CPH Interim Vice President offers to negotiate demands with protestors following sit-in

By Kasandra Arreola, Pamela Hernandez, and Mia Costales

Around 50 protestors marched through the Cal Poly Humboldt campus and held a sit-in on the second floor of Siemens Hall on Feb. 20. Protestors demanded CPH divest from all ties to militarism, war and genocide, implement a sanctuary campus and stand in solidarity with Teamsters. 

Timeline of protest

Noon: Protestors gathered at the Josiah Lawson memorial mural. Speakers announced that the march route would go through campus to the upper quad. 

An anonymous source, who attends CPH, shared that they hope the new administration will operate differently from the past when it comes to students protesting on campus.

“We have a new president. I think he wants to make a good name for Humboldt. I don’t think he wants to have the same reputation as the previous president did,” source said.

Across the street, Associate Dean of Students Heather Honig watched as students gathered.

12:38 p.m.: Protestors made their way to CPH campus. 

12:50 p.m.: Protestors gathered in the upper quad, where speakers demanded CPH divest “from all investments tied to militarism, weapons manufacturing, occupation, and war-profiting corporations,” implement a campus-wide sanctuary policy and stand in solidarity with Teamsters. 

A participant in the protest took over the megaphone in the quad.

“Today marks another day in our campus and system being complacent on genocide,” they said.

1 p.m.: Protestors entered Siemens Hall and announced plans to occupy the building until their demands were met. Administration locked the entrance doors once protestors were inside to prevent anyone else from entering the building. Classes being held in Siemens Hall were moved to the Van Duzer theater. Administration permitted protestors to leave. 

Soon after, Mike Fisher, the Interim Vice President for Administration and Finance entered the building, looking to de-escalate the protest. He asked students to be mindful of people who were not actively protesting.

“There’s folks in this building that have experienced trauma too and I don’t mean to equate their experiences with what you’re representing, not by any stretch, not even close,” Fisher said. “What’s happening with folks in Siemen’s Hall right now is really emotionally triggering for folks who are inside this building.”

Students expressed their frustrations with the administration. 

“We’re here as a group demanding as students, these three things. You’re speaking to everyone right now. What can you do right now to meet these demands?” a protestor asked Fisher.

Fisher then replied with, “What I can do right now is listen intently to understand what your demands are. I understand that you want concrete action to happen right now. I can’t promise that.”

In addition to the list of demands, protestors also urged administration to agree not to prosecute students for protesting.

1:56 p.m.: Fisher sent an email to CPH President Richard Carvajal. The email read “Would you agree to not prosecute student charges as a component of demands of their sit in?” Carvajal’s response is currently unknown. 

Local activist Rick Toledo supported the demands of the divestment letter, asking for CPH to make meaningful change.

“Commit to a policy of non-compliance with ICE and with border patrol and other enforcement agencies,” Toledo said. “There’s been a long history of various immigration enforcers abusing people and kidnapping them so it really seems like they wanted some kind of non-compliance commitment around that to protect our immigrant community here.”

Community member Pat Kanzler, expressed her discontent with where her tax dollars are going.

“I pay a lot of taxes. My taxes are going to this college, that’s paying for genocide,” Kanzler said.

While protestors did not end up occupying Siemens’ Hall, Kanzler felt that they should.

“We need to occupy here because of the fact that they’ve been stalling and stalling and haven’t answered any of our questions,” Kanzler said.

2:30 p.m.: Negotiations were made between protestors and administration and they made plans to meet on Friday, Feb. 27 at 8 a.m. in the upper quad to discuss CPH’s investments. Protestors exited Siemens Hall and marched back to the Josiah Lawson memorial mural.

2:44 p.m.: Protestors returned to the Josiah Lawson memorial mural. 

“We made those m—f—ers scared. And we’re not afraid to do it again,” said a protestor who grabbed the megaphone at the end.

Editor’s Note: Sources in this story expressed fear of retaliation by the university and federal government, choosing to remain nameless.