose from. One of the sheets cost a total of $20, with the price included a $13 tattoo plus a seven dollar tip for the artist. The other two flash sheets included art that cost $31 and were slightly larger. In addition to the tattoos, Sangha also offered $31 nostril piercings.

    Graves and Kovalcikova-Gillgren went to the studio without any firm ideas as to what piece of art they would choose. When they arrived, they were impressed with the art.

    Kovalcikova-Gillgren decided on two tattoos from the flash sheet, a geometric design and a dagger. Graves decided on going with a pair of dice.

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    Tattoo apprentice, Paige Sinicrope prepares the art for Jordan Kovalcikova-Gillgren’s tattoo Photo credit: Michelle Meyers

    “I don’t know, that’s pretty dicey,” said tattoo artist Justin Love, when Graves picked out her tattoo.

    Love is a native of Humboldt County and has been tattooing for 3 years.

    When it was time to place the art, Graves turned to Love for a professional opinion. Love pointed to a spot on the back of Graves’ calf, directly above her heel. After Graves was set on the placement, Love instructed Graves to stand on the table so that he could place the stencil for the pair of dice.

    “This is fun, I wasn’t expecting to stand on the table,” Graves said as lifted her arms in the air.

    “We’re having a lot of fun here,” Shawn Christensen said, an artist at Sangha Tattoo Studio.

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    Sara Graves smiling while artist, Justin Love prepares his materials Photo credit: Michelle Meyers

    Christiansen came to Humboldt from Nebraska to get a tattoo at Sangha Tattoo Studio back when it was Old Growth Tattoo. Yet, after getting his tattoos there, he never left.

    “Tattoos made me want to tattoo,” Christensen said.

    Over in the other booth, Love finished Graves tattoo, and she sat up on the table to take a look. When Love asked Graves how she felt she looked down at her new art, smiled, and said, “It looks so good!”

    “Good doesn’t cut it, I want it to be great,” Love said. Graves laughed, and said, “It’s great.”

    Because on this Friday the 13th at Sangha Tattoo Studio, luck has nothing to do with it.

    Sangha Tattoo Studio is located at 1806 4th St. in Eureka

  • Indigenous People’s Week at HSU

    Indigenous People’s Week at HSU

    By | Robert Brown


    The American Indian community of HSU hosted the 24th annual Indigenous People’s Week from Oct. 9 thru Oct. 16, with many free events held on campus.

    The eight day event began on Monday, Oct. 9, with a celebration on the Quad. Throughout the week, workshops, film screenings, a community-building reception and cultural sharing events were held around campus. Professors of the Native American Studies program hosted the event, as well as guest speakers from the Seventh Generation Fund, and Native American activist YoNasDa LoneWolf Hill.

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    Children gather on the Quad at Humboldt State University during a protest that began Indigenous People’s Week Oct. 9-16, 2017. Photo credit: Robert Brown

    An Indigenous Voices Forum titled, “Columbus, The Doctrine of Discovery and Indigenous People’s Rights,” hosted by HSU Professor Cutcha Risling Baldy, and Lorna Bryant from Race Beat on KHSU was held in the Kate Buchanan Room on Wednesday night. HSU Professors Marlon Sherman and Kayla Begay, Chris Peters and Tia Oros-Peters of the Seventh Generation Fund, and Cynthia Boshell of the Environment and Community program at HSU took part in a discussion on the Doctrine of Discovery and how it continues to impact society to this day.

    “Columbus is a figment of people’s imagination,” Oros-Peters said. “He is a construct of a dominating colonizing society that’s become a caricature of what the aspiration of colonization is. He is used as a weapon against people’s minds and their capacity to think freely.”

    “Columbus is part of this nation’s origin story, Columbus Day is really a celebration of White supremacy, Christian superiority, the genocide of indigenous people. The state needs to erase indigenous people in order to legitimize its claim of sovereignty over us.”

    A reception was held on campus Thursday to honor Native American women who have notoriously been murdered at more than 10 times the national average. Participants were asked to wear red in honor of the missing and dead indigenous women.

    “Indigenous women have remained for more than 500 years, the most targeted, exploited, trafficked, raped, murdered, tortured, brutalized, and torn apart group of people on the face of this planet,” Oros-Peters said. “We are the embodiment of Mother Earth. The assault against indigenous women is how they treat the Earth. We are the echo of the Earth within our bodies, and she within us.”

    “Columbus began the sex trafficking trade in America, he gave women away as slaves and prostitutes,” Sherman said.

    Also on Thursday, a conversation with YoNasDa LoneWolf Hill was held in the Behavioral & Social Sciences building. Hill is a Lakota and African-American activist, speaker, and published writer of social and environmental justice issues. She was adopted and raised by Minister Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam.

    “The truth is coming out, and the truth hurts, everyone is looking at the truth. There is a separation of good and evil taking place at this time,” Hill said.

    “Women are at the heart of this movement, as mothers, we feel pain, we bear pain when we give birth,” Hill said. “Even if you’re not able to give birth, you still feel it in your blood. It’s all in everything that we are made of as women. In this way, we connect with and feel Mother Earth.”

  • Consent is the word

    Consent is the word

    By | Lauren Shea

    Brave students walked up to the podium to share their story in front of supporters of a culture of consent.

    HSU students attended The Consent Project 2017 in the Kate Buchanan Room on Oct. 10 to talk about consent and listen to survivors of sexual violence.

    The Consent Project is an event held through the Check It program to talk about what it means to consent, what consent looks like, and how to communicate consent though choices and actions. The project aims to create a culture of consent and reduce the harm caused by sexual violence. The event provided a place to educate students and the community about consent and provide community resources. It also provided a place where survivors of all genders of sexual violence could speak out about their story.

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    Photo credit: Lauren Shea

    This year’s theme is the Seasons of Change. One of the event coordinators, Skye Peredo, talked about the meaning behind the name by describing how seasons change just as people do.

    The event provided many resources such as the North Coast Rape Crisis Team, Check It, the Women’s Resource Center and the Multicultural Queer Resource Center. The event provided food and drinks as students engaged in conversations about consent and the importance of self-care. Arts and crafts were supplied for students to create crafts and build a comfortable and creative environment.

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    The second part of the night shared a space where survivors talked about their story on consent. Survivors shared their gratitude for programs such as Check It and The Consent Project that encourages a consent culture where people can talk about sexual violence. It also encourages people to support each other and educate people in hopes to reduce to harm caused by sexual violence and the lack of clear consent communication.

    Students talked about consent culture during the event and the importance of caring for yourself. Elissa Rodriguez, a junior at HSU studying English, gave her thoughts about the importance of self-care and mental stress breaks.

    “I advocate a lot to my friends about self-care,” Rodriguez said. “I think we go through so much stress and taking the time even if it’s just a little bit of time to recuperate before getting back to what you need to do is really important.”

    She also talked about her experience with the consent culture being built at HSU.026.jpg

    “I feel like there is always more room for improvement,” Rodrigues said. I feel like people are still afraid to talk about sexual violence because if they weren’t, we wouldn’t need events like this. Not everyone is involved as they should be.”

    Alex Heart, a sophomore at HSU studying Geology, talked about the influence that Check it and the Consent Project has on new students.

    “I think the school does really well on educating freshman that come from all walks of life about consent,” Heart said.

    035.jpgJonathan Salinas, a senior at HSU studying Spanish, talked about his experience with consent culture at HSU.

    “I definitely think there is a lot of work to be done about creating a consent culture here,” Salinas said. “But I think events like this gives students on campus the vocabulary to have the conversations. I think there is that fear to talk about these topics, but at the same time empowers people to have these discussions.”

  • Adventure in aquaponics

    Adventure in aquaponics

    By | Charlotte Rutigliano

    On a warm Friday afternoon, student volunteers help trim eight different varieties of basil leaves for a study headed by undergraduate Fisheries Biology major Bryan Lester.

    Lester is studying which strain of basil grows the fastest using this aquaponics facility, he completed his second trial on Friday. The stains grown in the study are dark opal, holy, Italian large leaf, lemon, lime, spicy globe, sweet Genovese, and Thai.

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    Fisheries Biology student volunteers trimming basil leave to be weighed Photo credit: Charlotte Rutigliano

    A study he might not have been able to do without the help of Coast Seafoods, Hog Island Oyster Co., and Taylor Shellfish. According to assistant professor of Fisheries Biology Rafael Cuevas Uribe, past donations from Ameritas faculty ran out this past summer.

    “The donation we received from these local businesses will help run the facility for about a year,” Cuevas Uribe said.

    Since HSU starting leasing this facility, which belongs to the Humboldt Bay Harbor District, around two years ago Cuevas Uribe and the student volunteers have grown pak choi, lettuce, cilantro, chard, spinach, arugula, kale, and cabbage.

    Cuevas Uribe started this program to help teach students about what aquaculture is and how to maintain and grow in a system like this. CRaquaculture - 06.jpg

    “Aquaponics is an educational tool,” Cuevas Uribe said, “students often run their own research projects, like what Bryan is doing.”

    According to Cuevas Uribe, aside from evaluating growth rates of plants, one of the other student-run research projects was evaluating the growth rates of the fish by changing their diets. A diet that normally consists of pellets made from fish meal, fish oils and other types of oils.

    “This study evaluated the growth and feeding habits of the white sturgeon,” Cuevas Uribe said, “the students gave them a fish-free organic diet, and the results from that study were presented at a national conference.”

    According to Cuevas Uribe, they get the white sturgeon from a fish farm in Galt, Ca.

    “We have about 80 sturgeons that are 2-years old,” Cuevas Uribe said, “and another 400 sturgeons that are a few months old.”

    Cuevas Uribe said that the fish are separated by their biometrics or their size, and student volunteers like senior Fisheries Biology major Alexis Harrison come down to the facility once a day to check on the water quality of the fish.

    “We come down to check the oxygen levels, the temperature, the pH levels, ammonia levels, nitrite levels and nitrate levels,” Harrison said.

    According to Cuevas Uribe, the fish help circulate the water for the plants. The water from the tanks the fish are held in is filtered by a polygeyser bead filter that holds bacterias that have nutrients the plants prefer.

    “It’s a very symbiotic relationship,” Cuevas Uribe said, “even the waste drained from the filter, is strained and reused as soil for the plants.”

    Cuevas Uribe said that everything that is grown at the facility is either taken home by the student volunteers or donated to the open community garden or the Food for People food bank in Eureka.

    Lacy Ogan communications manager with Pacific Seafood, a company who has hired several HSU students as interns to work with the company because of this facility. Ogan said that companies are dedicated to the success of this program.

    “They are in the process of helping to find a long-term funding source,” Ogan said, “so their resources can be focused on increasing internship programs.”

  • HSU compost goes to landfill

    HSU compost goes to landfill

    UPDATED: 6:00 p.m. on Oct. 16

    More than six weeks worth of compost went to a landfill. That’s after the composting contract HSU had with the Local Worm Guy ended and wasn’t renewed. All compost materials which ends up in the compost BiobiN vessel will be sent to landfill, as there is no alternative in sight.

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    HSU bio bin located near the Jolly Giants Commons. | Ahmed Al-Sakkaf

    Last year, the university signed a $14 thousand contract with The Local Worm Guy farm to divert all the food waste the campus generates. All campus-generated compostable material is deposited to the 20-cubic-yard composting bio bin that was installed a year ago near the Jolly Giant Commons. When the bin is close to full, it’s then hauled away by Recology Arcata to be dumped at the worm farm. The university pays Recology around $80 per haul.

    Last August, the owner of the worm farm Lloyd Barker informed HSU that he wouldn’t renew the contract with the university.

    “It’s probably one of the harder decisions that we’ve had to make as a business,” Barker said. “With the challenges we faced last year we’ve had to take a step back and look at exactly what we need in terms of our business development to be able to offer that service again.”

    The volume and the type of material that is generated on campus is challenging from a composting perspective. The challenges his business was facing from the university’s material didn’t leave him an option.

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    Organic food wastes inside the bio bin. | Ahmed Al-Sakkaf

    “HSU is really a big feather in someone’s cap, it’s a really important customer for us, but right now it’s really hard to offer them the service we want to be able to offer them,” Barker said.

    The university has a small scale composting facility called the Earth Tub. The Earth Tub is run by Waste-Reduction & Resource Awareness Program. WRRAP compost food waste they collect from student-run coffee tables, departmental break rooms and zero waste events, food waste that is not sent to the biobin where the majority of the organic waste ends up.

    For organic waste to compost, it requires a consistent balance of carbon to nitrogen ratio. The ratio is around 25 to 30 parts of carbon to every one part of nitrogen. The compost material generated on campus mainly consists of heavily water saturated food type materials with very little carbon. Besides the imbalanced ratio of carbon to nitrogen, the university’s compost material tends to have a lot of garbage in it, such as F’real milkshake cubs and other noncompostable plastic bags from dining kitchens.

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    Organic food wastes inside the bio bin. | Ahmed Al-Sakkaf

    “We end up with a lot of those pre-made milkshakes in a little plastic cups. We end up with probably 50 of those milkshake containers, and up to 150 pieces of recycles and garbage from the cafeteria per load,” Barker said. “We’ll also end up with big bags of stuff from the back of the house. It caused us a lot of problems and issues along the way.”

    Last year alone, the worm farm composted over 200 cubic yards of HSU’s material that weighed about 97 tons. The university paid a total of $64 per cubic yard to divert this food waste from landfill to compost.

    HSU is mandated by California’s AB 1826 law to compost. The law currently requires businesses that generate four cubic yards or more of organic waste per week to arrange for organic waste recycling services. Organic waste includes green waste, landscape pruning and wood waste. The university generates over seven cubic yards of organic waste per week.

    “We are a state agency. We need to be compliant with this law,” said Morgan King HSU’s Sustainability and Climate Action Analyst.

    Neither the university nor the county has the infrastructure or the appropriate facilities to compost large amounts of organic waste. Until the county builds a facility that can accept HSU’s food wastes, the university has no option but to try to work with the local worm farmer to resume their agreement.

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    Katherine Rodriguez scraping off leftover food into a compost bucket. | Ahmed Al-Sakkaf

    “We’re kinda stuck. We need to haul it out to someone else who is a professional and can compost it,” said King. “He [Barker] can’t take our stuff and there’s no one locally besides him that would take this amount of food waste.”

    Both the university and The Local Worm Guy view this as a temporary setback until they are all ready to resume their cooperation and resume their work.

    “The Local Worm Guy is working on his side to be in a better position to take our food waste, and on our side, we are working on making our material more acceptable,” said King.

    Prior to signing this contract with the local worm farmer, HSU didn’t have a large-scale composting program in place. Madi Whaley, the WRRAP program manager, said that before last year parts of the food waste generated on campus was diverted to a local hog farmer for pigs to eat.

    “It is unfortunate,” said Whaley. “It’s a real shame that the compost is going to the landfill instead of being diverted to a composting facility.”

    HSU prides itself on having a great food recovery system. This past summer, HSU won the Innovative Waste Reduction Award at the California Higher Education Sustainability Conference. The composting program HSU had in place partnering with Barker was a significant factor in winning the award. A factor that isn’t in place now.

     

  • Tools for student wellbeing

    Tools for student wellbeing

    By | Charlotte Rutigliano

    After being in development for over a year, Executive Director of Student Health & Wellbeing Services Dr. Brian Mistler, Health Educator Ravin Craig, and a team of peer health educators have created an interactive online tool to guide students toward a healthier lifestyle and habits as well as campus support services.

    Mistler said that the interactive wellbeing map is to help students make connections, find a community and start building a healthier lifestyle at Humboldt State.

    “Health is not a linear process, there is no start or end on our journey to build positive relationships with our body and community,” Mistler said.

    According to Mistler, the team intentionally designed the introductory quiz to target the primary health and wellbeing-related obstacles in a way that was approachable and helpful to students from top to bottom.

    “The BuzzFeed-style quiz is an easy entry point that most students are comfortable with,” Mistler said.

    The wellbeing map is broken down into nine different topic areas; health and identity, physical health, sexual health and consent, adulting skills, alcohol and other drugs, mental health, health and wellbeing services 101, relationships and belonging, and food, nutrition, and housing.

    According to Mistler, the modules focus on frequently identified health concerns, such as a sense of belonging, sexual health, friendships and romantic relationships, nutrition and food, trouble relaxing, financial wellness and much more.

    “Each topic area is a map to get students connected to the resources they need to be successful at HSU, though it isn’t designed to list all of the student support services on campus,” Mistler said.

    Students can access the online tool by visiting wellbeing.humboldt.edu

  • Freedom to read

    Freedom to read

    For the fourth consecutive year, the Humboldt Center for Constitutional Rights and the Humboldt University Library came together to celebrate freedom of speech with a read-out of banned books on Oct. 4.

    Community members and Humboldt State University students gathered to read their favorite “dangerous” books.

    From classic literature to children’s books, titles such as “The Grapes of Wrath,” “The Kite Runner” and “Where the Wild Things Are” have been banned or challenged by various schools and public libraries for reasons such as profanity, explicit or sexual content and controversial themes.

    The American Library Association gathers a yearly list of banned books and keeps record of any challenges against the inclusion of books in libraries or school curriculum.

    Senior at HSU, Erika Delos Reyes, 32, says many of these banned books were introduced to readers as children. Delos Reyes, a Communication major, read an excerpt of a favorite book of hers, “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes at the read-out.

    HSU alumnus Donald Forrest read part of the 1959 short story “The Time of Her Time” by Norman Mailer. Forrest says at 12 years old, this was the first piece of “dirty” literature he ever found in a banned place – his dad’s sock drawer.

    “It’s an artifact of a time; of defiant misogyny,” Forrest said

    Tommy Woodruff, a 20-year old junior, attended the read-out because he was interested to see the different banned books. Woodruff said it was interesting that so many children’s books have been banned, such as “The Lorax” and “And Tango Makes Three,” a book about a family of two male penguins based on a true story.

    “It’s ridiculous, you can’t hide information from people,” Woodruff said.

    The exhibit on banned books is on display at the HSU library until Monday, Oct. 9.

    *Marcy Burstiner, faculty adviser of The Lumberjack is the Chair of Humboldt Center for Constitutional Rights.

  • Word on the Street: LA County replaces Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day

    Word on the Street: LA County replaces Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day

    By | Ian Benjamin Finnegan Thompson and Sarahi Apaez

    Los Angeles has made Indigenous Peoples Day an official county holiday. In this video we ask students on the Humboldt State University campus their thoughts on the recent decision by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors to observe the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples Day instead of Columbus Day.

     

  • Word on the street: Free community college bill

    Word on the street: Free community college bill

    Question: What do you think of Assembly Bill 19? Could it ever be implemented at a four-year university?

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    Trent Diederic, a senior majoring in Finance says AB 19 could get more people in college, but they would still struggle financially. Photo credit: Lora Neshovska

    “It could be counterproductive. The people who are already on the fence about college would have to keep paying after that first year. At a four-year university, it would be very expensive. Housing and food would still be difficult to find.” – Trent Diedrich, 22, Finance, Senior

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    Senior Sarah Grover says it is pointless to make only the first year free. Students would still have expenses in the following years. Photo credit: Lora Neshovska

    “If people can live closer to home and still have that ‘freshman experience,’ it could be good encouragement, but freshmen are the largest group to drop out. It makes no sense for just the first year to be free. After that, you still have to work to survive.” – Sarah Grover, 21, International Studies, Senior

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    A Business major, Zac Alfers says community college is definitely the less expensive route, so AB 19 would get more people in school. Photo credit: Lora Neshovska

    “I wish I went to community college, it’s the less expensive route. Money puts people off about college. It would get more people in school. I can’t see it happening at four-year university though, they like their money too much.” – Zac Alfers, 23, Business, Senior

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    Stephanie Souter, HSU senior says having more education equality would better the country as a whole. Photo credit: Lora Neshovska

    “Even if it was free, there is still a lot of hard work and dedication that goes into school. But then again, if more people were educated, that would bring up our entire country.” – Stephanie Souter, 21, Psychology, Junior

  • California Senate pushes for free tuition

    By | Charlotte Rutigliano

    Assembly Member Miguel Santiago urged Governor Jerry Brown to sign a Assembly Bill 19 (AB 19) on Thursday, Sept. 27, in Los Angeles. AB 19 would give free tuition to community college students.

    AB 19 would allow the California Community Colleges to waive fees for first-time students, and full-time community college students for one year. The bill would boost enrollment and graduation rates, expand access to financial aid and decrease student debt. Additionally, AB 19 would support California’s businesses by addressing the shortage of college-educated workers that are needed to sustain the workforce.

    Francisco Rodriguez, Chancellor of the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD), started the press conference saying they want to change the narrative of public education, an often misunderstood and forgotten branch of higher education.

    “The two-year system of California Community Colleges and others around the country have received unprecedented attention because of the role that community colleges play to fuel the economic engine of this country and of California,” Rodriguez said.

    According to Rodriguez, the LACCD serves some of the poorest students in the nation. 85 percent of LACCD students are non-white, and half of the students live at or near the poverty line.

    “In Los Angeles, where we have a plethora of educational options, we have amongst the lowest rate of participation for adults in higher education,” Rodriguez said.

    Rodriguez quoted a recent study from the Public Policy State of California report, “California needs 1.1 million [graduates] with bachelor’s degrees by 2030 to keep up with economic demand. More college graduates means very clearly, higher incomes better economic mobility, more tax revenue and less demand for social services.”

    “The idea of tuition-free community college programs has been spreading across the nation,” Rodriguez said. “California is leading the nation with the idea of universal access to higher education.”

    Santiago said education should not be a privilege for the few who can afford it, education is a right that should be free.

    “When you leave our education system and you have the tools to compete in the 21st century, you shouldn’t have to be in debt for a decade or two, just because you got a quality education,” Santiago said.

    Santiago said that the bill would not be a giveaway. It would be an investment in the students, and that students will benefit from being full-time students. Almost 12 community colleges have signed on to support the bill.

    “California has the 6th largest economy in the world. There is no reason why we should not prepare the 21st-century workforce,” Santiago said. “When we’re already behind a million degrees that are much needed to get our economy moving forward and to get it stronger.”

  • Local Buddhism School Consecrates New Buddha Statue

    Local Buddhism School Consecrates New Buddha Statue

    By | Robert Brown

    “The statue we are unveiling is known as the second Buddha,” resident teacher Ven. Khenpo Ugyen Wangchuk said.

    The statue will be consecrated at a special ceremony held Thursday, Oct. 5, from 9:00 am. until 11:00 am. at the Ewam Ku Sum Ling school in Kneeland.

    Gochen Tulku Sang-ngag Rinpoche will be teaching a weekend mind training intensive called Yogi Dharmarakshita’s “The Peacock’s Neutralizing of Poisons,” transcending ego interference to discover true happiness at the Arcata Veterans Hall Saturday, Oct. 7 and Sunday, Oct. 8 from 10:00 am. until 4:00pm.

    Gochen Tulku Sang-ngag Rinpoche is the founder and spiritual director of Ewam International Centers, which has several locations around the world. He was born into one of the oldest families in Tibet and was recognized in early childhood to be the reincarnation of the Gochen Tulku.

    “Rinpoche was captured in Tibet and imprisoned for 10 years by Chinese soldiers,” the owner of Kneeland Ewam Ku Sum Ling school, Amri Padme said. “It turned out to be his greatest opportunity and a positive experience because he was imprisoned alongside several other master teachers that shared their wisdom and practices with him. He also learned how to have compassion for the soldiers that captured him.”

    Resident teacher, Khenpo Ugyen Wangchuk is an advanced level monastic originally from Bhutan and has studied Buddhism since the age of 7. He received a Master’s degree in Buddhist Philosophy from the Nyingma Institute Taktse. In 2006, the title of Khenpo was conferred upon him, which is the equivalent of a PhD.

    “All Tibetan teachings are about mind training, the transformation of the mind, the true nature of the mind,” Ven. Wangchuk said. “How we can change our mind from difficulties and suffering and reach true happiness.”

    Ven. Wangchuk offers teachings for free on a variety of practices in many different places from Trinidad, Mckinleyville, Arcata, HSU, and Kneeland. At some gatherings, the teachings are more basic. At the school, people that have been practicing Buddhism for 10-15 years come in order to go deeper into more advanced teachings.

    “In the Western world people are focused on material things bringing happiness,” Ven. Wangchuk said. “Material things will not bring inner happiness, and ends up creating suffering.”

    Buddhism originally started in India and spread to many different countries such as Sri Lanka and Thailand, which created the common teachings. It then spread to Korea, Japan, China, and Vietnam, creating the uncommon teachings. When Buddhism reached Tibet, the Vajrayana teachings were created, becoming the most advanced level in Buddhism.

    “The Vajrayana teachings help to transform the ordinary mind into the extraordinary mind,” Ven. Wangchuk said. “The mind is the king of our life, whatever our mind thinks and believes, our bodies will follow. The mind is the leader of everything.”

    “There is a teaching for everything,” Padme said. “There’s a different teaching for every individual really, that’s the really beautiful part about the Vajrayana tradition. Some people might not like ritual type practices, some might have a hard time just sitting on a cushion and meditating. For every type of person, there is a different practice that will more attract them and be more beneficial to them, so there’s something for everyone.”

    Anyone interested in attending any of the events being held this week can go online to http://www.EwamKusumLing.com or call (707) 599-4997. In addition to the upcoming classes being offered, there is a free Shamatha group meditation at the Arcata Veterans Hall every Thursday from 6:00-6:50 pm.

    “I’ve been practicing Buddhism for close to 15 years,” Attorney Paul Warner said. “The meditation practice and Buddhist view really assist with gaining a center of awareness and not becoming distracted by all of the worldly concerns. It’s a paradox, we think we have to stay busy and be on top of things, but sometimes just making space and taking time and centering, things flow much more easily.”

    “I used to have to go to Colorado, Southern California, or Leggett for teachings,” Warner said. “Now we have a local center here in Humboldt which is really nice.”

  • Defending the title

    Defending the title

    By | Charlotte Rutigliano

    According to Recreation and Administration professor Gen Marchand, the challenge started in 2013 with only about 10 participating schools. This year, there are 92 colleges and universities across the nation participating in the challenge.

    “Last year was the first year HSU participated, and we won,” Marchand said.

    HSU won about three thousand dollars worth of North Face camping gear. Any HSU student can rent the gear for free, minus a small cleaning fee.

    Marketing professor Nancy Vizenor said events like this are really great for HSU, and that it’s good for both students and the school to be involved in a competition like this.

    “So many of our students are attracted to HSU because of the amazing outdoor experiences,” Vizenor said, “so if potential students who enjoy time outdoors see that HSU is apart of this challenge, they may feel sure that the university will offer experiences they desire.”

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    Students preparing to hit the water. Photo credit: Charlotte Rutigliano

    Marchand said there is an outdoor for everyone, that going for a walk in the park is the same thing as mountain biking.

    “There’s a point system that has many layers,” Marchand said. “Most things are either five or ten points, but you get more points for being in groups, or participating in school-sponsored activities.”

    Activities like last Sunday’s Paddlefest, a school-sponsored event that took place at the Humboldt Bay Aquatic Center in Eureka.

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    Students preparing to hit the water. Photo credit: Charlotte Rutigliano

    The event allowed students and community members to use paddle boards, kayaks and canoes for free. Each person who logged their activity on the Outdoor Nation app gained ten points for participating in a paddle sport. Center Activities also set up hammocks, which would add an additional five points. Participants also gained more points for either having three or more people in the photo, sharing the post on either Facebook or Twitter, and indicating that it was a school-sponsored event.

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    Students who have signed in and are waiting to get on the water. Photo credit: Charlotte Rutigliano

    Because of Paddlefest, HSU was able to pass CSU Sacramento and move into third place, with the point total currently at 86,314. HSU is trailing behind second-place Texas Woman’s University by almost seven thousand points.

    You can join the challenge by downloading the Outdoor Nation app. The challenge ends on October 15th.

  • Standing in solidarity with the Wiyot Tribe

    Standing in solidarity with the Wiyot Tribe

    By Sarahi Apaez

    Ownership of the 270-acre Tuluwat Island, also known as Indian Island is being compromised. More than 100 people gathered in front of Rob Arkley’s place of business in Eureka, to show their support toward the Wiyot tribe’s fight.

    The reason for protest comes from a KINS radio broadcast of Rob Arkley stating his intention to buy the island from the city as opposed to returning it to the Wiyot tribe. This is happening while the Eureka City Council and the Wiyot agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding, an agreement that is not legally binding, that states that the city commits to restoring the island to the tribe.

    Protesters see this issue as a continuation of a battle the Wiyot tribe has been waging since the 1860 Wiyot Massacre in which white settlers murdered several hundred local tribe members. Tuluwat Island holds spiritual and cultural significance to the Wiyot tribe which cannot be replaced.

    Assembly Director Allen McCloskey spoke on the microphone at the rally expressing his opinions of Arkley.

    “The bigotry that he has exercised toward indigenous people we will not stand for that, not here in Eureka, not in our community, not in our County,” McCloskey said.

  • A new learning experience

    A new learning experience

    No more paying for individual tutoring or hiding away in dark basements. Tutoring is now free for all students.

    The HSU Learning Center opened its brand new tutoring hub on the ground floor of the library. Su Karl, Learning Center Director, said the new facility cost $100,000 to build.

    The hub was funded mainly by a $4 million grant by the Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) STEM grant, which was awarded to HSU last year by the U.S. Department of Education.

    “The new space is a lot more spacious and inviting. It was made possible by the HSI STEM grant,” Karl said. “That grant allowed us to build that up.”

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    Students working on computers in the library Photo credit: Ahmed Al-Sakkaf

    Angelica Huerta is a Chemistry major and is a tutor for Chemistry, Math, and Physics. She is one of many students who like the new facility.

    “Now I like it way better than last year it was in the basement,” Huerta said. “It was all weird and lonely.”

    Mia Arnold and Katy Davidson, both majoring in biology, are also happy with the new location and setup of the tutoring center.

    “Now it’s accessible and you can see it,” Arnold said. “Downstairs, it was dark and confusing it was like a maze.”

    “It’s a solid setup, I like how it’s more open and you don’t have to go to the basement,” Davidson said.

    Also thanks to the grant money, the Learning Center started this year with a budget increase of around $12,000. All tutoring services for about 50 subjects including individual tutoring are now free. Last year, students had to pay for tutoring or find their own groups

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    Finding a small group was difficult for some students, Karl said. Some students schedules didn’t fit with others and some students were shy of reaching out to other students, she said.

    “That just didn’t seem fair, it didn’t seem right,” Karl said. “There were too many hoops for students to jump through.”

    Huerta thinks the fact that all these roadblocks stopped a lot of students from getting tutoring.

    The Learning Center opened in 1998 and was located in house 71, then moved to the library basement in 2009. Though all tutoring services were transferred to the library ground floor, few staff offices remain in the basement.

    In the past tutors had little or no training and were also hired or laid off based on demand. Karl said in the past they would hire many tutors, many of them were getting very few hours and it didn’t make sense to train them.

    “Some of them didn’t get the very best training because we didn’t have the funds to train them well,” Karl said. “The grant allowed us to increase training for our tutors.”

    This year, the center employed 85 tutors, compared to 110 tutors last year. All tutors are a part of the California State University Employees Union – Unit 11.

    “We’ve been trying to be more systematic about not just having quantity in terms of tutors, but having tutors who are well-trained who have enough hours,” said Karl.

    Although the Math, Science and General tutoring labs fall under the umbrella of the Learning Center. In the past, they were located in different locations throughout the library. The Math tutoring lab was on the second floor of the library while the other tutoring was in the basement.

    “The Math tutoring was all the way up on the second floor of the library, not a lot of people knew about the Math tutoring lab,” Davidson said. “It was also a smaller more confined space.”

    Now they’re all situated in the same area, making tutoring more accessible for students. The new tutoring hub has become a one-stop-shop for tutoring.

    “It’s much more helpful and easier to have the two places together,” Huerta said.

    The HSI grant which helped fund the Learning Center’s expansion and reforms were awarded to HSU and divided over five years.

    Though the improvements made are great, they aren’t sustainable over the long term. HSU is only receiving the HSI grant for a five-year period. When asked what will happen after five years, Karl said that’s up to the university or other grants.

  • New year, new resources

    New year, new resources

    By | Charlotte Rutigliano

    As the semester began, the new Dean of the College of Professional Studies (CPS), Manohar Singh, set out to form new resources to help incoming students to HSU feel more at home.

    “I want students to feel welcome, all students, not just those housed in CPS,” Singh said, “we want to make HSU a home away from home.”

    Singh said these resources include setting up an online chat room connected to the CPS website, dedicated office hours for students, a discussion group, and a dedicated phone line and email for students to reach out to the CPS office.

    Kevin Cheli-Colando, the administrative analyst in the CPS office, explained that while the technical specifications for the online chat room are still in the works, the service will most likely be available in real time during the normal office hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

    Singh and Cheli-Colando both said they wanted to create these new resources to help students in their transition to college.

    “We want students to have their voice heard, and we want to offer support,” Cheli-Colando said, “we can help them with any challenges they face in their academic and social lives.”

    Jessica Rocha, a business administration transfer student, said that because she’s local to the Humboldt area she had a smooth transition into HSU. She also said, however, these new resources could definitely be helpful to the incoming freshman who are new to college life.

    “Any sort of outreach program for students is always helpful,” Rocha said, “I think these services will help students feel more welcome and like someone is looking out for them.”

    The dedicated office hours and discussion groups started on September 19 and will continue throughout the semester every Tuesday and Friday from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

    To learn more about these services, you can contact the College of Professional Studies at cps@humboldt.edu or at 707-826-3968.

  • Diversity and inclusion through STEM

    Diversity and inclusion through STEM

    Humboldt State University was one of 24 institutions nationwide to be selected for a $1 million STEM grant by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

    The grant is part of HHMI’s program, Inclusive Excellence, which is designed to cultivate inclusion and diversity within the STEM community.

    By funding STEM programs throughout the nation, HHMI Inclusive Excellence strives to enable science education capacity in four-year institutions to provide opportunities for all students to succeed in the field.

    At HSU, this means developing better ways to serve incoming STEM students.

    Matt Johnson, Ph.D. and Wildlife professor said this includes development of student involvement programs, as well as faculty training.

    Johnson, along with Biology professor Amy Sprowles founded an integrative, place-based learning community called “Klamath Connection.” The direct field experience is one of the two current STEM place-based learning communities.

    Through these diverse programs, STEM students are integrated into the field through hands-on learning in the local environment.

    “These feelings help students feel a sense of belonging and community.” Johnson said. “With an approximate 6 percent of HSU students coming from Humboldt County, it is important to introduce incoming students to their new geographical, environmental and cultural environment.”

    Additionally, the grant will allow university faculty to participate in workshops and training opportunities to learn and utilize how to create a culturally inclusive environment.

    David Asai, senior director for science education at HHMI, says it is important to acknowledge that good ideas can originate anywhere. Asai said that often, a person’s success in science been a reflection of where they come from, not where they want to go, causing growing disparities in science education.

    Underrepresented incoming STEM scholars have significantly lower retention rates than their Caucasian or Asian counterparts.

    According to a 2015 report by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, the percentage of students who receive STEM bachelor’s degrees is nearly half of the students who initially enrolled in science higher education.

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    Laura Carlos, a 22-year-old senior studying Zoology, said she did not feel prepared and included when she first started her science education at HSU. Carlos said that not all students are given the same opportunities in high school, which makes it difficult for students to have the same starting point in college.

    “Without proper resources and tools, underrepresented students can only dream of what it’s actually like to be a STEM student.” Carlos said.

  • McKinleyville Farmers Market

    How the North Coast Growers’ Association gives back

    For the farmers in the North Coast Growers’ Association, Thursday is a big day. For the past two years, between June 1st and mid-October, the McKinleyville Farmers Market takes over a select parking lot on the corner of Central Avenue and Pickett Road. Between 3:30 and 6:00pm, the market provides the community with healthy, sustainable goods, live entertainment and often even local food vendors.

    “The farmers market is a really beautiful group to be a part of,” said Casandra Kelly, a North Coast Growers’ Association (NCGA) volunteer. “On a personal and local level, having this available has been a huge community builder.”

    The NCGA has been helping support local growers, local economy and healthy families since 1979, when they were established. They have slowly expanded over the years to five different markets around Humboldt County, McKinleyville being their newest development.

    Many of the farmers in the NCGA have been involved in the farming community for years now, while others like Tiffany Van Buskirk, owner of Mamma Gerty’s Goat Milk soap, are fairly new to the game. Van Buskirk and her husband own a small farm in McKinleyville, and joined the NCGA five months ago.

    “We started selling soap to pay for our goats’ feed at first,” Van Buskirk said. “Then we started seeing people come back every week.”

    Mamma Gerty’s strives to keep their farm as natural as possible by never using fragrance oils and using pure essential oils in their place. For people with easily irritated skin, this policy is quite beneficial.  

    “While it seems like something simple, a bar of soap can affect someone’s life,” Van Buskirk said. “It makes us feel really good to help those with sensitive skin, and we’ll keep coming [to farmers markets] as long as we keep helping people.”

    The main goal of the North Coast Growers’ Association is to make significant contributions to the health and well being of the community and every one of their farmers contributes in some way. Emily Catherine, a 24 year-old farm partner employee of Brunner Family Farm, has been involved with the NCGA’s “Know Your Farmer” program for two years now. This initiative partners with different schools in Humboldt County to bring second and third grade children into the agriculture environment; showing kids different aspects of farming, such as gardening, harvesting and composting.

    “The kids are at a really great age to be interested and curious,” Catherine said. “They’re more likely to ask questions and participate. You can definitely see kids light up when they dig a carrot out of the ground, wash it off and take a bite.”

    The NCGA has also organized grant funding for individuals with CalFresh EBT cards and those on a supplemental security income (SSI). The association has even enacted an incentive program that offers extra money to CalFresh and SSI recipients who use their benefits at the farmers market.

    “The grant money has made a large impact on people who wouldn’t necessarily have access to healthy food,” Kelly said. “It’s really incredible that we have the ability to offer this program at the farmers market and it’s had an amazing impact on the impoverished members of the community.”

  • Possibility for a sanctuary county

    Possibility for a sanctuary county

    By | Iridian Casarez

    Kevin Martinez watched the crowd tentatively in front of the Humboldt County’s Courthouse waiting for ICE agents to come out of any corner to arrest undocumented people supporting the ordinance to make Humboldt County a sanctuary county.

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    Part of MEChA’s security team standing behind the speakers. Photo credit: Curran Daly

    “We are here to be the separation between the interaction between ICE and any undocumented person,” Martinez said. “We are essentially here to be arrested.”

    Centro de Pueblo organized the event and united community members to rally at City of Eureka’s Courthouse to support the drafted ordinance to make Humboldt County a sanctuary county on Tuesday Sept. 19. The rally was scheduled at the same time the Board of Supervisors were meeting.

    Erik Kirk helped Centro de Pueblo and True North submit a draft of the ordinance to the Human Rights Commission. The Human Rights Commission is a grand jury that focuses on civil liberties that makes recommendations to the Board of Supervisors.

    Kirk entered the Board of Supervisors meeting and spoke about the ordinance.

    “At least two of the Board Supervisors were taking it really seriously,” Kirk said.

    Centro de Pueblo is a local organization that offers a safe space to people of color in the community to advance culturally, politically, and practically on California’s North Coast.

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    People holding signs at the rally. Photo credit: Curran Daly

    Martinez is a senior Political Science major at HSU. He is also head of security for MEChA. Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan is a club on campus that promotes political involvement and change in their society.

    MEChA had security at the rally expecting ICE agents to arrive. Security was also there to stop agitated people from disrupting the rally.

    “It’s very important with me to come show my support for undocumented people,” Martinez said. “I hopefully want to think undocumented immigrants feel supported, empowered and encouraged to speak out.”

    Courtney Blake works with North County People Power, a local grassroots organization started by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). North County People Power is working with Centro de Pueblo to draft and submit an ordinance for a sanctuary county.

    “We are asking the Board of Supervisors to make a county law that equally protects undocumented people and documented people with respect to the justice system,” Blake said.

    Emely Velez also helped organize the rally. Velez is a member of Centro de Pueblo and a senior majoring in Criminology at HSU. She said that now that Bill SB54 (a bill that makes the state of California a sanctuary state) has passed, there is still a possibility that Governor Brown will revoke the bill. If that happens, Centro de Pueblo would like to make Humboldt County a sanctuary county.

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    Security conversing with a rally member. Photo credit: Curran Daly

    “We want to empower undocumented people and D.A.C.A. students,” Velez said. “Our goal is to give a voice them a voice.”

    Both of Velez’s parents are immigrants. She said they came here for the American dream not for themselves but for her.

    “I am not undocumented. I don’t have the fear of people coming after me, but I do have the fear of people coming for my family,” Velez said. “I owe it to my people, if you have the ability to support, why not?”

  • Josiah’s legacy

    Josiah’s legacy

    By Reza Sadeghzadeh and Curran C. Daly

    The Arcata Police Department is still investigating the homicide of Josiah Lawson, five months after his death. Charmaine Lawson, Josiah’s mom, has remained an ever constant presence in Humboldt County while living 14 hours away

    She is currently planning on a fundraiser to open a house for homeless students and community members that she calls, “Josiah Lawson’s house.” Citing Josiah’s desire to help reduce homelessness in Arcata.

    “I wanted to just celebrate DJ’s life,” Charmaine Lawson said. “The fun, energetic person that he was.”

    Charmaine Lawson revealed her fundraising efforts at a five month memorial for Josiah.

    One of the main topics of discussion by those who attended the event was restoring the relationship between the community, the university and students. Especially students of color.

    Barbara Singleton, Sophomore Criminology & Justice major, is the President of the Black Student Union. Singleton is concerned about security in the community.

    Lawson told Singleton to be patient waiting to get justice for Josiah’s case. Lawson said she will not give up on his case.

    “I have to fight for him because he cannot fight for himself, I have to make sure he receives justice,” Singleton said. “If it would have been anyone of us he would have done the same thing.”

    DaMon Thomas, Senior Communications Major, stressed the need for a more accepting community around Humboldt State.

    “The Humboldt State University diversity is growing, but the community is not keeping up,” Thomas said. “There needs to be more awareness, acknowledgement and cooperation.”

    The messages echoed by Josiah’s family and Kenya James, the president of the local NAACP, did not follow on empty ears. The event was attended by City and University officials including Arcata City Council member Sofia Pereira and Humboldt State Provost Alex Enyedi.

    Enyedi and Pereira emphasized some of the ongoing programs that are helping the community and university to achieve that equality in the community. Such programs are GARE (Government Alliance on Race & Equity) and NIOT (Not In Our Town) that are focused on issues of inequality in housing, hiring practices, customer service and first responders.

    The fight is not over. The students and the community have promised Lawson an endeavoring effort to bring justice for Josiah.

    “Josiah’s House is a great wonderful idea to persevere his legacy and help homeless students” said Corliss P. Bennett, Director of Cultural Centers for Academic Excellence. “Students of color can’t find housing, and not because they don’t have money, but because landlords don’t rent to African American students.”

    James said “this horrendous tragedy has been extremely hard on Lawson’s family, but she has proven to be tremendously strong and courageous due to the fact that she has turned this tragic incident into an opportunity to give back to the community.

  • Open house with open arms

    Open house with open arms

    On a seemingly quiet Friday afternoon on the Humboldt State University campus, the MultiCultural Center was booming with energy, as international music and the savory smell of lumpia filled the air. Dozens of HSU students gathered in front of the center on Sept. 12 for the MCC open house to represent and celebrate the various cultures our campus consists of.

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    The MCC featured a cultural exchange through cultural cuisine. Photo credit: Lora Neshovska

    The center open house aimed to familiarize students with the numerous cultural centers available on campus and create a comfortable environment for socializing and learning.

    Among the representatives were Scholars without Borders (SWB), Women’s Resource Center (WRC), the Latinx Center, and the Eric Rofes Multicultural Queer Resource Center (ERC). These centers, as well as much more serve as resources to anyone on campus, especially students who may feel marginalized.

    Although these centers and clubs seem to differ, they all share a passion for solidarity and intersectionality. Jonathon Salinas, 20, is majoring in Spanish and currently working as the event coordinator at ERC. Salinas says instead of viewing activism as separate social movements, it’s important to support each other, heal and move forward together.

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    Criminology and CRGS student Deema Hindwai (right) converses with EOP staff, Rama Rawal (left). Photo credit: Lora Neshovska

    According to a 2013 Humboldt retention report, an average of 25 percent of the first year, full-time undergraduate students were not retained.

    Cesar Abarca, faculty coordinator of SWB and an assistant professor in the Social Work department said this emphasizes the importance of student support centers, such as the MultiCultural Center and SWB.

    “In a small, rural area,” Abarca said. “It’s really important to make students feel welcome and accepted.”

    Abarca also said there needs to be support and advocacy specifically for underrepresented students

    As of late, SWB has shifted their focus towards assisting undocumented students, specifically with the application process for D.A.C.A. renewal. This includes providing information about the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and basic guidelines and civil rights when dealing with law enforcement.

    Angie Muñoz, current editor of the Cultural Times said the MCC caters to what students need and can benefit from the most. This includes representing student voices and opinions in the Cultural Times, as well as opening up staff meetings to students with suggestions for the center.

    The MultiCultural Center on campus is located in the Balabanis House and is open Monday-Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.