The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Category: News

  • David Josiah Lawson’s four month vigil

    David Josiah Lawson’s four month vigil

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    Mayor Susan Ornelas answers questions from community members at a vigil for David Josiah Lawson, August 15, Arcata Plaza. | Photo by Curran Daly

    By Iridian Casarez and Curran Daly

    What began as a vigil for HSU student David Josiah Lawson turned into a conversation about the safety and acceptance of people of color in the community.

    Four months after the death of HSU student David Josiah Lawson students and community members organized a vigil to remember Lawson.

    The night started with a message from Charmaine Lawson, Lawson’s mother, through Chryste Johnson. Johnson works as a faculty member in the social work department. Johnson is connected to students on campus through her work. She puts together student support programs during Spring  Preview plus.

    “Whatever the students need me to do, I would do,” Johnson said. “Today, they needed me to read this message from Charmaine.”

    Johnson read the message Lawson’s mother wrote to the crowd.

    “I am D.J.’s voice and I’m going to continue to fight for him,” Lawson said.

    In the message, Lawson’s mother shared a speech that Lawson wrote in the summer of 2015, in which he spoke about his mother being his father figure.

    Julio Torres a.k.a. Julio Perdido performed a song he wrote for Lawson called “3 Chords for the Movement.” Torres wrote the song for Lawson.

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    Julio Torres performs “3 chords for the Movement” at David Josiah Lawson’s vigil, August 15, Arcata Plaza | Photo by Curran Daly

    “For me music helps me get through anything,” Torres said. “It’s the biggest tool that can push for change.”

    The vigil facilitator who did not want to give their name, said to the crowd that they are more than welcome to ask questions about the case. When the facilitator addressed the time it is taking for police to investigate the case, Susan Ornelas, mayor of the city of Arcata spoke to the crowd.

    “I hate that this is taking so long,” Ornelas said. “The city and I personally contacted the Department of Justice and they can only help us with the forensics of this case.”

    According to Ornelas, the Arcata Police Department has hired a private investigator, an ex FBI agent, to help with the case. Ornelas said to the crowd that she urges anyone to come forward who was at the party to talk to the police.

    Chelsea Trillo is a master of social work student who identifies as brown and queer. Trillo said to the Mayor “How am I as a brown person going to tell others that they are safe here?” Trillo said she believes this situation is an isolated one. Trillo said she wanted to give an accurate presentation of Arcata to people who are coming into the community.

    Erin Youngblood-Smith, a master of social work student, also addressed the issue of the safety of people of color.

    “We come here because we feel we can make this a better place,” Youngblood-Smith said. “Students of color represent themselves.”

    Mayor Ornelas responded by naming all the efforts the community has put together to try to make the city feel safer for students and people of color.

    Sarah Torres, a native community member, began to ask the Mayor to put Arcata at the forefront of a movement to deal with racism in Humboldt county. She referenced past racial injustices in the county’s history and called for the city to act as the catalyst for change in Humboldt county.

    “The system is not set up for people of color,” Torres said. “Arcata can set the example by taking down the statue of Mckinley.”

    The discussion continued with the Mayor answering questions from additional audience members.

    The vigil ended with a prayer from an HSU student. It has been four months since David Josiah Lawson was stabbed at an off-campus party.

     

  • Smoking Ban at HSU

    Smoking Ban at HSU

    By Danny Dunn

    This fall Humboldt State University will officially become a tobacco and smoke free campus. This ban includes all tobacco products such as, but not limited to cigarettes, tobacco pipes, and cigars along with electronic smoking devices like vape pens and box mods.

    Several California State Universities have already enforced this rule, and all 23 CSUs will eventually become smoke free.

    There are some exceptions to this ban, though not very many. According to the Executive Order 1108 exceptions include: smoking in a university sponsored theater, as well as ceremonial campus events may be authorized by the President or designee only when a required part of a specific performance. This includes smoking and tobacco use for traditional ceremonial activities of recognized cultural and religious groups.

    The use of nicotine cessation products such as Nicorette products are permitted under the order.

    This order will help to create a safer and more healthy environment on campus, but not everyone is onboard with this new smoke free campus.

    HSU student Jason Henkle believes that this new order treads on his rights as a smoker on campus and that it will give smokers a bad look among their fellow classmates.

    “There will be a stigma now for smokers at CSUs,” Henkle said. “This ban is going to isolate smokers from the non smokers.”

    Henkle went on to say that if he had not already planned on living off campus next fall, that this order would have made that decision for him.

    HSU student Joseph Keith also believes that smokers and even some non smokers social lives will take a hit from this new ban, because of the connections that people make throughout the gazebos on campus, most notably the gazebo at the bottom of campus apartments.

    “What are people going to do, we are not going to hang out our tiny ass living rooms all day,” Keith said. “I have friends now that I would have never had, not just through smoking, but me having a friend that I smoked with that introduced me to their friends.”

    HSU student Oscar Arzate admits that he is relieved that HSU is becoming a smoke free campus.

    “Honestly I am glad people will not be smoking or vaping on campus,” Arzate said. “The smell is very irritating to me.”

  • Love knows no borders

    Love knows no borders

    The Realities of the US-Mexico Barrier

    By Kelly Bessem

    April 30, 2017 marked the fifth time the Door of Hope/Puerta de Esperanza was opened at the US-Mexico border near San Diego, Calif. to let family members from each country momentarily hug each other. This year six families were given three minutes each.

    This emotional event began in 2013 when Enrique Morones, founder of the social justice non-profit Border Angels, realized the child of one of his volunteers had never hugged her father.

    “This event isn’t political, it’s about the image of a daughter hugging her had for the first time,” Morones said.

    Kelly Bessem was able to see this historic event through a trip organized by the California Geographic Society Conference, which she attended through the Geography Department at Humboldt State.

    To find information on Border Angels and U.S.-Mexico immigration, visit http://www.borderangels.org

  • HSU Takes on the Big Apple

    HSU Takes on the Big Apple

    By Juan Herrera

    Maintaining peace, resolving conflicts, protecting the environment and much more between nations is not an easy task, but someone has to do it. The organization in charge of doing so is the United Nations (U.N.). This group consists of representatives from countries making policies to benefit their needs while trying to attend to other nations problems as well.

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    Jenn Bradley (left), Lorea Euskadi (middle), and Maggie Martinez (right) representing HSU at the Far West Model UN conference. | Photos by Juan Herrera

    According to the United Nations website, the organization was set in place to keep international order following World War II to hopefully prevent another one from breaking out. Still, to this day, the U.N., based out of New York City, makes decisions and policies with the intent to maintain peace and security.

    Now imagine a simulation of the actual U.N., but instead of country representatives, you have college kids from around the world meeting at one conference to try and maintain peace. Humboldt State University had the opportunity to compete in the Model United Nations (M.U.N.) conferences; Far West and Nationals. Nationals were held in the heart of New York City from April 9-13, then shortly after Far West was held in San Francisco from April 21-25 of 2017.

    Maggie Martinez, a senior at HSU, was one of the eight representatives that went to Far West and Nationals. She talks a little about the differences in both conferences.

    “Far West is slightly more lenient, but people are more aggressive in an unproductive way,” Martinez said. “Whereas Nationals people are aggressive in a productive manner.”

    According to Martinez, at Nationals, the country HSU represented was Cabo Verde with a total of eight students. She then mentions at Far West HSU took on Russia, Yemen, and Bhutan with a total of 30 students.

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    A picture of the country (Cabo Verde) that HSU represented at Model UN Nationals. | Photo by Juan Herrera

    Lorea Euskadi, senior at HSU, another one of the eight student representatives that attended both conferences talks about the importance of M.U.N.

    “This a huge opportunity for college students to network with people that could benefit their future,” Euskadi said. “Model UN has taught me multiple life lessons, but the most important to me is a hard work ethic.”

    According to Euskadi the Nationals conference is actually considered a National Collegiate Conference Association (NCCA) event with a broadcasted closing plenary in the actual U.N. headquarters building. She then mentions that due to Nationals being the world’s largest intercollegiate MUN simulation it brings a lot of stress and pressure on the students.

    “Writing paper after paper for five straight days, with hopefully more than three hours a sleep a night, will mentally drain anyone,” Euskadi said. “Then having to make everything damn near perfect will put a ton of stress on the delegates putting in the work.”

    Humboldt State will be attending next year’s Model U.N. at Nationals and Far West as well. Both conferences will be held at the same venue but the times are TBA for some time in 2018.

    Martinez had one last part of advice for the future Model U.N. representatives that Humboldt State sends.

    “Congregate, compromise and mediate,” Martinez said. “These three things helped me excel very well in the conferences.”

  • HSU Library Faces $150,000 in Budget Cuts

    HSU Library Faces $150,000 in Budget Cuts

    By Erin Chessin

    About $150,000 is being subtracted from the HSU Library due to extreme budget cuts the school is facing.

    This means that $80,000 is coming out of library staff positions and $70,000 is coming out of the library’s research collection, including books, databases, and journals.

    Students and staff will start to feel the impact starting July 1 when the budget cuts will take effect.

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    HSU students working on computers at the HSU Library. | Photo by Liam Olson

    Cyril Oberlander, the Dean of the University Library, said he wants to assure students that the school is making its budget cut choices in favor of the students.

    “We have to be strategic about our budget cuts in the end and decide what is most likely to help students out the most,” Oberlander said.

    The library’s biggest concern is to make sure students have all the resources they need to succeed in their education. This means providing more textbooks on reserve, improving the technology, and putting in more tables for students to work at.

    Recently the library has made new additions to the second floor of the library by adding big screens for students to hook up their computers to and collaboration tables with charger ports in order to make the library environment easier to study.

    The Dean of the Library’s goal is to keep student jobs in the library.

    “I would like to hire more students in the library,” Oberlander said. “Student employment is great for retention and many students are dealing with debt.”

    HSU Financial Affairs has to make budget cut choices amongst its departments, and unfortunately, the school cannot hold off the debt any longer.

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    Students working and sitting in the HSU Library lobby. | Photo by Liam Olson

    “We only have a budget that stretches so far and this is the year we have to make cuts,” Oberlander said.

    According to Oberlander, there are two reasons the school is facing debt. One reason is out of HSU’s control.

    “Federal and state funding for higher education has been gradually decreasing over the years,” Oberlander said.

    The second reason for the debt is the school’s overspending. A meeting was held on April 9 where the HSU Center Board of Directors met to discuss the debt issue.

    “During the last five years, the University has been overspending and this year the deficit is at $4.1 million,” Peg Blake, the VP of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs, said in the meeting’s release statement.

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    HSU students working in the HSU library. | Photo by Liam Olson

    Hundreds of students flow in and out the library every day, many relying on the computer software, databases, and textbooks on reserve to get their degree. Jocelyn Barber is a junior environmental engineering major who relies on the library to get a hold of pricey textbooks required for a class.

  • This week in news

    This week in news

    By | Charlotte Rutigliano

    World:

    • Pope Francis urged the United States and North Korea on Saturday to defuse their increasingly tense standoff and avert a potentially horrific conflict. (New York Times Update – 4/29/2017)

     

    Nation:

    • A federal judge on Tuesday blocked the Trump administration from enforcing a threat to take away funds from sanctuary cities. (CNN Update – 4/25/17)
    • Trump administration still considering how to make it easier to sue the media. (Washington Post Update – 4/30/2017)

     

    Local:

    • A federal judge dismissed portions of a lawsuit claiming Eureka’s ordinances against camping and storage of personal items in public spaces violates the Constitutional rights of homeless individuals. (North Coast Journal Update – 4/28/2017)
    • Highway 101 is open and traffic is flowing north of Leggett. (Caltrans Update – 4/25/17)
  • This semester in news

    This semester in news

    By | Curran Daly

    Spring term began on January 17. Since the first Lumberjack issue of the semester, we have covered a wide range of topics within HSU and the local community. Here is a look at some of the top stories the Lumberjack has covered this semester. For all these stories and more go to thelumberjack.org.

     

    Largest March in Eureka City History

    On January 21, women and men took to the streets of Eureka to march in protest of the inauguration of Donald Trump.

    “We need to be together, as the mass of humanity, with all our diversity in order to join up and be powerful, and challenge the other powers that are trying to oppress us,” Arcata local, Joanne McGarry said.

     

    Protesting Banks in Arcata and Eureka

    On January 28, protesters stood outside of local Wells Fargo branches to protest corporate banks funding the Dakota Access Pipeline.

    “We want to tell Wells Fargo to stop financing the North Dakota Access Pipeline. We are here to tell them that we are in solidarity with those at Standing Rock even all the way from the West Coast. We are here to fight.” Mahilija Florendo said, a youth activist who helped organize the protest.

     

    Uproar Over Shiny New Floor

    Humboldt State’s Fulkerson Recital hall received a new floor that made it hard for students to see the music they were supposed to be playing.

    “It’s super shiny and distracting when standing on the stage and it is very hard to read music. It doesn’t really feel like a performance stage anymore.” Music student Telisha Moore said.

     

    Berning Green

    Jill Stein, former Green Party Presidential Nominee, came to Humboldt State on March 8. Stein spoke to nearly 400 Humboldt County community members including human rights activists, environmentalists, future, the past, and present politicians and a large number of young people.

    “The important thing here is not to close your eyes to what history is telling us…If you think we have more time to keep beating around the bush, stay in the Democratic Party. If you don’t? Move on, move forward. The more of us the better.” Jill Stein said during her speech.

    The Vote is In, Tuition Goes Up

    On March 22, the California State University Board of Trustees voted 11-to-8 to increase student tuition for the 2017-18 academic year by $270 for undergraduates.  There are over 100,000 more students enrolled in the CSU system today than in 1985 while funding has decreased by 2.9 percent. The state’s gradual abandonment of CSU funding commitments has pressured the Board of Trustees to find alternative financial support for institution services.

     

    Theatre Arts Retrofit Postponed – Again

    The grandaddy of all structures on Humboldt State’s deferred maintenance list will have to wait at least another year before seeing some much needed tender love and care.

    “It’s frustrating, we spent months preparing to move,” Development director of KHSU David Reed said. “We have a large operation, many moving parts. The only good side is that we digitized much of our paperwork in preparation for the move.”

     

    Humboldt Cuts Child Care Services

    After running on a deficit budget for about three years, the university decided to close the children’s center on 10th street.

    “With the overhead, administrative costs, the cost for teachers benefits and salaries, we could not make that extra center work,” Director of Housing and Residence Life and manager of the children’s centers on campus Steve St. Onge said. “We really have to focus on our values, the reasons that we exist and that is to support the academic success of our students on campus.”

     

    Remembering David Josiah Lawson

    David Josiah Lawson, a second-year criminology major and president of Brothers United, was stabbed and killed on the early morning of Saturday, April 15. Brothers United organized a vigil to remember their brother. The audience consisted of Lawson’s family members who traveled from Riverside, California.

  • Travel Delays traveling to and from Humboldt

    Travel Delays traveling to and from Humboldt

    By | Andre Hascall

    It’s common knowledge that traveling outside of Humboldt county is a long trip. Plenty of students are getting ready to scurry down south to begin summer vacation, while families and friends of Humboldt State University graduates prepare to make the drive to Humboldt for the graduation ceremony. With the recent storm that has recently hit Humboldt county in the past months, various repairs have been needed along the 101, including a huge rock slide. The usual quickest route back south, Highway 101, may not be such a good choice for students heading home, or families and friends heading to Humboldt..

     

    Eli Shannon, freshman psychology major, is finishing up his first year at HSU. “I was planning on leaving about a week after finals,” Shannon said. “If the 101 is closed I guess I’m taking the 299.” Shannon’s remark may sound similar to other students who are planning on reaching their destinations as fast possible.

     

    Currently US 101 has two locations of 1-way controlled traffic, both being in Mendocino county. One of these locations is 12 miles north of Dora Creek Bridge, and the other being south of Garberville. Around 6 miles of the 101 are being reduced to one lane both ways in southern Humboldt County.

     

    Some students have people coming up to watch the graduation ceremony. One of those graduating students is Araceli Gracia. She is a child development major who will be walking this month.

    “I’m planning on telling my family to take the 299 instead,” Gracia said. “It would be better to take the 299 to be safe rather than taking the 101 getting stuck or having to turn around and take longer.”
    The inconveniences on the 101 are another worry for students as they prepare for finals. Worrying about passing classes is stressful enough without having to endure a lengthy car ride home. One student who calls San Diego home is Melissa Blanford, a marketing major with a minor in English. “Yeah I guess I’m kinda annoyed that there will be traffic,” Blanford said. “But I’m not really worried about it considering I have finals to worry about.”

  • Humboldt’s hidden hate

    Humboldt’s hidden hate

    By Alexandria Hasenstab

    Humboldt State University has not had a reported incident of blatant racism on campus in the past few years, however, the same cannot be said for the surrounding areas of Humboldt County. Several incidents of racist attacks, both verbal and physical, have been reported in Arcata. The most recent suspected incident resulted in the death of sophomore David Josiah Lawson.

    Elijah Chandler is a close friend of Lawson. The two were members of Brothers United, a cultural club at HSU where Lawson served as president. Chandler felt a culture shock coming up to Arcata, which is predominately white, from South Central California which is known to have a high a population of people of color. He also believes that the population from Humboldt County has a hard time accepting the students of color entering the community

    “People fear what they don’t understand,” Chandler said. “Most of these people aren’t used to seeing people of color. It’s a shock to their system as well. And when people fear something they lash out in hate towards it.”

    Another member of Brothers United, Katauri Thompson, has dealt with racism in the community first hand only about two weeks ago.

    Thompson and some of his friends were approached by police officers who had their guns drawn in Arcata and were asked to get on the ground. Thompson said that when he asked the officer what description they were going off of, the officer replied the only description was that some people in town from Florida were armed and in the area.

    “That’s Florida, that’s a state that’s not a race,” Thompson said. “So why would you pick us out?”

    Despite this, Thompson said that he doesn’t assume that all Humboldt County locals are prejudiced.

    “It’s more ignorance,” Thompson said.

    Thompson expected the community to be less diverse than what he was used to in Inglewood, California. However, he said he felt that the school’s reputation is misleading.

    “I was told it would be liberal and diverse, and I don’t consider this to be diverse,” Thompson said.

    HSU’s President Lisa Rossbacher acknowledges the lack of diversity in Humboldt County and the negative effects it can have.

    “There isn’t a lot of ethnic and racial diversity in this region, except for what the university contributes,” Rossbacher said. “We do end up being a very diverse community as a university in the midst of a region that is far less diverse. That certainly creates some tensions.”

    For student Laura Carlos, who is from San Jose, coming to Arcata from a very diverse area was difficult.

    “I don’t feel unwelcome due to my skintone,” Carlos said. “But as soon as I speak or can’t pronounce words I can feel some vibes and get some looks that’s like ‘you don’t have the potential’.”

    Carlos also feel that professors and lecturers need to be more understanding of students from different backgrounds and incorporate that into their teaching.

    “It’s a downer as a Latina who’s working hard to reach a certain goal for their family,” Carlos said.

    Although racism is everywhere junior child development major Brianna Allen believes that Humboldt State was not transparent about the lack of diversity and racism in the community.

    “You learn about racism, but you don’t know what it really is until you’re in a white environment and a white institution,” Allen said.

    Allen said that the school could be more proactive in creating a safe space for students of color. One solution she thought of was hiring more faculty and staff of different races.

    “I can count on one hand the number of professors of color I’ve had,” Allen said. “It’s hard to get staff of color because of the environment.”

    Allen said that when she first arrived in Humboldt she truly believed it has an open minded and liberal place.

    “My little blindfold about Humboldt came off very quickly,” Allen said. “The school likes to present itself as liberal. They’re hippies in their appearance, but in terms of activism there’s no fight.”

    Allen has been able to avoid racism in the community, although she did face a racist remark in the residence halls. As a community advocate, Allen has been able to live on campus for the past three years.

    “I felt like being able to live on campus was a safety net,” Allen said.“Now I’m not doing the job and I am worried because I will have to live in the community.”

    Allen said that the school is held more accountable than the city, but still more could done between both parties.

    “I feel like more discussion about social and environmental issues and justice, especially in the community,” Allen said.

    One staff member who is taking initiative is Corliss Bennett-McBride. Bennett-McBride is the director of the Cultural Center for Academic Excellence. She came to Humboldt nine months ago and has already been working to make changes in the community.

    “I’m on several committees and task forces,” Bennett- McBride said

    Bennett McBride works with local business to help them become culturally sensitive when people of color enter their businesses.

    “You have a student who walks into a grocery store in Arcata and when she reaches into her purse to get her payment the cashier says ‘we don’t take EBT’,” Bennett-McBride said. “And that was a Latina student.”

    Bennett knows that the students have a lot of power in the city because they make up such a large portion of the population.

    Bennett-McBride also joined the Arcata Public Safety Task force in an effort to create a safer community for students.

    “I know the relationship with the police, no matter where you live, and being a person of color is an issue,” Bennett – McBride said.

    The task force works with the local government and the police to create a safer city.

    Ben Yang is a local from Eureka and a member of the Asian Desi Pacific Islander Collective. As an Asian-American he felt that Humboldt had no spaces for him.

    “I think usually when you see a person of color and you’re a white person you have a feeling that ‘I’m white I’m more privileged’,” Yang said.

    Yang does not feel that HSU is big improvement from the county in term of resources for people of color.

    In regards to the stigma about locals, especially after the stabbing this month, Yang felt that people have the rights to make judgments about the Humboldt locals based off of people’s actions. Yang also feels that many Humboldt locals are conservative despite HSU’s liberal ideals.

    “I think they’re conservative deep down inside,” Yang said. “But I’m sure they could be an ally when it’s necessary.”

    Senior Emily Murphy has also lived in Humboldt County her entire life

    “I thought I knew everything about Humboldt County until I came to HSU,” Murphy said.

    Growing up in Trinidad, Murphy attended Arcata high, but had friends from neighboring town Eureka and Mckinleyville.

    Murphy didn’t see racism first-hand growing up but she acknowledges that exists in Humboldt County, especially in the institutions and the police. Murphy believes that the reason that many conservative people live in Humboldt County is because many of the towns were built off of logging, the logging community tends to be conservative.

    Murphy admits that she wonders whether people make assumptions about her due to the fact that she is a white local.

    “I don’t want to be stereotyped,” Murphy said.

    Murphy hopes that people won’t judge all people from Humboldt County based off the racist actions of certain individuals.

    “That’s a total misrepresentation of what the locals are like,” Murphy said.

    Murphy is not the only person who fears people make assumptions about her because she is white. President Rossbacher said that she constantly faces the challenge of people assuming she is not fit to handle issues of racism as a white female.

    “What I find difficult is that I find people assuming that I have particular challenges,” Rossbacher said. “The assumptions that are made about the challenges of leading an institution as a white woman.”

    Rossbacher has had experience dealing with race when she worked at a school in Georgia with a high population of students of color.

    “That challenging part is finding the ways and the times and the places to have the conversation,” Rossbacher said.

    Bennett- McBride acknowledged that  Rossbacher and the administration were very supportive

    Chandler, on the other hand,  feels that having the conversation in college is too late. He feels that intervention in the youth is necessary to make change because adults already have ideas ingrained in their head.

    “It takes a particular type of person to see past that after they’ve become an adult after they have theses ideas reinforced,” Chandler said.

    Despite the pain the Chandler has endured at the hands of resident of Humboldt County, he still refuses to give into hate

    “I can’t let other people’s actions shape who I am,” Chandler said. “That’s become increasingly harder, but I still don’t hate them. Hate won’t bring anything positive.”

  • New Academic Center Scholars Without Borders

    New Academic Center Scholars Without Borders

    By Sarahi Apaez

    April 11 marked the opening of a new center for undocumented students called Scholars Without Borders Center for Academic Excellence located at the MultiCultural Center.

    The students of the club F.R.E.E (Finding Resources and Empowerment through Education) have been determined to enact change and create a safe space for all undocumented students at Humboldt State, creating a more welcoming campus for future undocumented scholars.

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    Cesar Abarca, advisor of F.R.E.E. and professor of the social work department speaking to students. | Photo by Sarahi Apaez

    Karla Sanchez, senior psychology major and president of F.R.E.E. has been working on creating this center since her freshman year in 2013.

    The idea for this center has been in progress since F.R.E.E. established itself on this campus seven years ago.

    F.R.E.E. founders were affected by their peers undocumented status and the roadblocks they faced and felt it was important to help them in any way they could according to Sanchez.

    Sanchez said that there were many people working on this project way before it got passed down to her.

    “I wish they were here to see this happen,” Sanchez said. “Because they fought tooth and nail for this.”

    Sanchez herself felt that working hard on this was worth it for the people who would come after her and who would benefit from this.

    HSU has 68 undocumented students currently attending the university. However, Sanchez said this number could be higher due to students not wishing to disclose their citizenship status.

    “We are small as an undocumented community,” Sanchez said.

    The center will help navigate students through school, and direct them to the instructors that will help them with what they need.

    César Abarca, professor of social work and the advisor of F.R.E.E. has been the biggest help in Sanchez’s opinion. She acknowledges Abarca who has helped her and F.R.E.E. even when it was not his paid job to do so.

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    HSU student singing and playing guitar while students ate. | Photo by Sarahi Apaez

     

    After so much change within the center’s presidency, students have been working on their own to make this center a reality.

    Sanchez describes her experience as one of struggle to find resources and figure everything out on her own.

    Sanchez has held a job since her freshman year and hasn’t had the privilege of living on campus or to go on as many outings as she would like. These are the privileges of being a citizen that she does not experience, the privileges of having financial aid, Sanchez said. She wants to make people aware of these privileges. She has had many roadblocks in her university experience regarding travel and financial difficulties.

    Financial barriers have been one of the most significant barriers for undocumented students. Anayeli Auza, is undocumented student at HSU. Her passion for the center stems from her fear that she wouldn’t get enough support financially to graduate.

    Scholars without borders will be a central place for undocumented students to receive legal help, emotional support and other resources. According to Auza, undocumented students do not have it easy when it comes to getting help. Students often have to go to different offices around campus to receive different services. Offices like EOP can only serve some of these students, and the other academic centers on campus don’t provide enough information for specific undocumented students needs.

    The center will also serve to educate more students about the differences between undocumented students, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, also known as DACA,  and AB-540.

    DACA is an executive order signed by former President Obama that gives undocumented immigrants the ability to receive work permits and driver’s licenses in addition to allocating some federal funding to support higher education. AB-540 is a 2001 state law that allows in-state tuition for anyone who attends a California high school for three years, among other requirements.

    President Donald Trump has threatened to cancel Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals during campaign speeches in the past. Recently, President Trump told the Associated Press that undocumented immigrants brought here as children can “rest easy.”

    Although cabinet members say that undocumented immigrants who were brought to the country as children are not at risk for deportation, a 23 year old under DACA is currently having to sue the Trump Administration for being illegally deported. The 23-year-old sued after not seeing any documentation that explained why he was deported according to the New York Times.

    CSU Chancellor Timothy White issued a statement about the CSU system’s stance on undocumented students. White did not outline an overall concrete stance but instead allowed each campus to create their own policy due to the diversity of the universities. HSU President Lisa Rossbacher joined more than 400 other university presidents in December 2016 to continue, uphold, and expand the DACA program.

    The center is only being supported by the campus for a year, and they will need ongoing support after, according to Abarca.

    “In the meantime they have to prove that this center will recruit, retain and graduate more students,” Abarca said.

    $20,000 has been approved for the center to run for a year. Initially the center was granted $17,000.

    “$3,000 has made a huge difference,” Auza said.

    Once up and running, the center will be open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

    Sanchez hopes that having a centralized space will make it so that people listen to the needs of undocumented students.

    “Not put us on a pedestal,” Sanchez said. “But we’re equal.”

  • Consent Culture

    Consent Culture

    By Andre Hascall

    Consent culture has been a vital part of Humboldt State University since Check It, as student led movement to prevent sexual assault, arrived in 2014. That culture is growing further with the new themed dorms in Creekview. The dorms will be called the Consent Culture Living Community.

    The living community will provide a space of comfort for survivors and other supportive students. There are a few themed dorms on campus, with dorms themed for gaming, outdoor adventure and sciences among others. The themed dorms that HSU already has on campus grow together through events geared towards their themes. The events can be as small as ice-breakers or, as we’ve seen in recent years, something as big a creating a community garden.

    The Consent Culture Living Community will have events catering towards consent related activities.

    Morgan Fahey-Reye is a former community advocate while Check It was in its beginning stages at HSU.

    “Check it puts on a lot of events which are safer alternatives to going out on the weekends,” Fahey-Reyes said. “I also like how they do trainings with student leaders to educate them about addressing unsafe situations.”

    Activities that the Consent Culture Living Community will have are centered toward teaching the community about the situations in which they should “check it”, which means ask for consent, and intervene if you think someone could be in danger of sexual assault. However, some believe that this themed housing isn’t necessary such as Adrian Zavala, a freshman at HSU.

    “Campus should already be aware that consent is required,” Zavala said. “There shouldn’t have to be a separate dorm for that.”

    Humboldt State University is taking the steps to make it known on campus that consent is required. The Consent Culture Living Community will be one of HSU’s tools to combat sexual harassment and assault.

  • This week in news (April 19 to April 25)

    This week in news (April 19 to April 25)

    Local

    -New housing development in Arcata

    A new housing development is in the works that will house around 800 students. The new 11 acres housing called ‘The Village’ will be located on St. Louis Road in Arcata.

    ‘The Village’ is one of a half a dozen new housing projects proposed by developers.

    Source: Mad River Union

    -Jewish community honor Holocaust victims

    A local Jewish community honored Holocaust victims on Sunday at a solemn service for Holocaust Remembrance Day at Temple Beth El in Eureka. Temple Rabbi Naomi Steinberg led the event that included a discussion about the Holocaust and choir songs in Hebrew and English

    Source: Eureka Times Standard

    -Table Bluff fire

    A wildfire burned about 58 acres of land near Table Bluff Saturday afternoon. Many authorities responded to the fire including Cal Fire, Loleta, Ferndale, and the Rio Dell Volunteer Fire departments, along with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

    Source: News Channel 3

    U.S.

    -New Orleans takes down confederate statues

    New Orleans began taking down statutes that commemorated the confederacy Monday morning. Workers took down a monument that was dedicated to the Battle of Liberty Place and honored members of the “Crescent City White League” who in 1874 fought against the racially integrated New Orleans police and state militia.

    Source: New York Times

    -Arkansas double execution

    Arkansas executed two inmates Monday night. It was their first double execution since 2000. After plenty of legal battles Arkansas is finally going to execute eight men in 11 days.

    Source:CNN

    -Peggy Whitson breaks a new record

    Peggy Whitson, a NASA astronaut, broke the record for most time spent in space. Whitson officially set the US record for most cumulative days in space, she surpassed Jeff Williams’ record of 534 days in space.

    Source: CNN

    World

    -Declaration of Independence

    Harvard University researchers found a copy of the Declaration of Independence in England on Friday. Researchers Emily Sneff and Danielle Allen found the copy in a records office in Chichester, a city near England’s southern coast.

    Source: Washington Post

    -Colombia gets hit with another landslide

    Heavy rains caused a landslide in Manizales, Colombia. The landslide killed at least 17 people, while seven others are still missing. Colombia’s President, Juan Manuel Santos visited the area and said humanitarian aid was being sent.

    Source: BBC News

    -Russia sending weapons to Taliban

    According to the Washington Post, a U.S. General confirmed that Russia is sending weapons to the Taliban. An intervention that will likely further complicate the 15-year-old war here and the Kremlin’s relations with the U.S.

    Source: Washington post

  • Trump watch (April 19 to April 25)

    Trump watch (April 19 to April 25)

    President Donald Trump would like to reduce corporate tax from 35 percent to 15 percent. The president ordered White House aides to draft a tax plan that slashes the corporate tax rate on Monday.

    President Trump and the first lady visited the Walter Reed Medical Center to award the first Purple Heart under his administration to Army Sergeant Alvaro Barrientos.
    During a video conference with NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, who set a new record for most time spent in outer space, President Trump said to her that he wanted a Mars landing by his second term and that he wanted to speed up that process.

  • Humboldt cuts child care services

    Humboldt cuts child care services

    By Charlotte Rutigliano

    For the past three years, the university has been operating two different child care centers, one located on campus at the corner of 14th and B streets and the other at the end of 10th street.

    According to Steve St. Onge, director of Housing and Residence Life and manager of the children’s centers on campus, the centers have been running on a deficit budget for about three years. The deficit is caused by the extra expenses from the 10th street center, which is why the university has made the decision to close the children’s center on 10th Street on May 12.

    “With the overhead, administrative costs, the cost for teachers benefits and salaries, we could not make that extra center work,” St. Onge said.

    In a press release issued by the university, the total number of children served at the 14th street center will drop from 122 to 88.

    Kaila Swearington is senior child development major who worked at the 10th street location “I was really angry,” Swearington said.

    The 14th street location will still stay open and serve 88 children. According to St. Onge this close will have more of an impact on the community members who use this university services because current students, faculty, and staff have higher priority.

    St. Onge said the goal is to not negatively impact students, faculty, and staffs who need the service so they can keep up doing the good work that they’re doing at HSU.

    “We really have to focus on our values, the reasons that we exist,” St. Onge said, “and that is to support the academic success of our students on campus.”

  • Highway 101 closure to last into next week

    Highway 101 closure to last into next week

    By Curran Daly

    Highway 101 is closed from Leggett to 15 miles south of Garberville. A rockslide caused the closure that started on April 16. Initial reports said that the road would be opened by Wednesday, but subsequent rockslides lead to the road being closed until sometime next week.

    18076816_1460508747323731_5450253165000540912_o
    The road is completely covered and will require specialized equipment to be airlifted into the area next week. | Photo via Caltrans District 1

     

    Caltrans District 1 press release via Facebook.

    “U.S. 101 CLOSURE UPDATE 4/21/17 10:30 AM:

    Work is progressing at both ends of the slide north of Leggett in Mendocino County this morning. We’re evaluating whether the north end of the slide is stable enough to safely begin night work, which will allow our contractor to work around the clock to reopen the highway.

    Additional specialized equipment will be airlifted in next week to assist in removing debris from the roadway.

    At this time, our best estimates point to a reopening of U.S. Highway 101 to one-way traffic control sometime mid-to-late next week.

    The highway will not be reopened this weekend, and there are no local detours available. Travel plans should include detouring over onto Interstate 5 via Routes 20, 36, or 299 to loop back towards U.S. 101 on the other side of the closure. Motorists should anticipate these detours to take upwards of 7 hours.”

    Update Correction: Leggett was incorrectly spelled

  • Remembering David Josiah Lawson

    Remembering David Josiah Lawson

    By Iridian Casarez

    Family, friends, students, faculty and community members filled the KBR to remember David Josiah Lawson.

    Lawson, a second year criminology major and president of Brothers United was stabbed and killed on the early morning of Saturday April 15.

    Brothers United organized a vigil to remember their brother. The audience consisted of Lawson’s family members who traveled from Riverside, California.

    VIGIL2
    Family members remembering Lawson at the vigil at the KBR on Thursday, April 20 2017. | Photo by Iridian Casarez

     

     

  • UPDATE: Arcata murder suspect pleads not guilty

    UPDATE: Arcata murder suspect pleads not guilty

    By | Andrew George Butler

    Kyle Zoellner, the 23 year old McKinleyville man accused of murdering HSU student David ‘Josiah’ Lawson pleaded not guilty to murder late this afternoon.

    Zoellner also denied the District Attorney’s special allegation that he used a knife during the crime.

    Although multiple eyewitnesses say race was a motivator in the attack, the DA did not charge Zoellner with a hate crime.

    Judge Stephen Mock set a bail of $1 million. The preliminary hearing date is for May 1.

  • California bail reform bill

    California bail reform bill

    By Iridian Casarez

    A new bill was presented to the State Assembly Committee in the state of California that will effectively eliminate the bail system.

    The State Assembly’s Committee  voted on the bill, Assembly Bill 42. According to the Los Angeles Times, Assemblyman Rob Bonta and Assemblyman Bob Hertzberg wrote the bill to allow individuals to be released on their own bail and at no cost will await trial. It also gives judges and pretrial service agencies more authority to keep potentially dangerous individuals in jail to await their trial without bail. Pretrial services procedures would assess whether a defendant’s release would pose a safety threat and make sure they show up for their court dates. There is another identical bill from the Senate, SB 10, that will also contribute to the elimination of the bail system.

    The bill, AB-42, was written with the intention of making the justice system fairer for people who cannot afford bail, unlike wealthy individuals who can make bail.

    According to Mercury News, the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) is one of the proponents of the bill saying that the reform is long overdue. The ACLU says that too many people wait in jail for their trial because they cannot afford to post bail.

    Margaret Dooley-Sammuli is a criminal justice and drug policy director for ACLU of

    California.

    “We support the bills they’re gonna fix the broken money bail system California has,” Dooley-Sammuli said. “It creates a system that works for all Californians.”

    According to Dooley-Sammuli, after the bills get passed from the State Assembly Committee, it gets passed on to the Appropriations committee then goes to floor vote in house. The current bail system determines whether or not a person would get out of jail based on money without using a risk based approach.

    According to the Los Angeles Times, there were dozens of opponents of the bill at the hearing including various bounty hunter and bail agencies.

  • Hoopa Valley High School fire

    Hoopa Valley High School fire

    By Iridian Casarez

    Three buildings at Hoopa Valley High School were engulfed in 40 foot flames early Monday morning.

    According to Times Standard, Hoopa Valley High School’s auto shop, wood shop and choir room went up in flames due to a “suspicious” fire. An investigation is underway by the multi-agency Humboldt County Arson Task Force.

    Hoopa Volunteer Fire Department Chief Amos Pole said to the Times Standard that the fire was deemed suspicious due to the way the fire spread from each building.

    Authorities arrived at the scene around 3 a.m. where they were able to prevent the fires from expanding. It took the Hoopa Volunteer Fire Department two and a half hours to put out the flames.

    There were no fire personnel injuries.

    According to the Times Standard, the three buildings that were burned were closed down due to mold infestations. The Klamath-Trinity Joint Unified School District had spent a lot of money on renovations and designs for the building to be reopened mold-free.

  • This week in news (April 12 to April 18)

    This week in news (April 12 to April 18)

    By Iridian Casarez

    Local

    -Collision on 299

    One person died and eight others were injured in a car collision on Highway 299 Monday afternoon.

    Source: News Channel 3

    -Myers Flat burglary and shooting

    Three people have been detained after a burglary and shooting in a Myers Flat home. Ramon Aviles, Ervin Dixon, and Alberto Garcia were arrested and transported the Humboldt County Correctional Facility. Two other suspects are still being searched for.

    Source: News Channel 3

    -Humboldt geologist

    Lori Dengler, a tsunami and earthquake expert, commemorated the 1992 Cape Mendocino Earthquake at the Clarke Museum Saturday. The earthquake was a 7.2 magnitude temblor that hit the region on April 25, 1992 and caused over $60 million in losses.

    Source: Times Standard

    U.S.

    -The Tax March on Trump

    People marched and demanded President Trump to release his tax returns all throughout the United States on Saturday. The “Tax March” was organized in more than 150 cities and wanted to call attention to Trump’s refusal to disclose his tax history.

    Source: Newsweek

    -Facebook live homicide

    A man broadcasted himself killing an old man on Facebook live Sunday afternoon. Steve Stephens, 37, shot and killed Robert Godwin, 74, as an act of revenge on his girlfriend. Authorities are still searching for Stephens and have offered a $50,000 reward for his whereabouts. On April 18, Stephens was chased by the Cleveland Police Department in Erie County in Pennsylvania. The chase culminated with Stephens killing himself in his car.

    Source: CNN

    -Arkansas Supreme Court

    The Arkansas Supreme Court cancelled eight scheduled executions on Sunday. The executions were going to be the first executions in the state in a decade. Death-row inmates and their legal teams had been fighting the courts on their executions.

    Source: The Washington Post

    World

    -Education in Chile

    As lawmakers prepared to debate planned reforms, thousands of students took the streets in various Chile cities to protest demand improvements to the nation’s higher education system.

    Source: Reuters

    -Syrian civil war

    At an evacuation point on Sunday, a deadly explosion reportedly killed at least 100 people, including dozens of children, government supporters and opposition fighters.

    Source: NBC News

    -Former south Korean president

    The former South Korean president, Park Geun-hye, was indicted for bribery and abuse of power. Park was forced from office in March amid a massive corruption scandal that engulfed not just her government but also major companies like Samsung and Lotte Groups.

    Source: CNN

  • HSU considering alternatives to PepsiCo

    HSU considering alternatives to PepsiCo

    By Andrew Butler

    PepsiCo and HSU have spent the last five years in a contractual partnership. PepsiCo pays HSU athletics $35,000 a year in scholarships, HSU gives PepsiCo 80 percent of available shelving space for its drinks, and the students are left to choose between diet or original.

    The current five year pouring rights contract ends June 30, and many around HSU’s campus would like to see HSU break away from its corporate ties with PepsiCo. The Associated Students council has taken up the fight, urging HSU administration to explore alternate partnerships with more reputable companies – preferably local ones.

    AS representative Tessa Lance has been working to rally her fellow students in support of breaking away from PepsiCo. “At first there was little interest, but since the start of this semester, students have been increasingly involved,” Lance said. “ PepsiCo has a long history of committing environmental injustice. The values HSU claims to represent, the values that students come here to uphold, have nothing in common with PepsiCo,” Lance said. Lance along with the help of other students brought their concerns to Joyce Lopes, Vice President of Administration and Finance. Lopes in turn set up a “Pepsi Task Force” to meet regularly and discuss the impact PepsiCo has on HSU.

    The Task Force included representatives from Dining, Athletics, upper Administration, and a few students, including Lance. These meetings found that administration and students have a lot of common ground, and both are in favor of a more sustainable contractual obligations.

    On Monday, April 17, the AS council held a town hall in the Nelson Forum for students and community members to voice their concerns over the PepsiCo contract. Dozens of students showed up to have their voices heard by members of the Pepsi Task Force, including Lopes and Athletic Director Tom Trepiak. Meredith Garrett, a HSU student, was the first to speak. She first recited the HSU graduation pledge found posted in large font on the wall above her. Garrett said that the reasons students came to HSU were being abandoned within the PepsiCo contract. One of the main concerns echoed again and again by students was that PepsiCo and the Athletics were in a mutually beneficial partnership that left the majority of students out. PepsiCo funds roughly eight athletic scholarships a year under the current contract. Additionally, PepsiCo gives money to athletics for one time expenditures such as new scoreboards, totalling roughly $20k a year. There are about 400 athletes at HSU, and around 200 athletes receive partial or full scholarships a year. Although PepsiCo only covers a small percentage of scholarships, losing PepsiCo’s money would only add to the deficit problem within the Athletic Department and subsequently HSU as a whole.

    Senior communications major and Lumberjack football player Jared Layel attended the meeting and expressed a sentiment in stark contrast from the general tone of the meeting. “AS never asked athletes if they wanted to see PepsiCo go,” Layel said. “Breaking ties with PepsiCo would only force HSU to again raise tuition, and it would worsen the deficit.”

    HSU cannot begin the process of exploring a new contractual agreement with a different vendor until the last 30 days of the current contract; that period begins June 1. Until that time, Tessa Lance, the AS council, and the Pepsi Task Force will continue exploring ways in which HSU might find a sustainable alternative to PepsiCo. As of now, there is no concrete plan to replace PepsiCo and the money it brings HSU.

  • Trump watch (April 12 to April 18)

    Trump watch (April 12 to April 18)

    By Iridian Casarez

    President Trump is claiming that he cannot be sued because he is now President of the United States, his defense in lawsuit said Trump incited rally-goers to violence that assaulted protesters in his 2016 campaign.

    President Trump signed an executive order in Wisconsin that will make it harder for tech companies to replace American workers with cheaper foreign labor and will strengthen rules barring foreign contractors from bidding on government projects.

    President Trump has yet to release his tax returns thus threatening one of his campaign promises to enact a sweeping overhaul of the tax code.

    Donald Trump signed an executive order to revamp a temporary visa program used to bring foreign workers to fill jobs in the US.

  • HSU student dies after stabbing

    HSU student dies after stabbing

    By | Andrew George Butler

    3:14 p.m. 4/19: The District Attorney’s office said Kyle Zoellner’s case is still under review, and a decision has not yet been made. Arcata police are urging that the author of an e-mail giving an eyewitness account of the incident come forward to APD.

    9:24 a.m. 4/17: Arcata police have arrested Kyle Zoellner, 23, in connection with the killing of 19-year-old David Lawson.

    1:01 p.m. 4/16: The victim’s name was David Lawson, a 19 year old sophomore attending HSU. The incident occurred on the 1100 block of Spear ave in Arcata, CA.

    A HSU student died early Saturday morning after a stabbing that took place at an off-campus location in Arcata. Arcata police have taken a suspect into custody. The name of the victim is being withheld until the family is notified.

    The Lumberjack will update as more details become available

    1:44 pm 4/15:

    The student was 19 years of age. The suspect detained by APD is not a student at HSU. The stabbing took place at 3 a.m. Saturday morning, during a fist fight at a house party (source: The Journal).

    HSU President Lisa Rossbacher released the following statement:

    “Dear University Community:

    I am deeply saddened to share news with you that one of our students has died after a stabbing last night. I have no words to adequately describe the sorrow of this loss. This tragedy is heartbreaking for all of us, and most especially the family and friends of the victim. Our thoughts are with them and we extend our condolences.

    We are reaching out to provide support and counseling to members of our University community. We will also be in contact and offering support to family members.

    The student’s name is currently confidential while his family is being notified. Because the incident occurred off campus, the investigation is being led by the Arcata Police Department with significant assistance from University Police.”

    HSU Marketing and Communications released the following: “Students who are in need of support during this time are encouraged to contact the Dean of Students office at 707.826.3504 or visit that office in Siemens Hall 211. For after-hours assistance, students can contact Counseling & Psychological services at 707.326.3236. Staff or faculty seeking additional support may utilize the Employee Assistance Program at 707.443.7358.”