Imagine. Imagine a community where people come to learn. Imagine a place where people work to help your dreams come true. Imagine a community where its major employers provide a clean and resourceful environment focused on creating a better world. Imagine employers that offer educational opportunities, benefits, and entertainment. Imagine Humboldt County without the College of the Redwoods or Cal Poly Humboldt.

The initial five “Imagine” sentences are all about good things.  The final “Imagine” sentence is a about what would be regarded as a bad thing. I think what Dr. Jackson meant to say was along the lines of: “Now imagine Humboldt County without the College of the Redwoods or Cal Poly Humboldt.” — that is, to separate that possibility from the other pleasant images.

But Life does not have to be looked at in such all-or-nothing terms. We could also say: “Imagine a Cal Poly Humboldt with 7,500 students.  Now imagine a Cal Poly Humboldt with 12,000 students. And now — if you can — imagine a a Cal Poly Humboldt with 16,000 students.” Because that could happen.  And all this time imagine Arcata with a population of, say, 15,000 or 17,000 non-students. Now imagine the look and feel of Arcata in going from a student to non-student ratio of 1 student for every 2 non-students — already a huge ratio, in terms of other cities or towns in California — to a  student to non-student ratio of 1 student for every non-student in Arcata.  That is: For every adult, teen-ager, child, toddler, and baby in Arcata — there would be one student.  For every senior citizen, disabled person, bicyclist, government employee, construction worker, medical professional, etc etc who is not a student — there would be an equal number of students. All going to class and going to bars, riding their bikes and blowing through stop signs, driving their cars and looking for parking spaces, and, yes, seeking houses and apartments. because of a continuing shortage of college-supplied housing.

I have nothing against students in general, mind you. But shouldn’t everything be done with some level of proportion here?

And if we are going to play the “Imagine” game, how about imagining Humboldt County without medical personnel? Or without car mechanics. Or without road repair. Or without food stores.

The point is this: We have an interconnected society. We all play a part, and we all contribute. Cal Poly Humboldt and College of the Redwoods are appreciated components of Humboldt County.  That is, a 6,000-student-sized Cal Poly Humboldt is an appreciated contributor. With a proposed 12,000-student-sized University, I’m not so sure. And if Cal Poly Humboldt closed up shop and left town, Arcata would remain a wonderful place to live. The presence of the University contributes. The University is not crucial to our survival and our enjoyment of our lives here in Humboldt.

There are 58 counties and 482 municipalities in California.

Yes, yes. Completely true. And there are 1,669 high schools and K-12 schools in California, and and 1,308 middle or junior high schools in California. And I could list a dozen other facts. But so what? How is that pertinent to our situation here in Arcata with Cal Poly Humboldt? This is a superfluous fact.

The North Coast is one of the few regions that has both a community college and a four-year university.

False, false, false. In fact, the exact opposite is what is true.  Shall I rattle off a few other regions with four-year universities and community colleges? You mean, like all ten UC cities: Berkeley, UCLA, UC Santa Cruz, UC Davis, UC San Diego etc.  They all have both a community college and a four-year university nearby in their regions. And the CSU cities: Monterey, Sacramento, San Bernadino, Riverside, San Luis Obispo, San Jose, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Bakersfield, Fresno, Chico, and more. Should I go on?

Where on earth could this statement have come from? “The North Coast is one of the few regions that has both a community college and a four-year university.”

To Dr. Jackson and every other reader here:  Please look at The Gish Gallop – and Brandolini’s Law on this website for a discussion of these two misleading rhetorical techniques. They are designed to both befuddle and pacify the reader. Unfortunately we are seeing both here in Dr. Jackson’s writing.

And to Dr. Jackson:  You have good points you are making. By stating irrelevant facts as though they are supportive of your argument and by making statements that are clearly false, you are, in my opinion, obscuring your discussion and losing your readership.

We are one of only three polytechnic universities in the state, which, by itself, makes our region extremely fortunate and unique.

That our region is fortunate is a matter of opinion. Having a state university with 12,000 or 14,000 students and employees in a rural area that lacks the means to support this population is questionable.

The word “unique” is used these days, as it is here, to mean “rare.” In its true meaning, however, it means the only one of its kind, and unlike anything else. Cal State Poly is special, but it is not unique.

Colleges have a tendency to pull new resources into a community. Colleges also tend to attract people to an area because of the activities that occur on campus. Retirees generally prefer retiring in communities with a college for this simple reason.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. We know this. And colleges that overtake a town tend to repel people. Retirees avoid areas where they can no longer drive or walk safely, for that very simple reason. It’s all about a balance. If there’s too much congestion and it becomes impossible to park a car, then retirees leave.

As residents, which I am one, I think we can agree that living in a college town and region has many benefits. There’s plenty of formal research to back this up, but I’ll turn instead to the famous Bob Vila of “This Old House.”

Vila has an article online that highlights several reasons you would want to live in a college town, including campus life; affordability of many amenities; plenty of attractions, such as the arts; the sports scene; expansive dining options on and off campus; community events; diversity; job opportunities; and youthful and dynamic populations. The list goes on.

Dr. Jackson, there are many benefits of having a university in our community. Arcata would not be Arcata without the presence of what had been Humboldt State. It is the prospect of the University doubling in size that has us concerned. The Bob Vila article on the good reasons to move to a college town also includes improved health care access, via a university hospital connected with a medical school, clearly not the case here. As to the “affordability of many amenities” that you list — you’ve got to be kidding, right? You are implying that the presence of Cal Poly Humboldt makes Arcata more affordable?

There’s a reason that local residents worked so hard for the creation of Humboldt State Normal School here back in 1913 and the College of the Redwoods in 1964. They knew it would benefit their communities, though I’m guessing they had no idea that the institution would one day be the largest employer in the county.

The largest employer, as you say. And the most disruptive, and the institution most at odds with the wishes of the overall population. You are correct in this: The local residents who promoted Humboldt State had no idea that it would one day overrun the community.

Strictly speaking, the largest employer in Humboldt County is the county government. Cal Poly Humboldt is listed as having 908 employees — 290 faculty, 618 staff. The County employs over 2,500 people. 

Taken as a single area of employment, the job totals in each of these areas all are larger: Retail, construction, hotels and food services, health care and social assistance, public administration, professional services, manufacturing, agriculture, entertainment, vehicles and transportation. 

Of course, the educational opportunities, cultural vibrancy, and sheer economic impact of higher education institutions are likely the most impactful. In our area, for example, Cal Poly Humboldt generates about $459 million in annual industry activity and supports 4,900 jobs.

An accepted figure for the number of jobs that university employment supports is in the neighborhood of 210 additional jobs for 100 university jobs, including student jobs. (See here for the UCSC study or here for the article on Arcata1.com that mentions this.) That would calculate to perhaps 3,000 jobs as a total for both University and ancillary employment.  Where does this figure of 4,900 come from?

“Of course, the educational opportunities, cultural vibrancy, and sheer economic impact of higher education institutions are likely the most impactful.” Educational opportunities and cultural vibrancy – Good. Sheer economic impact … likely the most impactful = Bad. What you are stating as perhaps a good thing is exactly what we’re worried about.

Our region also benefits from the thousands of Cal Poly Humboldt alumni who live in our region, among them many of the owners of our favorite businesses. Employees acquire homes, cars, goods, and services primarily from the region. Salaries go directly into the local stores for groceries and health care; as well as other services.

Colleges provide arts and entertainment, sports activities, fitness facilities, lifelong learning and continuing education, experts to collaborate with local employers and governments on issues, and a skilled workforce. Graduates generally consider remaining in the area and becoming a source of the region’s workforce. These are all great attributes that benefit the county, and municipalities, with Eureka and Arcata relying on and benefitting from them significantly.

As a campus, having strong and supportive relationships within the community is important. Cal Poly Humboldt, as does CR, works hard to be a supportive agency with businesses within our region. We work closely with elected leaders at the city and county levels, partners in K-12 education, nonprofits, health care, small business, and so many other areas within the region.

Public colleges are often one of the major sources of funding and the campus mission is driven by the state to create and produce a stronger and educated workforce. Despite this emphasis, there is one fact that always remains true. When a campus is thriving, so does the municipality. When a municipality is thriving, so does a campus. This is why these are good times for the region as our local municipalities are doing well and the two campuses are doing well.

The two mayors are even helping Cal Poly Humboldt and other major employers with efforts to welcome new employees. Susan Seaman of Eureka and Stacy Atkins-Salazar of Arcata are planning and hosting a big welcome event at the Humboldt Bay Aquatic Center in just a few weeks. In addition to fun activities, there will be people there to answer questions about living in the area, childcare, finding a health care provider, local hikes, and much more.

Cal Poly Humboldt puts much time into community relations while striving to be a part of the efforts to improve our region. Thanks for your support.

• • If by “Cal Poly Humboldt puts much time into community relations while striving to be a part of the efforts to improve our region” you mean “much time into community relations” — in the form of press releases and twice-monthly Times-Standard columns and such, then we’d have to say Yes, sure.  But is the business of public relations the same as public relationships, community outreach, and meaningful discussions with concerned citizens? Looking at it that way, I’d have to say No.
  • If you mean meeting with the Arcata Planning Commission and discussing future plans in an open and respectful manner, I’ll say No again.
  • If you mean purchasing a piece of property that was annexed into the City limits with the express purpose of a mixed-income senior facility, that also would rate a No.
  • If you mean acknowledging Arcata’s infrastructure needs and helping our city plan for the impact of 3,000 or 4,000 or 5,000 or 6,000 more people coming here, I’d have to give that a Big No.

    From my perspective, on an overall basis, that is a score of Zero out of Four.
    I think that Cal Poly Humboldt can do better — a whole lot better.

Be well.

Thank you. You be well too.

In my view and the view of many, many people in Arcata, the university has not been a good partner at all. We can point out small successes, but on the major issues Cal Poly Humboldt does what it wants and disregards the community. If there is going to be positive change, it must come in the form of action, not talk. 

Please feel free to get in touch. Thank you.

See also:  To Dr. Tom Jackson: You can do more — Please