The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: Homeward Bound

  • Students Bused Back to HSU Met with Mixed Messages

    Students Bused Back to HSU Met with Mixed Messages

    Locals react to HSU students bused back to Humboldt from coronavirus-afflicted areas

    A bus chartered by the Humboldt State Homeward Bound program picked up 31 HSU students March 21 from San Francisco and Los Angeles—two cities where the coronavirus has become more and more prominent—and brought the students back to Humboldt.

    Lost Coast Outpost posted an article about the bus March 24. The Facebook post for the story has 433 comments as of March 29, many of which are critical of HSU.

    “This is beyond irresponsible of HSU,” one comment reads.

    “And one more reason we feel GREAT about not sending our kids to HSU,” reads another.

    Sarah Ray, an environmental studies professor, defended the students.

    “Quite a few of our students live here and have moved here and have their lives here and they were visiting family,” Ray said. “So, just like we would expect and hope that kids and students who are from Arcata and the area—we would fully respect and appreciate that they would want to come home and be home with their families once their classes got cancelled in this really frightening moment—it’s reasonable that students would want to go where they’re most comfortable and feel at home.”

    She went on:

    “There’s also a lot of research out there about how many students across the nation going through this exact problem are not safe at home, and this might be a safer place for them,” Ray said.

    “I feel like it’s not a simple solution to just say, ‘Go back there,’ because many of these students live here.”

    Xochitl Andrade, HSU English and biology major

    Grant Scott-Goforth, communications specialist for HSU, explained the precautions implemented on the buses returning to HSU.

    “The buses were partially full so that people could have social distancing on the buses while they rode,” Scott-Goforth said. “And then, obviously when they return, we’re asking everyone to shelter-in-place, to quarantine if you’ve been exposed or been to an area with exposure, and to contact the Student Health Center or hospitals with concerns about health.”

    As much as HSU wished it could’ve been in command over which students came and which students left Humboldt, there was no way to do that. Of course, as Scott-Goforth asserted, the coronavirus situation is nothing to sneeze at.

    “I think it’s terribly unfortunate and I’m very sad for them and I feel very protective of students because it’s what I do.”

    Sarah Ray, HSU environmental studies professor

    Xochitl Andrade, an HSU senior majoring in English and biology, said the situation is complicated.

    “I feel like it’s not a simple solution to just say, ‘Go back there,’ because many of these students live here,” Andrade said. “They may have no where else to go if they were told to go back. We don’t know if they were just visiting friends or family. And for those who don’t have any family to go back to, what are they supposed to do?”

    While Andrade agrees that the students should be quarantined, she said she thought HSU knows what it’s doing.

    Ray hoped the harsh words toward HSU students from the Lost Coast Outpost article weren’t representative of the Arcata community.

    “I think it’s terribly unfortunate and I’m very sad for them and I feel very protective of students because it’s what I do,” Ray said. “I would like to think that it’s only an extreme, fringed, vocal, internet types of social media people who are saying those kinds of things. The vast majority of the university, especially the community and many people in the community—that’s not the kind of sentiment I see.”

  • Students return to campus by Homeward Bound bus

    Students return to campus by Homeward Bound bus

    Humboldt State students from Los Angeles and San Francisco take the long journey back to HSU with the Homeward Bound buses.

    The trip takes about 14 hours for those who board the bus in Los Angeles, while it takes eight hours for those who board the bus in San Francisco. The buses travel approximately 650 miles to get back to Arcata. There are occasional pit stops within the commute.

    Ana Vazquez is one of the many students who took the bus from Los Angeles.

    “I had a nice break,” Vazquez said. “I got a chance to sleep more than I did when I was at Humboldt, so that’s a plus.”

    Another student, Jason Barnes, said he prefers traveling on the Homeward Bound bus.

    “I like to take long trips like this,” Barnes said. “On Amtrak, there’s weird people, but here it’s easier to sleep throughout the ride.”

    Students like John Martinez come prepared for long trips.

    “My phone kills a lot of time when it comes to taking trips like this,” Martinez said. “I’m either listening to music or texting to friends and family when I have cell service.”

    Even with the long hours students endure when traveling by bus, the Homeward Bound services have proven to be a better alternative for students to travel out from Humboldt.

  • Homeward Bound bus won’t break bank

    Homeward Bound bus won’t break bank

    payedFor students struggling with travel arrangements from San Francisco and Los Angeles, relief can be found in the form of a charter bus. Approximately 44 percent of Humboldt State students originated from L.A. or the San Francisco Bay Area.

    HSU began a program in the winter of 2016 designed to provide students access to a safe, affordable and fast method of travel to these locations during school breaks.

    Wildlife major Emily Adams, 19, said she enjoyed her experience on the Homeward Bound Bus to San Francisco.

    “I prefer the bus to driving,” Adams said.

    Adams said the whole process was simple. Students swipe their IDs upon arrival. When they would like to get off, they pull the string, which encircles the ceiling of the bus. She said even though the bus takes longer than driving, getting to do anything she wanted made the bus more enjoyable.

    Currently, tickets are priced at $125 round trip to L.A. and $95 round trip to San Francisco.

    Journalism major Andreas Schneider said when he took the Greyhound roundtrip to San Francisco, he paid $120 for the ticket.

    “I took the Greyhound and it was kinda pricey,” Schneider said.

    Communications major and library technology resource employee Jesse Santana said he encourages students to take advantage of this opportunity.

    The program happens three times a year: Thanksgiving, Christmas and spring break. The 2018 spring break bus is sold out.

    Krista Paddock, parking coordinator and coordinator of the program, said it has been successful. She said security and money are the two primary factors that draw people to the program. In addition, it is also faster than other buses because of fewer stops.

    Paddock assigns a host on each bus, who functions much like a student chaperone for the trip. Hosts take roll, ensure all riders are present, rides the bus for free and receives paid compensation for their working hours.

    “Since I can’t be there, it gives me peace of mind,” Paddock said. “It’s a great resource for student’s to get affordable tickets to Southern California.”