Union contractors speak out about alleged Sundt Construction wage theft and safety violations

By Barley Lewis-McCabe and Jess Carey

Bright yellow hazard jackets served as a neon beacon in the mist as the rain started to pour early Monday morning. Large red and black banners read, “Don’t let this project become a CRIME SCENE!” A giant caricature of the grim reaper, fashioned out of PVC, towered over the quad, complete with an accusatory pointed finger and imposing black robes. 

Starting on April 7, four contractors from the NorCal Carpenters Union stood in the Student Activities Center quad in what they described as a public service, or free speech action. They stayed there late into the afternoon, handing out fliers that read, “TELL SUNDT CONSTRUCTION THAT WAGE THEFT IS A CRIME, AND A BAD BUSINESS MODEL.” The protestors explained that they’d be there spreading information all week. 

Steve Harris, one of the demonstrating workers, said they want to bring awareness to the issues with Sundt Construction. 

“We just want to let everyone know that there’s a labor dispute,” Harris said. “On some of their jobs back in the past, they [didn’t pay] prevailing wage, [there was] misclassification of workers, stuff like that.”

Sundt has subcontracted with three organizations that, along with Sundt, have been issued civil wage and penalty violations by the Department of Interior in the past over failure to pay prevailing wage. Monetz Glass in CSU East Bay was ordered to pay $232,964.05 in prevailing wage in April 2017. Green Growth industries at San Jose State was ordered to pay $2,182 in withheld training funds in March 2017, and Citadel Premium Design in UC Merced had to pay $5,612.71 in withheld prevailing wage, but there is no evidence of failure to pay prevailing wage on any Cal Poly Humboldt campus construction projects.

Sundt’s Role on Campus

Sundt Construction is an Arizona-based construction company with projects nationwide. They have worked with several other California State Universities on large projects, including a commons building for Sacramento State and dorms at Cal State, Fullerton. They are the general contractor managing the Hinarr Hu Moulik housing project in Arcata, as well as the Jenkins Hall Renovation project, the location of the new Ceramics and Sculpture labs. Sundt also won the contract for the new Housing Dining and Health Building, which is set to begin construction in 2027 in the footprint of the old Ceramics Building.

Sundt’s Local Legal Issues

On Feb. 18, a document was shared with University Contracts and Procurement Manager Addie Dunaway from the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America Local 751. It detailed why they feel Sundt isn’t capable of safely carrying out the contract. This document stated that Sundt has been cited by OSHA in 14 recorded violations of safety and health regulations nationwide, resulting in $48,777 in fines. A portion of these cases are from projects outside of California. 

The local 751 document says that during a worksite inspection on the Cal Poly Humboldt campus, union representatives claim to have found unsafe working conditions. 

“We found workers leaning A frame ladders up against the wall and working on them without them properly opening up like they are intended to work from. We found rebar exposed, nails sticking out of 2×4 where someone could step on it.”

 An excerpt of the same letter, sent to Cal Poly Humboldt administration from local 751, further discussed this incident. 

“When I tried talking to workers, they would walk away with the superintendent coming up yelling, telling us we can’t be on site,” the letter read.  “As we were leaving the site, we found that the police were called and we stayed to talk to the officer. After sharing our interaction with the officer, she couldn’t find anything we had done wrong and let us go.”

In Aug. 2024, a charge was filed against Sundt with the National Labor Relations Bureau by Local Carpenters Union 751, alleging that Sundt engaged in coercive actions and denial of access to Jenkins Hall Renovation, which they argue violated the National Labor Relations Act section 7.

“Within the past six months, the [Sundt] has violated the [National Labor Relations] Act by discriminatorily and in retaliation for protected concerted activity, interfering with the exercise of protected rights by preventing and restricting Union representatives from accessing a jobsite at Cal Poly Humboldt in Arcata California,” the charge read. “Clark Pacific was present, surveilling Union representatives, eavesdropping on conversations between Union representatives and their members, preventing union representatives from speaking to members and calling the police on Carpenter representatives seeking access to the jobsite. By these and other acts, the above-named employer interfered with, restrained and coerced employees in the exercise of their rights guaranteed by Section 7 of the Act.”

In regard to the charges, Mike Fisher wrote in an email, “The Union was denied access because they had no related business and didn’t arrange for permission to be there. When they refused to leave, UPD was called. The union’s second claim of ‘surveillance’ was due to UPD being dispatched.”

Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act outlines workers’ right to self-organize, communicate with union representatives and protects said workers from managerial interference, such as wrongful surveillance or unfair removal from job sites.

Lumberjack reporters reached out to the Sundt company for comments on the charge, but did not receive a response prior to publication. 

Thoughts from the admin

The contract for #PLY102, Science A Renovations, will be awarded on May 6. The project consists of renovations to Science A’s laboratories and chemistry equipment, and the winner of the bid will have a role in designing and building the project. The CSU has a pre-qualification process for prospective bidders that Cal Poly Humboldt VP of Facilities Mike Fisher said is in place to ensure high standards. 

“Contractors must adhere to a set of laws and policies before they can be considered for bid awards,” Fisher said. 

These policies result in a shortlist of qualified companies being the only parties whose bids are considered for a project. For the Science A renovations, Sundt and Swinerton were companies included on the shortlist.

Fisher commented on the Sundt company and their role in campus projects. 

“To date, there have been no claims or complaints from subcontractors, and both projects [Hinarr Hu Moulik and Jenkins Hall] have maintained an exceptional safety record. The references used by Local Union 751 against Sundt are for other projects outside of our area and across different states,” Fisher said. “Sundt has provided exceptional service and demonstrated outstanding safety practices on our projects at Cal Poly Humboldt.” 

Thoughts from the union

Chris Palomo, a NorCal Carpenters Union organizer, commented on other companies up for bidding on the Science Renovations Project that the union would be more comfortable with ethically. 

“In contrast to Sundt, Swinerton has agreements with local hiring halls, which provide work opportunities to local journeymen and apprentices, pays area standard wages and benefits and, to our knowledge, has no known history of labor violations,” Palomo said. 

Barley Lewis-McCabe is a freshman reporter and Jess Carey is a senior reporter and science editor for The Lumberjack. They both like to cover unique stories that impact the local community.

By Jess Carey

Thousands of people took to the streets of Eureka to participate in a nationwide demonstration of dissent for the policies of the Trump administration last Saturday, March 5. More than 1,300 “Hands Off!” rallies occurred in all 50 states over the weekend, with a nationwide turnout estimated in the millions. 

The Humboldt crowd spread more than four blocks on the Redwood Highway near the Humboldt County Superior Court, sporting handmade signs, noisemakers, flags and even costumes. A person with a megaphone led the crowd in chants such as “No Trump! No KKK! No racist, fascist USA!” and “Love, not hate, makes America great!” 

Hundreds of voices echoed throughout town, mingled with enthusiastic honks of support from passing motorists. Some banged pots and pans together, some blew horns and some cheered. A brass band hosted a jam session and dance party around the flagpole. Bikers piloted a kinetic sculpture in laps around the procession. 

It was a colorful cacophony of resistance — a Humboldt twist on a national movement. The scene was vibrant and determined, in line with the county’s long history of passionate political and social activism.

Jess Carey is a senior at Cal Poly Humboldt, majoring in biology and double minoring in botany and journalism, and the science editor for The Lumberjack. They are passionate about telling stories that are relevant to the community, branching their interests in science, music, and the arts.

By Jess Carey

These days, the whirrs and booms of machinery have become a familiar presence on campus. Walking up B St. comes with the added challenge of dodging beeping trucks and equipment; bangs and clangs echo clear up to the Redwood Bowl. Construction noise is a constant reminder of changing times as the state’s $433 million investment in campus infrastructure is being converted into concrete and steel. While a giant crane looms over the new science building, visible from most of Arcata, another project has been breaking ground around the corner on 14th and B St. Four buildings of the former Children’s Center have been demolished — the Mary Warren House, Walter Warren House, Baiocchi House and the Toddler Center.

As the administration demolishes a historic structure on campus, questions are raised about what the big H chose to build instead. The site is grounds for a new building, dubbed the Energy Research and Sustainability Center (ERSC). The planned 20,000 square-foot two-story building has a budget of $28 million, and is slated to be the epicenter of sustainability and energy programs on campus. The project is funded by one-time Cal Poly funds that were designated for facilities improvements in 2022.

The site has been abandoned since the Children’s Center moved to the renovated Trinity Annex in 2023. The buildings were former residential homes that the university reused, examples of what Mike Fischer, Associate Vice President of Facilities Management, calls the campus’s legacy homes. These older buildings on campus were acquired from donations or purchased from the surrounding community as the campus grew over time. While originally built as residences, they are now used primarily as offices and community spaces.

“While [legacy homes] are quaint and a vision of the past, they are old, expensive and inefficient,” Fischer said. “When it comes to better land utilization and increasing density to serve our population, these are some of the buildings we’d like to remove.”

Fischer cited constant maintenance needs, including “leaky pipes and windows,” as a recurring problem. He says that the new ERSC will consolidate existing sustainability programs that are currently scattered around the campus, like the energy systems engineering program and the Office of Sustainability. 

“This project will give sustainability programs visibility, and a place to manifest a real place to live,” Fischer said. 

The Schatz Energy Research Center, which already has a building of its own on campus, is expected to have a footprint in the ERSC. The non-profit agency is partnering with Cal Poly Humboldt on this project. The building will contain labs and equipment for energy research including the development of a campus microgrid solar energy system.

Fischer also noted that the entry to campus is a little lost on the south side, as the buildings looked like part of the resident community. Walkability is awkward, as the lack of pedestrian connection between Union and B Streets causes foot traffic to frequently cut across the G14 and G15 parking lots. The ERSC will establish a “southern place” on the campus border and improve walkability by building new sidewalks and pedestrian routes. 

With the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology and the community gardens being just up the hill, the ERSC will complete the sustainability theme of the south campus. 

“That quadrant of campus is really gearing up to be our sustainability and land stewardship center, becoming something really unique,” Fischer said. 

While the sustainability of leaving buildings empty for years only to demolish them raises some ethical questions, the university has recently renovated several historic buildings. The Trinity Annex project, completed in 2023, preserved the aesthetic of a unique old-growth redwood building and converted it from decrepit campus storage into a fully functional childcare and educational center. The ongoing restoration of the former technology building will preserve its architectural style while transforming it into a new state-of-the-art sculpture lab.

It is important to remember where we come from, and nods to the past can still be seen in the remaining legacy homes scattered throughout campus. However, it is clear that as the university settles into its Cal Poly future, not every treasured, quirky building is going to stick around.

Jess Carey is a senior at Cal Poly Humboldt, majoring in biology and double minoring in botany and journalism, and the science editor for The Lumberjack. They are passionate about telling stories that are relevant to the community, branching their interests in science, music, and storytelling.

By Ursula Newman

The California State University (CSU) system announced its new Artificial Intelligence (AI) initiative to enhance access to AI technology and prepare students to be AI literate in future careers. This initiative is the first of its kind, with the CSU stating that no other university systems have implemented AI initiatives at this scale. This means AI software is becoming accessible through the university system, with a licensed version of ChatGPT joining the list of digital resources available to our campus community. In addition to new tech, training programs have been released to students and faculty to promote education on the growing AI sphere.

The initiative includes partnerships with leading tech companies such as Adobe, AWS, IBM, Instructure, Alphabet (Google), Intel, LinkedIn, NVIDIA, Microsoft, OpenAI, and the Office of California Governor Gavin Newsom. These names, along with several CSU

Representatives — which can be found on the California State University AI commons web page — make up the AI Workforce Acceleration Board, which plans to help pinpoint which AI skills are needed in California’s workforce and address those needs. The CSU system put out a press release on Feb. 4 titled “CSU Announces Landmark Initiative to Become Nation’s First and Largest AI-Empowered University System,” announcing the initiative and explaining that more tech companies are expected to be added to the advisory board in the near future.

AI tools available at the university 

Several services are being made available to students and faculty. Cal Poly Humboldt currently has licensed versions of generative AI chatbots Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini, Zoom AI Companion, which takes notes and makes summaries, and Adobe Firefly for AI image generation. 

Coming soon to the university is Notebook LM, Google’s AI-powered research and note-taking tool that organizes, summarizes and brainstorms, and OpenAI’s ChatGPT Edu, a chatbot that uses natural language processing to respond to prompts. Additional information about what is available may be found on the university website’s Information Technology Services page under the Artificial Intelligence tab. 

The Center for Teaching & Learning Director, Enoch Hale, gave comment on the university’s game plan regarding this new initiative.

 “Humboldt has taken a robust, yet measured approach to implementing AI,” Hale said. “We are committed to supporting educators, learners, and all employees in this rapidly evolving digital landscape. The CSU has provided additional resources for its staff, faculty, and students, [which] include guides and courses they can take to address multiple areas of AI literacy.  Additionally, resources are provided to help all of us think through the ethical and responsible uses of AI in our work, in our learning, and in our lives.”

Perspectives on AI in schools

While there are classes where use of AI is limited or banned, this new initiative challenges that with the ChatGPT Edu agreement being specifically designed for the CSU system. The implementation of this is rooted in the concept that the job market is changing, and California’s workforce will need to learn to meet demands. 

In a study from Microsoft and LinkedIn that surveyed 31,000 people across 31 countries, it was found that in 2024, over a six month period, the use of generative AI almost doubled, and now 75% of global knowledge workers use it regularly at work. However, this does not necessarily mean that companies are providing AI programs. 78% of AI users are using AI tools not provided by their organization and around 50% of workers who use AI said they are reluctant to admit using it for important tasks and worry that it might make them look replaceable. 

Drawbacks of AI in schools 

Despite the many uses of AI, there are concerns regarding AI use in academic settings. In a study by Geoffrey M. Currie, titled Academic Integrity and Artificial Intelligence, Currie explores the controversy around AI tools such as ChatGPT. He explains that at the core of the issue is the potential damage to institutions, professions and public safety if graduates do not genuinely develop certain skills and capabilities, and instead become overly reliant on AI programs. 

Issues surrounding equity, access and data collection are addressed in the CSU’s statements. One of the initiative’s main goals is to make services accessible to all.

Cade Webb, acting Chief Information Officer of Information Technology Services, explained that OpenAI will be providing training materials and workshops to help students develop effective and responsible AI. Critical thinking, informed use and reducing the impact on our environment will all be main points of emphasis. He also mentioned that by investing in this resource system wide, the CSU is helping to expand access and build a strong foundation for students’ engagement with AI. 

Environmental impact 

The CSU system has a sustainability policy, with a Climate Action Plan — one that outlines a goal of reducing systemwide facility carbon emissions significantly by 2040. 

“CSU will strive to reduce systemwide facility carbon emissions to 40 percent below 1990 levels consistent with SB 32, California’s Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 Emissions will include both state and auxiliary organization purchases of electricity and natural gas; fleet, marine vessel usage; and other emissions the university or self-support entity has direct control over,” according to the CSU Climate Action Plan. 

The CSU system’s goals of reducing systemwide facility carbon emissions promises their dedication to sustainability. In contrast, the creating and training generative AI models — such as ChatGPT — requires a lot of electricity, which leads to increased carbon dioxide emissions. This is explored in an article by Massachusetts Institute of Technology about generative AI’s environmental impact. They stated that researchers have estimated that asking ChatGPT a question uses five times more electricity than a standard web search. 

After initial development, the use of these programs continues to draw large amounts of energy. Fossil fuels are also used to create energy, as renewable sources of energy are not always enough. Data centers also require large amounts of water for cooling and generating electricity. There are also indirect environmental impacts from the increased demand for high-performance computing hardware and the need for more of these data centers to be built. 

Scientists from Google and University of California, Berkeley estimated that the training process of a generative AI program uses 1,287 megawatt hours of electricity and generates about 552 tons of carbon dioxide. This is the same amount of power that 120 average US homes will use in a year. 

Training and education

Training and education around AI programs is another key part of the initiative. A student Generative AI (GenAI) micro credential titled “Academic Applications of AI (AAAI),” and a GenAI micro credential for faculty were designed by SDSU and are currently available to all CSUs. The goal of these online training programs is to enhance understanding of AI, explore its benefits and promote responsible use and ethical practices. Users will receive a credential or certificate upon completion, after engaging with several hours of education. 

Webb explained that here at the university, there has been significant interest in generative AI tools, with over 2,700 users accessing the free version of ChatGPT.

“While this shows the growing demand and curiosity around AI, the new education-specific license will provide a more secure environment for our students, faculty, and staff, ensuring that data is protected and usage aligns with campus privacy expectations,” Webb said. “We expect this tool to be available to our students this year, providing access to ChatGPT’s powerful capabilities for personalized learning support, research assistance and creative exploration.”

Ursula Newman is a journalism major and Humboldt local. You can find her all over town doing all kinds of things, and talking to all sorts of people.

Cal Poly Humboldt’s trans community finds determination under the Trump administration

By Griffin Mancuso

1.6 million people over the age of thirteen identify as transgender in the U.S. according to the Williams Institute, making up 1.9% of the U.S. population. This community, despite its size, has been the target of several executive orders and legislative changes within the first few weeks of Donald Trump’s second term as president. 

These executive orders include the government only recognizing two unchangeable sexes — male and female — and requiring all incarcerated transwomen to be moved to men’s prisons, defunding gender-affirming care for anyone under 19, setting the stage for another trans military ban and preventing schools from supporting students who are socially transitioning.

While many groups have filed lawsuits over these executive orders, they have already resulted in changes within federal agencies. U.S. citizens can no longer renew passports with an X gender marker — meant to indicate a non-binary gender identity — or a marker that doesn’t match their assigned sex at birth, and federal employees are required to remove pronouns from their online profiles. Mentions of trans people and public health information related to the trans community are being wiped from government websites.

Reactions from Students

With the frequency of executive orders published by the Trump administration, many trans and queer students have struggled to keep up with the continuous media coverage of them. Ro Meisler, an interdisciplinary studies major, wasn’t surprised by the content or volume of the executive orders but was concerned about the wave of hate against the trans community on social media.

“I think a lot of people are spoon-fed hateful opinions from huge media corporations and are fed a single view of how trans people are corrupting the youth and all this shit,” Meisler said. “But I think most people are not actually hateful people.”

Meisler described trying to balance her emotional well-being and staying informed on the actions of the government.

“I go back and forth between being really up to date and being too overwhelmed and not wanting to be up to date,” Meisler said.

Psychology major Lee Checa Valdez was not only unsurprised, but expressed frustration at the number of voters who didn’t listen to warnings about the potential impact of the executive orders.

“Since before this election, we’ve been telling people to do their research, and no one really listened,” Checa Valdez said. “And trans issues aside, there are things being put in place [that are] affecting lower-class people, middle-class people and a lot of people who did vote for the current president.”

Shock and Awe and the Politicization of the Trans Community

Political officials have introduced an increasing number of anti-trans bills over the last several years. In 2024 alone, 674 bills were proposed targeting trans people in categories like healthcare, education, sports and bathrooms, but only 50 of them passed. Executive orders cannot override existing federal laws, but even when bills or executive orders do not become laws, they can still benefit the politicians behind them.

Loren Cannon, a lecturer in philosophy who specializes in trans and legal theory, described how Trump’s executive orders can curry favor with his voters and political allies.

“What it can be used for is for that politician later to say to constituents who have been bought into this anti-trans rhetoric that, ‘Oh, see, I am against trans people, so you should vote for me,’” Cannon said.

Checa Valdez noticed some similarities between the actions of the Trump administration and dictatorships and fascist regimes throughout history.

“They like to focus on the ‘other than’ group, like black and brown people, queer and trans people, disabled people, is always where they start,” Checa Valdez said. “What a lot of white people don’t realize is that the things that they’re putting in place to get us kicked down further affects them as well in the long run.”

Elias Pence is deeply ingrained in the queer campus community through the Eric Rofes Multicultural Queer Resource Center (ERC), the Gender Diversity Task Force (GDTF), the Queer Student Union (QSU) and as a fellow for the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Pence is assisting in the creation of the Queer Center for Academic Excellence (QCAE), which will act as an umbrella for the ERC, GDTF, QSU and host up-to-date information. He also emphasized how he doesn’t want to alarm students and instead wants to focus on helping them protect their peace.

“What we’re facing is people trying to scare and demoralize us by flooding the zone with shit, right?” Pence said. “We need help parsing it out and seeing, you know, what do we need to move on? What do we need to be afraid of? You know, who is most impacted by these things, and what sort of resources can we muster?”

Response and Resistance

On a national level, several groups have filed lawsuits in response to Trump’s executive orders. For instance, the executive order targeting federal funding for gender-affirming care for transgender youth was blocked by a federal judge’s ruling in Seattle on Feb. 28. Organizations like GLAD Law, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Lambda Legal and the American Civil Liberties Union have already joined the growing collection of lawsuits.

In Humboldt, many groups on campus are adjusting their resources to offer additional support and respite for trans and queer students. In response to the executive orders, the ERC has started hosting more events for students to relax and find community, along with providing more political updates and resources in their newsletter. Ayan Cabot, Outreach Director for the ERC, described how he and other staff are adjusting to meet students’ needs.

“I think the most important thing that I always encourage within our staff is to just listen,” Cabot said. “I think that’s the best thing we can do, instead of imposing our ideas or beliefs onto the students. I think a lot of students sometimes just really need to decompress and feel other thoughts.”

The LGBTQ+ organizations on campus host a variety of resources that students can use, including a gender-affirming closet, mental health resources, events and more. One of Pence’s goals with the future QCAE is to provide additional resources to trans and queer students with intersectional identities.

“[We’ll be] cognizant of that and making sure that we’re not artificially separating issues, right?” Pence said. “If you’re trans and undocumented in your body, those things exist, we can’t separate it. It’d be like cutting you in half.”

Pence is hopeful for the new resources available through the queer cultural centers and admires the bravery and resilience of the queer community on campus. He appreciates the support of admin like Chrissy Holliday and Jenn Capps and also encourages others to use their privilege to assist in that effort.

“It’s tough to acknowledge your privilege and flex it,” Pence said. “Now’s the time to flex it — flex it for someone who doesn’t have it. You know that bravery that you’ve got in your pocket? Be there for someone else, step up for someone else, protect someone else, make someone else feel seen.”

Eduardo Cruz, newly appointed A.S. president and liaison for the ERC, is working with the ERC to develop a resolution supporting trans rights and resources through the California State University system in response to Trump’s executive orders.

“I would feel like it’s really important to always reinforce [trans] rights and the protections here on campus, and regardless of who’s in administration,” Cruz said. “We’re gonna fight hard to protect their rights, and that they will be heard and that they’ll be seen, and that there’s a place for them on this campus.”

While many groups and individuals on campus are working to provide more security for trans students, Cannon emphasized the importance of finding support within community and self-care due to the uncertainty of the future under the Trump administration.

“We gotta realize this could be for the long haul, right?” Cannon said. “This could be two years of dealing with really worrisome news every day, or it could be 12. We gotta stay the course. Organize, stay the course and make sure we feed those parts of ourselves that need feeding as we go through this because it is serious, right? People are going to be writing books about this for years to come.”

Wellbeing and Stewardship Team formed to facilitate conversations

By Savana Robinson

Cal Poly Humboldt’s response to the pro-Palestine protest that occupied Siemens Hall from April 22 – 30, 2024, and ended in 32 arrests, was met with disapproval from the campus community. Just before the following semester, the university updated its Time, Place and Manner policy, which imposed restrictions on amplified sound and public access to campus. This was met with disappointment from activists and students alike.

Emergency Operations Center and Policy Management Group

When the protest first unfolded, the university activated its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) as required by the CSU Emergency Management Policy (EMP) and California’s Standardized Emergency Management System.

“Those who serve on the EOC are trained employees who represent departments from across campus. Under this structure, they are tasked with making recommendations on operations, planning, logistics, administration and communications to the decision-making body called the Policy Management Group (PMG),” the EOC After Action Report (AAR) read.

The university’s Emergency Operations Plan and Guidelines state that the PMG approves policies concerning emergencies before they occur. The plan and guidelines also clarify that the PMG does not take part in operational aspects of emergency responses, meaning they only make decisions with the advice of the EOC.

After Action Reports

The CSU EMP also requires that the university compile an AAR, a document detailing findings and insight gained as a result of the incident. Cal Poly Humboldt began its compilation of two AARs in late summer 2024, according to an email written by Acting Vice President for Administration and Finance, Mike Fisher, in response to a request to university marketing and communications for an interview. One report was for the EOC, and another was for Incident Command (IC) — the university’s emergency personnel, law enforcement and on-scene command. The process involved interviews with people involved in the EOC and IC along with the help of California Office of Emergency Services. The report was finished in November 2024.

“The After Action Reports (EOC and IC) are based on the perspectives of those who were involved with the operational processes and structures and provided a starting point for a broader conversation,” Fisher said in the email.

Wellbeing and Stewardship Team meetings

On Jan. 21, the university sent an email to the campus community with both AARs linked. Along with the documents, the email introduced the members of the Wellbeing and Stewardship Team and announced five meetings to be held on campus involving the team.

“The purpose of these conversations is to reflect together on the events of April 2024 and their impact on our campus and community,” the email said. “Our primary focus is to listen to your experiences, concerns, and ideas. We will share resources and information that are available, including mandated, operationally focused after-action reviews.”

Aimed at engaging the campus community in conversations about the April 2024 protest, the meetings were held earlier this semester and included University Senate and Associated Students meetings and campus and staff council open forums. Three of these meetings offered world café-style community conversations, which were facilitated breakout group sessions that emphasized listening and participation from everyone in each group.

“There have been many different lived experiences from individuals shared in our community conversations, including those facilitated by the campus wellbeing and stewardship group. These include a range of feedback from the campus community,” Fisher said. “This is important because these conversations provide a more inclusive picture of what happened and can help us learn from the event and improve our emergency response efforts.”

Rouhollah Aghasaleh, assistant professor and University Senate faculty representative for the College of Professional Studies, was arrested at the protest in 2024. At the Jan. 28 University Senate meeting, they offered a framed photograph of their detainment to the Wellbeing and Stewardship Team.

Reception of the After Action Reports

Aghasaleh took issue with the AARs because neither said who specifically was in the EOC or PMG. Each AAR said the PMG was comprised of the President’s Advisory Team, University Council and government relations. According to the university’s most recent Emergency Operations Plan and Guidelines linked on the university website, dated Oct. 2018, the PMG consists of the president, provost, the executive director of the office of diversity, equity and inclusion, chair of the academic senate, associated student president, legal advisor, public information officer and vice presidents of academic affairs, administration and finance, student affairs and advancement.

“Those two reports are not only insufficient but also are insulting our intelligence, our being. I spoke about this at some smaller meetings. There are concerns about if those members become known, then they might become attacked, or become targeted,” Aghasaleh said. “And I understand that’s a reality, and that’s unfortunate, but it’s important to remember what they did, like for instance, my own case, being suspended for five months.”

Aghasaleh pointed out that the event summary of each AAR was only seven paragraphs long. Upon further inspection, the two summaries were identical save for one term in the last sentence of each, where it says EOC/IC was deactivated on May 20. 

Strengths and areas for improvement

Following the event summary, both AARs laid out what the EOC and IC did well and what they could have done better in response to the protest. The EOC AAR claimed three strengths and six areas for improvement, while the IC AAR listed three and five, respectively. For example, the EOC AAR noted that their good local relationships helped with resources and assistance. Both reports also had plans for addressing each issue, some of which have been accomplished. The report listed improving the IC and EOC interface as something that could be improved upon, which, according to the report, has been completed.

“On the night of April 22 in particular, poor communications between the IC and EOC led to inter- and intra-team information gaps and consequently to tactical errors and inadequate operational planning,” the EOC AAR read. “The IC/EOC interface was not fully established until an IC Coordinator was assigned two days into the incident.”

One of the strengths listed in the IC AAR was that no injuries were reported as a result of the 32 arrests made in the early hours of April 30, 2024. Areas for improvement included bettering management of public relations and technical issues with body-worn cameras. Dealing with both issues is in progress.

Fisher noted that the AAR is only part of the story.  

“I think this is a single reference point of a much more complex experience of an incredibly impactful event on campus,” Fisher said. “There is much more to learn beyond this report and I am encouraged by community conversations I have been a part of and I look forward to more.”

Why form a Wellbeing and Stewardship Team?

The organization of the team was first promised in a statement signed by university Interim President Michael Spagna, which was sent to all of campus via email on Oct. 29, 2024. According to the email, the team was formed to facilitate productive conversations and build trust.

“We have work to do as a community to fulfill our potential. Some of that work is in progress, while much else remains to be done. To those who have expressed the need for more inclusive decision-making processes, we hear you,” Spagna’s statement said. “Over the last few weeks, we have been leaning on the collective expertise of our campus community, empowering students, faculty, and staff to help us reflect on and learn from the past and to build a safer, more supportive environment.”

The Wellbeing and Stewardship Team saw potential in the conversations that took place in the meetings. From the same request for an interview to university marketing and communications, the Wellbeing and Stewardship Team responded collaboratively via email.

“The conversations that have happened so far have given us valuable insight into how campus leadership handled the events and how the campus community felt about their response. Based on the feedback we received, we get the sense that these meetings created a meaningful space for some participants to share how the events affected their studies, work, sense of safety, and connections to both their close groups and the larger campus community,” the Wellbeing and Stewardship Team wrote. “We feel like there’s interest and value in continuing this dialogue – and finding ways for campus groups to come together and shape what we want our future to look like.”

Moving forward

Aghasaleh noted that the university may have the right intentions in its efforts to build trust back up between the university and the campus community.

“I think there is some genuine intention to make things right, especially after President Spagna took the lead,” Aghasaleh said. “I do hear them having some genuine conversation to find ways to make things right.”

Aghasaleh noticed a strain on the university’s relationship with students, which will not go away on its own.

“I am very concerned right now with this widening gap between admin and students on campus … By giving ourselves more time, things are not going to get easier. I’m pretty sure some tensions will come up pretty soon, and I know we are not prepared,” Aghasaleh said. “We have not learned our lessons from last year.”

Friendly working relationships take time and effort to build and maintain, which Cal Poly Humboldt Associated Students (A.S.) President Eduardo Cruz has taken the initiative to do. Cruz wants to listen to and prioritize the needs of his board members. For example, once upon a board meeting, A.S. Administrative Vice President, Celena Tello-Linares, a sophomore data science major, desperately needed a pick-me-up to get through. Cruz asked Tello-Linares what she needed and she responded with another question wondering about the possibility of food at the meeting. Soon after, agenda items came with a side of chicken katsu.

“It’s a good environment to be in, for sure,” Tello-Linares said.

On Dec. 13, 2024, A.S. board members voted in Cruz as the next A.S. president after the previous president, Wysdem Singleton, stepped down on Nov. 15, 2024. Cruz was previously the board of directors’ legislative vice president.

“I just really wanted the organization to continue and help bridge that gap between A.S. and students, because I feel like a lot of [people] think we’re administration and we aren’t, because administration has no play in Associated Students,” Cruz said. “ I just really wanted to bridge that gap and help A.S. be rebranded and have students know that we’re here for them in their time of need. And whenever they have an issue or problem, they could always come to us [to] voice their concern.”

Cruz is passionate about his work, especially when it comes to supporting the rights of undocumented students and students in the LGBTQ+ community.

“I really stand behind the undocumented and LGBTQ students, and since I feel like they’re really under attack right now with all their rights and everything, it feels really important to reinforce our support for them, and to be able to give the resources when they’re needed,” Cruz said.

Tello-Linares appreciates Cruz and his commitment to A.S. in tandem with his care and communication efforts with his team.

“I got really sick the weekend that our A.S. government budget was due,” Tello-Linares said. “I was in the hospital and I could not do anything.”

Tello-Linares said that after she was home and able to work on the budget, Cruz reached out to see if she could get it done.

“He was checking in, texting, answering any questions that I needed to get [the budget] done, and that really helped me push through a hard time. I was really grateful that he had that line of communication with me, and I felt like I could share what I was struggling with, with him.”

According to Tello-Linares, communication is a strength of Cruz’s that has gotten stronger since stepping into his current role as A.S. president.

“I feel like that’s something that he’s really been working on and has improved since being in office,” Tello-Linares said.

According to Tello-Linares, Cruz could work on something else as well.

“He works way too much, so sometimes his plate is overfilled,” Tello-Linares said. “So that’s probably something that I would say he needs to work on — delegating that out a little bit more.”

Cruz also has a good relationship with Environmental Sustainability Officer Camille Fisher, a junior environmental science and management major, who said that when she was new to A.S. in the Fall 2024 semester, while Cruz served as legislative VP, Cruz helped Fisher navigate her role on the A.S. board.

“I love working with Eduardo, just because he’s a very motivated individual, and especially in the very beginning of this year in the fall semester, when I first started working with Associated Students, I was still sort of figuring out what my role is exactly, and what to stay on top of and everything that is expected for me to do,” Fisher said. “And so adjusting to that was really good with Eduardo.”

Eduardo still looks out for Fisher, ensuring that what needs to get done will be accomplished.

“He emails me reminders just to make sure I stay on top of things, but in a very positive way,” Fisher said. “And he’s very determined, which I really respect.”

Cruz aims to listen, provide support and encourage folks to engage in conversation.

“I feel like my leadership is more like listening and seeing how I can help and being in the spaces, or if someone else on the board can better help in those situations, also involving them in the conversation, instead of just hoarding all that information to myself,” Cruz said. “Because I want to be someone who someone can come up to and talk to and have a nice conversation.”

Savana Robinson is a senior journalism major and news editor of The Lumberjack, as well as a multimedia journalist and producer at Redwood News. She loves motorcycles, cats and video games.

By Eli Farrington

The California State University has always been vocal about the role of higher education in fighting climate change, but a new report from climate research group F Minus suggests that the University’s ‘pro-climate justice’ stance may not be as transparent as it seems. 

Founder and Executive Director of F Minus, James Browning, previously worked for Common Cause, a non-profit watchdog organization that promotes the core values of democracy and works to hold the American government accountable. During his time there, he worked on several campaign finance issues and corruption cases, which piqued his interest with lobbyists who had seemingly incompatible clients. As he continued to investigate, a pattern began to emerge. 

“If you look at all these lobbyist lists, you see thousands of lobbyists who are clearly working to promote fossil fuels while also representing institutions like Cal State, whose students, faculty and neighbors are being devastated by the climate crisis,” Browning said. 

The Origin of F Minus

In July 2023, Browning launched F Minus, which he describes as a divestment campaign with a goal of pressuring institutions like the CSU system to stop working with lobbyists who are also employed by coal, oil and gas companies. His goal with F Minus is to raise awareness amongst educational institutions that employing lobbyists with ties to fossil fuels makes them responsible for byproducts of the fossil fuel industry.

On Jan. 14, F Minus released a 25-page report titled “Hypocrisy 101: How Lobbyists for Higher Education Are Making the Climate Crisis Worse.” The report contains a list of every university in the country that employs a fossil fuel lobbyist. There are over 200, but the report focuses specifically on the top 20.

“We profiled the top 20 schools because these are [the] schools where there’s a lot of good things happening on climate,” Browning said. “These schools have divested, but this good work is radically at odds with the bad things their lobbyists are doing on climate.” 

The Cal State University section of the report articulates their hypocrisy regarding the climate crisis, highlighting the many ways in which the university’s contracts with oil lobbyists contradict its Higher Ed Climate Action Plan. 

This plan, which was in part spearheaded by CSU Chancellor Mildred García — who sits as co-chair of the Higher Ed Climate Action Task Force — advocates for swift and immediate action to be taken by higher education institutions in the fight against climate change. 

“The effects of climate change are harming people and communities across our country and the globe,” the plan reads. “These effects will only worsen in the decades to come … There is a critical opportunity for higher education to leverage its strengths to build knowledge, foster innovation, enhance communities, and model solutions to help build a sustainable, resilient and just world.” 

In the Hypocrisy 101 report, F Minus points out the irony of this statement, noting that the CSU Chancellor’s office is directly responsible for the employment of lobbying firm Sloat Higgins Jensen and Associates, which is employed by Chevron as well. The firm also represents Pacific Gas & Electric, which has been blamed for over 30 wildfires since 2017, according to both NPR and PBS News. 

“In June 2023, the California Faculty Association, representing 29,000 CSU faculty and staff across all 23 of its campuses, testified in favor of a bill (SB 253) that would require businesses with revenues exceeding $1 billion to disclose their Scope 3 emissions,” the report said. “Opposing the bill was CSU’s own lobbying firm, Sloat Higgins Jensen, on behalf of its client Chevron … CSU’s lobbying firm has represented Chevron on the wrong side of every major California climate bill over the past two years.”

Backlash Against CSU

Luis Angel Martinez, campaigns organizer for Fossil Free California, shared the report’s frustration with CSU, adding that the catastrophic LA fires are yet another example of the impact that the fossil fuel industry has on the environment. 

“I think it’s completely unacceptable that the CSU system understands [the harm] that their students are going through when these climate disasters happen, and is still working with the perpetrators of that harm,” Martinez said.

Martinez believes that the only way to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for the harm that they have caused to these communities — and to the planet at large — is to cut contact and demand financial reparations. 

“As a former CSU student and a Los Angeles native, I am appalled that CSU and the UC system continue to employ lobbying firms that also represent fossil fuels,” Martinez said in an F Minus press release. “In the midst of the most devastating fires in our city’s history, it’s time to sever all ties with the industry that is responsible for this harm. The CSU system must no longer employ lobbying firms that also represent fossil fuels if they are to stand in solidarity with their own students and low-income communities of color being disproportionately harmed by the climate crisis.”

Jennifer Marlow, an associate professor of environmental law at Cal Poly Humboldt, said in an email that the Hypocrisy 101 report provides more evidence of the fossil fuel industry’s pervasive underbelly. She noted that Cal Poly Humboldt has its own Climate Action Plan, which details, “strategies to reach carbon neutrality and climate resilience,” by 2045.

 “The timing of this [hypocrisy] is interesting, as the federal governmental structure for addressing climate change is being dismantled by the incoming administration,” Marlow said. “So my confidence is guarded right now — I can’t be confident about anything.”

Responses from Climate Activists

Marlow’s uncertainty echoes the general consensus among many climate justice advocacy groups, especially with President Trump beginning his second term in office. In his first few days, Trump signed executive orders withdrawing the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement, and terminating the EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights. These orders imply that the president intends to keep his “drill, baby, drill” promises, striking fear in the hearts of environmentalists everywhere, including student climate activists across the California State University system, whose tuition dollars are helping fund an industry that directly opposes the messages of the CSU’s Higher Ed Climate Action Plan. 

Alicia Colomer is Managing Director of the Campus Climate Network, a coalition of student-led climate justice organizations fighting to push the fossil fuel industry off college campuses. 

“The fossil fuel industry has been lying to the public about the causes and severity of the climate crisis for years,” Colomer said. “These companies use tactics like lobbying, PR and biased research to promote a false debate about climate change in order to continue business as usual.”

The Campus Climate Network wants universities to have the opportunity to be climate leaders, innovate and find just solutions to the climate crisis.

“It’s time for our universities to prioritize our futures over their relationships with the fossil fuel industry and cut all ties,” Colomer said. “It is hypocritical for our schools to on the one hand claim to care about climate justice and sustainability and on the other continue to fund and support the lobbyists that do Big Oil’s dirty business.”

Many climate activists and members of the environmental movement across California were disappointed to learn of CSU’s problematic relationship with Sloat Higgins Jensen, including Scott Kelley, Associate Professor of Biology at San Diego State University. Kelley is quoted in Hypocrisy 101 expressing his disdain for the decisions of the Chancellor’s Office. 

 “Chancellor García has been vocal about the pressing need to address the climate catastrophe, which makes it shocking to learn that her office directly employs a lobbying firm that also works for Chevron, one of the biggest fossil fuel polluters on the planet,” Kelley said in the report. “Surely, CSU can find a higher-ed firm that does not also work for a company that is actively destroying California.”

As a lifelong climate justice advocate, Kelley has watched the fallout of the climate crisis unfold before his own eyes. 

“This has never happened in my lifetime,” Kelley told The Lumberjack. “No one has ever heard of this many fires. Nobody has ever seen this many hurricanes. Nobody has seen tornadoes in New York, where I grew up … These are the hottest days we have ever seen in human history — that is not normal.”

Kelley expanded on his interpretation of Cal State University’s relationship with Sloat Higgins Jensen, saying that while he knows that CSU did not hire the firm based on their clients in the fossil fuels industry, he is sure that CSU is aware of these clients, and believes that the University should be seeking out a lobbyist with a more neutral or climate-friendly clientele portfolio. 

“I know faculty whose houses have burned to the ground [in LA],” Kelley said. “The climate crisis is real. It’s hitting us in the face like a freaking sledgehammer. F Minus has shown that [CSU] is supporting, through lobbyists, the fossil fuel companies. We’ve got to take this seriously. Our own students are being hammered with it. Our faculty’s houses are burning to the ground … That is nuts. Anyone who says otherwise is just a liar, or has something to sell you.”

Eli Farrington is a highly intelligent human life form working as the opinion editor for The Lumberjack. In his free time, he enjoys analyzing the complexities of the human condition. His passion for journalism knows no boundaries and exceeds time and space itself. 

By Andres Felix Romero

At 4 a.m. after a long night of work, Tyler Acosta was finally able to get back to his Campus Apartment dorms for some much-needed rest. 9 a.m. rolled around as knocks from the housing department woke up Acosta. Upon answering the door, Acosta was informed that due to the mold in the building, all residents would need to evacuate their rooms within four days. Acosta groggily pulled himself out of bed, shocked — but not surprised — by the news. After all, he and his roommates had been dealing with mold on a daily basis, and it had invaded their kitchen, bathroom and bodies.

Acosta headed over to the Jolly Green Giant Commons to find his new dorm placement. There, he walked into a chaotic scene. There, Campus Apartment students bustled about; most were happy to be out of the dorms. Others were upset due to needing to vacate a room where they shared a bathroom with one other person, now having to use communal bathrooms in the mostly freshman-populated Canyon Dorms. Acosta was lucky enough to be part of the group that upgraded to the more private College Creek Dorms. 

Other residents who had to evacuate included Sam Ray, a zoology freshman brand new to Humboldt from Vista, California. Ray was happy to find a dorm placement on campus that met his dietary needs to avoid sickness. The school was able to provide him with a Campus Apartment dorm with his own kitchen to avoid food allergy contact.

“I have celiac disease,” Ray said. “I can’t have gluten … or else I’ll get really sick. So [Housing] wanted me to have my own kitchen.”

Despite Ray being able to have his own kitchen for his health, he and other residents questioned if the mold contributed to negative health conditions. Ray noticed how aspects of his health improved being away from the mold, however only after Ray experienced some losses.

“I didn’t realize so much was because of the mold until now,” Ray said. “I had a couple of fish that were mysteriously dying, and we [thought] it might be the mold. Now [moved out], my eyes don’t hurt anymore. I can breathe.”

Acosta similarly noted that once he left campus apartments for just a few weeks, chronic health issues such as his eczema no longer became a daily issue.

“It’s a correspondent for my winter break,” Acosta said. “I broke out for the whole semester. I went home for winter break, and I had no eczema. It just went away.”

Acosta also recalled battling the mold daily, always needing to scrub mold in his bathroom that would always come back. He also needed to maintain a supply of towels to clean up water pooling behind the toilet that would inevitably form mold. Acosta recalled a moment when he discovered how deep the mold went under the surface when the plastic trim of his bathtub began to crack.

“I could push on [the trim], and you can just see black water coming out,” Acosta said. “The water was getting in between [the bathtub] and the wall, so [mold] just grew out of there.”

The housing department on campus held concerns for the well-being of their residents, eventually bringing in a consultant to ensure the dorms were safe to live in. This eventually led the school to begin evacuating students from the apartments on Jan 19, days before the beginning of the spring semester. 

“The consultant identified potential mold conditions, which could pose health concerns for individuals who may be sensitive to mold exposure, and collected samples,” read an email from Cal Poly Humboldt on Jan. 19. “While we wait for the sample results, the University is erring on the side of caution and acting on the consultant’s suggestion to move a group of students who live in a section of the building to a different residence hall on campus.”

The school sent a follow-up email on Jan. 25 announcing the decision to relocate the remainder of the Campus Apartment residents due to the results of the sample.

Students had to move only a few days before beginning their semester, and some felt that they were given a bad deal for having to move dorms, while others — such as Acosta — felt that the situation ended okay for them. His new dorm roommates even brought back memories of living with his family.

“I was listening to them bicker the other day,” Acosta said, “That brought me back home. I [thought], ‘Nice, I have siblings again.’”

The Campus Apartments are slated to be demolished to make way for a new parking structure and dorms. If there is anyone who may be concerned about repercussions due to mold from the Campus Apartments, they can make an appointment with the Student Health Center, TimelyCare, or another medical professional.

Andres Felix Romero is a reporter and Community Liaison for The Lumberjack. Outside of reporting, he enjoys adventures, climbing trees, and scaling rocks. He also enjoys hikes with his dog.

By Barley Lewis-McCabe

Out of every Cal Poly Humboldt president, none have been like Michael Spagna.  Spagna has something few other presidents have had — and that’s a term limit. 

Recently, a letter was written by faculty in the environmental sciences and management department detailing qualities they would like to see in the new president, and how they feel Micheal Spagna fits the bill. That letter was shared with other departments, who were encouraged to write their own. At the time of publishing, this second letter, which expands on broader issues, has been signed by over 350 faculty, community members, students and even Julie Fulkerson, former mayor of Arcata.

An important thing to note is that Spagna is prohibited from applying, as per his contract agreement and CSU Chancellor Mildred Garcia’s order. But, he is able to be nominated for consideration — which is what the letters are doing — as well as showing the qualities the community looks for in a new president.

When Tom Jackson stepped down, Spagna was appointed as the interim president. His job was simple — build back trust between the administration and faculty and students, but mostly hold down the fort until the official president showed up.

But why do people feel this way? What makes Spagna such an appealing figure to so many? The magic words for most faculty are shared governance, which can be boiled down to the practice of consulting the people who will be affected by a decision before it’s made. Spagna was routinely said to be a strong proponent of the practice by faculty who have worked with him, while previous presidents have disregarded shared governance and made large-scale decisions without consulting the people who will be most affected by them. When asked for a statement on the push for him to be considered as the next president, Spagna reflected on the support he’s seen from the community.

“Faculty have been welcoming and responsive, and I’m truly honored to have their support and their faith in me to lead Humboldt,” Spagna said via email. “A significant part of this effort requires being in community with not only faculty, but also students and staff. What that means is listening to and learning from them, while understanding their previous and current experiences to help this university better meet its educational purpose.” 

In his short time here, Spagna has been seen at community events, arts productions, seminars, and has spoken to reporters. 

When discussing the important qualities in a president, Allison O’Dowd, Environmental Sciences and Management chair, discussed the importance of having a qualified, empathetic president, particularly one who has prior experience in education. 

“It’s important to have a president who has a history in academia, who’s actually taught classes, they know what that’s like,” O’Dowd said. “Someone who can be in our shoes in terms of relating to students and faculty, and see’s the mission of the university to be education.” 

It’s not like he appeared out of nowhere — he has over 35 years in the CSU system, working both as a professor and administrator.

Spagna listens. He’s met with department chairs to understand the needs of the university, and stressed the importance of the faculty perspective. In these meetings, Spagna has discussed his plans to expand the university’s health programs and strengthen community involvement with faculty. Along with that, he has shared ideas on how to actualize the ambitions of a polytechnic university. 

Mary Virnoche, a sociology professor, expressed hope for Spagna’s consideration. 

“I imagine Chancellor Garcia knew exactly who she was appointing to serve as our interim President,” Virnoche said. “He is the leader we needed on this campus on the cusp of tremendous change. I hope the Chancellor will consider the capacity, momentum, and support that President Spagna has built as she makes decisions about our President.”

Students have the ability to be involved in the search for the next president. If you feel strongly in one way or another, email presidentsearch@calstate.edu, Chancellor Mildred Garcia herself, or CSU Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief of Staff Danielle Garcia to voice your opinion on what you want in the future president of Cal Poly Humboldt.

Barley is a freshman journalism major, Photojournalist, and untraditional reporter, they like to cover interesting stories that center on social change, and human impact.

By Mia Costales

One source did not give their name due to the nature of the protest and is referred to in the article with the pseudonym John Doe.

By noon, a group of activists dressed head-to-toe in black had congregated in the Arcata plaza, flying Palestinian flags and bearing cardboard signs. Arcata community members gathered to protest in response to a national call to action against Donald Trump’s presidency on Tuesday, Jan. 21, as well as in support of the Palestinian martyrs and for Tortuguita, an environmental activist who was shot and killed by Georgia State Patrol officers in 2023. By 12:30 p.m., a group of several dozen people clad in black gathered around a large sign with the phrase “Fuck Trump, Viva Tortuguita, Free Palestine,” as a couple members of the group gave speeches. 

Jasmine, a local activist who refrained from sharing her last name, gave a heartfelt speech in which they rallied the attendees to pursue a more anti-capitalist lifestyle.

“What do we do?” Jasmine said. “We show up to events like this and we can organize our own. We can still contact our representatives or join class action lawsuits against Jared Huffman. We can help people like Leonard Peltier wants to. We can feed our friends or read a book together, sharing resources when we find them. We can boycott brands and products that are rooted in colonization and exploitation and we can disrupt their business. There are more people here who are doing the work to create an ethical future and you are wanted in that work however you show up, whenever you show up, however you can. It’s true that there is no power like the power of the people. We can bring the empire to its knees. Free Palestine, free Sudan, free Congo, fuck the U.S.A and fuck Donald Trump.”

The group of protesters took to the streets around 1:00 p.m., marching up G Street. They blocked traffic as they marched up the road yelling chants such as, “Viva viva Palestina,” and, “When immigrant lives are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back.” Their route took them past the Josiah Lawson memorial mural and up L K Wood Boulevard, where they eventually reached the library circle and made their way onto the Cal Poly Humboldt campus. 

Protestors then marched from the quad to the forestry building, chanting, banging drums and drawing with chalk. Once they made it to the entrance of the forestry building, many entered the building, continuing to chant, play instruments and give speeches. Water bottles, burritos and flyers for Food Not Bombs Arcata were handed out. Faculty — such as Vice President, Chrissy Holliday, and Assistant Dean of Students, Heather Honig — attempted to mitigate the situation by asking protestors to clear a path for students. Protesters were quick to comply with requests and some even took it upon themselves to guard the entrance to ensure students could safely enter and leave the building. After leaving the forestry building, they marched over to the Natural Resources building where they continued to protest. As they were leaving, the fire alarm was pulled. The march continued on a path toward Harry Griffith Hall and eventually Siemens Hall. 

“When I was in high school, I witnessed a city police officer attacking one of my classmates,” John Doe said. “And just doing research into the actions of the local police officers has led me down into a spiral of activism. I think now more than ever, community is something that is going to save us. Our governments obviously don’t represent us. Our oligarchs don’t represent us and we have to turn to each other.” 

Mia Costales is a junior journalism major and the Life & Arts Editor for The Lumberjack. With an extensive background in music performance, she hopes to combine her love of music and the arts with her passion for localized news and activism to bring thoughtful and informed stories to the public. 

By Savana Robinson

On the evening of Tuesday, Jan. 7, Abby Miles opened the door to her family home in Altadena and saw the hillside on fire, flames quickly moving toward her. Miles screamed for her dad, then ran to help neighbors before grabbing some belongings and bags she had already packed for her return to Humboldt. By the time her family had their dogs and most cherished belongings in the car, the sky was bright red and ash was falling.

“It was honestly a lot of running around and panicking,” Miles said. “What do you do when you open your front door and the whole mountain is on fire behind you?”

The Eaton Fire started not far from Miles’ house. On Jan. 21, it was 89% contained, having burned 14,021 acres and destroyed 9,418 structures. Miles is a senior child development major at Cal Poly Humboldt.

“The fire started in Eaton Canyon, which is right off of Altadena Drive,” Miles said. “And my house is two blocks over from Altadena Drive.”

Miles and her family evacuated and went to several loved ones’ houses in the following days.

Earlier that day, Charlotte Kuhner had to evacuate her home in the Pacific Palisades but found deadlocked traffic when she reached Sunset Boulevard. After taking 30 minutes to move 20 feet, Kuhner made it onto the Pacific Coast Highway before her neighbor, stuck further up Palisades Drive, was told by a police officer to abandon their car and run because the flames were so close, which he did. Later, Kuhner watched reports on KTLA5 of cars being bulldozed to give the firefighters passage up Palisades Drive. 

That evening, Kuhner was at an Airbnb with seven loved ones who had all been displaced by the fire. Two days later, Kuhner found out that her family’s home was okay after her dad and brother went on foot to confirm that it was still standing. Most of the houses on Kuhner’s street survived, but two streets up, including a home she used to live in, everything had burned to rubble. 

Kuhner is a senior accounting major at Cal Poly Humboldt.

“There’s homes still smoldering and burning and one house will be perfectly fine, and then the next eight [will be] completely destroyed,” Kuhner said. “It’s insane to see. It’s so devastating.”

Kuhner, appreciative of the survival of her family home, mourned for her neighbors and those around her who were not as fortunate.

“Me and a few people I know whose houses did survive are feeling crazy survivors’ guilt,” Kuhner said. “Our entire community is gone, but our house is still there. But what do you do after that? No one’s around.”

As of Jan. 21, the Palisades Fire was 65% contained at 23,448 acres burned and 6,528 structures gone.

Cal Poly Humboldt Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) Chair, Jacqueline Mayrand, explained the causes of survivor’s guilt and natural disaster-related trauma and what those experiencing it can do to cope. 

“Survivor’s guilt basically occurs in the aftermath of a traumatic event that affected a group of people and some may compare their experiences to those of others who were less fortunate during the event, which can lead to feelings of guilt,” Mayrand wrote in an email. 

Mayrand offered advice for those experiencing negative feelings in the aftermath of traumatic events.

“I think talking to people who have been in similar experiences [is helpful], finding the support through friends, loved ones, co-workers who are willing to have these conversations, making sense of [it] with others,” Mayrand said.

Miles’ uncle is a firefighter who grew up in Pasadena and Altadena and has fought the Eaton Fire since the day the fire broke out.

“He actually has been staying at my house with his crew members because so many firefighters came from other places, and so many people were displaced from their homes,” Miles said. “He just texted my dad. He was like, ‘can we sleep on your couch?’ And so now, there’s five firemen just chilling in my house in the dark whenever they need somewhere to sleep, which is funny to think about, but also it feels really good knowing that there are people who are dedicated to this neighborhood.”

Miles’ uncle was emotionally affected by the devastation caused by the fire, exacerbated by a lack of water.

“He was just saying how he’s never felt like he’s been letting people down more,” Miles said. “His family home is a couple blocks down from my house, so it was really close to the fires. He just sounded so heartbroken.”

The National Guard is blocking entry to both the Pacific Palisades and Altadena to prevent looting. Only some people with proof of residence and valid reason to enter were allowed past guards. Kuhner noted the strangeness of being barred from her neighborhood, especially when wanting to help.

“It’s weird not being able to … go to my neighbor’s house and grab their things because I have some elderly neighbors who can’t go back in there until it’s completely 100% fine,” Kuhner said. “I just feel helpless. I want to help them, but I know it’s not safe.”

In the days following the start of the fires, an outpour of support and resources were shared on social media. In the aftermath of the fire, Kuhner noticed amid the shock, the community came together.

“Everyone has just been kind of looking out for each other, contacting each other. It’s been very supportive, but I think everyone’s really devastated and just in shock still,” Kuhner said. “I don’t really know how everyone else is feeling, but I know me and my family are at least feeling very supported.”

Kuhner spoke about when they would return to the devastated area.

“My dad and I were talking,” Kuhner said. “He’s like … ‘when we go back there, it’s just gonna be so quiet, it’s gonna be so eerie.’ We’re keeping the house for sure; I mean, it’d be stupid to move, but I don’t even know how long it’s going to be before we go back in. It’s scary.”

Mayrand explained how people have a window of tolerance when it comes to everyday stress versus traumatic stress. The window includes everyday stressors that come with things like classes, homework and deadlines, but stress beyond that can cause duress. Mayrand listed things to watch out for when dealing with stress outside of that window, like hypervigilance, difficulty sleeping, relaxing or handling stressors of everyday life.

“If it starts to be outside of that kind of window of tolerance where you start to feel like, ‘gosh, my anxiety has really risen and is no longer at a place that I feel like is manageable,’ and it’s starting to really be elevated,” Mayrand said. “That’s when I would start to, you know, pay attention and see if there’s additional support that you need, either with your group of friends, your family, to add more regulating skills or calming skills, or to [seek counseling].”

Kuhner and Miles both spoke about their hometowns in L.A. County, compared to how they’ve been portrayed in the media.

“I’ve been seeing a lot of news reports on social media and stuff,” Kuhner said. “There’s a few celebrities who live in this neighborhood; it’s pretty close to Hollywood. I’ve only seen news reports on that stuff, and it honestly makes me angry. It pisses me off because that’s only such a small portion of the community.”

Kuhner gave insight on the Pacific Palisades community and how connected they are.

“I want people to know that the majority of the community are hard-working families, and they’ve lived in L.A. their whole lives, they give back,” Kuhner said. “You go to the grocery store, you know someone who happens to know your brother and who happens to know your neighbors, and it’s just it’s such an interconnected community, and you don’t really get that in L.A., so it’s such a special place.”

CAPS would like to encourage those affected physically or psychologically to reach out to schedule an appointment at caps@humboldt.edu or call (707) 826-3236.

Savana Robinson is a senior journalism major and news editor of The Lumberjack, as well as a multimedia journalist at Redwood News. She loves motorcycles, cats and video games.

By Eli Farrington and Savana Robinson

Upon returning to campus after fall break, several things on Cal Poly Humboldt’s campus had changed. Some of the changes were positive. The brightly colored leaves cast an autumnal hue over the university and students bundled up in their favorite scarves, mittens, sweaters and hats as the campus’ true beauty blossomed with radiant wonder. However, some of the changes left a bitter taste in students’ mouths, most notably the removal of the beloved library circle tree and the repaving of the intersection at Harpst and B St., which was formerly laden with bricks. 

Xavi Smith, sophomore botany major and appreciator of trees, expressed his deep frustration with the university’s decision to remove the library circle tree. 

“I bike up here, and the bus was stopped and blocking it, and [I thought] they didn’t know what to do,” Smith said. “I was just surprised. Everything is gone; tree’s gone. Feels weird, like it never was there.”

As the afternoon sun cascaded down upon the void where the majestic tree used to reside, the reality of its absence began to set in for Smith. It was the same species as the adjacent tree in front of the Student Health Center. Now the tree stood alone. 

“I don’t know why they would [remove it],” Smith said. “It mirrored [the adjacent] tree. It was all a nice visual line, I’m so confused why it’s gone. They could have put something else there — plants, not more concrete. It just seems like a really strange decision.”

Eden Harnar, a junior botany major, was shocked and bewildered to learn of the tree’s removal.

“I’m so upset about this,” Harnar said. “I really liked this tree. I took a bunch of photos of it freshman year when the storm was going on because I thought it looked so cool with the leaves in the wind, and now it’s gone.”

As a botany student, Harnar has a special interest in trees. Upon discovering its removal, she was overcome with emotion. Many years ago, she would gaze out the second floor library window and marvel at the tree’s brightly colored leaves and twisting, knotted branches. The tree’s familiar presence had always provided her studies with a sense of comfort and warmth, but now it was gone. 

“One thing about me is, I love trees,” Harnar said. “I’m gonna talk to my professors about this.”

The botany majors both proposed replacing the tree with a garden consisting of native plants in the center of the roundabout, rather than the tall, skinny, bright orange traffic cones that are currently placed there.

The intersection of B and Harpst St. was paved with brick but now, a smooth, newly paved road has taken the place of the masonry.

Elyssa Sanders didn’t notice the change at first, but once she did, she was disappointed with the results. 

“I do miss the bricks,” Sanders said. “Because the bricks look a lot nicer.” 

Sanders also noted that the intersection previously felt pedestrian-oriented because of the bricks, and the new road felt vehicle-oriented.

“It felt like that was only [for] people who were walking in a pedestrian way,” Sanders said. 

Sanders’ walking companion, Courtney Tolhurst,  expressed a similar sentiment.

“It’s kind of sad to see another pedestrian walkway get taken over by a road.” 

Eli Farrington is a highly intelligent human life form working as the news editor for The Lumberjack. In his free time, he enjoys analyzing the complexities of the human condition. His passion for journalism knows no boundaries and exceeds time and space itself. 

By Emma Wilson and Gabriel Zucker

When Cal Poly Humboldt was built, there was no forethought about accessibility, due to prominent physical and financial challenges to updating campus. The hills and stairs that made the school unique ignored an entire group that are an integral part of the campus community. Today, the school is still lacking in a lot of areas when it comes to accessibility, but there is a lot of support from the school and the community to make this campus an accommodating place.

Aileen Yoo, the news and information director for the university, acknowledged that a lot needs to be done, but the school is not being complacent.

“We have a lot of work to do, and we’re committed to having constructive conversations about things that can be done in the short, medium, and long-term to make steady progress,” Yoo said.

Campus Disability Resource Center (CDRC)

The CDRC mission statement on their website states, “Humboldt strives to be responsive to the needs of its community through its commitment to providing services that support equitable access and foster equity and inclusion.”

“The University’s Campus Disability Resource Center (CDRC) was established as the Disabled Student Services over three decades ago to support disabled students and, in the last year, has moved to support the entire campus community,” Yoo said. “The CDRC is a hub of resources and services, which include priority registration assistance, accessible classroom furniture, alternate media, assistive technologies, deaf and hard of hearing services, disability-related advising, equipment available for checkout, exam accommodations, employment application assistance, and accessible office furniture..” 

Alicia Martin is an alum and academic researcher. Martin has been attending Humboldt since the spring of 2018, receiving her masters in 2020. They founded the club ADAPTABLE, which is dedicated to disabled students and staff and is still a big part of the disabled community on campus.

“One of the new things that CDRC is doing is making the complaint process more clear and easy to do, which is amazing,” Martin said. “There is now an actual committee that is working to make things better when it comes to complying with ADA regulations. This committee has been out for years. So, these changes are being made.”

Jim Graham, a geospatial scientist professor at Cal Poly Humboldt, noted there are a lot of positive things happening on campus, but emphasized the need for ADA regulations around campus.

“Our Academic Technology Initiative folks, they’re doing great work to get the electronics available,” Graham said. “The CDRC [has] made a bunch of changes, improved their website. So there’s good stuff going on. It’s the facilities piece, the existing facilities piece we seem to be stuck on.”

Student and Community Experience

For a lot of students coming to college, they have no knowledge or plan to receive accommodations. Martin did not even realize they were eligible until a teacher brought it up.

“I remember sitting in my classes, looking around [thinking], ‘Who else is here with me?’” Martin said. “There’s more of me here, and people who understand what it’s like to try to go to school and balance all of these extra things that you have to deal with as a person with disabilities. That is when I really started looking around and paying attention to things and noticing things.” 

Matias Solorzano, a graduate student in the psychology department in the academic research master’s program, highlighted his work with Graham on disability awareness events and plans for future projects. One event included inviting disability-specific resources and having Interim President Michael Spagna speak about his experiences with disabilities. 

Solorzano is developing a project in his activism class where he invites the California Department of Rehabilitation to help students with disabilities sign up for vocational rehabilitation. Vocational (VOC) rehab is aimed to help disabled individuals find jobs and learn how to maintain that job position. Part of Solorzano’s project is to find funding to help students apply for financial assistance to help pay for tuition outside of the financial aid sources that are traditionally available to them. 

“I’m trying to fill the gaps through policy to try to model a workshop based on what has been done before, to kind of evolve into a permanent program,” Solorzano said. “What the university has done well is that they really support us in planning the accessibility event. It helped us advertise, helped us get students to come. They are just very supportive and say that they want to do stuff.”

Solorzano emphasizes the importance of having students with disabilities involved in decision-making processes to ensure their perspectives are considered. He expressed his hope for continued progress and support for students with disabilities at the university.

“There really needs to be a specific space outside of the CDRC for students, staff, and faculty with disabilities to come together and really be a community,” Solorzano said. “If you want students with disabilities to come to campus and to stay enrolled, you need to be supporting them more. Whether that be through a cultural center, or what I’m doing. I am developing an activist project in my CRGS community.”

Julie Myers, an ecological restoration major, expressed gratitude for the assistance provided by the Student Health Center, highlighting the role of doctors and nurses in diagnosing her condition. 

“The Student Health Center has helped me significantly, the doctors there — even the nurses — they helped me get diagnosed,” Myers said. “They’ve helped me with …  I forgot the word [physical therapy] — and I’ve done that for two years. So doctors at Student Health really helped me, and they’ve supported me more than the CDRC, definitely.”

Myers is also grateful for a number of professors and her advisor with ADA accommodations assistance. Myers explained how professors have been very flexible and supportive, such as Wildland Fire Science and Management Assistant Professor Alan Tapley, who went out of his way to accommodate her needs. 

“He taught forest ecology, and we would have a lot of labs in the community forest and even off campus,” Myers said. “He would send me directions of where we’re going and he made a map and circled where we were going, and even when we were walking in the field trip, he would be like, ‘How are you doing? Are you okay? Do you need to sit? We can sit and take a break in class.’”

Myers acknowledges a positive change in the school’s approach to disabilities since the recently appointed administration.

“With the new administration, the [Interim] President’s more visible and he comes from a special education background, so I think that’ll really help with what’s going on, because he’ll maybe pay attention a bit more,” Myers said.

There is still a long road ahead, but the building blocks are being set in place. The need for community involvement and collaboration to address these issues is still a pressing issue, but a path is being forged.

“It’s really the community that builds Cal Poly Humboldt,” Martin said.“It’s the community. We are the resilient redwoods, right? We are attracted to this place for a reason, and that includes people with disabilities.”

This is the second part of a three part series about accessibility on campus. 

Emma Wilson is a public relations journalism student at Cal Poly Humboldt minoring in environmental ethics. Wilson is an environmental reporter and science editor for the lumberjack. She is also the president of the Journalism Club of Cal Poly Humboldt. Wilson likes swimming, playing music on the radio, and making collages. 

Gabriel Zucker is a senior journalism student at Cal Poly Humboldt. He is the photo editor for The Lumberjack. He loves photojournalism and wants to use his platform as a journalist to give a voice to the voiceless.

By Griffin Mancuso

Through the usual hum of the Arcata plaza — cars driving by, dogs barking, construction noise — a chorus of passionate voices rang out.

“No Trump, no KKK, no racist, fascist USA!”

Dozens of Cal Poly Humboldt students and community members stood in a circle holding signs, about half of them wearing masks. In the center stood Rick Toledo, a member of the Humboldt Chapter of Students for a Democratic Society, who led the chants with a megaphone adorned with Palestinian flag stickers. A Palestinian flag secured in a nearby tree floats in the wind, bearing the message, “Right to exist, right to resist.”

“Slavery, genocide, and hate,” Toledo yelled into the megaphone.

“America was never great!” the audience yelled back.

On the morning of Nov. 6, the United States woke up to see that Donald Trump had won the 2024 presidential election with 295 electoral votes and 50.7% of the popular vote, compared to Kamala Harris’ 226 electoral votes.

Benny McGee, a zoology major, recalled the desolate atmosphere of campus after the election results.

“The campus was eerily silent,” McGee said. “I feel like every woman that I passed just gave me the saddest look… no one was saying anything. I thought I’d be eavesdropping, hearing something. It was just people going about their day, just sad, doing nothing, and I was pretty upset.”

On the same day, SDS Humboldt posted on Instagram advertising an anti-Trump rally. The caption called for their audience to join them in the Arcata plaza at 1 p.m., learn how to fight against fascism and imperialism, and get involved in future activism.

Toledo led the event, starting with group chants in support of Palestine and criticizing Trumps’ ideologies, then providing an open mic for people to voice their thoughts. People stepped up to the mic calling for everyone to find joy even though, “fascism sucks the soul out of you,” expressing worry for people in the LGBTQ+ community, and their disappointment in both the Republican and Democratic parties for their responses to the war in Palestine.

In response to people’s fears and frustrations about the election results, the SDS decided to host an emergency national day of action. Some SDS chapters hosted their rallies on Nov. 6, while others — including SDS Humboldt — hosted their rallies on Nov. 7. 

Toledo wanted to give people a space to vent about the election, connect with one another, and hear each other’s needs and how the election impacts them.

“I hope to educate more people on some of the faults of the current system — the two-party system — and the way that it’s not entirely democratic to only have a decision between one representative of big capital and another representative of big capital,” Toledo said. “I think in a real democracy, we would be able to directly influence policies, we would be able to directly choose our representatives by popular vote, and we don’t have that.”

Many attendees had their own critiques of the Democratic party, ranging from their policies around the war in Palestine, to the demographics they catered to, to the way their campaign was run. Jarrett Whitloe, a geology major at the university, attended the rally wearing a keffiyeh around his head and the USSR state flag as a cape. He was disappointed with the election results but was not surprised.

“The democrats absolutely chose to do this to themselves,” Whitloe said. “They took a candidate who was not chosen by the people, who had no primary that was held to elect her, ran her on the worst campaign possible, told everybody on the left to fuck off and die, and then wonder why they lost.”

Some attendees highlighted the positive outcomes of the election. Community member Laura Benz participated in the chants while holding a sign reading, “Fuck fascism,” with a watermelon slice on it, meant to represent Palestine. She also spoke during the open mic portion, calling for the “liberal lunch girlies” to join them in their fight. She heard about the event on social media and was excited to see more people standing against fascism.

“What I saw post-election is there were people that were very quiet throughout the last few months, not really speaking up, not getting very politically motivated,” Benz said. “But, because Trump got elected, they are politically activated and they are excited to get involved in their communities in ways they were not going to do under Kamala.”

McGee was initially unsure of what steps to take after the election, but felt like she needed to take action, so she was relieved to hear about the rally hosted by SDS Humboldt. She was also frustrated with the school’s approach to students’ concerns leading up to the election. She believed the school hosting events aiming to relieve stress or provide a distraction were muting the anger needed for political activism.

“I want people to see that they’re not alone in their rage if they feel that they’re the only one angry, because that’s definitely how I felt yesterday,” McGee said. “I looked around to my peers, to my friends, no one seemed to have the anger that I had inside of me. So, I really hoped — for myself, too — coming here, that I would fuel that a little bit in a safe way.”

Whitloe also emphasized that action needed to be taken despite the feelings of helplessness among students and community members.

“The important thing is that you do something about it — anything — rather than just sit at home and post shit,” Whitloe said. “As much as this is an event of words, and that has value, rhetoric is weak. You have to go out and do something.”

Toledo made it clear that Trump’s election was not a dead-end to activism.

“We want to come out here and show people that we’re out here, we’re ready to oppose Trump,” Toledo said. “We’re not just gonna let this be the end of it, he doesn’t just win the election and now it’s over. It’s just getting started for us.”

Griffin Mancuso is a journalism major and editor-in-chief of The Lumberjack. He has written stories for every category in the paper, but particularly enjoys writing human-centric stories. He has also freelanced for the North Coast Journal and News Decoder.

By Brad Butterfield

After three years of business, the Campus Store, Eureka has closed, leaving a mighty six-figure deficit in its wake. Alternatively, the off-campus Campus Store, Arcata, remains open despite a significantly larger deficit and far higher operating costs. The university remains committed to utilizing the off-campus storefront as a bridge between the community and university, and there are no current plans to shut down the Arcata location, according to Aileen Yoo, Director of News and Information for Cal Poly Humboldt. 

From November 2021 to September of this year, the Campus Store, Eureka accumulated a deficit of $149,745, according to public records. The university did not renew the store’s lease, which expired on Oct. 31. The storefront had been established to increase the university’s economic footprint outside of Arcata, as well as to better serve members of the campus community living in Eureka, according to Yoo. While the store succeeded in expanding the university’s economic footprint, it had failed to turn a profit after three years of business. 

“That location proved to be a financial liability that outweighed these other considerations, leading to its closure and a renewed focus on the on-campus and Arcata Plaza locations to best serve our students and community,” Yoo said.

While the Campus Store, Arcata is operated by Follet, a nation-wide store operator for colleges, the Eureka location was operated by the Humboldt Outfitters, a Humboldt County based company. In this business agreement, the university paid the Humboldt Outfitters $3,000 every month to operate the store, according to Grant Scott-GoForth, who was the communications specialist for the university at the time of the interview. Additionally, the Humboldt Outfitters earned 5% off of every sale, according to Scott-Goforth. The agreement with the Humbodlt Outfitters resulted in the Campus Store, Eureka offering a much different inventory from the Campus Store, Arcata. 

Kianna Znika, a Cal Poly Humboldt alum and former social media manager for the Humboldt Outfitters, said that when she visited the Campus Store, Eureka, the retail environment was far from ideal.

 “It was just very clear that nothing was really being done there,” Znika said. “There were old pizza boxes stacking up, and people were always just on their phones or like, doing homework behind the counter.” 

 The store’s enduring financial woes, however, may have had less to do with its inventory and management, and more to do with the lack of students within the city of Eureka, according to Miles Slattery, city manager of Eureka. 

Slattery emphasized that the effort to create university-provided student and/or faculty housing in Eureka is ongoing and would likely benefit both the university and the city. Bringing a significant population of the campus community likely should have come prior to a retail store though, according to Slattery. 

“We’ve tried multiple times on housing projects to get some more students into our city, and I think that would help out a lot,” Slattery said. “It’s kind of a cart before the horse kind of thing … You know, you need to get housing here before you can see [the] benefit from the economy.”

Conversely, the 10,200 square foot Campus Store, Arcata is located within a mile from campus and is central to the thousands of students and faculty who call Arcata home. Despite its location on the Arcata plaza, however, the Campus Store, Arcata has fared far worse than the Eureka location — at least, financially speaking. From November 2021 to Sep. of this year, the Campus Store, Arcata has accumulated a deficit of $447,655. Rent alone at the downtown Arcata location costs the university $12,240 a month. The primary objectives for the off-campus Campus Store are centered around relationship building, visibility, and accessibility, according to Scott-Goforth, who did not include profitability as a measure of success for the store. Despite the Campus Store, Arcata’s financial difficulties, the university has no current plans to significantly change operations at the off-campus Campus Store, Arcata nor at the on-campus Bookstore, according to Yoo.

“We are focused on leveraging both locations to provide the services and products that customers want and allowing the Plaza location, in particular, to serve as a connecting point between the campus and community,” said Yoo.

Todd Larsen, senior director for enterprise services at Cal Poly Humbodlt, did not respond to an interview request.

Brad Butterfield will graduate Cal Poly Humboldt this December with a degree in journalism. He has worked as a maid, mechanic, butler, bartender, tour guide, server, photographer, and farmhand, [etc] – but is now chasing down the dream of fruitful employment in journalism.

By Noah Pond

On Oct. 14, Cal Poly Humboldt published a statement on their website titled, “Launch of On-campus Living Requirement for First and Second-Year Students.” This statement notified incoming freshmen for the Fall 2025 semester that the university would be enforcing a rule in which they have to live in the dorms for their first two years. 

“With the Cal Poly Humboldt polytechnic transformation and the addition of our new student housing complex opening in Fall 2025, the University is expanding opportunities for our current students to continue living on campus and enhancing the student experience for all,” the university’s statement read.

The university is also in the process of constructing the Craftsman Mall housing complex — set to open in Fall 2025, which holds nearly 1,000 beds. Enrollment has remained stagnant at about a 1% increase since becoming a polytechnic.

However, they have some statistics to back up their decision for mandatory on-campus living. 

In the statement, the university cited a survey conducted by The National Survey of Student Engagement, which showed that first and second-year on-campus students GPA’s outperform their off-campus peer’s by 2%. They also mention that 92% of first-year students who live on-campus return as sophomores, as opposed to the 90% of students who live off-campus that do not return after their first year. However, this was a nationally conducted survey, and was not specific to that of Cal Poly Humboldt.

However, there will be an exception for students if they meet certain criteria. If incoming students graduated from high schools within Humboldt or Del Norte County, they will be exempt. Other groups who will also be exempt are students who turn 21 prior to the academic year, are currently active or military veterans, are married or have legally dependent children, have independent student status for at least a number of years prior to the academic year as defined by FAFSA, and medical or disability circumstances that cannot be accommodated.

Not all freshmen were aware of the new requirements or the university’s statement. Luckily for them, this change will only be implemented Fall 2025, thus not applying to them. Three freshman friends Avery, Derek, and Drew, had their own fiery opinions on the matter.

“I don’t wanna live here,” Drew said.

“It makes me feel limited,” Derek said.

“The food makes me want to jump out the window,” Avery said. “from the J, out the window into my car and straight to Chipotle.”

Holly Jalison, a marine biology major, is annoyed by this change and feels that it does not align with their Humboldt experience. 

“Part of the reason I came here was because I liked how flexible Humboldt was,” Jalison said. “But now it’s kind of not, so that’s really annoying.” 

Jalison and Harris are not the only ones annoyed by this change. Jennifer Jones, HSU alum and a resident of Eye Street, is irritated by this development for other reasons. 

Eye Street lies below the seven story dorms being constructed on the old Craftsman Mall lot. Jones has lived on Eye Street for 12 years and remembers it being quiet before all the construction began. 

“It’s been really fucking annoying, because people come down here because they’re curious,” Jones said. “I’ve lived here for 12 years. It was really quiet, it was pretty chill. But now, people try to cut through the lot and jump the fence.”

She remembers living in the dorms in the early 2000s and doesn’t plan on sticking around once the students move in. 

“I never thought I’d want to move out of here, because I really like this spot, but I lived in the dorms back in ‘04,” Jones said. “I will not be living next to dorms.”

Not everyone on Eye Street was upset about this dorm project though. Lea Nagy, who has lived in Humboldt for 40 years and lives right next to the lot where the dorms are being built, is optimistic about the development. 

“Any kind of housing we can get in Arcata is better than nothing,” Nagy said. “These kids were living in their cars. Then, the university decided they couldn’t be in their parking lot, so I would love to see some of this housing be for low-income families and people.”

It seems like most Arcata residents see this project as a good thing, at least for the housing market. With little housing already available in Arcata and locals competing with students for housing, the new housing requirements are shaping up well for locals. 

Equipment operator and Eye Street resident James Figas voiced a similar opinion to Nagy. 

“I’m not bothered by it, I mean I’m already two blocks from the campus, so having dorms down the street doesn’t really change anything for me,” Figas said. 

After all, Arcata is a college town and the university brings a lot of money to the local economy. Locals like Figas are hopeful all that money will strengthen housing for all of Arcata, not just freshmen and sophomores. 

“There is so little housing around here,” Figas said. “I am hopeful that if there’s more campus housing, that there will be more availability for the rest of us around town.”

Noah Pond is a Junior at Cal Poly Humboldt and a reporter and opinion editor for the Lumberjack. During his free time he enjoys cold beer and his skateboard.

By Brad Butterfield

Cal Poly Humboldt’s projected enrollment of over 8,000 students for Fall 2024 has fallen short by a significant margin. Due to low enrollment, the university will lose millions in state funding for the 2024-25 academic year. Despite the enrollment and financial troubles, officials remain optimistic, citing progress in retention, applications, and transfer enrollment. On top of that, a 225 million dollar housing complex, funded by state polytechnic money, promises to dampen student and faculty housing difficulties.

The university prospectus, released in September 2021, projected 8,024 students enrolled for the Fall 2024 semester. This fall, however, the university had only 6,045 students enrolled at the time of census. The university aimed for enrollment growth varying between 3% and 13% each year following the polytechnic change. In reality, the university has had an increase of about 1% since becoming a polytechnic. While growth has been slower than projected, the university’s Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success Chrissy Holliday has not been surprised. 

“I knew we had a long road ahead of us to grow in the manner the polytechnic prospectus outlined,” Holliday said. “And that the transition to a polytechnic institution provides an impetus for growth, but that we still must do the heavy lifting to realize the growth.”

According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center — which has researched, reported, and provided information about colleges and universities since 1993 — public 4-year enrollment is up 2.2% nationwide for the Fall 2024 semester. While Cal Poly Humboldt is slightly behind the average enrollment increase nationwide, the university significantly increased its new, upper division transfer enrollment and retention of students, according to Aileen Yoo, director of News and Information at Cal Poly Humboldt.

“This means we are outperforming many of our peers, thanks to the strategic work that is underway,” Yoo said. 

The enrollment projections laid out in the 2021 prospectus were based upon previous enrollment patterns, capacity and demand for other polytechnics, and demand in Humboldt County to fill that need, according to Yoo. This ambitious projection did not reflect the time it would take to establish the university as a polytechnic. Moreover, the polytechnic change brought on previously unforeseen application volume growth of more than 80% in a single year. The shift in baseline data meant the university has had to refine its enrollment prediction processes, Yoo said. 

Losing money by the millions

Due to the university missing its enrollment target by over the 10% recalibration threshold set by the CSU, state funding will be cut by 5%, equivalent to 3.4 million dollars for the 2024-25 school year. The final effect of the budget cuts is yet to be determined, according to Yoo. According to Jeff Crane, Dean of the College of the Art Humanities, and Social Sciences, the budget cuts will likely have an effect on the number of classes that the university can offer and how majors are supported in the coming academic year. 

“You have the most flexibility — and it’s terrible to say — in what you offer as classes,” Crane said.

Ironically, the budget cuts themselves make it more difficult to increase enrollment to meet the CSU target, but budget cuts will only stop when the CSU target is met.

“Budget cuts make it less likely that we can achieve those targets, as the work to recruit and retain students requires personnel, marketing, and other activities that call for sustained funding,” Yoo said.

Enrollment to double by 2030?
A revised enrollment projection was released in Aug. 2024, which adjusted the “onramp” towards the — unchanged — overall goal of 12,000 students by 2030. This revised plan still saw the enrollment over 1500 students shy of the target for the fall 2024 semester.

“I think the numbers they projected were ambitious,” Crane said. “I think eight or nine thousand is a nice resting place with stable growth after that, I don’t think we’ll hit 12,000 personally. I think if we level off at eight or nine thousand — that’s a good number.”

Alex Stillman, who has served 18 years on the Arcata City Council, has no doubts that the university can and should reach the enrollment goals.

“We used to have eight to ten-thousand students attending Humboldt State, and so this has been a decrease for us, but we were able to do very well with that number of students in the past,” Stillman said, also an alum of the university. “I don’t see why there would be an issue with us being able to have that number of students.”

Why the low enrollment and why the need to grow? 

Cal Poly Humboldt has its sights locked on the resident full-time student target set by the CSU, which will then trigger a recalibration and put an end to the funding cuts. If the target isn’t met, funding will be cut and the target enrollment number reduced. Currently, the resident full-time student target is 7,375. This will likely be reduced to 7,006 for Fall 2025, according to Yoo.

The cause of the consistently low enrollment is anything but simple. Yoo, Stillman, Crane, and Holliday all noted various factors outside of the university’s control.

“We should also never forget external factors — demographic shifts, declining college-going rates, state budget reductions and world events,” Holliday said. 

On top of the uncontrollable occurrences, Crane pointed out the factors like the widely reported — potential — plan in 2023 to house students on a barge in the Eureka Bay, as well as consistent protests. 

“We’ve shot ourselves in the foot a little bit,” Crane said. “We’ve attracted some negative attention. That is limiting our ability to grow.”

Not only is the university below its CSU-set enrollment target, it’s also well below the enrollment of many previous years. 

“We need people in seats,” Crane said. “Butts in seats. I look at classes that have seven students and 11 students, we need those classes a little more full.”

The low enrollment and decreasing support from the state both put financial strain on the university, Crane added.

Some students see enrollment growth as a double-edged sword.

“I think it’d be amazing for small businesses,” said Henry Grand, a senior studying business administration. “It would help them grow, help them support their families if there was an increase in enrollment. And for some folks, it would drive up the cost of living. It would make commuting really challenging. It would kind of take away from the natural beauty… you know, they would feel like their home was being kind of invaded.”

Changes, large and small

 In fall of 2021, the CSU system dropped ACT/SAT scores as a requirement to enroll, instead adopting a multi-factor admission scoring process (MFAS). During the Fall 2024 semester, an automated system-wide CSU MFAS process was put in place to further streamline the admissions process. These changes, at least initially, appear to be achieving the goal of increased enrollment. Fall 2024 saw a record number of applicants at 22,690. 47 new faculty have been hired, since the Spring 2022 semester, to areas where the university expects growth, according to Yoo — who also noted the low student to faculty ratio at the university. 

But, the biggest change, at least visually, comes in the form of a massive housing complex called the Craftsman’s Mall, which is under construction. The building’s completion will come in two stages, according to Yoo. The first tower includes 608 beds and will be ready for occupancy in the fall semester of 2025, according to Yoo. The second tower will be ready for occupancy for the spring 2025 semester. In total, the complex will boast 964 beds and is currently slated to cost 225 million — 125 million over the initial estimate. Following the planned demolition of the Campus Apartments, costing an estimated 2 million and expected to be complete in 2026, the university will offer 2,827 beds.

As changes to campus come one after the other, Grand questioned whether students’ best interests had been adequately included in the process.

“I am feeling though, that maybe the students’ perspective isn’t really what the university cares about,” Grand said. “They kind of care more about what their stakeholders see…it kind of feels like the school is being changed for an outside perspective, from an outside perspective.”

Growing pains aside, Stillman emphasized the undeniable value that the university brings to the Humboldt County community.

“I know a lot of people that live here are not happy with Cal Poly, or Humboldt, or whatever you want to call it, and I think then possibly they are living in the wrong community,” Stillman said. “Because if we didn’t have Cal Poly, we would not have the richness that we currently have.”

By Emma Wilson and Gabriel Zucker

Campus accessibility has been a long, ongoing issue for students and faculty combined. As a campus, there have been concerns for the accessibility of campus buildings and facilities. This led to a push by community members advocating for a change in accommodations on campus, reforming the campus culture around disabilities, and critiquing ableist systems.

Aileen Yoo, director of News and Information, emphasized the university’s compliance with ADA Title II and its dedication to improving accessibility.

“The University fully recognizes that there are challenges with accessibility on campus,” Yoo said. “The reality is that there are physical and financial challenges to updating a campus that is more than a century old. We have worked diligently over the years to make programs and resources accessible for all members of our community.” 

Creation and purpose of accesscph.org

Access CPH is a website that gives information to students, faculty, and staff with disabilities. It was created by Jim Graham, a natural resource professor who is disabled. Over a year ago, he saw that the school’s disability map of the campus was missing a lot of information.

“To my horror, it still shows an accessible map going down the stairs in front of the [Natural Resource Building],” said Graham. “I’ve been raising this issue — this specific issue — for over a year now, and it hasn’t been addressed.”

Over the summer, he decided to collect data around the school and compare it with the data from facilities. First, he tried to get funding from the school to bring on student workers to collect the data. He received no funding from the school and collected all of the data himself, which was very difficult due to his disability.  

“We had a couple students work on it during one of their classes as part of their class project,” Graham said. “And then, over the summer, I just started going out and measuring, particularly the slopes and cross slopes, and that generated this map of the accessible areas. And then I combined it with the data from facilities, including some other data from facilities to create this map.”

All of his findings were put into a map with comparisons and notes between his findings and the facilities accessibility map. He found multiple problems across the campus that were legal, but still caused a lot of problems for students with disabilities. 

“If you’re in a wheelchair and you’re on the fifth floor of BSS, there’s instructions for people to go down the stairs,” Graham said. “There’s no instructions for people in a wheelchair, which scares them, right? There are instructions now on the website, but they’re not in the buildings.” 

Graham is still fighting for change on this campus. Although it is a slow process, he admits there is some progress. He said that the new ADA/504 Interim Coordinator Crystal Coombes is making a lot of improvements and changes to policy and the website. Graham believes the biggest problem is existing facilities on campus. 

Stigma built into the foundation

Rosamel Benavides-Garb, Associate Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion & Campus Diversity Officer, sees one thing that has been happening at Cal Poly Humboldt for the last 30 years — an inaccessible campus.

“Colleagues, students, and staff that have disabilities, whether they’re visible or invisible, have never been part of the design of the university,” Benavides-Garb said. “This is not a nice formulation, but is part of a structural aspect of the institution. So, the historical 30 years or more — I would dare to say, the last 100 years — is the same.”

According to Benavides-Garb, Cal Poly Humboldt was structurally designed for a walking population, which excludes the people who need accommodations. This prompted him to question what was happening with this particular population of disabled individuals. 

“Our colleagues are bringing to our attention and saying, ‘Please, let’s do something. Let’s do something about this. We’re a public university with an ethos of services. Let’s be truthful to that call,’” Benavides-Garb said.

Julie Myers, a student at Cal Poly Humboldt majoring in ecological restoration, feels unsupported by the institution as a whole.

“I changed my major because I didn’t really see the leniency, like the flexibility from professors that way. And ecological restoration seems to be a little more understandable than forestry, but I’m having a hard time because a lot of the professors, they’re not used to people with disabilities going to outdoor labs and stuff,” Myers said.

Alicia Martin, a student and advocate at Cal Poly Humboldt, discussed her journey and experiences with disability accommodations. She highlighted the challenges faced by students with disabilities, such as parking issues and the stigma around disclosing needs. Martin emphasized the importance of independence and disclosure in accommodations and criticized the current system for its flaws.

Martin co-founded the Adaptable Club in 2019 to support students with disabilities and address institutional barriers. 

“I don’t care if you’re disabled,” Martin said. “We need allies, we need a club; we need a community for people with disabilities. And that’s when we started Adaptable, which was a club for students with disabilities on campus. Unfortunately, it went out of service once we all graduated and moved on, and we’re definitely hoping to get that back.”

Martin also expressed the need for better data collection and community involvement to improve retention and recruitment of students with disabilities. She expressed hope for the new interim president’s commitment to disability issues.

“The new president, one thing that I vividly remember him saying from his speech is he’s not only an ally, but he’s an accomplice,” Martin said. “He really cares about these issues surrounding people with disabilities. He has a background in special education, which is what I would like to major in with my PhD. So I’m very hopeful with this interim president. ”

Impact on students, teachers and staff

Aaron Donaldson, a lecturer in the Department of Communication Studies at Cal Poly Humboldt, emphasized the need for a campus-wide ADA rebuilding and criticized the university’s slow progress, calling for a cultural shift towards anti-ableism.

“There is an ableist culture on this campus,” Donaldson said. “People have walked by these problems for decades, and in order to fix that, we need a campus-wide recommitment to anti-ableism. This is infrastructure — every building, every walkway, every elevator. It’s cultural. People should not be walking by Telonicher House in silence.”

Despite the removal of bushes blocking railings next to the Art A building on B street, Donaldson feels that progress is too slow and not enough is being done to address ADA issues proactively.

“Other people who can walk should see the railing with the bushes and not say, ‘Those are cute,” but ask the question, “What happens if someone needs to grab those railings? Who do I talk to to get this railing cleared?’” Donaldson said. 

Myers suggested improvements like better transportation to classrooms, more accessible buildings, and personalized accommodations. 

“I’ve been complaining for years about the transportation, about the new shuttle, how maybe it could go to actual classrooms, and not just like the BSS or the Kinesiology building, maybe to the NR building or the forestry building,” Myers said. “The disability van could be whenever you need it, and you can call if you need it.”

“One, anyone can become disabled at any point in their life,” Martin said. “No one is immune. Two, there is what we call terror management theory and psychology. This fear of death, this fear of pain, this fear of becoming disabled, prevents [people] from wanting to address this. We want to avoid it. If we lean into it and we and we look at what that’s like, we have to empathize. We feel sympathy and pain.” 

This article is the first part of a two-part story about a lack of accessibility for people on campus and the university’s response to these issues.

Emma Wilson is a senior public relations journalism student at Cal Poly Humboldt minoring in environmental ethics. Wilson is an environmental reporter and the science editor for the lumberjack. She is also the president of the Journalism Club of Cal Poly Humboldt. Wilson likes swimming, exploring the world’s vast environments, playing music on the radio, and making collages. 

Gabriel Zucker is a senior journalism student at Cal Poly Humboldt. He is the photo editor for The Lumberjack. He loves photojournalism and wants to use his platform as a journalist to give a voice to the voiceless.