Those in Humboldt who grew up with Latin culture and influences have reasons to rejoice for this year’s Latinx Heritage Month. The month is officially recognized as National Hispanic Heritage Month and occurs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. This year, Latin music takes center stage with Cal Poly Humboldt’s Center Arts with a concert by Mariachi Henrecia de México and a Bad Bunny-inspired dance party, and a joint event between Cal Poly Humboldt and College of the Redwoods called Festejando Nuestra Comunidad will take place at the CR campus.
Festejando Nuestra Comunidad
Originally set to take place on the Cal Poly Humboldt campus, Festejando Nuestra Comunidad (in English; Celebrating Our Community) will take place at the College of the Redwoods campus to accommodate a larger-sized festival.
The festejando will take place this upcoming Saturday, Sept. 19. The opening ceremony will begin at 11 A.M., with festivities expected to last until 5 p.m. Event-goers can expect a multitude of events that will draw them closer together as a community, such as board games, face painting, balloon animals and yard games such as cornhole and disc golf.
Performances will be plentiful throughout the day, with the setlist composed of many Cal Poly Humboldt groups including Danza Azteca, Ballet Folklórico and a performance by Cal Poly Humboldt’s own Mariachi band.
Mariachi Herencia de México
Mariachi Herencia de Mexico will take the Van Duzer stage along with the lead singer Marisol “La Marisoul” Hernandez from Grammy-award-winning band La Santa Cecilia on Thursday, Sept. 21. Attendees can expect beautiful music with dramatic violins, trumpets, guitars, and soothing vocals. This mariachi band in particular has a blend of classical and hints of modern within their style. The concert doors open at 6:30 p.m.
The last time a Mariachi came to Humboldt was just before the pandemic in March 2019. Associate Director of Center Arts Michael Moore shared that this event, as well as an upcoming workshop with the band, came to be in large part due to faculty on campus.
“The seed for bringing a Mariachi band back to campus came from Fernando Paz, who at the time ran El Centro Académico Cultural de Humboldt, and Professor Jennifer Trowbridge,” said Moore. “They both help coordinate Mariachi de Humboldt, and they hoped to give the students an opportunity to experience a world-class performance as well as a workshop with the musicians.”
Bad Bunny
Instead of a concert, on Thursday, Oct. 5 in the Kate Buchanan room at the Student Activities Center, students can expect a dance party called Un Año Contigo (in English; A Year With You) with artist Benito “Bad Bunny” Martínez’s music mixed by DJ Zuhn “Zuhnddry” Espinoza. The dance party begins at 9 P.M.. Zuhnddry will also do a set in the SAC quad the same day at noon. This event in particular came to be thanks to Cal Poly Humboldt students.
“[Center Art’s] Bad Bunny Night came from the requests from students to have a dance or a space to dress up and have a good time,” said Moore.
Students are encouraged to dress in what makes them feel comfortable to party and let loose.
“This is a chance for those who may not have had a prom to come dance and have fun!” said Moore.
The Mad River Enduro took place on Saturday, Sept. 9th in Blue Lake’s Hatchery Ridge trail system, featuring a few brave students from Cal Poly Humboldt’s very own cycling club. This race was a day long event consisting of long steep climbs, and gnarly downhills underneath the redwood canopy.
The race had plenty of out-of-towners who flocked to our backyard to get a taste of the incredible Humboldt hills (or, in this case, Blue Lake berms). Among these visiting riders was a team of local student shredders making Cal Poly Humboldt proud.
Cal Poly Humboldt junior, Mason Menna, has been biking his entire life and has raced enduro since middle school. He was repping a green and gold Cal Poly Humboldt jersey throughout the day, coming in first place for the Men’s 18-29 Expert Category, and 17th place overall with a time of 19 minutes and 50 seconds.
Photo courtesy of Taylor Chase. From left to right: Garret Hammack (2nd), Mason Menna (1st) and Gio Damonte (3rd) on the podium for the Expert Men 18-29 category. Did you participate in the 2023 Mad River Enduro? Find your race photos here: https://www.chaseincolor.com/Mad-River-Enduro-2023 Follow Taylor Chase on Instagram @chaseincolor
“Cal Poly Humboldt teams, straight dogs,” Menna said. “We’re always on the top. Don’t let anyone tell you different. I think we did really great today.”
The mountain biking trails in Blue Lake are not for the faint of heart. The initial, and steepest, climb was a 2.5 mile, 1,100 foot climb that took racers about an hour. After each slow climb was a quick descent, sometimes only taking racers a few minutes. The steepest downhill was in the fifth and final stage, with a slope of 25%.
Although the routes were tough, the weather was perfect and spirits were high. People crowded around singletracks beneath the redwoods and watched as racers whizzed by.
“It was riveting, action filled, death defying… I almost got hit by two riders,” said Hannah Flock, junior at Cal Poly Humboldt and spectator at the event.
Once every rider crossed the finish line, people headed over to Perigot Park for live music, food, drinks, podiums and a raffle.
“I really had a lot of fun. This was my first enduro and I’m really excited to do the next one,” said Henry Grand, who placed seventh in the Men’s 18-29 Expert Category with a time of 22 minutes and three seconds.
Grand is a Cal Poly Humboldt junior who is involved with the on-campus Bicycle Learning Center (BLC). The BLC is located next to the sports recreation building, underneath the stairs of the west gym, and is a great way to get involved with races like the Mad River Enduro.
“If you’re looking for some free bike maintenance, slide to the BLC,” Grand said.
Theater students are outraged and frustrated after Troy Lescher, an associate professor in Cal Poly Humboldt’s theater arts department, has been cast in this semester’s theater production of The Life of Galileo. The casting decision has faced fierce opposition from students within the theater program, who argue that it undermines opportunities for aspiring actors, and raises questions on inclusivity and fairness in casting.
By casting Lescher in the role, the students argue that the department has removed the opportunity for a student to gain valuable learning experience in a leading role. It’s the last straw in a series of decisions and experiences that the students believe have left them unprepared for the world of professional theater.
Lescher declined to be interviewed, but provided a statement in response to his casting.
“When faculty artists and student artists collaborate… students have opportunities to develop knowledge and skills in realistic ways, preparing them for the diverse production experiences they will encounter after graduation. As a member of The Life of Galileo ensemble, I look forward to applying my professional training put and experience to help strengthen student learning; promote learner success; and bring a special and relevant story to life on the university stage.”
Rumors of the casting spread before it was officially announced at the theater program’s “Welcome Back” event on Aug. 24th. Several disgruntled students showed up to challenge the casting decision. Miah Carter, a senior in the program, was among these students.
“We just wanted to, first and foremost, make sure that all the students who are in this program and attending were aware that this is not something that benefits college students,” Carter said.
At the event, the students asked why Lescher was cast before auditions were held. Linda Maxwell, the theater program leader, did the bulk of the responding. One reason for Lescher’s casting was the scope of the lead role.
Cindy Moyer, chair of the Department of Dance, Music, and Theatre, said that Lescher has spent his summer working on the part, and asking a student to put that breadth of work in half a semester isn’t feasible.
Maxwell and Julie Eccles-Benson, the co-director of the show, declined to be interviewed.
Maxwell spent a large part of the meeting blaming the students’ frustration over not being able to audition for the lead role.
“Yeah, I’m mad,” Carter said. “Mad I’m not getting the education I’m paying for, not because I wasn’t cast as the lead in a show. Look at me. I’m a young Black woman. I was never going to be slated to play as Galileo himself.”
Carter wasn’t surprised at the results of the encounter.
“We pretty much expected them to give the reaction they did and the excuses they did,” Carter said. “They didn’t really want to hear us out, which didn’t surprise me.”
Carter suggested that if the faculty knew The Life of Galileo was going to feature a lead role too bulky for a student, they should have chosen a different show that catered more towards student interest.
According to Moyer, the justification for casting a faculty member over affording the opportunity to a student boiled down to how the role of Galileo was too large a workload for a student to handle and how Lescher’s casting afforded an opportunity for collaborative learning.
“For Galileo, the theater faculty thought carefully and felt that this play provided an appropriate opportunity for students to learn by working side-by-side with a professional actor,” Moyer said. “It may be several years before students will get this valuable and exciting opportunity again.”
Ash Quintana, a theater major in his senior year, felt that the faculty had taken away students’ agency. He said that taking away the students’ choice pampers them and doesn’t prepare them for professional theater, where they’ll often have to multitask between theater and work.
The students didn’t accept the collaborative learning rationale provided by the department.
“When it comes to acting, you learn more by doing than by watching somebody,” Quintana said. “If you want a student to learn, put them in that role, and have the resources to guide them to success, instead of just assuming they can’t do it on their own.”
Lescher’s casting is the latest in a series of controversial choices for theater program students. The program once had a season selection committee for choosing future shows, including both faculty and students, but in recent years only two students, including Carter, were on it.
“It was pretty easy for them to dismiss what we were saying,” Carter said. “I do think they made a little bit of effort to be like ‘oh yeah, here, you’re making some good ideas,’ but it never felt like they were actually considering what we wanted to do.”
The season selection committee was disbanded by the fall semester of 2022. The faculty provided no reason why. During that same semester, they emailed a survey to students, to gather their opinions on shows the faculty had already selected for consideration. Many students only recognized Into the Woods, the show slated for Spring 2024, out of four faculty-selected shows.
In Spring 2023, an email announced an in-person show selection meeting. Only one student attended. Carter explained that students didn’t want to bother showing up when they weren’t going to be heard or meaningfully included in any way.
The other big issue theater students have faced is the recent glut of “no-prep” auditions. “No-prep” auditions require no preparation going in, and often involve theater games and activities where the director(s) will cast or send callbacks to performers by judging their contributions. Out of the past five semesters since coming back in-person from the Covid-19 pandemic, four of them have been non-traditional or “no-prep.”
“I’ve been to a couple of those,” said Zoe Estelle Rose, a child development major. “Nonsense, they’re just nonsense auditions. They don’t prepare you for anything.”
When an audition announcement is made with the words “no-prep” attached, many students audibly groan. They don’t feel that actors who attend these auditions are being taught anything useful regarding professional auditions.
“We’re going to graduate and go off and try to audition for a real production,” Carter said. “And we’re going to fail immensely. And when they ask us where we trained, we’re going to say ‘I went to Humboldt where they did no-prep auditions and we could just show up and get casted if we were silly.’”
In Quintana’s advanced acting class this semester, he noted that many students asked to learn how to audition and recite monologues.
“The school is not teaching us how to do that,” Quintana said. “We are not going to be cast in professional shows in the real world.”
Moyer said that these nontraditional auditions have been the result of selected directors, but that in the future the department will address this concern and make sure the students get more professional audition exposure.
The concerned students are speaking out because they don’t want new students to transfer to the department unaware of the issues they’re facing. Both seniors mentioned they wouldn’t have transferred to Humboldt’s theater program if they’d known that going in.
Maxwell has started meeting with the frustrated students to open up a dialogue for making the theater program more inclusive, and cut down on the communication divide between faculty and students going forward.
“I feel like I’m getting a lot of examples of what not to do in a theater program,” Quintana said. “I personally haven’t had too many opportunities to fully learn theater. I’ve been here for two-and-a-half years, and I’m not really going away with that much.”
Here is Lescher’s full statement: Thank you, Jake, for wanting to share additional context and insight on theatre-making within the Cal Poly Humboldt Theatre Arts (TA) academic program. As a TA Major who has acted on our stage several times, you can attest to the frequency of TA Faculty serving in major creative capacities on mainstage productions. Project-based learning is one of the central components of performing arts education within the Department of Dance, Music & Theatre. When faculty artists and student artists collaborate as choreographers, composers, directors, designers, dancers, musicians, and actors, students have opportunities to develop knowledge and skills in realistic ways, preparing them for the diverse production experiences they will encounter after graduation. As a member of The Life of Galileo ensemble, I look forward to applying my professional training and experience to help strengthen student learning; promote learner success; and bring a special and relevant story to life on the university stage.
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention hosted the Out of the Darkness Community Walk in Arcata with 230 registered walkers on Sept. 10th. Attendees shared their stories with one another, walking in solidarity. The walk consisted of a two mile loop around Arcata, passing by Cal Poly Humboldt and Arcata High School.
According to AFSP.org, the organization was formed in 1987 by a group of families who lost loved ones to suicide. The organization teamed up with researchers investigating suicide prevention and how suicide affects those left in its wake. This years Out of the Darkness Walk helped raise $17,393, which will help fund suicide prevention research, according to AFSP.org. The goal of these walks is to bring together those who have suffered loss, considered suicide, or have a desire to help the cause of suicide awareness and prevention. The walks are a place for a community to come together and have a welcoming place to discuss their stories.
Staff Psychotherapist and Suicide Prevention Coordinator for Counseling & Psychological Services at Cal Poly Humboldt Nassie Danesh was in attendance for Sunday’s walk. Danesh joined the walk to honor those who have died by suicide and to bring hope to the community. She wants people to be aware of the resources available on campus for students who may be struggling. According to Danesh, enrolled students have access to short term psychotherapy, single session therapy (SST) and crisis intervention at CAPS on campus.
“As a psychotherapist, my goal is to support those who suffer from suicidality, suicide ideation and mental health and to increase the community’s awareness about suicide,” Danesh said. “Connection is one of the most important factors to save lives.”
Heather Freitas, a member of AFSP and chair of the walk for the Arcata event since its origin in 2015, offered information about potential local resources for those in the Humboldt community. Freitas listed the Department of Health and Human Services and United Indian Health Services as some of the local resources for people who strive to seek help. She spoke about the Suicide Crisis Lifeline at 988, something that she described as a great resource that is available 24 hours a day. Freitas explained why she walks.
“I walk in honor of my dad and friends that I’ve lost by suicide,” Freitas said. “I’ve lost six people by suicide.”
Christina Huntress, the area director for the San Francisco/Bay area chapter was present at the event. Huntress shared some history of AFSP and the story of how she got involved in the movement. Speaking to the large crowd, Huntress explained how she lost a close friend named Eric to suicide, which drove her to get involved in suicide prevention. She explained how the walks open up a needed dialogue, revealing that she had not known that her mother struggled for over 30 years in silence until her first walk with fellow family members.
“I walked to honor Eric that day, but I keep walking because of the conversations that I had at that very walk,” Huntress said. “And at that walk that day, I learned that my mom struggled for over 30 years in silence, and our family never spoke about her struggle because we didn’t know how to.”
Photo by Alex Anderson. Kyndra Harris kneeling down next to the tribute photo of her sister Kyla Harris, who was lost to suicide.
Kyndra Harris, a first time walker, was happy to see the amount of people that showed up for the event to share their stories. Harris came to the event to show support to those in need and remember her father and older sister who were lost to suicide. Harris left a photo of her sister on the memorial board, with a note dedicated to her late sister, Kyla Harris which read:
“My big sister, Kyla, my biggest inspiration and soulmate. The biggest, most contagious smile that filled any room with a heart of pure gold,” Harris wrote. “Back in her daddy’s arms again.”
As the sun was setting on the Eureka Waterfront, a few people in their boat called out to the festival-goers on the shore. Through shouts across the water, they requested some weed to enjoy on their aquatic cruise. One kind gentleman was more than happy to oblige and passed along a joint to one of the boatmen who swam to shore on his boogie board. This was just one of many instances of communal actions and feelings present at the 2023 Cannifest, which ran from Sept. 9th-10th.
For the first time since the pandemic, a cannabis-centric festival returned to Humboldt county with the three-day celebration of the plant and the culture surrounding it through Cannifest. Primarily run and organized by Joe Moran and Steve Gieder, the festival was a hit to those who love to spark, smoke, eat and other methods of enjoying weed. There was no lack of colorful and engaging sights with plenty of music, food, art, activities and of course, cannabis.
Day 1
For some, the Cannifest celebrations began not in Humboldt, but on Friday, Sept. 9th in San Francisco. The Roast and Toast bus tour aspect of Cannifest was helmed by the founder of Humboldt Cannabis Tours, Matt Kurth. He acted as the group’s tour guide, spouting fun facts about the surroundings, as the bus reenacted the pilgrimage many people took following the San Francisco Summer of Love in 1967.
Photo by Andrés Felix Roméro. Snail-Nail Dab Company representative shows off his dab rig that is powered by his Bigfoot statue.
“There’s always a group of people where mainstream society doesn’t work for them,” said Kurth. “Because Summer of Love only lasted three months and fell apart, some of the people still wanted to find a new way of living because they needed it. So, they started the Back to the Land Movement, leaving the city and going to try to find new ways of living out in the country. The first cheap land was northern Mendo and southern Humboldt, that’s why [the people] stopped there”
The bus made stops at Santa Rosa dispensary OrganiCann and the Hopland restaurant Rock Seas. At these stops, the passengers happily shared their buds with each other. The passengers ate lunch and took dabs with fruit pairings to enhance the turpentines. Self-described gonzo journalist Cameron Hussain described the desire for community that many of the passengers and cannabis lovers carry, and the importance of accurate representation of the cannabis community.
“We are contributing to the narrative of the culture just by being here,” said Hussain. “[The community has] been so long underground, we are hungry to connect and enjoy this plant we all love.”
The bus made its final stop for the day at the Red Lion hotel in Eureka so that the passengers could get ready for the first true party of the weekend, the Cannifest Gala at the historic Eureka Theater. At the Gala, there was cannabis history trivia, the winners of the Cannifest competitions were announced, and the night ended with performances by local artists such as Flow J. Simpson, Eli Fowler, and Object Heavy.
Day 2 and 3
Event Highlights
The Cannifest Festival properly kicked off Saturday, Sept. 9th. Even for any seasoned festival goers, it would be difficult to experience everything the venue and 50-plus booths had to offer. The backdrop of the Eureka Waterfront was soothing to those wanting to enjoy delicious, diverse food from taco trucks and soul food booths with a calm breeze. A favorite by many was a locally owned Native women business, Frybread Love, which offered fry bread topped with lettuce, sour cream, ground beef and chili beans.
Besides people sitting and laughing while eating, many community aspects of the event were present thanks to the constant sharing of cannabis between everyone. Everywhere you looked, there were smiling people passing smoking blunts and joints. Plenty of booths offered free dabs to anyone who came by. One gentle soul only known by Big L was rolling free blunts for any passerby to enjoy.
Photo by Andrés Felix Roméro. Festival-goer dressed as a stoner icon, Towlie from South Park, enjoys quality time with his class piece.
The ability to enjoy the event was diverse. Those with a Sativa high could enjoy the music and dancing, and those with an Indica low had plenty of comfortable seats to enjoy. Katie Dalmasso attended Cannifest after just returning from Burning Man, and remarked how the festival was great to reset following the hectic desert festival.
“What a beautiful way to decompress, coming to a cannabis festival right after [Burning Man],” said Dalmasso. “It’s kind of the same feeling [as Burning Man] but more relaxed, everyone getting together as a community and having fun and supporting each other.”
In many aspects of cannabis culture, feelings and desires for healing are present, which was case-and-point with the arts at the event. Many who were dancing at one of the two stages looked carefree and happy in their outfits that were peak Humboldt. Festival-goers were treated to music by Hip-Hop legendary duo Dead Prez, and Grammy-award winning Reggae rapper Kabaka Pyramid.
Healing and Community Aspects
Besides music, plenty of other art forms were present. There was a series of amazing murals painted with a variety of different techniques as part of an art competition centered on social justice. Other amazing mediums included dancing, paintings on large canvases, and a glassblower doing his work live. There were plenty of activities to participate in, such as massage chairs, yoga and even a mobile barber.
Not suprining to Humboldt and Cannabis culture, the event was welcoming not just to bipeds, but to our four-legged canine friends. As diverse as the arts were in Cannifest, dogs of all breeds and sizes accompanied their owners. One individual brought his best friend Roscoe, and also found healing and solace through cannabis culture following a tumultuous childhood, was Jake “Big Jake” Lawrence, a judge for Cannifest and the founder of the non-profit MedVets.
“My parents used to sell methamphetamine to the cops, I grew up in hell-on-earth, [what] I’ve been through makes most grown men cry,” said Big Jake. “This entire community is part of my larger family. It’s really about the community and supporting the community as a whole that helped [Cannifest] actually exist.”
These feelings of hegemony, community, and love was the endgame of Cannifest founder and executive director, Steve Gieder.
“I think it’s important [we have events like Cannifest] because of so many reasons,” Said Geider, “but one of them is bringing people together socially. The way that we do things like dancing, eating and partaking [in this community]. When people dance together and get loose it takes us back to being primal. It brings us back to who we really are as people and can be and can be an opportunity for people to get comfortable expressing themselves in all these different ways, and that helps us learn and grow together.”
Have you visited Cali Crew Hibachi Grill and Sushi yet? There’s a new food truck serving delicious Japanese cuisine parked in front of Pacific Outfitters in Eureka.
Cali Crew Hibachi Grill and Sushi has only been operating for two months and is the project of Alejandra Romero and Edir Nevaro. They began planning the business last year as a way to have more freedom to be with their young family, while also pursuing their culinary passion.
As I waited in line I could hear crisp sizzling sounds from the grill, sending my belly rumbling. The rich smell of garlic butter that all the meat is cooked in wafted from the kitchen.
The menu boasts grilled steak, chicken, shrimp and even scallop combinations along with a medley of sauces. I had my eyes on the chicken hibachi bowl with a side of spicy mayo and sriracha.
Photo by Maranda Vargas. Alejandra Romero, owner of Cali Crew Hibachi Grill & Sushi, smiling at the order window.
Having only been in business two months, there was already a steady flow of customers. Romero smiled warmly as she handed me my chicken bowl. The bag felt heavy as I carried it away to dig in – always a good sign. Steam billowed out from the bowl as I removed the lid.
Photo by Maranda Vargas. A grilled chicken hibachi bowl from Cali Crew Hibachi Grill & Sushi next to a side of spicy mayo.
There was a generous amount of seasoned grilled chicken on top of rice, lined with fresh broccoli, zucchini, onions and carrots all grilled to perfection. Not mushy, not hard; the perfect al dente. A side of lemon wedge brightened the flavor and with the addition of the sauce, the dish was next level.
Romero’s favorite menu item is a grilled steak hibachi burrito, which can be found on the “secret menu”.
“It’s my favorite,” said Romero. “There is grilled steak, noodles, veggies, rice and a chipotle mayo.”
If you’re craving the experience of a new treat, you can find Cali Crew Hibachi and Sushi at Pacific Outfitters parking lot in Eureka during the week, or at The Bigfoot Taproom on Saturdays.
One of the perks of living in Humboldt County is access to the lush, sprawling redwoods and the coast, both of which are teeming with wildlife and great photo opportunities. With multiple beaches and rivers nearby, it may be tempting to brave the chilly waters with friends. If this is something you are interested in, do so at your own risk.
BLUE-GREEN ALGAE
The most prominent risks you will face in Humboldt’s waters are the blue-green algae in lakes and rivers, and rough currents and sneaker waves in the ocean. Blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, is something to watch out for during warmer weather in Humboldt. Its growth is fostered by nitrogen or phosphorus, which can be spread by runoff from cities during rainstorms. It can turn the water into a variety of colors and is more likely to bloom in slow-moving or still water at warmer temperatures, but it can also grow in the ocean with the right conditions.
It can also be incredibly toxic to you and your pets if ingested. The Associate Dean of Marine Operations at Cal Poly Humboldt, Rick Zechman, says that even eating clams, oysters or mussels that have ingested toxic blue-green algae can have serious consequences.
“If you eat something that’s been concentrating Alexandrium or another toxic [genus of algae], your tongue starts to go numb, and your throat can become somewhat paralyzed, and it can cause you to stop breathing,” Zechman said. “ It can make you really sick, like vomiting and diarrhea. It can cause short-term memory loss. That’s where this idea of amnesic shellfish poisoning comes from.”
While blue-green algae isn’t always toxic, there is no way to identify when it is or isn’t. Stay away from the water if it has a bad smell, is discolored, has green foam or mats on the surface, or there are many dead fish or animals nearby.
SNEAKER WAVES
While Humboldt’s beaches offer plenty to explore, it is critical to keep a close eye on the waves. Sneaker waves, which appear suddenly and move very fast, are only seen in Northern California, Canada and Australia. Bridget Nichols, the Associate Director for Campus Recreation, emphasizes the importance of having awareness of your surroundings at the beach.
“If people aren’t keeping their eye on the ocean, they don’t really know the power and the impact,” Nichols said. “Trying to run away from a sneaker wave on a really steep beach – such as a place where you might go agate hunting or something like that – it’s going to be very different than at Moonstone Beach, where it’s a flat beach and you’re able to move a lot quicker through the sand.”
Photo by Griffin Mancuso. A sign warning visitors of the risks they face by standing on the jetty at the Samoa Dunes Recreation Area.
Tamara Barriquand, an assistant professor in oceanography and physics, explains the science behind sneaker waves and why they are more of a concern at steeper beaches.
“As a wave is coming into shore, it behaves as what we call a deep water wave. And then as it gets below, half the wave, like the depth… it’s now a transitional wave that’s starting to feel the bottom,” Barriquad said. “And so if that gets really shallow, really fast, all that energy is getting pushed up into the wave. And so you can get this wave that can get generated very, very big very, very quickly.”
Sneaker waves are strong enough to knock you over and pull you into the ocean. These can occur no matter how calm the ocean appears.
COLD WATER AND RIP CURRENTS
The immediate concerns while swimming are the cold temperatures and rip currents. When the body is suddenly submerged in cold water, it can go into cold shock, which causes temporary muscle paralysis. Nichols strongly recommends wearing a life jacket when going kayaking or rafting in rivers.
“When you first fall in the water your immediate reaction is to do a big inhale of breath and if you’re underwater, you can easily choke. So [the life jacket] is buying you time to get over and cough… it’s buying you time to orient yourself to your boat and get back to it. And if you can’t get back inside of the boat, it’s buying you time when your muscles stop working for a second.”
Grace Oliva, the Assistant Outdoor Program Coordinator and US Sailing Instructor for Center Activities, explains how rip currents are formed.
“There will be a small divot in the beach right where the shoreline is, right where the water meets the sandy part. Over time, that can actually cause a deeper section in the beach… So when the water comes up on the beach from a wave, water always likes to go the path of least resistance and if it can go faster [or] farther, it will.”
Thankfully, it is possible to identify rip currents from the beach. Barriquand describes the visual signs to look out for, including white foamy water that builds up and is pulled out beyond the breaking waves, resulting in a noticeable difference in coloration between sections of water.
“The other thing you’ll see is right where the rip current is going, there won’t be any waves breaking in that location,” Barriquand said.
Rip currents are often dangerous not because of their strength, but because swimmers don’t know what to do in a rip current. If you find yourself caught in a rip current, Gracie Oliva strongly discourages students from trying to escape or swim against it.
“You kind of just ride it like a lazy river,” Oliva said. “And then once you’re out of it, you’ll feel it. You’ll pretty much stop moving as much and then you can swim parallel to shore, and then you can swim into shore.”
If your friend or pet is caught in a rip current, attempting to rescue them can also put you in danger.
TSUNAMIS
The least common but most dangerous beach hazard is tsunamis. While living in earthquake country puts Humboldt at a higher risk of experiencing tsunamis, they can sometimes be caused by other events, including landslides and storms. While tsunamis can travel from far across the ocean, they are easier to spot as they approach the shore.
“If the water got really, really low really, really fast, then you’re seeing the trough of the tsunami,” Barriquand said. “And behind that is going to be a big wall of water.”
If you notice these signs at the beach, head to high ground immediately.
When planning a trip to the beach, take the tide into account to prevent yourself from getting stranded, and read the surf report if you plan on going swimming. Be aware of cliffs and sudden drops while hiking near the beach and never turn your back on the waves once you’re on the shore.
If you are traveling somewhere with no reception, tell someone where you will be. In the water, a wetsuit or life jacket is recommended even for experienced swimmers. Most beaches in Humboldt will have blue signs detailing the potential hazards there and how to handle them. In the rare case of a tsunami, learn your local evacuation routes.
If you have driven through Eureka, you have probably seen at least one spectacular mural along your travels. The beyond life size artwork peeks out from historic buildings all the way to bridge pilings, overpasses, park benches and sidewalks. The Eureka Street Art Festival is a week-long event where local and international artists transform public spaces into an immersive art experience for the community.
The quaint coastal town of Eureka boasts a historic district known as Old Town that’s nestled by Humboldt Bay. Old Town is filled with Victorian era architecture and a variety of art galleries, unique shops, bookstores and a myriad of locally crafted fare. Art installations and murals have become part of the Old Town ambience since its designation as a California Cultural Arts District.
In 2017, The Black Faun Gallery commissioned two large murals to be created in Old Town. The buzz and interest in the new murals had created an opportunity for further art tourism to the area. Seeing an interest from the community, Michelle Cartledge, Swan Asbury and Jenna Catsos created the Eureka Street Art Festival the very next year.
“We saw a desire for murals in the area and we realized that this could really benefit the community,” said Catsos. “We work to make sure that everyone who passes through Eureka can see themselves in the artwork that we present in the city.”
The festival just completed its sixth year and has added at least 100 new murals to Eureka since its induction. Catsos says one of her passions is to help develop the next generation of mural artists locally, as well as artists of other media transferring their skills into becoming a mural artist. The festival website has information on how to apply to be an artist as well as an apprenticeship program.
Photo by Maranda Vargas. ‘Tortured Beauty’ by Artist Tony Diaz for the 2021 Eureka Street Art Festival.
Local artist Tony Diaz of Ripe Mind Productions has created several murals for the festival. Diaz graduated from Humboldt State University with a degree in the Arts, with printmaking and graphic design being his focus at that time. It wasn’t until later that he would transform his printmaking skills into a new passion of painting murals. Diaz created his first mural for the 2019 Eureka Street Art Festival. After the first mural, his interest snowballed into a career.
The vibrant mural titled ‘Cruising for a groovin’ featured in this year’s festival was one of Diaz’ creations. Diaz invited his fiancé and younger sister to be on his painting crew for the event. The larger than life mural took the crew a week of ten-hour days to complete. Diaz as a college student was uncertain if he was going to be successful having a career as an artist.
Photo by Maranda Vargas. ‘Cruising for a Groovin”painted by Artist Tony Diaz for the Eureka Street Art Festival.
“It’s all about putting yourself out there and just really not giving up,” Diaz said. “If you really want to do it, you’re gonna find that you can make as much money if you just take the leap, and sometimes it’s great to take the leap.”
The Eureka Street Art Festival commissions both local and international artists to create murals throughout Eureka. The mission of the project is to create accessible art while enlivening public spaces, revitalizing the community and attracting art tourism to Eureka.
The murals from this year’s festival have all been completed and are ready for your viewing pleasure. You can find pictures of past murals along with a map of all murals and the names of the artists on the Eureka Street Art Festival website.
I lived on campus for two years without a car. I am now currently living off campus, in another city actually, with a car and I can say without a doubt, to me, living on campus was actually a very nice experience. I will explain why, and I promise it will make sense.
I miss the convenience of living on campus. I could walk across the grounds in ten minutes, which is good because if it’s late at night, and I want to visit a girlfriend, it is not a problem. I felt safe and confident walking long distances across campus.
It’s just about accessibility and location to me; I could easily rest after class, it’s been a long class day but I still have another couple to go. I could chill in my room, change my clothes, eat, maybe get to watch an episode of my favorite TV show and still make it to class EARLY. Campus is also centrally located, making it easy to walk into town or go to the grocery store. You can explore and get in some exercise, two birds with one stone.
Living off-campus makes me long for the redwoods. Living on-campus allowed me to go on a hike between classes. I am in the redwoods after all, and it is amazing that we have trails here in our backyard when living in the dorms.
I also feel like most on-campus quarrels begin with sharing a room. For many, it’s their first time doing so. I’ve been used to sharing a room my whole life, so it was never an issue for me. Having an older sister really prepared me for any roommate, as I learned how to communicate efficiently, calmly and just learned to let some things go. Yes, you may get a bunk, or a roommate, but at least if you’re locked out, someone can let you in.
Of course, living on-campus does require you to make some compromises, like the fire alarms. They do not stop unless an RA comes and calls someone else. With maintenance requests, they did do good work when requested, with the work being done quickly and efficiently. Also one of the maintenance men was really cute. I miss that.
Okay, hear me out on this one, in a way, you save money, because you have to buy less. If you are anything like me – I sincerely hope you are not – then a trip to Target for one thing turns into buying so much that I need a UHaul to bring it back, and guess what? There is no room in the dorms for all of that stuff. So, it keeps me from buying an insane amount of junk, which I have been doing since moving off-campus. I apparently need 6 pillows and 40 wooden bowls, because I’m into the look of wood currently. I love wood, wooden bowls, wooden plates, just wood.
At the end of the day, for me it is all about nostalgia. Campus was the first place I lived by myself, without my parents. The convenience and accessibility campus gave me makes me miss it now.
I hated living on-campus. The mold, the roommates, the noise? I only lived on-campus for a year, but I could never go back. Don’t get me wrong, if you have no other choices, I get it – I really do – but other than that, no thanks.
I don’t get why anyone would want to put themselves in a situation where they have to slum it with a shit-ton of other people when they could have their own space. I’m not paying 10k+ a year to live in half of a room with no private bathroom for 7 months, when I can pay half that and have a house year-round (AND MY OWN ROOM).
I lived in campus apartments on the ground floor, which meant I would wake up with ants crawling on me, and get sick at least once a month from the mold. Not to mention my roommate had the opposite schedule as me, staying up until 3 A.M. laughing and talking while I was trying to sleep, because I had practice at 6am the next day.
It was nearly impossible to fit all of the things I needed into my dorm room, considering we’re given such little space for our objects. Sharing a regular sized closet between two people and having no other space besides under our beds was obnoxious, and anytime I needed anything new I had no idea how I was going to fit it.
Off-campus is significantly nicer because I’m able to be in charge of my own spaces, I don’t have to share a room, and I have a private bathroom. I also got to choose my own roommates (shout out to them), which means no more randoms that make life extremely more difficult.
I will end by saying this: I spent my last 3 months of on-campus living on my friend’s couch walking a half mile each way to school so I didn’t have to share a room with my roommate and deal with the dorm space. It isn’t worth it to live on-campus.
Under the indie music umbrella lies the popular eccentric duo, Sylvan Esso. The band fuses electronic, folk and pop. Originally from Durham, North Carolina, singer Amelia Meath (35) and producer Nick Sanborn (40) played in Humboldt County for the first time at Cal Poly’s Van Duzer Theatre on August 28th. The band formed in 2013 and released their debut self-titled album a year later. Since then, they married in 2016 and have released five albums.
I was beside myself when I heard them playing “Die Young” from their second album, “What Now,” as I walked through the doors during soundcheck backstage. Being the fan I am, I immediately started singing and dancing on my way to my seat.
People of all ages – from kids to adults – were there grooving along. The stadium was packed. A lady tapped me on my shoulder and asked if her daughter could stand on my seat. I was happy to give her a better view, so I grabbed my things and b-lined to the balcony.
At the balcony, my favorite song, “Dress,” off their first album, started playing. The theater’s acoustics emanated the howling songbird of Meath’s voice and the crunching technicolor synth of Sanborn.
The funky duo that makes up Sylvan Esso fits in perfectly with Humboldt’s eccentric culture. Meath sported a bleached mullet and wore a leather two-piece and accompanying mesh gown at the beginning of the show that gave her an appearance similar to a singing phantom. Sanborn’s brown khakis and oversized long-sleeved shirt reminded me of the outfits you’d see freshman wear in the Canyon dorms. At one point, Meath disappeared backstage during one of Sanborn’s solos, only to reappear in an outfit that resembled a giant multicolored loofah, in which she danced happily.
Meath’s dance moves showed her skills not only as a singer, but a performer as well, invoking infectious feelings of freedom. There was a lovely moment between the married artists where Meath couldn’t help but smile as she sung their songs and stared into her partner’s eyes.
The set had a delightful amount of variety. It could be loud and poppy or could slow down and swoon the audience hypnotically. The dreamy kaleidoscopic lights and visuals kept up with the mood of the set.
Concert-goer Mike Hanson and his partner were visiting Arcata for the first time from Brooklyn, NY. Hanson has been a fan for a decade.
“Since it was at a college, we didn’t know what we were walking into,” Hanson said.
He was giggling while scanning the crowd of students and realized he was the same age as them ten years ago, when he would blast Sylvan Esso’s first album in his car smoking a blunt.
Nostalgia is why Allison Walstrom came to the show. “Die Young” brought tears to her eyes as it reminded her of her ex. She cringed and laughed.
“When you think about it, what a twisted relationship song,” Walstrom said.
Walstrom moved to Humboldt County in 2005 and pointed out how this was the first time it felt like a show from back in the day in Humboldt. I couldn’t agree more. Once the black market cannabis industry began its descent around six years ago, the big names in music rarely came anymore because Humboldt’s economy declined.
The university is finally reawakening Humboldt’s music scene again. At the end of last semester, I was excited to see a long-time favorite band, Portugal the Man, in the parking lot behind the Gist Hall. Another big name, Thundercat, will be playing soon at the Van Duzer Theatre on September 29th. Safe to say, people are looking forward to crushing good music again in Humboldt County.
What is schizophrenia? According to the American Psychiatric Association, schizophrenia affects less than 1% of the population. It is a chronic brain disorder with symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations and disorganized speech.
I got lucky. I got my diagnosis at the young age of 22, and the mental health system worked in my favor. This is not the case for most, and I want to raise awareness of that. Oftentimes, people suffer from symptoms for years without a diagnosis. Often they are gaslit or belittled. Being called crazy isn’t fun. That’s what I heard the lady next to me in the psych ward at Mad River Hospital say. She was right. It’s not fun, but getting help when you’re not in the right headspace is important. The stigma around mental health, schizophrenia specifically, needs to change. We should be treating those in distress with compassion because mental health can be a difficult topic to approach, especially if it’s regarding a loved one.
The first time I was put on a 5150 hold was because Sergeant Martin of the university police noticed that I wasn’t acting like myself. I misplaced my phone at the Student Activity Center, convinced someone had stolen it. I was telling him things like the person who took my phone put recording devices in my room, and that someone was out to get me. He transported me to Mad River Hospital, where I was put on a 5150 hold; involuntarily held there for my own safety. They ran some tests to make sure I wasn’t on drugs; my paranoia was high and I thought that the oxygen tank in my hospital room was going to explode. I could hear a ticking coming from a camera on the wall that was in sync with my heartbeat. They released me to my dad after one night.
The peak of my psychosis was the night after I was released from Mad River. I took a sleeping pill – never again. I walked and ran three miles from my house barefoot, thinking that someone had planted bombs all over Redwood Valley and that everything I loved would be blown to smithereens. Thank goodness a kind samaritan saw me hopping the fence to the freeway and called the authorities. My dad is a first responder and he told me that was the most fucked-up call he’d ever been on. I tore up my feet and traumatized my father that night.
The next day my parents took me to Ukiah Adventist and they put me on my second 5150 hold. I believe I should have gone straight to a psychiatric facility, but my feet were hurt pretty bad. I guess it made sense to keep me in the hospital for a couple of days, but the hallucinations I experienced there were unsettling. It felt like I lived through a horror movie. I could hear the happenings of what I believed to be a torture chamber in the room next to me. When I was finally transported – without my consent – I believed my whole family had been cut up and sewn into a big wad of flesh, and that I was being “saved” and sent away to start a new life. It took me about five days, and a lot of sedation, to realize that I had been in psychosis for over a week, having been in a manic episode for months. After months of therapy, I fully realized that what I experienced in the hospital was one big hallucination. When the psychiatrist told me I was schizophrenic and bipolar, everything finally made sense.
In total, I was put on a 5150 hold twice and 5250 once. A 5150 hold lets the facility keep you for 72 hours and 5250 lets them keep you for 14 days. I will say this until I die: 5150 patients should not be kept in hospitals unless they have severe injuries. In my experience, hospitals can be very triggering. It’s an unfamiliar environment; the sounds of the machines and people talking can make someone suffering from psychosis spiral into a worse condition.
Now that I have my diagnosis, have been on medication for six months, been in therapy, I look back on all of my delusions and hallucinations, and I don’t recognize that girl. She needed help, lots of help, but she got it. I’m very thankful for everyone who helped me when I wasn’t myself. I’m also appreciative of myself for being vulnerable enough to admit that I need help and accepting the help that was offered to me.
If you take away anything from my experience, please let it be this: listen to the people around you when they’re trying to help you. Say something if you notice a loved one is behaving strangely. No one has all the answers, especially not a manic college student, but that’s okay. The world is a scary place and sometimes our brains make it scarier, but we have each other and that is what’s most important.
A giant stood on LK Wood. It was twice the height of the men around it, armed with a massive hammer and a demonic scowl. It pointed with a long, curled finger at every soul underneath its gaze, framed by a wooden wig and caterpillar eyebrows. It was a judge, and judge it did.
Photo by Alex Anderson | Members of the carpenters union placed a tall judge statue in front of the Cal Poly Humboldt entrance sign to protest Calyco
“Judgment day is coming,” it said. “Shame on you. Shame, shame, shame!”
No ogre was laying waste to Arcata. It was built as a protest by Local Carpenter’s Union 751 against Clayco, one the companies in the running to bid on the Cal Poly Health, Housing and Dining Infrastructure project, also referred to as #PLY106. The Union and their main goal is to bring the company’s legal issues and history of malpractice to the attention of the campus committee that awards infrastructure projects, and to the community in general.
THE CONSTRUCTION PROJECT
Construction on the Housing, Health, and Dining building is set to begin fall 2024. The new facilities include a new health center and dining hall, and will be able to house roughly 450-500 students. The facilities are planned to be operating by August 2026, or summer 2027 at the latest. The direct construction will cost at least $108.9 million and the guaranteed maximum budget is $131.9 million. The winning contractor will be announced in October of this year.
MALPRACTICE AND WORKING CONDITIONS
In a legally fact-checked letter from Union Local 751 to the CSU Board of Trustees, there is a list that cites Clayco’s history of legal issues due to allegations of malpractice. Clayco has been a defendant in at least 22 cases since March 2000. Since 2010, they have had at least 17 OSHA violations brought against them, resulting in fines around $81,336. Clayco’s legal issues include an active investigation by the Federal government concerning allegations of violating worker’s rights and harassment of union members, a pending case concerning allegations of wage theft, and a wrongful death lawsuit concerning a worker’s death that was settled last year.
OSHA Citation against Clayco documents details on Kirk Smith’s accident
In August 2017, Kirk Smith, an employee of the subcontractor Watson Companies Inc., fell 35 feet to his death while working on the construction of an Ulta Beauty warehouse in Fresno CA. The fall was a result of a weakened roof not being fixed for employees to safely work on, as well as a lack of warnings concerning the stability of the roof. Smith left behind a wife and children, who then sued Clayco along with Ulta and Watson for wrongful death in April 2018. Clayco, along with the other defendants in the case, eventually settled with the Smith family for $5 million in 2022. Attorney Brett D. Beyler, representing Smith’s family, wrote in the court settlement document that the incident was entirely avoidable.
“On August 9, 2017, Kirk Smith (the decedent) arrived at the Project,” Beyler wrote in the settlement document. “He was directed by Watson [Companies Inc.] foreman, Mr. Rabideau, to cut out the membrane and insulation on top of the metal decking. As Mr. Smith was cutting the membrane and insulation out with a hand knife, the weakened metal decking gave way like a trap door, causing Mr. Smith to fall nearly 40 feet to his death. This incident was entirely avoidable. Unfortunately, due to the negligence of Clayco and NDBS [National Design Build Services], Mr. Smith is no longer alive.”
WAGE THEFT
Decision by US District Judge John Mendez gives background info on allegations of wage theft
Clayco is currently in an active case regarding wage theft. These allegations are brought forth by labor rights organization, The Workforce Defence League (WDL), representing laborers who worked on Amazon Fulfillment Centers in Sacramento and Tracy who say that they have not been compensated for their overtime work or use of their own tools in the construction project.
According to the WDL, the laborers worked 58 hours a week and were promised $20-24 an hour. They weren’t fully paid for their regular or overtime hours, and they didn’t receive their work breaks and only got one meal break. They also didn’t get compensated for the missed breaks.
HARASSMENT OF UNION REPRESENTATIVES
NLRB charge against Clayco for allegations of harassing Union members
Clayco is also under current investigation by the federal government for allegations of violating workers’ rights as well as harassment of union representatives. Two separate documented charges brought against Clayco by the National Labor Relations Board were filed as recently as November 2021. They claim that the contractor unfairly fired a subcontractor from their position, and attempted to prevent the Carpenter’s Union from conducting their activities by barring them from Clayco properties and instructing Clayco employees to limit contact with Union representatives. Additionally, videos on the Local 751-run website, Claycofails.com, show alleged harassment of Union organizers. One instance alleges that a Clayco foreman followed and videotaped an organizer.
“[Clayco] interfered with the exercise of protected rights by firing a Union signatory subcontractor when Union Agents tried to access the site,” one document read.
“[Clayco] interfered with the exercise of protected rights by calling the police when the Union tried to access the job site, surveilled and videotaped Union agents and ordered workers not to talk to the Union,” according to the other document.
CLAYCO’S RESPONSE
In an email, Clayco’s Vice President of Marketing and Communications Sarah Green forwarded a statement from Clayco’s legal team. The statement said that Clayco is the target of a campaign of Union harassment. The statement made the case that the Union has no legal right to access any Clayco properties and that the Union’s ultimate goal is to get Clayco to sign a collective bargaining agreement with them.
“Since 2021, [Union members] have filed 11 unfair labor practice charges against Clayco with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB),” according to the email. “8 out of these 11 charges have either been withdrawn or dismissed, and the remaining three charges will go to hearing in October [2023]. Nor does the [Union] report that the NLRB matters arise from the [Union] and/or its members attempting to forcibly enter two Clayco California projects despite having no legal bona fide right to enter those projects – resulting in them having to be removed by police.”
Labor Counsel for Clayco, Andrew Martone, adds that no one affiliated with Clayco has brought charges against the company through the National Labor Relations Board, and that any Federal investigation against Clayco is a result of Union actions only.
“No Clayco employee and no employee at any Clayco worksite has filed a complaint with the NLRB,” said Martone. “Charges brought are by the [Union], and they don’t represent any Clayco employee.”
Court document provided by Clayco that has been given a red flag by Westlaw
Green also stated that the Union has been misleading in their campaign.
“The [Union] misleads the reader to believe OSHA citations were issued against Clayco that were in fact issued to other entities,” said Green, “and reports OSHA Citations without informing the reader that OSHA found no violations existed.”
However, Lumberjack reporters were able to find OSHA violation documents concerning the death of Kirk Smith. Clayco shared a court statute with Lumberjack writers that documented tactics by the Union. However, the statute was labeled as “amended, repealed, superseded, or held unconstitutional in whole or part” by Westlaw, a legal research company. Unfortunately, since Lumberjack writers were unable to gain further access to Westlaw files, we are unable to say why it was labeled as such.
UNIVERSITY INVOLVEMENT
Lumberjack writers reached out to Procurement Specialist, Addie Dunaway of Contracts and Procurement department of Cal Poly Humboldt, as well as Humboldt Director Planning, Design & Construction, Kassidy Banducci of the Facilities Management Department. Both expressed a desire to comment, but were limited in their ability to speak as the bidding process is still active. Any comment on Clayco’s involvement from Cal Poly Humboldt staff and admin could violate legal obligations, as well as compromising fairness to the other three potential contractors.
University documents confims that Clayco, Sundt, and Swinerton are three companies on the shortlist for the #PLY106 contract. A fourth potential bidder is currently unconfirmed. The Union has also sent a letter to the Board of Trustees concerning Sundt’s history of malpractice.
Communications Specialist with the News and Information department, Grant Scott-Goforth, shared some information on the infrastructure project, though he was unable to comment on any allegations brought against potential contractors.
“The Committee remains diligent in their work towards a fair and equitable evaluation process governed under the provisions of the law in the state of California,” according to a statement released by the University. “Cal Poly Humboldt is committed to its responsibility under California regulations for public work projects and the better good of the construction industry. Any information regarding the performance or behaviors of proposing firms will be considered against CSU policies and State regulations.”
UNION AWARENESS
Union Organizers from Local 751 spread awareness to the campus community about where their money may be going—especially the funds that students give to the school as part of their tuition.
“How has a contractor with this history got this close to a major project?” said Harvey McKeon, a field representative for the Union. “Which, at the end of the day, is [funded by] public money, and it’s also by extension student’s money, and [the students] should have some sort of control and say over how that money is spent.”
The organizers from Local 751 want to make it clear that although they are a union, their endgame isn’t to try and have a union-backed construction company be awarded the contract. Rather, they want to ensure that a company with multiple legal issues and allegations of malpractice isn’t able to gain a foothold in the community and public works projects, and to try and create a better and safer working environment for all laborers.
“As a union, our recent track record has been to lift standards for workers whether they’re union or non-union,” McKeon said. “The reason why we are seeking to generate awareness about Clayco is because we want to draw attention to what Clayco does to workers that we don’t formally represent, but we care about their working conditions.”
Beyond a desire to bring Clayco’s past and current legal issues to light and try to create safer environments for workers, some organizers such as McKeon feel a personal responsibility to ensure a safe working environment for both contractors and the community at large due to their personal experience as a worker without union support. The union also wants those at Cal Poly Humboldt that awards infrastructure projects like #PLY106 and potential contractors that there must be precedence for companies rooted in ethics.
“I’ve been in jobs before I was a labor union organizer where I didn’t have anyone looking out for me because I wasn’t in a union, and I don’t think that’s a reason why you shouldn’t have people not look out for you,” McKeon said. “We’re trying to represent [all laborers] even if they’re not currently union members. It’s like trying to plant a tree whose shade you may never sit in.”
Editing note:
On Sept. 6, this article was edited to clarify that Clayco’s Vice President of Marketing and Communications Sarah Green shared Clayco’s statement from legal team with a reporter via email. The statement made the case that Clayco is the target of a campaign of Union harassment and that the Union has no legal right to access any Clayco properties and that the Union’s ultimate goal is to get Clayco to sign a collective bargaining agreement with them.
The article was also edited to remove reference to a contractor who’s bid on the project could not be confirmed.
By Peyton Leone and Carlina Grillo and Christina Mehr
The California State University Board of Trustees will vote on the Multi-Year Tuition Proposal on Sept. 13. If passed, tuition at all CSU campuses would rise by 6% for five years starting fall 2024 until fall 2028.
On Thursday Aug. 31 Cal Poly Humboldt’s Associated Students held a meeting to inform students about the tuition increase proposal. There were more than 30 people in attendance.
Photo by Jillian Wells. Students and staff gather at the Tuition Increase Town Hall on Aug. 31.
“The 6% increase covers all of the different levels of education,” said Amber Blakeslee, Executive Director of Finance and Budget at Cal Poly Humboldt. “So that’s undergraduate, credential and graduate student tuition. It also covers in-state tuition, out-of-state tuition, and the graduate business professional fees.”
For example, the proposal would raise the tuition rate of an in-state full-time undergraduate degree from the current $5,742 to $7,682 in fall 2028, a 34% increase over the first five years. This does not include the fees for each campus, which vary. This semester full-time student fees at Cal Poly Humboldt totaled $2,170.
The CSU system is funded from two main sources: tuition and state funding.
CSU reported in a document titled the “Sustainable Financial Model Workgroup Report” that there was a nearly $1.5 billion gap between money the system received and the costs to keep the CSU system running in 2021-2022.
The same report concluded that “even with aggressive assumptions about increases in-state general fund and tuition” would not be enough to close the gap.
The California State Student Association, a nonprofit group representing nearly 500,000 CSU students, unanimously voted to oppose tuition increases according to AS president, Sam Parker.
“The proposal lacks measurable outcomes, a clear termination date, and fails to articulate plans for generating other revenue sources,” CSSA said in a July 11 press release.
According to the Multi-Year Tuition Proposal, 60% of students at the CSU system would not be affected by increases. Their attendance is covered by the Cal Grant, Pell Grant or tuition waivers.
The proposal notes that increases will exceed the maximum Pell Grant award by over $280 by the 2028-2029 school year, and that Cal Grant may not rise to cover tuition raises into the future given.
Photo by Jillian Wells. Peggy Metzger, Director of Financial Aid, (left) addressing questions by Nova Presley (right) at the Tuition Increase Town Hall on Aug. 31.
“It discourages me from even wanting to continue through school,” said sophomore Sonny Buckner after the town hall meeting, noting that affording school and finding housing were affecting his time as a freshman. “…I barely even passed all my classes. It’s ridiculous that these are the things I have to put my priorities on when I came here to be a student.”
Cal Poly Humboldt’s Lacrosse team is celebrating its 40th year as an official club on campus. The team has grown in size to be the largest they have ever been, with nearly 30 members. They practice three days a week, yet still ensure that their athletes can prioritize school and keep the sport fun.
Head Coach Danny Eggert has been a part of the team for the past three years and is excited about the growth of the team. He’s looking forward to the improvement of the team and wants to see the players do the best they can.
“[The] goal [is] to win,” Eggart said. “To do better than before.”
Eggart is proud of the team’s club status and has no plans to push for the team to be a part of the NCAA sports. For now, their club is to hang out and have fun, and not be a job for his athletes.
Sophomore geology major and athlete Luca Ricci has been on the team since he came to Cal Poly Humboldt. Going into his second year, he is excited for the prospects of the upcoming season.
“I’m on the lacrosse team because I love the teamwork,” Ricci said. “We have a brotherhood on and off the field.”
Assistant Coach Gus Johnson himself used to be on the team from 2008-2011 and has been coaching since 2020. Though they are still early into their pre-season, he is excited for the competition coming into their upcoming season.
“It’s early, it’s the off-season,” Johnson said, “but playoffs are definitely the target this year.”
The team only had four athletes graduate out last year, and have eight to ten coming in. Their main goal for this season is to make it to the playoffs, try their best, while still having fun and making sure they aren’t overloading their students.
“We try to respect that they’re students first, it’s college and we want them to have fun,” Johnson said. “It means a lot. These guys have been here forever and to be consistent and still fill the team, it really speaks to how much these students care about it and want to play.”
With 40 years as a club, the team has made a name for themselves, continuing to grow and enjoy the space they have on campus. Anyone is welcome to join the club and can apply online under the recreational sports section of the Humboldt website.
“Hopefully, we come out as a winning team to represent 40 years of hard work.” Eggart said. “We have possibly 30 right now on the roster, so having numbers on there is amazing.”
I wish I could start this article with a funny anecdote about a billboard I once saw somewhere. I wish I could remember something about the giant ads on the side of the road that beg for your dollar with flaking stock photos of smiling people, content with their decisions to consume product X. That would make an incredible comparison to Cal Poly Humboldt’s website, but the problem is that they’re both too boring and too similar for it to even be clever.
The fonts are huge. The slogans are worn and used. It’s completely uninformative, incredibly boring, and entirely useless. It’s a 2.5 second elevator pitch meant for the uninitiated, the outsiders. What’s the real difference between a beer ad featuring a picture of a frosty bottle 12 feet tall and a glamor shot of a redwood on campus?
The website as it is designed now is simply the front-facing outlet for the administration’s constant hunger for more; more money, more students, more buildings, a Moloch filled with an evil lust. Very little is there for the current students, unless they figure out how to navigate its byzantine backrooms. Want an easy answer for when tuition is due? Good luck. How about some information about major requirements or how scholarships are processed? Have fun banging your head on your desk after searching relentlessly for an hour for an easy answer. How do I add a minor? Go fuck yourself.
The answers to so many really important questions aren’t on the website at all, as I’ve found out too many times, but trapped in the heads of some advisor I didn’t even know I had or a luddite department chair with an allergy to answering emails. Instead of taking the time to make a well-linked, easy to use website with simple answers to common questions for students, the website is filled with factoids about platitudes such as how many alumni graduate with practical experience or how strong the campus community is. Who cares? Whoever designed the damned thing made it really easy to find information about energy-saving programs that have long since gone broke or their supposed commitment to “inclusive excellence,” but not crucial need-to-know things for, say, disabled students or people here on a WUE scholarship.
If the website had simply always been this way, maybe there would be an excuse. Maybe it got grandfathered in, unable to face the challenges of a polytechnic with a lot of outside interest to the tune of over 20,000 applicants for this fall semester. However, it got redone this year, with brand-new typefaces and different photos, updated housing pages and a clearer “Purpose and Vision” page, whatever that means. Current students were not consulted on what they would have liked done with it outside of purely aesthetic choices, buried in a survey launched in one of dozens of official emails most students get.
It’s sad. It would be so nice if it was completely redesigned, with actual input from students beyond simple feedback on logos designed by East Coast marketing firms. There should be a focus on making the important stuff people want to know very clear. The website should function beyond mere solicitation. I hope there’s a push to change that. Make the big paragraph on the homepage claiming to “help you find the answers” true.
One morning, I was finishing up one of my mundane tasks at work when I overheard a discussion between my manager and a customer. The customer was a travel nurse and was stationed up here for the summer. Of course, the follow-up question to that information was, “Where are you from?” in response she goes, “Florida”.
That answer was a bit shocking to me. I’ve met people from New Jersey, Texas and even Canada up here – but Florida? My manager asked her how she enjoyed her time up here and through a slight chuckle she responded, “Well this is the most Florida place I’ve ever been to in California.”
At this point I had to laugh with her. I was never posed with a comparison that happened to be so spot on. It’s remained on my mind since then, so today I ask myself, is Arcata really the Florida of California?
I mean to start with the first difference: Arcata will never ever be comparable to the Sunshine State. Our muggy, gray clouds in August will speak for themselves. Although, there are some similarities if we want to look at the landscape. Starting with the lush vegetation, the Everglades and redwoods are quite synonymous. Same with our apex predators, like gators and black bears. We also share the same sandy beaches at close proximity.
I mean, Arcata is no girl’s spring break trip to Miami, but we do have lots of tourists coming through and even some hotties, if you’re into ecological preservation and bare feet – another shared similarity between the two vacation destinations but for completely different reasons. If you’re not near a beach, I don’t want to see those toes.
There seems to be many more similarities between the two; crazy amounts of drug peddling and always being able to count on the most insane conversation to be initiated between you and some stranger that approaches you on the street. Can’t forget the wannabe rappers that seem to be coming out of the woodwork all the time. Also, how both destinations seem to be a top pick for retirement communities.
I believe that one of the biggest similarities you can find between Florida and Arcata is that you can almost always expect the local headlines to hold the same zany crime bookings that are shared between the two coastal regions.
Any headline beginning with ‘Florida Man’ or ‘Humboldt Man’ can always promise the most insane crime story you’ll ever read. Must have something to do with the beaches and far right extremists that shack up on both coasts.
A quick peruse of Orlando Fox 35’s website under the keywords ‘Florida Man’ brings up cases such as a man dunking a woman’s head in tar, another throwing a barbecue at deputies and one stealing a hearse from a funeral home. You may think these are as crazy as it can get, but have you seen the recent headlines in the Lost Coast Outpost?
Let me entertain you with a few: The confiscation of 2,400 tabs of acid, a man setting fire to another man in Eureka, and my personal favorite, the man found with a handgun that was the size of a credit card along with drug paraphernalia.
Along with the crime, we can’t forget about the universities. Although there’s a few more to choose from in Florida than the small city of Arcata, I think they hold the same results of anticipation for students – to only be let down once they arrive. We can also count on the humidity to ruin your cute outfits and hair in both places.
All in all I think that anonymous travel nurse was right, Arcata is the most Florida place in California. Fresno may be the runner-up in reference to the crazies, but who vacations in Fresno?
Three new individuals with years of experience in education and community service have been selected for the roles of Dean of Students, Dean for the College of Extended Education and Global Excellence, and the Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Success. Hailing from all corners of the nation, these leaders are here to accept the challenge to provide support to the academic institution and its community from their respective roles and offices.
Dr. Mitch Mitchell – Dean of Students
Fresh Dean of Students (DOS), Dr. Mitch Mitchell, began his position in Spring of 2023. He made his first major appearance in his role in the commencement ceremony. Mitchell wants to provide support to the students in any way he can to ensure their best chances of success.
“[My focus is] anything outside of the academic environment,” said Dr. Mitchell. “What students are thinking, what they’re passionate about, what they’re feeling, what they’re doing. I help cultivate whole students that are holistic that can go out and make a difference in this world.”
Dr. Mitchell wants to focus on supporting and expanding cultural centers on campus such as ITEPP and Umoja, as well as ensuring that this community is safe for students to be able to get their education and enjoy themselves.
“My goal is to make Cal Poly [Humboldt] the best place to live, learn, and thrive,” said Dr. Mitchell. “It’s ok to be your authentic self and be different. You’ll find people here that are part of your community here, so this is a place for everybody.”
Dr. Mitchell came of age with many of the odds stacked against him.
“I grew up with a survivor mentality,” said Dr. Mitchell. “I grew up in [Washington] D.C. during a tumultuous time, the height of the crack epidemic and it was the murder capital.”
Dr. Mitchell credits his introduction to higher education and the guidance of his fraternity brothers to smoothing out his rougher edges, and for providing a space where he felt safe to be his authentic self.
A lover of the outdoors, Dr. Mitchell wanted to come to Humboldt due to the lovely nature in the area. When he first visited Humboldt in Spring of 2023, he fell in love with the energy of the area. He noted that it wasn’t just the redwood backdrop, but the people of Humboldt that added to his love of this community.
“From the moment I stepped into Humboldt County, I felt the energy and people pouring into me.” said Dr. Mitchell. “When you come here and you feel the energy and you feel the love, it changes you, and you realize the difference from [other communities] is that it’s really an oasis here.”
From his first visit to the campus in April 2023, many noted his sharp suits and outfits, many of which have the school colors. When asked about his style, Dr. Mitchell explained that dressing sharp is essentially in his DNA.
“Fashion is an art form and a way to express yourself,” Dr. Mitchell explained. “It’s like music, it’s like painting. I will say that the [artform] is in my bloodline. My grandfathers on both sides were really some fly people. My father specifically had monogram collared shirts with his initials on them. I would say [fashion is] in me, and it’s on me.”
Dr. Cindy Bumgarner – Dean for the College of Extended Education and Global Engagement
Photo courtesy of Cal Poly Humboldt.
Coming off a position as Assistant Vice Provost for the Division of Undergraduate Education at UC Berkeley, Dr. Cindy Bumgarner became the Dean for the College of Extended Education and Global Engagement (CEEGE) on July 1st.
Dr. Bumgarner and her office focuses on supporting international students and students who study abroad through Global Engagement by offering immigration service support and academic counselors. On the side of Extended Education, Dr. Bumgarner supports graduates in their professional career, as well as students that are returning to their degree following a hiatus.
“I would imagine that some [students] just had life circumstances or needed to go out and do some work,” said Dr. Bumgarner, “or had something happen in their family, and they just really want to get back and complete their degree.”
On top of this, Dr. Bumhgarner and her office are working on developing certificates from the college such as one in IT. Although she has many tasks, she is excited to rise to the challenge. It’s this opportunity for growth and previous vacations to the Humboldt area while teaching at CSU Chico that drove Dr. Bumgarner to take up a position on this campus.
“[Humboldt] was a spot for me to cool off [from Chico in the summers], but I got to know the community and always sort of paid attention to what was going on the campus,” Dr. Bumgarner explained. “So the idea that I could bring a bunch of knowledge and positively contribute to a campus trying to reaminge itself just really appealed to me.”
Dr. Bumgarner is no stranger to intensity, challenge, and being under pressure. In her early college days, Dr. Bumgarner competed in Division I basketball for Indiana State University. It was this time as an athlete that she developed tenacity to prepare her for future challenges.
“The piece I learned from sports,” said Dr. Bumgarner, “is that when you set some goals, even if they’re not fully defined, if you know, ‘I want to help more, I want to do more, I want to contribute more,’ that can lead you in interesting ways.”
These lessons helped her as she was working on her undergraduate degree as well.
“In the educational process it was transformative to me,” said Dr. Bumgarner. “As a young poor kid, to realize that this undergraduate degree was going to completely change my life, and it did.”
Dr. Chrissy Holliday – Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success
Photo courtesy of Cal Poly Humboldt.
The honor of being Cal Poly Humboldt’s newest Vice President goes to Dr. Chrissy Holliday. Although she began her term in the position in January this year, this is her first fall on the Humboldt campus. In her role as the Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success, she is leading the team behind admissions, and continuing to support students that choose Humboldt as their campus to study.
“[We] make sure that our current students have the best experience they possibly can,” said Dr. Holliday, “and they successfully get to graduate and have their careers after that.”
Currently, Dr. Holliday is focusing on the growth of the new Cal Poly, and ensuring the infrastructure is available to sustain that growth. By renovating housing and dining, she aims to improve students’ overall academic experience. Overall, Dr. Holliday wants students to feel at home on the Humboldt campus, similar to how she felt at home in the community when she arrived at Humboldt.
“[Humboldt] feels like home,” said Dr. Holliday. “I want our students to have that same feeling. A lot of what we’re doing is looking at everything from recruitment all the way through graduation and asking, ‘how can we make this a better experience for our students?’”
Dr. Holliday is originally from North Carolina, just outside of Charlotte. For most of her education career, she has been steadily moving westward, working at South Carolina and then Colorado. The opportunity for challenge and growth at Humboldt pushed her to come to Arcata.
“[Cal Poly] Humboldt is poised for growth and greatness in a very different way than most higher-ed institutions right now,” said Dr. Holliday. “It really is the opportunity to be part of something different to help strategize how we serve all students in California.”
Besides professional reasons, Dr. Holliday also had personal reasons to take up a position at California’s newest Cal Poly.
“This place spoke to me a lot,” Dr. Holliday said. “I came here, smelled the ocean…growing up in the South, I had spent a lot of time on the coast. I told my husband that [Humboldt] smells like home.”
Outside of Dr. Holliday’s professional life, Dr. Holliday has a love for the horror genre. Her passion began with books through authors such as Christopher Pike and Stephen King. Her husband later helped to develop a fondness for horror films. One of Dr. Holliday’s favorite horror villains is Damien Thorne of The Omen.
In addition, Dr. Holliday is also an avid fan of music and concerts. One of her favorite experiences with live shows was seeing Nirvana and the Red Hot Chili Peppers perform at the same music festival. Dr. Holliday’s personal favorite show to date was Five Finger Death Punch. Even today, Dr. Holliday tries to make time for music.
“I’m going to one of my bucket list shows later this fall,” said Dr. Holliday. “I’m going to go see Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper!”
Do you like riding your bike? Do you like camping? Why not both! Humboldt county is a great place for beginner bike tourists to hit the road for the weekend to camp in its plethora of campgrounds and extensive open land.
This summer I rode my bike up the coast from Arcata to Crescent City, a total of 80 miles. Any time I go on a bike trip, I often hear people express their desire to do the same but feel like it’s beyond their reach physically or financially. I felt this way until a few years ago, when a group of women at my local bike shop hosted a beginner bikepacking workshop and group ride.
I’ve always been a bike commuter, but the longer mileage was new to me at the time. They lent me the bike bags to store my camping supplies and gave me the assurance I needed to do the ride. I’ve been hooked ever since. To be totally reliant on my own body, with everything I need on my bike, is the most liberating feeling I’ve ever experienced in my short existence.
Photo by Valen Lambert.
The first day of my Crescent City trip, I biked 40 miles up to Elk Prairie Campground in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. Many campgrounds have hike and bike sites for the less vehicular travelers and are as cheap as $5 a night. 40 miles may sound like a lot to some, but if you’re able-bodied, you’ll find that you’re more capable than you think you are.
Think of it this way: on average, a 40 mile day is typically (depending on elevation gain) a four hour ride, mainly spent in awe of the surrounding beauty. Depending on the time of year, that gives you plenty of daylight to take the time you need. The bike does a lot of the work for you, given you have several gears. Pedaling for a while is trance-inducing enough to make you forget you might be hurting. If you require frequent or long breaks, or feel you need to walk your bike at any point, you have every right to. Take some time and get yourself an ice cream, a beer, whatever. You’ve earned it.
The second day was the remainder of the 40 miles to Crescent City, where I stayed with a friend. Biking Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway through Prairie Creek State Park was an unforgettable experience. Redwoods hundreds of feet tall swaying above, a lush and verdant old growth forest stretching in either direction. Going over Last Chance Grade was a bit of a mortality trip to say the least – heavily trafficked, steep, logging truck after logging truck and little to no shoulder. But when you go up a hill, you come down a hill, and that hill is long and electrifying. I had to clean off all the bugs flying into my big fat smile.
Crescent City is a place I never thought I’d be excited to talk about but alas, it’s in close proximity to some of the most beautiful spots I’ve seen on the California coast. The Smith River is the largest undammed river in California; clear, blue, and serene as can be. The Tolowa Dunes provided some enchanting and remote gravel-biking trails. The Pacific is not nearly as threatening of an ocean as it is at many of Humboldt’s beaches – in fact it was rather inviting. Will I live, love, and die in Crescent City? No. Would I write an article about it? Absolutely.
Photo by Valen Lambert.
I don’t think I’d recommend biking to Crescent City for a total beginner, only because of The Grade, but don’t fret because there’s plenty more opportunities for bike-bumming. Sue-Meg State Park is only an easy-breezy 23 mile northerly ride from Arcata, with plenty of hiking and bike sites. Roughly 25 miles north of Arcata is Big Lagoon State Park, equipped with hike and bike sites along, well, a big lagoon. Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park sits on the beautiful Van Duzen River on Highway 36 and is a relatively flat 45 miles away.
First things first, you need a bike. Ideally with a rack on the back where you can hang your bags and strap whatever else on. Bike bags (AKA panniers) are pretty important, and can be found at Revolution Bicycles and Adventures Edge. You’ll also need some relatively lightweight camping gear. I personally just bring a down sleeping bag and an inflatable sleeping mat that I bungee on the top of my back rack, but some like to also pack a single-person backpacking tent.
Not sure if you want to drop some money on them yet? Check in with any camp or bike savvy friends of yours to see if you can borrow gear. Getting your hands on some bike bags and camping gear is your first step to freedom. The second step is to just start pedaling.
Barbie is everything –everyone and their mother was excited for the movie’s July 21st release, myself included. I was not disappointed. I laughed, I cried and I got “Push” by Matchbox Twenty stuck in my head for weeks.
In Barbieland, women can not only be anything; they are everything. The Kens however are simply there; they exist because Barbie exists, only living to get her attention. Ken (Ryan Gosling) himself says that his job is “just beach.” The Barbies believe their existence has solved issues for women, that their ability to be anything and everything in Barbieland extends to women in the real world.
Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie), discovers the truth. She is exposed to the reality that women face each day, discovering that even the company that created her is not run by women. Meanwhile, Ken discovers the reality of being a man in the real world. He feels respected and empowered and someone even asks him what time it is.
Ken brings his new knowledge of the patriarchy to Barbieland. The Kens take over, turn all of the Barbie Dream Houses into Mojo Dojo Casa Houses, and brainwash all of the Barbies to serve them. To complete the patriarchy picture, the Kens are negatively impacted too. They sacrifice aspects of themselves in an effort to seem masculine and embody the “ideal man.” When Barbie returns, she breaks, feeling defeated after her experience in the real world and having her home taken away. Even worse, she has to suffer through a man playing the guitar and singing on a date.
Barbie feels that she isn’t pretty enough, smart enough or accomplished enough. Barbie is supposed to be perfect; always beautiful, always happy and always accomplished. This same standard is applied to women in the real world. We are expected to be beautiful but approachable, talented but humble, well dressed but modest. We’re told we’re too fat, too skinny, too emotional, too cold, too slutty, too uptight, too intimidating, too easy, too loud, too quiet – there is no way to win.
Despite this, my favorite moment in the movie is not one showing female rage, but female joy. Barbie is sitting on a bus bench, taking in the real world. She notices an old woman sitting on the other end of the bench. Barbie tells the woman that she’s beautiful. The woman responds, “I know it,” and Barbie laughs. This moment feels so special and beautiful to me. It made me ugly cry in the theater. I also liked that it called back to the Barbies all unapologetically owning their accomplishments and praising their own hard work.
In addition to the hard hitting themes, Barbie had an iconic wardrobe and soundtrack. “I’m Just Ken,” was obviously a standout, just one of Ken’s incredibly memorable moments. The dynamics of Barbieland were genius; of course the Barbies would float out of their houses, no one walks their Barbies down the stairs. I loved Weird Barbie. Alan was so endearing. It was cathartic to see America Ferrara, an actress who is often typecast, vent her frustrations at a society designed to work against her.
I loved Barbie. The movie showed that Barbie is not just a toy, she is a feminist icon and a source of inspiration. I felt seen, like my experiences and the experiences of other women were being validated. The joys and sadnesses of being a woman were perfectly shown in Barbie. I am Kenough and so are you.
On Feb. 4, CPH quietly updated the housing website without any notice to on-campus residents, leaving returning students to find out for themselves that they should not expect to live in the dorms or campus apartments for the remainder of their time at Humboldt.
On-campus housing will not be provided for any returning students. All on-campus housing will be reserved for new freshmen or transfers, starting in Fall ‘23. Should continuing students try to access housing through the university, they will be placed in temporary, off-campus housing.
“There was absolutely no email about it,” student Valeria Reggi said. “We found out by checking the website, which they updated with no warning.”
Due to a preexisting housing shortage that has left many students houseless, temporary options were explored in 2022 with the housing of over a hundred upperclassmen in the Comfort Inn motel.
A Feb. 6 email update stated that “because of the program’s success, we are excited to share that you now have the Super 8 and Motel 6 in Arcata as housing options managed by Cal Poly Humboldt.”
The email panicked current students, many of whom expected to return to on-campus housing in the fall. This prompted an immediate response. A post circulated on social media inviting students to gather that night to organize. At the meeting, a large crowd of students filled the Gutswurrack, voicing their concerns with over-enrollment and planning a protest scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 8.
Filling every square foot of available standing room, students even packed onto the balcony. Organizer Lars Hansen spoke using a megaphone, and called on members of the crowd to voice their opinions on the new policy.
“We wanna know what’s going to happen to our housing, what’s going to happen to our community, and what’s going to happen to Humboldt,” Hansen said.
“I can’t fathom why you guys are accepting this many students when you can’t support them,” student Julia Kurtz said.
She questioned the logic of reserving the on-campus housing for freshmen and incoming transfers.
“If you are proud enough to put your current students in that housing, you should be proud enough to put new students in that housing,” Kurtz said.
Humboldt has a well-documented problem with student houselessness, a situation that some students said the new on-campus housing rules will make worse.
“I can just sleep in my car on campus, because that’s not any shittier than living in a motel, and it’s 10 to 15 times cheaper,” student Sam Mah said.
Many are considering dropping or transferring out of Humboldt in the wake of this announcement, according to students in attendance.
“You have capacity that’s limited and you’re putting no limit on the flow,” Jack Williams said.
Some raised concerns that the massive influx of students into the community without adequate on-campus housing to support them would strain relationships between students, the University, and the community.
“It seems like you just shift responsibility of building up infrastructure onto the community,” Alan Cooper said.
One of the main issues brought up by students was the lack of basic amenities at proposed housing locations. The rooms at the Comfort Inn don’t have kitchens, which poses a serious problem for students on EBT and those with dietary restrictions.
Students with disabilities are concerned with accessibility at the temporary housing locations. They also raised the issue that those who gain access to on-campus housing through their accommodations would be outed as disabled to their peers.
“Every single upperclassmen that has disabilities or problems with mental health, what the fuck are they going to do with us?” one student asked.
Photo by Cash Rion | Students from all walks of life show up for the student homelessness protest at Cal Poly Humboldt on Feb. 6.
The University administration was represented at the meeting by the newly appointed vice president for Enrollment Management & Student Success, Dr. Chrissy Holliday, as well as Indian Tribal and Educational Personnel Program (ITEPP) coordinator Sasheen Raymond and Stephen St. Onge, Humboldt’s Executive Director of Auxiliary Services.
Several of the students speaking purposefully gave admin a chance to respond to their comments, but often their response was lost, drowned out by the large crowd and interrupted by jeers. Holliday especially struggled to be heard over the crowd completely filling the Gutswurrack.
They offered little reassurance or explanation of substance, but expressed their sympathy for students impacted, and their commitment to hearing student perspectives.
“We will come and get beat up over it if we need to,” St. Onge said.
He explained that they were being required by the CSU to enroll more students in order to get funding.
“Now you need to hit this FTE [full time enrollment] and draft a plan to do it,” St. Onge commented. “We’re looking at some different options, hopefully in a week or two we’ll have some more information.”
Recent rumors and apparent email leaks indicate that the University is considering the purchase of a barge that would moor at the Eureka docks and house 650 students. At one point during the meeting, alleged evidence of the barge plan was airdropped to attendees’ smartphones.
University officials did not respond when asked for comment.
At the end of the day, the damage to morale was already done. Students felt betrayed by the administration. The school’s liberal reputation and reported recent influx of cash seemed incongruous with what many perceived as a shocking disregard for the housing policy’s impact on continuing students. At the end of the meeting, there was a call to bring the protest to the Arcata City Hall on Feb. 16.
“I thought ‘this is a school that’s going to see me, that’s going to hear me,’” Haley Kitchman said. “I’ve lived in motels and it’s traumatizing. It’s not easy, and it’s not okay.”
The Cal Poly Humboldt men’s rugby team brought home the Small College National Championship for the first time in their history at AVEVA Stadium in Houston, Texas on Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022.
The Lumberjacks defeated the Wayne State College Wildcats, from Wayne, Nebraska, with a 20-15 final score.
Humboldt was considered the underdog team going into the final, but their relentless pressure led them to a 15-0 halftime lead. The lead would eventually become 20-3, and despite an attempted Wildcat comeback, the Lumberjacks would experience victory at the sound of the final whistle.
“We had a good group of guys and we had the talent that we needed to win the championship, but when I kicked the ball out to end the game, it was just such a crazy feeling,” said fly-half Dante Cappellano. “I just ran around, basically hugging everybody.”
Cappellano had a huge role in the team’s success this season, calling the plays and kicking the ball to teammates or out of bounds.
The ability to kick the ball out as far down the field as possible is a very useful tactic in rugby, one that Humboldt used to their advantage this season.
“That’s how we defeated teams, especially in the postseason,” said Cappellano. “We definitely used that a lot.”
The Lumberjacks finished the season undefeated, and only got scored on by one team during the regular season, in a game where they defeated Oregon State 24-9. Humboldt’s best margin of victory was their 102-0 win over Cal State Monterey Bay to close out the regular season. This gave them a lot of momentum going into the playoffs.
“We were trying not to score towards the end of the game and it still just happened,” said Cappellano.
Their playoff run would end with what they envisioned as a dream at the beginning of the season: a national championship.
“It is definitely fulfilling for myself and the coaching staff, but more importantly, for these athletes to see how their commitment and hard work has paid off,” said head coach Greg Pargee.
According to many involved, this team was more than just some guys playing rugby. It was a brotherhood.
“All the guys get on so well with each other,” said flanker Cooper Alan. “You’d go down to breakfast and it didn’t matter who it was, you were sitting with your brothers on the rugby team, everyone was welcome and no one was ever alone.”
Alan grew up playing rugby in Australia and joined the team late into the season, but was still welcomed with open arms.
“I came out to watch their night game in the redwood bowl and there was just a feeling in the air,” said Alan.
The positive energy on the team was another huge factor in their successful season. Everyone getting along off the field led to on-the-field chemistry. All season, the team break before heading onto the field was ‘family.’
“That helped us just solidify that family aspect,” said Cappellano. “I loved every single one of those guys out there.”
This is a young team that is going to have a lot of returners next year, which gives them hopes and potential for a repeat. For now though, they get to enjoy the pride that their hard work earned them.
“I just want to thank the coaches and everybody else who helped us out there,” said Cappellano.
Ball is pitched. The crack of the bat echoes around the trees. The ball soars through the air and lands in the right center gap. Standing on second base is Izzy Starr clapping her hands and the crowd is cheering.
“I honestly was kind of nervous, because that’s a hall of famer right there [alumni pitcher Lizzy Prescott], so I was a little nervous,” Starr said. “But I was just excited to be out there amongst all these awesome people, awesome players.”
On Oct. 8, the university had its annual Cal Poly Humboldt Softball Alumni Game. This event has been going on since the late 80s and it brings past and present Humboldt softball players together to play the sport they all love.
Head Humboldt softball coach Shelli Sarchett explains that this event is about connecting the old with the new.
“It’s really just connecting the old with the new and have a chance for the alumni to talk about their experiences, and the hardships, and the fun that they went through, and relate to the newcomers, and help them with their journey,” Sarchett said.
The game started at noon on the Humboldt softball field and went for nine innings. The teams were split with current CPH softball players on one team and alumni on the other. A total of about 25 alumni were in attendance, this is about half compared to years past. According to Coach Sarchett the Hall of Fame Dinner that is the night before typically has an impact on attendance.
“It really just depends on the year, I think next year will be different because next year the 2008 National Championship team will go in, so I think there will be more people that will come back,” Sarchett said.
For pitcher Emily McAdams, this is her first ever alumni game. She was from the graduating class of 2022. She felt an unsaid pressure due to her playing against her old teammates but enjoyed seeing everyone again. McAdams also had a chance to meet alumni for the first time.
“It was really cool cause I honestly didn’t really know any of them since I came here during COVID and I didn’t really know much about Humboldt before I committed here and played here,” McAdams said. “So it was really cool to be able to interact with them, and ask them when they played here and all of that, and just hear about their stories.”
For Starr it was her second time playing in this event. This is her fourth year at the university. The event allowed her to reconnect with old teammates.
“I think my favorite moment was just seeing all my old teammates,” Starr said. “All three of them just made a huge impact on my life, and I just miss seeing them and getting to see them play.”
The final score was CPH 18, alumni 3.
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Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
