What is SHIFT (formerly HEIF)?

The Sustainable Humboldt Innovative Futures Trust, or "S.H.I.F.T", is a concept championed by students whereby student fee money collects into a fund that is then available for sustainability projects on the Cal Poly Humboldt campus. Over the life of the fund (started in 2007), it has evolved from it's original intent to fund solely energy independence (e.g. energy generation) projects to now include other projects that have potential for positive natural resource, sustainability, or carbon impacts. Projects the fund has paid for in the past include a small solar array, lighting upgrades, water bottle refill stations, and compost bins, among many others. Over it's lifetime, SHIFT has employed a significant number of students who have generally worked on various elements of project proposals.

The Story of SHIFT/HEIF: A History

HEIF was first proposed in concept by Michael Winkler in 2001 and put to a vote by students in 2004 when it passed with an 86% approval rating. At that time however, Chancellor Reed of the CSU vetoed implementation because no additional student fees were being implemented. With the support of President Rollin Richmond in 2007, HEIF was finally implemented and the first proposals were submitted and awarded a year later in 2008.

In the beginning, HEIF primarily functioned as a "grant-making" body, wherein students put forth proposals and assisted with implementation when they were awarded funds. During this time, the primary demographic of students involved were those with technical knowledge and experience in energy (many were ERE students). Over time, an effort was made to create a mechanism to include a broader range of students in HEIF. Accordingly, the concept of "idea papers" came into being in 2010-2011, such that anyone with any level of experience could submit a high level idea that was not required to be fully fleshed out. The Committee would consider these ideas, then hire students for the next phase, which entailed gathering and collating logistics information about what it would take to make these high-level ideas real. This was the advent of what we now call the "Development phase", where students are hired to take ideas submitted by other students and produce feasibility studies for presentation back to the HEIF Committee. Results from Development have also been called "schematic design" or "proof of concept". At the end of Development, the Committee votes and makes recommendations about which projects should be funded and move to implementation. 

In 2018, the Development Phase was restructured with significant feedback from Committee members to include a greater level of training, structure, and feedback. The intent of this overhaul was to create more structured and consistent training opportunities for students serving in the Development Phase, flag potential problems earlier on in the project process, create a more consistent mechanism for Facilities Management to interface with students (re: trades experts, construction managers, designers/architects, etc), and to develop deliverables that could be taken to implementation more easily.

In 2021, the new name "SHIFT" was workshopped to better encompass the funds' mission and values. In May 2023, the name change from 'Humboldt Energy Independece Fund' to 'Sustainable Humboldt Innovative Futures Trust' was approved.

At this time, Development is the phase where students have a high level of impact and opportunity to be significantly involved in HEIF/SHIFT projects. There are currently not opportunities for students to draw up construction documents, install projects, or monitor results but SHIFT hopes that in the future and with a greater level of proven success, these may become student opportunities. 

Wait, HEIF changed it's name? Why?

Yes! HEIF is undergoing a "rebranding" process to change our name to the Sustainable Humboldt Innovative Futures Trust. 

When HEIF was first established, students were incredibly interested in energy independence. Most of the fund's early projects were focused on installing solar panels and accomplishing energy efficiency projects such as lighting upgrades. Over the years, the fund expanded its focus to go beyond energy independence to include a broader array of projects that made waste, water, landscape, and social impact on the campus. As such, the fund then sponsored a variety of projects, ranging from updating fisheries pumps to drought resistant landscaping to installing compost bins to water bottle refill stations. An array of social justice projects have also been implemented, such as an ethnobotanical mapping project, support for the Umoja Bayside Park gardening project, and providing initial seed funding for the Rou Dalagurr Food Sovereignty Lab and Traditional Ecological Knowledge Institute. For a full list of our projects, see our projects page.

Because the fund’s focus has changed over time from being focused exclusively on energy independence to a broader array of sustainability concepts, in 2021 the HEIF committee decided it was time to enter a new era by updating the name and purpose/vision/values statements to align better with contemporary desires of students. Over the following two years, the Committee worked internally and with the Student Fee Advisory Committee to formally change the name to the Sustainable Humboldt Innovative Futures Trust, or SHIFT. 

How did HEIF go about changing its name to SHIFT?

To initiate this change, a Committee working group was created in 2021 to draft recommended changes for the Student Fee Advisory Committe. They generated a name, an in-depth explanation for moving away from using the term “Energy Independence”, and they also recommended changes to the purpose, vision, and values statements. You can read the formal proposal here. In April 2021, the draft was completed, put to a vote and endorsed by the full HEIF governance committee in May of 2021. In spring of 2023, student and staff members of the committee presented the formal proposal to the Student Fee Advisory Committee (SFAC), who further voted in support of the proposed changes. This means that starting Spring 2024, the Humboldt Energy Independence Fund became known as the Sustainable Humboldt Innovative Futures Trust.

What happens now?

Changing the organization name to SHIFT requires creating a new website, changing our logo, updating our bylaws, and hosting a launch event, among other behind-the-scenes administrative updates!

In the spring of 2024, idea proposals were accepted and considered under the new name as "Grant Proposals", and our website was updated to reflect all name changes. Effectively, the fund continues to do what it always has: listen to students' novel ideas and encourage innovation, sustainability, and social equity and justice on campus. We look forward to seeing YOUR idea in our inbox next!

How is HEIF/ SHIFT funded?

HEIF/ SHIFT is funded via student instructionally related activities (IRA) fees, at a rate of $13.41 per semester for students enrolled in 6+ units. Read more about Humboldt student fees at https://studentfinancialservices.humboldt.edu/fall-term-2019.

Who is responsible for administering and managing the fund?

Facilities Management is responsible for managing and administering the fund, with the Associate Vice President (AVP) of Facilities Management designated as the ultimate authority for the fund by the President of the University. A governance committee of majority students (membership is comprised of five students, three ex-officio staff, and one faculty member) discusses and votes on matters, thereby making recommendations to the AVP for action. 

A service level agreement was put in place in February 2018 whereby HEIF pays the equivalent of roughly 50% of an FTE professional staff position per year for services rendered to administer and manage the fund. A variety of staff deliver a range of services to the fund, including student supervision and mentoring, fiscal and budget administration, and project management, among others. With an estimated revenue of approximately $180k per year, roughly 25% is typically used for administration.

Governance

Read about governance on our HEIF Committee page. 

HEIF Mission Statement

To create a more sustainable campus by promoting energy independence

Goals of HEIF

To create a more sustainable campus by promoting energy independence

The five primary goals of the HEIF

• The HEIF will achieve its mission through projects that are developed by students and, to the extent possible, implemented, monitored, and maintained with strong student involvement.

• The HEIF will require accountability by measuring and reporting quantitative and qualitative results, as well as levels of involvement by students and other participants, in all its projects.

• The HEIF will strive to make its projects derive from and be connected to the curriculum of the university.

• The HEIF will support the dissemination of information about its projects through public outreach and educational activities.

• The HEIF will seek to publicize accomplishments and experiences associated with its program and projects through a variety of media.