The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: Students

  • Getting swol in style

    Getting swol in style

    HSU students sport fashionable workout gear

    By | Alexandria Hasenstab

    Humboldt State is not known as one of the most fashion-forward universities out there. However, if you’re looking for current fashion trends around campus, you might want to check out the gym. Students head to the Student Recreation Center to hit the weights, but with current athletic clothing available in endless colors and styles, they look ready to hit the runway.

    Junior environmental science major Andie White is one of the students who regularly goes to the gym in stylish attire. She choose to wear blue patterned leggings with a blue athletic long sleeve top to work out in.

    “I prefer to wear things that motivate me,” White said. “I like to wear bright colors because it makes me feel good.”

    The cliché, look good, feel good, is certainly applicable to the gym.

    Senior psychology major Miranda Beach, works out in style at the Student Recreation Center on campus. | Alexandria Hasenstab

    Psychology professor Mary Bockover believes our outward appearance can affect our confidence.

    “When people feel like they look good, then on psychological grounds, they may believe others see them in a more favorable light,” Bockover said. “Conversely, when we feel like we don’t look good, it can negatively affect our self esteem and the willingness to be in front of others.”

    Indeed, working out in such a public space requires a certain level of comfort. For students like Andie White, a choice of clothing means the power to be comfortable and motivated to work out in front of others.

    White says some of her favorite brands are Nike and Adidas. B oth of these brands are sported by many students in the gym.

    Marjani Ellison is a junior environmental engineering major who can be seen wearing bright green Nikes while working out.

    “They’re a little brighter than the green of Humboldt,” Ellison said. “But as a player of the football team I feel like I should come out and represent Humboldt State every day.”

    Junior environmental engineering major Marjani Ellison sports green nikes while working out at the Student Recreation Center. | Alexandria Hasenstab

    Athletic clothing has become so fashionable that many people wear it as normal street clothing. However, many students don’t feel the need to pay the high prices that are common with popular athletic brands.

    Senior psychology major Miranda Beach says she doesn’t usually dress stylish when she works out.

    “You caught me on a good day, this is what was clean,” Beach said of what was she was wearing. “I think it does give you a confidence boost when you think you look good, but most of the time I’m pretty in the zone.”

  • The textbook hustle

    The textbook hustle

    Saving money on pricey textbooks

    By: Domanique Crawford

    The study, “Student Watch: Attitudes and Behaviors toward Course Materials: 2015-2016 Report,” reports that campus stores remain the top source for course materials purchases, with 80 percent of students in the fall and 73 percent in the spring acquiring units from the on-campus retailer.

    Students are willing to pay the exuberant bookstore prices for the sake of convenience of a one stop shop for all scholastic supplies and saving time on receiving the text.

    According to HSU’s cost calculator the average cost for books and supplies is $1,660. With a little bit of extra planning these alternative methods of purchasing scholastic texts are just as convenient as ordering from the Bookstore and offer more affordable prices.  

    1. Online Rentals- Renting a book online textbook providers are often cheaper than bookstore prices. You might be cautious about the cost of shipping, but most sites provide free return shipping. An added benefit for online rentals are that some of these websites offer access to e-book version while you’re hard copy is being delivered. Websites like Bigwords.com let you enter the text’s ISBN number and generates a comparative price list with various online sellers. Some of the most popular textbook ordering sites include: Amazon.com, Chegg.com, and Half.com.
    2. Book Swaps- HSU is a small community and you will inevitably share classes with the people in your major. Form a bookswap. Maybe a friend already has the textbook that you need just collecting dust. Offer a trade off.
    3. Ask your professor-  Professors understand that students can’t always afford the high cost of the required text and will sometimes have extra copies they can loan. Also, be sure to ask your professor if the most current issue of the text is necessary. You can save a lot of money buying an earlier model of the book.
    4. Info Boards- Check the info boards near the class in which the text is required. Students who no longer need their book might post flyers selling their old copies for reasonable prices.
    5. Check the Library- If you are really pinching pennies you might just want to check if the library has a copy of the text and photocopy the sections you need. As the cost of the copies can get expensive depending on the number of pages, you might want to try scanning the book and emailing the pages to yourself. Mind copyright laws!
  • Making a New Year’s Eve resolution

    Making a New Year’s Eve resolution

    By Domanique Crawford

    This sounds familiar, right?

    You wake up and smell the fresh air. It’s a new day, a new year, and there’s definitely going to be a new you. You whip out a pen and paper to jot down your master list of improvements. When you’ve completed the list, you feel that just by writing it down that you are a champion and have already accomplished something.

    You post the list on the fridge to remind you of your goals. One week passes. Two. Finally three. The list has fallen to the ground and been trampled so much, its only refuge is the crevice that divides the countertop and refrigerator.

    Following through with resolutions is harder than actually making them, and though the first month might be hard going, there are 11 more months that you are still able to work with.

    Lorenz Hernandez, Humboldt State environmental resources engineering major, said alternatively to creating a list of things to start on, she makes a list of things that can be improved.

    “I start a new journal,” Hernandez said, “and January first, I actually write a note to myself and actually say what I want to do that year.”

    Hernandez uses the journal to monitor the negative and positive experiences when working toward achieving her resolutions throughout the entire year.

    What is the point of New Year’s resolutions if we seldom take the time to fulfill them?

    New Year’s resolutions today are a way of self-motivation to stimulate personal improvement. Ironically, statistics show only 45 percent of Americans say they will make a resolution, while 8 percent of people will keep them. Considering that New Year’s resolutions are self-imposed, it makes me think our resolution should be something we will actually accomplish.

    Marc Ornear, a student in the teaching credential program, suggests reaching for smaller, very specific goals that are easier to achieve.  This way, he doesn’t feel the pressure of failure.

    “I come up with very vague [goals] that are not very solidified,” Ornear said. “Like, try to get more exercise time in or try to get more relaxation time in.”

    Rather than losing exactly 20 pounds, promise yourself that you are going to simply start exercising. Now don’t get crazy and plan to work out 10 hours a week/five times a day. Again keep, it simple; maybe 30 minutes, three days a week.

    When choosing your resolutions, we must remember that change is a long and ever-evolving process. It can’t be completed overnight. Sometimes we fail on the first try but don’t give up. Or give in.

    Rachel Bowkley is another HSU student in the teaching credential program.

    “I got disenchanted because it doesn’t feel like it’s new,” Bowkley said. “It’s just sort of the same stuff. I try to improve throughout every year and just use the new year as, what could I do better this year instead of continuing what I did last year.”

  • Word on the street

    Word on the street

    Photos & Story by: Alex Hasenstab

    Going home for the holidays is a nice break after a long semester. There is no school, we get time off and we get to be around our families. Still, as nice as it is to be around our families, they definitely do some things that get under our skin. Here is what a few Humboldt State students said annoys them most about their families when they go home for the holidays.

    What annoys you the most about your family when you visit home for the holidays?

    mos-carolina-herrera

    “All of the questions they ask about up here.” – Carolina Herrera, junior, Tulare, CA

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    “Fighting with them about the amount of cats that they have. I think it’s too little.” – Alex Grey, senior, San Francisco

    mos-luis-melendez

    “Having to stay at home and not be outdoors, and abiding by the rules of my parents.”- Luis Melendez, freshman, Santa Ana

    mos-tracy-gatumu

    “When we disagree on our opinions and facts and then they want to persuade on thinking the way that they do when they should appreciate that I think differently than them.” – Tracy Gatumu, senior, Anaheim

    mos-jose-chaidez

    “They are really loud, and they always want to dress up the same.” – Jose Chaidez, freshman, Los Angeles

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    “That I always feel bad when I don’t hang out with them. I wake up at 2 p.m. like everyday and my dad would go to bed at like 6 p.m. or 7 p.m. so we never hung out.” – Killion Newsome, freshman, Sacramento

  • Day of solidarity for the greater HSU community

    Day of solidarity for the greater HSU community

    Staff and students invited to a day of healing

    By: Andrew George Butler

    Waking up on the first day of the semester with a hundred tasks and no answers, many miles from home in small town Arcata, can make the most sturdy of students anxious. If that’s not enough, there’s a change of presidency Friday, Jan. 20. 

    While the inauguration marks the end of an election process that divided many Americans, Humboldt State is using the day as an opportunity to bring the community together. This “Day of Solidarity” event will be held throughout Friday in several different campus locations.

    HSU’s Educational Opportunities Program will be facilitating a host of campus-wide and day long events geared toward ensuring students continue to feel safe and respected during the inaugural process. 

    When the Obamas leave and the Trumps set up shop, many HSU students may feel some sort of a bowling ball-like mass in the top of their chest and then squint blurry-eyed as it drops all the way down during Trumps procession through the D.C. streets.

    Whether your chest hurts because Obama is leaving or because you feel misunderstood as a Trump supporter, Friday is bound to be a day full of emotion and two-ply tissue. 

    Starting in the Kate Buchanan room at 1 p.m., students will be invited to enjoy free massages, food, meditation and other relaxation methods. Later in the day, students and staff of HSU are invited to the Great Hall for an open mic event. Students are urged to respectfully talk about their feelings and thoughts going into the new presidency.