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Vol. 117 NO. 1 September 15 - September 22, 2020
COVID-19 health and safety measures enforced on campus Bailey Tomlinson News Editor Following the decision to open campus during the pandemic, a number of health and safety measures have caused changes on campus. Many of these have taken the form of physical changes made to spaces on campus, alongside a refocusing of disciplinary guidelines that encompass new risks occupying these spaces will bring. Many spaces have had furniture reconfigured in ways that encourage, if not require, social distancing. Seats in classrooms have been separated, walkways and queues have been clearly marked and dorms will now only house a single student per room. Air circulation and filtration has also been tested in all campus buildings. Some classrooms from several buildings, including Lind Hall, will not be utilized during fall quarter due to lack of adequate circulation or filtration.
Mitchell Roland Editor-in-Chief
Casey Rothgeb/The Observer
“Go with the flow” CWU sign prompting students to stay safe and distanced
According to an employee FAQ page on the CWU website, HVAC systems are being reconfigured to run fully on fresh air, instead of recirculating air, where it’s possible to do so. Portable filtration systems, outdoor dining and popup outdoor classes are also being considered for fall quarter.
Additionally, cleaning protocols have been increased and refocused. Resources have been shifted to cleaning high volume areas more often, according to James Jankowski, director of the project management office.
As the new school year begins and some students return to campus, new Title IX rules around sexual misconduct are in the process of being implemented on college campuses across the country. Passed in 1972, Title IX of the Education Amendments Act bans sex discrimination at educational institutions that receive federal
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News Scene News Opinion Sports Engagement
funding. This means that K-12 schools as well as colleges and universities must comply with rules such as offering the same number of sports to males and females and outlining a process around sexual misconduct policy. In May, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos outlined sweeping changes to the policy which were to be implemented by an Aug. 14 deadline. The Washington state Attorney General’s office provided guidelines to all public institutions
In the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minnesota in May, race relations have once again dominated headlines as protests take place across the country, including in Ellensburg. Two current CWU students and one alumnus are hoping to not let the Black Lives Matter protests fade away. For over 100 days, Tre Gardner, Mireya Sonora and Sara Omrani have protested in downtown Ellensburg. And while they’re working towards the same cause, all three have different life experiences that led them to this movement.
in the state to ensure these schools abide by both the guidelines as well as Washington state law. These rules outline everything from who is required to report, to where universities have allegations to report, to what happens after a report has been made. Staci Sleigh-Layman, CWU’s Title IX coordinator, said there are major differences between the old rules and the new rules.
Tre Gardner During a drive from Tacoma to Ellensburg several years ago, Tre Gardner thought an interaction with a police officer could cost him his life. “I thought that it could be the end,” Gardner said. A CWU student at the time, Gardner was pulled over for speeding. A black male, Gardner’s father told him growing up to always comply with the police and make interactions as brief as possible. While the officer approached, he began to pull his insurance information up on his phone. In the process, his phone fell between his seat and the center console in his car. As Gardner looked down at the phone and began to reach, the officer drew their firearm and instructed Gardner to step out of the car.
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Work continues to fully implement new Title IX regulations at CWU Mitchell Roland Editor-in-Chief
Students continue to lead protests in Ellensburg
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CWU greets students back
Safe behavior on campus
Athlete forms justice group
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Opinion
Letters from the editors: Mitchell Roland & Amy Morris My name is Mitchell Roland, and I am the current Editor-in-Chief of The Observer. This is my first quarter in this role, and it will be my third quarter at CWU. If you’ve read my previous work, I hope that you’ve found my reporting to be fair and accurate. And if you haven’t, I hope to earn your trust soon. This quarter, much like everything else, will be different due to the continued effects of COVID-19. Several of our staff members are working remotely and I am writing this from my parents’ dining room. But while things continue to change, The Observer’s mission to deliver the news that impacts both students and the community will remain the same. Our staff is hard-working and dedicated to creating the best paper we can. And there certainly will be a lot of news to cover: ongoing demonstrations against police brutality, a pandemic that has killed over 190,000 Americans and left millions out of work, looming budget cuts at CWU due to an economic slowdown from COVID-19, an upcoming presidential election and an ongoing search for the next president of CWU. A lot is happening on campus and
in Ellensburg, and we intend to cover it as best as we can. Our coverage can be found in print every Tuesday on campus, online at cwuobserver.com or on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts @cwuobserver. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions, concerns or story ideas. In a crowded media landscape, I hope you will find The Observer to be a reliable source of information. Mitchell Emil Roland Editor-in-Chief
Going into my senior (and last) year on The Observer, I am excited to make this quarter one worth remembering. There is so much going on in the world right now with COVID-19, the Black Lives Matter protests, the elections and other big world events. More than anything, this paper serves as a way to share the voices of all students. I am going on my fourth quarter of being on The Observer and have learned so much along the way. The past two quarters I have been the scene editor, and this quarter I will be the managing and online editor. As the managing editor, I am looking forward to becoming more involved with all the sections of the paper and not just the scene section. This quarter, we’re really diving into longer and more constructed articles covering bigger issues. With everything going on in the world right now, journalism is essential to keeping the public
informed. There is so much hard work and time spent on each article in the paper. As times are changing and the world is adapting more to the digital platform, I am excited to work on the online aspect of things as well. Having quick, easy, up-to-date information is essential in today’s world. I look forward to all this quarter has to bring and the new stories that will be told. Amy Morris Managing/Online Editor
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Cynthia Mitchell / cwuobserveradviser@gmail.com Editorial Policy: The Observer is a public forum for student expression, in which student editors make policy and content decisions. The mission of The Observer is two-fold: to serve Central Washington University as a newspaper and to provide training for students who are seeking a career in journalism. The Observer seeks to provide complete, accurate, dependable information to the campus and community; to provide a public forum for the free debate of issues, ideas and problems facing the community at large; and to be the best source of information, education and entertainment news. As a training program, The Observer is the practical application of the theories and principles of journalism. It teaches students to analyze and communicate information that is vital to the decision making of the community at large. It provides a forum for students to learn the ethics, values and skills needed to succeed in their chosen career. If you have questions or concerns, email us at cwuobserver@gmail.com.
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News
Outbreak response and resources secured for fall Bailey Tomlinson News Editor CWU has secured promised health and safety resources for students and employees this fall quarter, along with assembling a COVID-19 task force to respond to any positive cases of COVID-19 that occur on campus. These resources will be used to support student and employee health as the school opens amid the pandemic. As far back as July, CWU officials have been discussing securing health and safety resources for students and employees. Key resources to ensure health and safety while opening include the ability to test for COVID-19, track cases and quarantine students. According to James Jankowski, director of the project management office, CWU has been able to secure these resources through extensive work with the Kittitas County Public Health Department (KCPHD). Testing for COVID-19 will be available both through CWU’s student health services and through health services in the greater Ellensburg area. “If [student health services] for some reason are unable to administer a test, or it’s after hours or what have you, we’ve worked in close partnership with Kittitas Valley Hospital, their [COVID-19] clinic. We can refer students to there to get tested as well,” Jankowski said. Working closely with KCPHD has also allowed the school to utilize health services they provide,
Continued from Page 1 “Part of what you have to keep in mind is that this was a massive change,” Sleigh-Layman said. Joseph Bryant, the executive director of student rights and responsibilities, said these rules define both what sexual misconduct is and where the Title IX coordinator can investigate. “It has narrowly defined not only the definition of what they consider sexual harassment, but also the location of which they say falls under Title IX,” Bryant said. The new policy is that Title IX protections now applies only to events that physically take place on CWU’s campus. “The new regulations limit our jurisdiction to only on-campus activities,” Sleigh-Layman said. “I also want to be clear that we still have our regular process.” While these allegations are no longer subject to Title IX rules, they are still subject to student conduct code that forbids sexual discrimination, racial discrimination and sexual assault. “We can use that policy to adjudicate things that hap-
like contact tracing, which will be done entirely through the county. Executive Director of Human Resources Staci Sleigh-Layman said contact tracing was being done through the county partially to maintain a level of privacy between individuals and the institution. CWU has additionally developed an incident command team, called the COVID Task Force, composed of housing, dining, academic, custodial, health department and human resources members. This Task Force was initially assembled in May and has been restructured to manage any positive cases on campus, Jankowski said. “The task force is paying particular attention to guidelines and recommendations pertaining to colleges and universities. In addition to a summary report providing testing, tracing, illness and recovery details for the CWU community, the task force is preparing an operating manual for use by medical and emergency personnel on and off campus,” an official CWU fall reopening document states. Currently, it’s meeting daily to discuss plans for fall quarter and perform tabletop exercises of mock scenarios that may occur. “You can’t obviously prepare for every scenario, but a lot of them you can,” Jankowski said. The task force will be called upon in the event that outbreaks do occur on campus. The team will support students in quarantine or iso-
Casey Rothgeb/The Observer
While on campus students and faculty are expected to follow COVID-19 protocols.
lation in every facet of life, such as ensuring food is safely delivered to them and providing them with mental health resources. “When we do have positive cases then that group will assess it, will work together with the county, the health department has membership on that team, and they’ll manage that as best they can,” Jankowski said. “There’s going to be constant communication with our president, with our county, our leadership … We will make adjustments as needed to be as preventative as possible.” The COVID Task Force also has the ability to begin conversations on whether or not CWU will need to shut down at any point in the quarter. According to Sleigh-Lay-
man, the quarter will move to entirely online learning should it be necessary for health and safety. “I think what we’re trying to do is be comfortable with uncomfortableness, and we’re a higher-ed institution so we always want to have an answer before something happens,” Sleigh-Layman said. “And I just think we have to live in this ambiguity until we’re faced with the situations as they occur.” Additionally, the fall quarter has been accelerated to end Nov. 20 in an attempt to end the quarter before a predicted increase in flu and COVID-19 cases and to avoid the logistics of students leaving and returning to campus around the Thanksgiving holiday, the employee FAQ said.
New rules mean that Title IX policy will only apply when physically on campus pen within our programs that are off-campus,” Sleigh-Layman said. “We just can't use the [Title IX] procedures to do that.” Bryant said an investigation will still take place if an allegation is off-campus, but it may look different than a typical Title IX investigation. “The difference is going to be if a situation happened on campus versus if it happened in an apartment or a house in the city, that the investigative requirements may not be the same. We will still do an investigation, but that doesn't require if it happens in the city that it goes to a live hearing panel with live cross-examination that would then just fall under our normal student conduct procedures,” Bryant said. Bryant said there will be “some minor procedural pieces that aren't required” if an allegation were to occur off-campus. However, the university is committed to ensuring the process is fair. “We want to make sure that the process, regardless, and that's one of my
biggest concerns, is the process. Regardless of where the behavior happened,” Bryant said. “If it's the same behavior it should be responded to and managed similarly.” A change in rules that’s yet to be fully determined is who on campus is required to report sexual misconduct. Under old rules, anyone on campus who was deemed to be a responsible employee was required to report allegations. All staff and faculty members were designated as responsible employees at CWU. However, the new rules state that only officials with authority are required to report allegations to the Title IX coordinator. Sleigh-Layman is still talking with the faculty union as well as the other two civil service unions on campus to ensure the new wording and reporting requirements are approved by them. “My sense is that the university will continue to have faculty and staff as responsible employees, but we haven't actually made that final decision yet. We are still
expecting at this moment in time that faculty and staff will report any behaviors that they are concerned about,” Sleigh-Layman said. While there are still more procedures to be finalized and requirements to be defined, Sleigh-Layman said the university would still do its best to ensure any Title IX complaint would follow these new guidelines. “The federal regulations went into effect Aug 14 and we would certainly do our best to ensure that we use those regulations to adjudicate any sexual harassment, sexual assault that came forward before we were absolutely solid,” Sleigh-Layman said. Sleigh-Layman said the fall quarter will test these guidelines, although it could be difficult since a majority of classes are online. “I think what's part of what you do when you put procedures in places that you wait for the cases to test it,” Sleigh-Layman said. “And I suspect that we will have fewer cases because we have fewer students on campus.”
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Passing time in the pandemic She wasn’t able to see her friends, beginning of her summer doing either. a load of summer quarter classes. “They all had essential jobs and She also said she bought several I’m high risk so I couldn’t really new games and had game nights. While young people in the She and her friends would play late 1960s spent their time in the see them,” Kautz said. She also wasn’t able to travgames like Taboo, Twister, Jensummer of love, young people el with friends like she could in ga, Cards Against Humanity and in 2020 had to spend their time previous summers. She’s originally Drunk Stoned or Stupid. in the summer of COVID-19. Besides game Hanging out while social distanc- from Vancouver, nights, Nygreen ing, creating cocktails and work- Washington, so she would go spent her time ing are some of the activities outside hiking, students took part in during their to the nearby Portland, Oregon camping, boating summer vacations. with her friends and having picnics Sadie Kautz, a senior majoring at sunset. A place in business, said she spent most of during previous years. She and she went camping her time with her parents, roomGraphic by Tiffany Tablang her friends used was Cannon Beach, mate and dogs. She also worked Oregon. She also used her time to for DoorDash during the summer, to go to the beach, as well. “We also couldn’t go to the perfect her cocktail making skills. which she said she’s done in previbeach [this summer]. I miss the “I also got really creative with ous summers. beach so much. I hope I can visit home workouts and super into Kautz said her summer was there soon,” Kautz said. cooking different things conpretty slow and boring, and she Bailey Nygreen, also a senior sidering I had so much time,” found herself not being as As Nygreen said. productive as she could have been. majoring in business, spent the
Abigail Duchow Scene Editor
Renia Papadimas, a senior majoring in biology and STEM education, worked a lot over the summer, but some of the fun things she did included going to Cannon Beach, having bonfires and baking things such as banana bread and cinnamon rolls. Another thing Papadimas enjoyed doing over the summer was going to drive-in movies with her friends. “We brought our own food, blankets, pillows and just sat in the trunk of my car keeping a social distance,” Papadimas said.
Graphic by Bekah Blum
Campus complies with COVID-19 conditions Abigail Duchow Scene Editor
“I’ve talked to a lot of people who are also worried about COVID-19 and are taking the precautions and it makes me As schools reopen in the age of feel better that others are also COVID-19,, students are reacting trying to be safe and not get sent to newly implemented guidelines home or cause an outbreak,” on campus and in Ellensburg. Heng-Beckley said. The guidelines include Heng-Beckley said she unthings such as mask-wearing, derstands the guidelines and social distancing and plenty of they’re pretty standard, but hand sanitizer. it’s still hard to be a freshman Brandon Worgull, a senior during the pandemic. majoring in computer science and “We aren’t getting the full a member of the water polo team college experience like we on campus, said while he agrees Casey Rothgeb/The Observer Students seem willing to comply with restrictions in order to protect the campus from COVID-19. hoped and dreamed about,” with the measures being impleHeng-Beckley said. “I think that “I just think it’s unfortunate mented on campus, it doesn’t Worgull said he could potentially the staff and faculty are doing that there is a year of freshmen make much of a difference when be exposed to the virus there as the best they can while trying to that did not get to have the same there aren’t people around to well as on campus. still let us be college students.” experience I had when I came enforce them. “I do the best I can to keep Leslie Cote, a senior English “With the new students that myself safe, but again, I work in here as a freshman,” Worgull said. language and literature major, are there right now, yeah, they’re a very public area where people “I feel like they got the brunt of said she thinks the university is that experience. ” practicing it decent enough when touch all the items all the time... trying to do their best to make Worgull said as a computer they’re outdoors and in the comand probably aren’t washing sure students remain safe while science major, many of his classes mons, but other than that I don’t their hands when they do so,” living on campus. were already moving online, but think people are really too keen Worgull said. She said it’s difficult to on following it if they’re not in Worgull said he is hoping, “op- now there are only a few computer look at how everyone is dealscience classes offered in person, public eye,” Worgull said. timistically,” that CWU will return ing with the pandemic and Worgull said while he wants to normal by winter quarter’s mid- which he doesn’t entirely mind. connect it to how it might “Not going to lie, the convepeople to wear masks if they’re terms, or at least by spring quarter. affect students’ education and nience of online classes is really sick, he has no say in what other He said he wants to walk in the their college experiences. nice, but I do miss the human people do. He said if someone is 2021 graduation ceremony, and it “There are a lot of movinteraction, ” Worgull said. going to do something to powould be his last chance to walk ing parts that include adapting Alexis Heng-Beckley, a tentially expose themselves, it’s since he doesn’t see himself going to new changes in housing and freshman majoring in secondnot his place to tell them not to. to school for a master’s degree. ary English education, said she dining, but I recognize their efHowever, he personally follows He also voiced his sympathy forts during this unprecedented generally feels safe from the the guidelines the best he can. for the freshmen who came to time,” Cote said. coronavirus while on campus. An employee at Fred Meyer, CWU this year.
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Student Welcomes help students build connections and communities
Abigail Duchow Scene Editor The student welcome events at CWU are organized to bring groups of students together. There are several student welcomes: an LGBTQ+ Student Welcome, Black Student Welcome, Latinx Student Welcome and Native American and Indigenous Peoples welcome. Abby Chien, the director of the Diversity and Equity Center (DEC), is involved with the student welcomes. She said the student welcomes are a good way to connect students who share similar identities and experiences with each other. “I never assume that just because a student identifies in a certain way that’s where their community will be, but often we know students are looking for folks with shared identity and shared experiences.” Chien said. Chien said all the welcomes are different, but generally begin with a formal introduction. Usually, the person giving the introduction will be someone who identifies as part of the community and is involved and connected with the community on campus. “The welcomes are planned by folks who care deeply about those communities and identities that they’re representing, so it is a place to find connection and develop a sense of connection to our campus community,” Chien said. After the formal welcome, there is usually an opportunity to meet other students and staff through activities and icebreakers. Chien said some welcomes may also provide information about other upcoming programs and more ways to stay connected. Chien said most of the student welcomes this year will be held virtually, with the exception of the Black Student Welcome, which will be held in person. She said the Latinx welcome will likely be held virtually, but it hasn’t been determined yet, as it won’t be held until October. “I really encourage folks to attend. Even the virtual ones will have opportunities to connect with each other and build those relationships,” Chien said. Katrina Whitney, the assistant director for the DEC, thinks one
Graphic by Tiffany Tablang
of the things the DEC prides opportunity for faculty and staff themselves on is that they try to to reaffirm to students that they create a sense of community and belong there and that the faculty belonging for students, and the and staff believe in the students. student welcomes are one of the Cardenas said he believes proways they do so. viding the affirmation of students’ “Because we’re student-fobelonging and capabilities is really cused, we have a strong desire important, and this event allows to create these avenues for students to come out of their shells students to connect and build and even be inspired by speakers community,” Whitney said. at the event. He said people stu“We create these welcomes as a dents connect with at the student pathway to build community for welcome could potentially become first-year students.” their “support group” for when Whitney they’re going said the student through hard “We’re all unique welcomes can times, or even individuals, right? to celebrate be particularly impactful when it milestones We all bring comes to stuthrough their dents coming to college career. our own lived CWU from a “I think back different state or experience to our to the start of a different part college experience” my undergrad of Washington. year at [Eastern -Katrina Whitney, assistant director for DEC “We’re all Washington unique individuals, right? We all University] and wish we could bring our own lived experience have had an event like this. I to our college experience,” Whit- believe community and family is ney said. “I think there’s somereally important and foundational thing really wonderful about for success. Events like this provide connecting with someone and opportunities for students to find they understand your story.” their community.” Cardenas said. Ruben Cardenas, the direcMiriam Bocchetti is the director tor of the Veteran’s Center, is of the College Assistance Migrant involved with the Latinx Student Program, and is also part of the LatWelcome. He said the welcome inx student welcome. She said the will give students the opportuni- Latinx Student Welcome is designed ty to connect with a community to “engage and celebrate” the Latinx they identify with and meet peers community at CWU. She said there and professional staff who are are Latinx people all across campus, part of the community. He also and the event provides an opporsaid the welcome provides an tunity for Latinx professionals and
students to interact and establish meaningful connections. “Being in a room full of people with commonalities and shared experiences is empowering and inspiring and can lead to advanced opportunities and engagements.” Bocchetti said, “It is critical to acknowledge and honor our fastest growing population of students, not just at Central but across our state and country.” Verónica Gómez-Vilchis is a diversity advocate and outreach specialist for the Office of Inclusivity and Diversity. She is also involved in the Latinx Student Welcome. She said the event is important because representation matters. She said Latinx students are able to see people who look like them with various levels of degrees, whether it be someone with a bachelor’s degree or someone with a Ph.D. who could potentially mentor and inspire students. She said this event also allows her to stay connected to students. “In my new role I am not able to serve students directly. The Latinx Welcome provides me the space to engage with Latinx students in a meaningful way,” Gómez-Vilchis said. “The Latinx Alumni Association, the Diversity Equity Center, the Equity Services Council and partnerships from across campus understand and know how crucial it is for students to form a community in the beginning of their academic year to feel that they belong here.”
CWU implements socialization model for safe student behavior “This two-tiered program seeks to educate and empower student, faculty, and staff leaders by sharing up-to-date public health information, best health practices, and medical and counseling resources, as well as model acceptable behaviors,” the email reads. “It also provides guidance on how to talk to peers about what they have learned.” According to Jackson’s email, tier one of the program is a marketing component featuring prominent student leaders who are already the faces of CWU. Tier two encourages students, faculty and staff to become influencers by attending a training program hosted by the Wellness Center. “[The influencer program is] essentially identifying students who want to help influence positive behaviors and change,” Jankowski said. “To be clear, this is not the mask police. This is people who will model those kinds of behavior, and if they see individuals who maybe aren’t, try to find a way to engage with them to just, number one make sure they understand, and again in a non-confrontational, supportive way.” Student influencers in the program would also share events and new information via social media. Employees are also able to
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In preparation for opening for fall quarter, CWU has implemented several models to normalize behavior that corresponds with new health and safety measures through socialization. These models were built on the foundation of attending a university being an inherently social experience. The socialization of these behaviors are critical to CWU’s plan, both James Jankowski, director of the project management office, and Staci Sleigh-Layman, executive director of human resources said. College is a social experience, Jankowski said, and if everyone works together CWU has a greater chance of being able to remain open for fall quarter. A Sept. 1 email sent to employees by Vice President of Public Affairs Kremier Jackson outlines a new program, called the CWU Influencer’s Initiative, the goal of which is to normalize behavioral change in the community through socially prominent students and employees.
Photos by Casey Rothgeb
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be influencers in the program. Training is required before becoming an influencer. “The success of the fall on-campus experience for all students depends importantly upon willing and eager student participation and peer-to-peer communication. Our student government leadership has helped us to design and produce videos and other messaging with high student appeal,” Jackson’s email reads. “As we build out and provide training for our students who will serve as ‘safe-campus’ ambassadors, we will continue to explore opportunities for student engagement.” An employee FAQ on the CWU website said that CWU is creating signs, floor decals, a toolkit, videos and other materials that aim to distribute information, guide behavior, promote compliance and build community in accordance with this program. Influencers are being identified and will undergo training before fall quarter begins. “We’re trying to socialize these behaviors, so that if you’re not wearing a mask you’re the odd person out,” Sleigh-Layman said. The focus on wellbeing does not begin and end with the student and employee body. The wellbeing of the institution as a whole is also being taken into consideration. “What I’ve been telling people all summer, especially employees, is that us not having a [COVID-19] outbreak at CWU is important to our health as an institution,” Sleigh-Layman said. “And so I think everybody buys that and gets into that and understands it. I just think we have a great institution and we’ve got wonderful people that work for it and so I’m confident we’re not going to have any issues with people not following the safety measures.” Other newly implemented changes, such as the attestation form and daily self health check, also exist to try and shape community behavior around the pandemic. The attestation form for students and employees was put in place to help ensure everyone understands the health risks of COVID-19 and their roles and responsibilities of mitigating those risks, Jankowski said. “Neither the attestation nor the health check forms are legal documents or waivers. They are both tools to help remind employees and students about the behaviors we all need to follow in order to keep CWU as safe as possible.” the employee FAQ reads. Any individual coming to campus will be required to log into their MyCWU account that day to complete the self-health check. The health check is a questionnaire
that asks if the individual is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, is under 6ft quarantine or is waiting to receive COVID-19 test results. Once the health check is complete, they will be instructed on what course of action to take based on their responses. “It’s really about behavior change, I mean a lot of this is about behavior change, of just being more in touch with our health,” Jankowski said. “There’s 6ft been a tendency in the culture, really across the country, to come to work even when you’re sick or go to class when you’re sick, because that’s what you need to do. And, we’re, our health professionals are trying to get that to shift, to say that if you’re not feeling well, you need to maybe stay home.” Jankowski said that accommodations will be made for working remotely for both students and staff when needed to ensure health The FAQ and safety. Staff who do not need to be on also specifies that campus to do their jobs, including him, will be compliance reports will be working remotely. created and distributed to supervisors so “We do have policies where, all employees, they can keep track of which employees if you can work remotely you should,” Janhave completed the attestation and daily kowski said. “That’s just to limit the density on health checks. Student compliance will the campus.” be monitored through reports made to Since the information from the health check Student Success. is not being used to diagnose, treat or other“A pandemic is a unique situation where, wise provide care to an employee, it does not very clearly, my behaviors impact you, fall under HIPAA protection, according to the and vice versa. And so that’s when we employee FAQ. As a result, CWU will not save talk about be kind, be thinking of others, any employee information from the health because while you may or may not agree check. Supervisors will only be able to see to wear a mask, doing so does help protect whether or not an employee has completed the others,” Jankowski said. “If we can kind of health check. Student info will be stored and follow that mentality, then as I said, it beneprotected under the Family Educational Rights fits everybody. If we don’t, then we know the and Privacy Act (FERPA), which protects the path that it will probably lead us down.” release of student records to third parties. 6f t
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“A pandemic is a unique situation where, very clearly, my behaviors impact you, and vice versa.”
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Students continue to lead protests in Ellensburg Continued from Page 1 Mitchell Roland Editor-in-Chief
“It would be stupid of me to not get out there and spread knowledge,” Gardner said. One of the most important things people can do, Gardner said, is be open to new information. “It’s getting out there and doing the research on your own,” Gardner said. “Keep an open mind.”
After Gardner got out of the car the officer patted him down, searched his vehicle for a weapon, found his phone that had his insurance and continued with the traffic stop. Gardner said while police officers have a difficult job, there needs to be reform. Mireya Sonora “At the end of the day, I respect them. I Mireya Sonora, a junior psychology respect their duty,” Gardner said. major, started out organizing candlelight One of the goals of the protests, Gardvigils in Ellensburg and began protesting. ner said, is to not put officers in a posi“This town needtion where they’re ed a wakeup call. unprepared. They’ve been too “We put a lot of comfortable here,” police officers in Sonora said. a position where After reading news they’re not trained stories about police to handle that spebrutality and people cific situation,” of color losing their Gardner said. lives, Sonora felt she While Gardhad to get involved. ner was grateful “Not only are we for a June 2 rally - Mireya Sonora in Ellensburg led fighting justice for by two Ellensburg everybody and equalHigh School students, he felt it was im- ity, these are lives that are being taken portant for “someone who’s truly lived from us,” Sonora said. “I want everyone that experience” to lead the charge in El- to realize we’re not out here causing a lensburg which is why he got involved. ruckus for no reason.” Since Gardner was little, he has been Sonora said one of her concerns she interested in both the civil rights moveis speaking out about is her fear that she ment and the work of Martin Luther can’t go to the police in an emergency. King Jr. and Malcom X.
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Not only are we fighting justice for everybody and equality, these are lives that are being taken from us.
Casey Rothgeb/The Observer
Students protest peacefully against police brutality and racism in honor of those who have died. “I don’t see cops as someone I can go But people didn’t like me, and I didn’t to because they’re not there to help me,” know why,” Omrani said. “I thought we Sonora said. “When you’re a person of were just bad kids.” color, we get treated differently.” Omrani said she is majoring in law in Sonora said she is proud that the justice because she wants to know more demonstrations in Ellensburg have reabout the American justice system in mained peaceful, hopes of reforming it. and she wants it to “You can’t fix a remain that way. problem you don’t “We are 100 understand,” Omrani days strong right said. “What’s hapnow of nonviopening to our black lent protests, like community members is despicable.” at all. We do not While some proencourage that,” tests in the country Sonora said. “I have turned violent, want people to unOmrani said she was derstand that the - Sara Omarani glad no businesses Black Lives Matter have been harmed movement doesn’t and no car windequal violence. It shields have been broken in Ellensburg. equals peace.” “It feels good to prove a point,”
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The premise of a protest is ‘where there is no justice, there will be no peace.
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Sara Omrani Sara Omrani, a freshman majoring in law and justice, said she was so young when she first experienced racism she didn’t know what the word meant. “I didn’t have the vocabulary for it.
Casey Rothgeb/The Observer
Students of different backgrounds have rallied in Ellensburg for the past 100 days.
Omrani said. Omrani said the protests will continue, and she doesn’t see them going away. “I feel like the community has been receptive here, ” Omrani said. “The premise of a protest is ‘where there is no justice, there will be no peace.’”
Protests take place daily on the corner of N Main St and W 5th Ave, outside the courthouse.
September 15, 2020
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Presidential greeting
Opinion
James L. Gaudino CWU President CWU Community, On behalf of the Wildcat family, I would like to welcome you to the start of the new school year. We begin this year facing unprecedented challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, we have had to change the ways that we teach, work, live, and learn. But we are on the right path. We have instituted common-sense protocols designed to prevent the spread of the virus and ensure the health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff. Anyone on campus is required to wear a face covering and maintain physical distancing of at least six feet—which our health experts tell us is the most effective way to control the spread of COVID-19. We have also reconfigured our learning spaces by removing chairs and desks. Each classroom was analyzed to see how many students can safely be seated at a minimum distance of six feet. Hand sanitizer dispensers have been stationed at the entrance to each classroom and we’ve installed signage reinforcing the twin messages: wear a face covering and maintain your distance from others. Additionally, we are restricting the number of students residing on campus to 2,000; typically, about 4,000 students live on campus. We are also consolidating how many buildings we are using
CWU CWU President, James Guadino for classes. Some buildings, such as Lind Hall, will still contain faculty offices but no classes will be taught there. This allows the custodial staff to concentrate on high-traffic areas for their deep cleaning protocols. Only about 10 percent of classes will
9
be in-person, with the remainder taught online. To accommodate the need for learning spaces with proper distancing, we are incorporating some non-traditional spaces like the Student Union and Recreation Center (SURC) ballroom for larger classes.
As you wander the campus, you will also see other changes that have been implemented to prevent spreading the virus like plexiglass shields installed in public areas such as the front desks at the library and in the Wildcat Shop. Signage has been added throughout the campus indicating directional foot traffic circulation, maximum room occupancy, and other essential messaging. Key to successfully reopening our campus is your participation and cooperation. In order to contain the spread of the virus, we need every member of our campus community to practice appropriate behavior such as following the distancing guidelines and wearing face coverings. It means practicing regular hand-washing and avoiding crowded environments. All of these changes have been made to ensure the health and safety of all members of our campus community. It is clear that, for at least the time being, campus life will look and feel differently. Your Board of Trustees and I remain committed to being as fiscally responsible as we can be to ensure the sustainability of the university. Difficult times still lie ahead but by acting responsibly and working together we will get through this. Stay healthy and stay safe. #CWUTogether
A welcome from ASCWU
Mickael Candelaria ASCWU President
Dear Wildcat Family: I know these times have been incredibly challenging and uncertain. Nevertheless, it is extremely heartwarming to still welcome over 2,000 of our newest Wildcats to the CWU main campus in Ellensburg and the rest of our newest Wildcats from the comfort of their own home, as your 2020-2021 ASCWU President. As a first-generation college student originally from Anchorage, Alaska I am incredibly honored to serve as the first Asian Pacific Islander ASCWU president. My previous leadership experiences at CWU as a resident assistant (RA), orientation leader (OL) and former Vice President for Student Life and Facilities has fueled my passion for serving as your ASCWU president. While it is still surreal to have been elected in this position, I think it is safe to say that ASCWU is going to face a lot of challenges this year. This year, the ASCWU Board of Directors is comprised of six elected officials, elected by the students for the students. These officers are dedicated to serving the student body in each of the respective specialty areas that include the new Student Senate, the Equity and Services Council, student life and facilities,
and governmental affairs. From planning programs and events for students to get engaged to bringing student concerns to administration, ASCWU is dedicated to serving you. Ensuring everyone’s safety and health is going to be ASCWU’s top priority this year while in this pandemic. There are going to be lots of changes to our campus and our campus culture that include but are not limited to: a facial covering requirement and a reduction in the number of programs and events held in person. Clubs, equity organizations, committees and tons of programs and events will still be held virtually and are a great way to get involved. Another challenge ASCWU is currently facing is combatting the racial injustice seen in the world. The ASCWU Board of Directors is hoping to create an additional safe space on campus for Black, Indigenous, Students of Color and other underrepresented identities to have additional resources and support. We are also hoping to launch a new committee within ASCWU called the Student Grievance Committee which would be a safe space for students to file a formal complaint to ASCWU and proper administrators regarding cases of discrimination or non-academic related personnel con-
cerns. Diversifying the faculty, staff and administration of CWU is also going to be pivotal in having representation of identities not typically represented in higher education. It is time for CWU to not just talk about being diverse and inclusive, but to actually implement equitable and inclusive practices. Unifying the student body especially in these times of discord and tension is going to be a huge challenge this year. With the U.S Presidential elections in November, ASCWU is working on advocating for our students and even community members to have healthy discussions instead of contentious debates. Helping the student body register to vote this year and to enCWU gage students in civics is going to be the ASCWU President, Mickael Candelaria mission of the ASCWU Office of Govern- @ASCWU_sg. You can also connect with mental Affairs. me on Twitter @ASCWU_Pres or by emailWhile this year is definitely by far a ing me at ASCWUPresident@cwu.edu. year filled with uncertainty and challengI am so excited to serve as your ASes, one thing that is certain is that AS- CWU President and know that this year CWU is here to support and advocate for will definitely be one to remember. I am your voice to be heard. There are also a extremely confident that together we can multitude of ways for you to get involved overcome some of the toughest challengwith ASCWU from joining a commit- es and hurdles thrown at us. Welcome to tee, the Student Senate, the Equity and the Wildcat Family to our incoming stuServices Council and so much more. For dents, and welcome back to our returning more information visit our website at students, faculty and staff. I am honored https://www.cwu.edu/ascwu/ or follow to be in this position and am committed us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to your success here at CWU.
10 September 15, 2020
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Sports
Student athlete forms new social justice group and talk badly about them because it was rare to see a black child with a white parent. “Racism is something that I will never be able to understand,” Brown said. “Hate is not good for the heart and with a world as diverse as ours, it blows my mind that some people really look at a large percentage of our population as less than and have hate for us.”
Rey Green Sports Editor
On May 25 George Floyd was killed in Minnesta by police officers, which led to protests all from Minneapolis to Ellensburg. The video of Floyd’s death showing police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck sparked CWU Women’s Basketball sophomore Symone Brown to Developing Student Athletes for start a group in order to invoke change. Social Justice “The Student Athletes for Social Brown said she has always wanted Justice is a group that we are putting together in order to create an environ- to voice her opinions and start making ment for students to come and discuss change but didn’t know how to get startthe issues [in] our world today pertain- ed. After building up the courage to start ing to the inequalities that [people of the group, her coach gave her ideas on color] are still facing today,” Brown said. how to show student athletes that there Brown said it wasn’t just the death of are changes they can make. Her coach George Floyd that sparked her to start also showed her the steps forward student Student Athletes for Social Justice. It was athletes could take in the world of social justice. Brown said in the sixth grade she knows she isn’t when she witnessed the only person who racism for the first wants to be able to time. George Floyd’s express how they feel death was just the on social justice issues breaking point. on and off campus. “The first real Women’s Basracism that I have ketball head coach burned in my mind Randi Richardwas when my mom, son-Thornley said sister and I were at Brown has been pasthe Farmer’s Marsionate about social ket and a [LatiSymone Brown justice and wanted no] couple was in to take action. Richfront of us, who ardson-Thornley didn’t understand English very well,” Brown said. “Then said she and Brown thought forming a an older white man sitting next to the group would be the best idea instead of counter who was listening became in- just posting awareness on social media. “Posting on social media spreads furiated because they were taking too long. He then called them racist awareness but we wanted to create a names and told them to learn English.” group where student athletes see face At that time, Brown’s sister was five to face and are talking and having these Richardson-Thornley years old and she was 12 . Brown said af- conversations,” said. “I just can’t wait to shut up, sit back, ter the man was finished with his tirade, listen and learn. There’s so many stuhe looked down on her and her sister with so much hate that she could feel it. dent athletes that have so much to say.” Richardson-Thornley said forming Brown said her mother used to always this group also gives a good platform for experience that same hate when Brown students to speak up on their experiwas a toddler because Brown’s mother is ences and express any of their thoughts white. People would give them dirty looks
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Racism is something that I will never be able to understand.
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Photo credit to Symone Brown
Symone Brown (right) wearing jacket with names of victims who died to police brutality. on discrimmination, racial profiling and systemic racisim. She said it’s a great opportunity for student athletes to use this platform and it’s also great for them to have a group of support. “If I were to have a group like this when I was in college, I believe we would be far more educated on the subject and be more aware of our misunderstandings,” Richardson-Thornley said. “The horrific events that are taking place are not new, it’s been going on, it’s now just being brought to light. My hopes and prayers are that 10 years down the road we will be in a better place for everyone.” Assistant Football coach AJ Cooper said when he found out that this group was starting he couldn’t be more proud of Brown for invoking change at such a young age. He said it’s inspirational for her to do this as a young black woman. “I never had anything like this when I was in school,” Cooper said. “It feels good to know that we have some leaders in the athletic department. Our students are showing that they are more than athletes.” Cooper made it clear that it’s important for young adults to use their platform and continue to build on their foundation. He said being a part of
something, especially a group like this, is what’s going to make a difference and if not, it’s a step in the right direction. “My main focus is to just be an ally, and an additional voice to help [student athletes] be heard,” Cooper said. “Because I’m in meetings with the bosses who make decisions, and I’m in there to make sure students are heard.” Cooper believes it’s important to understand the different levels of diversity. He said there’s surface-level diversity, and that’s just the things you see like the color of people’s skin. Then there’s deep-level diversity like culture, what you eat and what you can learn from someone’s upbringing. “The biggest thing that I want people to understand is that, if we don’t value our student athletes as human beings then we’re doing the wrong thing,” Cooper said. As time progresses, Student Athletes for Social Justice will grow on a bigger scale. As of right now, Brown said the people who are involved in her group are still to be determined. Brown also said a lot of student athletes, advisors and coaches are excited about the opportunity to be involved.
September 15, 2020 11
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Sports
Athletics prepare for potential competition Rey Green Sports Editor With no athletics spring quarter, coaches and players have been eager to get back to Ellensburg to potentially play their respective sports. The Greater Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) decided to allow some athletes to participate in voluntary workouts over the summer. This test group was the majority of the football team. After nine weeks of workouts, the GNAC met and made the decision to postpone the fall 2020 season for all sports. With fall quarter starting up and students returning to campus, the safety protocol in place has been tested and proven to work. In the nine-week test run that CWU had during the summer, there were no COVID-19 outbreaks from within the facility. Director of Athletics Gary Hyatt said he feels confident the protocol they set for the fall will be successful. Hyatt said the plan athletics has is identical to CWU’s safety plan. “When we started in the summer there were other programs that already had workouts,” Hyatt said. “So, whatever was working for them we took it and implemented it into our plan.” Hyatt said after putting the plan together, the plan had to be approved by the screening committee and the Kittitas County Public Health Officer Dr. Mark Larson. Athletes are then tested as soon as they arrive in Ellensburg. “The typical day of an athlete once they arrive at Nicholson Pavilion starts out with a temperature check and a daily check of COVID-19 symptoms. Then, everyone sanitizes their hands and puts their masks on,” Hyatt said. “Once the
Casey Rothgeb/ The Observer
CWU women’s basketball team awaits news from GNAC of a possible season, which should come in mid-November. workouts start everyone maintains sixfoot distance. Football workouts are all non-contact in order to minimize the possible spread of [COVID-19] from asymptomatic carriers.” Hyatt said there will be no in-person meetings for all sports as of right now but looks to change that in the future. Hyatt believes in the future meetings will have a size and time limit. Weightlifting has reduced their numbers to 16 people per side of the weight room since there’s a glass side and a cage side. Focusing on the training room, Head Athletic Trainer Isaac Perry said the most important part of this whole process is the education aspect. Perry said almost every week there’s something new learned that has to be addressed to coaches and players. Hyatt agreed that education is going
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to be a major focus point moving forward and improving the system because the virus is not going away any time soon. “The training room has been moved to appointment-only to limit the amount of people who are allowed inside since there’s a room limit throughout the building,” Perry said. “Everything is more timed and organized. I’m impressed with our staff’s efficiency.” Perry said as more people come to campus their biggest concerns are the big outbreaks and how they will be handled. Once an athlete tests positive they have to report to the county health authorities, but trainers and coaches will stay up-to-date and monitor their improvement during isolation. “There’s still a lot of research and things we don’t know still, especially
about the long term effects,” Perry said. “[Our staff is] reading new releases everyday just to stay educated and aware of how to properly handle situations.” Hyatt said he is concerned about the other students who will be allowed in the building who are not athletes. He said athletes are a more controlled group than other students since all the athletes get tested as soon as they arrive on campus. The status of other students are unknown. “The best method we came up with is a walk flow through the building guiding which direction people can enter and exit the building,” Hyatt said. “There’s signs that read, ‘go this way,’ and everyone walks on the right side of the walkways. We are providing the structure but it all relies on students to follow and maintain it.”
12 September 15, 2020
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Engagement
Meet The Observer staff! Why The Observer? What is your dream job? What’s a fun fact about yourself ?
Mitchell Roland
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Amy Morris
Editor-in-Chief I enjoy reporting, and I love the atmosphere of our newsroom. Everyone is dedicated to their work and is committed to putting out the best paper possible. My dream job would be to be a writer on Saturday Night Live. I own the world’s largest collection of air guitars.
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I just stumbled into The Observer because I needed media credits for my Public Relations degree, but ended up being really into reporting. My dream job would have to be a journalist, preferably doing investigative stuff. I’m minoring in sociology, my MBTI is INTP, and I’m an Aries.
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News Editor
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My friend recommended me to apply for The Observer as a designer. I had a lot of fun my first quarter and decided to come back. My dream job lays in the graphic design field, although I am not sure where exactly. I am an avid east-coast swing dancer.
I took one quarter of The Observer, fell in love with it, declared a digital journalism major and was hired as a News Editor. My dream job is to be a freelance reporter. When I was 18 I worked for a year ghostwriting speeches for a public speaker.
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I follow 18 cat subreddits…
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Rey Green
Photo Editor
Photography has always been my passion and found out there was an opening at the Observer. My dream job would be photographing for a magazine around the world like National Geographic. Fun fact about myself is that I collect film cameras and am up to about 10 or 11 now!
Riel Hanson
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I fell in love with the journalist style of writing and the fast-paced, cooperative work environment! I’ll likely work until my body won’t continue anymore. IT manager, technical writer, college professor or author.
Casey Rothgeb
Bailey Tomlinson
Bekah Blum
Graphic Designer
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I fell in love with being scene editor for two quarters and have been ever since. My dream job is to working PR for a nonprofit company that helps foster kids. I once took a four month trip in my motorhome around the United States.
Abigail Duchow Scene Editor
Aeryn Kauffman
Copy Desk Chief, Opinion Editor
Managing + Online Editor
Graphic Designer
I wanted to expand my skills with graphic designing to help me prepare for any future jobs. My dream job would be graphic designing for Scentsy Wickless Candles. I hope to start a small business selling stickers and other pieces or art.
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Sports Editor
The Observer is always a great experience, I love reporting stories and I love working with people who have the same desire. My dream job is to be an Athletic Director at a highschool while also coaching a football team. I stream my video games on Twitch. @ReynauldGreen
Tiffany Tablang
Graphic Designer, Comic Artist
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I was a comic artist before I came to CWU and I enjoyed the job. My dream job is to grow my small artist business selling at conventions. Check me out on Etsy @ SweetSpaceBread! I’m an avid collector of stickers and washi tape. I have 130 different rolls!
Comic by Tiffany Tablang