The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: HBAC

  • Legal doubts over HBAC misuse

    Legal doubts over HBAC misuse

    Students and faculty voice discontent with treatment of Aquatic Center

    The Humboldt Bay Aquatic Center continued to be a pressing topic in University Center Board meeting.

    At the Sept. 10 UC Board meeting, members of the board including Faculty Representatives Steve Martin and Mark Rizzardi showed continued frustration at the decisions made by members of HSU Administration that affected the Aquatic Center.

    According to Martin, moving the Office of Alumni & Engagement and the HSU Foundation into the HBAC office spaces, displacing employees happened without approval of the UC Board.

    An anonymous source close to the situation said, “Of the inside office space, they’ve taken over about 95 percent.” The problem is, according to the source, HSU is now accumulating the spaces outside.

    Acting Interim Executive Director Todd Larsen claimed he visited the center to talk to employees and listen to concerns, but did not speak further on the matter or address any issues brought up by members of the public during the meeting.

    The anonymous source stated that while Larsen did meet with members of the HBAC to discuss the possible solutions and issues occurring, he also sent out an email that stated he wanted full control of the situation.

    “An email went out saying not to talk to the media,” the source said. “That Larsen wanted to control everything we were discussing.”

    Mairead Sardina, operations supervisor at the HBAC, said during the Zoom meeting that the UC Board’s lack of leadership on the issue was discouraging.

    “The Aquatic Center has major changes happening and the Board is yet to address that,” Sardina said. “It is very important that we feel that there is not this apathy or lack of urgency that are everyday affecting our staff members.”

    Sardina said that while she has been working with Larsen to find a proper balance, there is simply not enough space to allow external programs within the HBAC and maintain the level of safety needed to operate.

    “They have taken all of the space upstairs and the downstairs front lobby office,” Sardina said. “At first I was told that my new office was the maintenance closet, which was just truly OSHA unsafe. I really, truly do not believe that it is not safe for this city to be putting people out on the water without an office that overlooks the water and the dock.”

    Sardinia’s sentiments were reinforced by the anonymous source, who called the HBAC a command center. Working with both the city of Eureka and the state of California to teach proper boating, waterway safety and acting as onsite lifeguards, the HBAC struggles to remain in active command when faced away from the water.

    “This is a command center. We can’t command if we are facing the road,” the source said. “HSU cannot afford to lose one more student.”

    Associate Professor Genevieve Marchand said that she was also surprised about the lack of action but focused on the safety risks posed to students and the community due to the changes.

    Marchand worked with Center Activities and the Aquatic Center to create the the Outdoor Assistantship Program, where students can learn valuable skills like boating safety and making risk management positions.

    “In this case, we are talking about the life of people and the future employment of our students,” Marchand said. “I feel like it has been completely disregarded.”

    According to Rizzardi, the University’s disregard of safety protocol may be in direct violation of the agreement made between the city of Eureka and HSU.

    The agreement created and signed in 2003, stated that the HBAC, then known as the Boating and Instruction Safety Center, would be leased to the university on the agreement that they use to space “…to provide a program of boating and water safety instruction and other educational uses to students, faculty and staff of Humboldt State University and boating and water safety instruction to the general public.”

    Recreational use of the space can only occur when it does not interfere with the ability to teach the needed lessons.

    The lease also stated that HSU could not “…assign, sublease, or otherwise convey ant interest in this Lease…” without the prior consent of the city. In addition, any organization that the city does consent to occupy space within the HBAC must adhere to the same rules as HSU itself.

    “As far as I can tell, we are in total violation of that agreement right now,” said Rizzardi. “I think this seriously needs to be looked into.”

    If the City of Eureka finds that the contract has been violated, they are allowed to take legal action against HSU, including fines and the possibility of voiding agreements.

    The Property Management Division of Eureka was reached for comment, but did not respond in time of writing this article. No members of the Board of Directors or HSU administration stated if the required written notice of changes were given to the city.

  • Tension and Fear Among the Board of Directors

    Tension and Fear Among the Board of Directors

    A tense emergency Board of Directors reveals conflict between faculty and Administration.

    Tempers flared when an emergency Zoom meeting by the University Board of Directors turned into verbal arguments and accusations between several members on the call.

    The Aug. 28 meeting held by the University Center Board of Directors and open to the public originally set forth to tackle various agenda items and approve of new members.

    The two items that took up a majority of the meeting, however, where the firing of the UC’s legal counsel and changes the administration has made that affect facilities managed by the group.

    When the meeting was opened to public comment, student employees of the Humboldt Bay Aquatic Center stated that they were being asked by HSU to leave their offices. Center Activities Manager Bridget Hand confirmed this information, stating that employees were given little notice to clear their offices.

    Vice President of Enrollment Management Jason Meriwether and Acting Executive Director Todd Larson stated that the reason for departure was so that the building could prepare for renovations. Meriwether said that the space may be used for other departments in the meantime.

    Gracie Olivia, a student employee at HBAC, said that the job offered leadership roles and was a vital part of the community.

    “I want the board and everyone attending this meeting to understand the importance of the Center,” said Olivia.

    “Why are wholesale changes being made before the program review? The loss of HBAC as a public facility is a real loss to the community.”

    Financial Officer Gregg Foster

    With no office to operate out of, both Olivia and Hand noted that they would not be able to offer equipment rentals.

    Faculty Representative Steve Martin and Financial Officer Gregg Foster expressed confusion and anger at the circumstances. According to them, the UC board was uninformed of the entire situation.

    “Why are wholesale changes being made before the program review?” said Foster in the Zoom chat. “The loss of HBAC as a public facility is a real loss to the community.”

    In an email, Martin continued to express his frustration at the situation.

    “I’m concerned that employees of HBAC say that they can’t provide services to students safely and effectively because of the changes that were implemented over the summer, said Martin. “Changes that were implemented without first consulting the University Center Board.”

    Meriwether expressed his surprise with the board, stating that proper written notice was provided to former UC Executive Director Dave Nakamura. Martin said during the call that Nakamura was fired by the administration before being able to properly brief the UC Board.

    Further complicating the matter was the lack of legal representation for the UC Board regarding these actions, as the attorney for the group had been let go by Larson.

    The attorney from Erikson Law Firm, which had represented the UC Board of Directors since 2017, had refused to help draft a proposal with Larson to present to the Board. Larson also said the attorney had also violated a written contract agreed upon by the two, which to Larson “raised some red flags.”

    Foster, Martin and other members of the Board said that this was a decision that should have been run solely by the Board itself.

    Martin said that even if the action was legal, it raised moral and ethical flags about Larson and his actions put the board in a state of unease.

    These actions have created a fear among faculty members outside the board as well, that discouraged faculty members from speaking up.

    “Like everyone else in my position, we fear retaliation from an administration that is overreaching and abusing their power,” said one source close to the situation, who wished to remain anonymous. “If you are receiving PC responses from others, it’s because we are all very worried about what we are witnessing. We have been given specific language to use when speaking with the media and that language only reflects that of the administration’s story.”

    The next UC Board meeting is scheduled for Sept. 10.