The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: Midterms

  • Voter van comes to the rescue

    Voter van comes to the rescue

    The first ever voter van at HSU will be running on Nov. 6.

    During the Nov. 6 midterm elections there will be a free “voter van” for HSU students running all day long.

    This van will offer free rides from HSU Library Circle to the Humboldt County Offices of Elections in Eureka and back to HSU. Vans are scheduled to leave on the hour from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and will be coming back from the elections office every hour starting at 11:30 a.m.

    HSU student, Nathaniel McGuigan is the regional Mecha co-chair of Northern California. McGuigan said that both Mecha and the North Coast People’s Alliance lent a hand to set the voter van in motion.

    “Each organization came up with individual ideas,” McGuigan said. “Mecha [developed] the student side and North Coast People’s Alliance developed it on the community side to get people to vote and register to vote [conditionally].”

    The voter van idea came about from the California state law that now allows voters to register the same day as elections, known as conditional voting. According to the California Secretary of State’s website:

    “Conditional Voter Registration is a new safety net for Californians who missed the Oct. 22 deadline to register to vote or update their voter registration information for the Nov. 6, General Election.”

    There’s only one office in Humboldt County that offers conditional voting. That’s at the Humboldt County Offices of Elections in Eureka. McGuigan said that the voter van is aimed for students who have not registered but want to register and vote on the same day.

    “This election cycle it is available for students but in other election seasons it will be available for everyone else,” McGuigan said. “This is currently a trial run.”

    Carrie Peyton-Dahlberg is the vice chair of the steering committee for the North Coast People’s Alliance and had a big part in putting this together.

    “We’re hoping to increase voter participation and get as many people as possible to get to the county elections office to vote,” Peyton-Dahlberg said. “We want to help people to vote because it’s important.”

    McGuigan said that Mecha wants to help students get their voices heard. He said that he knows everyone does not have access to a vehicle which is essential for students whose polling place is not on campus.

    “We wanted to not only provide a voice but a mechanism that students can use to exercise their voice,” McGuigan said. “Voting is just one step in the political process in creating change, it is something that everyone can participate in no matter your political stance.”

    For more information please visit:

    Northcoastpeoplesalliance.org

    https://ballotpedia.org/Voting_in_California

    https://humboldtgov.org/2343/Conditional-Voting

    https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/conditional-voter-reg/

     

  • The Spring Deal-Breaker: Midterms on the day after break

    The Spring Deal-Breaker: Midterms on the day after break

    By | Erin Chessin

    Earlier this month, HSU students enjoyed a much needed week long spring break, but not everyone was relaxing.

    While classes may have adjourned for a week, school work continued in motion. Students said they spent the free week studying for midterms because they were scheduled on the day they came back from the break.

    Nicole Heighes is a senior psychology major at HSU. Heighes had a midterm on the Monday after spring break and a speech in her senior seminar the day after

    “It defeats the purpose of spring break when professors place midterms on the Monday or Tuesday after the break,” Heighes said.

    She spent hours studying over the break, going over study guides and preparing for her speech.

    “You need a few days after Spring Break to get back into school-mode,” Heighes said.

    Daniel Burrell, a biology professor at HSU, said he always considers the break when planning his midterms.

    “I like to grade midterms over the break and thus plan my midterms before the break,” Burrell said.

    He believes stepping away from schoolwork allows students to maximize their relaxation time.

    “I feel that students prefer to finish their exams before break so they have the break to relax,” Burrell said.

    Stephanie Toste, a senior business marketing major, typically has lots of homework throughout the week. Like Heighes, she had a midterm on the Monday after spring break and found herself using the break to study.

    “Luckily I didn’t have any homework to do after the break, but I had a midterm the day we got back,” Toste said. “I prefer to have midterms before the break because that week is dedicated to getting a break from school.”

    Some benefits come out of having midterms scheduled after spring break. Toste said that without class interrupting study time, students might be able to focus more on their midterms. “On the other side of things it allows students to not stress about going to class while trying to study for midterms,” Toste said.

    There are seven weeks of the spring semester left. With no more breaks aside from Cesar Chavez Day coming up this Friday, studying and school work is in full swing till the end of the semester.