The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: Humboldt State University

  • 2020 Census: Raise Your Hand If You’re Here

    2020 Census: Raise Your Hand If You’re Here

    Everything you might want to know about the 2020 census

    The United States Census Bureau has fulfilled the constitutional obligation to count every human in the country since 1790. Every home in the United States should have received an invitation to participate in the 24th United States census by April 1.

    “The census tells us who we are and where we are going as a nation,” the Bureau’s website said.

    The census is a measure of what’s going on in American communities. The data collected from the census helps communities determine where to build infrastructure, from schools and supermarkets to homes and hospitals. Beyond that, California District One (Humboldt County included) House Representative Jared Huffman said it’s a fundamental element of the United States.

    “The significance of everyone participating goes so far beyond that,” Huffman said in an email through his spokesperson. “Having a complete picture of the people in communities across the country determines how folks are represented and makes sure everyone has a voice in the decisions their government makes. That’s the foundation of our democracy.”

    In the past couple of years, the Trump administration tried to politicize the census as they pursued the addition of a citizenship question, but they failed. To be clear, there is no citizenship question on the 2020 census.

    John Meyer, chair of the Humboldt State politics department, explained how an accurate census requires trust between the federal government and residents.

    “The goal of the census was an accurate count of who residents are and where they live,” Meyer said. “The citizenship question discouraged that.”

    “Students today are the most diverse demographic, and if you’re not counted, other resources will not follow.”

    Nicola Walters

    Meyer said answering the census should have no personal impact on respondent’s lives, and that there should be no arrests nor barriers to voting following a response. Meyer said immigrants from other countries, especially those with authoritarian, surveillance-heavy governments were often wary of answering the questions for fear of retaliation.

    The U.S. Census Bureau has been politicized in the last few years, but the law prevents the Census Bureau from sharing information with law enforcement. The information is supposed to be kept strictly confidential.

    “It is in the interest of powerless people to answer the census,” HSU American government lecturer Nicola Walters said. “Students today are the most diverse demographic, and if you’re not counted, other resources will not follow.”

    Walters said she would have liked to see the citizenship question on the census. The census is a rare opportunity for scientists like her to collect data on the entire population, rather than just the samples she’s used to. Nonetheless, she is looking forward to the results of the 2020 census.

    According to the Census Bureau’s website, many of the planned elements of getting a full count, including door to door interviews, will be postponed.

    “The 2020 Census is underway and the most important thing you can do is respond online, by phone, or by mail when you receive your invitation,” the Census press kit said. “Responding now will minimize the need for the Census Bureau to send census takers out into communities to follow up.”

  • HSU Student Resources to Get Through the Pandemic

    HSU Student Resources to Get Through the Pandemic

    Student resources for school, finances, food, housing and counseling

    Here is a list of resources Humboldt State is offering for students. Click here for a student-created site of community resources. Click here for the site in Spanish.

    Educational advice:

    Enoch Hale is the director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Humboldt State University. He provided five tips to help students with online learning during the shelter in place order. His tips revolved around being kind and flexible.

    “Kindness is having the patience and the benefit of the doubt to know that everyone else is struggling,” Hale said. “Be flexible—no one signed up for this and we are going to have to be agile in our expectations in the changing patterns.”

    Five tips to help with online school from Hale:

    1. Don’t ignore feelings—reflect on them so they don’t manage us.
    2. Communicate with professors more, not less.
    3. Log on more frequently. Check your emails and canvas more often. Not all courses will be on Zoom.
    4. Set a schedule, use a study calendar and stick to a routine.
    5. Check the Keep Learning website.

    Finances:

    HSU Coordinator of Student Services for the financial aid office Morgan McBroom provided financial advice to students. McBroom suggested students in a crisis contact the financial aid office.

    For students who are hard-pressed for money, there is a student emergency loan that ranges from $500 to $1000. It is a short-term loan and can come within a few days. Financial services will work to help students pay it back. Students who have not used all of their student loans from the previous semester may also still have access to them.

    Due to the COVID-19 crisis, students’ loan interests are being waived, but the estimated date that it will stop is in June. As of now, the end date hasn’t been established. If you are an HSU graduate, you can have your loans waived for a year with no interest.

    Contact: finaid@humboldt.edu or (707) 826-4321.

    Housing:

    In addition to her advice on financial matters, McBroom also provided housing advice. There is emergency housing available on campus. The off-campus liaison is a resource if you’re struggling with rent.

    Contact: housingliaison@humboldt.edu

    Food:

    1. The recreation room on the first floor of the Jolly Giant Commons offers pre-made bags with food items. This happens twice a week on Wednesday from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. and Thursday from 1 to 3 p.m. Vegan and vegetarian meal bags are also available.

    If you cannot make those times due to isolation or quarantine, contact mira@humboldt.edu and she can set up a delivery time.

    2. Oh SNAP! can also help you load your student ID card with J points. You need to express a financial need for food support. If you have over $40 in J points, you need to wait until your card is under $40. You can receive $60 every four weeks, but this is subject to change. If there is an increase of funds there could be an increase in the amount given to students. You can also donate your J points to help students in need.

    Contact: ravin.craig@humboldt.edu.

    3. For extra help, try applying for CalFresh, a state-funded program to help pay for food. Students not working 20 hours a week can apply for CalFresh, except for students in the Educational Opportunity Program program, students with specialized grants and work-study students. You can qualify for up to $200 a month for groceries.

    Contact ravin.craig@humboldt.edu if you need help with the application process or would like to see if you qualify.

    Counseling:

    Mira B. Friedman is the lead for health education and clinic support services. She provided information about counseling for students.

    HSU Counseling and Psychological Services is offering virtual appointments.

    Students can call (707) 826-3236 to make an appointment. There’s also a 24/7 hotline for immediate crisis outreach for students to speak with a therapist by phone at (707) 826-3236.

  • Meet HSU’s New Athletic Director

    Meet HSU’s New Athletic Director

    Jane Teixeira begins new position as head of Humboldt State athletics

    Humboldt State has a new permanent athletic director for the first time since 2016 in Jane Teixeira, who officially started the job April 6. With COVID-19 ending all sports at HSU for the semester, Teixeira has been adjusting to the area and the position as much as she can.

    “I’ve enjoyed my time exploring as much as I can under the circumstances,” Teixeira said. “It was an interesting drive up here to try to make the change in location in these unprecedented times. Beautiful landscape coming up here, and I’m really happy to be here. Every morning it’s nice to hear the chickens that are across the street and be a part of this great community.”

    Even without the luxury of meeting people in person, Teixeira has hit the ground running and is doing her best to make connections with people and learn more about the athletics department and where it fits into the university.

    “I’m willing to listen, I may not have the answers, I may not be able to give them what they want right away or at all, but I’m willing to listen.”

    Jane Teixeira

    “A lot of my two weeks have been built upon building relationships,” Teixeira said. “Getting to know what the staff needs, what they want. Where our gaps are, where we stand financially—obviously in these times things are difficult—and how can athletics contribute to getting better under the circumstances with the university as a whole.”

    With the loss of football still recent in people’s memories and budget management on the horizon, Teixeira said interacting with the community around Humboldt State and listening to what they have to say will be important for her.

    “I’m willing to listen,” Teixeira said. “I may not have the answers, I may not be able to give them what they want right away or at all, but I’m willing to listen. And I’m willing to take their points and understand them and say, ‘Hey, have you thought about this?’ or, ‘That’s a great point. I’ve never thought about that, let me see what we can figure out with that.’ We’re looking forward to working hand in hand and side by side with the Humboldt County community and all of our alumni.”

    Teixeira also aims to focus on bringing in more quality student-athletes and using athletics as a way to bring more students to Humboldt State and give them opportunities.

    “It’s all about opportunity,” Teixeira said. “Because you never know when that one opportunity happens for a student that may change their life forever. It can happen just like that. And that’s why I’m in this business.”

    For Teixeira, the roster expansions would be a chance for student athletes who may get overlooked to have a chance to showcase themselves.

    “You never know when you get that one student who the lightbulb goes off for them and it changes their whole entire world. So giving them an opportunity if we expand our rosters a little bit, you never know. You may get that diamond in the rough.”

  • First-Year Students Frustrated with Their Education

    First-Year Students Frustrated with Their Education

    HSU freshmen got the short end of the stick after facing blackouts and the COVID-19 pandemic

    Humboldt State students have experienced a crazy school year. From blackouts in October and COVID-19 ending face-to-face classes, it’s been quite the ride for everyone. For freshmen, this was their first experience with college.

    Freshmen learn to live on their own, make new experiences and acclimate to their new surroundings. For the freshmen that entered in fall 2019, it’s been a different story.

    Mikayla Diaz, an environmental science management major from Torrance, California, struggled with scheduling her first semester during the blackouts.

    “It was just really unexpected,” Diaz said. “Starting college, people will tell you how to stay organized and to keep a weekly planner and stuff like that, so everything I heard just kind of went out the window. Like, I wanted to keep a weekly planner but how do I if I don’t even know if I’m having class? It was difficult to make my way and get the bare minimum done.”

    “Keeping in contact with my teachers has been helpful, but it is difficult to do the Zoom thing with my teachers. It’s kind of awkward.

    Mikayla Diaz

    HSU has a prominent science program, and with that comes a lot of lab classes. Megan Bach, a wildlife management major from Boulder, Colorado, admitted that the blackouts affected her lab class.

    “Because of both blackouts I missed two labs,” Bach said, “which I was super bummed about because we didn’t get to do certain activities. Same with the coronavirus too though.”

    COVID-19 has affected students throughout the world by pushing classes that are normally face-to-face online. Classes are conducted from home and teachers have been forced to cut assignments that can’t be done from home or without certain equipment.

    Bach is concerned about the lack of hands-on learning, specifically for her chemistry lab.

    “The teachers are doing a great job. I’m still getting all the information,” Bach said. “It’s just rough because it’s hard, especially from home. I hate online classes. It makes everything harder. I’m a very hands-on learner and I can’t even imagine how they’re gonna do my chemistry lab.”

    Although classes are changing to accommodate online learning, students are missing out most on science classes.

    “Teachers are cutting out a lot of work,” Diaz said. “Keeping in contact with my teachers has been helpful, but it is difficult to do the Zoom thing with my teachers. It’s kind of awkward. For classes—especially lab classes—I need to go to the Arcata Marsh or something and I can’t go and do that because I’m in SoCal. It’s just kind of disappointing.”

    Science students feel they aren’t getting the education they paid for. Science and freshman botany professor, Mihai Tomescu, admits some of his students are struggling with the online format.

    “There’s just a lot of stuff I’m missing out on.”

    Mikayla Diaz

    “Just recently I had a student emailing me and she was a really good student until COVID hit,” Tomescu said. “She was really involved in class, really liked the material, was there in lectures all the time, worked in the lab really hard, she really enjoyed it. She missed an assignment and I checked in with her to see how things were going and she told me that she has really big problems with the internet.”

    Tomescu admits that he can’t directly do anything about the situation or to help in any way with the problems his students are facing, such as internet access.

    “It’s either slow or not available or spotty. Parts of lectures will stop and she’ll have to wait for the internet to come back on and stuff like that,” Tomescu said. “That’s very worrisome, especially when you see that in a student that was doing really well in class and she was excited. I don’t want it to be a missed opportunity.”

    Doing school from home can be frustrating, difficult and demotivating. At times, it’s inaccessible for people that don’t have the resources they need to complete the work. Not only are students missing opportunities on campus or in classes, but they’re also missing out on social opportunities they’ll never get back.

    “It’s really frustrating because I’m not getting the material for my classes,” Diaz said. “There’s just a lot of stuff I’m missing out on.”

  • The Lumberjack in Print: April 22, 2020

    The Lumberjack in Print: April 22, 2020

    The eighth issue of The Lumberjack for the spring 2020 semester, a special edition mailed to over 6,000 students

  • HSU Sails into Uncharted Waters

    HSU Sails into Uncharted Waters

    Humboldt State faces enrollment drop, budget cuts and academic department reorganizations

    If Humboldt State University was a ship, it would be sailing straight into uncharted seas, thick with fog.

    Atop the tallest mast, HSU administrators spy an enrollment drop of around 20% for the fall semester, mainly due to COVID-19. Administrators project a resulting budget cut of around $7.4 million for the next school year and $20 million in the next two years, according to HSU’s most recent enrollment report and webinars held April 13 and 15.

    Faculty and staff are scrambling across the deck to reorganize HSU’s academic departments.

    Vice President of Academic Affairs and Interim Provost Lisa Bond-Maupin said HSU’s colleges are looking at combining department staff and faculty and adjusting fall course schedules for a smaller student population.

    “Those are the strategies we’re looking at—combining staffing where it makes sense and combining chair leadership where it makes sense,” Bond-Maupin said via Zoom interview. “We’re not doing away with academic programs.”

    A proposed plan emailed to department chairs of the College of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences divided CAHSS departments into four schools, each of which would have one chair. The presumed thinking behind the plan would be to eliminate the need for each department to have its own chair and free up chairs to teach more courses—reducing the number of other needed faculty.

    Bond-Maupin did assure that HSU has no plan to cut any academic departments—but semester course offerings will depend on what students need.

    Bond-Maupin said that exact proposal probably would not move forward. Bond-Maupin said she and the deans of the HSU colleges are still figuring out what they will do.

    With department reorganizations and course offerings expected to be adjusted for the fall, lecturers will likely end up with fewer courses to teach. Bond-Maupin said schedules for a reduced number of students inevitably affect the availability of work. In other words, if all of a lecturer’s courses are pushed off the fall schedule, they would be thrown overboard too.

    Bond-Maupin did assure that HSU has no plan to cut any academic departments—but semester course offerings will depend on what students need.

    “As enrollment changes, we need to sort of follow the needs of the students,” Bond-Maupin said.

    Over 2,000 individuals signed a change.org petition asking for HSU tuition to be reduced for the spring. Bond-Maupin said a change in tuition would come from the California State University Chancellor’s Office, not HSU.

    Tuition reduction or not, HSU faces serious challenges. In an April 13 webinar HSU held on the enrollment decline and budget cuts, Vice President of Enrollment Management Jason Meriwether delivered dire news on enrollment.

    “If the CSU is in a recession for enrollment, Humboldt State needs to worry about being in a depression for enrollment,” Meriwether said. “I hate to use those terms, but it just forecasts the impact HSU could face in the terms of COVID-19.”

    HSU has refunded nearly $2.5 million to students for housing, parking and dining and projects to lose around $7 million by the end of June.

    “We are hearing from the governor that there may be some return to being together but with some new social distancing parameters—so that’s possible.”

    Lisa Bond-Maupin

    Vice President of Administration and Finance Douglas Dawes emphasized the importance of the campus understanding the need to make quick budget cuts. Dawes said HSU is looking into a mix of measures, including hiring chills, spending freezes and retirement incentives.

    These hits to the hull come despite progress HSU made before it entered the murky waters of the pandemic—208 local students accepted the Humboldt First scholarship, up from 32 local students per year for the last three years.

    Both Meriwether and Bond-Maupin said details of the fall semester remain uncertain and hinge on public health recommendations. Bond-Maupin said HSU is preparing for a variety of potential scenarios, from remaining online to opening partially.

    “We are hearing from the governor that there may be some return to being together but with some new social distancing parameters—so that’s possible,” Bond-Maupin said. “We might work with spacing. We also may look at timing. One scenario I can think of is that we are delayed in going back fully to face-to-face, so we begin online. I think we just have to plan for all those scenarios.”

    The Lumberjack requested an interview with HSU President Tom Jackson multiple times for this story, but he could not be reached. HSU Communications Specialist Grant Scott-Goforth cited an “incredibly busy time.”

  • HSU is Holding Administrative Meetings Online and You Can Attend Them

    HSU is Holding Administrative Meetings Online and You Can Attend Them

    How and when to watch HSU administrators make big decisions

    University Senate Meetings: 

    Meetings are available online via Zoom from 3-5 p.m. Email senate@humboldt.edu to receive a Zoom link.

    Senate meetings will be held Tuesdays on April 21, May 5 and May 19 (if needed—undecided at the moment).

    University Senate Meetings are open to the public. If members of the campus wish to speak during the senate’s open forum period from 3:15-3:30 p.m., sign-ups are available on their website. 

    University Senate Executive Committee Meetings:

    Meetings are available online via Zoom from 3-5 p.m. Email senate@humboldt.edu to receive a Zoom link.

    Executive Committee meetings will be held on alternate Tuesdays from regular University Senate meetings on April 28 and May 12 (if needed—undecided at the moment).

    Associated Students Board of Finance Meetings:

    Meetings are available online via Zoom from 2:30-3:30 p.m. Zoom link (unless changed).

    Thursdays on April 23, April 30 and May 7.

    Weekly schedule of administrative meetings:

    MondaysTuesdaysWednesdaysThursdaysFridays
    4/21: University Senate Meeting
    3-5 p.m.    		4/23: CAHSS Council of Chairs Meeting
    TBD
    AS Board of Finance Meeting
    2:30-3:30 p.m.
    4/28: Executive Committee Meeting
    3-5 p.m.    		4/30: CAHSS Council of Chairs Meeting
    9-11 a.m. 
    AS Board of Finance Meeting
    2:30-3:30 p.m.
    5/5: Associated- Residential-Athletic Council
    1-2:30 p.m.
    University Senate Meeting
    3-5 p.m.    		5/7: CAHSS Council of Chairs Meeting
    9-11 a.m.
    A.S. Board of Finance Meeting
    2:30-3:30 p.m.
    5/12: Executive Committee Meeting (“if needed” – undecided at moment)
    3-5 p.m.    		5/14: CAHSS Council of Chairs Meeting
    9-11 a.m.
    5/19: University Senate Meeting (“if needed” – undecided at moment)
    3-5 p.m.
  • Half-Life: Alyx Makes VR Worthwhile

    Half-Life: Alyx Makes VR Worthwhile

    Half-Life: Alyx is the first properly high budget virtual reality effort from a major studio

    The previous game in the Half-Life series ended on a cliffhanger, and since then, the franchise sat in limbo for over a decade. By the time Half-Life: Alyx was announced, most had given up hope of a sequel. The inflated expectations for a new Half Life game made constructing a sequel too daunting a task for developer Valve to ever release anything, but now they have. Does it live up to the hype?

    For the most part, yes.

    With the majority of people currently stuck inside, virtual reality is one of the best ways to pretend you’re not. The problem is the high price point. Currently the barrier for entry for a VR headset is a minimum of $400, and that doesn’t include a gaming PC that meets the hefty requirements of VR. Those PCs generally start at $600. Up to this point, small-scale games made up the majority of the VR catalog. VR lacked a system seller to justify the high price point.

    The game’s story is excellent, but can feel sparse at times. Some chapters should have more dialogue than they do, but the writing and performances that are there are excellent.

    Luckily, Half-Life: Alyx is an incredible game. It takes what made the older Half-Life games great on a 2D screen and translates them to the 3D space with an incredible amount of polish.

    In Half-Life 2, your main method of interacting with the world was the gravity gun, the weapon that could pick up and manipulate nearly any object in the world around you. In Half-Life: Alyx you have gravity gloves.

    These gloves let you aim your hands at nearly any object, press the grab button and flick your wrist to bring that item towards you. It’s an action so simple and satisfying to perform that since playing I have on several occasions found myself with the urge to perform it in my day-to-day life.

    The game’s story is excellent, but can feel sparse at times. Some chapters should have more dialogue than they do, but the writing and performances that are there are excellent.

    During those few encounters with human characters I was in awe at how life-like they were. If there’s anything about the game that is a disappointment, it would have to be the lack of melee weapons. You can pick up almost anything in the environment, but none of it can actually harm enemies. Half-Life is known for having the crowbar as a weapon, so it’s weird to not have that in this game.

    These are all nitpicks though. Half-Life: Alyx is proof that VR as a medium can work. It’s proof that virtual reality can be its own storytelling medium, with its own stories and experiences and that gets me excited for the future of gaming.

  • IRA Budget Expected to Take Substantial Hit

    IRA Budget Expected to Take Substantial Hit

    Associated Students prepare for massive budget cuts

    Associated Students is anticipating a nearly 20% cut to the Instructionally Related Activities Committee budget.

    As of April 7, the IRA Committee budget for the 2020-2021 academic year is predicted to be about $375,000, compared with around $520,000 approved for the 2019-2020 budget. This accounts for an anticipated loss of around $27,000 due to COVID-19.

    As a condition of enrollment at Humboldt State University, each full-time student pays about $3,900 in student fees, around $2,900 of which is tuition. The remaining amount of about $1,000 is split between six student fees, including a $337 contribution the IRA.

    From that $337 paid by each student, the IRA budget is divided into about $260 for athletics, $8 for the Humboldt Energy Independence Fund, about $17 for the Jack Pass and about $19 for the IRA Committee. Made up entirely of Associated Students board members, the IRA Committee votes on the allocation of their budget among instructionally related activities.

    Executive Director of AS Jenessa Lund is heavily involved in the committee.

    “It’s interesting that there is not a lot of money compared to the big budget, but what I’ve realized over the past couple of years is because they are so visible, people react to them very strongly,” Lund said. “IRA is less than $500,000, and compared to the campus budget that’s just drops in the bucket. But because it means whether or not a group of students can go compete, or do something, they feel it directly.”

    “We had conflicting pieces of arguments that said, ‘You do this, but you don’t do that in these cases,’ which makes it very hard to evaluate who’s gonna be in and who’s gonna be out.”

    Sandy Wieckowski

    IRAs are limited to those that are disciplined, department-based and sponsored, and are integral to formal instructional offerings. They are intensive, structured activities that reflect active rather than passive student involvement. They are considered essential to the quality of an educational program and an important instructional experience, and they demonstrate skills derived from intensive coursework. They include everything from The Lumberjack newspaper to club sports, and almost everything in between.

    Made up of majority student voters, the IRA Committee has been meeting to re-evaluate their funding guidelines, based on the Education Code, their current IRA funding guidelines and memos between the AS president and HSU president from the 2019-2020 academic year that outline the direction they were headed. Sandy Wieckowski is currently the longest-acting board member.

    “This is the same thing we hit last year,” Wieckowski said. “We had conflicting pieces of arguments that said, ‘You do this, but you don’t do that in these cases,’ which makes it very hard to evaluate who’s gonna be in and who’s gonna be out.”

    Lund blamed the rotating chairs for inconsistent goals.

    “This current model has annual turnover,” Lund said. “It’s new faculty on this committee every year, and it’s often new student leaders every year.”

    On top of HSU having new administration for the past three years, AS has had four presidents in three years. With administrations in a constant state of change, it’s much more difficult to accomplish progress.

    “I’ve been on the committee four years and we’ve done it different every year,” Wieckowski said.

    Board members were assigned budget applications from IRA groups to review in advance of their April 7 meeting. During the meeting, the board looked at each application and adjusted the proposed budgets where they saw fit. As Lund scrolled down the list of submissions, board members weighed in with their recommendations.

    One significant impact looks to be the denial of a budget for the campus sexual assault prevention program, CHECK IT, as the “swag” the budget was requested to pay for wasn’t considered a priority.

    Other impacts include The Lumberjack newspaper, which faces over $8,000 in cuts from a budget of around $28,000. Osprey magazine faces about $4,000 in cuts from a $10,000 budget, and the KRFH student radio station also faces a $5,000 cut from their budget of $10,000. AS Public Relations Officer Cassaundra Caudillo suggested the cuts.

    “All of the publications on campus tend to over-print,” said Caudillo. “I think all of the publications could probably take a little bit of a cut because of that.”

    Despite the budget crunch, the IRA committee managed to make room for programs that did not receive IRA funding in the 2019-2020 academic year, including $2,500 for the Youth Educational Services program, $5,000 for reserve library textbooks and $3,000 for the Society of American Foresters Quiz Bowl. The IRA budget recommendations have been finalized, but they currently have an open appeals period before the budget will be sent to HSU President Tom Jackson by April 30.

    A potentially significant factor in next year’s budget is possible carry-over from money that didn’t get spent in the 2019-2020 academic year. That amount, for now, is yet to be known. However, the IRA Committee felt comfortable over-allocating about $25,000 they expect to gain in roll-over.

    “We have all these potential expenses out there that we need to get covered and tidy up before we try and allocate that money to next year,” Lund said.

    In the past, AS has put in place a contingency plan to allocate money based on a projected headcount in case there is money left over from the previous school year’s budget.

    “If money were to roll forward and be available in addition to what we’re looking at today, then they gave three priorities, and that was already voted,” Lund said. “So, it made it a pretty clean process for us if there was funding there.”

  • HSU Health Center Remains Open

    HSU Health Center Remains Open

    Students on campus can still reach out to medical services

    The Humboldt State University campus is closed to the public, but the Student Health Center expects to remain open for the remainder of the semester to help any students remaining on campus. The health center is limiting face-to-face contact as much as possible, but is still helping students without physical appointments when possible.

    “We’re doing everything we can to help minimize the risk of exposure for students and Student Health and Counseling staff by limiting as much face-to-face contact as possible,” HSU Director of News and Information Aileen Yoo said. “For emotional support, for instance, students can talk to a CAPS counselor over the phone and, in most cases, if preferred, Zoom.”

    The Health Center is still offering other essential services like prescription refills and COVID-19 testing.

    “For those who are sick or suspect they have COVID-19, we have urged them to call before visiting the health center,” Yoo said. “When it comes to COVID-19, our main focus is assessing the student and collecting swab samples if we think that’s necessary.”

    “It is normal to have ebbs and flows with your mood and productivity levels but if you get “stuck” in a dark space for an uncomfortably long time, consider reaching out to get help such as from a counselor at CAPS.”

    Jennifer Sanford, director of Counseling and Psychological Services and associate director of student health and wellbeing

    The Health Center set up white triage tents in front of the building to help students check in and get assessed. If a student tests positive for COVID-19, the Health Center will work with county health services to make sure the student gets the treatment they need.

    During a pandemic, the disease itself isn’t the only medical problem facing students. The Center for Disease Control warns the stress of a pandemic can cause or worsen mental health problems, and recommends calling a health care provider if symptoms persist.

    The Director of Counseling and Psychological Services and Associate Director of Student Health and Wellbeing Jennifer Sanford asked students to consider reaching out to Counseling and Psychological Services if they feel their mental health is deteriorating.

    “Pay attention to how your thoughts and attitudes in any given moment are impacting your mood and overall wellbeing,” Sanford said. “Talk with others, connect. It is normal to have ebbs and flows with your mood and productivity levels but if you get “stuck” in a dark space for an uncomfortably long time, consider reaching out to get help such as from a counselor at CAPS.”

    Sanford said that this can be an uncertain time, but it’s important to see social distancing as community care.

    “The reality is that in our physical distancing, we are displaying compassion and care for our elderly and medically compromised,” Sanford said. “We are allowing our healthcare system to better manage the flow and care of patients, and we are caring for ourselves by lessening our own risk.”

  • Housing the Homeless in Humboldt

    Housing the Homeless in Humboldt

    California houses, shelters and aids homeless as COVID-19 cases continue to rise

    With at least 151,278 homeless individuals in California, measures to keep them safe and healthy during the current shelter-in-place order are crucial.

    Governor Gavin Newsom and his administration have sought ways to provide shelter and temporary homes for the homeless. On March 18, Newsom published a statement addressing what actions are to take place to ensure that everyone in the state maintains their health.

    “People experiencing homelessness are among the most vulnerable to the spread of COVID-19,” Governor Newsom said. “California is deploying massive resources to get these vulnerable residents safely into shelter, removing regulatory barriers and securing trailers and hotels to provide immediate housing options for those most at risk. Helping these residents is critical to protecting public health, flattening the curve and slowing the spread of COVID-19.”

    To help with the crisis, Newsom released $150 million to local governments to pursue leases with hotels and motels for temporary shelter. An additional $650 million is said to be released on April 1 from last year’s budget, to ensure that enough supplies are given to shelters and other medical resources. Shelters all over the state are struggling to gain more medical supplies and are losing volunteers.

    Around 130 homeless individuals are staying in shelters around Arcata and Eureka.

    “This is one of the biggest challenges our homeless system has ever seen,” Deputy Secretary for Homelessness for the Newsom administration Ali Sutton said. “And our population is one of the most at risk.”

    Newsom also said he and his administration are working on creating leases lasting a few months with hotels and motels in order to house more homeless. According to an article from The Latest, Newsom announced 2,400 more hotel and motel rooms have been secured to house those on the streets, with 1,900 of those rooms coming from San Diego alone. There are now 4,000 rooms secured statewide. San Diego plans to continue sheltering the homeless by moving them to the city’s Golden Hall, the downtown Convention Center (home to Comic-Con), and other vacant rooms in hotels.

    Humboldt County is also working to gain more shelters, rooms and supplies for those on the streets. Around 130 homeless individuals are staying in shelters around Arcata and Eureka. Some shelters have already taken place like Eureka Rescue Mission and Arcata House Partnership.

    Each shelter in Humboldt County is expected to receive $300,000 in order to keep up with medical resources and other supplies, but shelters might still need more help to make sure they have everything they need. Eureka Rescue Mission, for example, had to close their thrift store, which was a main source of income, making sheltering the homeless more difficult as the pandemic continues.

    The city of Arcata, along with AHP, have been working together to find other ways to help. After calling and surveying businesses and other organizations, Arcata was able to secure two parking lots in town. The lot on G Street can maintain at least 19 people, while the Transit Center lot can hold up to 15 people. Tents inside the lot are recommended to be six feet apart. AHP is working with Affordable Housing Homeless to ensure portable showers, sinks and bathrooms are provided for the lots. The lots can also expect to soon see mobile health services to make sure individuals are healthy.

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention set out guidelines for how to manage tent camps, recommending that local law enforcement should not force individuals out of the camps unless there is immediate housing available for them to go to.

    Hotel and motel rooms, meanwhile, are still in the process of being secured for more individuals. Arcata is also giving out food at the Arcata Food Pantry on Wednesdays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m at the Trinity Baptist Church.

  • Telehealth Looks to Fill Gaps Left by Pandemic

    Telehealth Looks to Fill Gaps Left by Pandemic

    Telehealth has a chance to make a name for itself in the US

    Many physicians and patients aren’t likely to want to or be able to do face-to-face appointments for now and into the foreseeable future. In the midst of this, a potential solution lies in telehealth.

    Telehealth—also known as telemedicine—involves the interaction of medical practitioners and patients through virtual means. Doctors and other physicians can attend to more serious matters in-person while remotely prescribing and treating other, less critical patients.

    “I think people are gonna be more and more open to going to the doctor full-time via telehealth if not doing a follow-up visit. I think that we’ve made more progress in the last six months than we have in the last six years and I think it’s only gonna go this way forward.”

    Jacob Horn

    Jacob Horn is the managing director at Vivo HealthStaff in Dublin, California. A Humboldt State University graduate, Horn now contracts with various medical clinics and offers immediate telehealth solutions for more rural communities. He projected a lot of growth for telehealth.

    “Before this COVID-19, it was very meager, to say the least—it was underutilized,” Horn said in a phone interview. “I think people are gonna be more and more open to going to the doctor full-time via telehealth if not doing a follow-up visit. I think that we’ve made more progress in the last six months than we have in the last six years and I think it’s only gonna go this way forward.”

    Horn detailed what he sees to be the benefits of telehealth.

    “I think it will address provider burnout,” he said. “I think it will increase patient satisfaction because now they have a wider access of care. I think it will also make the insurance companies happy because follow-up visits might not cost them as much. But also, the patients will see, hopefully, a savings by seeing their doctors at home for low-acuity visits.”

    Kate Schiff, a physician assistant in the HSU Student Health Center, is trying to incorporate telehealth into her practice in a multitude of ways.

    “For the most part, we are utilizing the phone for triage, evaluation of new problems, and management of existing problems and conditions,” Schiff wrote via email. “We are also managing most of our medication refill requests this way.”

    Schiff also uses Zoom video calls to conduct business.

    “We do have the capability to have Zoom visits which we are primarily using for mental health visits at this time,” she wrote. “Counseling and Psychological Services is using the phone and Zoom to provide individual and group therapy for students.”

    Dr. Caroline Connor, a local physician, wasn’t sure how regular telehealth would become in the future.

    “I think it’s gonna bring more accessibility to healthcare, especially for seniors, in Humboldt County but also to the HSU students.”

    Jacob Horn

    “The question is—how regular it’s going to be—is gonna be a very interesting story that has not yet been written,” Dr. Connor said. “If I was still in practice, how many of my patients would still be coming in? Now, most patients, if they had the choice, would rather see you in person, I think. But you wonder—busy millennials, if they want to get an appointment, will they just start making telemedicine appointments? And how is that gonna be incorporated into the daily life of a physician? I have no idea.”

    Speaking of busy millennials, HSU students are no stranger to the lack of healthcare in Humboldt County. Horn said telehealth could help fight that shortage.

    “I think it’s gonna bring more accessibility to healthcare, especially for seniors, in Humboldt County but also to the HSU students,” he said. “We have a massive shortage, we have long waitlists and a lot of people are leaving the county for certain specialty care. I think in the next year, that will switch up—you’ll be able to have more resources at your disposal in Humboldt County due to telehealth.”

    Connor said nursing students in HSU’s revitalized program could take advantage of telehealth to connect with remote specialists.

    “Let’s say somebody is going through nursing school and they have to learn a little about the intensive care unit—there might not be enough educators in Humboldt County about nursing intensive care units,” Connor said. “So, maybe they’ll have telemedicine education.”

  • Press Release: APD Still Seeks Public’s Help in Lawson Case

    Press Release: APD Still Seeks Public’s Help in Lawson Case

    APD asks witnesses to come forward on third anniversary of David Josiah Lawson’s death

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    JOSIAH LAWSON HOMICIDE OCCURRED THREE YEARS AGO

    On this day three years ago HSU Student David Josiah Lawson was murdered in Arcata. This case remains under investigation and the Arcata Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance during the on-going investigation. On April 15, 2017, while attending a house party on Spear Avenue, Josiah was stabbed during an altercation. Josiah was pronounced deceased shortly thereafter at Mad River Community Hospital. 

    Witnesses described upwards of 100 people in attendance at the house party. Many of those who were present have not been identified nor have they been interviewed by Detectives from the Arcata Police Department. The completion of this investigation is dependent on a number of factors including interviewing all people who were present at some point during the party or who have information that can corroborate what occurred that night.

    The Arcata Police Department established a 24 hour confidential tip line for community members to provide information relative to this investigation. The phone number is (707) 825-2590. Community members can also call the APD’s Dispatch Center at (707) 822-2424.  

    Keeping Josiah’s memory alive is paramount to this case. The Arcata Police Department will continue to investigate this case and will continue to work all investigative leads until justice prevails.  

    Attached in a separate email is a Public Service Announcement developed in partnership with DJ’s Mother, Charmaine Lawson, the Arcata Police Department, the Eureka Broadcasting Company and the City of Arcata’s IT Department. The PSA link is Facebook compatible. All are encouraged to share this link with anyone in order to never forget DJ and to encourage community members who have any information at all regarding who else was in attendance at the party and/or the events that led to DJ’s death, to come forward. 

    Public service announcement video reposted by the North Coast Journal:

  • AS President Sports Decorated Track Record

    AS President Sports Decorated Track Record

    Lizbeth Cano-Sanchez steps up to the Associated Students presidency

    Lizbeth Cano-Sanchez is the first sophomore to serve as president of Associated Students at Humboldt State University since at least 1975.

    Cano-Sanchez took over as president of AS following the previous president’s resignation in December 2019. Formerly the administrative vice president, Cano-Sanchez decided to run for HSU student government after serving as president of the Hill dorms and a member of the Resident Hall Association board in her freshman year.

    “Sometimes in my life, and I thank God for it, things align and things happen, but I push for them, and I work for them,” Cano-Sanchez said.

    AS Legislative Vice President Jeremiah Finley began working with Cano-Sanchez as a fellow dorm president on the RHA.

    “During any transition period in any organization, things can get a little hectic and challenging as the new person comes to fill the role left behind,” Finley said. “That being said, after she became AS president, working with her has been the most valuable experience that I have had in my young professional life.”

    “I don’t think I was intimidated. I was very excited. But I could feel a little bit of sadness within me, because I knew I had to make a choice between sacrificing more leisure time or self care time or I was going to be sacrificing running.”

    LIzbeth Cano-Sanchez

    Originally from Mexico, Cano-Sanchez was raised in Monterey Park, California. She currently has temporary residency in the U.S. and is making her way toward citizenship.

    Cano-Sanchez initially came to Humboldt to be a part of the track and field team and the cross-country program. She’s taken part in both varsity sports since her freshman year at Schurr High School. She was the MVP for cross-country her freshman and senior years, and MVP of track and field her sophomore and junior years. She became captain of the cross-country team her sophomore year, and the track and field team her junior year. She also currently holds the 5K record at Schurr High.

    Cano-Sanchez decided to step away from sports this spring to make much-needed room for her new role as AS president.

    “I don’t think I was intimidated,” Cano-Sanchez said. “I was very excited. But I could feel a little bit of sadness within me, because I knew I had to make a choice between sacrificing more leisure time or self care time or I was going to be sacrificing running.”

    Cano-Sanchez said her relationship with running also changed.

    “I wasn’t setting goals for myself in that area anymore, and it was because I was trying to grow in other areas,” Cano-Sanchez said. “Now that I’m away from it I can see all of my errors, but I still have some growing to do before I go back.”

    As a business major, Cano-Sanchez chose to run for the administrative vice president’s position during the 2019 spring elections because of its practical application to her major. She ran with a platform advocating for a stronger student union, having visited other universities with more efficient systems.

    “We have a very lenient and flexible system at the moment,” Cano-Sanchez said. “It calls for innovation and creativity, and that’s a huge thing that I value. So, I’m not talking about making things more strict, not at all. I’m talking about having a more efficient system, within ourselves, in order to successfully serve our students.”

    As the AS administrative vice president, Cano-Sanchez made efforts to centralize HSU’s funded programs. She also resurrected the AS Funded Programs Committee that’s been chaired by the AVP position in the past.

    “Being AS president is very time consuming and Lizbeth has done a phenomenal job at doing what she can, but also delegating tasks and roles to other AS board members.”

    Jenessa Lund, Executive Director of AS

    “At first, only a few showed up,” Cano-Sanchez said. “Then the second meeting, more showed up and I felt very happy to see them getting involved and wanting to have their voice be represented. That was a hard one to let go of [the AS Funded Programs Committee] because I liked seeing how the money worked and how our students were being served through their student fees.”

    As the fill-in president of AS, Cano-Sanchez has taken on the position as if she ran for it. She has weekly advising meetings with the AS professional staff, monthly meetings with HSU President Tom Jackson, and has created strong communication between the AS board.

    Executive Director of AS Jenessa Lund has worked closely with Cano-Sanchez for the academic year.

    “She has consistently demonstrated that she is willing and capable to prioritize her AS roles,” Lund said. “Being AS president is very time consuming and Lizbeth has done a phenomenal job at doing what she can, but also delegating tasks and roles to other AS board members.”

    Cano-Sanchez admitted the position takes time.

    “But it’s worth it,” Cano-Sanchez said. “Students need to know and my board needs to know in order to communicate it down.”

    Cano-Sanchez’s main focuses with AS are improving the internal structure and raising awareness of AS resources that can help to meet student needs. Cano-Sanchez has also decided to run for AS president for the 2020-2021 academic year.

    Juggling classes with a presidency is enough to stress out anyone, but Cano-Sanchez feels she was made for it.

    “I think that I’m very much a natural born leader, ” Cano-Sanchez said. “I know that I am. I know that I can tell when things need to be fixed, and I have been fixing them.”

  • Humboldt State Has Trees Grown from Seeds That Went to the Moon

    Humboldt State Has Trees Grown from Seeds That Went to the Moon

    Here’s how HSU received the trees and where you can find them

    Humboldt State University has a handful of redwood trees grown from seeds that went to the moon.

    In 1971, astronaut Stuart Roosa brought around 500 tree seeds with his personal items on the Apollo 14 NASA mission to the moon. Roosa intended to test the seeds to see if space radiation would affect their germination. While he never set foot on the moon, he orbited the moon 34 times while his colleagues walked the lunar surface.

    When Roosa returned, he sprouted most of the seeds. NASA then sent the seedlings around the world. Around 1976, HSU received a handful of redwood seedlings and planted them around campus. Some of those trees remain near the theatre arts and natural resources buildings and near the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology and Facilities Management.

  • Tuition Refund Petition Reflects Student Experience

    Tuition Refund Petition Reflects Student Experience

    With labs, classrooms and most facilities on campus closed, what is being done with student tuition?

    After Humboldt State University canceled in-person classes three weeks ago, students created a change.org petition calling for a reimbursement of tuition. With 2,000 students and supporters rallying behind it, perhaps HSU will bring their concerns into the conversation. Regardless of the administration’s acknowledgement, or lack thereof, HSU students are and will be experiencing a drop in the quality of their education.

    As a journalism major, our classes haven’t been heavily impacted, but our access to the university spaces we all pay for is not as integral as for majors like art, dance, theatre and lab sciences.

    Bryan Gambrel, a kinesiology major at HSU, said the switch to online labs has affected his motivation to learn the material. With an inability to use the lab spaces, the only way to show comprehension of the reading material is through quizzes.

    “My difficult class has become now something that’s based off of reading rather than three hours of experimenting in a lab,” Gambrel said. “I’m not even sure how they can credit it for your GE.”

    Lindsey Miller, an HSU freshman, signed the petition. She is a part of the environmental resources department and is taking a chemistry lab course this semester. With the switch to online classes, lessons consist of videos of the professor completing the experiment. She felt like this semester’s labs were a little more challenging than her first semester.

    “Without having that hands-on experience in the lab, I don’t know when people are gonna learn it again.”

    Raili Makela

    “I was only kinda picking up on it before spring break,” Miller said.

    Raili Makela is a fourth year marine biology major at HSU. This semester she had signed up for two labs and two lectures that have now been transitioned into online courses. Makela noticed the switch to online labs has made understanding the concepts more difficult.

    “It’s because of that hands-on learning that I really start to understand the other material,” Makela said.

    While she has learned a lot from her earlier labs and can work from that knowledge, she is worried about how those getting their first lab experience will be impacted.

    “Without having that hands-on experience in the lab, I don’t know when people are gonna learn it again,” Makela said.

    The situation we are in is reasonable. There isn’t another option that would keep our students, staff and faculty as safe as the current measures we have in place, but it is our money that’s no longer being spent to keep the doors open. Our tuition is not a goodwill donation. It is an exchange for the resources provided by the institution, and if those resources are not being provided, then we are getting shortchanged on our education.

  • Before You Forage: Mussels

    Before You Forage: Mussels

    Everything you need to know to forage for mussels

    Blue mussels are a type of edible bivalve found in cold coastal waters. These orange-fleshed, blue-shelled mollusks are high in vitamin B and iron. Mussels and other bivalves feed by filtering water throughout their body. Bivalves, including mussels, can be deadly if consumed during red tide conditions.

    You can forage for mussels along the California coast legally with a California fishing license. The legal daily limit for mussels is 10 pounds and you must carry a scale with you. Do not use tools to scrape mussels off rocks. This damages the mussel beds and is prohibited for mussel collecting. Instead, get a sturdy pair of gloves to twist and yank the mussel free from its byssal thread attachments (also known as beards) that secure it onto rocks.

    Mussel gathering is prohibited in Humboldt County every year from May 1 to October 31 due to the warmer climate during this time, which facilitates the proper conditions for toxic algae blooms. Mussel quarantine may vary year to year. Always call the shellfish bio-toxin hotline before you plan on foraging.

    Bio-toxin information line: (800) 553-4133 shellfish toxins/quarantine information

    Shellfish Toxins/ Quarantine Information

    Editors note: This article previously stated an incorrect limit on mussel harvesting and has been corrected. We have updated information about mussel quarantine. Updated January 21, 2021

  • Here’s How You Can Drown Your Sports Sorrows

    Here’s How You Can Drown Your Sports Sorrows

    While sports may be at a standstill, you can still relish and relive your favorite game moments

    Every major sports league, from the UEFA Champions League to the NBA, has canceled or postponed their league for the remainder of the year to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. This is a very tough pill to swallow for sports fans around the world, but there are still opportunities for fans to relive past games and watch sports shows and documentaries while practicing social distancing.

    One way these professional leagues are accommodating their fans is by offering free league passes to watch any past game you could think of. Leagues like the NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB are offering these free league passes until May 31.

    If you have a cable provider like Spectrum or AT&T, channels like ESPN, FOX Sports, TUDN and CBS sports are showing daily replays of old football, basketball, baseball, hockey and soccer both at the professional and college levels.

    In addition to all these replays, ESPN has pushed up the release of one of their most anticipated documentaries, “The Last Dance,” to April 19. The documentary is based on Michael Jordan and the 1990s Chicago Bulls, who won six NBA championships and are generally considered the greatest basketball dynasty of all time. The documentary is a 10-part series of never-before-seen behind-the-scenes.

    From movies to shows, sports are being given to us at an all-time high rate through many mediums.

    Netflix is also doing its part in getting more sports to us through shows and documentaries. Some of the more popular documentaries include three must-sees. First, “I Am Bolt,” detailing the athletic legacy of the greatest Olympic sprinter in history, Usain Bolt. Second, “Q-Ball,” a documentary about the basketball league in San Quentin prison. Third, “Notorious,” the documentary on UFC’s bad boy, Conor McGregor, and his rise to fame in the sport.

    Sports TV shows can also help entertain you through social distancing. One of the more popular shows right now is “All-American.” The show is based around Spencer, one of the best high school football players in the country from Crenshaw in Los Angeles, who transfers to Beverly Hills High School. The TV drama is basically “90210” meets “Friday Night Lights.”

    If you’re a wrestling fan, you’re in luck. Hulu has every episode of WWE’s “Raw” and “Smackdown” so you can relive the best fights. The same goes for the “Ultimate Fighter,” which produced some of the best UFC fighters such as TJ Dillashaw, Rashad Evans and Tony Ferguson.

    YouTube can also help with sports withdrawals. It has any kind of highlight you can think of, from France’s run toward the 2018 World Cup, to Lebron James’ first championship in 2012 with the Heat, to highlights from Super Bowl LII when the Eagles upset Tom Brady and the Patriots. The list goes on. Any sporting memory you have is almost guaranteed to be on YouTube.

    These are just a few options we have during social distancing to stay in touch with our inner fan. From movies to shows, sports are being given to us at an all-time high rate through many mediums. So stay home, stay healthy and drown your sorrows of social distancing with your favorite sports.

  • HSU Projecting Grave Hit to Enrollment for Fall Semester

    HSU Projecting Grave Hit to Enrollment for Fall Semester

    Freshman class projected to shrink, number of academic departments to be reduced

    For the latest information, see our story here.

    Update 11:10 a.m.: a second email sent yesterday from College of Natural Resources Dean Dale Oliver and obtained by The Lumberjack makes similar points but does not give a specific number to the expected enrollment drop for fall beyond noting that a 15-20% drop was expected prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. We will update this story when we have confirmed the numbers below. The second email is pasted below.

    Humboldt State University has issued a budget directive to take immediate action to prepare for the fall semester, including the freezing of open staff positions and the reduction of the number of academic departments, according to an email sent to faculty and staff of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Tuesday morning.

    The email, sent by Interim Dean of CAHSS Rosamel Benavides-Garb, projected a freshmen class for fall 2020 of around 500 students, down from around 1,400 students five years ago and down from around 1,000 students for fall 2019.

    “The scale and impact of our current predicament is grave and as a result our budgetary practice has to be reconsidered and reformulated based on the simple equation of demand and resources,” the email said. “We have become, de facto, a much smaller institution, which compels us to undertake a comprehensive reset at HSU.”

    The email listed six directives, including requests to freeze all vacant staff positions, reduce the number of academic departments and develop online programs for current and transfer students to complete their degrees.

    The email promised to make the process consultative and sustainable.

    “We remain committed to “the student first” approach,” the email said, “and are extremely aware of the critical importance, now more than ever, of issues of social justice, equity, and inclusion in all we do.”

    The full email is copied below:

    Dear CAHSS Colleagues,

    On April 2, the deans of all three academic colleges received new administrative directives from Interim Provost Lisa Bond-Maupin regarding the coming academic year. The directives are a call to action, issued in response to the budget and recruitment/retention reality at HSU. The Interim Provost reiterated these directives yesterday, Monday, April 6 in her Provost/VPAA Report to the senate.

    As we all know, our student enrollment has been declining for several years and the institutional budget has been negatively impacted. The administration’s efforts to address the problem must now be reframed in light of new and profound challenges the current COVID-19 pandemic poses for HSU, and the CSU system in general.

    We are projecting a freshmen class of 500~ students across all three colleges. Five years ago, the freshmen class numbered 1,400+ students. The scale and impact of our current predicament is grave and as a result our budgetary practice has to be reconsidered and reformulated based on the simple equation of demand and resources. We have become, de facto, a much smaller institution, which compels us to undertake a comprehensive reset at HSU.

    The Interim Provost has directed the three academic deans to reduce spending and grow retention/recruitment. Her directives require our college to implement the following action areas immediately:

    1. Freeze all vacant staff positions: This is indefinite or until each college develops a plan to organize staff support within colleges and across colleges.

    2. Reduce the number of academic administrative units (departments): This needs to be planned immediately and be in place for this next fiscal year so we are reorganized starting fall 2020.

    3. Develop online degree completion opportunities for certain existing majors in the last two semesters of their programs.

    4. Develop two-year degree online completion opportunities for transfer students of certain majors beginning fall 2020.

    5. Develop a partnership with CEEGE related to workforce development, responding particularly to a post COVID-19 context.

    6. Integrate the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) in the development and implementation of new teaching capacity.The Interim Provost has also indicated that she expects this process to be:

    The Interim Provost has also indicated that she expects this process to be:

    · Consultative with unit leadership.

    · Consultative and collaborative across colleges.

    · Sustainable by creating new retention and recruitment opportunities.

    The deans of the three colleges have already begun discussing the directives. I have also initiated planning within CAHSS, in collaboration with the three associate dean fellows, and will continue to discuss budget with the chairs. We will move forward together, exploring multiple budget management opportunities to make our colleges strong and resilient in the face of present and future challenges. We can also regard these adjustments as unique opportunities to explore new and exciting programs to attract and serve our ever-diverse student population in a shifting and challenging workforce environment. We remain committed to “the student first” approach and are extremely aware of the critical importance, now more than ever, of issues of social justice, equity, and inclusion in all we do.

    Sincerely and in solidarity,

    Rosamel

    Email from CNRS Dean Dale Oliver:

    April 6, 2020

    CNRS Faculty and Staff

    Dear Colleagues,

    Earlier today Interim Provost Lisa Bond-Maupin sent out her report to the HSU University Senate in preparation for Tuesday’s meeting.  Included in her report was a call for collective action to prepare for fewer students and fewer resources in the next academic year.  I’ve pasted the relevant section of the Provost’s report below my signature.

    Current estimates indicate we could have 20% fewer students in Fall 2020 that we had in Fall 2019.  This reduction is significant, and we must plan over the next weeks and months so that those students who start or continue with us in the fall experience high quality, engaged learning that will prepare them well for STEM professions and advanced study.

    Three items from the Provost’s report that I want to highlight are personnel, administrative re-structuring, and online education.

    Personnel: Although we will be finishing out the two faculty searches currently underway, and ensuring we have sufficient temporary faculty to deliver our curriculum, all other hiring is frozen for the moment, including those which are currently vacant and those which will soon be vacant due to expected retirements. Through improving business processes, realigning and reorganizing staff positions, and targeting professional development we will find a way to support our educational enterprise without hiring additional personnel.  This work will be both necessary and challenging, and require collaboration with relevant unions and careful consideration of multiple factors.

    Administrative restructuring: At the Dean’s level we were already planning a partial re-assignment for Associate Dean Rick Zechman to manage the marine lab while marine lab director Brian Tissot transitions from full-time director to FERP faculty.  We are also being asked to reduce the number of administrative units in the college, meaning that some departments will be merged or reformed.  This work will be done in close collaboration with the CNRS Council of Chairs and the other two academic deans.

    Online Education: There are some programs in CNRS for which one of the following scenarios might make sense:  provide an online degree-completion option for a group of students who have a year or less left to complete their degree; provide a degree-starter program for a group of first year (or transfer) students to get started with HSU from home during the fall 2020 semester, and then begin on campus in Spring 2021; provide more online sections of general education courses for undeclared students or majors from outside CNRS.  For the moment, I recommend that faculty discuss within their departments whether one or more of these scenarios might be appropriate for their program.

    For this week I am collaborating with the Provost’s office, with the other academic deans, and with a working group of CNRS Chairs to create possible models for administrative restructuring that can then be discussed among all of the CNRS chairs the following week.  Relatively soon I will also set up a mechanism by which input can be given from across the college.

    We face a significant challenge as a college and university over the next few months and years, but I am confident that we will find solutions that serve our students and the citizens of California well.  My confidence rests solidly on the incredible talent, dedication, and creativity of our faculty and staff, whom I am proud to serve.

    Best wishes, safety, and health to you and your families,

    Dale R. Oliver, Dean

    College of Natural Resources and Sciences

    From Interim Provost Lisa Bond-Maupin’s report to HSU’s University Senate, April 6, 2020

    Realignment of Spending with Reduced Revenue

    In addition to supporting instructional continuity and Academic Master Planning, our division leadership is turning our attention to budget planning for next fiscal year and beyond. Prior to COVID-19, our enrollment picture for next academic year was apparently trending toward a 15-20% fall-to-fall (one year) student headcount decline. We were likely headed toward a reduction to the HSU budget for next fiscal year that was double that anticipated when the URPC created its annual budget recommendations to President Jackson.  While the college-going enrollment impact of the pandemic is unknown for all in higher education across the nation, it is clear that the CSU and HSU will experience further decline in student enrollment. Given the enrollment challenges felt across the state, it is likely that impaction at our southern campuses will be lifted. It is highly likely that more students will choose for financial and other reasons, in the shorter term at least, to remain at home or closer to home to study. 

    While we await the release of up-to-date enrollment projections and budget information, Academic Affairs is implementing a few immediate strategies toward student retention and recruitment on the heels of the pandemic and toward further reducing our spending. As we do so, we are guided by the URPC principles and our own commitments to meeting the instructional needs of our students and protecting employment. In addition to continuing to adjust our academic offerings for Fall, immediate strategies also include: 

    • Working with each dean and director to reduce budget allocations for FY 21 

    • Freezing hiring in all open staff positions for now and planning to absorb staff attrition

    • Working collaboratively with staff within and across colleges and budget units in Academic Affairs to reimagine and reorganize our staff support 

    • Working collaboratively with department chairs and faculty to condense the number of separate academic administrative units in the colleges 

    • Working within the Office of the Provost to realign and reorganize staffing

    • Identifying academic programs ready to continue to offer upper division major courses online into next year and beyond to: a) help students in their final semesters to study from home and complete their degrees, and b) offer new transfer students an opportunity to complete their degrees online 

    • Identifying a COVID-era retention specialist in Academic Affairs who will support the continued offering of all existing retention efforts in a virtual format and will work in collaboration with ODEI to implement inclusive retention practices at a distance. 

    Each one of us will be implicated in and needed for this work. It is tough and unavoidable at this time. Each one of us has a very important role to play, now, more than ever in maintaining close connections with our students, helping them to problem-solve their educational needs and connect to resources and to stay connected to HSU. We need our students. And I think we are finding in their response to our transformed instruction – they need us. This powerful connection will ultimately move HSU through and beyond this tough moment in our collective history to the future we envision. Thank you.

  • Student Athletes Suffer Amid COVID-19 Cancellations

    Student Athletes Suffer Amid COVID-19 Cancellations

    HSU student athletes share grief at abrupt endings

    Humboldt State University and the California Collegiate Athletic Association canceled sports for the spring semester back in March due to COVID-19. Student athletes have been left to deal with the aftermath.

    Mariah Kalamaras is a graduating senior and a member of the HSU softball team. The softball season came to an end less than halfway through.

    “This was my last season playing a sport that I truly love, and to have it cut short so abruptly is devastating,” Kalamaras said. “I felt like the world was ending.”

    Following the NCAA’s decision to cancel winter and spring championships, the current sports landscape has been flat, with professional sports also forced to come to a halt. Fortunately for spring athletes, the NCAA will be granting eligibility relief, provided students remain enrolled while participating in athletics.

    Sydney Oliver is a senior and captain of the HSU club cheer team. Although the basketball season had already wrapped, the cheer club would have continued to meet for practice through the end of the academic year.

    “I have dreamt of walking across that graduation stage since I was a little kid.”

    Sydney Oliver

    “It’s kind of sad that I can’t see my teammates and help influence them to do better, as well for them to push me,” Oliver said. “Because we did a lot of working out together.”

    Senior athletes were in for another disappointment when HSU also canceled the 2020 commencement ceremony. Kalamaras said she felt like she’s missing out on a rite of passage.

    “I have dreamt of walking across that graduation stage since I was a little kid,” Kalamaras said. “To hear the song, wear the gown, to hear your name and to hold that diploma high into the air and say, ‘I did it! I made it.’ It makes all the sleepless nights, all the hard work on the long road trips, all the class time, and all the stress worth it.”

    The shutdown has also had significant impacts on the daily lives of student athletes. Students have gone without school and sports—and work, for some—but they’re also encouraged to avoid gathering with friends to comply with social distancing.

    “Now that it’s not an option to see them, it’s kinda like you wanna see them,” Oliver said. “As opposed to when it was an option and you could see them anytime, and you’re like, ‘Oh, I’ll see them tomorrow.’”

    “Since all of the classes are online, it’s basically on us, the students.”

    Gabrys Sadaunykas

    Students are also now forced to finish their semesters online. As a kinesiology major, Oliver wasn’t stressing the change.

    “I like my subject, so it’s not hard for me to still be passionate about it,” Oliver said.

    Other students are less enthusiastic about the shift online. Gabrys Sadaunykas is an international student from Lithuania and a basketball player at HSU.

    “Since all of the classes are online, it’s basically on us, the students,” Sadaunykas said.

    Although Sadaunykas’ season was already finished, he’s stuck here until the end of May.

    “Of course, it’s hard, because all of my friends are back with their families and I’m here by myself basically,” Sadaunykas said. “But it’s a nice place. I like Humboldt—it’s got a lot of nature.”

    Not for the reasons athletes were expecting, COVID-19 has created an unforgettable 2020 spring season.

    “It has taken so much away and although I understand that this global shutdown is necessary, it doesn’t make it hurt any less,” Kalamaras said. “I won’t be able to play my sport at this high level ever again. I won’t get to walk across a stage to show the world I got my diploma. I don’t get to go out and experience all [of] this great place I have had the privilege to call home the past two years.”

  • Gambino Goes Out with a Banger

    Gambino Goes Out with a Banger

    Childish Gambino releases fourth and final album

    The Swiss Army knife of creative minds, Donald Glover, also known by his musical alias Childish Gambino, has returned with his fourth and final studio album, “3.15.20.”

    Glover announced the planned retirement of his Gambino alias at the 2017 Governors Ball Music Festival.

    “I’ll see you for the last Gambino album,” Glover said.

    He later doubled down on the retirement of the Gambino name, announcing on his 2018 This is America Tour that it would be the last Gambino tour.

    Glover, meanwhile, has kept himself extremely busy between musical releases, starring as Lando Calrissian in 2018’s “Solo: A Star Wars Story” and voicing Simba in 2019’s rendition of “The Lion King.” Glover also writes, directs, produces and stars in his own television show, “Atlanta,” which is currently green lit for two more seasons.

    Karen Castañeda, a Humboldt State University environmental studies major, discovered Glover through his show, “Atlanta.”

    “I love him as an actor and I blew through the whole show really fast,” Castañeda said. “He’s super talented and I really support everything he puts out.”

    “3.15.20” saw its official release on March 21, after briefly appearing on donaldgloverpresents.com before it was removed and replaced with a countdown clock.

    The album is peppered with conscious messages that apply now more than ever, in the current pandemic circumstances. The first real song of the album, “Algorhthym,” was unofficially released to fans that attended the This is America Tour in 2018. On the track, Glover addresses brainwashing of humans by social media to make them feel inadequate.

    Particia Pettit-Blair, an HSU psychology major, discovered Glover’s music through friends, and has listened ever since. Despite the unique sounds he creates by layering instruments and combining styles, Pettit-Blair finds Glover’s lyrics to be extremely meaningful and relatable.

    “I like that he kinda takes a different approach to music,” Pettit-Blair said.

    On the previously released “Feels Like Summer,” now titled “42.26,” Glover confronts the climate crisis with a global warming public service announcement.

    Glover reinforces the same message on the track, “Time.” The song sounds like a remix to “Feels Like Summer,” and stresses the obvious truth that “We’re running out of time.” Glover is able to address serious issues without compromising the quality of his music because they come off as organic with the brand he’s built.

    Glover carries his unorthodox approach to the release of “3.15.20” into the album itself. Out of the 12 tracks, 10 on the LP are simply named after their linear location on the album. The project also has two tracks with hidden features, including pop-star Ariana Grande on the song, “Time,” and Grammy-award-winner 21 Savage on the next track, “12.38.”

    On top of a cinematic intro track, each song has its own intro or outro, providing a transition between each one. This gives the album the cinematic experience Glover was after with his 2013 album, “Because the Internet.”

    “3.15.20” is packed with Glover’s versatile singing and the unique sounds he’s developed over the span of his career. He largely leaves rap behind, as he did on “Awaken, My Love” and his “Kauai” EP, with the exception of his distorted verses on the song “Algorhythm” and the highly aggressive flow on the outro track. Glover takes the hardcore fans of his music on a trip down memory lane, incorporating sounds from all of his previous projects into the album.

    Glover brings back the chaotic energy of his debut single, “Bonfire,” on his weirdest song to date, “32.22.” Glover continues to push the boundaries of his audience with the mostly incomprehensible track that can only be described as a war chant. Glover gives fans more deja vu on the track, “19.10,” with a heavy dance vibe resembling Glover’s 2014 single, “Sober,” along with several other tracks from “Kauai.”

    The project with the most influence on “3.15.20” is the most recent and most unique, “Awaken, My Love.” The album’s presence can be felt on multiple tracks, including the heartwarming love song, “24.19,” sung in the same style as his biggest hit, “Redbone.”

    Paired with some of Glover’s most meaningful messages, the experimental sounds Glover has flirted with since he first came on the scene have come together in spectacular fashion for the ultimate payoff on the last Childish Gambino album.

  • Happy Thoughts and Hot Liquids Won’t Save Us

    Happy Thoughts and Hot Liquids Won’t Save Us

    A reminder of the few things we know that help prevent the spread of COVID-19

    I received a text from a housemate recently recommending we all drink hot liquids and think happy thoughts to get us through the COVID-19 pandemic. Sadly, happy thoughts and hot liquids won’t save us.

    In the midst of a pandemic, it makes sense that people will seek home remedies—they can give you actionable measures to take to try to inoculate yourself against COVID-19. But peddling bunk medicine like a medieval plague doctor only makes things worse.

    Random herbs, hot liquids and happy thoughts do nothing against COVID-19 (neither does weed). What can help stop the spread of COVID-19 are these much less sexy things you’ve probably already heard, adapted from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

    • Social distancing. Hang out with yourself for a while. The crushing introspection may seem scary, but who knows, maybe you could learn something about yourself. The CDC gives suggestions on how to cope in this stressful time.
    • Frequent hygiene. Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Sanitize doorknobs in your home. Sanitize your debit or credit card if you’re grocery shopping. You might even go so far as to ask to scan your own groceries at the checkout stand.
    • Don’t touch your face. According to disease expert Michael Osterholm, the virus behind COVID-19 chills out in the throat and lungs, and it likes to get in your body through your eyes, nose and mouth. Your hands provide an Uber ride for the virus straight into your system.
    • Also, cover your face. The CDC have shifted course and now recommend people cover their face with a cloth mask in public, especially in high-risk areas like grocery stores or pharmacies. If you have a sewing machine, here’s how to make your own mask. If you don’t have a sewing machine, the CDC provides a video on its site on how to make a mask out of any old cloth and a couple rubber bands.
    • Keep your body healthy. Eating a well-balanced diet, getting enough sleep and exercising all maintain a healthy immune system.
    • Find a new hobby. Don’t allow depression to set in from all the time spent indoors. Netflix is nice, but it’s not a hobby. Try reading, painting, knot-tying or bread-making. Blogger Matt Gilligan compiled a list of 19 inexpensive hobbies for self-quarantining.
    • Connect with your friends and family. Don’t gather with people in person. (No group hugs.) Instead, take advantage of your phone and call up your friends and family. For a more socially stimulating experience, use FaceTime or Zoom to have a video chat. Invite all your pals and make it a virtual party. If you happen to be posted up in a house with a friend, try to hang out with them rather than hiding away in your room.

    We have no cure for COVID-19. A vaccine, by all accounts, remains a long way off. If you end up with the coronavirus, we only have treatments that can relieve symptoms as suggested by the Mayo Clinic, like Tylenol, cough syrups, rest and fluid intake.

    I’m no stranger to distrusting authority or being suspicious of science—I grew up in Southern Humboldt and wasn’t vaccinated until I was a teenager. But for the sake of yourself and the rest of the world, put your suspicions aside and have a little faith in the only proven measures we know against COVID-19.

  • Online Learning Isn’t for Me

    Online Learning Isn’t for Me

    Online classes don’t feel like real learning and stifle student motivation

    Spring semester has turned into one of the worst semesters of my life, and online classes aren’t helping.

    Don’t get me wrong, online classes are nice to clear up some room in your schedule for work or other classes. They are still classes and shouldn’t be forgotten. I’ve taken at least one—but no more than two—online classes per semester.

    But online classes usually have a set schedule. Something like: discussion posts due Monday, comments due Wednesday and a quiz every Friday, plus a project like an essay or media presentation due at some point in the semester. Online classes that start at the beginning of the semester allow both the professor and students to be prepared for the whole semester.

    Online classes that start in the middle of the semester? Yeah, those aren’t for me. They’re also not what I paid for.

    None of us know what is going on right now and we’re all taking it day by day, but when your professors start to panic, you start to panic. Some professors know what they’re doing and let you know everything right away, while others don’t know what to do or don’t know how to use Zoom or record online lectures.

    It took me a minute to learn how to use Zoom, and although I appreciate the service and enjoy seeing my classmates’ faces, it’s awkward. It’s just a big FaceTime where your professor is trying to make the education worth your money. And just like in an everyday classroom, not everyone talks in the Zoom sessions. Zoom sessions always seem to glitch and are mostly only useful for group discussions, critiques and presentations.

    We’ve all lost motivation, and quite frankly, it doesn’t even feel as if we’re in school anymore.

    I learn better on paper and in person. I realize a lot of work is done on computers and submitted on Canvas, but being in a classroom and taking notes while a professor is lecturing is how something sticks in my head. There are too many distractions at home that I can’t get away from that just make it even harder to learn.

    Social media tells me that a lot of people feel the same way. Even though we get to be home and work at our own pace, most of the time being at home just makes us not want to work.

    We’ve all lost motivation, and quite frankly, it doesn’t even feel as if we’re in school anymore. Having to remind myself is getting pretty annoying.

    With all of this said, I know we should probably be grateful we’re still getting some kind of education. This is my last semester of college, and although I’m not a fan of how it’s ending, I’m grateful I won’t have to take any more online classes.