The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: homeless

  • Unpacking Black Joy with Kirby Moss

    Unpacking Black Joy with Kirby Moss

    By Carlina Grillo

    If money is the root of all evil, when do people feel joyful about it? Kirby Moss, a professor and head of the journalism department at Cal Poly Humboldt, asked nearly 20 students and community members last Tuesday, Feb. 13. It left people stumped. 

    Topics discussed were Black representation in the media, feelings around finances and money, how to navigate being a first generation student while saving money for college, and hypotheticals about splurging on a life experience or saving and investing said money. 

    Rather than lecturing, Moss guided a conversation by asking plenty of thought-provoking questions. 

    “We’re in college, this is an academic setting, this is a setting of intellectual exploration. Do you think we should be learning more about money or not?” Moss said. “This conversation today is about money, but it’s not about material stuff. It’s about autonomy, it’s about options.”

    Aundrea All’love is a community member and business owner who was invited to share their experiences. One experience they have as a Black business owner is balancing mental health and community value, while still recognizing their worth and being paid a sustainable amount. 

    “From going from homeless, to some stability, to slowly growing my business now, the biggest shift I did was to focus on what brings me joy. Having faith in my ability and understanding my value,” All’love said. “I have been choosing more opportunities to make money and less scrumping down on my savings.”

    Jeremiah Keys is a sophomore at Cal Poly Humboldt who shared experiences about college being the foundation for the rest of his life. 

    “It’s not just going to be college then careers. It’s like college, then another college, then career and then struggles in between those things, but I’m still going to get through it,” Keys said. “Providing for my family and friends suits me, because I love doing it. That’s the expression that we love. Do something that suits you, but don’t push yourself to where you end up judging yourself more and more and more, and not looking at all the good that you’ve already done and all the good you can possibly do in the future.”

    This event was a part of a month-long series of events for Black Liberation Month, held by The Umoja Center for Pan African Student Excellence. For more information on upcoming events the Umoja Center can be found on Instagram at @umojahumboldt.

    “Money is not power. It’s all about us,” Moss said.

  • Two complaints were the basis for evicting over one dozen homeless Cal Poly Humboldt students

    Two complaints were the basis for evicting over one dozen homeless Cal Poly Humboldt students

    by Jasmin Shirazian

    Alleged complaints regarding unsanitary conditions created by students living in vehicles on campus didn’t exist when university administrators forced students living in their vehicles off-campus in November. 

    Aileen Yoo, Director of News and Information for Cal Poly Humboldt Marketing and Communications, was unable to find any formally filed complaints against alternative living students. 

    “There were no formal complaints filed with the University Police Department but there were informal complaints to UPD, Parking Services, and Facilities Management,” Yoo said in a Jan. 16 email. The italics are hers.

    After informing Yoo of the existing formal complaints and requesting any records of the alleged informal complaints, Lumberjack reporters did not receive a response.

    Cal Poly Humboldt released a campus-wide email stating the enforcement of parking regulations and ultimately the removal of students living within their vehicles on campus on Oct. 25, 2023.

    “There have been an increasing number of RVs and other vehicles parked long-term in University lots across campus,” Cal Poly Humboldt’s email read. “These vehicles are in permit-only parking spots, and have been parked in spaces overnight in violation of University policy that includes a prohibition on overnight camping on campus and overnight parking for anyone not living in University housing.”

    The email contained a statement that these students had received an unspecified amount of complaints regarding their living in on-campus parking.

    “Policy aside, overnight camping in University parking lots creates unsanitary and unsafe conditions for both those encamped and for our campus community at large,” the email read. “The University Police Department and other campus offices have taken calls from concerned members of the campus community expressing fear and frustration about the situation.”

    Only two formally filed complaints were made to UPD by the same people, listed only as RP and Pt, on Oct. 6 and Oct. 7, 2023. The complaints were obtained by The Lumberjack through a public records request 

    “RP owns the property at [redacted] and believes some of our houseless students are people associated with camping in the 14th and Union parking lots are jumping her fence to her unoccupied property at [redacted],” the Oct. 6 report states. “RP sent a photo of the subject who was unrecognizable.”

    The following day, UPD received another complaint from RP. This time, a person identified as Pt is mentioned in the same report, though their relation is unknown. 

    “RP calling back to report RV parked x 2 nights [across] the street from her residence,” the Oct. 7 report states. “Pt states there are ‘several men’ coming and going from the RV. RP is requesting a patrol check of the area. Subject contacted and they advise they will be moving RV.”

    The news of being removed from campus came as a shock to many alternative living students, who had recently formed a club to solidify the bond of their community. Some of these students even recall speaking to parking enforcement and housing administrators about their alternative housing plans prior to moving, to which they received no rejection or denial. 

    Carrie White, a biology major on a pre-medicine track, is one of the students who was pushed off campus by parking enforcement. 

    “Since I was forced to leave campus, I have continued to live in my vehicle, but I am parked in another parking lot,” White said. “I leave before dawn to avoid any potential issues occurring despite having permission to stay where I am. I stay away all day, moving between other street parking, lot parking and the coast line. I return later in the evening.” 

    White was already under tremendous stress when the university notified the students that they had to vacate the parking lots by Nov. 12, 2023, giving them two weeks to find accommodations. 

    “At the time, I had a friend that had just passed away, a sick grandfather, and finals,” White said. “There was a total lack of consideration of my humanity; I might have other things happening in my life besides living in my car, which is hard enough at times. It was a tone-deaf decision on behalf of the university, in my opinion.”

    Journalism major Brad Butterfield, who is also the science editor of The Lumberjack, is an alternative living student who has been living in his van on campus for several semesters. In an email to parking enforcement, Butterfield explained his situation and received a message stating that parking enforcers were aware of students living in their vehicles on campus. In Butterfield’s email, he specifically asked if the school allowed overnight parking if proper permits were displayed.

    “Parking is enforced from 7AM to 10PM, Monday through Friday,” Michaela Old, a parking enforcement employee said. “As long as you have a valid permit you will be able to park – also keep in mind that parking spaces are first come first serve.” 

    Several students said they attempted to acquire documentation of or information about the complaints, but were ultimately left without answers. 

    Recent graduate Maddy Montiel was in their last semester when they were notified of the parking enforcements. Montiel was finally becoming comfortable in their community after nine years in college, four of those spent at Humboldt. 

    “My last semester meant a lot to me,” Montiel said. “I was finally at the finish line, finally letting myself have some fun and deepen friendships. I joined more clubs and went to more events; I let myself enjoy the beautiful environment our school sits in. [I] remembered why I decided to move here and take all the risks I did to be here. I was finally getting what felt like a ‘college experience…  for the first time, I started to feel safe.” 

    This changed when Montiel had to vacate the parking lot in which the community formed. 

    “Having to spend my last couple months of what I thought was a graceful and beautiful end to my college experience, fighting for basic answers and the right to stay on campus until at least the end of the semester, only to have the door shut in my face over and over, was beyond disheartening,” Montiel said. “Since being kicked off campus, I’ve had to live at the community center and on city streets again. Always being on the move gets exhausting.”

    The vacating of students has left many of those affected, such as freshmen MA public sociology student Caleb Chen, feeling disheartened by the university’s decisions. 

    “I feel that this… has highlighted exactly how out of touch the administration and especially the President’s office is from their student body,” Chen said. “When the [administrative] office blatantly ignores the wishes and insights of everybody else, a university is doomed.”

    White shares a similar sentiment. 

    “One of the most hurtful things about that original email from Cal Poly Humboldt was that I realized I was totally disillusioned,” White said. “I chose to invest my time and money in this institution because I believed in its values and inclusivity policy, but upon that email being sent out, I realized that Cal Poly Humboldt is just that: an institution – with dollar signs for eyes.”

    Brad Butterfield is the science editor for the Lumberjack. He had no involvement with the making of this article.

  • EDITORIAL: Lend a helping hand

    EDITORIAL: Lend a helping hand

    It’s Monday morning and you have class at 9 a.m. You get out of bed and hop in the shower, get dressed, do your hair in the bathroom and brush your teeth. You get ready in the comfort of your home and go to school, hopefully grabbing breakfast along the way.

    Whether you live on or off campus, you’re able to get to school without having to think twice about where you got ready, if you got to shower or where you woke up. For homeless students, these are luxuries that come with having a stable living situation. These students are your friends you see in class every day as a someone with a stable living situation, and there are ways to help your peers and colleagues even when you feel you don’t have too much to offer.

    President of the Humboldt State University Homeless Student Advocate Alliance, Chant’e Catt, gave some bigger picture suggestions on how students can help their fellow students.

    1. Get political

    One of the ways a student can help is by being involved with and voting for local legislature that promotes help for homelessness.

    To do this, students should update their voter registration address so they are eligible to vote in Humboldt County. To do this, you can register online at the Department of Motor Vehicles website or in person at the DMV as well.

    Catt said after changing voter addresses, students should “vote on local policies that restrain housing development and other student issues so we can create legacy for students to come.”

    Attending city council meetings and sharing opinions at these meetings is another way to influence change. Arcata city council meetings happen several times a month. You can find the next one at the city of Arcata’s website.

    2. Get involved on campus

    Homeless students are encouraged, at their own discretion, to participate in any research studies on campus by sharing their stories and experiences. Catt said by participating, suggestions based off these stories can be made to the CSU system to help others in the future.

    For example, Oh SNAP! is a student food program run by students that provides help for food insecure students. Visit their website at http://hsuohsnap.org to discover more of their resources and find out how you can help.

    Students can also spend two hours a week participating in clubs and programs like the HSAA, the Youth Educational Services or becoming a part of the Associated Students executive board to promote change and support for homeless students. Y.E.S. also facilitates a homelessness network that offers resources to homeless families in Humboldt.

    3. Get involved in the community

    Looking for local shelters and finding a way to volunteer time and support to these shelters could potentially give back to students utilizing them. You can find a list of shelters in the area at https://www.shelterlistings.org and by searching for Humboldt County.

    Catt suggested students get involved in the Raven Project Street Outreach Program. The Raven Project is put on by the Redwood Community Action Agency which owns rentals as housing options, offers connection to crisis assistance, home repair assistance, some transportation options and other resources for homeless families.

    The Affordable Homeless Housing Alternatives said they work with the community on both long and short term goals to help find housing for the homeless in the area. They accept multiple forms of help and donations.

    Even if these local options don’t seem student oriented, remember that most students are above the age of 18 and are technically adults. This means local homeless adult resources might be their only option.

    4. Check in with each other

    One of the best ways a student can support other students who might be homeless is to ask them how they are doing. Checking in with each other could make a world of a difference.

    Catt said students should ask each other how they are and share resources and information more often.

    “Be more open to sharing just a few hours helping each other,” Catt said. “Absolutely every study I find on resiliency says mentors, council, friends are the key to success. Networking creates a safety net in the community.”

    In some cases, the ability to admit you need help might be the hardest thing to do. By looking out for your fellow students, you might discover someone who needs your help.

     

  • Where’s our legal protection?

    Where’s our legal protection?

    By | Reza Sadeghzadeh

    There is a health center on campus for students, but there is no place on campus for students to go to when they have a legal issue.

    So many students have to deal with greedy landlords, careless employers and lousy customer service. If that’s not enough, some students are now facing racist immigration policies.

    We are here to receive a higher education and hopefully be able to build a career from the experiences we gain.

    Instead, some of us have to deal with external forces like housing and employment that spoil our learning ability.

    There is no plausible reason for a student to be homeless and the University ought to find the root of this problem. More likely than not, homeless students are financially capable of paying rent, but landlords discriminate against some applicants.

    The prejudice doesn’t stop there. It’s not just issues in our community, but throughout our nation. Our government’s approach towards immigration is not only racist, but it is also detrimental to our University due to our lack of diversity.

    We as a University must act now!

    One of our most powerful preemptive recourses in dealing with these external forces is establishing a legal center. We need a place on campus ready to help students with their legal issues so they can worry less and focus more on their academia.

    We live in an isolated area with limited legal services and it would cost students an arm and a leg to seek legal counseling.

    Luckily, there are some compassionate attorneys in our community who are willing to help. But it is our responsibility to create an organization so we can have access to legal services.

    The creation of a legal center should be one of the main goals of Associated Students and it is a bit disappointing that we have not created a mechanism that provides legal remedies for those in need.

    The time is now! We must act immediately to create a legal center for the sake of student success.