The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: Elizabeth Hannah

  • It’s time to stop the taboo talk around therapy

    It’s time to stop the taboo talk around therapy

    I remember the first time I went to therapy. I had just dropped out of a public high school my sophomore year and joined a charter school with only two days a week of face to face classes. I was 15, overwhelmed, depressed and confused – all things that come along with growing up. I told my parents I didn’t know how to handle these feelings, how empty and lost I felt. So my dad connected me with a local therapist.

    For a long time, I didn’t tell people I was going to therapy because it felt shameful. Now as a 10-year therapy veteran, I can honestly say it was the best decision I have ever made.

    You are not any less valid for wanting to better yourself, and therapy can help you do that. It isn’t something that will happen overnight, but therapy can help you learn and exercise healthy coping mechanisms.

    Being able to talk to someone I knew I could trust helped me process the feelings at hand. Being stuck in my own head was detrimental to my well-being because I couldn’t always see both sides of the coin. When you talk to your therapist, they will offer you alternative perspectives that you may not have ever considered.

    The most valuable thing I’ve learned is that I am allowed to feel sad, angry and happy. I can give myself permission to experience all of the emotions that come with life. With negative emotions, it’s important to recognize them, accept them, but not let them consume you, challenge them. I have learned, and am still putting into practice, that concept.

    The coping mechanisms that I find most useful when I’m not able to see my therapist are reaching out to people I trust, letting myself enjoy moments of happiness, to be vulnerable and receive emotional support. Self-care is another important coping mechanism. Mine is drinking coffee and watching Gilmore Girls. It doesn’t have to be extravagant. It can be as simple as letting yourself sleep in one day a week, taking a walk on the beach or writing down how you feel, whatever brings you joy.

    The Mental Health America Association has a long list of healthy coping mechanisms to adapt which I learned in therapy as well, including but not limited to, connecting with yourself, doing things you enjoy, and setting realistic goals for yourself.

    Life is not one size fits all. Everyone struggles in life, everyone has a story and trauma unique to themselves. You are valid in your feelings, you deserve to be helped, you deserve to flourish. When I understood that reaching out for help can only benefit me, it changed my life.

    I’m not cured, but I’ve learned to function with my mental illness, how to adapt in times of distress, and you deserve that too.

  • After Months of Negotiations, Crab Season is Back

    After Months of Negotiations, Crab Season is Back

    It’s officially Dungeness crab season in Humboldt county. Local fishermen have been given the green light to fish for local crab on the bay after a long year of negotiations and COVID. So, what does that exactly mean? The freshest and most decadent crab is now available to Pacific coast natives. The Dungeness is long sought after by food junkies for its richness and the demand hasn’t slowed.

    The season was initially delayed from it’s original Dec. 1 opening when the Department of Fish and Wildlife found that crabs in the area did not weigh enough to carry out the necessary tests for quality.

    “Based on the lack of data and the interest in cooperatively managing the interstate Dungeness crab fishery, I am delaying the opening of Dungeness crab season in northern California,” DFW Director Charlton Bonham said in a press release on Nov 20, 2020.

    Now that the season is up and running, local restaurants across Humboldt county are featuring fresh and local Dungeness crab on their daily menus. If you find yourself in Trinidad, there are a lot of options to choose from.

    Local resident Mary Mignani is on the hunt for the best crab cakes in Humboldt with it being crab season.

    “You have to find the best ones, the best restaurant offering it because crab cakes are really a hit and miss,” Mignani said. “It’s all about the crab and the way it’s prepared, cooked, seasoned, it all makes a difference.”

    Trinidad Bay Eatery offers an array of crab options for dinner. They have crab sandwiches when crab is fresh, crab cakes, seafood platters, and Cioppino, an Italian seafood dish flavored with white wine sauce.

    Trinidad Bay Eatery also offers crab infused breakfast items such as their crab omelet and crab benedict.

    The Lighthouse Grill offers a variety of crab dishes like crab melts and crab cake sandwiches.

    Rita’s Margaritas offers crab tacos, enchiladas, and quesadillas with fresh Dungeness crab.

    If you’re feeling adventurous and want to try cooking your own crab, there are plenty of options for that too. Many vendors across Humboldt are offering daily catches of fresh crab by the pound so you can try your hand at it. If you aren’t ready to cook crab on your own, many are offering their cooked crab for sale as well to add to your own homemade dishes.

    If you’re interested in catching your own crab to cook, there are resources for that, too. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is showcasing tutorials on their government website on how to fish and catch Dungeness crab. Along with supplies for the catch, you will need to follow state regulations and obtain a license which you can get locally in Trinidad at Murphy’s Market.

    Whether you’re craving crab on the go, planning for a nice dinner, or spending the day on the pier in search of the rich Dungeness crab, Humboldt has all the options you would need to fulfill your seafood dreams in peak season.

  • Dining during COVID: how restaurants and patrons are adapting

    Dining during COVID: how restaurants and patrons are adapting

    Local restaurants have had to quickly adapt to COVID regulations. With lowered capacity, mask enforcements and staff cuts, the restaurant business has been highly impacted.

    Restaurants have had to consider the risk of reopening and shutting down again, struggling to make ends meet and the financial burden that comes with staying open during COVID.

    “I have a personal family friend who owns a small little café, and they are definitely struggling because of all the equipment they bought in order to code for COVID dining, just to have it shut back down,” HSU student Mollie Donaldson said.

    With COVID cases rising and the constant release of precautionary measures to be taken as tier levels change, many have wondered if it’s worth dining in and risking getting infected.

    “I don’t believe it’s safe to dine inside at restaurants, there are so many risks involved and unknown factors, even with sitting a booth away from someone or a family,” Jade Graham said, “I’ve had my family do a majority of our cooking at home or takeout. Dining out has its risks, not only for customers but employees as well.”

    Café Brio in Arcata is one of the many restaurants that have strictly abided by regulations to serve the community.

    “We ask that all patrons wear a face covering while on the premises, except when seated at one of our distance compliant tables,” reads the home page of their website. “Hand sanitizer and medical-grade face masks are available at our entry host station. We prioritize the health of our patrons and staff and are currently open to the public outside the building only.”

    Many eateries are providing to-go options to support their businesses and community members have come to their aid in keeping their doors open. Whether you’re enjoying a to-go order or a safe and socially distanced meal outside, we can support our local restaurants.

    In a time of isolation and lockdown, restaurants can provide a safe outlet to socialize. Everyone doing their part to be safe can help slow the spread of COVID.

    “Everything is super crazy right now and that feels like the one thing that makes me feel like things are somewhat normal. Supporting local businesses is important when so many things are up in the air for them,” student Layah Soriano said. “If we’re all taking the necessary precautions, then I think it’s safe to enjoy that bit of normalcy.”

  • HSU is in search of a new VP for Administration/Finance

    HSU is in search of a new VP for Administration/Finance

    In the third week of the spring semester, HSU held an open forum for the final four candidates for the vice president of administration and finance position. The school welcomed students, faculty and staff to join the live Zoom meetings to meet the finalists who were selected by the search committee.

    The vice president for administration and finance is responsible for reporting to the university president and in collaboration with colleagues across the campus, the incumbent is responsible for the administrative leadership, management, and oversight of the university’s division of administration and finance.

    Each candidate had one hour via Zoom to present their resumes, answer questions and explain their intended approach to the position.

    Candidate Sharooz Roohparvar elaborated on his transparency in handling school budgets and putting student interests first.

    “I believe that my position and everything in the institution is subject to public records requests, so there’s no reason for anybody to keep anything hidden,” Roohparvar said. “I start every conversation with how does this initiative serve students? And how does it improve that college going experience? Really at the end of the day, we’re here to serve those students.”

    Andrew Boyd, another contender, put an emphasis on his prior work at Humboldt State University in the design department, dealing with financing projects and environmental impact on campus.

    “There’s so many opportunities at Humboldt State to think creatively around how we set up the ecosystem and how to partner with the town of Arcata,” Boyd said. “Ideas for strategic planning or where we are in leaning into that is something that I think is critical for the growth of the institution is something that I would look to try to facilitate as a CFO.”

    Candidate Doreen Ferrington shared how her experience at John Hopkins School of Public Health in the dean’s office and as business operations officer at the Architect of the Capitol has led to her diversity in dealing with different groups including staff, students and faculty.

    “I had the opportunity to interact with a variety of individuals across the university and it enabled me to understand university operations and the pain points that each division was experiencing at that time,” Ferrington said. “I can reach out to faculty, I can talk to students, I can walk the hallway and talk to talk to the staff about their experiences. I can go to the cafeteria or the dorms and see what it’s like for the students to be on campus and I can engage.”

    Kathy J. Johnson, Vice President for Finance & Administration at Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota reiterated her understanding of the school systems and student success.

    “I’ve been a part of students earning nearly 12,000 degrees in my tenure. I love higher education and all the opportunity and hope it provides to the students.” Johnson said. “I lead the division, with full focus on students from ensuring they have the proper resources and learning materials available in the university bookstore. To the best technology infrastructure and classroom technology, we can afford a safe, clean, diverse, inclusive, and sustainable campus.”

    With HSU receiving $16 million in funding via the CARES Act, eyes are on the administration to use the money responsibly. $5 million has been allocated to students experiencing financial burden while the other $11 million is to be distributed in school funding for classes, faculty and staff.

    With the election of a new vice president for administration and finance, the candidatewho gets the job will be responsible for overseeing the distribution of funds to benefit the future of the school.

    “The funds are an incredible resource for our campus to enhance safety protocols, evolve instructional space and technology, expand student support, and improve operational efficiencies in ways which can innovate how we teach, learn, work and engage,” Sherie C. Gordon, Interim Vice President for Administration & Finance, said.

  • Why shifting the true-crime narrative matters

    Why shifting the true-crime narrative matters

    As a true crime junkie, I will and have consumed all things released that I can. That includes documentaries, podcasts, books— basically label anything true crime and I am there.

    In the true crime community, there is ongoing discussion as to whether or not retelling these stories is glorifying criminals and exploiting survivors for views and reads, which ultimately equate to dollars. You can tune in to any crime program and walk away whenever you find yourself getting bored, without the cognitive realization that the reality still stands. Survivors and victims’ families must live with this day in and day out.

    Recently, Netflix released a new documentary, “Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer,” based on the crimes of Richard Ramirez, an elusive and controversial serial killer active in the mid ’80s. Netflix is no stranger to true crime docuseries, they have a slew of them in their catalog, but now with the Night Stalker we’re seeing a deviation from the traditional storytelling.

    Shifting the narrative is crucial for true crime. The new style is not as controversial or shocking because we’re not seeing the nitty-gritty, dirty details, but, the stories of survivors and victims are still able to be told. True crime is built on shock value, but it’s vital to remember that there are real people behind the headlines.

    Television writer Kayla Cobb explains in an interview with “Decider,” “They’re all too focused on providing some sort of explanation about how this monster came to be that the reason they’re monsters — the very people whose lives they ruined become sidelined. These survivors become secondary characters in the story about the worst moment of their lives.”

    One of the most popular true crime documentaries released last year, “Seduced: Inside The Nxivm Cult,” was based on Keith Raniere who profited off of people in a multi-level marketing scheme turned cult. Show creator Cecilia Peck chose to focus and let the story be told by survivors.

    “One of the reasons that people will speak about traumatic subjects is because they believe that others can learn from their experience,” Peck said in an interview with “Decider.” “They want to turn that trauma into activism.”

    Recognizing true crime as more than entertainment allows for uncomfortable conversations to take place about reform – how we approach and prosecute predators, how to support survivors and how we can continue to keep our communities and loved ones safe.

    True crime journalist, Billy Jensen, has highly publicized the idea of crowdsolving, “utilizing the eyes, ears, and expertise of individuals, both locally and across the globe via social media, to aid in the solving of crimes”, and citizen detectives, “an individual who devotes his or her time and expertise to aid in the solving of crime, without compensation or expectation of reward.”

    Through Jensen’s podcast with Paul Holes, the notorious cold case detective who solved the Golden State Killer case 40 years later, they utilize their standing with law enforcement to vet the tips and suggestions from “citizen detectives” to pass on to detectives on active cold cases.

    Take a look at how cases are being handled now. Cases from decades ago are being solved through DNA submitted in public databases, through tips after reintroducing the cases, through real and honest conversation between media and their audience.

    And that is what true crime should be, a lesson, a warning, advocacy. The shift has, and will, continue to create a space for empathy and reflection, healing for survivors and families of victims.

  • Huffman addresses US Capitol attack in virtual town hall

    Huffman addresses US Capitol attack in virtual town hall

    The Capitol in Washington D.C. was met with an angry mob of President Trump supporters on January 6. While Congress was in session to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral victory, the group stormed the Capitol in an attempt to stop the electoral count.

    U.S. Representative for the 2nd Congressional District, Jared Huffman, held a live stream via his Facebook page on January 12 to address the attack and plans moving forward. Huffman is the representative for Northern California’s coastal region which spans from San Francisco to the Oregon border.

    “When that disgraceful mob stormed the Capitol and literally took it over for a few hours, where no help was coming and they had control of the place, that’s just a wake-up call for all of us. It speaks to the level of violence and insurrection that we all saw with our eyes and ears,” Huffman said.

    The mob broke into the Capitol building looting and vandalizing as a sign of defiance to the election results. Trump has repeatedly accused the election of being rigged in Biden’s favor, demanding recounts and overturns of results to no avail.

    Though the riot at the Capitol has captured the attention across the world, the FBI has warned states across the country of possible violence in the coming days.

    Huffman alluded to the idea of local and state violence in response to the days leading to Biden’s inauguration.

    “The intelligence suggests that the threats of violence are not going to be limited to the Capitol,” Huffman said.

    Danny Kelley, the Chair of the Humboldt County Democratic Central Committee, commented on the vandalism that had taken place at their headquarters where a window was destroyed on the same day as the Capitol attack.

    Kelley said that though they could not confirm who was responsible for the vandalism, they can assume it was an action in the spur of the moment.

    “It is clear that the vandalism at our headquarters was random and unplanned, but it is also clear that it was spurned by an intense personal belief based on the lie that the election was stolen,” Kelley said.

    The Democratic committee was able to repair their window the same day with the help of a local business. The vandalism that occurred is not deterring the local office from reaching out in the community to help cultivate a space for the Democratic party.

    “Destruction like this has happened to the local Republican headquarters many more times than it has happened to us. Thoughtless acts like this can’t stop us,” Kelley said.

    In plans of moving forward and protecting democracy on a local level here in Humboldt, there are many groups and organizations to get involved with across the political spectrum. As for the Humboldt County Democratic Central Committee, Kelley encouraged students to get involved in local politics.

    “We need students to get involved with the Humboldt Young Democrats and to step up and become members of our Central Committee,” Kelley said. “There is so much work to be done and so many opportunities for grassroot leadership to really make a difference.”