Breadcrumb
CAHSS Newsletter - September 2025
Welcome, new faculty and staff!
Faculty
Anthropology: Katie Menor, Lecturer | Spencer Mitchell, Lecturer | Jason Valdez, Lecturer
Dance, Music & Theatre: Avery Alexander, Lecturer | Eliza Klinger, Theatre Program Leader | Ginny Ryder, Lecturer | Fred Tempas, Lecturer | Kearney Vander Sal, Lecturer
Sociology: Nathan Whittington, Lecturer
English: Jocelyn Heaney, Lecturer | Katie Masters, Lecturer | Necahual Gamboa, Lecturer
Environmental Studies: Sarah Rios, Assistant Professor
Geography, Environment & Spatial Analysis: Christina Wile Sundman, Lecturer | Annie Allen, Lecturer
Journalism & Mass Communication: Sukey Lewis, Lecturer
Native American Studies: Cara Cuhn, Lecturer | Karley Rojas, Lecturer
Politics: Rusty Hicks, Lecturer
Staff
Abigail Smithson, Podcast Coordinator | Kerry Gonzales, Study Abroad Coordinator | Alyssa Hughlett, Grad Programs Coord & Admin Analyst | Michelle Stone, ASA Art + Film
Staff Recognition
Congratulations to our most recent staff recognition recipient Chris Dubois, Art + Film's Ceramics Lab Technician!
Chris has been hard at work with the opening of the new ceramics lab in Jenkins Hall.
Interested in nominating someone for a staff recognition award? Fill this form
Upcoming CAHSS Events
Featured Events
Talk: Eddie Ahn - Environmental Justice Attorney/Graphic Novelist
Presented by the Department of Environmental Studies with the Department of Critical Race, Gender and Sexuality Studies and the Department of Geography, Environment & Spatial Analysis
Wednesday Sept 10, 3-4pm | Goodwin Forum NHE 102
Environmental justice lawyer, author, and graphic artist Eddie Ahn will be visiting and giving a talk about his book, Advocate: A Graphic Memoir of Family, Community and the Fight for Environmental Justice. Book signing to follow!
Media Arts BFA Info Night & Pizza
Tuesday, Sept 16, 5pm, ART B Room 102
Students registered for the new BFA in Media Arts major, and those interested in learning more about the program, are invited to an info night to meet some of the faculty and learn more about program options. The new major curriculum includes classes concerning the moving image, still images, audio, and storytelling. Faculty will share details about their classes in photography, film, theater, comics, animation, and design. Contact Nicole Jean Hill nicole@humboldt.edu if you have any questions.
Extintos: Revealing the Beauty of Extinct Frogs from Brazil
Opening Reception: Thursday Sept 18, 4:30pm-6pm at Reese Bullen Gallery, ArtB 101
As part of a joint project, Documenting Threatened Species (DoTS) task is to study, document and protect threatened species of amphibians in Brazil through the creation of a database and images of endangered amphibian species. This exhibition showcases the start of that work by illustration interns hosted by Faculty in the Biological Sciences and Art + Film Department.
Save the Date: Campus Dialogue on Race Oct 20-24
The Campus & Community Dialogue on Race (CDOR) is a week-long series of events that brings together students, faculty, staff, and community members to explore pressing issues of racial justice and systemic inequity. Now in its 27th year, CDOR continues to be a space of reflection, learning, healing, and collective action. This year's theme is dis/connecting to reconnect – everyday rest, refusal, resistances.
Submit a proposal
Students, staff, faculty, and community members are invited to present a workshop or facilitate a discussion at CDOR. Proposal submissions are due by 12pm on September 10.
Study Abroad Information Sessions
Join our Study Abroad Coordinator Kerry Gonzales for a series of info sessions for students who are looking for more info about the programs, funding and credit transfer, and how to get started.
Please forward this information on to your students!
Rou Dalagurr Food Sovereignty Lab Volunteer Days
Join community members and students to support the Wiyot Plaza & Indigenous Garden's activities at BSS 168 (Food Sovereignty Lab). Contact nasfsl@humboldt.edu for more information, and make sure to fill a volunteer form in advance.
Sept 9, 2-4pm
Sept 11, 2-4pm
Sept 16, 2-4pm
Sept 18, 2-4pm
Sept 23, 2-4pm
Sept 25, 2-4pm
Graduate Programs News
Congratulations to Yaneyry Delfin, Public Sociology graduate student, on receiving the prestigious Alistair & Judith McCrone Fellowship!
As lead coordinator for Scholars without Borders and Dream Graduate Student Fellow, Yaneyry advocates for undocumented students and researches the barriers they face at Cal Poly Humboldt. Her dedication and scholarship make her a truly deserving recipient. “This fellowship is a beacon of hope for all undocumented students striving for a better future,” she shares. Read the Scholars Without Borders Dreamer's Digest.
Your CAHSS Career Advisor: Abby Grattidge
As the Career Advisor for the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS), Abby is available to provide career-related services to CAHSS students through presentations and in one-on-one advising meetings that include career and graduate school exploration, navigating LinkedIn, searching for employment, resume reviews and interview preparation. To schedule a career advising appointment, we request that students reach out to career@humboldt.edu, or https://abbygrattidge.youcanbook.me/
Abby is also available for classroom presentations, facilitations, and workshops, and to provide career-related materials. Contact Abby directly to discuss a tailored presentation or submit a request via Career Development Center Presentation Request Form.
Listen to CAHSS' Podcasts
Listen to podcasts featuring CAHSS faculty and staff, with the help of our amazing Podcast Producer Abigail Smithson.
Breaking Down the Gear Wall
During the academic year, the Dean's Office is accepting winter clothing donations, and is open to any students who want to pick up some warm clothes and shoes for the fall and winter season. Gist Hall 122, Monday to Friday 8am- 5pm
Please spread the word to your students!
Alison Holmes, Loren Collins
Politics
Dr. Alison Holmes (Politics) and Loren Collins (Director, Advising) presented "Career Curriculum: From Destinations to Pathways" based on their years of working together on campus career curriculum and with the Karuk Education Department, as well as research Holmes has done on "Transformation 8" curriculum to support study abroad and a review of career programming for her graduate certificate in Native American Studies. This annual conference (hosted by a different city/tribe each year) brings career and employment/training professionals from across the country, so their presentation focused on practical ways to create a more "storytelling", holistic, and culturally aware career pedagogy.
Alison Ruth Holmes
Politics
At the end of May, Professor Alison Holmes (Politics & International Studies) was invited to speak to the Redwood Empire Division Meeting of the California League of Cities in Fort Bragg on the topic of: "When Global Issues Reach City Hall: Emerging Trends and the Growing Need for a Small City Strategy." Based on her research on the international affairs of California and subnational diplomacy more broadly, Holmes outlined the increase in activity by cities at the global level and presented a practical guide for any city interested in creating a strategy that could both help protect them from global risks and take advantage of potential opportunities. As well as members from across the division, Cal Cities President Gabe Quinto (mayor of El Cerrito) and CA League of Cities CEO Carolyn Coleman were also present. After discussion, members agreed that future work in this area may be necessary given the growing impact of chaotic international affairs on local politics.
Sarah Lasley & Nicola Waugh
Art + Film
Film professor Sarah Lasley recently received the prestigious 2026 Guggenheim Fellowship. Lasley’s award will support "MUCKRAKERS,” a short hybrid documentary that explores waste, labor, class, and climate migration in Humboldt County, co-directed with Art + Film Lecturer Nicola Waugh.
