The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: covid-19

  • Shopping online saves lives and kills local business

    Shopping online saves lives and kills local business

    As our collective shopping behaviors change to accommodate the COVID-19 pandemic, Amazon feasts on the misfortune of millions of Americans struggling to pay their rent and keep food on the table.

    According to data gathered by Yelp, approximately 60% of businesses registered with the app that shut down when the pandemic first reached the United States will never re-open. Only including the 5.3 million active, claimed local businesses registered with the app, as of August 2020, nearly 100,000 American businesses have been forced to permanently close their doors.

    Many corporations have also experienced varying degrees of drowning during the pandemic, with retail chains closing over 8,700 stores in America in 2020 according to the Coresight Research report. This number comes in just shy of 2019’s record breaking 9,300 closures that’s predicted to be broken in 2021, with over 2,000 closures already in the first month alone.

    This downward trend of brick and mortar retail is an ongoing result of the 2008 real estate bubble burst. Combining a struggling economy with a rise in popularity of e-commerce – allowing customers to seek out the best possible deal through a variety of providers at the click of a button – brick and mortar retailers were forced to significantly discount their prices in order to convince an especially stingy consumer base to buy. With shoppers becoming accustomed to the new prices, retailers were forced to adjust or disappear. This phenomenon has gone on to become infamously known as the “retail apocalypse,” claiming over 1.3 million American retail jobs in the last decade alone.

    The enormous gap in the market created by the retail apocalypse has been seamlessly filled in by e-commerce. While tens of thousands of brick and mortar stores have closed over the past decade the internet’s online shopping Goliath, Amazon, has massively multiplied in size, increasing their 2010 net income by a factor of almost 10 in 2018 and growing their employees by a factor of nearly 20 in that same amount of time. To meet the increased demand for online shopping created by the COVID-19 pandemic, Amazon hired over 400,000 new employees in 2020 alone, bringing their total employee count over 1 million.

    Amazon has achieved such massive growth so quickly as the result of a business model that is essentially built around one core concept Jeff Bezos refers to as “customer obsession.” Amazon’s ultimate goal is to create loyal customers that won’t just return once, but hundreds and thousands of times. They do this with the assistance of a website the company has collectively invested billions of dollars and man hours into, in order to connect customers with as many possible items they’re interested in, in as few clicks as possible.

    Providing additional incentive for customers to spend even more money and time engaging with the brand, Amazon’s Prime membership includes free shipping on all items and access to Amazon’s video and music streaming services for the price of $119 per year – a number small enough for almost one in three Americans to justify the purchase and large enough that they will be especially inclined to get their money’s worth out of their subscriptions. Combining the perks of membership with a consistent and vast stream of products that appeal to the consumer and a pricing model specifically designed to undercut the competition, they become unstoppable.

    In order to consistently provide the best prices for a vast variety of products on the internet, Amazon trades off especially low net profits on sales for the increased business their prices attract. In fact, the majority of the corporation’s income is actually generated by the Amazon Web Services. Essentially, this means that Amazon has been reducing businesses to rubble left and right for the past decade, all so they could eventually capitalize on their popularity and finally make a decent profit from a virtual cloud.

    With the pandemic stoking the fire of the retail apocalypse, as is the case with climate change, we are fast approaching a point of no return. While faceless retail corporations will continue to exist in some capacity for those who refuse to conform to the online platform, private businesses will someday become a thing of the past if we can’t collectively escape the “every man for himself” attitude our society has adopted.

    We need to look past the immediate future and understand that helping others ultimately helps everyone in the long run. So, instead of outsourcing your next purchase for a cheaper price, whatever it may be, invest in a business from your local community. Take pride in watching your wealth spread, rather than sulking in the shame of knowing you’re feeding the beast that intends to devour the businesses your neighbors have devoted their lives to.

    Author’s Note: This righteous rant brought to you by a shameless Amazon Prime member. Do as I say, not as I do and together we can save the small business.

  • New Covid Strain Touches Down in Humboldt

    New Covid Strain Touches Down in Humboldt

    Humboldt County is one of the most isolated counties in California. From this came low numbers of coronavirus cases, a luxury that other counties in the state didn’t have. That has all changed recently. Cases have shot up in every county in California and now there is a new coronavirus strain making its way around.

    Known as L452R, this variant largely remains a mystery to local health officials and there has only been one confirmed case for this new strain in Humboldt County as of publication.

    Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Ian Hoffman believes that while the new variant may be unique, it is not necessarily more dangerous than other current strains.

    “I think from just knowing about the other variants, symptomatology should be the same. The UK variant doesn’t show any worse outcomes, it’s just more transmissible,” Hoffman said in a video interview with the Humboldt County Department of Human Health and Services.

    Clairissa Keesey, an HSU senior and a studio art and business marketing double major, is on edge about possibly contracting the new coronavirus strain given her job.

    “I’m a healthcare worker, I work with direct patient contact as a caregiver, so it definitely makes me nervous,” Keesey said. “But I just got the vaccine so I’m hoping it works.”

    The guidelines and practices surrounding coronavirus in Humboldt County remain steadfast.

    HSU’s Campus COVID Safety Coordinator Jennifer Sanford outlined some of the ways that HSU is readying itself for the onset of the L452R variant.

    “The campus emergency team, and advance planning team both meet twice weekly and continue to be responsive to new developments in terms of campus plans,” Sanford said in an email interview. “We are keeping an eye on the new strain and other happenings and these will be considered in plans concerning the current semester, summer, and fall.”

    On a county-wide level, Dr. Ian Hoffman doesn’t foresee any new rules being enacted, even with the arrival of this new strain.

    “There should be no change in our practices because the things that we do to prevent the new strains are the exact same things we do to prevent the old strains,” Hoffman said. “So that would be: distancing, masking, avoiding gathering, washing hands.”

    For Sanford and her group, the landscape of the situation is constantly evolving and thus they need to be ready for anything.

    “In a nutshell, plans adapt as new information comes to light,” Sanford said in an email interview. “Lots of on-campus testing will continue moving forward and we are looking now at how to get the vaccine out to the campus community in an efficient manner as soon as it is available.”

  • The vaccine rollout creates more controversy

    The vaccine rollout creates more controversy

    Following the tireless debate that we began to witness in March over wearing masks and the continued misuse of the social distancing mandates, we should not be surprised that continuing to adhere to these guidelines post-vaccination is questionable to some.

    Yes, according to the Center for Disease Control, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is 95% effective, but that doesn’t mean you should throw away social distancing measures just yet. Although it is highly effective, the vaccine is not perfect and health care professionals remain uncomfortable with “returning to normal” after the first couple rounds of vaccines have been distributed. Dr. Michael Saag, professor of medicine at the University of Alabama, compared the pandemic to a wildfire, saying the vaccines take fuel out of the fire.

    The small chance of getting COVID-19 after receiving the vaccination continues to grow as cases are still on the surge within many counties, especially Humboldt. On Jan. 26, in a virtual meeting of the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors, they indicated that although the state has lifted stay-at-home orders, Humboldt County is still in the purple tier and is expected to stay there for several weeks.

    In a new model released by the CDC, we see that around 60% of new COVID-19 cases have been linked to asymptomatic spread. The concern of scientists is that those who have been vaccinated could potentially still have the ability to spread the virus, even if they are not likely to get sick themselves. The common misconception is that once you are vaccinated, you are immune to the virus, but there is not enough evidence that suggests this to be true.

    “If they were asymptomatic but equally contagious, then that’s going to have quite an impact on the epidemic,” said Richard Menzies, an epidemiologist who directs the McGill International TB Centre in light of the new CDC model addressing asymptomatic spread. Dr. David Ho, a virologist working on developing monoclonal antibody therapies for COVID-19 at Columbia University added that it sometimes takes up to one month, or slightly longer, for protective immunity to set in after vaccination.

    It is especially important during this time that those who’ve been vaccinated continue to wear a mask and adhere to social distancing guidelines. As we move through the following weeks, to ensure the effectiveness of newer vaccinations, those who are already vaccinated have an important role.

    Since vaccine distribution began in the U.S. on Dec. 4, the CDC’s daily data tracker shows that we have administered more than 30 million doses as of Monday, Feb. 1. In order to achieve herd immunity through vaccinations, experts believe 75-80% of the population or more would have to be vaccinated.

    Vaccinations are massively important in combating COVID-19, but simply administering doses to the public is not going to be enough in ending the pandemic. The best way to ensure that we are doing our part for our community is to continue adhering to mandatory state guidelines: wear a mask, wash your hands and keep your distance.

  • 8 of the best local places to safely visit

    Local destinations around HSU to get your adventure on during the pandemic

    (Photos by Elise Fero)

    Trust me as someone who has had COVID-19, it’s better to be in quarantine than to catch the virus and be isolated alone. So what do you do with your spare time? If you have any sort of adventurous spirit, this is the list for you. In no particular order, here is eight of the best places to go to while attending Humboldt State University.

    1. Redwood National and State Parks

    On a cold day in Redwood National Park, the forest is filled with sounds of rain hitting leaves of every individual plant

    While this is a farther location 29 miles north of campus, it’s absolutely worth the drive. This is one of the coolest and most beautiful places I’ve ever been. The area has multiple hiking trails, beaches, a canyon of ferns, and of course, the world’s tallest tree, Hyperion. If you like National Parks, go scratch this one off your list. Not only is it breathtaking, but it’s also where parts of Jurassic Park and Star Wars were filmed. It crosses between Humboldt and Del Norte Counties and protects 45 percent of the remaining coastal redwood trees. This location is an endless adventure that you can return to and still find something new.

    2. College Cove

    Waves crash against rocks where anemone and starfish live at College Cove as people walk dogs and throw frisbees in September

    College Cove is located in Trinidad about 13 miles away from campus. This location has brilliant blue water surrounded by forested boulders. Visitors walk on the beach, and some surf. You’ll also find a plethora of dogs! There are tiny pools of water where anemone and starfish live. Lots of studying to do? Bring your work here. Homework with a view while listening to the sound of waves is unmatched.

    Melanie Guillen is a freshman film major who finds serenity at College Cove.

    “I’m not really a beach person but it’s more secluded than the others,” said Guillen. “I like it.”

    3. Clam Beach

    The sun sets and the tide leaves seafoam scattered across Clam beach on Sept. 24

    This beach is closest to campus and only a short drive headed north, toward McKinleyville. The sand is soft and warm, perfect for finding sand dollars. Watch for jellyfish washed on the shore, that goes for most beaches. While it’s not surrounded by trees, looking back behind you is the forest and beautiful fog. This area is also phenomenal for sunsets and changes in the tide.

    Freshman wildlife major James Lara said he loves Clam Beach for the picturesque views.

    “I like the little dunes it has, it’s pretty cool. It’s very pretty for stargazing,” said Lara. “The water’s pretty low so you can go pretty far into the waves and be safe.”

    4. Arcata Community Forest

    If you want to explore the forest, this location is a lovely place to start. You can find loads of mushrooms. I even found a mushroom in the shape of a heart! Remember to always research and double check when foraging. The forest hosts large trees, tall and wide. There are multiple paths to take, great areas to jog or bike. There’s often people around, but you can find a little oasis within your path. At the top is Redwood Park with a friendly playground and picnic area.

    5. Moonstone Beach

    This beach looks straight out of a fairytale. Located in Trinidad, this beach is on the scenic coast and has a boardwalk. The beach is the perfect local vacation spot. The views are breathtaking, and a large stream of water flows through the sand, leaving a perfect wading area and play space for children. The beach is dog friendly, as well. Sunsets are magical, the waves are great for surfing and there are restaurants nearby. A perfect combination!

    6. Agate Beach

    Waves bring new stones in as people search for the perfect agate at Agate Beach

    Another location in Trinidad, Agate beach is located at Patrick’s Point State Park and has a campground for those interested. You do have to pay $8 for day-use but it’s well worth the expense. This beach is exactly what the name says. You’ll find people looking through all the pebbles on the beach, and you should, too! It’s also a spot to watch wildlife and be completely engulfed by nature. You shouldn’t swim here, but you can take long walks on the beach. It’s a beautiful area, and not too crazy busy. Take some time for yourself, bring a picnic basket and have a good beach day.

    7. Avenue of the Giants

    Of all of the listed locations, this is the farthest from campus at 40 miles north in Humboldt Redwoods State Park. If the name didn’t intrigue you, the description will. Imagine every post you see on Instagram or Pinterest with a van in the middle of the road surrounded by extremely tall trees, I know you know the ones I’m talking about. Those are here. The redwoods surround the road, looking like a magical pathway through 31 miles of epic perfection. Some of the trees are over 300 feet tall, and one tree is almost 1,000 years old!

    8. Forest paths around HSU

    Plants hang over a cliff to show their roots and reach for the sun underneath redwood trees allow the paths around HSU

    If you don’t drive, no worry! Stick to the paths that are connected to campus. You can find all sorts of mushrooms, ferns and creeks. This area is easy to access and absolutely beautiful. Students are usually the only people exploring, but sometimes you’ll see someone else jogging. The area is perfect for walking your pet, biking, running, or just enjoying the views. This is also the spot where I have been able to find the most banana slugs. They love blackberry bushes!

    Undeclared freshman Natalie Barber laughed with her friends, Guillen and Nicole Velazquez, about going on spontaneous adventures on the paths around HSU.

    “One day you’ll be like you guys wanna go hiking? Yeah okay! Let me get my bag ready,” said Barber.

  • COVID-19 pandemic seeps into our dreams

    COVID-19 pandemic seeps into our dreams

    The unprecedented and life-altering pandemic is affecting our dream state

    Dreaming is the psychological phenomenon of our minds that creates vivid images as we descend into a deep sleep.

    Humans are hyperactive and social creatures. When we’re not participating in daily activities, our minds enter states of depression, stress, boredom and now more than ever, paranoia.

    The pandemic’s effect on our lives has certainly altered our psyche, undeniably impacting the way we think and the contents of our dreams.

    HSU senior majoring in journalism Alexis Valtenbergs has had multiple bizarre and lasting dreams since the shelter in place began. Her most notable dream involved catching COVID-19 and experiencing symptoms in the dream.

    “I almost had an anxiety attack the first time I woke up like that,” Valtenbergs said. “I was convinced, thanks to the paranoia, that I had COVID, that it would kill me.”

    Valtenbergs found entering a good headspace before bed made a significant impact on her dreams throughout this time in quarantine. Meditation and muscle relaxation exercises before bed does the trick for her.

    Valtenbergs has had her share of great dreams since quarantine began and believes that dreaming is a wonderful thing that can open our minds to things we haven’t noticed before.

    “There is symbolism in dreams, something that symbolizes what you are going through.” Valtenbergs said. “I’ve had amazing dreams that I didn’t want to escape from.”

    Kashan Fields, an Arcata local, hasn’t had too many wild dreaming experiences, but has had trouble sleeping since quarantine began.

    “Ever since COVID, I have been getting less sleep honestly,” Fields said. “I don’t even think I’ve been getting any deep sleep where I would have a good dream state.”

    Fields said the amount of stress that many are facing today is because of COVID-19. With learning online as well as navigating a global pandemic, people are facing a lot. Fields said stress has caused negative effects when it comes to his sleep schedule but, taking time to work on certain things that need to be done can help reduce that stress.

    “It’s usually some type of stress that you’re usually not resolving for the most part,” Fields said. “If you just look at your life and see what you need to tend to, trying to find a way to manifest that can help build a positive headspace. Usually one way to manifest is in a dream.”

    To help understand the act of dreaming, philosophy professor Mary Bockover explains the beauty and overall mystery of these illusions. She believes dreams are a part of who we are and that in a way they’re full embodied experiences. Dreams can cause us to imagine the impossible and create alternate realities that we may never find answers to.

    “When it comes to interpreting the significance of our dreams, we can speculate, develop theories and use our own experience and intuitions as a guide,” Bockover said. “But to know for sure what they mean seems out of our grasp. That’s part of the beauty about dreaming.”

    Bockover recognizes the global pandemic has affected us all in more ways than one. Being stuck in lockdown has thrown off our schedules significantly. Not having daily routines can force our minds to speculate or conjure up scenarios without even realizing until we have fallen asleep.

    Although times may be tough at the moment and our minds dealing with a lot, they are still able to produce a phenomenon that cannot be explained and help us develop interesting ways of looking into our own lives.

    “Dreams allow us to confront a part of ourselves that is a mystery to us and that informs us that we are part of something larger,” Bockover said. “Something beyond the self that is also a part of the self.”

  • McKinleyville launches the first Christmas lighting contest

    McKinleyville launches the first Christmas lighting contest

    McKinleyville plans its first Christmas lights, house decorations and door decorating contest.

    McKinleyville will host their first Christmas lighting contest. The contest consists of Christmas lights and Christmas decorations on McKinleyville houses. The contestants are judged based on inflatables, Christmas lights and Christmas decorations.

    The Christmas lighting contest, will have a map drawn out of all participating homes. There will be first, second and third placements with prizes. Participating in the event is free and the event itself will take place Dec. 23, 24, and 25 from 6 to 9 p.m.

    Keith Ownsbey was the first to launch the idea and hopes the event can become an annual tradition. Ownsbey started a Facebook page dedicated to the idea and posted his contact information for those interested in participating and volunteering.

    “I was bored,” Ownsbey said. “I decided to make a post on the local Facebook page and said ‘hey this is who I am, my family and I are lucky enough to call this community our home and I plan on decorating a lot this year and I wanted to put on a Christmas lighting decorating contest.’”

    The event will be following COVID-19 protocol by looking at Christmas lights within the McKinleyville area. The event is being held over a three-day span, rather than one giant event on a single day, as another COVID-19 safety precaution.

    The Christmas light contest is only happening locally in McKinleyville, but the Christmas door decorating contest is available throughout Humboldt County, so more people can participate.

    “Not everybody can drop two or three grand on a bunch of stuff,” Ownsby said. “But almost everybody can decorate a door and send in a picture.”

    Local community members and businesses who wished to contribute to the event offered prize money and donations.

    “All the prize money coming solely from the community members, business and donations,” Ownsbey said. “That’s what we are gonna use for the awards.”

    Cyndi Bainbridge, the treasurer for McKinleyville’s Lions Club, is excited about participating in the event. The Lions Club is a community and worldwide known club that partnered with Ownsbey to help out with the Christmas event.

    “I talked to the Lions Club,” Bainbridge said. “The president felt it was a really good idea to get behind something like that.”

    The Lions Club, by partnering, has helped with donations and credibility regarding the event. COVID-19 has taken a lot from communities this last year, Bainbridge is hopeful the outcome of this event can change that.

    “The community needs this,” Bainbridge said. “It’s been a hard year, we are the type of community that likes to come together and be involved.”

    Kacy Tonkin is a participants in both the Christmas lights and door decorating contest. Once she found out about the event, she messaged Ownsbey asking to participate because she enjoys the Christmas season a lot.

    “I am super excited,” Tonkin said. “Personally I really enjoy driving around at Christmas time looking at lights, and I think less and less people were decorating, so this kind of gives them the incentive for people to decorate.”

    Tonkin mostly decorates inside her home, she’s excited to decorate the outside and help bring cheer regardless of the contest.

    “Gives people something to do,” Tonkin said. “I think that more than any monetary gain, I think just the joy or the happiness it brings people.”

    The deadline to sign up for the event is Dec. 15. The deadline for door decoration contest will be Dec. 22. To participate or ask any questions, reach out to the Facebook page, 1st Annual Mckinleyville Lighting Contest.

  • Maintaining a sustainable lifestyle during a global pandemic

    Maintaining a sustainable lifestyle during a global pandemic

    HSU students continue to pursue a zero waste lifestyle despite the additional obstacles presented by COVID-19

    Humboldt State University is synonymous with an eco-friendly, green lifestyle. This year, student sustainability values have been put to the test with a nationwide shutdown and a closed campus.

    Sage Palacils, freshman at HSU, was raised in a household that emphasized the importance of sustainability and has been living eco-consciously their entire life.

    “I’ve been practicing [sustainability] since I was young and the practice, more than the reasons are ingrained in me,” Palacils said. “I grew up really poor and we really didn’t have money to keep replacing things or not be sustainable.”

    Since the pandemic began, Palacils’ carbon footprint has been significantly reduced, after they moved to Humboldt and stopped driving. Palacils also found they don’t miss shopping in the massive malls back home in Los Angeles, because they don’t see a need to be flashy this year.

    “Since I don’t go out much, I don’t really buy clothes,” Palacils said. “I don’t really shop online. I kind of reuse the same clothes I have because of the pandemic.”

    This semester, Co-Director for HSU’s Campus Center for Appropriate Technology Klara Hernandez is attempting to provide students with a virtual substitute for the resources and sustainable living information they would have access to in a normal semester.

    “I feel like if I lead by example, people will become aware,” Hernandez said. “[I] just want to show that it’s possible that we can change individually. But at the same time, we have to attack this at the source, the corporations and big businesses, the people in power making the environmental impacts.”

    Hernandez originally got involved through their volunteer Friday events, which are not currently offered. The hardest part about being a member and leader of CCAT for Hernandez this semester has been having to turn away eager students because of the HSU’s pandemic policies.

    “We have to tell them no and it’s sad,” Hernandez said. “People really want to get involved and get their hands-on experiences, which is what we’re all about – providing that and serving the students, but we’re not able to.”

    HSU Waste Reduction and Resource Awareness Program Outreach Director Skylar Fisher believes the pandemic has proved the human race is ill equipped to tackle the much larger issue of climate change.

    “[If] we are not capable of responding to something as serious and as widespread as COVID, then we’re not gonna be able to be prepared for climate change,” Fisher said. “I’m very fortunate because I’m not extremely impacted by [climate change] yet, but you see all these communities that are and I think living sustainably is the least I can do.”

    Unfortunately, Fisher believes a majority of the sustainability advice floating around the internet comes from insincere influencers who are seeking an easy paycheck.

    “I think the current environmental movement is incredibly whitewashed. A lot of people having these conversations have taken it on more so as a fad than as something that they think can actually benefit our greater systems,” Fisher said. “It’s not so much about making a positive impact on the environment, it’s more so buying these products to make more products.”

    Practices like upcycling, thrifting, composting and growing your own foods can significantly contribute to a reduced carbon footprint. Fisher emphasized not putting yourself down for things your unable to accomplish, instead being proud of what you did.

    “It is impossible to expect everyone to be completely zero waste, but the important thing is to stay as aware as you can and reduce what you can.” Fisher said. “Just being aware, I think that’s the most important thing.”

    Given the precautions taken to prevent further spread of COVID-19, living a sustainable lifestyle has become significantly more challenging as stores safeguard their produce in plastic and purchasing in bulk items is no longer an option.

    “It’s super hard to get a hold of cheap, quality, low waste products and that has only gotten more difficult as the pandemic has progressed,” Fisher said. “[In the past] zero waste was the way that you lived if you couldn’t afford to waste, but it’s kind of been swapped now because plastic is subsidized, so it’s really easy for everything to be wrapped in plastic products. Which is hard on the consumer who now is blamed for wasting plastic.”

    For Fisher, the bottom line when it comes to waste reduction and sustainable living is that we all need to get involved and do our part in order to succeed and for species to survive.

    “[Reducing carbon emissions] is something that is very abstract to a lot of people but is very real and we need to understand that this isn’t just a competition to see how little trash we can throw out every week,” Fisher said. “There’s really real ramifications behind our waste output.”

  • Dorm students cling to the college experience

    Dorm students cling to the college experience

    Students living on-campus concerned as Humboldt County enters the red COVID-19 tier

    Students living in dorms, on-campus at Humboldt State University received a sliver of the college experience offered in a normal semester.

    Eli Farrington, an undeclared freshman, came to HSU to escape an unhealthy home-life and an unsafe place to live during the pandemic.

    “I think it’s pretty safe [here], compared to where I came from, which is Oakland,” Farrington said. “Which is way less safe in terms of corona.”

    Farrington enjoys having a triple suit all to himself, but he’s nervous about sharing common areas and only goes into the kitchen to do his laundry. Having little in common with his dorm mates, Farrington spends much less time interacting with people than he expected on a college campus.

    “They put me in Tan Oak, which is the student athlete dorm and I’m not a student athlete at all,” Farrington said. “I don’t really have any friends in my dorm.”

    His appreciation for the nature surrounding campus, having friends from Oakland that came to HSU this year and family tension, Farrington plans to continue living on campus in the spring.

    “I’d rather be here than stuck at home with my parents and also [a lot] of my friends have gone off to college too so there’s nothing really waiting for me at home,” Farrington said.

    Lake Mcleod, a political science major, is another freshman experiencing college life behind a screen of a laptop. Mcleod came to campus intending to live every ounce of the traditional college experience as possible.

    “Being here is helping me experience new things,” Mcleod said. “Personally, for me, back home is a different phase that I’ve moved on from. So, being here, I’m able to grow into the person that I really wanted to be.”

    Given that the university has restricted student interaction opportunities this semester, Mcleod feels more of an emphasis should be placed on the behavior of students on campus.

    “I feel like most people are staying as safe as possible but I’ve still seen huge groups and things that are a little questionable,” Mcleod said. “Which the university can’t control everybody, but I feel like it could be a bit better in terms of restrictions.”

    Mcleod’s main concern is the lenient testing regulations for students who leave the area and interact outside of their bubble.

    Students living in the dorms were only tested upon arrival back in August. All testing and quarantining currently operates under an honors system but, Mcleod has personally met people who’ve broken it.

    “Random people that I’ve talked to have said ‘oh yeah, I’ve been here and there’ and it doesn’t sound like they’ve been tested when they come back or they haven’t really been social distancing,” Mcleod said.

    Mcleod was also bothered by HSU hosting San Jose State University’s football team earlier in the semester. Considering how dorm students are restricted to host guests from other areas of housing and no more than two people are allowed at a table in the J’s dining area.

    “I feel like it was hypocritical in a lot of ways,” Mcleod said. “Having a whole football team here from a different county, from [a place with high cases], for them to come over here where we had low cases, that didn’t really sit too well with me and a whole bunch of other people I know.”

    River Ruiz, a political science major, has been living in the dorms for the past three semesters. His biggest reason for returning this semester was his on-campus job with HSU dining services. His experiences this semester led him to begin searching for other employment opportunities.

    “They need to make a lot of improvements,” Ruiz said. “The population is dwindling a lot, so the current workers, they like overload [them].”

    Ruiz will be making separate trips home to Southern California for Thanksgiving and Christmas because he needs to work between the holiday breaks.

    “It’s just crazy,” Ruiz said. “Cause you’re scared that you might come in contact with someone and you can’t go home because you have to quarantine.”

    No longer having the same access to extracurricular activities, Ruiz is grateful to have work as a distraction from school, despite the risks and drawbacks of this semester.

    “I know a lot of people that live on campus and go to school, they just stay here all the time and they don’t really have a good college experience,” Ruiz said. “[This semester is] kind of depressing, but it’s a depressing time and everybody’s getting through it.”

  • Club sport athletes stay on track

    Club sport athletes stay on track

    Unable to practice as a team, athletes practice one-on-one.

    Humboldt State University’s athletics clubs are currently unable to practice on a team level. Members hold themselves accountable in hopes of the restriction lifting and allowing teams to meet and practice again.

    Part of being ready to play whenever COVID-19 restrictions loosen or end, is staying in shape. Colin Waichler, president of the cycling club, has no set plan for his team, just encourages them to stay on the bike.

    “We haven’t been doing any real individual training this semester,” Waichler said. “To be honest, we don’t do any team training in normal years, there’s no motivation around for that when just going for a rip is way more fun. If you count super chill group rides as training, I guess we train.”

    Waichler said the club members are riding mostly the same amount as they would normally, even without races that would be scheduled.

    “Right now, everyone’s riding at their usual level minus the four or five race weekends we normally have in the fall,” Waichler said. “For most of us, that’s one to three casual rides a week.”

    Waichler has been doing more than just stepping on the bike to stay in shape.

    “Ordinarily, I’d be riding four or five hours a week. Distance varies, but about 30 to 100 miles, usually on less rainy days but occasionally I’ll go for a swim,” Waichler said. “Outside of that I don’t really train but do a good amount of hiking and ski touring when possible.”

    Anthony Perez, president of the archery club, staying in shape is not the only reason he maintains individual practicing, mental health is a huge factor when it comes to being able to practice.

    “I try to at least shoot twice a month, safely of course,” Perez said. “The only reason why I go out is because archery helps me destress. With the whole staying indoors and not having much contact besides the house plant, it gets hard to find motivation but when I go out to shoot, it helps me clear my mind because I’m only focusing on my breathing and the target.”

    Perez elaborated on how practicing helps him stay in touch and focused with his surroundings, a great break from the monotony of virtual instruction.

    “Just overall feeling the surroundings, like how strong the wind is, the leaves falling and just have that feeling of being alive versus migrating from the bed to the desk,” Perez said. “It’s really hard to explain but it’s like you’re in touch with everything because you’re using all your senses to make sure you make that shot, but when I’m inside my house, I only need one or two senses and I’m not at full capacity. Like I’m on autopilot.”

  • Humboldt County skips from yellow to red tier

    Part of a statewide effort to slow COVID-19 cases, Humboldt county enters a heavily restrictive tier.

    Humboldt County moved into a heavily restrictive tier as part of a statewide COVID-19 response. California saw a rise of cases within the past weeks, reporting 57,000 new cases within the past seven days. Governor Gavin Newsom said this will slow down any plans of reopening.

    Part of a 40 county reorganization, Humboldt has been moved from the lowest tier into the second highest tier, with 4.8 cases for every 100,000 tests conducted.

    42 percent of positive, reported Humboldt county cases have occurred within the Latinx community, despite making up only 12.3 percent of the population according to 2019 US Census Bureau data.

    In a Humboldt Health Alert sent out on Nov. 16, Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Teresa Frankovich said that the current case rates could possibly move Humboldt into the most restrictive tier.

    “Since the state first implemented the Blueprint framework, they’ve signaled that they could move faster if conditions warranted,” said Frankovich. “Our recent data shows why that makes sense because this virus is moving faster than we have ever seen, and rapid response can help to slow the upward trajectory.”

    Under the new tier list all bars, breweries and distilleries will be closed while wineries can be open outdoors only. Restaurants, retail shops and places of worship can be open “…indoors at maximum 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer,” according to the Humboldt Health Alert.

    The CDC and the Humboldt Department of Health and Human Services both highly advise against having gatherings for the holidays as this will most likely increase the spread of COVID-19.

    “We simply need to stop traveling and stop gathering, especially indoors. It isn’t safe, and it is impacting our schools and our business communities,” Frankovich said in the health alert. “The upcoming holidays need to be single household celebrations if we want to get through this pandemic with fewer hospitalizations and fewer lives lost.”

    Nationwide, cases continue to spike. The New York Times is currently tracking around 11.4 million cases reported nationwide and nearly 250,000 deaths attributed to the virus, as of time of publication.

    The Center for Disease Control has predicted that “…the number of newly reported COVID-19 deaths will likely increase over the next four weeks, with 5,500 to 13,400 new deaths likely to be reported in the week ending Dec. 5, 2020. The national ensemble predicts that a total of 260,000 to 282,000 COVID-19 deaths will be reported by this date.”

  • Savage Henry Comedy Club faces potential closing

    Savage Henry Comedy Club faces potential closing

    The club’s GoFundme is near its deadline

    The Savage Henry, known for its magazine and comedy club, is being threatened with shutting down. Their current GoFundMe stands $9,000 short, as of publication, and the deadline is coming up.

    The club temporarily shut down from March to July due to COVID-19.

    Co-owner of Savage Henry Chris Durant first opened the club in November 2018. Ever since, the club and magazine have been a hit locally and statewide but due to pandemic restrictions, the club faces financial troubles.

    “We couldn’t pay any bills because we couldn’t sell anything,” Durant said. “We were dead in the water,” Durant said.

    Calista LaBolle, a stand-up comedian at the Savage Henry, has been performing at the club for a year and has been friends with Durant prior to stepping on stage. LaBolle emphasized the beauty of the comedy club and it’s importance in the community.

    “It’s a mecca for comedy in Humboldt. It is for many comedians,” LaBolle said. “In our region, it is very well known. A rest fit for a lot of the comedians, a place that they can come and be themselves. That will be difficult for a lot of us, if it has to close.”

    Eric Fitzgerald, a stand-up comedian at the Savage Henry, found the club from open mic acts. For Fitzgerald, the club is a place of creativity and expression, a supportive outlet for local comedians to get their art form public and have fun.

    “A place to get together and see good entertainment that’s hilarious and to get a good laugh,” Fitzgerald said. “Especially now with the pandemic I feel like comedy kind of essential to break up the monotony.”

    Although the club had shows in alternative forms during the pandemic, like drive-in and movie theatre-style comedy with protocol being followed within the building, it is not bringing in as much money as it was.

    “If the comedy club goes away, there’s other things that will go away too and then we are all stuck in our houses staring at our phones,” Fitzgerald said.

    Only certain drive-in and comedy streaming shows within the club are available making it hard to bring money in with the club shut down. Usually, the club packs the week full of different comedy sets.

    “We would have local comics, open mics on Wednesdays and Sundays, the comedians produce their own shows, on the weekends we usually have headliners from out of the area,” Durant said. “The only dedicated comedy club between the Bay area and Portland, OR.”

    The GoFundMe money would go towards rent and keeping the building. There’s still time to raise the money and with flexibility between landlords and the owners, Durant is hopeful.

    “We make jokes about it now,” Durant said. “I would turn to the camera and say, ‘Please donate so this guy doesn’t come running up to you in the store and try to tell you jokes, give him a safe place to do his craft’.”

    To donate, visit their GoFundMe at http://www.gofundme.com/f/save-savage-henry.

  • Women’s volleyball team practices during COVID-19 pandemic regardless of no season

    Women’s volleyball team practices during COVID-19 pandemic regardless of no season

    The team practices with approval of HSU president and CSU system while adhering to state and local public health policies

    The Humboldt State University’s women’s volleyball team found a way to practice during the pandemic. The team’s practice plans were approved by HSU President Jackson and the California State University system and practices must abide by state and local COVID-19 public health regulations. HSU is one of the few schools in California allowed to do so.

    Macy Thomas, a junior at HSU, explained the precautions taken by the team to abide by the COVID-19 safety protocol.

    “Of course there were several limitations in place, but throughout the last couple months we’ve been able to increase our practice size, duration and level of contact in a safe manner,” Thomas said.

    To hold practices, the team divided into two smaller pods. The team is required to wear masks during practice as well as remain socially distant throughout it.

    Lenox Loving, junior at HSU, said it was hard for her to adapt to practicing as two separate pods instead of an entire team. Loving found it especially difficult to get used to playing with the new players, but said it gave them a chance to create a bond on the court.

    “In my pod, I was one of three returning players and the rest were new,” Loving said.

    Loving said playing with the new team has made her excited for the future season, whenever that is confirmed to happen.

    “The past couple of weeks we have been able to practice as a full team and it has been really fun to play with some of the new players from the other pods,” Loving said.

    The players were given options for the fall semester and practice was optional for players. A few players chose to stay at home, a decision fully supported by their teammates, and the players that decided to come back and practice, quarantined for two to three weeks once they arrived in the county.

    Players had several rounds of continuous testing and a slow introduction back into practices and workouts.

    “HSU had us following several different protocols every week in order for it to remain safe such as testing, temperature checks, COVID check-ins everyday,” Loving said.

    The team hopes to know within the next couple of weeks if they will play any games this spring or be forced to wait until next fall. Head Coach Kelly Wood expressed eager she is to get back onto the court and compete against other schools again.

    “I know my athletes are longing for the long road trip, the bonding experience and many more than anything, the competition versus the other schools in our conference,” Wood said.

    Without this year’s season, it hurts the team to think back to last season and how much times have changed. Making memories while competing with the thrill of going to play games, traveling and their normal hustle during the season as a team.

    “We understand the circumstances and changes that need to be made, so we choose to remain positive and thankful for our health and ability to practice together right now,” Thomas said.

    Wood says the team has been amazing during this very odd and unpredictable time that is happening to everyone, pointing out that the veteran players on the team really stepped up this year.

    “They have shown resilience, commitment and they have remained very positive during a very challenging time,” Wood said. “The returns have been helpful and gone above and beyond to help the newcomers enjoy the experience as possible despite the circumstances and my 13 newcomers have been a pleasure to get to know and work with during this time.”

  • Justin Turner exposes the World Series to COVID-19

    Justin Turner exposes the World Series to COVID-19

    Justin Turner didn’t need to be the story in the wake of the Dodgers’ first World Series victory in 32 years. Instead here we are, wondering what sort of, if any, punishment Major League Baseball will decide to hand down to Turner after he decided to run out onto the field to celebrate with his teammates and their families after he learned he had tested positive for COVID-19. 

    Putting aside my own feeling about the Dodgers as a Giants supporter, this is simply not fair to LA fans who have been waiting for this day for so long. When the Major League Baseball Players Association made the decision to work with the MLB to host the playoffs at neutral sites in a partial bubble, all players became responsible for trying to maintain that bubble. 

    Turner was removed from the game at the start of the eighth inning after a previously inconclusive test result returned back as a positive. He remained in isolation until the game ended, even tweeting and acknowledging that he had COVID-19. 

    Turner still returned to the field, however against MLB regulations, and hugged his teammates and their family members. He even sat down next to Dave Roberts, the Dodgers general manager, who has survived Hodgkin lymphoma in the past, to pose for a team photo with the trophy while neither of them were wearing masks.

    It’s not unreasonable to expect an adult to follow guidelines they agreed to. Turner’s actions were selfish and unreasoned. It is one thing to be among teammates who you’ve been in close contact with for months, but Turner could have also exposed several people to COVID-19 who may not have even known that he tested positive. 

    It’s more disappointing to see Turner take these actions after having previously served on the MLBPA executive board. Prior to the Dodgers beginning their postseason run, Turner even spoke about how responsible players were taking safety precautions and how that allowed this whole postseason to even happen. 

    It is understandable that Turner wanted to celebrate with his teammates. Those guys participated in a tough season with no fans and came out on top together. Turner is an everyday player, and it would have been doubtlessly hard for him to not be on that field with his teammates. But at the end of the day, that is what every one of those guys signed up for. 

    His teammates will likely support him always in this matter but Turner’s actions have cast all of baseball in a bad light. For two consecutive seasons now the attention will be placed on the MLB to see what decision they make, this time regarding any potential punishment for Turner following their investigation. 

  • Baseball clubs across California come together

    Baseball clubs across California come together

    Club baseball organizations from the CSU system discuss COVID-19 obstacles

    Humboldt State University club teams are not the only ones having issues with recruiting and getting on the field. Baseball clubs across the Cal State system came together to discuss the cancellations of their seasons due to COVID-19.

    Most teams present have been unable to do anything in-person due to quarantine. Players from University of San Francisco came up with a unique idea to combat restricted field access.

    Alex Bradshaw, a member of the USF baseball club, is able to practice with his teammates because of a homemade batting cage.

    “Saul Diaz [a member of USF baseball] was able to build a homemade batting cage that some of us are able to meet up at and hit some balls,” Bradshaw said. “There are only about five of us on the team right now so no rules are broken and we are doing our part in social distancing.”

    HSU athletic clubs aren’t the only ones getting the short end of the stick when it comes to not being able to get on the field.

    Aiden Patterson, president of the USF baseball club, has been facing the same problems when it comes to creating a game plan to get back on the field.

    “They are slowly bringing sports back into our area. Our university is not working with us now and they never did,” Patterson said. “Our club is not allowed to use equipment or fields on campus. Our club sports representative has been trying to work with the Athletic Director but they have not even budged a little on the issue.”

    Robert Rocha, president of Long Beach State University’s baseball club, has been working hard with his university to get the team back to practicing.

    “Up until two weeks ago there was no chance of us getting back on the field,” Rocha said. “ Then I received and email last week with guidelines for practice from a representative of the NCAA that I sent to club sports and they are reviewing the situation right now.”

    During the meeting, Martin Gordillo, president of HSU’s baseball club, questioned if club teams would compete in the spring season, some were hesitant to say yes. The debate surrounds wanting to compete and not wanting to expose players to COVID-19.

    “Going back to practice is hard to decide,” Rocha said. “It is frustrating because we want to practice, but I do not want to have guys risk their own health for us to play baseball.”

    Daniel Pena, Cal State Fullerton University’s baseball club president, spoke on the risk of COVID-19 extending beyond players on the field and into their households.

    “I know some of my players live with their parents and grandparents,” Pena said. “I just don’t want any house to be jeopardized. It is a hard decision because we don’t want to force the issue of people being hurt and sick.”

    The biggest problem at hand surrounds lack of players for the competitive season. COVID-19 has created boundaries surrounding club outreach and recruitment.

    “We are only three to five people,” Patterson said. “It isn’t a matter of will, but if we will be able to compete. We can’t even recruit during these times. We just don’t have the numbers.”

    Recruitment and outreach has limited player enrollment. Pena found it difficult to motivate returning players, adding that the team’s competitive attitude is down due to the cancellation of their season.

    “A lot of guys graduated,” Pena said. “Recruiting is going horrible and I have difficulty contacting my teammates. They don’t respond to me probably because there is no effort put into this season. It’s hard to be competitive when there is no season to look forward to.”

    The meeting between CSU baseball clubs has solidified the fact that the spring season remains undecided. Even if teams were permitted to compete in the spring, they may be unable to play due to the lack of players on the field.

  • LJ reporter Anthony Aragon ranks local, Oktoberfest inspired beers

    LJ reporter Anthony Aragon ranks local, Oktoberfest inspired beers

    With public gatherings limited, Oktoberfest celebrations are confined to the crib this year

    October has become synonymous with leaves changing colors, pumpkin spice lattes and the beloved “spooky season.”

    Amongst the spirited festivities exclusive to fall, one tradition reigns supreme in the hearts of many beer lovers around the world: Oktoberfest. With the absence of Halloween parties, pumpkin patches and Oktoberfest festivals this year, October just feels different.

    Though many of the celebrations and fairs that pay homage to German heritage have been canceled to lower the spread of COVID-19, beer drinkers around the world are rushing to store shelves in hopes of tasting commemorative ales from their favorite breweries.

    Fortunately for Humboldt County residents and Humboldt State University students who enjoy the occasional pint between study sessions, there is no shortage of local craft breweries pumping out beer to consume year-round. The assortment of IPA’s, lagers, ales and sours offered at the local brew houses are guaranteed to satisfy the most fastidious of beer connoisseurs.

    On Sun., Oct. 18, I visited Redwood Curtain Brewing Co. in Arcata, hoping to sample a variety of brews that compliment the changing seasons. Unfortunately, RCBC is taking a breather on concocting their traditional German inspired lagers that are usually available this time of the year.

    Refusing to leave in defeat, employee Chris Galleron, assisted me in scouring their selection to find some substitutes that are adequate for any at home Oktoberfest celebration. I left with three crawlers filled with different brews ready to be enjoyed, a nice change of pace from cases of Pabst Blue Ribbon and poorly crafted mixed drinks most of us endear in our college careers.

    First up was Muddy Nut Bush, which is made in collaboration with Muddy Waters Coffee Company in the neighboring city McKinleyville.

    At first glance I was taken back by the idea of a coffee infused beer, especially one that utilizes a rather potent cold brew. My original expectations were tainted by long nights during finals week, where caffeine fuels overnight cramming sessions and last minute procrastination. The nutty beer is infused with Muddy Water’s cold brew, which delivers a smooth and robust finish at 4.2 percent ABV. I found myself pleasantly surprised by the aroma of this one, the coffee notes derived from the cold brew creates a rather sweet flavor that is subtle yet delicious.

    Next up, in the second generous sized canister was Logger in the Dark. This international dark logger is Redwood Curtain’s closest comparable option to a traditional German Lager.

    Logger in the Dark is exceptionally balanced despite its amber color and bright aroma. Malty notes complimented the sweet hints of caramel and chocolate. By no means lacking flavor, this dark beer delivers a dessert like taste without overpowering your palette coming in at 4.4 percent ABV. This dark beer is perfect to pair with a warm, hearty meal on a cold autumn evening in Humboldt.

    Last up in our three pack of crafted malt elixirs was my personal favorite, Sticky Fingers IPA. This Indiana Pale Ale is affectionately named after the long lasting crop Humboldt County is infamous for.

    This beer is the hoppiest of our three picks, but possibly the most flavorful. The crisp hazy tones of Sticky Fingers is balanced by the bright citrus hues that are tasted at the end of each sip. A Redwood Curtain favorite amongst its customers, this IPA is sure to please anyone looking for an ale with a bite. Measuring in at 6.1 percent ABV, this brew will definitely give you a run for your money, creating a mellow sensation for drinkers.

    Regardless of how different things might look this fall, the spirit of Oktoberfest lives throughout Humboldt County. So, grab a pint of your favorite local brew, hold your glass up high and cheers to the uncertainty this year has presented us with.

  • Minor Theater is back after closure scare

    Minor Theater is back after closure scare

    GoFundMe saves The Minor Theater thanks to community support.

    The Minor Theater has reopened to the public after closing at the start of the COVID-19 outbreaks eight months ago.

    Reopening was never a certainty for Josh Neff, building owner and co-owner of The Minor.

    “I was trying to have an optimistic outlook and thinking this is something we can handle. We’re gonna get through it and it’ll take a few weeks then we’ll be back to some sort of new norm or a norm, but that was not the case,” Neff said. “We were nursing the business along by paying the minimal amount of bills and rent that we could and just kinda running out of money.”

    Coming into late July and early August, the likelihood of reopening was slim. But, on Sept. 28, the theater opened a GoFundMe page in hopes they would earn enough money to reopen.

    “It was either that or fold the business, that’s where we were at,” Neff said. “We didn’t want to ask for anything for free. That’s why we did the incentive program and gave them the discounted theater rentals in exchange for the donations.”

    Currently the GoFundMe has raised $32,805, well over their $20,000 goal, with 364 donors. This outpouring of support from the community came as a surprise to Neff.

    “I didn’t think it would be so generous and so fast,” Neff said. “I did expect that the community would have a heartfelt response to our donation request but I didn’t realize that it would come so fast and exceed our expectations like it did.”

    Travis Bille, a community member and donor to the Minor, expressed the significance and importance of keeping the Minor operating.

    “It’s a staple of the community,” Bille said. “I love this place.”

    Before they could open up, they had to make some health and safety changes first to comply with COVID-19 guidelines.

    “I put a two stage HEPA air filtration system in and it runs 24 hours a day,” Neff said. “We did a 60 percent seating capacity reduction, we implemented some COVID software that allows people to pick the actual seat they want to sit in, and you can buy it online and it automatically gets rid of the seats next to you on both sides. We did a bunch of enhanced cleaning safety protocols, obviously masks are being worn at all times.”

    On Oct. 9, the Minor Theater reopened its doors to the public for weekend showings with the new safety protocol in place.

    “We followed all the health and safety measures that the county guidelines put out and then we sorta went above and beyond and did everything else we could think of to do,” Neff said.

    Fans of the theater, like Christy Mast, were thankful that the theater was able to bounce back and begin showing again.

    “It was nice to just get back in with the community and be at the movies again,” Mast said.

    Neff is extremely thankful and overjoyed by the community’s effort to save his business. He recalls the day the Minor reopened with glee.

    “I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face the day that we opened,” Neff said. “Just to have the theater experience, have those doors open, have the marquee lit up, and have the popcorn machine running. It was glorious, everything you had hoped for.”

  • Sweet Mama Janisse hit hard by COVID-19

    Sweet Mama Janisse hit hard by COVID-19

    Local owner of Sweet Mama Janisse, Marie Janisse-Wilkins struggles to make up losses

    The Arcata community came together to save Marie Janisse-Wilkins, owner and operator of the local, soul food catering business, Sweet Mama Janisse, Inc., from eviction as COVID-19 has wiped away all her revenue for this year.

    During a garage sale Fri. Oct. 23, Janisse-Wilkins explained how she used her own money to start her business and when the business got into financial trouble, she refinanced her house to keep the business afloat, then COVID-19 struck.

    Janisse-Wilkins said she had paid all her bills before COVID-19 hit. Without the money from catering, she struggles to pay her mortgage.

    “[The banks] have no sympathy. They want their money. They want their money,” Janisse-Wilkins said.

    The Federal Reserve reported COVID-19 has disproportionately affected Black owned businesses. Janisse-Wilkins is Louisiana Creole, which includes a diverse heritage of European, African, and Indigenous America traditions.

    Shelter-in-place orders began in March and wiped away Janisse-Wilkins yearly schedule of catering for weddings, special events, graduation celebrations and the annual Independence Day celebrations in Eureka.

    The Federal Reserve said in a report titled “Double Jeopardy: COVID-19’s Concentrated Health and Wealth Effects in Black Communities” that while the national average of active small business owners dropped by 22 percent between Feb. and April, Black owned businesses saw a drop of 41 percent, almost twice the average, and the biggest decline of any racial group.

    This disparity is the result of historically unequal relationships to banks, increased likelihood of not being able to qualify for the Paycheck Protection Program and the higher rate of COVID-19 impact on Black communities.

    An online GoFundMe fundraiser started by Janisse-Wilkins’ friend, Julie du Bois, raised about $7,000 in two weeks. With a goal of $50,000, her friends have helped her host yard sales to sell off her possessions.

    Bob Dorn, friend of Janisse-Wilkins and writer of The Hum, a column that runs in the Mad River Union, received about 2000 of her books, mostly cookbooks, and decided to offer them in exchange for donations outside his storage unit at Arcata Bay Self Storage.

    “What she has going for her is she is an incredibly generous woman,” Dorn said.

    Nearing retirement age and without an income from her business, Janisse-Wilkins fears being homeless. She is currently unable to afford her rent, forcing her to ask for help.

    “It’s hard when you have to ask people to do something like this for you,” Janisse-Wilkins said.

    Oryan Peterson-Jones, Arcata City Council candidate, unloaded Janisse-Wilkins’ books from a storage unit and stated how he grew up in Arcata, and his first job was with Janisse-Wilkins as a dishwasher.

    “It was the best job I ever had,” Peterson-Jones said. “Marie was such an important person on my early development as a musician.”

    Peterson-Jones explained before Janisse-Wilkins moved to Humboldt in the 1990s, she worked at the Topanga Corral, which was a hot spot for rock and movie stars in the 1970s in Topanga Ca., just north of Hollywood.

    “She had all these stories and pictures of her with George Harrison, and the Rolling Stones,” Peterson-Jones said.

    Henry Saint Clair Fredericks, the multi-Grammy award winning musician known as Taj Mahal, is Janisse-Wilkins best friend. Fredricks even wrote a song, “Sweet Mama Janisse,” about her which tells of how good her cooking is. She even did two cruise gigs with Fredricks, called the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise, where he sang and she did catering.

    Spencer Kennedy, another former dishwasher of Janisse-Wilkins, volunteered to help host a yard sale and recalled how Janisse-Wilkins made the restaurant feel special.

    “I hope we can get a lot of customers to make some money to make a difference,” Kennedy said. “I haven’t seen anyone walk out of the kitchen and talk to everyone in the restaurant. But Marie did that with every table.”

    Jannise-Wilkins said while she is able to cater during COVID-19 and sells a line of sauce, finding work is tough as clients are not booking very many events and employees are harder to find.

    “I just hope everything gets better and I can cook food for people again,” Janisse-Wilkins said.

  • Resident Advisors struggle to keep dorm life normal

    Resident Advisors struggle to keep dorm life normal

    Due to the transition to online, campus life is lonelier than ever this semester

    Social distancing policies forces Resident Advisors to rely on tools like social media and video-chatting to stay in touch with students. To make up for the lack of in-person events, housing is putting on several Grab-N-Go programs this semester, where students pick up supplies and participate in door decorating competitions from the safety of their dorms.

    Generally speaking, RA responsibilities include daily room and floor rounds, enforce housing policies and provide connections to resources for students in their building.

    Stephen St. Onge is the associate vice president for student success at HSU. According to Onge, the RA job responsibilities have not changed, besides the move to online.

    The most notable impact of the pandemic on RAs has been on the ability to encourage students to engage with the campus community.

    “They are still doing outreach to their residents virtually,” Onge said. “They are still doing duty rounds, the programming, they are just doing it a little bit differently.”

    Victor Garcia Balderas is a second year RA. Balderas feels the blackouts of last fall and the transition to online in the spring has prepared him as an RA.

    “Because it is my second year as an RA, I feel I have a grasp of how things work,” Balderas said. “I’m flexible and have been hit with so many random events like last year when we had the blackouts.”

    Last semester, Balderas worked with new students. In contrast, this semester he works with returning and transfer students. Balderas says these students tend to already have established their own communities, making engagement much more challenging.

    Director of Residence Life Donyet King believes engaging with students during a pandemic just requires some outside of the box thinking.

    “We have to get really creative about it,” King said. “Initially when programs were held online, people were still adjusting to the pandemic.”

    Despite the efforts of housing to fabricate a sense of normality, the single occupancy policy, while necessary, generates an unavoidable sense of isolation for dorm students.

    “I’ve gotten lonely and a little bit sad,” Balderas said. “I feel like I am alone.”

  • Arcata Plaza hosts a Halloween car parade

    Arcata Plaza hosts a Halloween car parade

    Arcata plaza adjusts to a new, safe way for families to trick or treat on Halloween.

    Arcata has adapted to COVID-19 guidelines in order to host a Spooky Plaza car parade in support of a social distant Halloween. Arcata Main Street is a non-profit organization hosting this year’s COVID-19 friendly, Halloween in Arcata Plaza.

    The car parade will be hosted at Arcata Plaza on Oct. 31 from 7 to 11 p.m. All the spooky features and characters can be seen while inside the vehicle.

    Each part of the inner sidewalk of the plaza will have a different theme with characters and decorations. The event was thought of in late August and planned through September.

    Rose Shoshanna Anthony a consultant and volunteer with Arcata Main Street assured people it will be safe to participate as long as community members follow guidelines and protocols.

    “The event is to substitute for our usual Trick or Treat on the Plaza that gathers several thousand people over the course of several hours,” Shoshanna said. “So this time we have a decorated plaza with a limited number of volunteers being characters on the plaza and then people drive around.”

    To discourage people from the outer sidewalks from walking over the barricades into the plaza spooky area, monitored volunteers and traffic control have been implemented to make sure the event stays in accordance with COVID-19 protocol.

    The drives starts on the corner of the Tri County bank and finishes by exiting at the Jacoby Storehouse.

    Ceva Courtemanche, board member and vice president for Arcata Main Street, stated that the non-profit organization was determined to host a Halloween event.

    “We wanted to not fully give up on Halloween but we wanted to make sure it was gonna be safe for everybody,” Courtemanche said.”So, we put together a plan of doing an open spooky haunted house where participants will be driving in their vehicles around the plaza.”

    Lee Lazon, a volunteer for Arcata Main Street, has been working on graveyard and spider props for the haunted drive-by.

    “This year has been anything but normal and this is a favorite event for a lot of people and families,” Lazon said. “So, I think a lot of people are very interested just because there’s an opportunity to bring back at least a little bit of normal.”

    For more information about the Spooky Plaza car parade visit Arcata Mainstreet.com and check out their Facebook for info on signing up to volunteer.

  • COVID-19 hits student parents with a hurricane of obligation

    COVID-19 hits student parents with a hurricane of obligation

    Humboldt State students with children carry the weight of multiple educations this semester

    Carrie Tully is a single mother in the graduate program at Humboldt State University. Having completed all of her course work in the spring, Tully holds down two jobs and assists in her daughter’s education while completing her own graduate thesis.

    “I haven’t been doing very much thesis work at all,” Tully said. “Things are really not going as according to what I thought my plan was gonna be when I entered grad-school.”

    Tully’s daughter attended preschool last year through HSU’s Children Center. This year, she’s attending Fuente Nueva Charter School where all of her instruction is online.

    “It’s hard for her, it’s hard for me, of course. Children her age need socialization and that’s mainly what they are supposed to be doing in school right now,” Tully said. “It’s really nearly impossible for them to do that via Zoom.”

    Beyond her daughter’s quality of education, Tully is stressed about her daughter’s emotional education suffering.

    “I don’t have the financial or mental ability to be able to be 100 percent present for her all the time,” Tully said. “That’s the hardest part. She needs attention, I need space to do good work and it clashes.”

    Between Tully’s two jobs, her thesis project and playing a leadership role in HSU’s food sovereignty lab project, she spends the majority of her day in Zoom meetings. After a full day, Tully has little energy to give her daughter and she is usually greeted with an explosion of a mess.

    “Cars, toys, cards, books, stuffed animals everywhere,” Tully said. “That’s when parents have mini panic attacks. Like, I’ve been on Zoom all day long and I just need to take a break and sit down but I can’t because my couch is covered in stuff.”

    Tully said the lack of personal space in constantly being around each other also proves challenging at times.

    “Just like any relationship,” Tully said. “You need to be able to be apart in order to really appreciate that love.”

    Between managing work and her daughter’s progress in school, Tully has had to sacrifice a great deal of time she originally planned to spend on her thesis.

    “To me, the most important thing that I need to be focused on right now is my child’s education,” Tully said. “Because I’m in my mid thirties and I have my education. I have my career things that I’m working on. I can go with the flow.”

    Carrie Tully’s daughter Kallie Gregg attends kindergarten virtually from her room this semester. | Photo by Carrie Tully

    Sayde Mendes is a business major and mother of three children, ages 2, 9, and 11. Thanks to the transition to online classes, on top of parenting responsibilities and pursuing her own education, Mendes has to provide an education for her children.

    “No matter how much teachers try and how much they do,” Mendes said. “There’s still quite a hefty reliance upon parents.”

    In her senior year of high school, Mendes was date raped and suffered a brain injury when she was rehydrated too rapidly at the hospital. The injury caused her to lose control of her motor skills and forced her to relearn all functions virtually. Mendes also suffers an intellectual disability, impairing her power to both pursue her own education and her childrens’.

    Mendes’ husband spends the majority of his waking hours at work, leaving her with little time and energy to complete her own responsibilities like work, school and providing for her children.

    “I feel like I have to kind of push them away sometimes, because I need to be present for my class,” Mendes said.

    While HSU only offers tutoring to students and not their children, the Childcare Center continues offering its services to student parents five days a week at approximately 50 percent capacity to meet COVID-19 protocols.

    Grants are available to students whose incomes qualify for reduced or no cost for childcare, through California’s Early Head Start program.

    According to Director Steve St. Onge, the most challenging part of operating during the pandemic is keeping the children in line with regulations.

    “I gotta tell you, having a 2 and 3 year old wear masks is not easy,” Onge said.

    Onge’s daughter attends kindergarten two days a week for two hours, leaving him as the majority role in his child’s education this year.

    “I think I would speak for many of us parents of children in school that are also working,” Onge said. “Our days start earlier and end later. We’re still getting the job done, it’s just taking us a lot longer to do it.”

  • COVID-19 isolation increases domestic violence

    COVID-19 isolation increases domestic violence

    October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

    COVID-19 social distancing has increased the demand on local domestic violence services according to some professionals in the field.

    Locally a 27-year-old Asian woman was forced into a car at gun point in Fieldbrook, seven miles north of Arcata, on Aug. 4, and returned safe after the suspect, a 43-year-old George Rose, previously known to the victim, turned himself in after fleeing the state to Oregon.

    In nearby Mendocino, Khadijah Britton, a member of the Round Valley Indian Tribes, was forced into a car at gun point on Feb. 7 2018, allegedly by her ex-boyfriend. Britton is still missing and there is a $50,000 reward for information on her location.

    Stephanie Weldon, Humboldt State University social work masters graduate and Yurok Tribe member, was the director of the Yurok Tribe Department of Health and Human Services until August and currently is a consultant for state and federal agencies on tribal social services.

    Weldon said the tribe received increased calls related to domestic violence as the shelter in place orders went into place in March, and she has heard anecdotes from clients regarding the challenges that COVID-19 places on an already underserved population of victims.

    Brenda Bishop, executive director of Humboldt Domestic Violence Services, and HSU alumna, said “Rape culture is very alive and well on [HSU] campus.” The HDVS runs a 24/7 emergency domestic violence hotline which has had a reduction in the number of calls.

    Bishop said she suspects this is related to the difficulty for victims to make personal phone calls for help while living in close quarters with their abusers.

    Bishop does not believe the reduced number of calls reflects a reduction in domestic violence incidents, and in fact may indicate victims are in increased danger.

    Bishop said domestic violence includes intimate partner sexual violence and sex trafficking which may start as intimate partner violence.

    “We see a lot of HSU women that get involved in trafficking as well,” Bishop said. Usually this occurs through intimate partner violence with non-students, but sometimes with other students as well.

    Lundy Bancroft, author of an Amazon bestseller, “Why Does He Do That? Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men,” said in an abuser’s mind everything is about winning and losing and the woman is not seen as having equal rights, her purpose is to satisfy his needs.

    Abusive partners can be even more violent when victims try and leave, or immediately after they leave.

    “The attitude abusers exhibit in this type of violence when women attempt to leave their partners is, ‘she must have to pay for my unhappiness,’” Bancroft said.

    About double the number of women were killed by current or ex-male partners than US soldiers died in Iraq and Afghanistan between 2001 and 2012, 11,766 and 6,488 respectively, according to a report by the Huffington Post.

    Police historically do not treat domestic violence as a crime but as a private matter meaning many incidents are not reported. Victims have expressed that they feel their reports are not taken seriously by police.

    Entrenched sexist bias is compounded by race. Weldon said, “You can’t talk about trauma without talking about race. How can you talk about a mission to wipe [Native American] people out, without talking about the impact that has had on those communities?”

    The structure of tribal police, which rely onUS police to cross-deputize the force and certify criminal charge procedures, aren’t able to collect tax revenue that could improve investigative work.

    “You go from no response and no intervention to overreaction where a ton of [non-tribal] law enforcement shows up because it’s a known family name,” Weldon said.

    According to the Institute For Women’s Policy Research, Black women are two and a half times more likely to be murdered by men than their White counterparts.

    Meanwhile, according to the study “Race and the Likelihood of Intimate Partner Violence Arrest and Dual Arrest,” non-white female victims of intimate partner violence are less likely to have their perpetrators arrested by police.

    Guns in the home increase the deadliness of domestic violence incidents. According to Giffords Law Center, “Guns kept in the home are more likely to be involved in a fatal or nonfatal unintentional shooting, criminal assault or suicide attempt than to be used to injure or kill in self-defense. Rather than conferring protection, guns in the home are associated with an increased risk of homicide by a family member or intimate acquaintance.”

    Bishop encouraged victims to call the 24/7 hour HDVS hotline for resources and emergency help.

    Bishop believes the most important thing for people in domestic violence situations is to feel supported and hear affirmation.

    “We believe you,” Bishop said. “And the longer you’ve been in abusive relationships the harder it is to make that call.”

  • Screens are losing their novelty

    Screens are losing their novelty

    Life and Arts editor, Dakota Cox, speaks on his shifting perspective towards technology.

    2020 has tainted the relationship between humans and screens.

    When I was a child, my favorite thing in the world was my Gameboy. I was only allowed to play on long car trips or the rare occasions when a friend spent the night. My favorite game was Pokémon, of course. I remember the satisfaction I felt after beating the game for the first time. Those were the days before YouTube tutorials when discovery in games meant something.

    When I grew older, I replaced my Gameboy with an out of commission iPhone I found one day in a crack of the couch in our family room. It served me well as an iPod for years until it finally refused to accept a charge and became replaced by my first official iPhone.

    That phone met a violent end far before its time. It wasn’t missed. The replacement that sits in my pocket today has aged noticeably over the years having been through more than most. It will also not be missed.

    Over the years, whether it be a computer, a television or a phone, there’s always been a screen at the center of my life. Though they may not always have received the majority of my time, the ideas attached to screens have almost certainly played a dominant role in my decisions since they were introduced to my life.

    All it took was a taste and I was hooked, now I understand why my mom warned me about drugs. I only wish she’d known the damage a single screen can cause.

    When I was 10 years old and my brother Yoshi was born, my mother more or less granted me the trust to make my own decisions. For me, this meant staying up till 5 a.m. watching Netflix, playing Skyrim and sleeping in until 2 p.m. Those were the days.

    When I started living away from home, I began spending more time than ever in front of screens. They were no longer just an optional escape, they’d also become a regular part of my college education.

    Now with the pandemic and online learning, the time spent in front of screens has crossed the threshold to a place of dread.

    The once exciting prospect of a notification arriving on my phone is ruined by the endless nagging of unfulfilled responsibilities and classes I spend hard-earned money on to attend.

    The little quality time I get to spend with family in the pandemic has become corrupted by the constant presence of screens.

    Aside from hiking, almost every moment I was with Yoshi over the summer was spent playing the latest video games and half-paying attention to the shows playing in the background.

    When I have time to spend the weekends with my Mother, I wake up before 7 a.m. for work and don’t get back until 5 p.m. By then, I’m exhausted and I’ve got a pile of stories to edit, if I don’t have to write one myself, along with whatever homework I couldn’t finish during the week.

    My mom is mostly glued to her phone and outside of an occasional board game or family movie, we retire to our respective rooms. Is this what life has come to?

    Screens can be used to accomplish great achievements as tools or produce great joy as toys, however anything over-used can become unhealthy. So, give your poor brains a break, I know mine needs one!

  • The mental toll of COVID-19 isolation

    The mental toll of COVID-19 isolation

    Increased periods of isolation can lead to depression, and how to combat it

    March signaled the beginning of quarantine in the United States, with various states asking residents to refrain from unnecessary social contact with shelter-in-place orders.

    For those staying with family and friends, the burden of staying at home for the last nine months was reduced by the ability to talk to and interact with others.

    According to Paula Nedelcoff, a psychotherapist and community outreach coordinator for Humboldt State University’s Counseling and Psychological Services department, the task is significantly more taxing. Changes in living organization, such as online instruction, brings unwanted physical and mental changes.

    “Long term social isolation for most people is very difficult,” Nedelcoff said in an email interview.

    COVID-19 restricts face-to-face interaction, prohibiting the ability for people to physically and socially interact with each other. This prolonged isolation intensifies with time.

    “Humans are social animals and we count on interactions with others. When we do not have someone to bounce off ideas and feelings with we can move within and isolate even more,” Nedelcoff said. “While during this virus we have a virtual world, we humans need contact with each other, we need and thrive with touch.”

    A 2016 study published in the European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases suggested that isolation precautions may lead to anxiety. A group of doctors and professors looked at the ways social isolation affected patients who were recovering from various bacterial infections. These infections (like scabies, measles or tuberculosis) often required patients to reside in single rooms to minimize the exposure to other patients.

    A separate 2016 twin study the journal of Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology suggested that social isolation could trigger an increase in mental stress. The data found that depression was significantly correlated with both social isolation and loneliness.

    For those living alone, combined with a lack of available social interactions, the association with depression is even greater.

    A 2011 research article in the International of Geriatric Psychiatry found that social connections were factors in determining depression.

    “Living alone and living with at least one child (no spouse), and weak social networks were associated with higher depressive symptom scores in both genders,” the study stated. “Men living alone with weak social networks outside the household had higher depressive symptom scores than those with strong networks.”

    In order to combat these feeling, Nedelcoff recommended finding ways to reach out to others within your social circle, in addition to seeking professional help.

    “I encourage all folks to stay engaged with life via on line groups and virtual happenings,” Nedelcoff said. “This can be a great time to try therapy or a therapy group. Going to counseling does not mean there is something wrong with you. Think of it like having a copilot while looking more deeply into your life and the meaning of it.”

    She suggested finding ways to properly vent emotions and feelings so that individuals may not feel like they are cooped up physically and mentally.

    “Learn and become aware of what works for you,” Nedelcoff said. “What might work for me may not work for my friend. Some people meditate, some people use music to calm them or ease their soul, while others may journal or get into a book. Often times we are not sure or don’t know what works for us.”

    Most of all, Nedelcoff encouraged students to continue trying to find ways of expression in any positive way.

    “COVID-19 and sheltering in place has taught us how little control we have over so many things,” Nedelcoff said. “This can be scary but we do have control of how we respond.”