The Observer, Spring 2024 – Issue 1

By the students, for the students

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS

MEN’S BASKETBALL CROWNED GNAC CHAMPIONS: WILDCATS BRING HOME GOLD FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 13 YEARS

Roberts

The CWU men’s basketball went through a gauntlet in the GNAC conference tournament but were able to come out on top after a hard-fought season. The tournament was held on March 7-9 and for the first time since 2011, the conference championship was hosted here in Ellensburg, Washington.

The Wildcats came out on top in the championship game vs. the Alaska Anchorage University Seawolves with a final score of 78-69. CWU will now be participating in the NCAA’s DII college basketball playoffs bracket. Senior forward Samaad Hector capped off a great season being named the MVP of the 2024 GNAC Tournament. He finished his play in the championship match where he had a 22 point and 14 rebound double-double which was his ninth of the season.

This game sent CWU’s three seniors off into the sunset in front of

their home crowd: Hector, guard Anjaylo Lloyd and last year’s leading scorer, guard Camron McNeil. All three athletes played a massive role in getting the Wildcats to this point and all of their hard work has paid off with some hardware. Head basketball coach Brandon Rinta spoke about Hector and McNeil and the transition that McNeil had to go through this season. McNeil led the team in scoring last year and had to share the ball a lot more this year, resulting in his scoring taking a hit. “They are the most energetic and vocal leaders that I’ve ever coached,” Rinta said. “And Cam [McNeil], yeah this year looked different but how he handled it and adjusted, it was easy for him because all he cares about is winning.”

With the three seniors playing their final home game, McNeil talked about the emotions that came with playing in the Nicholson Pavilion one last time. “It

was something running through my mind this whole time just realizing this could be my last game playing in Ellensburg and I never wanted it to end,” McNeil said. “I know that it had to come to an end at some point but to be able to go out on a high note like this feels incredible.”

The Wildcats were 15-1 at home heading into the championship, and the Wildcat faithful showed up to pack out the Nicholson Pavilion and made sure to take advantage of the tournament being held at their home court; around 2,500 people showed up to support the team. “That’s Central Washington Basketball right there,” Coach Rinta said. “They love their basketball. It’s got a rich tradition and I just feel grateful that we were able to put another chapter in that. There is so much pride in the guys that have worn that jersey.”

with 4.6 seconds on the clock. Hector’s shot went in and Nicholson Pavilion went into pandemonium. MSUB had 3.1 seconds on the clock and couldn’t make the shot to win the game which led to the Wildcat faithful storming the court. The Wildcats came out on top 81-80 sending the Wildcats to the final round and making Hector’s heroics one of the most important shots in CWU men’s basketball history.

The Wildcats were able to move onto the final round of the GNAC tournament thanks to one of the biggest shots ever made in the newly renovated Nicholson Pavilion. The score was 78-80 with the Montana State University Billings (MSUB) Yellowjackets in the lead when the GNAC Player of the Year, Jalen Tot, missed two free throws with 14 seconds to go. CWU freshman guard Bradley Swillie grabbed the rebound off the missed free throw, he drove to his left then passed the ball to the wing for Hector who put up and drained a three pointer

Hector said after the MSUB game that his shot to advance to the championship was the number one moment of his basketball career; the emotions he felt after that shot were comparable to his feelings after the final buzzer rang as his team was named conference champions. “I remember a bunch of different emotions really,” Hector said. “I didn’t know whether to scream, laugh or cry. Really everything’s just exhilarating. We play hard and by the time that clock went off and all the hard things we’ve done throughout the past three days and past four months, it really paid off.”

The Wildcats finished off a historic season with hardware as they took home the GNAC championship and now they will travel to Los Angeles, California for the DII NCAA playoff bracket. Looking forward to next season, the Wildcats will be losing three key seniors but have seen promising signs from underclassmen on the roster as they look to run it back and repeat as champs in the 2024-2025 season.

Jackson

Staff Reporter

The crowd goes wild as CWU men’s basketball team wins GNAC championship. (Photos courtesy of Jacob Thompson / Thompson Sports Media)

CWU men’s basketball team wins GNAC.

BEYOND OUR COVERAGE

BEYOND OUR COVERAGE

Local National Global

An Ellensburg man was sentenced to four months in jail after he pleaded guilty to a burglary charge that stemmed from a theft of jerky sticks and tobacco from Safeway, according to the Daily Record. Lawrence Martinez Stewart Jr., 26, was sentenced last week in Kittitas County Superior Court by Judge L. Candace Hooper.

HopeSource has been awarded $1.616 million in congressional appropriations funding to build a new affordable housing property in downtown Ellensburg, according to the Daily Record. Located on Pearl Street, the property will feature 12 apartments for low-income, senior disabled veterans.

The Kittitas Valley Historical Museum is hopeful phase one of its major restoration project will be completed by the end of this year, if funding can be secured, according to the Daily Record.

Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed on March 26 after its support pillar was hit by a 984-foot cargo ship that lost power. According to CNN, eight people were on the bridge when it collapsed, and six of them are presumed dead.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek signed a bill that re-criminalized small amounts of drugs according to NBC. Possession of drugs such as heroin or methamphetamine will now be a misdemeanor punishable by six months in jail.

At least one person in Texas has been diagnosed with bird flu after having contact with dairy cows presumed to be infected, according to The New York Times. So far, there are no signs that the virus has evolved in ways that would help it spread more easily among people, federal officials have said.

Tens of thousands of people across Israel joined the families of hostages this weekend to protest against the government and call for the removal of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to The Guardian. Protestors demanded the release of those still held captive in Gaza after close to six months, and labeled Netanyahu an “obstacle to the deal,” vowing to persist until he leaves power.

A farm in Australia has grown the heaviest blueberry the world has ever seen, according to CBS News. Guinness World Records announced the “behemoth blueberry” on March 29, saying it weighed in at 20.4 grams, almost 70 times more than an average wild blueberry. The berry is 4.2 grams heavier than the previous record, Guinness said, and is 39.31 millimeters across, roughly the size of a ping pong ball.

World Central Kitchen, the food charity founded by celebrity chef José Andrés, called a halt to its work in the Gaza Strip after an Israeli strike killed seven of its workers, according to the Associated Press.

LETTER from the EDITOR

I’m thrilled to

if it is

back as

for another

for what

farewell

I want to go out with a bang. I am ecstatic to get to work with our crew this quarter. We have a twenty-one person staff this go-around which I am just so incredibly excited about. I’m fairly confident this is the biggest staff that I have ever been a part of, and I promise you that in return we will be printing the biggest and best issues of The Observer yet.

But first, we have a short and sweet editors-only issue for y’all this week. That is aside from Jackson’s coverage of the men’s basketball team winning the GNAC championship, which you saw on the front page. He completed that story for us after our final issue of last quarter had printed, and while the rest of us were at a conference in San Diego (Where we won third best in show! More on that down the line), because he’s the GOAT.

Inside, we have many great stories to read and digest. There’s a story checking in on the softball team’s season, a story about the recent primary elections and how CWU students feel heading into November, and much more.

In my first letter from the editor when I first took this position, I said that I wanted the paper to return to a feeling of prestige and grandness that I felt it had when I first got here. With our recognition in San Diego, we’ve got the prestige. And now this quarter I’m hoping to regularly print 16-page issues, and if that happens, we’ve got the grandness. I’m a man of my word.

See you next week, Isaac

THE PRIMARY ELECTIONS

AT CWU

Astor Powell-Pedersen News Editor

For many CWU students and college students across the board the 2024 presidential primary election was their first voting experience.

According to CNN, primaries are “election[s] to select candidates, usually for a particular political party, to appear on the general election ballot.” This means that while primary elections do not determine who becomes the next president, they — and the voters who participate in them — play a large role in deciding the candidates that have a chance of winning the presidency.

Despite this, only 11,888 people in Kittitas County voted in the primaries, which is less than 40%.

Even when it comes to CWU students who did vote, the issue of dissatisfaction is clear. “None of the likely-to-win candidates are satisfying or reassuring, they both represent right-wing interests,” Ryan Van Der Put, a sophomore political science major, said. “Trump is a monster when it comes to his treatment of minority groups and the working class as a whole and Biden continues to show support

for Israel despite the state currently committing a genocide against Palestinians. Biden doesn’t even really oppose Trump, he’s failed to handle the southern border situation appropriately and often gives the GOP an edge in all policy-making.”

The sentiment of dissatisfaction is echoed by Rin Garcia Sanchez, a first-year student majoring in social services and women’s gender and sexuality studies. Like Van Der Put, this was Sanchez’s first time voting in a presidential election and something that they had looked forward to.

“I felt very conflicted,” Sanchez said. “I used to be excited about being able to vote because that meant that would be one more way I could participate in creating change. However, both parties have shown a lack of support for too many communities, specifically those of color. For that reason, voting felt very lackluster, almost like my choices would have no impact on the safety and security of my and other communities.”

Because of these conflicting feelings, Sanchez chose to make

a slightly unconventional move when voting. “I voted uncommitted for this election because of the president’s current political actions that have refused humanitarian rights to the people of not only Gaza but other areas across the globe that have gone unaddressed,” Sanchez said. “Moreover, I had seen little change and at times even step-backs in action for BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and women’s rights. For these reasons any vote to either party’s main candidates feels like an injustice to those who have suffered and continue to.”

Along with the challenges students may face when it comes to the candidates themselves, many students are not registered to vote in Kittitas County, meaning that if they are registered, their ballots are sent to their homes, which can be inaccessible for those who don’t live close. However, changing your address on your voter’s registration, and even registering to vote in itself doesn’t need to be difficult. United States citizens can go to voter.votewa.gov and use their driver’s license or ID to register.

You can list your dorm address — which can be found at the mailroom — to register, even though you do not live there permanently.

“I do feel it matters because when many don’t vote during primaries, the options become more limited in the ‘more’ important election,” Sanchez said. “At that point it becomes too late to look into other candidates and those we put into leadership positions can end up not being fit for the role. I believe it is important to vote as there are many in our community, or even just within our individual families who are unable to. I do understand that voting can seem intimidating and there are definitely circumstances in which voting just may not be a priority for some people’s situations. But if you are able to vote, it can bring up potential movement towards pushing important actions to be done. Whether it be an issue of race, gender, sexuality, or a variety of many complex issues being addressed, voting is one of many steps we can take to provide more for various communities.”

VOTE VOTE

(Photo courtesy of Pexels.com)

and Sydney Sweeney the movie star “

Libs saw how the anti-woke crowd embraced Sydney Sweeney as their new darling and right away had to shove her in this blasphemous, satanic, feminist, pro-abortion, anti-life movie degrading christians! This movie also debases Mary, mother of the Christ!” read a post written by X (which I will refer to from here-on as Twitter) user @aurorafaced. The post has since been deleted.

Something must be in the air, because it seems that the nunsploitation subgenre is back. Nunsploitation is a type of movie — typically horror adjacent — that takes the socially upheld position of a nun, and the Catholic or Christian church, and well, exploits it. Last year “The Nun II” was released by New Line Cinema as a part of their “Conjuring” franchise. I wasn’t a huge fan, but there were elements of it that I enjoyed. This weekend, “The First Omen” will be released by 20th Century Studios, which I anticipate greatly.

Last weekend, NEON released “Immaculate” which is similarly infused with elements of nunsploitation. Following a young Catholic who moves to Italy from Detroit to pursue life as a nun only to be met with a church that is not as it seems, the Sydney Sweeney starring and produced film has been subject to much controversy, as demonstrated by the hilarious post that I included at the top.

Sweeney has been claimed online by altright extremists as a movie star for them after her early March appearance on “Saturday Night Live!,” touting her as the killer of wokeness. Why? Well because she is a conventionally attractive white woman with blonde hair who is the antithesis of how our thinking of body image has changed over the last two decades.

Suffice to say that crowd wasn’t aware that a movie where Sweeney plays a modern-day Virgin Mary — who may or may not be pregnant with the child of Jesus Christ, or something worse — was coming out later that month.

“Immaculate” is awesome. I loved it. Is it a quote-unquote “Great movie?” No, but does it have to be? “Immaculate” serves as a great thrill ride with scenes that will sit with you for weeks, and a core performance from Sweeney that will surely reward repeat viewing. The scares are fantastic and gruesome, my buddy had to watch much of it through his fingers. The production design is eerie and constantly unsettling, painting the catholic church as a place to be feared and tip-toed through. And Sweeney is — pun absolutely intended — immaculate. She plays into her strengths greatly, culminating in a bone-chilling final scene.

Even so, “Immaculate” has a lot more

on its mind than just gore and scares. At its core the movie deals with fighting for possession of your own body (Timely!), trusting those in power (Timely!) and oppression from the church (Timely!). The movie does a good job balancing the thematic center with the harsh horror, often interweaving the two which makes for some truly impactful scenes — especially during the final act — that are viscerally upsetting. All of this makes me sure that “Immaculate” will be remembered as something that I like to call a midnight classic; a movie that is perfect to throw on with your buddies at midnight on a saturday. There are three key factors that make a midnight classic for me. One; it needs to be good. Check in this case. Two; it needs to be fun. I don’t wanna be up at midnight and watch something that’s really talky. Check for “Immaculate.” Three; it needs to be short! This is arguably the most important qualifier. I’m not throwing on a three hour movie at midnight, I need something short, sweet and exciting. Check again for “Immaculate.”

Read More

Sydney Sweeney auditioned for ‘Immaculate’ in 2014, but the movie went unmade. Sweeney bought the rights to the screenplay after her emergence from starring in ‘Euphoria,’ bringing the dead-in-the-water project back to life. (Photo courtesy NEON)

Isaac Hinson Columnist

Spring Playlist

Astor

‘Vienna’

Spring Playlist

My whole life I’ve always felt like I had to be the best, do the most, and get everything done as soon as I could or else it wasn’t good enough. Between that and your typical freshman homesickness, this song made me bawl like an actual baby for like the entire fall quarter.

Isaac H

‘I Wish you Roses’ - Kali Uchis

This song evokes a sense of bittersweet nostalgia for me. With notes of both romanticism and melancholy, Uchis highlights the beauty of being able to release people from your life with love. In my spring playlist, it serves as my reminder to not only cherish the memories I’m making, but also to allow myself to fully embrace new beginnings.

I don’t think that R.E.M. knew that they were writing the situationship anthem of our time back in 1994, but 30 years later “Strange Currencies” still perfectly bottles the feeling of being enamored by someone who you don’t fully understand, but are desperate to please and willing to make a fool of yourself for. Plus, one of the great guitar riffs. This opinion also might be informed by the song’s excellent use in season two of “The Bear.”

Megan

‘Anthems’ - Snow Strippers

Shining synths and echoing vocals make this cover of Broken Social Scenes’ indie classic “Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl” my perfectly edgy early spring jam. “Anthems” is wildly danceable, wildly fun and wildly essential for the sunny shenanigans I’ve been getting into as the weather gets just a little warmer. The original version’s more forlorn sound and lyrics are given new life by Snow Strippers, who turn the ballad into two minutes of emotionally charged and surprisingly affirming electro-pop bliss. I just know I’ll be doing a lot of sleeping on the floor and dreaming about you this spring!

‘Acolyte’ - Slaughter Beach, Dog

My brain has had this song on repeat for weeks. Leading up to the return of the sunshine, this song has yet to get old. The lyrics depict a love story, one that blurs the lines between metaphorical reality and fiction. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of this song, my car will continue to be filled with the joyfulness of the beat and sweet sentiment of the lyrics.

Z

‘Jort Storm’ - Slimecicle

Charis Isaac D Lee

‘Bodys’- Car Seat Headrest

A testament to young love and its inevitable end, “Bodys” is a poppy emo classic to dance to. Will Toledo, Car Seat Headrest’s founding member, reveres living in the moment and loving another while there’s the chance to do so. To its initial release in 2011, many youngsters may have jabbered a “YOLO” while listening in. After all, “don’t you realize our bodies could fall apart at any second?”

Jort season is upon us. Watch out. “Jort Storm” is coming in. You have to listen to this song to be fully prepared. Whether you love jorts, hate jorts, you have to listen to this song. Besides, you need to be prepared for the inevitable. It’s coming.

Winnie

‘Now That We Don’t Talk’ - Taylor Swift

When I’m feeling big emotions, I love going for a drive and blasting music that makes me feel even bigger emotions. For me, “Now That We Don’t Talk” is all about feeling that my time is for me and I can spend it however I want no matter the cost.

- Billy Joel:

‘Strange Currencies’ - R.E.M.

Winnie Killingsworth Online Editor

You live on campus as a college student, even if you don’t reside in student housing. Classes keep us there. Resources keep us here. The hours that these resources are available in person is something that matters to students. Whether it’s needing a space to study or a spot to grab a bite to eat in between classes or homework, there are options to use. But only when they are open.

Even though the COVID-19 pandemic happened four years ago, there are lasting impacts everywhere. Things like the hours that places on campus are open is one of those impacts.

Fall quarter 2023 was the first time that “all available dining locations were open and operating since winter quarter 2020,” Dean Masuccio, director of dining & catering, said.

Brooks Library has also had hours changed due to COVID-19.

When Brooks Library reopened in the fall of 2020, they decided to shorten their hours. “[W]e decided to close at 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, as opposed to our usual midnight closing on those days,” Sydney Thompson, dean of libraries, said.

A year later, the hours returned to closing at midnight Sunday through Thursday.

The process to determine hours at Brooks is based on a variety of things.

“Brooks Library hours are based on perceived student needs throughout the week and academic year,” Thompson said. “We utilize usage statistics, feedback, and our available staffing to schedule hours of operation.”

The data has caused a number of changes through the years for the hours that the Brooks Library is open.

Throughout the 2021-2022 academic year, the staff at Brooks noticed how many students were still in the library when it closed at 5 p.m. and started to do headcounts at closing. The numbers showed more people being in the library on Friday afternoons, so they increased the Brooks Library hours to be open until 7 p.m. on Fridays.

Closing the library earlier on Fridays and Saturdays was a result of less people in the building that the other days of the week.

“Saturdays are the quietest day of the week,” Sydney Thompson, dean of libraries, said.

The library does have online resources available 24/7. OneSearch can be used on the library’s website for research. Connecting virtually can be done through a global chat reference cooperative that CWU is part of. The

chat option on the library’s “Ask Here” page is how one can access it.

“I would love to hear any and all feedback about the Libraries,” Thompson said. Email is the best way to reach her. Use libraries.dean@cwu.edu when reaching out.

For those interested in sharing opinions or asking questions about dining, dining@cwu.edu is where those comments can be sent.

To be more involved with dining services, students can apply to be on the Housing and Dining Advisory Committee.

“Members of the committee are consulted for policies, products and services that benefit the campus community meeting biweekly during the academic year,” the CWU page for the Housing and Dining Advisory Committee said.

TRIALS AND TRIUMPHS FOR CWU SOFTBALL

TRIALS AND TRIUMPHS FOR CWU SOFTBALL FOR CWU SOFTBALL

Charis Jones Sports Editor

The CWU softball team recently took a brief hiatus from conference play to participate in the Tournament of Champions in Turlock, California. Despite not achieving their desired record, the team showcased competitiveness in every game according to redshirt senior catcher Anna Fridell.

“I think it just came down to timely hitting,” Fridell said about the team’s performance. “In our last game against Chico State [University], we had some big hits come up for us late in the game which helped us get the win rather than trying to play catch up.”

The Wildcats went out with a bang during their final showdown of the tournament as fifth-year catcher Alyssa Benthagen hit her second home run of the season and helped secure the win. This victory put CWU at a record of 1-3 for the weekend.

Returning to the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) play against the Northwest Nazarene University (NNU) Nighthawks, the team faced a formidable challenge against the 19-ranked Division II softball team in the nation.

“NNU is not only one of the top teams in the GNAC, but also in the country,” Joe Dipietro, softball head coach, said. “We need to be ready for the challenge and play our best,” he expressed before the team’s four-day series commenced on Friday, March 29 according to wildcatsports.com.

CWU went on to win the first game against the Nighthawks and lost the subsequent three. Fridell noted that despite solid fielding and pitching performances, the team acknowledged their need to capitalize on offensive opportunities to sway future game outcomes in their favor.

Fifth-year pitcher Ashlee Laver “pitched the lights out,” for the Wildcats during their first game of the series, according to Fridell. Laver threw 114 pitches and allowed only seven hits. It was also during this game that Benthagen came back out and whacked her third home run of the season.

“Alyssa [Benthagen has] been key to our lineup both offensively and defensively,” Fridell said. “She’s got home run power that ultimately was the difference maker in our first game against NNU and also did a great job throwing runners out from behind the plate.”

Looking forward to the challenges ahead, Fridell emphasized that momentum is huge. “Though California and NNU didn’t go how we would’ve liked, we’ve been playing some really good ball since then and we feel confident about our chances going into the GNAC tournament,” she said.

The CWU softball team was on a sixgame winning streak before making an appearance at the Tournament of Champions. Now, they only have three more series to build that momentum up before the GNAC Tournament begins on Thursday, May 2.

However, Fridell expressed excitement on the team’s behalf for the upcoming games, stating, “Especially with two out of our last three series being here at home, we’re excited to see what we can do and continue to build on the work we’ve done over the season.”

The Wildcats will take the field next against long-time rivals, the Western Oregon University Wolves, on Friday, April 12 at 1:00 p.m. at Gary and Bobbi Frederick Field in Ellensburg, Washington.

(Photo courtesy of Jacob Thompson / Thompson Sports Media)

How long have you been in ROTC? What drew you to it initially, and how did you get involved?

“I joined CWU ARMY ROTC in Fall of 2020. I wanted to pursue a career in aviation and knew that Army helicopter pilots were some of the best in the world. My father also being in the Army as an infantry definitely helped my pursuit toward being an Army Aviation Officer.”

Did ROTC influence your decision to come to CWU for college?

“I initially wanted to join the CWU professional pilot program, but I simply didn’t have the money to do so. I discovered that there was the Aviation Management side as well as CWU ROTC which both seemed promising to my pursuit of an aviation [degree].”

If you aren’t in school, studying or working, what would your ideal day look like?

“When I’m not busy with schoolwork I like to take part in my various hobbies such as riding my motorcycles, playing soccer and video games. I think that finding time to relax and do your hobbies is crucial to being successful as it gives you time to step back and replenish yourself.”

What does being the Executive Officer of the Wildcat Battalion entail? How did you get into this position?

“Being Executive Officer of the Wildcat Battalion I have to ensure that all tasks that are given out to the rest of the battalion are being met within the timelines prescribed by the Battalion Commander. What this comes down to is ensuring that ROTC and its many moving parts are well maintained and oiled. I got my role [of executive officer] because I work very well with the current Cadet Battalion Commander and am reliable when given a task. Crucial to being successful as an Army officer is being competent and reliable within your given field.”

What would you say to those who are thinking about joining ROTC?

“ROTC is a learning experience that gives you the opportunity to grow your leadership capabilities. If you are thinking about joining ROTC but are on the fence, I always recommend trying it out and ask questions from me or anyone else within the Wildcat Battalion about their goals and aspirations from being an Army Officer.”

“Ladybug.”