Cal Poly Humboldt’s administration has proven that the university is insensitive to its most vulnerable students and their precarious situations. The eviction of students living on campus parking lots in their vehicles is inhumane.
The university has posed several solutions to these students, like temporary housing or staying in RV parks, but these options are unrealistic and unaffordable for most students living in their vehicles. These students have sacrificed many comforts in order to attend this university and have found a creative solution that allows them to earn their degree despite economic hardship. Many of these students will be forced to drop out if they are no longer allowed to live on campus.
Housing in Humboldt has always been a problem. Digging through old Lumberjack archives from the ‘70s reveals articles about housing insecurity and crises 50 years ago. There’s a reason these students don’t live under a roof. Very few, if any, of them are choosing this option voluntarily. Living here is expensive and tuition is expensive. The allowance of overnight camping has allowed impoverished individuals to earn their degree with a lower cost of living.
Pushing the students out would be at their detriment and only serve to clean up the image of Cal Poly Humboldt administration. Admin also neglects to realize the opportunity for mutually beneficial change in infrastructure as the campus grows. This is simply forcing students from campus out into the streets, where they will be shuffled around by law enforcement. It’s ignorant to assume that van lifers can just find an apartment after being evicted, especially with the limited options in Arcata. Campgrounds are also not always an affordable option for students. In addition, they are often far away and far from safe.
This is dehumanizing and unjustifiable. This will directly affect the lives of these students for the worse. They have made great sacrifices in order to attend Cal Poly Humboldt and deserve the right to remain on campus without being harassed.
If the university really is for a “high quality and affordable education” and a “just and sustainable world” like their Strategic Plan claims, then they have to consider how this will affect those students they’re evicting. How will they manage to study or turn in assignments if they don’t know where they’re sleeping that night? Or without WiFi? How will they stay healthy mentally without the security of a safe and reliable place to park their vehicle each night?
It’s definitely not ideal that there are students living in parking lots. The administration cited “unsafe and unsanitary” living conditions as being a driving force for the sudden enforcement of parking regulations, but the evidence provided is far from conclusive. They also mentioned complaints, but as of now, they are staying silent about what those complaints are, or who exactly they came from. It is obvious that the issue is rooted in a lack of affordable housing and the competitiveness of applying for on campus housing, not in the students themselves.
It looks terrible, especially a month away from finals. The students living in their vehicles are not requesting any significant accommodations or services from the university—they are able to live sustainably and independently and want to be left alone.
Houseless students have been living in their cars for decades. People view it as a viable option. In fact, several students who are getting evicted were previously told by members of the parking patrol that they would not be ticketed, towed or bothered if they slept in their vehicles.
This is a problem with no simple solutions, but even the absolute bare minimum is still better than the amount of assistance the university is offering. If outdoor cooking is an issue for university officials, then it should have been communicated clearly to those doing it. If the officials think the houseless students are unsanitary, give them 24/7 access to showers and bathrooms on campus. There’s a completely empty football locker room with showers that could be put to use.
These vulnerable students deserve help from the administration in their effort to earn their degrees. They should not be cast out, degraded, and othered.
The actions of the administration will only leave the university buried in even more terrible press. This is an opportunity to do something wonderful for the students who have to live in vehicles, something this community can be proud of. We, the editorial board of the Lumberjack, urge the university to come up with a real solution to this problem rather than degrading and displacing its most vulnerable students and hoping people will forget about it.
If the administration truly is committed to the “just and sustainable world” they claim to be, then it’s time to prove it.
The Cal Poly Humboldt ceramics department put on their 2nd annual spooky block party at the ceramics lab on the day of Halloween. The festivities were held in The Laundry from 4p.m – 7p.m.
It was open to all Humboldt students and their friends and family too. Hosted not only by the jewelry and small metals club as well as ceramics, but with the help of the art education department as well.
Photos by Christina Mehr. Students walk around and observe artwork in the ceramics building.
There were free hotdogs and snacks provided for attendees, pumpkin carving, button making, the art show, raffle prizes, costume prizes and all sorts of spooky good times. Oh, and smoke machines!!!
The event offered a chance for art students to showcase their work this semester so far. Students were able to submit their work to be shown at the event. They accepted all art mediums in this show and the ceramic masterpieces were spooktacular.
“We’ve been working together to try and create a fun little art show and sale to support the art department. We divided ourselves into committees like decorating, food, art and we all just worked together to make this happen,” said Jade Hisamoto.
The ceramic spooky block party was a hauntingly good time for everyone who dared to attend. Ghostly creations and eerie vibes filled the air of the studio as attendees unleashed their creativity alongside the art community.
Bachelor of fine arts (BFA) student Max Parrish helped run the clay club sale table.
“I am one of the treasures for the clay club and we’re just trying to host a fun event. We did this last year as well as this year. We want to make it an annual event where we can have a little block party and do cute Halloween stuff and bring more and more clubs in,” said Parrish.
“It’s also a great opportunity for students to showcase their work and put things in their resume or for grad school.”
You can follow along on the Clay Club’s instagram for updates @HumboldtClayClub if you want to join the Clay Club and get involved in their future events.
The Miniplex, located in the back of Richards’ Goat, was dark with only a purple light emitting from the stage. People slowly shuffled in, some donning costumes in the Halloween spirit. The crowd was bustling with excitement, many concert goers with a drink in their hand. The show began around 9:45 p.m. and lasted about an hour and a half. Collectively, the boys put on a show that had a modern emo, hyperpop feel. The crowd danced and a small moshpit opened up in the center. With smiles on their faces, it was obvious that the crowd was happy to be there.
Louie Lingard, Osha Fiuty and Benny Pavloff make up the local trio Cemetery Boys. Respectively, the boys go by NotLewy, MESpirit and beninpayne. The collective played a show on Saturday, Oct. 14. The show had a turnout of about 20 people, which was perfect for the tiny showroom in the back of the tavern.
Playing more as a collective than a band, the boys took turns taking the stage, each playing a set of about ten songs. Pavloff went first, then Fiuty and Lingard last. Although they each had their own sound, they complemented each other at the same time.
Pavloff dedicated a song to his girlfriend, Shannon. It was a heartfelt song where he stated he doesn’t know how she got him and falling in love isn’t like him.
“Girl, you got me floatin’/ I be swimmin’ through your oceans,” sang Pavloff.
Pavloff’s sound could be described as emo y2k electronic. His soft yet bold vocals mixed with the autotune and hyperpop backtrack blended well.
Pavloff described his sound as influenced by Midwest emo with math rock samples and a mix of different types of vocals.
“I have a lot of different things that I do. Sometimes it’s really harsh autotune, and very glitchcore-hyperpop stuff,” Pavloff said. “I’ve recently been branching out and trying to get my real voice more out there and just singing.”
Fiuty’s sound was also drenched in hyperpop with an emo overtone. Bassy lines and quick lyrics made his music sound polished.
“Real cemetery shit, yeah I’m in for life,” sang Fiuty, referring to his dedication to the group as a whole.
Fiuty said that the group’s music has changed throughout the years.
“It started with the emo rap wave that was happening in 2016, 2017,” Fiuty said. “We’ve all kind of developed and gone off into different directions with it.”
Lingard played several songs off his mixtape “2k13” released Oct. 13. The mixtape has heavy overtones of trap.
“Now we in a different league,” sang Lingard.
Lingard has a sound influenced by a blend of genres including rap and witchhouse.
“I’m really influenced by 2010s trap music. Chief Keef, Gucci Mane, Young Thug, Rich Homie Quan, stuff like that,” Lingard said.
The group has been together since 2019, but took a break during the pandemic. They have played a total of nine shows together. Lingard and Pavloff are both College of the Redwoods students who plan to transfer to Cal Poly Humboldt.
It’s no secret that transportation is a big issue here at Cal Poly Humboldt. With almost 6,000 students currently enrolled and only 2,137 parking spaces, parking is the least fun game of musical chairs played daily by students. Despite past assurances of more parking spaces in the future, students are left to maneuver the measly parking available until then. Some students will graduate long before additional parking is finalized.
Morgan King, chair of the Sustainable Transportation Committee and a Climate Action Analyst in the Office of Sustainability, has been working on programs and initiatives to provide a variety of transportation options to, from and around campus. At a time when parking is a limited commodity, King is striving to offer students equitable options.
“Our focus is on transportation equity,” King said. “We really need to look at how we can ensure that everyone has access to the same levels of service, regardless if they’re taking a bus, walking or riding a bike.”
Not only does sustainable transportation operate to provide non-single occupancy vehicle (SOV) alternatives, they also focus on making these methods of transportation as sustainable as possible. Cal Poly Humboldt has established a reputation as an eco-friendly university, releasing two Climate Action Plans (CAP) since 2017. These plans are drafted with the intent of reducing emissions across campus and achieving carbon neutrality by 2045, essentially rendering the school free of fossil fuel use and conceivably running on sustainable, clean energy.
Vehicle commuting accounts for 16.9% of greenhouse gas emissions at Cal Poly Humboldt, measuring at 2,323 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions. According to the most recent CAP, SOV trips account for the largest part of commuter emissions.
“[Administrators] are saying that they want to be a green campus,” said Zachary Meyer, student Transportation Specialist in the Office of Sustainability. “Well, one of the biggest sources of emissions is transportation emissions.”
Ranging from a Ride Share program that matches up students to carpool with guaranteed preferential parking to the simple but effective Jack Pass that provides unlimited free bus rides during the semester, there are a myriad of options available to students. King urged students to take advantage of the Jack Pass in particular, as the pricing is already built into the tuition students are paying. One service to take note of is the Lumberjack Express, which launched in early October. The new bus system offers free rides to students and is designed specifically to get around campus, only stopping at campus and campus-adjacent locations.
A large portion of sustainable transportation focuses on biking. Options offered to students include the Bike Share program, which provides low-cost bicycle rentals for conveniently getting around campus, as well as the Bicycle Learning Center (BLC), a student-run bicycle shop located under the West Gym stairwell by the Recreation and Wellness Center. The BLC offers free bicycle maintenance and bike parts, plus it raffles away free bikes on its Instagram. Unfortunately, bike theft remains a persistent problem for cyclists on campus.
“The immediate thing I’d suggest is registering your bike with the UPD because they can get you a free new lock,” said Adam Wood, student co-director for the BLC. “The free lock is a much better option than the more common braided steel cable lock, which can be cut through real quick.”
Luckily, through a student proposal approved by the Humboldt Energy Independence Fund (HEIF) and awarded $120K in 2021, there is a secure, weatherproof bike structure currently being designed for on-campus use in the near future.
Some issues impeding progress include funding and outreach for visibility to students. King mentioned that students often aren’t aware of the options available to them. Often, news and events are relegated to the end of department newsletters. The annual transportation fair used to be mandatory for new students as part of orientation, but King said they’ve lost administrative support for that.
“It needs to be constantly communicated,” King said. “It can’t only come out of my office. We’re trying to work on that, but there’s a lot of work to be done.”
“I think there could definitely be more funding towards [sustainable transportation],” Meyer said. “I personally don’t know what my budget is, what I can do fiscally. I’ve switched my approach this semester to do more education and event organizing to increase awareness and outreach.”
Meyer and King both also noted how hard it can be to push sustainable means of transportation when cars are so central to society.
“We live in a car-centric paradigm where people have grown up always respecting the car,” Meyer said. “The thing in your pocket to identify yourself is your driver’s license. That’s how ingrained driving is in our culture.”
Because of the need for the campus to become more sustainable, King said additional parking structures are not the priority.
There’s no telling whether the university would be able to substantially ease parking difficulties, including the pricey permits, at any point in the future, as the school aims to reach an estimated enrollment of 11,000 students by 2028. This sentiment was echoed at a mid-October meeting for the Sustainable Transportation Committee.
“Building more parking is just going to make parking cost more,” said Hank Kaplan, Transportation Analyst for the CSU system.
Major changes are being proposed for the university. One proposal considered is for a shuttle system designed to transport students from school to offsite parking located away from the campus. Another such change is to “pedestrianize” the streets, closing the core of the campus off to cars, thereby making it safer for pedestrians and more encouraging for non-SOV transportation.
“I’d like to see no cars in the center of campus,” Meyer said. “We have people getting hit by cars, and it’s pretty unsafe to walk and bike around that.”
Most of these radical changes are some years off, so in the meantime, King encourages students to make use of the alternative means of transportation available to them.
“It costs a lot of money to own, gas up and park a car – money that many of our students do not have,” King said. “And the single occupant vehicle is a major contributor to the global climate crisis affecting us all. But riding the bus with JackPass is free! Walking is free! Riding a bike is healthy and non-polluting! Carpooling is a great way to meet new people and save on gas and parking! So, if you are only driving alone to campus, try to walk, roll or bus one day a week.”
Diving can take you to magical, strange places that can be beneficial to science, research and our understanding of the oceanic unknown. There are still many mysteries to be discovered in the deep sea.
“Humans are not meant to be submerged underwater,” Cal Poly Humboldt diving student Rory Bourdage said. “We are aliens in that world.”
At Cal Poly Humboldt, students can enter that alien world through the scientific diving courses offered. This can lead to them getting certified in scientific diving, along with hands-on experience in conducting underwater research and preparing them for a career in marine science.
Richard Alvarez, the university’s Diving Safety Officer since 2005, has been diving since 1994. He consults and oversees the diving classes, making sure everyone is staying safe and equipped with diving equipment that is properly maintained.
When you go through the scientific diving process, you can get your certificate in American Academy and Underwater Sciences — also known as AAUS — for free through Cal Poly Humboldt. It will take about four semesters, as the classes are not always offered each term.
“To get that certification as a scientific diver, you have to do 12 open water dives,” said Alvarez. “What we traditionally do is we learn a scientific protocol, we have people go out and they learn that protocol, they show me that they can do it in the ocean, [that] they can do the extra scientific stuff in addition to being safe scuba divers.”
Photo by Angie Edmunds. Master diver students completing a navigation dive under the supervision of leadership diving students and instructors.
Scientific diving is an important skill to have for conducting underwater research, but is also physically and mentally challenging. Common barriers for aspiring divers are the expense, access to training and gear required for getting the AAUS certification.
“[There’s] a lot of things that you have to learn so that you can do it safely. Diving in Northern California waters is a couple of notches higher than most other places because our ocean is just a little bit more demanding,” Alvarez said. “We are exposed to a lot of open ocean swells, we see a lot of ocean energy. Our visibility is pretty limited by world standards. You know, we’re pretty happy with five to 10-foot visibility.”
Marine biology student Rory Bourdage has been in the scientific diving class for almost three years. He is currently a teaching assistant for the scientific diving class. Bourdage is certified as a beginner diver and as a master diver.
One of the projects the class conducts is measuring sea creatures, sometimes down to the nearest millimeter, depending on their rarity. For example, a red abalone, an underwater sea snail, will need to be measured as accurately as possible.
“In our protocol for the class, we want to measure abalone, for example, since they have been struggling for years, so we want to track not only how many there are in a location, but how big they are getting to get a better idea of their recovery – or decline if that’s the trend that is found,” said Bourdage.
Bourdage mentioned that it is easier to conduct research in certain areas since the animals are less likely to be afraid of humans. An example of one such place is Catalina Island situated southwest of Los Angeles, a marine protected area.
Photo by Angie Edmunds. Student diver and the California state fish called a Garibaldi.
This means they heavily restrict what can go in and out of it. Due to these restrictions, the animals are a lot more comfortable with people, compared to other places and sometimes they will come right up to you.
“Many of these animals have gone generations without having the fear of humans,” said Bourdgae. “They can get right up in your face.”
Rebecca Colyar is a transfer student who started in the scientific program two years ago. She is originally from Fresno, CA, and when she was looking for schools to apply to, Cal Poly Humboldt was the only one to have a scientific diving program, which caught her eye.
Colyar’s interest in diving began the summer before her freshman year in high school after her mom took her snorkeling in the Bahamas.
“That was the one big thing that got me really into ocean life and documentaries,” Colyar said. “I kind of realized if I wanted to do that, if I wanted to tag animals, that I have to scuba dive, like there’s no other way than to start learning how to dive and be comfortable in the water. So, I found out about the scientific diving minor.”
Colyar is, in a way, a superhero. A large obstacle that may normally scare off some divers, does not deter her.
“I have a superpower — I can breathe underwater,” Colyar said. “It’s just that, like, feeling of being in a place where your body knows you’re not supposed to be, and being able to overcome those obstacles that your body and fighting your body to. I feel like there’s a lot of accomplishing hard things.”
While it may seem like the only people in the diving program are science majors, it is not a requirement. You can have any major or other interest, just as long as you are willing to put in the work for the AAUS certification.
“You don’t have to be a STEM major or Marine Science major, you can be anybody,” Bourdage said. “As long as you have the willingness to, you know, take the plunge into the unknown.”
Students gathered in the University Center quad on Oct. 27 for a vigil to honor the lives that have been lost due to the war in Palestine.
Student and organizer of the vigil, Jamilla, who has declined to share her last name, began by thanking the crowd for joining her to remember and honor the Palestinian people. She continued speaking about the attacks that had been launched onto civilians, mentioning the resilience of the Palestinian people and expressing thankfulness for the safety of her family members that are still in Palestine.
Jamilla passed the microphone to her friend and colleague, who told a personal story of growing up in New Jersey as a young Jewish girl, being told to collect donations for causes that funded tree planting in Israel and feeling responsible for the loss of lives after being informed on the history of the State of Israel. The microphone was passed to various students and faculty members who had prepared speeches entailing their experiences and calling for an end to the occupation of Palestine.
Throughout the speeches, a few were able to form a volunteer group, with students and community members offering to be involved in gathering press, spreading awareness, helping with city council matters and more. Jamilla ended the vigil with chants for peace in Palestine as classes were being let out at 1 p.m.
Students and community members alike attended the vigil. Kiara Farias, a Critical Race and Gender Sexualities (CRGS) major, attended the vigil to become more educated on what’s happening in Gaza and the West Bank and to show their support for Palestinians.
“This is a humanitarian crisis,” Farias said. “[I am] forever and always going to be against genocide and going to [support] liberation for those like Palestinian people.”
Michael Steeleman, also a CRGS major, attended the vigil for the same reasons as Farais.
“I come from a population who was forcibly removed from their land and is still continuing to deal with that trauma,” Steeleman said. “I think it’s ridiculous to still view that and have that happen in the present day.”
Steeleman and Farias both believe that through unity, petitions, protest and creating opportunities to show community support, vital steps can be taken to make a difference individually and collectively.
One of the students who volunteered to help with organizing future vigils and protests is Margarita Fedorova.
“I’m here because I feel pain – I heard the cries of Palestinians in Gaza, for people to draw awareness and support,” Fedorova said. “I’m Ukrainian, and we have a lot more in common than people may think. As long as we keep talking about it, things can get better.”
Jamilla, the organizer of this vigil, has been taking several initiatives to educate the community on what is happening, such as the history of resistance through embroidery.
“The level of violence that we are seeing happen right now is just the most horrific, egregious thing I’ve seen broadcast on TV,” Jamilla said. “I’m grieving. I have family and friends in Gaza that have lost their homes at this point. This is the least I can do to be speaking out against that, and organizing a collective response to end this horrible violence.”
Jamilla believes that the university needs to have a stronger stance in response to what is happening to Palestinians.
“A neutral stance on this is unacceptable. The university really should be… acknowledging the level of violence of what this actually is, and not just taking a neutral stance because they’re worried about creating riffs or waves,” Jamilla said. “It’s about being against genocide, and our voices matter in bringing an end to that.”
Cal Poly Humboldt served what is essentially an eviction letter to students experiencing homelessness and residing in vehicles such as vans, campers, RVs and motorhomes on-campus. To provide a comprehensive understanding of this evolving situation, we’ve compiled a timeline of key events in this ongoing story.
Wednesday, Oct. 25 – Initial Notice
Cal Poly Humboldt sent out a campus-wide announcement on Wednesday, Oct. 25, that sent shockwaves through the campus community. In the announcement, the university said that they have decided to enforce a previously overlooked policy, stating that students living in their vehicles on campus would have to find housing elsewhere due to “unsanitary and unsafe conditions.”
This abrupt announcement took the community of students living in alternative housing by surprise as many of them have been living in alternative housing for multiple semesters without incident.
“University policy will soon be enforced without exception,” the email stated.
The announcement didn’t highlight any specifics in regards to what the unsanitary conditions were, or how this policy would be enforced. The Marketing and Communications department for the university declined to comment on these questions.
For many students living in alternative housing, being on campus is crucial, because it’s the only viable way they can afford to get an education. With the increasing prices of tuition and everyday living, several students stated that if they’re forced to move off campus, that will cause them to leave permanently.
“It’s really hard for me to be able to live any other way,” said Carrie White, a senior biology major. “If I was forced to move, I would probably have to drop out of school.”
Students also prefer to live in their vehicles on campus because with the community they’ve built, it adds another layer of safety.
“We park close together because we look after each other … it feels a lot safer,” White said.
Friday, Oct. 27 – Alternative Living Club
The Alternative Living Club held its first official club meeting, which was originally meant to inform others who are interested in living in alternative housing. Instead, due to the recent announcement, they had an open discussion about the RV sized elephant in the room: the university evicting them.
The meeting was packed with students and faculty alike, who were concerned about the recent policy enforcement. The club meeting, which was led by President Maddy Montiel and Vice President Brad Butterfield, asked club goers to help support their cause by signing their petition to stop the eviction, and continuing to share their mass emails.
“We are now going to push for the campus to offer us resources and amenities in a way that would actually help us,” Montiel said.
Samuel Parker, President of Associated Students (AS), stated that AS would continue to pressure administration and figure out the root of the issue.
“It just came out of nowhere,” Parker said.
Many of the students at the meeting stated that the solutions the university provided in the email such as temporary housing were just that— temporary, and not a real solution for them. They say being on campus is the only concrete solution.
Tuesday, Oct. 31 – Official eviction letters have been served
On the afternoon of Tuesday Oct. 31, in parking lot G11, a heated meeting erupted between students and administrators after eviction letters were handed to students who have been living on campus in their vehicles.
Students pushed back against the decision and stated that there was no communication beforehand and that the enforcement and timing of this policy is extremely problematic for their safety and well-being. The unsigned letter of eviction stated:
“If this vehicle remains parked on campus after noon on November 12, it may be towed at your expense. Additionally, the owners of those vehicles that require towing may be referred to the Dean of Students for disciplinary action.”
At the tense Tuesday meeting, students waited for Cris Koczera, Interim Director of Risk Management & Safety, Stephen St. Onge, the Executive Director for Student Engagement & Enterprise Services, and Dr. Mitch Mitchell, the Dean of Students, who presented the letters of eviction.
At the meeting, Koczera stated that the sanitary issues are what brought the conversation up, but that ultimately they are going through with the eviction due to the violation of campus policy that has been long overlooked. Koczera added that the camping on campus was getting out of control.
“It’s not camping, it’s homelessness,” White said, adding that this is a reflection of the administration, and instead of pushing them off campus into county resources that are already full, they should do something about it and work with the students.
Students also raised concerns over the technicalities of what enforcement would look like. For instance, according to Koczera, students would be able to park their vehicles all day and overnight, but sleeping in the vehicle overnight is what violates policy and could lead to citation.
When asked how they would determine if students were sleeping in their vehicles, Koczera said that it would be both the Parking and Transportation Services and the University Police Department observing the vehicles. If they see behavior that leads them to believe there are people occupying them, a citation could be issued.
Students continued to press the administrators about the evidence there was of them being unsanitary. Students argued that this evidence was not proof of them being unsanitary. Koczera stated that there had been several complaints about the students living in their vehicles on-campus, including that photos were taken of buckets with human waste, and a photo of feces on the pavement. Koczera would not say who took the photos.
Caleb Chen, a graduate sociology student who lives in alternative housing on campus, stated that he does in fact have a bucket outside of his vehicle that’s been there since mid-August. However, it’s used for foraging and collecting rain water.
“There has never been human waste in this bucket,” Chen said. “I use it to transport foraged goods that I eat. It’s a before bucket for human food not an after bucket for human waste. For the school administration to send an email to the entire campus accusing a handful of students of spreading human waste around campus is straight up slanderous.”
Photo by Alex Anderson | Associate Vice President for Student Success Mitch Mitchell (left) and Chris Koczera (dressed in blue next to right of Mitchell) the director for risk management & safety services at Cal Poly Humboldt serve a perceived eviction letter and campus resource flyers to those living in their vehicles on campus on Oct. 31. Maddy Montiel (dressed in white) expresses concerns for the students who will be effected by the decision.
Tuesday, Oct. 31 – Senate Meeting
Alternatively housed student eviction notices was a topic of discussion at the university senate meeting on Oct. 31 in Nelson Hall. Faculty raised concern over the new policy and the negative effects that would be placed on students. The wording of the schoolwide email regarding the new enforcement of the university’s parking policy alarmed several faculty members who were in attendance.
Associate Professor in the Sociology department Michihiro Clark Sugata raised concerns over the new parking enforcement policy and the school wide email that was sent out on Oct. 25. Sugata worried about the new enforcement policies and the effects that would have on the well being of the students involved. Sugata felt the students were being wrongly characterized as unsafe and unsanitary.
“Regardless of the fact, if it is a policy issue, policy could be changed and the central fact should fall onto what is the best interest of our students and protection of their well being,” Sugata said. “And this is where the other two rationals become incredibly problematic…the language was that this was creating unsafe and unsanitary conditions for the community as a whole. Thus, our students were being framed as dangerous and dirty. And these are classic tropes that are used to criminalize certain populations.”
There are several campuses in California that have taken action to help students who are living alternatively. Long Beach Community College and UC Santa Cruz have set up alternative housing options and have provided services to students living alternatively. Specifically, LBCC set up a safe parking program that connects students who shelter in automobiles to a designated location for overnight parking.
Cal Poly Humboldt Sociology Professor Josh Meisel referenced LBCC’s safe parking program as a potential model that Cal Poly Humboldt could explore in order to look out for the well-being of students. Meisel proposed to the senate that the issue should be agendized, and that senate members should open a dialogue to discuss what is needed to help students.
“These are our students, they are not to be feared and there are models out there that we could potentially explore,” Meisel said. “There’s a model program at Long Beach community college that provides a safe place for students to park and have access to facilities on campus overnight.”
The meeting concluded with the senate agreeing to set a time during next week’s meeting to discuss the eviction matter in depth and review what further actions will be taken.
Thursday, Nov. 2 – Protest
Citing the university’s lack of compromise and inability to reach an agreement with students, students are organizing a protest on Thursday, Nov. 2 in the G11 parking lot at 11:00 am and will run all day into the night. The homeless students living in vehicles encourage those who wish to show their support, to bring signs, set up tents if you have one, park your cars and occupy the space.
Disclaimer: Brad Butterfield is an editor for The Lumberjack, however he did not help write or edit this article.
Cal Poly Humboldt Biology Major Amelia Francis uses frosting and food coloring as an artist uses pigments, paints and glazes to create works of art. Her love of science and art has transformed into a home-based business selling delicious, mouth-watering cupcakes. Every cupcake is skillfully frosted to create a near-accurate representation of a flower. The artistic details offer far more than just a beautiful cupcake adorned with a frosting flower. The cupcakes and cakes at Barn Owl Bakery are delicious and that is not by chance, every recipe has been diligently planned and taste-tested to create a delectable treat.
Barn Owl Bakery is an approved California Cottage Food Operation, which means it sells home-made food prepared outside of an industrial kitchen. The California Homemade Food Act (AB 1616) allows for home-based culinary businesses to sell certain non-perishable homemade food products, so long as they register with the county, follow the approved Cottage Food Operations application process and are in line with procedures.
“I looked at all of the different rules that followed a cottage food operation and went: could I make that work? Yes. Could I make this work? Yes. Could I pay that much for permitting? Yes,” said Francis. “The more I mentally said ‘yes’ to the different aspects, the more I committed to doing it.”
The idea of creating a home-based business appealed to Francis for many reasons, a couple being that it offered the freedom to work for herself and have quality control over the product, while still allowing less financial risk than having a brick-and-mortar restaurant. Francis was finishing up her associate degree when she began the application process and testing recipes last fall. Barn Owl Bakery has been open for business, busting out delectable cupcakes and cakes since it was licensed as a Cottage Food Operation in May 2023.
“It’s very risky to be a business owner,” said Francis. “I did it as a Cottage Food Operation intentionally because you don’t have to pay for rent and utilities, all that stuff. It’s a lower risk, but it’s still risky.”
The Cottage Food Operation application process requires each recipe to be carefully written out with all the ingredients listed along with their precise weight. Next, the labels and information are mailed to the Department of Health to check and approve for licensing. Francis says the paperwork was fast; it was the process of creating the recipes and labels that required the most time. Once all the labels were submitted, they were approved quickly, and Barn Owl Bakery was open for business. She’s created recipes for products beyond cakes and frosting that she submitted for approval, but customer demands have kept her focused-on baking floral cupcakes and cakes.
“I thought that at most, I would sell like a dozen cupcakes every month or so,” said Francis. “I didn’t anticipate finding a niche in our community. I would rather bake myself than buy something that wasn’t as good as homemade! I had the thought, maybe there are other people in the community who like their baked goods to taste how I like them too.”
Francis has got the baking down to a science. Francis says the Food Network show “America’s Test Kitchen” was influential to her success as a baker. The educational cooking show explains the chemistry processes behind baking. She accredits having an understanding of the sciences to successfully adapting her recipes without wasting ingredients.
“I’d say understanding the science behind the ‘why’ in baking is vital if you are going to sell baked goods, because problems arise that you need to troubleshoot all the time,” said Francis.
Francis practiced diligently on frosting cupcakes as well as thoughtfully creating flavors for her recipes before opening for business. Of all the recipes she perfected, Francis says perfecting a frosting recipe that will please a wide range of tastes was the most challenging. A mixture of chemistry and personal creativity, Francis homed in on what makes a perfect cupcake with perfect icing on top.
“My favorite part is mixing in wet ingredients and seeing them all come together in one homogenous mixture, which sounds weird, but it’s very satisfying,” said Francis. “Yeah, it all becomes smooth with the correct temperature, and I know that it’s all on the right track and going to be perfect.”
Balancing the demands of running Barn Owl Bakery and being a full-time student takes structure and determination. Education has always been a top priority and focus for Amelia. That is one of the reasons why she embraced the idea of a Cottage Food Operation over a full-time business that would require her to take time away from school.
Before starting Barn Owl Bakery, baking was an outlet for creativity and a way to relieve stress. Francis had always felt a calling towards science and art. The flowers that adorn the cakes are little works of art themselves. Before baking as a creative outlet, Francis had taken several ceramics classes as well as a color and design class. Customers are spreading the word about her cakes and orders are filling up.
“I like to do all kinds of art,” said Francis. “If I feel stressed, I usually turn to baking. Baking has been my creative outlet to release stress, but now it’s also my work.”
Barn Owl Bakery has now taken on wedding cake orders and is booked out until the New Year. Perhaps the last chance this year to try some of Barn Owl Bakery’s delectable desserts will be on Saturday, Oct. 21, at the Harvest Artisan Faire held at the Eureka Veterans Hall. Barn Owl Bakery will have a table set up selling cupcakes, as well as several other treats that she hopes to offer in the future. There will be cake pops and cake slices, cocoa bombs and free samples at the event. New cake flavors such as vanilla latte and angostura orange will also be available. Appetizing flavors and nuances, as well as every visual detail has been artfully thought of in creating each treat that Barn Owl Bakery offers.
“It’s been amazing, and I’m so thankful for everyone that has supported me so far,” said Francis. “I love this community so much.”
Buttery coping, tight transitions, steep mini-bowl, rad manny pad – they may sound like code names for undercover pornstars, but they are in fact fitting descriptions of a project 23 years in the making. An impressive 5,000 square foot concrete wonderland of ramps, rails and ledges, now stands at 1621 Gwin Road in Mckinleyville thanks to the dedicated efforts of a handful of Humboldt county residents – and there is much more to come.
The Mckinleyville skatepark’s initial spark came in 2000, when Humboldt resident Pat Hanson’s grandsons had the police hassle them for skating in a Safeway parking lot.
“My grandma got really upset because she was like, ‘where were they supposed to skate?,’” said Ciara Torres, Pat Hanson’s granddaughter. “That kind of inspired her to get a skatepark going for her grandsons.”
Those police ignited what would become a decades-long effort for a local skatepark that began with home baked treats.
“She started hosting fundraising out of her house with baked cookies and we started selling shirts and stickers at local events like Pony Express, and even the kinetic sculpture race,” said Torres, who used to help her grandma in fundraising for the skatepark.
In 2011, Hanson passed on, but the cause that she spearheaded had gained traction and blossomed into a full-fledged community initiative. If all goes as planned, another 15,000 square feet of concrete will be poured next summer. On Oct. 7, the celebration was squarely focused on enjoying the immense achievement that was getting the first 25% of the park built, thanks to the dogged efforts of many locals who pushed through roadblocks for decades.
“This is huge because people in the community have been trying to get this statepark built for over 20 years,” said Lesley Frisbee Parks & Recreation Director for the Mckinleyville Community Services District (MCSD). “I’ve worked in the district and the Parks and Rec Department for 20 years, so I’ve been aware of this project for a long time.”
Among the many involved, and first to take the mic during the long-awaited ribbon cutting, was Charlie Caldwell, a lifelong skateboarder and director of the Humboldt Skatepark Collective. Caldwell spoke candidly about the multi-pronged effort to raise funds for the skatepark.
“We got a quarter of our skatepark built with the money that’s all been reissued community grants,” Caldwell said. “Community grants, community fundraising, like we’re doing over there at the table right now. It’s about years of selling shirts and being out in the public and trying to raise funds.”
The price tag to build the planned 15,000 square foot addition to the skatepark is pegged around $1 million. Just as with the first 5,000 square feet of concrete, the completion date for the addition is dependent upon funding. Currently, the collective is hoping a grant will be awarded and the addition will be complete late next year.
“I have written [to] three different grants and we’re waiting to hear if the latest grant application gets awarded to complete the project, so it’s a really big deal,” said Frisbee. “It’s very exciting to have opportunities to create in our community.”
In the event that the grant is not awarded, fundraising will return to the grassroots precedent that Hanson started 23 years ago.
“We’ll be doing events like this on a regular basis if we don’t get the state grant,” said Caldwell. “You’ll see us out here probably every month all summer long doing fundraisers.”
The difficulty in raising funds for the skatepark essentially forced the collective’s hand. Decades of fundraising meant the collective had about $200,000 in the bank. A substantial chunk of change, but not enough to complete the planned 20,000 square foot skatepark in one go.
“One of the things that we decided to do is figure out what we could do with the money we already had,” said Torres. “And we decided that doing it in phases would be the best approach because the community had really lost faith in supporting us and donating money because they hadn’t seen anything in 20 years. This is basically our way of showing the community that we are doing something and we need to continue to raise money for the rest of the park.”
If the state grant is awarded, building will commence next summer. No matter the timeline for the addition, Saturday, Oct. 7, was reserved for enjoyment of the long awaited concrete, an emotional achievement for those most closely involved.
“It’s definitely emotional for me because my grandmother was my best friend,” Torres said. “It’s very emotional for me to feel like this is actually real. It’s almost hard for me to even think about, because I just get too emotional.”
The skatepark, having been made possible through donations small and big, grants and volunteers, needed to provide a tangible service to the community at large – a fact not lost on Frisbee.
“We are in service to this community. So we have to be really responsible for how we spend the money that people give us through tax dollars,” said Frisbee. “Not just funding for these projects to be developed, but also being mindful of what it’s going to cost us to maintain perpetuity.”
One of the many benefits to a skatepark is the eclectic and uncategorizable cast of characters it draws in. It provides a safe space for creation, growth, and adrenaline.
“We want our community to be a place that everyone feels welcome, that businesses can thrive in. Something like a skate park brings people to the area,” said Jesse Miles, executive director for the Mckinleyville Chamber of Commerce.
Where some activities and sports attract a narrow segment of the population, skateboarding, by its very nature, tends to attract just about every type of person at all stages of life.
“You see all ages, and I mean all ages – guys in their 60s, like me, out here skating with little kids on their scooters. There’s skateboards, there’s bikes, there’s rollerblades or quad skates… they are all out here riding,” said Caldwell.
Importantly, for Mckinelyville, the skatepark will be a springboard for the local economy.
“While they’re here, they’re going to our businesses, they’re going to our restaurants, getting coffee,” said Miles. “And for the residents, it just makes it more of a reason to want to stay here because there’s opportunities for all ages.”
In addition to boosting the economy, providing an enriching environment for kids, adults, and seniors alike, the word on the street is that the skatepark park may also have anti-aging qualities.
“It keeps us young. You know, I will always be young at heart.” said Caldwell, who has been skating for over 50 years.
The ribbon ceremony occurred at 11 am, then, the day’s festivities kicked into gear. In addition to live music, beer on tap, and food trucks, there were several contests being held throughout the afternoon. Quad-blader Noelani Araujo praised the inclusion of a quad-skate contest alongside the many skateboarding contest categories.
“We love this skatepark and I love the community and I think it’s nice for us all to be a part – like one with each other,” said Araujo. “I think it’s really cool that we’re included. We’re not usually super on the front lines for this, so it’s really nice to be included.”
In an effort to build a skatepark that the community would be proud of, the planners spoke with local skaters and canvassed local DIY parks to ensure that the money was spent wisely. These efforts did not go unnoticed by the skating community.
“This is like a southern California park. This is a professional park. The concrete is nice and slippery, the transition is super proper, the coping is really mellow. I think everything is built really well,” said Cal Poly Humboldt student and dank skateboarder Jaikyn Russell.
Perhaps most critically, not only was the skatepark well-built, it has also been well waxed, as confirmed by Araujo.
Authentic champagne is created in France, highly acclaimed wine comes from Napa and Humboldt County stands as the central hub for premium cannabis.
Measure A, also known as the Humboldt Cannabis Reform Initiative (HCRI), is a voter initiative scheduled to appear on the March 5, 2024 ballot in Humboldt County. If approved by voters, this measure would introduce 38 pages of new rules and restrictions to all existing cannabis farmers operating legally in Humboldt.
Origins of HCRI
The HCRI spawned from a conflict between Kneeland residents and a neighboring cannabis farm concerning water resources and traffic. Mark Thurmond and Cal Poly Professor Emerita Betsy Watson took charge as proponents, collaborating with people in other areas of the county.
A petition circulated, highlighting the protection of the environment and small cannabis farmers, along with preventing large scale cannabis farms. After reaching 7,000 signatures, the measure qualified for the ballot.
Notably, the 38-page initiative was drafted by a San Francisco law firm, Shute Mihaly & Weinberger, which was submitted on March 4, 2022, and did not undergo public review or receive public input. If passed, Measure A cannot be altered or amended from its original form, requiring a ballot initiative for the next elections.
Current legislation
Due to the impact of changing market dynamics and statewide legalization of cannabis, Humboldt County revamped its legal framework. The Humboldt Board of Supervisors (BOS) enacted two land use ordinances, starting with the Commercial Medical Marijuana Land Use Ordinance in 2016 and the Commercial Cannabis Land Use Ordinance in 2018.
Both followed public scrutiny with many stakeholders including cannabis cultivators, environmental groups, neighborhood organizations, as well as county and state officials for implementation. Further refinements were made in 2020 to enhance the framework’s efficacy.
“These changes have successfully reduced the overall environmental footprint of the industry and strategically relocated many [cannabis] farms to agricultural land,” said Executive Director of the Humboldt County Growers Alliance (HCGA), Natalynne Delapp.
Delapp explained how the county has experienced an 89% decline in cannabis farms since 2015, decreasing from 15,000 illegal grows to 775 legal permitted farms, with an estimated 1,000 illegally still operating.To obtain cultivation permits, applicants must display the serviceability of their farms’ access roads, reduce neighborhood impacts and ensure water sourcing methods are environmentally sustainable.
At a BOS meeting on June 27, 2023, the Director of Planning, John Ford, explained the agencies subject to review include the county Department of Public Works, Department of Environmental Health, along with state and federal agencies owning public land, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Regional Water Quality Control Board and often surrounding tribes.
Foggy fine print
The initiative would modify the county’s General Plan, which serves as the primary guide for land use planning in Humboldt. Delapp said this revision would replace a significant portion of the existing county cannabis regulations, which took eight years of robust public process.
The initiative is “unworkable and would be devastating to the [local] cannabis industry,” said Attorney Paul Hagen from the North Coast Environmental Law Office.
A restriction of one active permit per cultivator could leave additional permits for activities void.
“If Measure A passes, the seed of [Humboldt] cannabis tourism will die before it has a chance to root,” said Founder of Humboldt Cannabis Tours, Matt Kurth.
Annual expiration of cultivation permits would make reapplication necessary. The vagueness of the renewal process creates ambiguity regarding public hearings for renewal applications. Ford explains in the Amended Analysis that conducting public hearings annually for permit renewals is inconceivable. Furthermore, renewal on any outstanding complaints would be prohibited regardless of validation.
The HCRI broadly defines expansion as “any increase in the number or size of structures connected to cultivation,” including environmental improvements. In relation, farms must be located on two-lane paved roads, challenging the hundreds of farms currently operating on dirt roads. According to a technical memorandum provided by LACO Technologies engineering department for the county in 2020, upgrades would range from $170,000 to $280,000 per mile.
Cultivation of cannabis includes drying, curing, grading and trimming, requiring a ‘processing’ license which would also be prohibited.
Additionally, farms would be capped at 10,000 square feet, including a discretionary review for any expansion over 3,000 square feet.
Out of sight, out of mind
In an effort to explain why class II whitewater rapids rivers are being de-watered, Watson provided a map of permitted cannabis farms. She said there were 1200 active cannabis permits with an estimated 300 non-operational due to the overproduction of cannabis statewide from price drops.
“In 2022, the south fork of the Eel [river] ran dry, and Freshwater Creek did not have enough water for the park to have its annual swimming hole,”said Watson.“The ordinance in place now calls for 2400 more [permits], for a total of 3600.”
Watson added that the initiative would cap the number of permits at 1200.
According to the HCRI Amended Analysis by the Humboldt County Planning and Building Department on June 27, 2023, there are 1,027 active permits, with 210 of them being newly approved. Areas with prime agricultural land are concentrated with retirement, remediation and relocation permits, which were redirected from environmentally sensitive areas.
“This is prohibition masquerading as environmentalism,” Delapp said.
A controversial summary, due to letters filed back and forth between HCRI’s attorney and the county’s Planning Department of the HCRI analysis, refers to geological studies, stating “the initiative’s groundwater protection measures are unnecessary because average per-acre groundwater recharge in Humboldt County is high, even during drought years.”
Currently, there are no environmental groups in the county endorsing the initiative or taking sides.
“The current ordinance is the best in the country, maybe even the world,” a confidential source from a local environmental group said.
Lawsuit
As of Oct. 11, 2023, the HCGA and seven cannabis farmers filed a lawsuit at the Humboldt County Court, alleging the petition of the HCRI did not include the complete initiative text, as required by law. It also contests false and misleading information in the petition. As a result, the lawsuit seeks the removal of the initiative from the ballot to protect the integrity of the election process.
If you are not a registered voter and want to participate, go to http://registertovote.ca.gov. The last day to register is Oct. 23, 2023.
On Oct. 12 women’s soccer had their annual Pink Out game at College Creek Field where they played against Stanislaus State. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and to honor this the Lumberjacks wore pink jerseys sponsored by the Heather Janikowski Foundation. This foundation was started by women’s soccer player Megan Janikowski and her family to honor her mother Heather Janikowski after she passed away from her hard fought battle with cancer.
When Megan Janikowski was 10 years old her mother Heather Janikowski was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012. Heather Janikowski would move to remission around 2013-2014 but later would find that the cancer spread to her brain in 2018. Sadly in 2021 it spread to her entire body and she passed away Jan. 19, 2022.
During her lifespan Heather Janikowski was a mother, physical therapist, P.E. teacher, and preschool teacher.
According to the foundation’s website, “Heather loved to support the local farmers markets and small shops as well as advocating for children and animals through a variety of non profit organizations and events.” Megan Janikowski didn’t want her mother to be another name that cancer took so the foundation was born.
Photo by Kae Dennert. Breast Cancer awareness table set up outside of the Pinkout game.
“My mom recently died from brain cancer and she had just been fighting it for a very long time and after she passed away I felt like she left too big of an impact in her community to just be another name that cancer took,” Janikowski said. “So I wanted to make something where she still had an impact and I could help families that were going through what I [had] already been through or [in] need [of] any kind of extra help.”
Since starting this foundation, they’ve hosted events like a memorial hike, a 5K, and a bowling tournament. Megan Janikowski’s brother Dean Janikowski, a kicker for Washington State football, has also created a ‘pledge it’. A pledge it is when donors pledge a certain amount of money to be donated every time he makes a field goal or point after touchdown. With all these fundraising events they have already impacted lives as well.
“The first year we had a hike and the money there went towards a family who could not afford to pay for their daughters college tuition and it was kind of full circle because the girl that we picked she was actually one of my mom’s preschool students, so it was like full circle,” Janikowski said.
In January they hosted a 5 and they were able to help a 9-year-old boy named Mateo Yanez who was diagnosed with cancer. His family vehicle and washing machine had broken down. He wasn’t able to get to his doctors appointments and have basic needs but with the help of the Heather Janikowski Foundation, Yanez was able to go to more of his appointments and was accepted into a research development program for his own cancer. Yanez sadly passed away three days after his tenth birthday.
Loss is a very real reality when it comes to cancer and Megan Janikowski attributes her strong faith to the reason behind her being here today. What keeps her motivated on the field is her motto “do it for her”; her mother is now her reason why. Megan Janikowski takes her mom on the field with her by wrapping tape on her left wrist and writing “do it for her” on the front and “mom” on the inside. She also has “do it for her” on the tops of her cleats and “fly high” on the back.
“On the tops of both my cleats it says ‘do it for her’ and then on the back it says ‘fly high’ because I just think having that constant reminder that life is short and life is fragile, it helps me to appreciate the good and especially the bad times,” Janikowski said.
Having visual reminders is something that is needed and third year biology student Jonathan Sweeney appreciates the team for hosting an event like this.
“It’s important to have games like this so we can see something visual like the pink jerseys and have a conversation about it…I like that our teams are bringing awareness to stories like mine,” Sweeney said.
Sweeney lost his grandmother to lung cancer and has also had family members diagnosed with skin cancer. Third year business administration major Harry Singh has also lost a family member to lung cancer. His older cousin was just 10 years old when he passed away and it was hard for Singh to accept. Singh, being a student-athlete on the track and field team, understands the importance of bringing topics like this into the sports world.
“I think it is important that we bring up these topics to games because they allow us to compete for something bigger,” Singh said.
The proceeds from this game will be set aside for the women’s soccer team to choose who they want the money from the Heather Janikowski foundation to go to locally. Megan Janikowski is currently double majoring in biology and special education and wants to pursue a masters in the research and development of brain cancer.
“I just want to help as many families as I can and my master’s program will be in the research and development of brain cancer so I’m hoping I can aid in something research wise or anything to make an advancement to help find a cure,” Janikowski said.
Amidst housing shortages and the increasing cost of everyday living in recent years, students are looking to an alternative way of living: vanlife. The term “vanlife” means exactly like what it sounds like, living in a van, but the term encompasses various mobile living options such as trailers, campers, motorhomes and RVs.
For students seeking a more affordable lifestyle, vanlife is a compelling solution. According to Maddy Montiel, a senior environmental science major with five years of vanlife experience, this choice has allowed them to avoid the cost of traditional housing. Ultimately, Montiel hopes to never pay rent through college. On-campus housing, depending on the type and meal plan, can range from $5,000 to $15,000 per year. In contrast, by parking their motorhome on campus (with a general parking pass) Montiel saves about $500 on gas per month and their monthly living expenses can be as low as $300 for essentials, making it a financially sensible choice.
“I’m choosing to do this instead of putting myself into an insane amount of debt in order to pay rent somewhere,” said Montiel. “I’ve always wanted to do it and can’t see myself living another way.”
Similarly, student van-lifer Steven Childs, a senior wildlife major, explained that while it may not be his preferred lifestyle, it aligns with his financial priorities.
“If you think about it, the whole point of me being here is to study and go to school and learn. At the end of the day, your room generally is a place for you to put your head and sleep,” said Childs.
Students are also being drawn to vanlife because of the freedom and independence it offers. When living on wheels, the world becomes your front porch.
“It’s definitely a pro to be able to wake up on the beach, and pretty much wherever you want to wake up”, said Bohdi Haugen, a freshman doing vanlife.
Haugen also added some of the advantages that come with owning a van, including that it really feels like your own; a feeling you may not necessarily have when you’re renting someone else’s space. Jaikyn Russel, a freshman studying forestry, who shares a van with Sierra Cole and their dog Indy, believes vanlife is a lot more doable than people think it is. Cole added that one of the draws of vanlife is being able to travel and always have your home with you.
Even with all of the benefits of vanlife, it doesn’t come without its challenges, notably not having a bathroom.
“I’ve grown pretty familiar with public restrooms nowadays,” said Haugen.
Montiel added that vanlife often gets glorified, and that there are some harsh realities that come along with it, including dealing with every aspect of your consumption because resources are limited. For instance, Montiel mentioned that they have to always have propane or else they won’t have a way to cook food, boil water or keep their appliances running. Montiel also noted the less-than-glamorous aspects of vanlife.
“You have to deal with your own shit – literally in every regard, you have to deal with your own shit,” said Montiel.
But despite this challenge, they believe it forces you to have a shift in mindset and become more sustainable.
Students embracing this lifestyle feel that there is a sense of community among vanlifers. Haugen has met many other like-minded people who are in the same situation as him. Montiel further elaborated that they and other vanlifers have formed close-knit bonds, organizing events such as cookouts and beach bonfires together. These connections provide a support system for those navigating the challenges of this lifestyle.
While this lifestyle isn’t for everyone, it can be cost effective, rewarding, and freeing for those who do it. If you’re interested in embracing this lifestyle, Montiel noted that an alternative living club is underway. The club’s first meeting will be Friday, Oct. 27 at 3:30 p.m. in Library room 114.
“We’re hoping to use that to create a space for students who live like this and students who are interested in living like this, to come and talk about it and learn about it and advocate for more resources,” said Montiel.
Anti-fire policies and climate change have resulted in wildfires running widespread in Northern California. Forests are in need of experts who can understand the power of fire and its beneficial effects, and channel them into sustainable practices. Cal Poly Humboldt’s polytechnic transformation has resulted in a new addition to the Forestry, Fire and Rangeland Department to meet this need: applied fire science and management, B.S.
The major explores multiple disciplines and perspectives of fire management, including local Indigenous knowledge and practices. Students will learn about prescribed burnings, how fire exclusion policies have impacted forests and how to use fire to promote biodiversity.
This major can lead to careers in fire ecology, fire departments, prescribed burning organizations and more. Students in fire science can also expect a plethora of summer jobs and internships to be available to them.
However, students who are applied fire science majors do not qualify to take the Registered Professional Forester exam in the state of California.
Erin Kelly has been the department chair of Cal Poly Humboldt’s Forestry Fire and Range Land Management since the start of the 2023 fall semester. She emphasized the high demand for foresters and fire ecologists in California.
“Employers are looking for natural resource managers, people who can apply their scientific knowledge to the ground and also people who can educate others about things like fire management,” Kelly said. “So, we are really in the position of meeting California’s needs in terms of land management, and I think that’s a really cool thing.”
Fundamentals of Fuel and Fire and Fire Ecology existed prior to the new fire science major, but Fire Behavior and Effects and Fire Weather have been made into their own classes this semester. Additionally, an applied fire internship class will be available.
Jeffery Kane is a faculty member in the forestry department and has been working as a professor at Cal Poly Humboldt for 12 years. He described the possible careers students can explore with the internship program.
“Most folks will work for the Forest Service, either fighting fires or doing prescribed burning fuels management stuff, or some will work for CalFire,” Kane said. “Others have worked for nonprofit organizations that are involved with fuels management or prescribed burning…it’s basically, ‘Go out, get experience.’”
David Greene, a professor who has researched plant regeneration for several decades, teaches the fire ecology class. Students in fire science classes can expect to go on field trips that allow for hands-on learning and explore the different aspects of the field. Students in Applied Fire Use and Policy will have the opportunity to participate in prescribed burnings.
Photo by Griffin Mancuso. David Greene describing an oak germinate’s ability to reach mineral soil beneath layers of leaves.
“There’s lots of tribes around here that don’t have the capacity to run their own burn. Some like the Karuk and the Yurok can, but others like Bear River – they just don’t have anybody, so they’re often inviting us to go up and do one for them,” Greene said. “Jeff [Kane’s] happy to go do it because he wants the students to get as much training as possible, because California’s embarking on a prescribed burning campaign.”
Mykie Root, a freshman and forestry major with a concentration in wildland fire management, has enjoyed the practical learning approach and field trips in their fire science courses, compared to reading textbooks in high school.
“Coming out here and being able to go on these field trips and be able to actually, you know, get into the stuff and be hands on and actually be able to see the trees, you know, take the bark apart, be able to look at all of the rings individually and count them,” Root said. “It’s a lot easier to learn when you’re actually out in it than in a classroom, which is what I prefer. I don’t like being in a classroom. It makes me antsy.”
Recently, students in Fire Ecology visited the 2022 Six Rivers Forest fire site to document conifer germinates and pine cones in the area that had appeared since the fire. Grayson Voorhees, a freshman majoring in forestry with a minor in fire ecology, took on the task of climbing a steep slope to gather data.
“Initially we were trying to document the distance from the road to the first green tree to measure the density of the fire, like how far it spread uphill, and that was roughly 150 meters,” Voorhees said. “And that also spread along a transect line, and along the transect we were counting germinate gray pine species.”
Faculty and students in applied fire science are hoping to destigmatize fire, promote sustainable fire management practices, and combat anti-fire sentiments and policies.
Root explained how banning prescribed burns entirely allows for leaves to build up and ruin seed beds, resulting in deforestation.
“When fires come through and actively get rid of all the bad, dead leaves and things that just pile and pile up, leaving for, you know, plants to be able to grow,” Root said. “The fires will come through, burn everything and there’ll be wonderful plant beds for seeds to just be able to pop up and come back. So, fires are really good for us. They’re actually, they’re really good for the forests, and we need them.”
When parents have an especially energetic child, they often put them in some kind of extracurricular to provide them with an outlet and give themselves an afternoon of peace. That child may take to a certain activity, like karate, swimming, baseball or chess. Dogs are pretty much the same.
My beloved, hyper Oscar Meyer and I joined Humboldt Disc Dogs back in September after I discovered them on Facebook. My main concern was the stories I heard of dog sport groups being very exclusive and impatient with newcomers, but that was thankfully not the case. We were fully embraced and offered tips for frisbee throwing and game strategy, and Oscar had a blast.
Little did I know, disc sports was just a gateway drug. We now participate in disc sports, Fast CAT, rally and are hoping to start barn-hunting in the spring.
Many dog breeds were originally created for a certain job. Border collies herd cows and sheep, bloodhounds use their sharp sense of smell to hunt and cane corsos protect their family and home. Most dog owners don’t have a need for a working dog, but their dog still needs an outlet for their energy and drive. Unfulfilled dogs often become restless, develop neurotic habits or resort to destructive chewing.
Even if your dog isn’t a purebred working breed, they can still find joy in dog sports. I have witnessed a 14-year-old chihuahua crush everyone in disc sports and a poodle-mix run in Fast CAT.
There are several dog sports to choose from, with most of them being created by the American Kennel Club. The “CAT” in Fast CAT stands for coursing ability test. A 100 yard course is set up with a motorized lure that runs down the middle to encourage the dogs to run. Despite the lure only being a plastic bag, dogs love it. Dogs, especially hunting breeds, are triggered by movement and will gladly take off after it. This sport is great for beginners since it involves minimal work from the owner.
Dock diving entails your dog running off of a 40-foot-long dock, catching a toy in the air and making a grand leap into a pool. Depending on the game, the goal can be for them to jump as far as possible or swim as fast as possible to the end and back.
Obedience and rally are two sides of the same coin and provide mental exercise for your dog. Obedience involves multiple different trials of demonstrating your dog’s ability to follow basic commands like sit, stay, on and off-leash walking, and so on.
Rally has you take your dog through a course of signs with different maneuvers and commands that your dog must be able to follow. The course is different every time, and the 322 available signs allow for infinite combinations. Rally is also a mental exercise for the owner, as it involves memorization and fast thinking in the ring.
Agility is one of the more well-known dog sports. You take your dog through a course of hurdles, hoops, tunnels and other obstacles as fast as possible. Herding breeds like border collies and Australian shepherds excel at this sport due to their speed and biddability, but any breed can enjoy agility.
Disc sports are newer and not involved with the AKC, instead created by an organization called UpDog. These games can involve some agility, catching the frisbee in different zones or a combination of the two. If you want to get into disc sports, practice your frisbee throwing. You’re gonna need it.
Most of these clubs can only be found through obscure Facebook groups, the occasional poster at a vet clinic, or word of mouth. Thankfully, I am benevolent and will share my wealth of knowledge with you.
Up in Humboldt, there are a few groups who do dog sports. Humboldt Dash and Splash hosts dock diving and the Lost Coast Kennel Club hosts agility, rally, Fast CAT (racing), and barn hunt. Humboldt Disc Dogs is in charge of disc sports.
One of the reasons younger people don’t participate in dog sports is the cost, but these sports don’t have to be expensive if you don’t want them to be. A Lost Coast Kennel Club membership is $15 and they only request a 5$ donation for Fast CAT practices. A Humboldt Disc Dogs membership is $10, and each practice and trial run costs $10. You can either buy your own supplies or borrow them at practices and trials.
The most fulfilling part of dog sports is getting to watch your dog have the time of their life. It’s a great opportunity to increase your bond with them and get them de-wiggled. There’s a unique joy in watching your dog get increasingly excited as they realize where you’re driving them and seeing their tail violently wag after a great run. For the rest of the day, they sleep like a rock.
If you have the means, I strongly recommend dropping in on a practice and seeing how your dog likes it. It may become your next addiction.
Cal Poly Humboldt’s official census has been finalized and shows a one year increase of 118 students, or a 2% growth compared to last fall. The increase is important for the new polytechnic, which hasn’t seen consecutive growth in over seven years. The university is far below the projected 2,000 more students that were expected this fall semester. Because of the far-off prediction, over half a million dollars in Associated Student funded programs has been cut and millions dollars of funding may be withheld by the CSU for the next school year. What caused this gross over-prediction? What is the administration planning to do about it? And, maybe most critically, why does the school need to grow anyway?
The projection for 2,000 additional students this fall arose primarily due to a record 86% surge in freshman applications.
“It really did look like it could be possible,” said Chrissy Holliday, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success, regarding the expected inflow of students this fall. “What’s less known is how serious students are in the very beginning about an institution that’s just changed its identity,” Holliday added.
Cal Poly’s Humbodt’s recent transformation to become California’s third polytechnic has rendered the historical data typically used to predict enrollment, unuseful. As the school is changing, so are students’ behavior in response to it. In understanding how the university operates, it is useful to compare it to the way businesses function.
“Think about companies that shift their identity or create something completely different that they’re putting into the marketplace, whether it’s a new brand or a new product,” said Holliday. “You never know right in the beginning exactly what reaction is going to be and then you start setting new baselines and adjusting to that.”
2,000 new students was both a worst and best case scenario for the university, which has promised to grow, but has not yet completed the planned infrastructure projects to support such an influx of new students.
“We planned for everything on the continuum. The worst possible thing would be to have growth like that and not be prepared for it right. You can imagine the chaos that would have ensued,” said Holliday.
Cal Poly Humboldt is 2,473 students under their target for this fall, which could lead to 3.4 million dollars in funding being withheld by the CSU.
“It’s a budget challenge we’re planning for. We knew that that was a possibility,” said Holliday.
Additionally, the school spent over a million dollars on a contract with the Comfort Inn to house students, with hundreds of bed spaces on campus vacant. Further, the inaccurate enrollment estimation means that Associated Student funded programs have been cut by $528,717. This includes major cuts to the children’s center, government and even the university’s pool.
Still Cal Poly Humboldt is faring much better than most other schools in the CSU system.
“If you look at all the CSU for this fall, headcount is actually down across the CSU and their full time enrollment, the resident ‘FTES,’ grew by about 1%, where for us that was 3.4%,” said Holliday.
In an effort to spread the word about the new polytechnic in northern California, the university has ramped up its advertising efforts. This includes the deployment of recruiting staff across California, digital advertising, improving communications and increasing engagement with prospective students, allowing ‘instant admissions’ for eligible students, enhancing the community college to Cal Poly Humboldt pipeline, increased presence at college fairs and streamlining the admission process.
It appears that two statements are congruently accurate. The university will grow because it is now a polytechnic, and the school must grow because it is now a polytechnic. In fact, Governor Gavin Newsom and the state legislature approved $433 million in initial funding for polytechnic transition and $25 million per year thereafter. The pressure to grow is evident.
“There’s definitely pressure because we put forth this polytechnic transformation, right, and said, ‘This is what we’re going to do,’” said Holliday. “There’s definitely a responsibility to follow through on what we promised.”
In spite of the low enrollment numbers this fall, Holliday remains confident that the school will achieve their overarching goal of 11,000 students by 2028.
“I have zero doubt that we’re going to meet the targets that we have in the out years,” said Holliday.
Holliday went on to explain that gradual growth will allow for changes to be done in a way that doesn’t take away the aspects of Humboldt county and campus life that separate the Lumberjack’s campus from any other.
“The more steady growth that we’re seeing currently gives us that time to make sure we don’t lose those things that helped make us special,” said Holliday.
In the lonely strip of land that is the North Coast, Arcata is famed for being a haven for tolerance and relative diversity. Cal Poly Humboldt in particular is a shelter for people of all creeds and beliefs. However, it isn’t immune to hatred.
According to the University Police Department, an unidentified suspect vandalized the sukkah set up on the UC quad with an anti-semitic message at around 1:30 pm on Oct. 9. The sukkah, set up for eight days during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, symbolizes the Jewish people’s dependence on God. No update on the suspect has been reported.
Student response was immediate. The rabbi for the Jewish Student Group, Chabad took the sukkah down immediately when they realized what had happened. Members of the club were disappointed. President Noach Guttman, who had attended a Jewish private school his whole life, said it was his first time experiencing anti-semitic hate speech ever.
“I’ve only found interested people,” Guttman said. “They [say things] like, ‘Hey man, I like your yarmulke.’ I’m like, sweet… I was just disappointed that this happened the day after the largest Jewish massacre since the Holocaust [referring to the Oct. 7 bombing of Israel by Hamas]. That’s what upsets me the most.”
Despite the act of hatred, Guttman does not have plans to return the favor.
“I hold no hate for this person whatsoever,” Guttman said. “I truly believe they’re just misinformed… the sukkah has no connection to the state of Israel. It’s a solely Jewish structure… if they understood the gravity of Hamas murdering [about] 1,400 people, I feel like they would have the respect to not say a message like this.”
Guttman believes that the university has done a good job at supporting the Jewish Student Group through this time, with staff reaching out to Guttman and other Jewish students. Administrators worked with the rabbi to craft the email sent out on Oct. 10.
“In keeping with Cal Poly Humboldt’s commitment to maintaining the safety of our campus community, the University has a zero tolerance policy for acts of hate or discrimination against anyone, no matter who you are and where you come from,” said Associate Vice President of Student Success and Dean of Students, Mitch Mitchell. “The incident is an unfortunate reminder that world events often impact our students. We are fully committed to supporting them in any way we can and I want to encourage all students who may need additional support to use the resources that are available to them on campus.”
Despite repeated efforts to contact other members of the group, no other members would respond to requests for comment. However, Guttman said all other members of the club he’s talked to feel similarly disappointed, but appreciative of the community’s support.
“I’ve always been very active about my Judaism,” Guttman said. “I’m very vocal about it. And this is definitely not going to stop. If anything, it’s going to make me louder. You know, I’m still always going to wear my yarmulke. We’re still going to hold our Jewish events. We’re hoping to do a candlelight vigil within the next week or so. This is not going to [distract] us at all. We’re strong people. If anything, I’m hoping it’ll make us stronger.”
Indigenous Peoples Week kicked off on the Cal Poly Humboldt Quad Oct. 9 with a drum circle and mesmerizing rhythms echoing through the crowd. Participants of the drum circle beat their non-traditional drums and sang together, creating harmonies connected with the spirit. The beating of the drums mimicked the heartbeat of Mother Earth as it began to rain. According to the people in celebration, the sounds of the drums and vocals are used to heal, restore balance and improve people’s mood. The goal of the week is to embrace the rich cultures of Indigenous people and to honor the resilience, tradition and history.
Throughout the week, a variety of events and discussions for both staff and students to participate in were hosted by the The Indian Tribal & Education Personnel Program (ITEPP). ITEPP has been supporting students for more than 50 years.
The celebration included traditional card game demos, an Inuit film “Slash/Back” showing and more. These activities offer not only a way for native people to connect with each other, but with the earth, and with their ancestors. The celebration included speakers such as Dr. Kaitlin Reed, who discussed decolonization and her new book, “Settler Cannabis, From Gold Rush to Green Rush in Indigenous Northern California.”
Photos by Andrés Felix Romero. ITEPP leadership addresses the crowd towards the end of the Oct. 9 drum circle in the Quad.
Indigenous Peoples Day is held in high esteem for those on campus and in the Humboldt community. The ITEPP program at Cal Poly Humboldt provides Native American students a sense of belonging that’s centered around cultural values, beliefs and traditions. The program also assists students in navigating higher education with confidence and a sense of independence.
“I want you all to erase a couple words from your vocabulary,” said Vincent Feliz, a lecturer in the department of social work. “Stop using them. Words like discovered, founded and settled. Indigenous people never needed to be discovered, we never needed to be founded, we never needed to be settled. A lot of us already had government systems set up, languages, structures and ceremonial rites of passage that were established.”
The week brought community members a chance to raise awareness and encourage understanding about Indigenous history.
Ted Hernandez, the Cultural Director and Chairman for the Wiyot Tribe, spoke at the drum circle in the Quad at the beginning of the week.
“There was a lot of damage done to our tribes that are in this area, not just this area, but all over the United States,” Hernandez said. “And it’s time that we start telling each other the true history. Its time for us to start talking about the genocide that happened to our people. It’s time for us to let the world know what happened.”
“I really need to get my shit together. This is getting my shit together, though.” – my last journal entry
Is a person just the things that they do? I really hope not, because lately I feel like being busy is my only personality trait.
I miss the things I never have time for anymore; the walks in the forest, the intentional journaling and spellwork time, the acoustic guitar I haven’t touched in weeks. If it weren’t for the fact that I’m in music classes and a local punk band, not even I would know that I’m a musician, or that I once wrote songs and created art that inspired me to come to Humboldt in the first place.
I miss feeling fun and interesting. I miss not being so stressed and overworked all the time. I miss having more free time to spend with friends. I constantly worry about how I’m perceived by them: do they only get to see me as this constantly-busy, burnt-out person now? Do they even like me anymore? I have to remind myself not to think about that last question too much – it’ll only make things worse.
In moments like this, it’s usually good to look at the big picture. One day, all this hard work will be worth it. I’d like to argue that going to college is significantly harder than working in your desired career field, because at least at work you’re focused on one thing and there’s an opportunity to “clock out.” When going to school, you’re juggling multiple classes, extracurriculars and jobs. Doing everything you can in the hopes that you’ll one day land that dream job that opens up the next chapter of your life where you can plop down in a home of your own, let out a sigh of relief and say, “I made it.” You’ll have finally made it. Taking 8 classes a semester while working and managing extracurricular activities will have all been worth it.
Right? I really need that to be true.
I’m holding on to the aspirations and hope that a past version of myself had, the one who was filled with so much excitement and motivation. She planned out the last two years of our undergraduate career, saying you’re going to do this, this and that, and it’ll all be worth it.
I want to say that I’m doing this all for her. It’s easy to say that when looking at the big picture, the eagle-eye view of my life. But right now, I’m living in the reality of those aspirations and I don’t feel like I’m that person anymore. Maybe losing myself to my work and studies is a necessary part of the process, but it makes me sad. Should losing yourself be a necessary part of anything?
And who am I now? Am I just the things that I’m constantly busy with? I really hope not.
As far as I’m aware, there are only two women on motorcycles that regularly park on the Cal Poly Humboldt campus. I am one, and the other is Marilyn Koch, a jewelry and small metals instructor at Cal Poly Humboldt. She rides a 2014 Kawasaki Ninja 250 named Trixie and has been riding for 13 years.
I think it’s a shame that only two women on this campus ride, mopeds aside. We’re talking highway-legal bikes. A lifelong goal of mine is to inspire other women to ride and claim their freedom. Koch is also in favor of other women riding.
“I’m so pro-women riders because I don’t understand why it’s such a male-dominated activity,” Koch said. “This is an activity that should be void of gender. Everyone should be on a bike.”
Koch has always had an affinity for two-wheeled machines.
“I’ve always thought motorcycles were just really badass,” Koch said.
Prior to riding, her taste in men was the more rebellious type, especially those with motorcycles.
“I realized instead of looking for a guy on a bike, why couldn’t I just be that badass person myself?” Koch said.
Koch decided to take a motorcycle safety course and get her license. California Highway Patrol and other riding schools offer the California motorcyclists safety program all over the state. Koch spoke well of the program because it not only provides everything needed to learn, including a motorcycle, but it also gives riders the knowledge and confidence they need to ride safely.
“I highly encourage anyone that’s even interested in riding a motorcycle to take one of those courses,” Koch said.
Koch spoke of how the course is a great option for women especially.
“Generally, if you’re a guy, you maybe know somebody that has a bike or you’re a little bit more interconnected with the riding circle,” Koch said. “A lot of the female riders I’ve noticed are just so disengaged from that community.”
Koch noted that the exception to this stereotype is women who find groups such as The Litas Humboldt, who are only one part of a worldwide collective of women riders. They allow women of any riding level to join. Being part of a riding group is a great way to learn and become more comfortable riding and having fellow women to ride with can boost confidence.
I joined The Litas Humboldt in Dec. 2022, fulfilling my dream of several years. Part of the reason I came to Cal Poly Humboldt was because of The Litas. Being part of an all-ladies collective makes my heart soar; it’s like having a bunch of sisters to ride with. Erin Taylor, cofounder of The Litas Humboldt, once referred to that experience as ‘wind sisterhood’. There’s no other feeling like it.
Sometimes, men come up to me on my bike and say that I’m a badass. It feels good to hear it, but I can’t help but wonder if they would say that to another man. Koch shared a similar sentiment.
“When I get on my bike and I see people sort of staring at the bike… wondering who the owner is, and then realizing that the owner is a lady, they’re always somehow mystified as though it is even cooler that it’s a lady and not a guy,” Koch said. “It tickles me, but it also disappoints me. Why is it so astonishing for a lady to have a motorcycle?”
My dream is to have a bunch of girls on motorcycles riding to school. It would be so cool to see other motorcycles with scrunchies and pink bandanas on their mirror stems in any of the many Cal Poly Humboldt motorbike parking areas. I could talk all day about yass-ifying Harleys and other makes, but I digress, we need more women on two wheels.
I would greatly encourage anyone that’s thinking about getting a motorcycle to take the motorcycle safety course, and for any woman that rides to join The Litas Humboldt at thelitas.co/humboldt and on their Facebook page.
Over a month into the semester, most of you are probably familiar with your professors and their grading policies by this point. Some require you to show up to every class to get a decent grade, while there are others who simply don’t care if you show up to class (spoiler alert: these are the cool professors).
I stand very firmly in the belief that attendance should not factor into a student’s grades. They should be graded on their performance instead.
Maybe this is crazy, but if I miss two or three classes, yet demonstrate knowledge of the course materials by performing well on exams/essays/projects/you-name-it, I shouldn’t be punished. That A grade should stay an A.
Too often a class I’ve had has spent a week or two teaching something I already know fairly well (especially those classes that teach a broad range of practical skills in a major), but I am forced to sit through lectures bored to tears. I often think about the tens of things I could be doing instead, which are more often than not, assignments for other classes I could be using this valuable time for.
Allow me to introduce the concept of life. Life has this crazy habit of happening. It happens to you, to me, even to the professors here. When a professor has a wedding they plan to attend, or are feeling a little sick, they call off class.
Tell me then, why when I missed a class due to a personal loss, I was emailed a “sorry for your loss,” followed by a Canvas notification of my attendance grade being lowered by 7%? When I’m paying for my college credits, what valid reason is there for attendance affecting my grade? Professors don’t get paid based on class attendance, so the only person negatively affected when a student misses class is the student.
Let’s dig into how the supposed function of classroom attendance is to motivate students. I’m willing to bet money that mandatory attendance doesn’t motivate any student to do better in class. It sure doesn’t motivate me to do better in class.
A student should want to attend class. If a student is paying to take a class, they should be engaged by and with the course material, and that interest will intrinsically motivate the student to keep attending and learning. Requiring the student’s presence, and actively lowering the grade if not graced with their presence will extrinsically motivate the student to attend class. It will not motivate the student to learn.
Extrinsic motivation, like keeping a seat warm to satisfy an arbitrary requirement, doesn’t hold a candle to the intrinsic motivation of actually being interested in what’s being taught. Otherwise, self-motivation is taken away from the student and butchered in the slaughterhouse of butts-in-seats and vacant stares.
According to a 2010 report by the American Educational Research Association, while attending class can assist in getting better grades, mandatory attendance has a very small impact on how the students perform.
For all of you professors out there balking at the idea, slow down and take a deep breath. I promise you that most of us would attend the majority of our classes, just like usual. After all, it’s our money on the line. If you think that nobody will attend your class without graded attendance, chances are your class sucks and you should step it up. Make us want to come to class. If I’m able to accomplish the majority of your coursework well without paying a lick of attention to your lectures, they’re probably not all that engaging.
Oh, and participation grading is fine. After all, the professor has to keep track of students contributing. In the case of discussion-based classes, maybe offer students who miss class a discussion board on Canvas to post things on. Stopping mandatory attendance puts the power and capacity to learn into the hands of the student. It restores that joie-de-vivre that graded attendance robs us of and allows us to feel like students, eager to learn instead of prisoners chained to our degrees.
Dating in Arcata can be rough. As a visibly queer person, I find that I attract all kinds of different people. The most frustrating breed is the queer-passing straight men.
This is the man who is either being friendly or flirting – you’re always questioning if they’re into you or if you’re just being delusional.
In the past, it has been super tricky because I wasn’t the only one convinced these queer-passing straight men were into me. What made it so difficult was my friends being able to corroborate my beliefs as audience members of my disastrous love life. For the two most impactful love interests of mine, my besties were right by my side, able to witness the main events, the flirting, the looks, the attention, etc. So after multiple experiences discovering one of my interests is actually straight, I have to ask myself… what made me think they weren’t?
Aside from a basic level of human connection, and the undeniably flirtatious energy I could feel whenever we would talk, my confusion about a guy’s sexuality ultimately would come down to two things: their emotional intelligence and their sense of style.
Apparently the bar is on the floor when it comes to the emotional intelligence of a straight man (no offense to straight men), because when a guy is comfortable with himself, confident and generally aware of others and his surroundings, I’m absolutely convinced he is queer. There’s just a certain depth that I find straight men don’t have because of their privileges.
When taking a step back, I also realize that I definitely don’t associate a good sense of style with straight men (no offense again). I did notice however that I was stereotyping clothes. When I saw something I believed was not traditionally masculine, it would lead me to make assumptions about people’s sexuality. As a breaker of many stereotypes myself, believing them is something I want to avoid.
With this goal in mind, I learned a few things about myself and this genre of man. The first thing I reminded myself of is that anyone can have a good sense of style because clothing is for everyone. I can’t gatekeep dangly earrings and head scarfs for the girls, gays and theys. The second thing was that by having a sense of style, trying new accessories and having fun with clothes, a man is fighting society’s standards of masculinity. This was my “A-ha” moment as Oprah would say, because as someone who partially identifies as a guy, I have never fit in with the standards of masculinity. I actually think that not fitting in and being treated differently encouraged me to not accept societes standards for myself. Yes, I’ll blame the conservative people from my childhood for me being queer.
So despite my struggles differentiating a straight guy with style from a queer person, and despite the time I’ve wasted on people who aren’t interested in me, I will show my appreciation for the authenticity of the ambiguous straight men.
If I had a nickel for every new movie in 2023 that was an eccentric, campy satire about feminism and gender roles, mocking the blatantly evil patriarchy and boasting a giant choreographed fight scene, I would have two nickels – which, to quote Dr. Doofenshmirtz, isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.
Bottoms is the sophomore feature from writer-director Emma Seligman, reuniting with star (and writer) Rachel Sennott (“Bodies Bodies Bodies”) from their previous collaboration, the stressful and hilarious Shiva Baby. Opposite Sennott is Ayo Edibiri, perhaps best known for her voicework in Big Mouth and her performance as Sydney in the hit Hulu show The Bear (watch it if you haven’t).
Sennott and Edibiri star as PJ and Josie respectively, two teens at the bottom of their high school’s social ladder. Not only are they losers and gay, but they attend a high school that literally worships its straight himbo star-athlete (there is a giant mural depicting him as the biblical Adam in the cafeteria). Even the principal calls them the “ugly, untalented gays” over the intercom. Through a series of plot contrivances, the two unpopular teens start an all-female fight club in order to have sex before they graduate.
If the above doesn’t alert you to the surrealness of the world of Bottoms, allow me to inform you that Jeff (the aforementioned himbo) and his teammates are depicted sitting in the cafeteria like Jesus and his apostles in Da Vinci’s The Last Supper. It’s a comical sight to say the least. Oh, and murder is just shrugged off as a normal occurrence.
The teen sex comedy isn’t exactly a new genre, but to have a brief resurgence put a queer spin on the genre keeps it fresh and subversive. It brings the tone of movies like Wet Hot American Summer and Superbad to the Gen Z crowd, borrowing the campy tone of “But I’m a Cheerleader,” a queer cult classic in its own right (it even paid homage in a scene at a diner named “But I’m A Diner”). Bottoms is unapologetically and explicitly gay at nearly all times. We’ve come a long way from the woeful and tokenistic “gay best friend” trope in comedies.
I was particularly delighted at the film’s parallels and references to Fight Club, a film famous for its satirical portrayal of toxic masculinity. It’s unfortunate that many men read the film’s message completely wrong, idolizing the dangerous men at the center of the narrative. How refreshing that this movie completely upends and pokes fun at those notions. The football players here are utterly moronic, and actors Nicholas Galitzine and Miles Fowler channel their Ken-ergy into their diva performances.
Despite a plot that can be convoluted and predictable at times, the cast and writing carry this movie to victory. Sennott and Edebiri’s palpable chemistry provides the groundwork for some truly impressive improv sequences, interwoven so well with the hilarious script that it’s hard to tell what is improv and what is written. Marshawn Lynch nearly steals the film as the divorced teacher who sponsors their club, misguided in his attempts to embrace feminism (fair weather allies are the worst). In fact, the entire ensemble here puts in the work, and I found my chest hurting from all the funny bits, as there’s hardly a minute that goes by without one. To address the Margot Robbie-sized elephant in the room: yes, there are a lot of similarities to Barbie, the hit blockbuster of the year. I liked Barbie a lot, but my biggest issue was just how commercial it was, and how I wished every minute of its runtime was as campy as Barbieland; Bottoms scratched that itch for me. It’s acerbic and surreal the entire time, but it’s also surprisingly dark and bloody. Bottoms never compromises its weirdness for even a second to please anyone. It’s brash and unapologetic, and also the funniest movie I’ve seen all year.
Walking through the Cal Poly Humboldt Student Activity Center quad, one might hear a voice singing spiritual hymns. Echoing up the stair of Founder’s Hall, the voice carries a sense of warmth. The singer Fred Bossman can be heard a couple times a week, usually in the mornings.
47-year-old Bossman studies physics at Cal Poly Humboldt with a focus in astronomy. He sings in public because he believes God told him if he sacrifices himself for the good of man, He will grant him unlimited power. Bossman wants to use this power to heal the world through singing.
He started singing at College of the Redwoods, but his favorite place to sing is the Arcata Plaza. He thinks it has a nice echo. Though he has no formal training, Bossman has traveled in states all over the west singing in public trying to spread warmth and joy.
“I have been singing for many years,” said Bossman. “It’s been a long time.”
Bossman has received mixed reactions from people about his singing.
“People have said that I sound beautiful,” said Bossman. “Other people have told me to be quiet.”
One day, he was singing in the quad at Cal Poly Humboldt and thought that a lady who was studying was irritated with his singing.
“I went up to her and told her I was sorry and she said, ‘No it was beautiful. Thank you,’” said Bossman.
Bossman said that he’s not trying to create problems.
“I’m just trying to do what I believe I’m supposed to do,” stated Bossman.
Bossman can get nervous when singing in public.
“It’s sometimes nerve-wracking because I don’t know what to expect,” said Bossman
Bossman used to wear sunglasses to help ease his anxiety, then, when the pandemic hit, he would wear a mask.
“Sometimes people would look around and not know who was singing until they got close to me,” said Bossman. “This was when I didn’t sound that good.”
“I used to scream,” said Bossman. “Over many years it turned into a harmony. At first, I didn’t know how to sing but I was just getting it out there.”
Now, Bossman takes the mask off so that his voice doesn’t sound muffled.
After struggling with a meth addiction, he found God at a low point in his life. He had woken up from being in a coma for seven days and was given a copy of the New Testament. It was just the sign he needed.
“The Lord has delivered me from methamphetamine, marijuana, tobacco, alcohol and gambling for over four and a half years,” said Bossman.
Growing up in an agnostic household, he does not belong to any specific denomination. He simply follows Jesus. He receives messages from God through prayer, visions and dreams.
Bossman said God showed him a vision of him winning a Nobel prize and becoming an astrophysicist, and he knows this is something he will do.
His favorite passage is the 91st psalm of the Book of Psalms: “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
Bossman has 38 songs in his repertoire. All of the songs that he sings, he hears on K-Love, a Christian radio station based in Sacramento, California.
“I would hear a song and go home, look it up on the internet, learn the words and put it in my repertoire,” said Bossman.
Bossman’s favorite song to sing is “Glorious Unfolding” by Steven Curtis Chapman.
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