The Lumberjack



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Tag: College of the Redwoods

  • What It’s Like Inside Pelican Bay Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic

    What It’s Like Inside Pelican Bay Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic

    A conversation with a College of the Redwoods student at Pelican Bay State Prison

    We now have more than 1.5 million people worldwide infected with COVID-19 and over 90,000 deaths. The United States has surpassed every other country in cases with just over 450,000. People are being told to socially distance themselves with six feet of space between others and isolate inside. But what about the millions who are incarcerated that don’t have that option? 

    Kunlyna Tauch is housed at Pelican Bay State Prison and is a student in the College of the Redwoods Pelican Bay Scholars Program at Pelican Bay State Prison. He is slated to graduate with his associate degree for transfer this summer. Tauch is also a student and contributor in Paul Critz’s audio journalism class, which produces Pelican Bay’s podcast “Pelican Bay: UNLOCKED.” Tauch has been a spokesperson of sorts for the recent programming at Pelican Bay and an advocate of the changes being made inside the supermax prison.

    Cases of the coronavirus have risen just over 1,300 throughout 100 federal prisons, thousands of jails and 1,700 state-run facilities nationwide. The Federal Bureau of Prisons says 138 inmates and 59 employees have tested positive and at least seven inmates have died, bringing the total to at least 32 COVID-19-related deaths inside the nation’s prisons and jails. 

    On March 31, California state prison officials announced they would be releasing 3,500 incarcerated individuals early to help free space in cramped prisons due to a possible coronavirus outbreak. Governor Gavin Newsom announced a halt in the transfer and intake of incarcerated individuals and youths into California’s 35 state prisons.

    According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation website, there are, as of April 9, 12 incarcerated persons at California Prison, Los Angeles County, 19 incarcerated persons at California Institution for Men in Chino, one incarcerated person at North Kern State Prison in Delano and one incarcerated person at Substance Abuse Training Facility in Corcoran who have tested positive for COVID-19. Seventy-one CDCR or California Correctional Health Care Services employees have tested positive for COVID-19 in 21 incarcerated facilities, and hundreds have called in sick for work.

    In the past five years there have been more programs in Pelican Bay than ever before and the culture inside is changing. After a lawsuit was awarded to the incarcerated individuals participating in the 2011 and 2013 hunger strikes and their advocates, one of the two solitary housing units was shut down and terms of isolation were limited to five years. This caused the prison to mitigate the effects of solitary confinement with programs like education and therapy. I spoke with Tauch on what it’s like in Pelican Bay State Prison as a college student amid the changes COVID-19 has brought to the infamous prison.

    Kunlyna Tauch looking upward in June of 2019. Tauch is slated to earn his associate degree for transfer through College of the Redwoods’ Pelican Bay Scholars program this semester. | Photo by T. William Wallin

    Tony Wallin: What’s it like in Pelican Bay State Prison right now and what are your concerns?

    Kunlya Tauch: First of all, CDCR stopped all visitation and there are no programs. So we’re doing like old prison time, right. Which is us in prison going to yard and trying to occupy ourselves with whatever we have, which is not that much. My concern is that people on the streets are so socially distant from each other they become callous of each other and become more segregated and more disconnected. But from what I am seeing on TV is a lot of good, which is making me happy. The little acts of kindness and videos of people on the street coming out, I love it. There’s actually a little silver lining out of this.

    TW: Yeah. There’s a lot of opportunity for positivity through all of this.

    KT: It’s hard to pass on those opportunities because it’s so in-your-face. 

    TW: What’s it like in there with programs shut down? What are you doing to keep busy?

    KT: College of the Redwoods has been the only program that is really working on shifting their whole business model to make it work for us. They are still running classes through correspondence and we’re getting hella work like every Friday. Our teachers are saying, ‘This is what we expect. Your next essay is due this date, send it in the mail,’ but because I have five classes I have enough work to sustain me, plus I have hella books I’ve got to get through. I am pretty occupied but it’s pretty restless in here, you know? People are constantly checking on their family, making sure they are well. They aren’t reading, they aren’t programming, they aren’t going anywhere, so their day consists of the phone and the yard. The yard schedule in itself [has changed], we aren’t seeing the regular people we used to see. They’re making it real limited, they’re not giving the day room. They literally made some new rule where only five cells in the day room at a time, which prohibits ourselves from doing what we want to do. It’s kinda stressful. It feels like we are taking a lot of steps back as far as prison goes. 

    TW: CDCR said they were going to send out more cleaning supplies to all prisons and make sure every prison has what they need. Are you seeing that?

    KT: That’s never been a problem. The cleanliness of the place isn’t a problem. Right now I have a personal friend who had some symptoms, they didn’t even test him and they just took him to quarantine and is on two weeks lockdown with no mail, no phone, no nothing. Just to see if he has it or not.

    TW: Where do they have the quarantine right now? What do they have blocked off?

    KT: They have one on A yard and one on B yard and it’s one section of one building and they’re basically in the SHU [secure housing unit]. They’re like kicking off drugs by themselves. That’s their treatment and I guess the nurses are going over, but I don’t know. I assume nurses are checking on them professionally. There’s too much of a shortage of testing, but one thing about medical is they are a separate entity than CDCR, so CDCR can’t dictate what they do.

    TW: Interesting. They operate differently? The warden doesn’t have a say on the medical side of things? 

    KT: No, medical community operates the medical community. All records are sealed and confidential. The prison has to accommodate that or else there’s a big lawsuit. I think CDCR concedes medical and there’s an agreement [between them]. According to the American government this is it and [CDCR] is only the California government, same with religion and same thing with tech. For some reason the tech, IT, here is their own entity and they suck. It takes like a month to transfer music onto our laptop [for the podcast]. It’s been stagnant. I’ve been feeling lethargic. I feel like they caged me back up and I’m really back in prison again. Pelican Bay was really doing good with their programs and everything running everyday and now it feels like this modified program where it feels like we’re just on lockdown. I feel like a lot of our minds aren’t being stimulated because a lot of us aren’t in those programs we are forced into or choose to be in.

    TW: Right. It feels like pre-2014?

    KT: Yes. Real shit. It feels like before and it feels like out of mind will cause more trouble. I am waiting for the ball to drop. I am waiting for something to happen. I’m almost mad that personally we’re on lockdown, but the whole fucking world is on lockdown and I can’t make more moves happen.

    TW: Yeah, the irony in all of this is everything is locked down globally. How is your morale and the overall morale in the prison? Are there still positive interactions?

    KT: I feel like we’re losing that. I feel like the tank is draining every single day. Guys that were motivated are losing that motivation. I see my college peers going like, ‘I don’t even feel like doing the work.’ But you don’t have that motivation no more because you’re not in front of the teacher anymore, you’re not engaging. You have questions but you can’t get an answer. I have a bleeding heart for my community in here, but it’s hard for me to help them because I have five courses and I have to study. We’re getting hella shit to read and it’s like, ‘I don’t have the time to worry about you guys because I have to get this out of the way first.’ Before all of this coronavirus I was approved to transfer to Lancaster [California State Prison, Los Angeles County]. That’s a level three. That was a big decision I had to make because that means I have to detach myself from this place I grew roots in. The process of this whole coronavirus—I’m back worrying about college and I can’t really be the catalyst to get my guys rallied up to do their work because I have to just worry about my work. So, I’ve been feeling like the morale is ‘Let’s see what happens while we are in this state of limbo,’ which is worse than staying stagnant because we’re losing the momentum, you know? We work on momentum on the programs that are on a level four yard. Without that momentum it’s like, ‘I’ll just watch Jerry Springer all day.”

    TW: It’s gotta be rough going from so many programs for the first time at Pelican Bay and then, in an instant, they’re gone. For those of you that are students at College of the Redwoods, can you study together?

    KT: Everything in person is shut down but we can do our own personal study groups, but we are divided. So, we only see our own dudes in our own yard and maybe another building and they’re across the fence so we can’t even have a study group out there. Also the COs [correctional officers] are really cracking down on what stuff we can bring out and they’re asking us, ‘Why were you bringing books and stuff out to the yard since programs are shut down?’ So we can’t even have that. So technically no, we can’t have a study group. We can have an impromptu one if there’s a cool CO that says it’s cool, we can sit out there.

  • With Future Unknown Amid Pandemic, HSU Plans for Enrollment Drops and Budget Cuts

    With Future Unknown Amid Pandemic, HSU Plans for Enrollment Drops and Budget Cuts

    HSU, like all colleges, prepares for tough times and serious measures

    Humboldt State University is preparing for an enrollment drop of around 20% for the fall and a budget cut of around $20 million by the 2022 fiscal year, according to a joint press release from HSU and College of the Redwoods.

    Before the COVID-19 pandemic, HSU projected an enrollment drop for total students of around 14% for the fall and had proposed a budget cut of around $5.4 million by the 2022 fiscal year. 

    Given the uncertainty of the next year, HSU is planning for an even larger enrollment decline and budget cut. HSU currently projects new student enrollment to drop by 30%. The specifics of what the budget cuts will mean are still being worked out.

    “Many options are being looked at, including combinations of a hiring chill, spending freeze, operational changes, incentives for retirements, travel reductions, and more,” the press release said.

    In a Zoom interview, HSU Vice President of Enrollment Management Jason Meriwether said a worst case scenario projection might be only 500 new students and 500 transfer students admitted to HSU in the fall. 

    These numbers, to be clear, are projections. No one knows exactly how the next year will play out. Meriwether hoped HSU could keep enrollment and retention as high as possible.

    “The sad part is, I don’t know,” Meriwether said. “There’s no benchmark. There’s nothing to project against. We could be doing all this and, you know, 1400 students show up—which would be wonderful.”

    HSU is not alone. As noted in Meriwether’s Tuesday enrollment management report to the HSU Senate, colleges everywhere are facing enrollment drops amid the pandemic. The report cited articles from Forbes and the Associated Press along with some early data suggesting one out of every six college-bound students won’t attend college in the fall.

    With education expected to shift to a more local focus, Meriwether pointed out that HSU already shifted to local recruitment in the last year with measures like the Humboldt First Scholarship.

    Compared to an average of about 32 local students attending HSU per year in the last three years, HSU currently has 208 local students confirmed to attend HSU in the fall with the Humboldt First Scholarship. 

    “The good news is we’re not starting local recruitment today because there’s a problem,” Meriwether said. “That’s the best part of all this—is that we already have a really solid foundation that we built in the community over the last eight or nine months.” 

    The enrollment management report includes a graph of enrollment scenarios, with red lines for lower enrollment scenarios and a blue line for a growth scenario. Meriwether hoped for HSU to remain close to the blue line.

    “Essentially, pray we get as close to the blue line as possible,” he said. 

    Meriwether pointed out that, since COVID-19 has hit everywhere, current students might not have much reason to transfer. If classes are still online in the fall at HSU, they will presumably be online everywhere. 

    “Let’s say a student says, ‘OK, well, you know, I want to transfer because I didn’t want this experience,’” he said. “OK. Well, the question will be, ‘What school are you going to transfer to?’ Because every school is stuck in this scenario right now.”

    Nevertheless, the pandemic will likely temporarily derail HSU’s efforts to improve enrollment. 

    “Long term, you know, prior to COVID-19, prior to this hit, we had a plan of getting to an FTE of 7600 students [full-time students] in about four years,” he said. “So now, what if the COVID-19 environment says, well, gosh, it can make us take eight years to get there.”

    Meriwether was optimistic that eventually, HSU would get through this.

    “I believe that we will bounce back, and I believe we will bounce back strong if the hit is really bad,” he said. “This is a marathon. Enrollment is a marathon.”

  • Dream Season for Corsairs Continues

    Dream Season for Corsairs Continues

    College of the Redwoods men’s basketball team charges into the playoffs

    With a 75-56 win over Sacramento City College Feb. 27, the College of the Redwoods men’s basketball team advanced to the second round of the California Community College Athletic Association state playoffs. The win put the Corsairs at 22-5 on the season, a complete turnaround from last year’s 0-26 record.

    First-year Head Coach Ryan Bisio set a plan into motion to turn the program around far before he got the job with the Corsairs. The plan was simple: build a team with high-quality local talent to showcase to the community. The plan worked immediately.

    The Corsairs are all graduates from local high schools like Fortuna, Arcata and McKinleyville, with the team composed of all freshman except for two sophomores.

    “I’ve known these kids for years,” Bisio said. “Last year I didn’t coach, so I got to watch all of them in high school and was able to build personal relationships with them. The unity was powerful and it made entrusting this young team easy.”

    This local talent dominated the Golden Valley Conference as the Corsairs, led by Arcata alumnus and conference MVP Thomas Nelson, were crowned champions.

    “Whenever we needed a bucket throughout the year we would go to Thomas,” Bisio said. “He scores in spurts from all three levels. The way he scores devastates our opponents and our team feeds off of him.”

    Nelson, who is in his sophomore year, has been one of the best players in the CCCAA this year, as he was named first-team All-State as well. He averaged 20 points and eight rebounds per game this year, and he scored over 25 in eight games.

    “I wanted to win conference just like in high school, and I knew I could have success. But I didn’t know I would be All-State in the process. I didn’t even know they had All-State teams in junior college until I made the first team.”

    Thomas Nelson

    “The coaching staff has your back in every situation and I have great teammates,” Nelson said. “It’s day and night from last year. We communicate and connect at a very high level and we work very well together.”

    The Arcata High School graduate had high season goals this year, and winning a conference championship was one of them.

    “I wanted to win conference just like in high school, and I knew I could have success,” Nelson said. “But I didn’t know I would be All-State in the process. I didn’t even know they had All-State teams in junior college until I made the first team.”

    With Nelson leading the way, the Corsairs had a multitude of successes this year. Four other players were honored, with Drew Gillette, Zac Claus and Donald Willis making first-team honors and Bradley Willis earning an honorable mention.

    Gillette chipped in 17 points while shooting 41% from the arc. Freshman marksman Isaac Puzz added 9 points while shooting a team high 44% from the three.

    While Puzz and Gillette were lighting it up from behind the arc, Claus took the role of primary ball handler with an average of 10 points, six assists and five rebounds per game.

    The Willis twins were the all-around guys. They combined for 22 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists per game while leading the Corsairs defensively in steals and charges taken.

    Coach Bisio’s plan has come into fruition as CR is currently ranked 16 in the state and has advanced in the CCCAA Northern California state playoffs. With playoffs intensifying the competition, Bisio knows his team must play their best game now.

    “We need to tighten up on defense,” Bisio said. “We’re going to see some good teams in the playoffs so we need to have a high sense of urgency. We’ve been playing good so we have to do what we’ve been doing—just can’t get complacent.”

    The Corsairs defeated Sacramento City in the first round of the playoffs, but the road only gets rougher. College of the Redwoods will be traveling to play against the nation’s number one ranked team, San Francisco City College. Dubbed huge underdogs, the Corsairs have a huge challenge at hand, but with the success they’ve had this year, nothing looks impossible.

    You can livestream the game through the CR men’s basketball Facebook page or the CCCAA Network on YouTube. The game will start at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 7.

  • The New Face of Nursing

    The New Face of Nursing

    Dr. Kimberly Perris leads the reestablishment of HSU’s bachelor of science in nursing program

    Four weeks into the job, Humboldt State University’s nursing program Director Kimberly Perris has started putting the pieces in place to reform HSU’s bachelor of science in nursing program.

    Perris said she wants to empower local nurses to fill empty leadership roles in local health services.

    “My excitement, what I’m hopeful for and why I’m grateful to be here is because I really envision a role for nurses where they can go beyond the hospital walls, work in team-based care models and just take on more autonomous roles,” Perris said.

    Director of Special Projects and Executive Director of HSU’s California Center for Rural Policy Connie Stewart at HSU on Sept. 14. Stewart, an HSU graduate and former Arcata mayor, believes HSU’s BSN program will be essential for Humboldt County’s future. Photo by James Wilde.

    HSU canceled its BSN program in 2011, citing a lack of funding and qualified faculty. After years of a lack of BSN-educated nurses, HSU is relaunching the BSN program with the help of a $2 million dollar grant from St. Joseph Health.

    Director of Special Projects Connie Stewart leads the California Center for Rural Policy, an HSU program designed to improve rural communities. Stewart currently oversees fundraising for the BSN program, and she hinted the receiving of more than just the St. Joseph Health grant.

    Stewart, a former Arcata mayor who has served the community for more than thirty years, said that Perris is perfect for the job.

    “She’s got really great, fresh ideas about how to improve health care in Humboldt County,” Stewart said. “I couldn’t be more excited to be working with her.”

    Stewart emphasized the importance of the BSN program not just for Humboldt County, but for HSU. HSU students and faculty, Stewart noted, need healthcare too.

    “I’m grateful that we can provide the opportunity for nurses to expand on their education—I know for me it was life-changing to do that.”

    Kimberly Perris

    “This program has to be successful in order for HSU to thrive,” Stewart said.

    Perris dabbled in health-related fields in her youth, where she said she picked up a passion for helping and educating patients.

    Perris graduated with an Associate of Science in Nursing in 1991. She worked in family planning before she worked at the HSU Student Health Center from 2004 to 2016 as a nurse, a job Perris said she loved.

    “I loved the education piece of it,” Perris said. “Working there is where I really decided to go back to school, and I saw a role for nurses that could be a little bit more fulfilling and autonomous and help improve access to care.”

    Perris earned a Doctor of Nursing Practice Executive Leadership from the University of San Francisco in 2018. Perris said she’s driven to give other nurses the same educational opportunities she had.

    “I’m grateful that we can provide the opportunity for nurses to expand on their education—I know for me it was life-changing to do that,” Perris said.

    HSU’s BSN program is designed for already-registered nurses who want to further their education. Perris said this will allow nurses to become more involved with the community and work outside of hospitals.

    HSU’s new BSN nursing program director, Kimberly Perris. Perris is working towards a goal of graduating 50 nurses from the BSN program by 2022. | Photo by James Wilde.

    The program’s goal is to graduate 50 nurses in 2022, with 25 students entering a part-time, two-year program in 2020, and another 25 entering a full-time, one-year program in 2021.

    Perris said she’s developing relationships with local health centers for BSN nurse roles. She’s also working to make the transfer process from College of the Redwood’s RN program seamless.

    CR’s Director of Nursing and Health Operations Roberta Farrar echoed Perris’ hopes.

    “My hopes and goals would be to see each class filled to capacity with a waitlist of those wanting to enter the program,” Farrar said in an email. “That the registered nurses who choose Humboldt State are satisfied with their education and use knowledge gained to make necessary changes in any healthcare setting they are employed.”

    Both Farrar and Perris said the program won’t bring more nurses to the community, but will instead give more opportunities to nurses in the area, enticing them to stay in Humboldt.

    “We have a struggling health care system right now and I think nurses are one of the missing pieces that can help to improve that… The missing links.”

    Kimberly Perris

    “A lot of nurses leave the area because they want to continue their education or there aren’t the kind of positions that they’re looking for,” Perris said. “So this role will provide more nurse leaders for the community and nurses to have more of a systemic look at the population.”

    While Perris said she has felt overwhelmingly supported in her first few weeks, she did acknowledge the pressure of her position.

    “I feel pressure because I want this to be successful,” Perris said. “And I want to make sure I have all the details in place to keep moving it forward and not let anything fall in through the cracks.”

    Despite the pressure, Perris said she doesn’t have any significant fears.

    “There will be likely a little series of things that don’t work, and that’s normal in a new project,” Perris said. “I’m sure there will be some hopefully-just-mini failures because this is a brand-new program, but that’s okay.”

    Long-term, Perris said the BSN program will help nurses have a broader understanding of the community and its healthcare needs.

    “We have a struggling health care system right now and I think nurses are one of the missing pieces that can help to improve that,” Perris said. “The missing links.”

  • Scholars within the walls of Pelican Bay

    Scholars within the walls of Pelican Bay

    College of the Redwoods biology professor helps students at Pelican Bay earn their Associate Degree for Transfer

    On a Thursday evening a California golden-hued sunset blankets the far north Pacific coast region where Christopher Callahan tells his students to tend to their plants. His students are checking Ph levels, adding fertilizer and formulating a hypothesis for a controlled experiment.

    Like any other science classroom, the walls are covered in posters with the periodic table of the elements, the genetic codon chart and a display of eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell breakdown. The only difference with Callahan’s classroom is his students are wearing light blue loose-fitting jump suits with CDCR block lettering on the back, a handful are blasted head-to-toe with tattoos and a corrections officer paces down the hall every so often. Callahan teaches inside Pelican Bay State Prison and his students are inmates enrolled in the College of the Redwoods’ Pelican Bay Scholars Program.

    Christopher Callahan answers questions regarding the difference between seals and sea lions for students Marcus Benavidez and Jose Catalan. | Photo by T.William Wallin

    “Teaching in this environment is going back to the basics for me,” Callahan said of what it’s like to teach inside a prison. “The [students] come with a certain engagement I don’t see in regular college classes.”

    Callahan always refers to the individuals in his class as students, because that’s what they are. He said they may be in prison, but inside the classroom they are college students getting an education with a strong sense of enthusiasm.

    On this particular Thursday evening Callahan is teaching Bio 1, a transferable biology class with a lab on the B yard, which is a level 4 restrictive level housing unit. It’s locked down most of the day and there is no inmate control over the locking of doors.

    Having transferable biology courses on a level 4 yard is a big deal, not only for Pelican Bay but for any prison. Callahan said this is a huge accomplishment. An entire summer was spent designing the lab course and getting equipment together which had slight modifications, like replacing glass beakers with plastic ones. Everything Callahan wanted to do was approved by the warden with relative ease.

    Biology professor Christopher Callahan’s Bio 1 class is exactly the same model as it is at College the Redwoods. The class items are slightly modified but students are still able to use microscopes. | Photo by T.William Wallin

    “My reasoning is to start at level 4 because if you can implement it there then you can implement at level 2,” Callahan said. “Pelican Bay has a reputation as the worst of the worst and if we can do these programs there they can be done anywhere. Pelican Bay can be a model for prisons nation-wide.”

    Callahan is right. Pelican Bay is the nation’s only supermax state prison. Its purpose when built in 1989 was to house California’s most violent male prisoners. It was notorious for the lowest of the low, but that’s changing.

    After hunger strikes in 2011 and 2013, the Center for Constitutional Rights won a lawsuit against Pelican Bay that forced the state of California to end its unlimited isolation policy. Before the lawsuit inmates were spending decades in Solitary Housing Units, or SHU. Today half of the building that contained SHU was knocked down and re-purposed for a lower-custody level 2 housing unit where Callahan also teaches a marine mammal biology class.

    In 2015 College of the Redwoods implemented a program for inmates to earn their Associate Degree for Transfer while serving time. Callahan was quick to mention most people in prison will be released at some point, so programs like the Pelican Bay Scholars Program are important because they help reduce recidivism rates.

    “All of the courses we teach there are existing courses at the Eureka and Del Norte campus,” Callahan said. “Some modifications are made but we just implement whats already there. It’s as if we were teaching on a regular community college campus.”

    Biology professor Christopher Callahan brings in BBC documentaries narrated by David Attenborough for his biology class at Pelican Bay State Prison. | Photo by T.William Wallin

    David Nguyen, a student of Callahan’s, agrees with this and feels like he’s on a college campus when in class. Nguyen transferred to Pelican Bay from High Desert Prison in 2011 and every year requested to be sent to another prison. That was until 2015 when he joined the first pilot class of the Pelican Bay Scholars Program. Now he is one of the first students to graduate from the program and earn his Associate Degree for Transfer.

    “I didn’t want to be here at all but then I started college and I requested to stay for once,” Nguyen said. “This is a real class room experience and I had to take advantage of that.”

    Getting to graduate almost didn’t happen for Nguyen though. In the beginning of the semester he was supposed to be transferred to a lower level yard but instead he requested to stay at a higher secured level so he could finish school. Transferring yards would have meant his schedule would change and he couldn’t take the necessary courses to graduate.

    “There was a day when I was walking through campus and forgot I was in prison,” Nguyen said. “I looked around and said to myself, ‘I’m a student right now’.”

    In Nguyen’s experience the program is changing the culture of Pelican Bay. With around 300 students enrolled, different races and gangs are starting to interact with one another and even study together, something that just wasn’t possible before.

    “Some people are changing their lives around,” Nguyen said. “A lot of people have been rehabilitated here.

    Nguyen is one of those people. He chooses his words carefully and is meticulous in his speech. Nguyen carries with him a type of ivy league school confidence you wouldn’t expect in prison, and it shows in his writing. He recently created ‘The Pelican’ with other students, an informational newsletter that circulates within the prison’s walls.

    Pelican Bay Scholars Program students test experiments on their plants during their transferable Bio 1 class. Having a biology class with a lab on level 4 yard is an accomplishment for any prison. | Photo by T.William Wallin

    Nguyen glows when he talks about school. He said students grow plants, pollinate them with Q-tips, take measurements of different liquids like nitrogen and phosphate and learn about male and female reproductive systems. They even use microscopes to look at dividing cells in sperm, testes and ovaries.

    “We’re learning the scientific method, how to hypothesize and see if we reject it or accept it,” Nguyen said. “I’m a science dude, I love this stuff. When we do labs most students get woke real quick.”

    This is the type of feeling Callahan got when he was a student. Callahan is so invested he even scheduled this course at night because he wanted to allow his working students fit the class in their schedules.

    “Biology is hands-on and for them that’s totally different because all other college classes like history or business are not hands-on,” Callahan said. “To experience this is not like any other course. Its catching momentum on the yard.”

    Even though it doesn’t have a lab, his lower security level 2 D-yard marine mammal biology course is integrated with hands on activities. Callahan brings in porpoise skulls, dolphin bones, whale baleen, krill in a jar, sperm whale teeth and plenty of documentaries narrated by David Attenborough, which captivate the students and boost their engagement.

    One of the students is Marcus Benavidez, who is set to be paroled in a month. Benavidez is taking with him 30 transferable credits to Riverside City College in southern California.

    Like Nguyen, Benavidez has been in the program since the first semester. Benavidez has a slow drawl, faded tattoos on his forehead and a huge embracing smile. He is optimistic with the pace he set for himself and said he was “half way to the finish line.” Benavidez never imagined he would come to prison and get to earn a college degree.

    Pelican Bay Scholars Program students log in the results of their experiments on their plants for Bio 1 class. | Photo by T.William Wallin

    “I was in the SHU for a few years and when I was sent back I was told people in CR wanted to see if I was interested in classes they were offering,” Benavidez said. “I went to one class and was hooked. The next semester was more classes and it just kept rolling and now I’m at the half-way point.”

    Benavidez said he loses interest easily but Callahan keeps his classes fresh. Benavidez went into marine mammal biology skeptical but by the end of the course, it was one of his favorites. He said Callahan was a great instructor and admitted he is a little envious about leaving because won’t be able to graduate in the program.

    “I feel like a student, they treat us like students,” Benavidez said. “Once I get out of my building and come to class I am a student, it doesn’t matter that I’m in Pelican Bay.”

    Always up for a challenge, Callahan is currently designing more classes for the future. He said next year there will be another biology course taught, making Pelican Bay the only prison in the CDCR system to offer three. It will be a botany course, which Callahan said was inspired by the Pelican Bay Garden Club. With the addition of this class a science exploration degree will be possible.

    “The course will be Plants and People, and we will grow veggies and plants,” Callahan said. “When you go to college you take courses that are of interest to you. I always encourage my students to follow their passion.”

  • A needed nursing comeback

    A needed nursing comeback

    By | Charlotte Rutigliano

    Early last spring, the University announced a potential partnership between Humboldt State and College of the Redwoods that could bring the Nursing program back to HSU.

    The partnership would create a Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN-to-BSN) program. This would allow nurses living in the community to continue their education.

    Dr. Manohar Singh, Dean of the College of Professional Studies (CPS) said that the classes would be held at the College of the Redwoods campus with HSU faculty, and this program would be housed within the CPS.

    “The two-year program would really only be for College of the Redwoods students,” Singh said. “Or for students who already have their RN license.”

    This will be the first time since 2011 that HSU will have had a BSN program. The program was discontinued due to the costs and challenges of recruiting qualified faculty.

    Singh said that the University is still trying to collect all the necessary resources to make this program happen. The program is looking to decide on curriculum, hire qualified faculty and get enough financial and community support.

    “Any community input and support is welcome,” Singh said.

    Joe Rogers, Executive Director of Hospice of Humboldt, said that nursing is becoming more and more complex, and many organizations are recommending or requiring nurses to have a BSN.

    College of the Redwoods currently graduates around 55 registered nursing students a year. According to the release estimates from California’s Employment Development Department, the North Coast region will need an additional 48 registered nurses per year for the next ten years.

    According to Alex Enyedi, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, this program could generate around 30-50 nurses with a BSN per year which would greatly fill the community need.

    “There is a tremendous demand for nurses in the community,” Enyedi said. “This program is a natural solution for the problem we have here.”

    According to Enyedi, there has been no objection from the California State University Board of Trustees They are eager for this program to happen.

    “This program is HSU doing its part to help make the community a better place,” Enyedi said. “It’s a true win win for everyone.”

    Enyedi said that this new partnership and program could be up and running by the fall semester of 2019.

     

  • College of the Redwoods Iranian student suing school

    College of the Redwoods Iranian student suing school

    By Morgan Brizee

    Amir Maleki, a 21-year-old College of the Redwoods student, is suing the school after he was unable to join his classes late in the semester. Maleki was unable to join his classes because some of the deans from CR refusing to sign off to allow late entry. Maleki said the deans felt “unforfortable” allowing him into classes late. Maleki, who is from Iran, felt that they were racially profiling him since two deans were okay with it while the other two were not.

    Maleki said he decided to wait for his brother, Mohammad, to get his visa renewed in Dubai before coming back to Humboldt together. Maleki was able to get back before Trump’s immigration ban, a week after classes started at College of the Redwoods.

    “I got back to Arcata and was going around speaking to the professors, sending out emails, and calling up a few of the professors,” Maleki said.

    After trying to get signatures to be allowed into the classes, Maleki found out that two of the six classes he had signed up for were overcrowded, while four classes were still open with teachers willing to allow him in.

    “I was supposed to get four classes which means 13 or 14 credit hours and two of the deans refused to sign the papers,” Maleki said.

    The deans overrode the teacher’s decisions for two of the classes and decided to not let Maleki to join the classes. He is now short of the 12 units he needed.

    “That’s considered a violation against the Homeland Security law,” Maleki said. “In order for an international student to remain in the United States they must have at least 12 credit hours.”

    Maleki learned that because he was unable to join enough classes, and in turn violated the Homeland Security law, he would not be able to go to the classes he did get into. He decided that suing the school was his only hope for staying in the country.

    “They[the lawyers] said they could make a racial profile case out of it,” Maleki said.  Maleki said that since the deans’ only reason for not allowing him to join classes was that they were uncomfortable, it can be seen as a decision based off personal reasons.

    If Maleki doesn’t end up winning the case he would be faced with going back to Iran. Once he is in Iran he would be forced to join the Iranian military for at least two years.

    “In case I have to go back to Iran I would not be able to leave the country unless I join the army and serve in the army,” Maleki said.

    Megan Mefford, coordinator of International Admission & Immigration at Humboldt State, has helped both Maleki and his brother Mohammad this semester. Mohammad had issues coming back from Iran after Trump’s immigration ban.

    “When Amir came to see me, he shared with me that he found instructors that approved of his late add, but someone higher on the chain refused to sign,” Mefford said. “It’s a tough situation for everyone – but especially Amir.”

    Mefford was unable to do much to help Maleki because he didn’t reach out to her until after the situation.

    “Unfortunately, Amir did not seek my council until CR had already taken severe action on his academic and immigration status,” Mefford said. “Had he come to me earlier I may have been able to make some phone calls to mentor the CR staff advising him.”

    Mefford advised Maleki to find legal help and explained what College of the Redwoods actions meant for him.

    Dave Bazard, Interim Dean of Academic Affairs at College of the Redwoods, signed to allow Maleki to join classes late.

    “I signed paperwork to allow him to register late for courses, and I was glad to be able to help him given the circumstances he described,” Bazard said.

    Maleki has reached out to numerous lawyers to help in his situation. He said that even if he does win the case and is able to stay, he doesn’t know if he will stay very long.

    “You don’t want to be living in a place where you’re not respected for who you are,” Maleki said.