The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: Humboldt State University

  • Music of the Moment 6

    Music of the Moment 6

    21 Savage and Metro Boomin drop a classic with “Savage Mode II”

    April 23 came and went last semester without a 21 Savage concert at Humboldt State University. Thanks to the pandemic, students like myself felt cheated.

    The sequel to Savage and Metro Boomin’s 2016 EP “Savage Mode,” delivers and, is worth the six month delay from its initial release date.

    Fresh off of receiving the 2020 Grammy for best rap song with “A Lot,” featuring J. Cole, Savage is back with Boomin and unlikely narrator Morgan Freeman, whose alone is enough for anyone to give “Savage Mode II” a listen.

    Similar to Savage’s solo albums “Issa Album” and “i am > i was,” “Savage Mode II” was dropped without any promotional singles leading up the release. Instead, they promoted the album with a trailer. Narrated by Freeman, the trailer ends with only a brief snippet of “Many Men.” Referencing the classic 50 Cent track and sampling his original chorus near the end of the song. One of the strongest moments on the album.

    One of several narrations from Freeman, starts with speaking to a greatness that can only be accomplished when brilliant minds collide. Track two, “Runnin,” opens with Savage delivering a villainous laugh.

    From the first song, Savage has your attention with his signature Slaughter Gang style and the first of many creative, simple and especially catchy hooks. Sticking to a pattern of two verses and a chorus on each song, with occasional intros and outros, Savage never overstays his welcome on a track.

    The variety of vibes Savage is able to create on the new project is all made possible by the range Boomin displays on the production end. He boasts his artistic vision on tracks like “Slidin” where Boomin recreates the beat to the original project’s standout record “No Heart.” He does this again on “Said N Done,” recreating the beginning of “10 Freaky Girls” from his own album for the background of the chorus.

    Savage provides listeners with a collection of hits catering to a much larger chunk of the mainstream audience than with past projects. Savage does this without compromising the content his fans have come to expect from him.

    Don’t get it twisted, “Savage Mode II” is very much a sequel to the project that launched Savage and Boomin into the mainstream. Aside from a few tracks near the end of the album, including “My Dawg” and “No Opp Left Behind,” Savage reflects on his past, the overwhelming majority of Savage’s lyrics revolve around the topics of murder, money and meddling with monogomy.

    Regardless of your feelings towards the message of his music, Savage delivered the most enjoyable overall performance of his career. Supported by the most varied and arguably strongest release we’ve received from Boomin, “Savage Mode II” will no doubt go down as a classic.

  • Students experience extra stress without access to a classroom

    Students experience extra stress without access to a classroom

    Online learning amplifies student stress

    Spring semester that consisted of conference calls with teachers while relaxing at home crazed returning students overwhelmed by large lesson plans and a full workload.

    Nicole Matonak, a zoology major at Humboldt State University, manages a part-time job at the Marine Lab and five classes worth of homework.

    “There are times where I wish I wasn’t working so I could focus on school stuff,” Matonak said. “It feels like there is not enough hours in the day for everything I need to do.”

    Matonak’s methods of getting homework done on time revolve around scheduling out the week in advance. She’s made a habit of setting time aside to relax. Matonak is taking a yoga class this semester and has been trying to do other exercises to reduce stress.

    “Lately when I feel like I am zoning out,” Matonak said. “I try to stretch and practice headstands and I feel like it gets my blood flowing.”

    Matonak lives in Humboldt County and relies on surrounding outside nature to exercise or study without distractions.

    “Charging my iPad, my notebook and my computer and taking it to the beach and studying in my car,” Matonak said. “I think that’s been the best way for me to work and not have distractions.”

    Mikayla Nicholas is an art education major at HSU and is taking upper-level art courses.

    “I knew that some of the art classes would be high-end, project-wise,” Nicholas said. “But I didn’t really expect the level to still be this high online.”

    Being overwhelmed by the work in her classes and miscommunication with professors, Nicholas finds relaxation by baking bread.

    “I enjoy baking and cooking as something to do that’s easy and stress-free,” Nicholas said.

    For students overwhelmed by stress, Liza Auerbach Ph.D. has your back. Auerbach is a clinical psychologist with the HSU Counseling and Psychological Services program.

    Auerbach suggests students learn their rhythms of productivity and dedicate that time to accomplishing tasks.

    “I am a big believer in psychological inertia and momentum,” Auerbach said. “The longer that we are not doing something the harder it is to get started.”

    Auerbach also recommends students falling behind in classes contact professors and be forward with concerns, instead of struggling alone or giving up altogether.

    “If the stress of what’s going on in the world and in our own minds is interfering with our ability to perform,” Auerbach said. “Reach out and let them know.”

    Students struggling can also call CAPS during business hours to schedule a one on one therapy session, included in the cost of your student fees.

    CAPS is open by phone from 8:30 a.m – noon and 1:00 p.m-4:30 p.m.

    707-826-3236 or hsucaps@humboldt.edu

  • Sports Bubbling for controlling Coronavirus

    Sports Bubbling for controlling Coronavirus

    Science behind social bubbling casts doubt on the security behind implemented safety practices

    How many Superbowl parties have you been to? Drunk bodies stacked on top of each other. Frantic embraces. Hollering and crying. Sports, both play and spectation, is all about physical expression. And each one of those mass expression events carries the potential for an outbreak of COVID-19.

    According to the CDC, the virus is more likely to spread through close contact than through airborne transmission. Packing tightly into bars, gathering in stadiums, cheering and hugging are all likely to spread COVID-19. Early in the year, scientists linked a soccer game in Italy to a massive outbreak, with the true toll difficult to track.

    The danger doesn’t just come from the stadium, but also all the orbiting viewing locations. Simply social bubbling by quarantining the team, coaches, staff and media doesn’t cut it when major transmission events may happen as a result of independent viewings of sports broadcasts in addition to attendance of official events.

    Transmission through close contact may be more likely than airborne transmission. Contact sports may be more dangerous than sports with significant distance between players. Baseball has faced bumps in the road, with an outbreak in the Miami Marlins, but football requires more contact, and therefore more risk. The NFL recently suffered its first major outbreak in the Tennessee Titans, signaling a failure of their non-bubble model. 

    Realistically, models of disease spread must consider a wide range of variables. Changing numbers of susceptible individuals, changing likelihood that a susceptible person will encounter a sick person, increasing numbers of recovered individuals, the implementation of safety measures, and frequency of social gatherings like sporting events are all variables that matter when mapping disease transmission. But simple exponential growth is the basic reason why uncontrolled disease can overwhelm local healthcare at the beginning of an outbreak.

    One person has it, they give it to two people in a day. Those people give it to two more people each then next day. That’s four new people who can give it to two more people each. That’s eight new people and in a few weeks many more have it. It doesn’t realistically work that way on a large scale due to a wide range of important factors, but it’s a useful model for how outbreaks can begin in previously uninfected communities.

    Now say one person on a football the team contracts COVID-19. Then that one person gives it to 14 people through close physical contact. So, 15 people have it. They go out into the community and give it to 2 people each in a day. Our starting number is higher, so the growth is faster. Those 15 give it to 30 people, those 30 give it to 60, those 60 give it to 120, and so on.

    • Graph by Jen Kelly

    This clear danger is just one reason that hundreds of college teams have been cut due to the pandemic. These cuts impact athletes, athletic programs, schools and local economies. Specifically, Football often funds the rest of a school’s athletic program. If it goes, so might every other sport. Sports matter on a local level, not just as a national industry.

    That’s where the bubble solution comes in. The team and everyone who supports them cuts themselves off from the rest of a community. No one leaves, everyone gets tested constantly. It’s a bubble.

    In practice, it’s difficult. That’s hundreds of people quarantining together, with further levels of quarantine within the bubble. The people with the most contact, such as the players and coaches, must stay away from the other staff as much as possible, effectively forming bubbles within bubbles. Then the staff with the most contact to the players stays away from the staff undergoing the least risk.

    • Graphic by Jen Kelly

    All of those bubbles on the edge of popping, delicate planning, and vigilant testing for only a chance to keep the team safe. There are severe consequences if all those measures fail. And none of those intense measures accounts for what happens outside. It can’t account for people huddling around their TV, packing into bars, or embracing when victory is declared.

  • HSU music department breaks national accreditation standards

    HSU music department breaks national accreditation standards

    Students majoring in music suffer from education standards

    According to the National Association of Schools of Music, the Humboldt State University music department is acting out of line with national accreditation standards.

    Section 8B of the NASM handbook requires that students are provided sufficient time on tasks. HSU music buildings are closed half of the week, leaving students without access to their instruments during allotted class-time.

    Cindy Moyer, music department chair, advocated for her students to have access to the building’s practice rooms.

    “I was able to assign every student to their own room that no one else would enter,” Moyer said. “Now more people are in a building at a given time and students are sharing rooms which isn’t nearly as safe.”

    Without access to the music buildings, percussion students can’t practice, which was a huge problem last spring. Buildings were simply shut down and students have no way to play.

    “When you stop learning, it’s not like you stop, you actually get worse,” Moyer said. “No matter how hard I begged or cried, they wouldn’t give percussion students access to the buildings.”

    Students should have access to practice spaces at least 110 days in a semester, though they get more if they stick around over breaks. This semester students get only 28 days.

    “Definitely not getting the education [music students] are paying for,” Moyer said.

    Eugene Novotney, a music professor at HSU, sees the closed facilities as an enormous obstacle for his students. HSU students rely on university instruments to practice because they can’t afford to purchase their own.

    “No student owns instruments like Timpani, Xylophones, Marimbas, Vibraphones, Steelpans, Grand Pianos,” Novotny said. “Very few own their own drum sets.”

    Seth Mattingly is a fourth-year student in the music program. A percussion student, Mattingly finds that it is challenging for him to improve his performance using his professor’s feedback.

    “Normally I would be trying to get three to four hours every day of the week,” Mattingly said.

    Mattingly pre-records his musical pieces and performance with the limited instruments at his home. He doesn’t feel like he has enough time to act or improve on the feedback his professor gives him.

    “I am not learning nearly as much as in a traditional semester,” Mattingly said.

    Music students need facility access for the final eight weeks of the semester in order to continue practicing and improving as musicians. During finals week, every student who is taking lessons has a jury, which is essentially a final exam.

    Each student performs the music they have been working on this semester for five to 15 minutes in front of a jury of faculty. This semester, juries will be done over Zoom or through recordings.

    At the end of the semester auditions are held for students who wish to move into the performance or music education tracks. Students must be able to practice consistently to prepare for the auditions.

    Heather Madar is a representative on the Fall Instructional Transition Team (FITT) which is in charge of operationalizing the campus. FITT runs logistics to see if a request can be made given the COVID-19 circumstances. Any information or requests get processed through Madar, it’s sort of a hierarchical type of communication.

    “Because of the pandemic environment, simple decisions have ramifications for safety and trigger different things,” Madar said.

    Logistics that need to be weighed may have to consider listening to guidelines imposed by the county, the chancellor’s office, sustaining academics for students, listening to safety people on campus and custodial and facilities on cleaning and sanitization. To make matters more complex, guidance standards have been changing along this.

    Jenn Capps is provost and vice president for academic affairs, the highest level of academic administrator at HSU. Capps is aware of the problem that the music department is facing with facility accessibility.

    “Unless we are supporting our custodial and facilities working 24/7, there comes a barrier with the number of folks to support and operate under the cleaning protocols,” Capp said.

    HSU doesn’t have the capacity or resources to bring enough custodians on campus and can be a difficult position to hire.

    “Word is getting out, folks are frustrated,” said Capp, “We are applauding the people that are making the stuff happen.”

  • SJSU Football team brings mixed reactions

    SJSU Football team brings mixed reactions

    Humboldt State University students unsure how to feel about visiting football team

    In a campus wide email sent out on Oct. 1, Humboldt State University informed the student body that the San Jose State University’s football team, the Spartans, would be staying on campus to train for their upcoming 2020 season.

    The Spartans are currently unable to practice at their own stadium due to a combination of stadium construction and COVID-19 regulations within Santa Clara County that prevent the practice of contact sports for reduced infection.

    The email stated that “approximately 141 players, coaches, and staff will stay in HSU residence halls that have previously been unused this semester. The halls are separate from anywhere that HSU students are currently living on campus,” with students on campus stating that they were staying at the Redwood Hall dorms.

    SJSU has pledged to cover the costs of the used athletic facilities, housing and testing for the team. HSU emphasized the separation of the team from students, stating that contact with students will be minimal.

    HSU students are still coming to terms with the news. Hours after the initial email, students are reacting with mixed opinions and fears of future California State University’s coming to Humboldt.

    Kezia Letzin, a zoology major, and Nastya Yudinova, an exercise science grad student, welcomed the news. Hoping the SJSU football team can bring a sense of community during these tough times.

    “Honestly, I don’t care,” Yudinova said. “If we’re not using the field, ‘why not help them?’ It’s nice to know that we are still a community.”

    Letzin also agreed, saying the field went largely unused due to the current pandemic and it made sense to allow another team to utilize it.

    Freddie Rosen, another zoology major, and Nicole Vazquez, a studio art major, and Melania Guillen, a film major, were less than pleased with the news. Rosen believes it was a terrible idea, already finding fault in HSU’s claim the football team would be held separately and away from students.

    “It isn’t fair that they are using facilities that we don’t even have access to,” Rosen said. “They said that they were going to be away from students, when they are in Redwood Hall, which is where everybody is.”

    For Velazquez, the main issue surrounded the lack of transparency from HSU administration, something she thought students should have had a say in.

    “It was sprung upon us so suddenly,” Velasquez said. “I know that it’s not our decision as students, but we paid money to go here and this wasn’t in the plan.”

    Guillen felt the administration is unfairly treating HSU students by prioritizing another school and their athletics before their students.

    “It’s kinda unfair,” said Guillen. “We are all up here doing our best, and it’s unfair to see another school come onto our campus and be prioritized in a way that we could.”

    HSU has stated that the initial plan is to host the team for one week, but without concrete certainty on a scheduled timeline, the team’s stay could be longer.

  • Humboldt State administration cash in at student expense

    Humboldt State administration cash in at student expense

    San Jose State’s football team steals on-campus resources from student body

    ***Editor’s note: SJSU football program was tested in congruence with Mountain West conference guidelines***

    Humboldt State University’s administration continues to ignore the health and well-being of paying students and surrounding community members by selfishly prioritizing university funding and money opportunities.

    On Oct. 2, San Jose State University’s football team arrived at HSU to utilize the field and training facilities. The team of 141 players, coaches and staff members are expected to social bubble, strictly quarantine with one another, on campus in Redwood Hall. Redwood Hall stands in the middle of campus, between the Student Health Center and the Depot, making it an unavoidable place for students on campus to pass by.

    In addition, HSU students were notified via school wide email of the university deal less than 24 hours prior to SJSU’s arrival.

    First and foremost, this deal did not involve the approval from either county’s public health officers. Since March, HSU has maintained a relatively low COVID-19 case count with only 11 confirmed cases. SJSU falls within Santa Clara County, and as of Oct. 6, has 50 confirmed cases.

    The team is expected to self-patrol and monitor their own health. They will be tested once a week throughout their stay at HSU, which directly violated SJSU’s athletic conference guidelines provided by Mountain West.

    The Mountain West Conference demands athletes be tested three times a week. If a test comes back positive, further testing is done to confirm the positivity. SJSU brought their own testing equipment, however, the heightened risk of contracting the virus extends beyond the student body and permeates into the town of Arcata.

    There has been no confirmation of how long SJSU’s stay will be. Hearsay declares a week, but pictures of arriving Spartan football players holding flatscreen TV’s and luggages of equipment says otherwise.

    Student facilities will cater to SJSU during their stay, closing off access to the Redwood Bowl from HSU athletes and students while also extending the Student Recreation Center hours beyond usual scheduling. A ‘no access’ sign currently hangs outside the gate entrance of the Redwood Bowl, HSU claims the sign is to contain SJSU’s football team and limit cross infection.

    HSU students have been repeatedly denied access to on-campus resources, classes, labs, studios and housing since the beginning of the pandemic. However, SJSU was able to rent out the Redwood bowl, SRC and on-campus housing facilities and resources immediately. HSU is renting out campus resources we either don’t have or refuse to offer to students.

    Administration stated that SJSU will be paying for all facilities, housing and resources being used during their stay. However, current resources occupied by SJSU at this time are paid for by student fees. Students believe the funds should be redistributed back to their accounts for a fair way to compensate for the loss of access.

    It’s clear that this decision to move SJSU to HSU was made last minute and without the permission or acknowledgement of HSU students. HSU administration has proven time and time again that the students’ safety isn’t a top priority. The motivation to cut out students from participating in their own university outweighs the value of students altogether.

    HSU continues to treat our campus like it’s closed or empty, forgetting an entire student body population of 6400 people.

  • Rugby captain frustrated with CSU’s hasty actions

    Rugby captain frustrated with CSU’s hasty actions

    Club sports member expresses disappointment in administration inviting SJSU to campus 

    You know there is a huge lack of communication between the Humboldt State University’s administration and its students when an email is sent only a day before the arrival of an entire football team from San Jose State University. 

    It’s very frustrating there is such a disconnect between our administration and it’s student body and community. As a member of club sports it is disappointing to see another team from another school practice on a field that I can not touch with my teammates. 

    From spending 14 hours a week all of last year, at the Redwood Bowl or College Creek field with my teammates building my skills to now, possibly suspended for even gathering with a small group of teammates is frustrating to say the least. All clubs such as Men’s Baseball and the Mountain biking club can not join together because of the guidelines given from HSU. 

    Last time I checked, you have to already be six feet away in order to shoot a baseball. Also I don’t know if anyone in the Humboldt administration has ever mountain biked, but normally bikers keep distance like cars in order to avoid an accident or sudden stop. 

    I will say that my sport, rugby, brings more challenges to social distancing. I still can not go to the field with non-house members of my team to kick or pass a ball and even train. 

    So this is where I find it ridiculous that a football team, a contact sport to say the least, consisting of 141 players and personnel are able to play on the same field we at club sports cannot. 

    I will not blame or send hate towards the players or coaches of SJSU because I respect them leaving their homes in order to possibly have a chance at playing at the next level. If I was in the same situation, I would do the same thing. 

    But I will turn all my blame and anger towards the administration of both universities and the Chancellor of the CSU system. 

    I do not understand how my rugby team cannot practice because of rules given by the Chancellor and the HSU administration but a large football team can travel across multiple county lines, probably making a stop or two, in order to practice for just a week. 

    To put a whole community at risk is baffling to me. The decision to allow another university to send their football team approximately 360 miles to us is terrible. 

  • HSU cancelling contract for University Center

    HSU cancelling contract for University Center

    Disagreements between the UC Board and HSU administration reaches a new point of contention

    Humboldt State University served a notice of termination to their contract with the University Center group, citing a series of breaches between the two organizations.

    In the campus wide email, President Tom Jackson states that the UC, which provides student facing services like the dining services and the Humboldt Bay Aquatic Center, has 90 days to correct the six breaches. With the notice sent on Sept. 24, the UC has until Dec. 24 to make the corrections.

    President Jackson stated in the email that the decision came after discussions with CSU Chancellor Timothy White, the university plans to take over some responsibilities “…ensuring students still have employment opportunities and that services supporting students are continued…” while the board attempts to make corrections.

    “The UC professional staff and student employees who work hard for our campus, community, and students each day are outstanding, and resolution of issues at the executive and fiduciary level should not disrupt them as they continue to serve and support HSU students,” Jackson said in the email.

    No word was given on what would happen to services run by the UC if the termination were to be finalized.

    Members of the UC Board were not told ahead of time of the termination and learned of the notice the same time the campus and media were told. 

    In a statement made by UC Faculty Representatives Steve Martin, Ph.D, Mark Rizzardi, Ph.D, and Armeda Reitzel, Ph.D, the board expressed their disapproval with the move.

    “Unfortunately, we find ourselves in an environment where authority seems to outweigh collaboration,” the statement said. “A memo was sent to the UC, at the same time as to the media and the public, of a termination of contract notice. We can’t help but wonder if there were ulterior reasons to motivate such a disproportionate response.”

    Of the six breaches that the notice brings forward, three of them included the business relationship between the North Humboldt Recreation and Park District, focusing in particular on the Arcata Community Pool.

    According to the notice, the UC Board opened a $300,000 line of credit for the NHRPD in Aug. of this year, as well as transferring $100,000 and $50,ooo to them in Feb. and July respectively. These actions, according to the president’s statement, violate Executive Order 1059 which states that  “Campus auxiliary organizations are . . . operated solely for the benefit of the campus.”

    In a separate email, Martin said “Everything the University Center did with respect to the line of credit we extended to the Arcata Community Pool was done above-board, in public, and even the University Controller recommended it and voted in favor of it, as did administrator Dean of Students Dr. Eboni Turnbow.

    “For the President to pull the termination trigger on our operating agreement is akin to using a nuclear bomb to respond to a mosquito bite,” Martin said.

    Dean Turnbow was also not one of the administrative team members mentioned in the notice of termination, which included Vice President for Administration & Finance Sherie Gordon and Vice President for Enrollment Management Jason Meriwether.

    Gracie Oliva, a student employee of the HBAC, expressed her concerns during a September interview about administration’s decisions, calling it a slap in the face to the entire student body.

    “I want students to know that if Center Activities or HBAC are affected, it would be a detrimental change,” Olivia said. “The Recreation Administration program is held up by these programs. Without them, I feel like it would crumble.”

  • Spartans arrive at HSU despite campus concerns

    Spartans arrive at HSU despite campus concerns

    ***Editor’s note: SJSU football program was tested in congruence with Mountain West conference guidelines***

    The Spartans have arrived and this time they’re not carrying spears or shields. Instead the San Jose State football team stepped onto the Humboldt State campus on Oct. 2 with bags full of clothes, televisions, gaming consoles and plenty of padding. As 141 players, coaches and trainers streamed out of the six buses into a school that hasn’t seen college football since 2018. 

    Humboldt State students received an email on Sept. 30 that the San Jose State football team would be arriving within the week. Initial reports suggested that the Spartan football program would be at HSU for one week per the Spartan Daily student newspaper from SJSU. The duration of their stay is not confirmed and could be longer. 

    According to the Humboldt State Athletics Department, the length of the Spartan football team’s stay at HSU depends on the regulations set forth by Santa Clara County where SJSU is located. 

    “It’s uncertain at this point as it depends on the needs of SJSU and how quickly they may be able to return to their campus to practice and play games,” the HSU Athletics Department said in an email. “They are working with Santa Clara County Health to get approval for that as soon as possible.”

    SJSU Head Coach Brent Brennan said in a press conference on Oct. 5 that the arrangement between San Jose State and HSU came quickly with the need to start full contact practices soon. 

    “I think it probably came together in about a week, maybe a little less than that,” Brennan said. “President Jackson here and their Athletic Director Jane Teixeira and our Athletic Director Marie Tuite, our CFO Charlie Faas, Dr. Papazian, it was just a mad dash that way.”

    As of Oct. 5, Santa Clara County has announced that they are moving into the third tier of COVID-19 classification after seeing an decrease in new cases each day. While there is still no official time set for the Spartan football team to be on the HSU campus, this development could mean that the team may return to San Jose sooner rather than later. 

    “It was a slap to the face on rec sports. Because we really didn’t know what the hell was going on. We thought it was Athletics. We were like ‘Athletics, what the heck?’ and then Humboldt County was like ‘Yo, what the heck?’ But it wasn’t really Athletics’ fault.” 

    Martin Gordillo

    While the team is on campus, they will be responsible for testing their athletes and personnel using their own testing resources. In an email sent out on Oct. 1, Humboldt State told students that will be tested once per week. This runs contrary to Mountain West conference protocol who state on their website that athletes will be tested three times each week. It is unclear whether this testing will apply to the preseason training that the Spartans are currently participating in. 

    While the Spartans are on campus, Humboldt State’s own NCAA teams will still have access to facilities during their scheduled times in order to continue their preparation for hopeful upcoming seasons.

    “HSU sport programs are still using Redwood Bowl during their regularly scheduled and reserved time periods,” HSU Athletics said in an email.

    Even as the San Jose State team was arriving on campus HSU students and athletes alike were confused and upset that more context had not been provided for the team’s arrival. One of the loudest voices that could be heard across social media was that of the club sports on campus that have been unable to hold practices since COVID-19 shut down the majority of sports. President of HSU Club Baseball Martin Gordillo was upset that the communication between the administration and recreational sports teams was not more clear. 

    “It was a slap to the face on rec sports,” Gordillo said. “Because we really didn’t know what the hell was going on. We thought it was Athletics. We were like ‘Athletics, what the heck?’ and then Humboldt County was like ‘Yo, what the heck?’ But it wasn’t really Athletics’ fault.” 

    According to Gordillo, there was a miscommunication between Athletics and recreational sports which was clarified in a meeting with several of the club sports and the Athletics Department.  

    “In reality it wasn’t Athletics,” Gordillo said. “It was mainly more towards the Chancellor’s Office who made that decision on whether or not to allow athletics to continue to practice but not rec sports.”

    Gordillo stressed that while he feels that communication can be improved between rec sports and athletics, there is a disconnect with how the Chancellor’s Office views rec sports in comparison to NCAA athletics. 

    “I believe the Chancellor’s Office has made it seem like they really don’t care about rec sports that much,” Gordillo said. “They don’t see us and [NCAA] Athletics as equal. Not Athletics in general. Athletics wants to work with us. They really want to have our voices heard.” 

  • Music of the Moment 5

    Music of the Moment 5

    After shooting Megan Thee Stallion, Tory Lanez cancels himself

    Back in June, rapper and R&B singer Tory Lanez was freshly released from his label and experiencing unprecedented success with the Quarantine Radio show he performed on Instagram Live, his career at an all time high. As quickly as he rose, he sunk exponentially, when what started as an unclear altercation evolved into an unthinkable assault.

    For over a month, the July 12 incident was left to mere speculation. Megan Thee Stallion, the other party involved, finally took to Instagram Live on Aug. 21, to explain her side of the story.

    “Tory shot me,” Stallion said.

    In the weeks leading up to her statement, Stallion was receiving a mix of sympathy and accusations, despite releasing the X-rays showing proof of the bullet wounds.

    Lanez remained silent on the matter until releasing the album “DAYSTAR,” Sept. 25, only two days after Breonna Taylor’s killers were let off without justice. On the project, he persistently denies any wrongdoing regarding the incident and outright accuses of lying.

    Lanez’s unabashed decision to capitalize from the situation, only providing his side of the story through a product, and his incessant claims of innocence ultimately detract from his credibility and have led many of his supporters to abandon him.

    Heavily feeding into the backlash of supposed friends, Lanez fires shots at several rappers, singers and most viciously, Los Angeles Lakers’ small forward J.R. Smith. While entertaining, the “Me Against the World” approach leaves a bad aftertaste. Given the opportunity, Lanez consistently takes the low road, rather than owning up to any of his mistakes or at least acknowledging the severity of the situation.

    Concerning the quality of “DAYSTAR,” the beat selection, various flows and word play are just as good as any other Tory Lanez album. The sonic range he displays between the two genres he occupies would normally be enough to satisfy the average listener, however, his fixation on the incident and the two-dimensional account he provides make it both agitating and boring to listen to entirely in one session.

    Lanez fails to deliver any form of apology or explanation on the album for whatever occurred on the night of July 12. Instead, he calls Stallion’s account into question and implies he’s the one due an apology, using good production to punctuate his empty argument.

    When it comes down to it, the album sounds quite good, so long as you’re not actually listening to the lyrics. Even then, the sting of the initial reaction wears with each play for those willing or perhaps careless enough to silently condone the behavior. Lanez challenges his haters, however, providing what would normally be received as a hit with “Just Got It Done” as well as an otherwise undeniable classic with “Care For You.”

    The question is, can a hit record or even a potential classic save Lanez from sinking out of the spotlight? Or is the wound simply too raw for him to survive a tasteless response like this?

  • Tragic, but not shocking, no justice for Breonna Taylor

    Tragic, but not shocking, no justice for Breonna Taylor

    Opinion Editor Mikayla Moore-Bastide speaks on nationwide injustice

    How do I explain Breonna Taylor to my future daughter?

    A Black woman, in her own home, was shot multiple times by police and it took six months for the officers to be charged with a crime. Only one officer was charged, but it wasn’t even for killing her, it was for endangering the neighbors.

    How do I even explain Atatiana Jefferson to them?

    She was playing video games with her nephew in her own home when the police shot and killed her through her window.

    How could I explain Botham Jean?

    He was watching TV on his couch when an off-duty officer burst through his door and shot him. The officer said she mixed up his apartment with her own.

    How do I explain my fear of the police bursting into my apartment because my neighbor called for a wellness check?

    How do I explain that walls got justice before Taylor did? Or how it took national pressure from social media to keep the city from sweeping this under the rug. Or how any bad thing from your past will be brought up in an attempt to justify your death. Or that women already have to face enough oppression, but adding melanin to the mix just makes our odds worse?

    How do I explain the terror every black person faces on a daily basis?

    The terror of becoming a statistic, a hashtag, or having their last breath recorded for all to see over and over and over again. Having our name and face plastered on a sign with the demonstrators chanting, “No Justice, No Peace.” Riots being named after us. How about the family not having time to grieve because they’re too busy making sure we get justice? Or the worst one, justice not being served because the system doesn’t care about black lives.

    How do I have “the talk” with my future kids?

    Usually, “the talk” is about sex, drugs, drinking, dating, or staying out late. My version of “the talk” was about how to talk to the police without looking like a threat. It was about why that one kid kept calling my little sister “brownie”. It was about avoiding certain cities,bars and malls because the people there have a certain mindset. It was about why I will get treated one way, but my white-passing friends will get treated another. It was about getting followed in stores because I looked suspicious.

    Of all the talks I’ve had, they would have never prepared me for not feeling safe in my own home or neighborhood.

    Our home is meant to be our relaxation spot, our comfort zone, and our safe space.

    Living while black, we don’t get that. We don’t get to go on innocent runs around the neighborhood, we don’t get to sleep, watch tv, or play video games in our home. Tamir Rice didn’t get to play in the park. Elijah McClain didn’t even make it home from the store. My sisters go to a school in a nice area, but they don’t even get to walk to McDonald’s after school without being questioned by police regarding their residency.

    How do I explain that we are not protected?

    Or that we were never protected?

    Breonna Taylor deserved better and the system just treated her life like it was disposable. Her life was not disposable. Black women are not disposable. Black people are not disposable.

    Say her name.

  • Cars collide with protestors at Breonna Taylor demonstration

    Cars collide with protestors at Breonna Taylor demonstration

    News Editor, Carlos Holguin recounts his experience at the Breonna Taylor protest in Eureka on Sept. 24.

    As I parked a block away from the the Humboldt County Courthouse on Sept. 24, watching community members gather with signs in hand, the name Breonna Taylor emblazoned on so many of them, I wondered just how the night would go.

    Over the past months, reports of violence occurring at Black Lives Matter protests from the likes of counter protesters, police and so-called vigilantes have grown, from cities large and small. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous as I watched heads turn as I continued to snap photos.

    It’s hard to cover a protest, and even harder to cover one when trying to stay objective. When protestors ask you questions about your support and why you are there, it’s hard to create an answer that fits all needs and wants.

    No matter how many times the crowd calls for you to say her name, you’re told that replying is compromising to your ethics. God knows I wanted to chant and reply, but I held my tongue.

    Some people don’t want you there at all sometimes, afraid that you just pose another risk.

    As the march started, taking over street corners and sidewalks before advancing to entire lanes and intersections, the chants grew louder. People peaked out of business doorways, sat on apartment balconies and either silently watched or cheered as the crowd passed. Cars blared their horns behind the procession, only to be met with more cheers and protesters stopping to take in the anger and frustration.

    That’s what this was after all, focused and controlled anger at a system that failed not just them, but people like them. Anger at a system that left people in Louisville and around the nation demanding justice.

    The tension climbed higher as the sun set, the protestors circling back to the courthouse to pick up any late comers and grow in number, before continuing to take streets and hold traffic. Through it all I stood aside, camera in hand taking photos of the world around me, trying hard to be a fly on the wall. This is not my story, this is not something I needed to be a part of.

    When the first car drove through the crowd of protestors, I saw it coming. Both sides stood in a stalemate, with protesters refusing to give an inch to the Mustang as its engine stirred and horn deafened the chants.

    Through the lens of the camera I saw bodies get pushed aside and land hard on the concrete, but bounce back just as fast. The anger grew and the few scrapes and bruises

    were just fuel and this fire was not ready to die out.

    The second car, a large truck who’s black paint blended with the night, was more deliberate. It slowly crawled into and then lulled in the intersection, watching as more and more gathered around it. As I approached the truck, the car shifted into park and the tires turned in place, smoke bellowed from the burnout. It was an arrow notched and aimed.

    The car shifted into drive. A few feet in front of me, the car made contact with a protester. There was thud, then a scream.

    For a second I froze in place, watching the crowd rapidly part ways.

    And then I ran with everything I could for a moment after the truck. I needed a plate, a model, something to help. I watched it after a few minutes disappear on to the highway, before turning back. This was not longer something I could choose to remain objective as a journalist in.

    I cannot understand, nor do I want to understand, how hate can grow within a person to the point that they could justify actions like these. A person who willfully chooses to meet progress with aggression is not someone any person should associate with.

    Journalistic integrity be damned, I will not stand idly by.

    Injustice anywhere is still injustice everywhere.

    Breonna Taylor.

    Say her name.

  • Humboldt State athletes prepare for uncertain seasons

    Humboldt State athletes prepare for uncertain seasons

    Despite an uncertain future, athletes continue to train for their next season

    Normally fall sports would have begun their season at this time of year. For now, however, fall and spring student athletes must wait for the foreseeable future until they can touch the court or field as a team. For senior athletes the possibility of not having a season can weigh heavy on their mind. Fall athletes are ready for the season to start in the spring, but there is still no solid answer if it will happen.

    Tyler Guptill, a senior on the Humboldt State men’s soccer team, has had to deal with these problems. Guptill has also had to come to terms with the fact of not having a season in the fall.

    “Yeah there are a lot of difficulties during this time”, Guptill said. “However, we are very fortunate to be the only CSU able to train this fall.”

    Guptill and other athletes have been able to train for the upcoming season by using the HSU gym but they must follow all social distancing guidelines and stay in small groups.

    As for the possibility of not having a season, Guptill has had to keep his head high and voice his positivity to his teammates and coaches.

    “Whether we have a season in the spring or not I think it’s important to lead with being positive”, said Guptill. “We all love the game so much, the face masks and social distancing won’t distract us from working hard. It’s important to think about the young guys and do our best to make this time productive and most importantly memorable. It requires a lot of extra work but the guys have that fight in them, so I’m excited for whatever comes our way.”

    Fall athletes are not the only athletes who have to deal with the uncertainty of a season. Chris Louie, a senior on the Humboldt State rugby team, must deal with the possibility of not having a season in the Spring. Louie was a transfer from Sacramento City College last year.

    “It was my first year playing and now I have a different environment to train in”, Louie said. “ I don’t like how the season ended. Now I feel like I have to be more prepared for the oncoming season so we can win.”

    Louie has stayed in physical shape by running and going to the gym everyday since self-isolation has ended.

    “Physically I have actually been able to push myself but in a different mindset, not as a sports mindset but as a lifestyle choice.”, said Louie. “I’ve always had a coach or team to push me to go to the gym. But now with no season I have to push myself to go to the gym, setting me forward for the future. I have to better myself in life and not just the game.”

    Louie has always been able to look on the bright side. The possibility of having no season really proves this.

    “I’ve always had a positive mindset, I look at life like there are two sides.”, said Louie. “With every negative there are always positives surrounding it. For example I’ve been in college for 6 years. Even though I don’t have sports to play my senior year, I realize I have almost graduated and that is a positive to take away from no season.”

    The Athletics Department is starting to allow socially distanced practices this week. As for playing a season in the spring, the question still holds whether or not athletes will have one.

  • Obituary Of A Snake

    Obituary Of A Snake

    Goodbye, Cruel World

    I found you dead this morning. You had a tragic and undignified death. I only hope you were dead, or at least unconscious before being caught in a tire wheel and thrown back onto the road.

    I do not know if you had a name, or even if snakes understand the concept of names. I hope it’s alright if I call you Billy.

    From what the internet tells me, you were either a Northwestern garter snake or a red-sided garter snake. You had bold yellow stripes running down your tail/body/spine, and big, dead eyes that were empty of the spark of life that was so cruelly taken from you. You were a bit over 6 inches, not a big snake but you were not tiny.

    What were your accomplishments? We may never know. Did you eat a lot of slugs, or did you have a preference for amphibians? What was your favorite food, Billy? Did you prefer to coil and strike in defense, or slip into the creek?

    As I was staring into the eye sockets of my skeleton bobblehead, I was reminded that death can be a beautiful thing. Death is a transition into a new life. Mourning is a time to remember who you were, and who you can be in your next life.

    You lived and died in a college, arguably a modern-day Acropolis, much like your ancestor, the sacred snake of Athens. The sacred snake stood guard in Athena’s temple, receiving gifts of honey cakes until they sensed the Persians coming and fled as a warning.

    Are you warning us of something, Billy? That cars will be the death of us all, most certainly by climate change, but also by the crushing wheel of modern society?

    I resolve to make you mean something. Your life was meaningful, perhaps not by human standards. But as a snake, it was your job to consume plant-eating creatures, thus protecting the small plants that make Humboldt beautiful.

    The humans will laugh at my grief. You were a snake, and a large percentage of them feared you without cause. Though your bite was inconvenient at best, you were small, so small that I doubt you were fully grown. I grieve not only for the death of a wild animal but a newly-hatched one.

    You were not a bird, a rabbit, or a deer. You were not what is commonly considered “cute.” Yet, a live snake is exciting. How fast you used to move, how slick you must have felt! That power is gone now.

    Seeing you struck me with the irrelevance of human society. Why do humans drive cars, except for human reasons? Birds fly, rabbits hop, and snakes slither. That’s all the transport you need. Humans can’t make enough money unless they move beyond the capacity of legs. Money doesn’t make sense to anyone who isn’t human!

    Billy, I hope you find peace. But I know you most likely won’t. Cars may become completely electric, but the system that makes driving a daily occurrence continues.

  • HSU art students create their way through quarantine

    HSU art students create their way through quarantine

    Artists at HSU are experiencing somewhat smooth sailing this semester

    Factoring in all the tools, materials and space art students require to create, they more or less have access to everything they need at HSU.

    Studio art major at HSU, Nicole Velazquez, already does online sketching on her own time. With her recent courses, however, she’s been focusing a lot more on class related artwork.

    “I mostly do digital art right now, because of my classes,” Velazquez said. “It keeps me a little more occupied.”

    So far, Velazquez has experienced somewhat rudimentary quarantine classes, leaving her with more time to improve her artistic abilities and explore new art forms. Lately, this hasn’t involved traditional art.

    “I don’t really have time,” Velazquez said. “I’ll sketch like here and there.”

    Velazquez hasn’t had many issues with online art courses but she misses in-person instruction. When it comes to art, she often draws her creative inspiration from others.

    “I like getting criticism,” Velazquez said. “I just feel like, if I don’t have someone telling me something, I will personally bring my art piece down.”

    Brittany Sheldon is an instructor in the Art department whose main course revolves around art history. Sheldon is still adapting to the new normal of teaching.

    “It is all based on equity,” Sheldon said. “Just trying to be as equitable as possible and accessible as possible for my students, while also trying to recreate whatever I do in the classroom normally.”

    Sheldon’s classes this semester are mostly asynchronous. By allowing students to have more flexibility, Sheldon hopes this will make her classes more accessible for students.

    “I have Zoom office hours and I was doing weekly Zoom sessions that were optional,” said Sheldon. “Students didn’t get a grade for that – it was an opportunity for them to come and ask questions or talk to each other.”

    At this point, students enrolled in Sheldon’s courses this semester seem to be passing. Sheldon has relaxed deadlines for assignments and is doing her best to be helpful and understanding but it is hard to tell how her students are doing from a screen.

    “I field their emails and just respond with empathy,” said Sheldon. “I am just trying to be there for my students.”

    Alex Pickrell majors in child development at HSU and minors in studio art. They’re using their excess quarantine time to explore more art forms and experiment with current projects.

    “I’ve also started doing collages with my old pieces,” Pickrell said. “Which I’ve never done before.”

    Living off campus, Pickrell has more room to explore their creativity as well as different art forms. They have their own space to create and express themselves without distractions.

    “I’ve been living off campus for about three years, so I kind of turned my apartment into my own little art studio,” Pickrell said. “It makes it a really nice space to work.”

    Pickrell typically creates abstract artwork. They’re currently taking two art classes where they’re exploring entirely new styles.

    “I decided to do left hand vs. right-hand painting,” Pickrell said. “Just because I usually only paint with my right hand and I’ve only ever done a set of paintings once.”

    The struggles of quarantine are plentiful, but Pickrell figures, we can either wallow in our misfortune or we can rise to the occasion and make the best of a bad situation.

    “I’ve just been trying to get out of my comfort zone,” Pickrell said.

  • Humboldt Election Forums Are Going Virtual

    Humboldt Election Forums Are Going Virtual

    In order to keep up community involvement, Eureka and Arcata city councils go online.

    There are 32 local races and nine measures that Humboldt County residents will be voting on this year.

    With so many decisions to make, it’s important to educate ourselves as much as possible. One easy way to get informed is through forums, which are all online this year. Forums are meetings where people discuss ideas and views on a specific or various issues.

    There are 15 community organizations who have come together to host a series of forums, Humboldt Candidate Forum. One of the organizations is Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities. Its Executive Director, Colin Fiske, said, “these forums are important because local elected officials make decisions that can deeply affect people’s everyday lives and our collective futures, but there is relatively little information available to voters in local elections.”

    President of Affordable Homeless Housing Alternatives, Inc. (AHHA), Nezzie Wade said, “The main goal of these candidate forums is to provide a platform so that the voters and our community can learn about the people running for office and their thoughts on issues or solutions.”

    Wade added, “The topic AHHA chose to cover with the candidates includes whether they are willing to work with non profits on non traditional options or alternatives for shelter and housing.”

    Two forums have passed and both can be found on Access Humboldt’s YouTube channel. The first forum, held on Sept. 18, featured the nine candidates running for two wards for the Eureka City Council. The second forum was held on Sept. 25 and included the 10 candidates running for the Arcata City Council.

    The final one will be held on Fri., Oct. 2, at 6 p.m. for candidates from McKinleyville and Humboldt Community Services Districts. The organizations will be asking the candidates questions on various topics. It will be broadcast on YouTube, television Channel 11, radio station KZZH, and Humboldt Candidate Forum’s Facebook page.

    David Cobb from Cooperation Humboldt spoke on the significance of this forum, stating “The most important thing about this candidate forum is that it brings together a diverse group of social change agents…who are engaging the electoral process to ensure that our voices are heard.”

    To learn more about the candidates running in Eureka and Arcata City Councils and ask any questions, visit Lost Coast Outpost’s General Election Page. You can also read previous questions and answers there and even register to vote.

    Information on the nine measures being proposed can be found Humboldt County’s Official, Local Measures page. You can read an impartial analysis for each, as well as arguments in favor of and against. Some include Measure F, a special tax to support the Arcata Fire Department, and Measure B, which would increase the total number of affordable housing units in Arcata, and more.

    “We won’t have a voting location on the HSU campus this year, due to COVID, it’s a closed campus,” according to the Humboldt County Clerk, Recorder, Kelly Sanders. Voting Assistant Centers and Ballot Drop Box Locations are still being finalized, and updated information can be found on the Humboldt County official website.

    “All registered voters in Humboldt County will be mailed a Vote by Mail ballot to ensure a safe and accessible voting option during the COVID 19 pandemic,” said Sanders “Mailing of Vote by Mail ballots will begin on October 5.”

    With the Coronavirus still prevalent, mailing your ballot is the easiest way to vote this year.

    Sanders recommended students refer to Humboldt County Qualified Candidates Presidential General Election Page for a complete list of races and the Local Measures page for all measures happening in Humboldt County.

    If you are 18 and older and haven’t registered to vote yet, make sure to do so on the official Humboldt County website.

    “While national elections get the most attention, local elections are also really important. I hope everyone tunes into the forums, educates themselves on the candidates and the issues, and votes,” Fiske said.

  • HSU Prepares for more public safety power shutoffs

    HSU Prepares for more public safety power shutoffs

    King Salmon Power Plant promotes grid stability

    California has again warned residents of the potential and likely chances of Public Safety Power Shutoffs. With a larger range of the state being on fire this fall, more residents have been left without power in the midst of a pandemic.

    After the 2019 school year was impacted by power outages, HSU immediately sprung into action working toward a plan to improve the issue for students. While they couldn’t have predicted a pandemic would occur at the same time, they’ve created a plan to put into effect during these occurrences.

    Associate Vice President for Student Success Stephen St. Onge said HSU students would likely not even realize a power outage had occurred due to their new equipment. Since last year, housing has purchased two generators.

    “One is over $6,000 and it will power the JGC building, Cypress, the Canyon, and Sunset and Redwood,” St. Onge said. They also bought a portable generator to power College Creek.

    As well as the generators, the King Salmon Powerplant, based in Eureka, is now operating and handling Humboldt County’s future PSPS events. Cris Koczera is the emergency Coordinator for HSU’s Risk Management and Safety Services.

    “If we got notice of an impending PSPS right now, this year unlike last year, PG&E has been able to provide typically at least 48 hours of advance notice,” Koczera said. With this extra time, the school has been able to prepare more.

    “We already had one PSPS and there was no campus disruption because of the King Salmon Plant,” St. Onge said. “We had the generators ready to go – we were prepared this time.”

    This solves many of the problems that concerned students last year. Campus should function as normal this semester, without limited food, power and the need for students to leave their dorms to receive access. Even the elevators should be running for students who cannot rely on stairs.

    “We have since – knock on wood – solved those issues,” St. Onge said.

    In the instance the King Salmon Plant does not work and students live in an area uncovered by the new generators, HSU has another plan prepared.

    “We do have open spaces in other buildings, so we might consider if there’s a need to reopen up the JGC like before or relocating students temporarily to other spaces as well,” St. Onge said. “So we have those Plan C’s in place, as well.”

    Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Koczera said the school would be reaching out to health officials to help determine the safest way to move students into one area.

    “We would be reaching out to public health to find a safe, viable way to still provide those levels of support and services,” Koczera said.

    So, while students have been preparing themselves to return to the University, HSU has been preparing for ways to help the student body through these issues.

    “It’s important for students to know that as an outcome of last year’s PSPSs, there’s been a group of folks, housing facilities, management, that have been working really hard,” St. Onge said. “We are prepared.”

    “Our commitment to supporting their educational work on campus is a serious commitment that we take,” St. Onge said.

    “The goal of the University has always been to get to a point where these PSPS events or rolling blackouts have the least amount of impact possible on our campus and on our students and on our ability to continue through the educational process,” said Koczera.

  • Students shocked at Arcata Community Forest logging

    Students shocked at Arcata Community Forest logging

    COVID-19 hampered the communication of logging plans between the city of Arcata and new members of the community

    Lumberjacks with heavy equipment felled redwood trees in the Arcata Community Forest during the last two months, shocking some Humboldt State University students who regularly use the park. The City of Arcata uses timber harvest money to fund the management of the park and purchase additional park land in the area.

    HSU senior Isaac West downhill bicycles the trails most days. He was disappointed when he came across the heavy equipment in the park near Fickle Hill Road, and a friend told him a section of the bicycle “jump trail” had been ruined.

    “We have trees burning down everywhere,” West said. “It just seems like a really bad time to be cutting them down.”

    Karlee Jackson, an HSU transfer student majoring in environmental studies, said many students she talked to hadn’t heard the tree cutting was happening, and were shocked by it.

    “I am so mad they are cutting down these trees when so many trees have already been cut down,” Jackson said. “Why wasn’t it discussed with the community?”

    Jackson acknowledged that COVID-19 may have made it more difficult to consult with the community, but said she would have liked the city to have found another way to engage the community before cutting.

    Mark Andre, Arcata City director of environmental services and former HSU watershed management graduate student, said community engagement in the forest’s management was greatly impacted this year due to COVID-19.

    “The biggest challenge to us is to explain to new people who are moving here,” Andre said. “During this COVID-19 year [community consultation] has not been as perfect as it could have been.”

    Andre prepared the current Non-Industrial Timber Management Plan which allows some logging in local community forests. It was approved in 1999 and therefore public comment is not required each time the city wishes to cut, but the city is required to submit a Notice of Timber Operations (NTO). The city did issue a press release and convened the city Forest Management Committee, made up of appointed experts, although some regular meetings were canceled this year due to COVID-19.

    The NTO includes an impact analysis on spotted owl populations, and the steepness of the grade to ensure the cuts do meet environmental regulations.

    Greg King, executive director of the Siskiyou Land Conservancy and one of the first-ever Redwood tree-sitters, said he supports the efforts of Andre and the city.

    “I’m pretty skeptical when it comes to most logging,” King said. “It almost surprises me to say I support this.”

    King said he was far more concerned about the practices of logging companies owned by the billionaire family, Fisher, and Green Diamond Resource Company. Together these companies own roughly half of all redwoods in existence and regularly get “incidental take permits” which are essentially licenses to kill endangered species found while cutting.

    “What you see is a lot of faux [or fake] sustainable logging, but that’s not what you see here,” King said.

    He hasn’t read the forest management plan, but King encouraged students and community members to keep a close eye on the city. He is impressed at the “light touch” of the operations, and how the city has been able to purchase additional land in the area for conservation with the money from the park’s timber harvest. But King does believe public notice could be improved.

    Andre said he has been working for the city since 1984 and since then the size of the forest has doubled. In the past decade about 30% less is cut annually compared to the 1980s. The city originally purchased the park and instituted the arrangement to use timber harvest money to purchase additional land for conservation after a city bond measure passed in 1979. Andre said since then the city has set standards in sustainable forestry and community based forestry even winning an award from the Forest Stewards Guild.

    Regarding the recent destruction of a section of the downhill bike trail Andre said, “If we damaged the jump trails it’s going to be rebuilt this fall anyway.”

  • The HSU ceramics department fires back up

    The HSU ceramics department fires back up

    Experienced ceramics students are back in the lab this semester

    Following a graceless transition to online learning in the spring, ceramics students are receiving a drastically improved experience this semester.

    When the COVID-19 pandemic first went into effect, forcing students to finish the spring semester from home, ceramics students were among those who drew the shortest stick.

    According to Ryan Hurst, who has been teaching ceramics at HSU for nine years, when classes were moved online, the hands-on experience that students signed up for was no longer possible. They were instead tasked with drawing up sketches, studying research and development and critiquing other artists’ works.

    “It wasn’t ideal,” Hurst said.

    This semester has been a continuous adjustment according to Hurst. Gaining access to the building as well as the proper equipment to record demonstrations over the summer was an uphill battle.

    “I didn’t get either of those things until two weeks before it started up, so the plan kind of went out the window,” Hurst said. “I’d reformulated plans leading up to the end of the summer and some are working and some aren’t, but it’s a crazy adjustment.”

    At the start of the fall semester, each student was given a kit to take home, including basic ceramics tools and the clay they would receive in a normal semester. Beginning ceramics students will be creating almost entirely from home this semester, because of the new lab capacity put in place by COVID-19 protocols. Meanwhile, intermediate and advanced level students are granted some access to the building, with portfolio development students receiving first priority.

    “They have paid their dues and deserve the last moments of their academic career to do as much as time allotted them,” Hurst said.

    Jenna Santangelo is a former student and now lab technician for the ceramics department. After six years of classes, this is Santangelo’s first year as a staff-member. According to her, the beginning students are able to accomplish almost all that’s required of them in a normal semester from the comfort of their homes, assuming they possess the space.

    “Working at home is possible,” Santangelo said. “But it’s pretty messy and a lot of people don’t really have the space necessary for it.”

    Melissa Martin is a graduate psychology major with an emphasis in academic research. She takes ceramics as a therapeutic ritual each time she’s nearing the end of a chapter in her education. This semester, she’s preparing to close the final chapter as she puts the polishing touches on her thesis. Taking the beginning ceramics course this semester and not having access to a lab has changed the way Martin approaches her projects.

    “I think that you’re a little bit more restricted of how much work you can actually do,” Martin said. “I also was a very avid wheel thrower, so that’s also been a real big challenge. Now I’m doing a lot of hand building stuff so I really have to hone in on different skills.”

    One thing not included in the kits the university handed out to ceramics students this semester was a proper kick wheel for throwing pottery.

    “The kick wheels are, I think, like 400 pounds,” Santangelo said. “Which isn’t really feasible for most students to move.”

    Despite the disappointments and also experiencing challenges with creating a comfortable workspace at home, Martin is remaining optimistic.

    “We’re just learning how to be resilient in this world. We’re still trying to accommodate the best that we can,” Martin said. “But it is still a challenge and we’re still learning little bit by little bit, each time.”

    Maximus Landon is brand new to the ceramics program this semester. Landon took the class in hopes it would help them enjoy school again. Unfortunately, the barriers introduced by the online format have taken away from some of the enjoyment.

    “Because I’m really new to all of this, I’m not entirely sure what exactly I’m doing,” Landon said. “I’m not sure if I’m scoring things wrong and I’m not sure if I make this dent too large if it’s just going to have the entire side fall off, so it’s a lot of trial and error by myself and it’s not very fun for my anxiety.”

    Likewise, Hurst has been very anxious this semester about the safety of his students and the quality of their education.

    “It’s definitely not an ideal thing,” Hurst said. “But a lot of students have just been really happy to still be able to work with clay, even if it is at home.”

  • HSU Considers UPD chief candidate: Jason Wade

    HSU Considers UPD chief candidate: Jason Wade

    Captain of the University of Oregon police department, Jason Wade, puts his hat in the ring for UPD chief at HSU.

    Following the retirement of former chief, Donn Peterson, in the end of May, the University Police Department has begun its official search for a new chief. Current captain of the University of Oregon Police Department, Jason Wade, is one of the two candidates currently in contention for the position.

    Wade has more than 20 years of experience in law enforcement, working primarily for the University of Colorado, Boulder Police Department and for the past six years with the UOPD. In his time with the UOPD, Wade has served as an instructor and director for their cadet academy, developed their body camera program and served as the internal affairs investigator managing the background process for new employees.

    In today’s atmosphere of nation-wide calls for radical change regarding the country’s law enforcement system, Wade believes that rather than defund police departments, we need to re-think them.

    “The police in the past were seen as the catch all. You know, if you have a problem you call them,” Wade said. “And the expectation was that they were able to respond and serve equally no matter what.”

    Wade is of the mind, not every call for service requires the response of a police officer and that many non-violent calls would be better handled by mental health professionals.

    “The police still are responsible for enforcing the laws and keeping people safe but how can we better address those issues,” Wade said. “That’s one of the largest levels of police reform, is the calls for service and how we respond with what we respond with.”

    According to Wade, the benefit of having a campus police department, in specific, is the collaboration with the university that wouldn’t take place with a city department.

    “The campus police department can be brought forward to help the campus,” Wade said. “We can be trained. We can work with the campus to develop the department that the campus needs.”

    Campus police departments can also be held to a higher level of accountability by the university. Given the job, Wade plans to implement the policy work groups system currently in place at the UOPD.

    The system involves reading every new policy or change in policy at the UPD to a community panel made up of students, staff and faculty of the university who are given the opportunity to weigh in on each policy.

    “At some level there has to be oversight that allows the community to see what occurs behind the walls of a department,” Wade said. “So, they know that if a complaint, an allegation of misconduct or something is going on inside the department, that it’s being handled and handled appropriately – and if there is misconduct, that we’re taking measures to not let it happen again.”

    When Wade started as a young police officer, he said it was all about how many tickets he would write, how fast he could drive and the fancy gadgets he got to play with.

    “That was the mindset back in the late 90’s,” Wade said. “There were problems then, but we didn’t address them. We didn’t have the concepts of implicit bias training or crisis intervention training. I’ve seen change occur, but we’re not there, where we need to be, yet.”

    Ultimately, Wade believes, rather than acting in the interest of whoever is in power, a UPD has to hold the best interest of the entire community above all, in order to succeed in creating a safe learning environment for students.

    “This should never be the ‘Jason Wade’ Police Department,” Wade said. “Because that will not be successful.”

  • Welcome to the Twilight Zone

    Comparisons between episodes of the classic TV show The Twilight Zone and our own dismal reality

    In what may be the greatest understatement of the century, 2020 has been a rather eventful year. Wildfires, a global pandemic, isolation, protests throughout the world, political turmoil, deaths of public figures – you could write a new version of “We Didn’t Start the Fire” for each month of the year. So, why not look to retro television for comfort? Why not explore a simpler time, when the greatest fears we had were looming nuclear war, human short-sightedness, crippling loneliness and the catastrophic realities of climate change?

    Oh wait.

    1. Nightmare at 20,000 Feet (Season 5, Episode 3)

    A man recovering from a nervous breakdown is the only person on his plane who can see the monster just outside the window. He attempts to warn his fellow passengers, only for people to assume he’s lost his mind. The fear of flying is certainly one many people these days are familiar with, as travel becomes a major factor in the spread of COVID-19. With the US government claiming it’s safe to reopen and many people ignoring mask and distancing guidelines, it can be easy to doubt one’s own concerns. Like the man on the plane, we find ourselves questioning if the invisible force of death is actually there. Are we overreacting, or do we really see an imminent threat?

    2. Where is Everybody? (Season 1, Episode 1)

    A man finds himself alone in an abandoned town, with no memory of who he is or how he got there. He finds himself searching empty streets and abandoned shops for any sign of human life, only to be left alone with just his own thoughts for company. This certainly brings back memories of the beginning of shelter in place, when nothing was open and we all thought it would blow over within a week or two. Remember when it was pessimistic to say we wouldn’t be back to normal until fall? Good times.

    3. It’s a Good Life (Season 3, Episode 8)

    The citizens of a small town are cut off from the world at large and kept at the mercy of a six-year-old boy with reality-warping powers. They live in a state of constant anxiety about what fresh horror awaits while pretending everything is fine to avoid angering someone who doesn’t seem to understand that actions have consequences. What a classic American mood? The townspeople, in their defeated acceptance of the new normal, are certainly relatable to the average person in 2020 watching things fall apart while baking bread, submitting assignments, and occasionally looking at the red sky to say, ‘Sure, this might as well happen. What’s next?’

    4. The Midnight Sun (Season 3, Episode 10)

    Two women are in their apartment building, slowly being consumed by unbearable heat as they await the end of the world. They cope with the loneliness by supporting each other as the world outside erodes. While the twist in this episode is certainly not one of the series’ best, the despair of the two women as the radio presenter snaps on air and paint boils on the canvas feels painfully relevant as wildfire season is upon us. Staying inside and distracting ourselves with hobbies is really all we can do, as we smell the smoke and watch the destruction on the news.

    5. Time Enough at Last (Season 1, Episode 8)

    An absentminded, bookish man is left alone in a ruined city after a bomb destroys everything and everyone he once knew. This episode is one of the classics, and it’s easy to see why. The sense of loneliness permeates the entire episode, even before the bomb drops. Our protagonist can only find solace from his abusive wife and belittling employer in the pages of his books, but once he’s lost the interactions he’d taken for granted he finds himself sinking into depression. Unfortunately, like many of us who’d had grand quarantine plans of learning a language or writing a book have discovered, having all the time in the world doesn’t necessarily mean we can finally indulge in our dreams.

    6. The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street (Season 1, Episode 22)

    A small community is torn apart and devolves into a violent blame-game after the electricity goes out. In a time of abundant anti-Asian hate crimes in response to the “Chinese virus” pandemic, this episode is an excellent example of what not to do. Yes, things are bad – there is no denying that. However, we need to remember that we have to look out for each other. We can’t go around blaming others for everything that’s gone wrong – we have to work with them to solve our problems. Wear a mask. Donate to fire relief funds. Call your representatives. Order takeout from local restaurants. Check in on your friends and family. Do whatever you can to support those around you.

  • Music of the Moment 4

    Music of the Moment 4

    YoungBoy Never Broke Again dodges the sophomore slump with his new album “Top.”

    Two years and six mixtapes since the release of his debut album, “Until Death Call My Name,” YoungBoy Never Broke Again has returned with his sophomore album, “Top.”

    Boasting sixteen solo mixtapes at 20 years old, YoungBoy is an artist who thrives on flooding the market with music. When it comes to releasing an album, however, YoungBoy has proven to follow a much more selective process.

    With “Until Death Call My Name,” YoungBoy delivered infectious performances either vocally, lyrically or both on all 20 tracks of the deluxe version. Paired with flawless beat selection, the album is a strong candidate to someday be looked back on as a classic. Now, with “Top,” YoungBoy carries that same infectious performance and flawless beat selection throughout the 21 track album.

    It’s clear on “Top” that YoungBoy has mastered the art of melodic rap. With two or three possible exceptions out of 21, YoungBoy delivers undeniably catchy hooks that often come off as effortless. With the tracks “Right Foot Creep” and “Big Bankroll,” YoungBoy doesn’t bother to establish a pattern and the hook still hits. The unique appeal of “Top,” however, is YoungBoy’s pairing of two, three or as many as four hooks on a single track, disguised as intros, outros, refrains or even within the verses – “Sticks With Me” being a prime example.

    Unlike YoungBoy’s first album, where the goal was to create a record catering directly to a mainstream audience, “Top” is packaged with several songs made specifically for his street supporters. While the tone of the tracks are generally abrasive, YoungBoy frequently flip-flops flows in each song, consistently delivering multidimensional-tracks that maintain mainstream appeal.

    Even on songs with less aggressive tones, like “House Arrest Tingz,” YoungBoy’s subject matter is focused in the streets and saturated with heavy themes of violence. While a deterrent for some people, there’s no question concerning the authenticity of the experiences YoungBoy raps about, barring occasional exaggeration. We’re made aware of just how dark that reality is on tracks like “All In,” where YoungBoy reveals his anxieties surrounding his health and safety, his dad’s questionable release from prison, and the threat of losing more loved ones to gang-related violence.

    Consistently, drastically switching flows and tones on most tracks along with providing more than twice as many hooks as songs on the album, it’s like Drake rapped on “5AM In Toronto,” “that’s why every song sound like Drake featuring Drake,” except it’s YoungBoy featuring Never Broke Again. In the oversaturated state of music today, it’s records like “Top” that stay on the charts, because of their knack for staying stuck in your head.

  • Tree sitters defend forest near Strawberry Rock

    Tree sitters defend forest near Strawberry Rock

    The Redwood Forest Defenders demand Yurok tribal land be returned

    Green Diamond Resource Company, (GD), an Humboldt State University research partner and local logging company, made two clear cuts near Strawberry Rock in Trinidad this summer. Redwood Forest Defense partially blocked the logging by creating a tree sit village in the forest canopy.

    A Redwood Forest Defense tree sitter risking arrest asked to remain anonymous, but provided the alias Lupine. Lupine said the tree sits were erected April 1 immediately after Humboldt County imposed the COVID-19 isolation order.

    The company stopped about 20 acres, or 20 football fields, short of logging the whole area they originally intended. Roughly 100 acres between two timber harvest plans, Lupine said.

    Karen Pickett from the Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters and an Earth First!er since the early 1980s believes protecting the forest is crucial.

    “I guess forest defense is an essential job too,” Pickett said. “I find it really inspiring that people are up there doing this.”

    Lupine and the tree sitters have defended a five acre area this year. In previous years the sitter protected the remaining untouched 20 acres of the timber harvest plan. Green Diamond and the Trinidad Coastal Land Trust are in active discussion over the 20 acres, wanting to preserve a strip of forest for trail access to Strawberry Rock.

    Sarah Lindgren-Akana, Yurok tribe member and secretary of the Tsurai Ancestral Society, an organization advocating for the Indigenous of the area whose land was stolen, said she supports the tree sitters.

    “I really admire their dedication and I hope people are listening to their message,” Lindgren-Akana said. “While some may argue that this is just a small area, or that it is not an old growth forest, we need to keep in mind that over the past 500 years America has lost about 95 percent of its forest due to development and logging.”

    Gary Rynearson, GD chief communications officer, claims the company stopped logging the clear cuts near Strawberry Rock more than three weeks ago.

    “We think it’s dubious for them to say that [since] they have refused to file the completion paperwork [for the timber harvest plan],” Lupine said. “We are staying here since they are still legally entitled, within the timber harvest plan, to come here and cut.”

    Lindgren-Akana disapproves of the management practices of GD advocating for the land to be returned to the tribe.

    “The Strawberry Rock property is within the Tsurai village and should be returned to the tribe for proper management and care,” Lindfgren-Akana said. “The Yurok tribe can bring the land back into balance and ensure the plants and forest, animals and people all have something to enjoy for generations to come.”

    Lupine supports Lindgren-Akana and the idea of the land being returned to its rightful protectors.

    “The goal for this land is not to be held by an entity like the land trust, but to be returned to the Indigenous people it belongs to, the people it was stolen from,” Lupine said. “Whether that be the tribal council or groups like the Tsurai Ancestral Society.”

    Lindgren-Akana stated that the GD was starting to move towards a streambed that directly impacts the surrounding ecosystem.

    GD declined to comment on stream encroachment and sustainable forestry practices.

    Lupine said very little is done to ensure the company complies with sustainable forestry practices.

    “I think there is very little oversight whether it is from those types of third party certifiers or whether it is from the state and federal agencies who are tasked with overseeing these things,” Lupine said. “I often wonder if [third party] certifiers are doing more harm than good.”