Campus In Crisis
Meiggs, for one, said there’s no doubt in her mind that HSU will be re-accredited next year. “I work up here every day, and I see the work being done,” she said. She recently met with Richmond to discuss his dislike of unions and emerged from the meeting feeling “very optimistic” about the future.
But the layers of distrust at Humboldt State have been accumulating for years, and undoing the damage won’t come easy. An HSU lecturer, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of losing her job, told the Journal that things are hardly as civil as Friday’s meeting may have suggested. In fact, she called the entire display “absolute rubbish” and suggested that many people in attendance remain “pissed off” at Richmond but are reluctant to voice their opinions lest they be deemed non-essential.
Whether HSU will be able to heal this culture of fear and distrust remains to be seen. What’s clear is that more people than ever are paying attention to the problems on campus, and that, in and of itself, may be an important step.
“One of the things the Keeling report … has done is to get people’s attention,” Richmond said. “If they’ve done nothing else, they’ve created a sense of urgency. This is an opportunity which you don’t have when things are going well. It’s an opportunity to make change that may not occur again for a long time.”
→ post a comment
on the cover
Railroad!
Proposed lines ‘set rich blood a-tingling’ in early 1900s
Some Other Proposed North Coast Railroads
Choo-choo Fantasies
Exposing this east-west rail nonsense
seven-o-heaven
Undeterred Will
Will chides Andrew for lack of attention to detail and makes plans for his inevitable victory.
Recent on the cover
May 17
Ring of Fire
Sun and moon will perform a rare pas de deux in Humboldt skies on Sunday
May 10
District Soup
Racing for the top county seat in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd districts
May 3
A Place in the Woods
As park closure deadline nears, a scramble to save what we can
Today
44th Annual Kinetic Grand Championship Race
STAFF PICK / events, art, outdoors, sports, for kids, free / 9 a.m.-6 p.m. A 3-day, 42-mile kinetic sculpture race over land, sand, mud and water! LeMans start at the Noon Whistle on the Arcata Plaza. Follow the race through Manila, Eureka and into Ferndale on Memorial Day for the Glorious Finish. kineticgrandchampionship.com. 889-3024.
Flow 2012 Fashion Show
STAFF PICK / events / 8 p.m. Arcata Theatre Lounge, 1036 G St. Student designed and produced clothing. Fundraiser for Arcata Arts Institute. $35/$25 students. artsinstitute.net. 822-1220.
Woodside Preschool's Rummage/Bake Sale
events / 8 a.m.-noon. Woodside Preschool, 900 Hodgson St, Eureka. www.woodsidepreschool.com. 445-9132.
Lanphere Dunes Restoration
STAFF PICK / outdoors / 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Meet at Pacific Union School. Help remove non-native invasives at the Lanphere Dunes Unit of the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Tools and gloves provided, wear work clothes and bring water. Carpool to the protected site. 444-1397.
More →
FIVE Comments
Comment / By Seth / Nov. 20, 2008, 6:07 p.m.
Great article. Creating quite the stir on Facebook as well.
Comment / By Craig / Nov. 22, 2008, 5:05 p.m.
Never been a fan of President Richmond’s approach to running HSU. Gave the place quite a face lift since I attended. Seems like he payed a lot of attention to what is on the surface and ignored what counts; quality classes/programs, and good tenured instructors.
Comment / By Lucky / Nov. 24, 2008, 1:01 p.m.
This article touches one area of concern that nobody seems to address. “An overly complex administration” is the largest part of the problem. From 1984 to 2004 CSU system-wide notes student increase by 20%, faculty increase by 12%, Staff increase by 2% and Administrative increase by 60%. Do the math and then you will see why we can’t live with the budget. Decrease administration by half, business will continue as usual because it is conducted by staff who know how to do their jobs. You will see a difference.
Comment / By alumni / Dec. 1, 2008, 4:54 p.m.
One thing is true - stressed out people make very poor stewards. Sure, the budget cuts are making things a lot worse, but they are probably only unearthing many problems that were there anyway. I remember it being contentious like that back when I went to school there in the mid 90s. I’m afraid it’s part of the campus culture. It sure would be nice if there could be some trust and common interest. Transforming the campus into a true community with shared goals and celebrating diversity would be my vision for the future. Mutual respect among the admin folks and faculty and students, then between departments is so important too… But that just isn’t the case now, nor was it when I was a student. The bulk of my professors were elitist, unapproachable and just plain snobby for the most part.
Comment / By Student / Dec. 9, 2008, 10:19 p.m.
I disagree. I am currently a Bio Major at HSU. I find my professors to be very dedicated to the student, and committed to continuing to cultivate a high-level educational environment at Humboldt. I would not describe most as elitist.
There is multilevel abuse by the administration throughout the CSU system. This administration’s focus is not on nurturing and developing high quality academic programs here at HSU, which is in the common interest of both students and faculty. This is, in my opinion, good reason for misrust.