EMSS Team Members:

Good morning, team, and happy Friday. I hope everyone is doing well. I know many folks have been battling illness ranging from cold and flu to more serious concerns, and I want to take just a moment to encourage each of us to find time to focus on our health and well-being. With all that has to be done each day, I know it can be hard to step away when you aren’t feeling well - but taking a day or two off can lead to faster healing than trying to “tough it out” - and reduce the risk of sharing the bug with the rest of your colleagues. Taking the time you need to rest and heal is essential for your health - if you need support in planning for key activities so you can take time to recover, please talk with your supervisor.

As your time allows, I invite you to learn more about happenings across our division and the campus:

Prompt Info from EMSS Spring Welcome

It was great spending time with so many of you during last week’s spring welcome - the energy was incredible, and it was a wonderful opportunity to both reflect on all that we have accomplished and prepare ourselves for an amazing semester. Many thanks to Natalie Raquel for organizing and preparing for the event!

Those who were able to attend responded to one of three prompts that allowed us all to share more about our reason for doing this work and what makes it rewarding. As promised, we are sharing those responses back out with the entire division. As I mentioned when we were together, sometimes reading through these responses might give you just a little bit of sunshine on a day that you need to recall why this work matters so much to us all. As I read back through them in preparation for this message, I found myself so proud to work alongside each of you daily - it truly is a strong reminder of the heart that you each put into this work and our students.

Cultural Humility Conversations

Thanks to all who are taking part in our division-wide conversations guided by the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, focused on cultural humility and the ethics of care. As I shared during the Spring Welcome, we know the work we do comes with a responsibility to provide care and support to our students - and often, that means reflecting on the impacts our choices and actions have on others.

These sessions are intended to provide space for learning, reflection, and shared conversation, and will bring together team members from across the division. You are asked to choose one, and to engage in that conversation as openly as possible. Due to multiple requests, a fourth session option was recently added, and division members should have received calendar invites for these dates/times:

• Friday, January 30th | 3:00–4:00 p.m. | Library Fishbowl (209)

• Friday, February 6 | 3:00–4:00 p.m. | Library Fishbowl (209)

• Tuesday, February 10 | 8:30–9:30 a.m. | Goodwin Forum (NHE 102)

• Friday, February 20 | 3:00–4:00 p.m. | Library Fishbowl (209)

You may attend the session that best fits your schedule and decline the others - there is no expectation to attend more than one session. Members of the division leadership team attended a session earlier this week in preparation for the broader sessions, but may engage in one of the other sessions if their schedule precluded them from attending this week. Once all sessions are complete, ODEI will share major themes gathered from the division reflection process, and our division will develop a plan for training and action once we learn from each other. Thank you for your engagement in this work, and I look forward to these conversations!

Drop/Add Deadline Fast Approaching

Don’t forget! The last day for students to ADD or DROP Spring 2026 classes is quickly approaching - Monday February 2, 2026 at 11:59 PST. For more details, see: https://www.humboldt.edu/registrar/deadlines-important-dates  

Black Liberation Month Activities

The Umoja Center for Pan African Student Excellence is excited to announce the calendar of events for Black Liberation Month in the month of February 2026. During this time, we seek to uplift, spotlight, and celebrate the culture, resilience, and ingenuity of Black folks within the larger Pan-African diaspora, with events and activities open to the entire campus. Some of our hallmark events are as follows:

• Black Liberation Month Kickoff & Community Mixer: Friday, February 6, 5pm in Kate Buchanan Room (KBR), Gutswurrak Student Activity Center | Free food, music, games, and giveaways!

• Calling In: Tools for Turning Difficult Conversations into Productive Ones (featuring guest speaker, Dr. Loretta Ross): Wednesday, February 11, 5:30pm in Kate Buchanan Room (KBR), Gutswurrak Student Activity Center | Light refreshments included.

• Passion to Paycheck: In Conversation with Jordan Bentley: Thursday, February 19, 5:30pm in Kate Buchanan Room (KBR), Gutswurrak Student Activity Center | Light refreshments included.

Visit linktr.ee/umojahumboldt to pre-register for our events and win a free t-shirt! For questions, concerns, or to receive a physical calendar for your department, please contact the Umoja Center Coordinator, Alexus-Harrelle Deshazier (she/her) at hd303@humboldt.edu

Dining & Bookstore News

Spring Meal Plans Now Available: Spring meal plans are available for purchase! Start your semester off right with the convenience of on-campus dining and the savings that come with a flexible meal plan. We have plans designed to fit your routine and help you finish the year strong. Find your perfect plan at https://dineoncampus.com/calpolyhumboldt/purchase-a-meal-plan

College Creek Marketplace Full Cafe Menu is Back: Enjoy delicious espresso drinks, iced coffee, fun flavors, and Angie's chai at College Creek! Some of our Wintertime favorites include Peppermint Mochas and Spiced Chai Lattes! Check Marketplace hours here: dineoncampus.com/calpolyhumboldt/hours-of-operations

Sip Sustainably & Get Free Coffee: Try it at the College Creek Marketplace Cafe. Bring your own mug six times and earn a free coffee for being sustainable! Use StampMe, our digital stamp card, to collect your sustainable stamps. 

Humboldt Dining Survey Sessions 2026: Join us for an in-person feedback session to help us continue to evolve the dining program. To learn more and register, please visit: https://forms.gle/B5VwdnZ3VDrX4TPc6

New Hires and Position Changes

Please join me in welcoming Catey Hoehn to the Office of the Registrar as the Admissions Evaluator. Catey will be supporting our work with high school and first-time student admissions eligibility review as part of our busy team.

Accolades

There were 109 volunteers who joined us for the MLK Day of Service, contributing 440 collective hours to seven community and campus sites! Thank you to our volunteers for their time, energy and hard work, and thank you to our community partners at Black Humboldt, Boys and Girls Club of the Redwoods, Centro del Pueblo, Jefferson Community Center / Westside Community Improvement Association, Northcoast Regional Land Trust, and OhSNAP! The warm welcome, site tours, and information shared about those exceptional programs helped us feel connected to the volunteer projects. It was such a wonderful day to build community, support local organizations, and honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

I appreciate all of the hard work that has gone into making the start of the semester a successful one, and I look forward to seeing you all out and about around campus and our community.

Take care of yourselves and each other,