April 14, 2021
Vol. 119 NO. 2
Kittitas County Fire alarm saves the Clymer Museum announces vaccine
eligibility expansion
Joshua Smith Staff Reporter
Fire has seared itself into the annals of Ellensburg. From the great fire on July 4, 1889, which destroyed nearly 200 homes, and the more recent fire at the Clymer Museum, which resulted in an estimated $5000 in damages, history has found a way to repeat itself. For the Clymer Museum, forethought and preparation proved valuable enough to stave off total disaster. In just under 10 minutes, Kittitas Valley Fire and Rescue (KVFR) responded to a fire alarm at the Clymer Museum located at 416 N. Pearl St., at approximately 2:20 a.m. Monday, March 29. It took less than 30 minutes for KVFR to subdue the flames, preserving the museum’s near $3.6 million dollar collection of art by their namesake, John F. Clymer, located on the first floor. “We have signs of a burnt floor on the roof where the flames started ... There was smoke in the second-floor offices ... but the smoke did not get down, and the fire did not get down to the first floor,” Vice President of the Clymer’s board, Jim Pappas said.
use to better students’ lives is one of the things that I hope to strive for,” Odoch said. He stressed the need for equitable resource distribution and holding those accountable when it is necessary. Odoch is 25, is a business student and is from Uganda. “Coming here as an African student who, you know, some may belittle and some may think is probably
not worth it leading this institution is a big mistake,” Odoch said. Odoch is running for the position unopposed. He said it would be exciting to have someone to go against. “Going unopposed is, you know, good probably for the sense that you don’t have a competitor, but me as a business student, I enjoy a little bit of competition,” Odoch said.
ASCWU, Page 3
The Kittitas County Public Health Department (KCPHD) shared updated information on who is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. Kasey Knutson, a Public Information officer for KCPHD, said Kittitas County is currently vaccinating prioritized individuals such as those 60 years old or older, people who work in food or construction and others listed in the phase 1B guidelines. The team announced the vaccine will officially be open to everyone 16 years or older on April 15. Those looking to receive the vaccine in Kittitas County will be able to locate a clinic near them using the Washington State Department of Health’s Vaccine Locator available on their website. In Ellensburg, some local options are the clinic at the Ellensburg fairgrounds, Safeway and Rite Aid, among others. Once a clinic has been located, residents can follow links to sign up for an appointment. Noted side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine are soreness, redness or swelling at the sight of injection, as well as fever, fatigue, muscle aches, diarrhea, nausea and headaches. If the side effects get in the way of regular activities or do not disappear within 1-2 days, it is recommended to people they seek medical advice. The Washington State Department of Health said the coronavirus vaccine does not cause the COVID-19 disease, nor does it result in a positive COVID-19 PCR test. “For anyone wary about taking the vaccine, we would direct them to speak with their medical provider,” Knutson said. Since phase 1A opened on Dec. 14, 2020, a total of 24,441 vaccine doses have been distributed within Kittitas County, resulting in 9,684 people completely vaccinated at the time this article was written. Even with vaccines being distributed, changes in COVID-19 protocols remain to be seen and it is still advised that social distancing and mask guidelines are followed. Links and photos on KCPHD’s Facebook page have information on how to slow the spread and graphs detailing the phases of vaccination. In Kittitas County, the cases of people who have contracted COVID-19 are monitored weekly and presented in graphs online. The county currently is in the Red-High zone meaning at least two people have contracted the virus per day and there have been two or more outbreaks. Knutson said so far, 21% of the county has been vaccinated.
Page 3 Barge Hall repair update
Page 5 Diversity, inclusion and equity
Page 13 Cross country update
See Clymer Museum, Page 6
From Uganda to ASCWU Sean Bessette Assistant News Editor Accessibility, equity and accountability:, that is the platform Executive Vice President candidate Geoffrey Odoch is running on. “Accessibility to clubs, accessibility to organizations, and maybe even faculty, to the resources that they
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April 14, 2021
NEWS
CWU Aviation Program is looking to lift off again in fall 2021 Justin Zabel Staff Reporter While some wondered if CWU’s aviation program was going to close for good, the Aviation Department has accepted 7075 new applicants for the fall 2021 program. In an announcement made on June 16, 2020, the Aviation program rescinded the acceptance for students going into the CWU Aviation Program for fall 2020. “The program was never closed, it was to take a pause. Particularly in the heart of the coronavirus chaos. And to determine whether and how the program should succeed into the future. And that’s a fairly healthy thing to do. Every program should be re-evaluated from time to time,” CWU Director of Flight Operations, Dan Petree said.
Though it’s faced turbulence, CWU’s Aviation department has accepted new applicants fall.
There were many applicants that the Aviation department looked at for this program. They can only take a small number of applicants due to the capacity and limited amount of aircraft materials, along with the number of instructors and administrative staff. However, the department hopes to grow this program in the next two years, so the majority of applications can be accepted.
In the statement last year, Associate Dean of the College of Education and Professional Studies, Heidi Henschel Pellett, released the deficit for the Aviation program. For the fall 2020 academic year, the projected deficit was $1.83 million, and more previous projected deficits from past two years.
“We really had to analyze where we were with our budget and being able to look at [the] number of instructors we had, the administrative staff, and having that knowledge of going back to looking at the number of flight hours and so forth. As we are moving forward to this year, we’ve had that opportunity to really analyze our budget,” Pellett said. “We are looking to break even in the next two to three years.” The Aviation program has closed applications for fall 2021. If a student drops out, the program will look at letting other applicants who are already on a waitlist in. The application process for fall 2022 will begin soon. Petree said the flight side of the Aviation program is full, but the aviation management could potentially have some spots available in the near future.
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April 14, 2021
3
NEWS
Barge Hall damage now estimated at $1 million The damage caused by a broken pipe in Barge Hall is now estimated to cost over $1 million dollars in repairs. This number is twice as much as early estimates of the damage. After the flooding, university officials estimated that as much as $500,000 damage was done, though they said it could be either significantly above or below that number. The costs include an industrial hygienist, who would help navigate where to investigate for damages and assess the overall situation of Barge Hall. The cost also covers the selective demolition that has already occurred. Barge Hall flooded over Presidents Day weekend as a result of a drastic drop in temperature and strong winds. At around 1 a.m., the sprinkler systems on the fourth floor of Barge Hall malfunctioned which resulted in severe flooding throughout the entire building. Up to three inches of water covered some of the rooms in the building. Delano Palmer, the director of capital planning, is helping oversee the repair process. He and his team immediately started working on an estimate, assuming the worst case scenario. “We submitted an estimate of OFM [Office of Financial Management] for emergency funding for $1,030,000. This would cover the interior repair,” Palmer said. Before repairs could start, consultants had to determine if the water exposure would leave any permanent damage either to the superstructure of the building or the foundation, or cause spores or mildew. “This building is historic and we want to keep it historic,” Palmer said. After the incident, Shane Scott, the associate vice-president of campus planning and facilities management, and his team did a check of the mechanical spaces around campus to check for any similar issues. “We do walkthroughs of buildings routinely to check for leaks, especially when there’s no one on campus,” Scott said. “This situation was based on the
ASCWU from Page 1 The first of two ASCWU virtual debates kicks off tonight, April 14, at 6 p.m. Odoch is preparing for the debates by staying informed on the news happening around campus while also learning as much as he can about the Executive Vice President position every day. Odoch said a requirement of the position is being able to put people on committees. He emphasized this as an opportunity to showcase diversity. He sees diversity as more than just skin color, but also as a chance to display “diversity of knowledge, diversity of experience and diversity of what they can really bring to the table.” Odoch brings a variety of experiences to the position. In high school, Odoch served as student body president. He’s
Photo obtained through records request
While early estimates indicated that the flooding caused $500,000 in damage, the damage is now estimated to cost over $1 million dollars.
mortar of the building becoming eroded, along with the cold air and wind hitting the building just right.” Palmer said as part of the emergency request, some necessary changes would have to be put into place before next winter, in order to mitigate any similar situations from happening. Kremiere Jackson, the vice-president of public affairs, said Barge Hall needs to be sustained for a long period of time, as it is an important part of the university. “Barge Hall is an anchor when you look at Central and Ellensburg as a whole,” Jackson said. “We look at that as the anchor to who and what we are. It’s the face of our university.” The ongoing pandemic has partially impacted the repair process, according to Palmer and Scott. “One of the things that we are not starting to see is the impact on some global supply chains,” Palmer said. been an accounting intern and has experience in finances and decision-making. He’s a College of Business Senator and said he has years of experience listening to students. He believes this experience will come in handy. On the ASCWU Student Government website, the position description reads, “Vice Chair and voting member of the Board; must serve 19 hours/ week; provide a budget forecast each Fall; oversee committee and appointments; provide a monthly summary of monetary activity; sit on the S&A Committee; take minutes if the office staff is unavailable.” The second of two ASCWU virtual debates will take place next Wednesday, April 14, at 6 p.m. Online voting for the general election will open at 8 a.m. on Friday, April 23, and will conclude on Tuesday, April 27, at 5 p.m.
“Some of it is attributed to COVID and some of it seems to be attributed more on the global-political climate that we’re currently in.”
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Scott and Palmer said internal repairs should be completed by July 1. They are hoping to have external repairs done by the end of summer.
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4
NEWS
April 14, 2021
Services and Activities Committee close to finalizing budget decisions; music students and faculty left biting their nails Samuel Harris Staff Reporter Music students and faculty members worry for spring quarter following the recently proposed budget cuts by the Services and Activities (S&A) Committee. For eight years, the S&A committee has consistently provided base funding for the music program’s travel budget, which has allowed the music program to perform at events. This is the first time such defunding has been proposed by the S&A committee. The decision was partially made based on a fall survey conducted with about 480 participants, or 3% of the student population. Without a travel budget, the music program cannot travel to the many prestigious festivals they had been invited to attend. “You know, it’s a big deal for Central Washington University to be recognized on an international stage, but it also you know, it kind of puts us on the map,” the Chair of the Music Department Dr. Todd Shivers said.
Photo by Kassidy Malcom/The Observer
Music is one department that has faced S&A funding cuts.
Had it not been for the COVID-19 pandemic, the trombone choir would have traveled to Japan, and the orchestra would have traveled to Chicago for the Midwest Band and Orchestra clinic. According to Shivers, CWU is the first west coast collegiate orchestra to be invited to the clinic. “People come to the conference because they want to hear the best of the best,” Shivers said.
The S&A committee’s proposed budget cuts will also potentially impact the marching band. “Our marching band brings in a lot of students every year,” instrumental music education major Zarahfina Garcia said, “and all the trips that we go on is a big marketing technique for the university. Without all of the trips that we do, a lot of people internationally and just throughout the United States would not
know about Central Washington, since we are located in Ellensburg, and we’re not that big of a city.” Gregg Schlanger, chair of the Art and Design department, is one of the faculty members involved with the S&A committee. His field also faces budget cuts from the committee, but he supports their decision. For most programs, S&A receives requests for supplemental funding if they need funding for travel, but the music program is unique. “There are still other ways that some of us can go back to S&A,” said Schlanger. Unlike most programs, music receives base funding since they have had to travel every year. If S&A completely defunds the music program’s budgets, the music program may need to request supplemental funding for future travel. The decision for the budget cuts will be voted on and finalized on April 13. The results of the vote were not known at the time of publication. If you would like to read more about the music program, you can do so on their website at https://www.cwu.edu/ music/cwu-music-department.
Ellensburg locations qualify for Third Places Fund Libby Williams Staff Reporter
Ellensburg is home to 11 historic places on The National Register of Historic Places which could potentially receive grant money. The Washington Trust for Historic Preservation (WTHP) held a virtual workshop on April 1st to discuss their Third Places Fund. Property owners who receive grant money from the program can put it towards construction costs in order to preserve the location so it can continue to provide for the community. Jennifer (Jay) Mortensen, the outreach director at WTHP, led the workshop. “This program is a one time special grant program that the DAHP, the Department of Historic Preservation and the Washington Trust partnered together to apply for funding from the National Park Services,” Mortensen said. These buildings include the Downtown Ellensburg Historic District, the First Railroad Addition Historic District, the Kittitas County Fairgrounds, Olmstead Place State Park and the Washington State Normal School Building (Barge Hall). Since Ellensburg meets the population requirements of the grant, any of these locations are eligible to apply. There are several qualifications that must be met in order to receive the grant. The property must
Photo by Kassidy Malcom/The Observer
Multiple Ellensburg buildings could receive funding from The National Register of Historic Places.
be in a town with a population of 50,000 or less, and applicants can request a maximum of $75,000 of the $730,000 available. “In every downtown, there is at least one place people think of as their home away from home,” Jonelle McCoy said. “A place where you meet with your friends, while away an hour and catch up on the news. These are third places, and they are the foundation of civil life, essential to the health of the community and wellbeing of residents.” A home is considered the first place and a workplace is someone’s second place. McCoy said a third place could be anything from a local café, a barber shop or your local park. The most important thing about these places is
the sense of community they bring to those that visit them. She said the money is federally funded directly to DAHP, and WTHP will run the operations and logistics side of the grant. The program is reimbursement based, so applicants must have the funds already available before they make any changes, and these changes cannot dramatically shift the cultural integrity of the property. The property must also be listed on The National Register of Historic Places. Julianne Patterson, a grants coordinator at WTHP who will be overseeing the Third Places Fund, said what this means. “It really is just an honorary designation that acknowledges that your
property or your building has been recognized at the federal level by the National Parks Service as being historically significant,” Patterson said. Patterson said that this designation can protect the property from significant damage caused by projects funded by federal dollars, such as federal highway or federal infrastructure projects. Mortensen said the WTHP expects most of the money granted will be used for interior and exterior construction and property acquisition. Architectural or engineering costs can account for up to 20% of the total project costs, and any changes made to historic buildings must coincide with the Secretary of the Interior’s for the Treatment of Historic Properties. A preservation agreement or property easement will also be required. Patterson expressed the importance of preserving historic buildings so that they can be used by the community in various ways for many years to come. “The use of a historic building will change over time,” Patterson said. “so I think creating new uses for old buildings, especially ones that encourage community engagement and bringing people together is really important.” Applications for the grant will be due June 1 at 11:59p.m., and grant winners are expected to be announced sometime in July. More information on the grant as well as applications can be found at preservewa.org
Photos by Star Diavolikis/The Observer
April 14, 2021
5
SCENE
Connecting the community through movement A new dance studio has opened in Ellensburg, offering a place to get moving
Lexi Wicks Staff Reporter
The Ellensburg Dance Ensemble is opening The Studio, a new dance studio, right on Main Street. On Monday, April 12, The Studio officially opened up, offering a variety of classes, with the options of hip hop, ballet, contemporary and more. The Studio offers something for everyone. Inclusivity is one of The Studio’s primary goals. Sara Bachman-Rhodes, studio director and teacher, expressed how important it was that The Studio become a welcoming and safe place for all. “I think movement is vital to our health and happiness, and I am from the perspective that all people should have the comfort and place to dance because it is so important,” Bachman-Rhodes said. “This space and this mission allow us to do that, so that people who maybe don’t have a background in dance but really want to be able to move their body without feeling that there is a judgment about it [will know] it is for
everyone, and we can all take part and find joy together in movement.” The mission of creating a safe place for all also carries over in their set precautions due to COVID-19. Bachman-Rhodes explained that the studio would implement social distancing, requiring facial masks and providing adequate ventilation to keep the air within the studio moving. Both staff and students will wash their hands before and after each class, and the studio will have sanitizing room cleanings between each class and deep cleanings once or twice a day. “[The Studio] is really [making] sure that when people drop their kids off or when adults come, or whoever comes in our doors, we know we are doing everything we can to make sure that they are safe,” Bachman-Rhodes said. Although the precautions may be a hassle, she looks at this time as a unique opportunity. “People [are] really feeling the need to connect and feeling the need to move… So, I feel like right [now] this
Photo courtesy of John Durham
Photo courtesy by John Durham
Members of the Ellensburg Dance Ensemble poses in front of their new studio, The Studio.
isn’t about a specific age group of people,” Bachman-Rhodes said. The Studio plans on having dancers from the age of two to adults in their late 70s and 80s. She said she thought this was a “beautiful thing” as it is sure to bring the community together. CWU students are welcome to join as well. The Studio hopes to offer a student discount and bridge any gaps between the university and the rest of the community. John Durham, board director of the Ellensburg Dance Ensemble, aims to aid this connection as he is a CWU alumnus and now a senior lecturer. Durham said during his studies at CWU he felt a disconnect with the Ellensburg community and in the last twelve years of teaching, he still sees that disconnect. “I think we can do more and personally I want to be a part of that and
our organization wants to be a part of that,” Durham said. The future seems bright for both The Studio and the community as it plans to be much more than a dance studio. According to Bachman-Rhodes, although they may be starting with dance they are preparing for many other activities. Bachman-Rhodes said they hope to have some drum, musical theatre and art classes as well, thus, allowing The Studio to become a true safe place where people can come to enjoy themselves and find connection. As for right now, The Studio only offers a variety of dance classes and aims to bring connection and inclusivity to Ellensburg through movement. You can find more information on The Studio from their website at https://ellensburgdance.org/studio/.
Ellensburg City Council scouts for Diversity, Inclusion and Equity Commission members Milenne Quinonez Staff Reporter
The Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Commission has recently accepted ations to be on the commission. The diversity, inclusion, and equity commission has been in the works since July of 2020. The subcommittee of the commission are Mayor Bruce Tabb and city council members Nancy Lillquist and Nancy Goodloe. According to the ordinance No. 4871, the purpose of the commission is to “assist Ellensburg City Council in promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in the City of Ellensburg through action, education, and guidance.” After the council’s approval of the ordinance on March 1, the committee began
advertising for community members to apply to be a member on the commission. According to Lillquist, 34 people have applied to be on the commission. It is a seven member commission, and with one of those needing to be a council member, there will be only six spots open. Lillquist said there are a lot of people who are willing to step up and serve the community. “In my 20 years of doing this, we have not had that much of interest in a commission,” Lillquist said. Tabb said the subcommittee has initiated a two step process. First the subcommittee will be asking the applicant to answer four questions that are specific to the skills and abilities that are needed to be on the commission. The responses will be reviewed, and, from those responses, a few applicants will be selected
to have an interview. After interviews, the subcommittee will be able to make a recommendation to the council. These questions are asked in efforts to narrow down the 34 applicants to six members. “It will be an interesting process, there is just going to be a lot of weight. One quality against another in the different applicants,” Lillquist said. Lillquist said the subcommittee’s hope for the commission is for the community to gain an understanding as decisions are being made for the community. She said she has become more aware of the reality that not everyone shares the same experience as she does in Ellensburg. “To have a commission that can give a different lens than what we as middle class white folks, generally see the world through” Lillquist
said. Tabb said it’s difficult to tell who has applied to be on the commission and if there are any student applicants. “We feel like it’s just critical that we incorporate student voices in the efforts for the city to move forward to address the issues of diversity, equity and inclusion,” Tabb said.
6
SCENE
April 14, 2021
Past ASCWU presidents gather to discuss their time serving students Mariana Gonzalez Staff Reporter
Past ASCWU presidents and current president Mickael Candelaria gathered on April 6 to discuss their time as ASCWU president. The event held over Zoom invited CWU students to come and listen as the panelists recalled the highs and lows of their time as president. The past presidents included Armando Ortiz, Giovanni Severino and Jasmin Washington Past president Edith Rojas planned to speak at the virtual event, but had a previous engagement. The virtual event was moderated by the Dean of Student Success, Gregory Heinselman. Panelists answered a variety of scripted questions regarding their time as ASCWU president, and also answered questions from attending CWU students and alumni. The questions revealed a side of the former and current presidents not often shown to CWU students. “I would have never thought that I would have made it to college, and then serve as student body president,” former president Giovanni Severino said. Candelaria helped plan the virtual event. He shared his hopes for the event days before.
Photo by Mariana Gonzalez/The Observer Mickael Candelaria
“I am so excited to reconnect with some great CWU alum and people who really were the ones that inspired me to run for the ASCWU President position,” Candelaria said. The former presidents shared their journeys to college and to becoming student body president during the event. A particularly emotional journey came from Ortiz as he recognized the challenges he faced in his path to a college education. Candelaria said he thought students could connect with alumni and hear stories of leadership and advoca-
cy by attending the event, but also feel inspired to write-in and run to be the next ASCWU President. He said anyone can email Associate Dean of Student Success Jenna Hyatt by April 20 in order to run. Candelaria’s predictions for the event proved to be true as the former presidents shared examples of leadership during their time at CWU and encouraged current CWU students to run for ASCWU president. Jasmin Washington had wonderful advice for students running for president. “Students are going to connect with who you are, not who you pretend to be, but who you are at the moment,” Washington said. Possible candidates asked the panelists many questions towards the end of the event, including asking for advice on running for a student body position. Panelists also revealed what they have been doing since leaving the ASCWU president position. Ortiz, now a social enterprise manager at a nonprofit, helps younger people gain employment and is currently attending Loyola University in Chicago as a graduate student. The panelists ended the event with advice to retiring CWU President
Clymer Museum from Page 1 However, KVFR did not work alone in preserving Ellensburg’s historic Clymer Museum. A press release issued by KVFR states, “We would like to emphasize the value of fire alarm systems and can point to this example as a situation where the automated fire alarm system may have saved this historic building and other historic structures neighboring it.” The Clymer Museum had invested a portion of its resources into a fire alarm system. However, according to the President of the Washington Museum Association and Mu-
The Masonic Temple ruins, previously located on the corner of East 4th Ave. and North Pine St.
seum Director of Kittitas County Historical Museum Sadie Thayer, not all Washington museums have taken the same precautions.
This photograph depicts the young city of Ellensburg, taken before the fire from Craig’s Hill.
“Aberdeen Museum, in 2018, lost their entire structure for their lack of fire alarms,” Thayer said. “It is only thanks to the senior center which rented a portion of the building that had smoke alarms that they managed to find out there was a fire.” Aberdeen Museum, previously located in Aberdeen, WA, was operating without modern fire detection. To paint a picture of how that might look, Thayer described how local firefighters might have responded in a time without the luxury of modern technology, specifically to the Ellensburg fire in 1889. “We had a volunteer fire department ... word was communicated to them, probably by people on horseback ... pretty much word of mouth is the only way people are getting told about the fire, folks from out-
James Gaudino. The panelists shared their experiences with Gaudino and remarked on the impact he had on their lives and the university. “You really saved my life. If I didn’t come to Central, then I don’t really know what would’ve happened,” Ortiz said after describing his first time meeting president Gaudino. The virtual event, Blast from the Past: The Presidential Legacy, is available for students to view online on the ASCWU homepage.
Photo by Mariana Gonzalez/The Observer Jasmine Washington
side of town seeing the glow are rushing into the community to help,” said Thayer. Many museums operate with limited budgets and rely on volunteer staff. Staying afloat ends up taking precedence over the possibility of burning down. With museum patronage being at an all-time low due to the coronavirus pandemic, many organizations are struggling now more than ever. People interested in preserving these institutions can do so by visiting their local museums, perusing the gift shops and spreading the word on the value of small-town museums with friends and family.
Photos courtesy of Sadie Thayer
April 14, 2021
7
SCENE
Irene Rinehart Riverfront Park reopens Depends on county remaining in Phase 3 to avoid another closure
Jamie Wyatt Staff Reporter On Friday, April 2, Irene Rinehart Riverfront Park reopened to the public after being closed for the last nine months. The original closure was done at the behest of Kittitas County’s Public Health Officer Dr. Mark Larson. Larson has been working in conjunction with Ellensburg Parks and Recreation in order to safely re-open Ellensburg’s parks. Irene Rinehart Riverfront Park is a 117 acre park along the Yakima River with 2.2 miles of trails. The park hosts a large play area, volleyball court, picnic shelter with barbecue grills and spots for swimming and fishing. The park is also close to Yakima Canyon with nearby Umptanum Ridge Crest or Umptanum Canyon Creek to explore as well. The coronavirus case numbers are no better than when the park initially closed. The initial closure of the park was due to an uptick in coronavirus cases. Larson emphasized important differences.
Photo by Kassidy Malcom/The Observer
The Irene Rinehart Riverfront Park is open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days per week.
“We moved into Phase 3 of the reopening at that time, which was different than our current Phase 3 guidelines … allowed people to get together with 50 or more people outside,” Larson said. One of the biggest reasons for the uptick in coronavirus cases last spring was due to the influx of members outside of the community. During the time of the initial closure Larson emphasized key differences.
Photo by Kassidy Malcom/The Observer
The Irene Rinehart Riverfront Park includes picnic areas, walking trails and swimming areas.
“We were having people come up from Yakima to recreate at Irene Rinehart Park because everything was closed in Yakima. We had no ability to help people understand how to maintain social distancing as our numbers were starting to go up into our second outbreak,” Larson said. The most important difference now, is that all of Washington State’s counties are ready for Phase 3. When asked how he felt about Irene Rinehart Park’s reopening, Larson discussed his concerns. “I’m cautiously optimistic but anxious that we are going to have another surge and we’ll have to walk back out of Phase 3 back to Phase 2,” Larson said. “I think it should be done … but Ellensburg Parks and Rec have really done a good job of helping people to understand that despite the fact that we have a vaccine, we do still have a problem.” The most important thing for community members to remember is to follow guidelines to keep fellow community members safe. Larson said that even though the vaccine is becoming more available and the weather’s getting warmer, there are still guidelines the public needs to follow for the benefit of the community.
“It’s safe outside than it is inside,” Larson said. “We should still be wearing masks and staying with our own personal family bubbles … it shouldn’t be three families going together.” Another concern with the vaccine becoming available is people assuming it means that wearing masks and social distancing are no longer an issue, but Larson addressed this issue too. “We really need another three to six weeks and we’ll have enough people vaccinated … but if we don’t do those things … we get rolled back,” Larson said. So while Larson is feeling ‘cautiously optimistic’ about the park’s reopening, he said he has the community’s best interests in mind when making decisions with Ellensburg Parks & Recreation. Brad Case, director at Ellensburg’s Parks & Recreation, echoed many of Larson’s concerns for the community. “We are in close communication with Dr. Larson to make sure that he’s aware … [and] approves of it and if there’s anything he’s concerned about to try and address some of those concerns up front. Dr. Larson has been a wonderful partner [to Parks & Recreation] … but he understands the importance of recreation,” Case said. Case and Larson have been working in conjunction to ensure that Phase 3 guidelines are met to avoid an increase in coronavirus cases and to avoid closing the park again. Case was quick to point out that much of what students can do, they are already doing. “I live up near campus and I see students mask in their cars, masking [up] outside, Case said. “I mean they’re doing a wonderful job of masking and it’s great to see.” Emma Rawls, a safety & health management major, played volleyball while visiting the park prior to the coronavirus pandemic. “I would definitely be masking and social distancing if I were to visit,” Rawls said. Students are urged to mask up and social distance as they begin to venture out this season into the community.
WiseCrax: Together again, a beginner’s guide Libby Williams Columnist
Welcome to WiseCrax, a weekly column. It will hopefully serve as a safety corner in the newspaper for right after you’ve read your department got defunded or that parking passes will cost an additional $70 next quarter. This is where you can turn to potentially exhale sharply out your nose, put the paper down and go about your day. Despite the title, however, no valid wisdom will be offered here. In fact, the only advice you should ever take seriously from WiseCrax is don’t take the advice from WiseCrax seriously, starting: now.
With vaccines starting to become more readily available, it’s starting to feel like there’s an end to the madness in sight. Certain events are starting to be held live, and many of us are reuniting with loved ones we haven’t seen in over a year… But at what cost? If you suffer from severe awkwardness, this year of isolation certainly didn’t make you any more sociable. Even if you used to be a social butterfly, the mere thought of the conversations you’ll be forced to have may be sending you into turmoil. You may be wondering, “Libby, how do I navigate rekindling these relationships after only seeing them in a video chat?” Lucky for you, I’ve prepared a range of options.
1. Denial
Any licensed therapist will tell you, the best way to fix something is to pretend it didn’t happen at all. We’re already dreading how often we’re going to have to hear, “it’s so good to finally see you in person!” It’s enough to drive a person crazy. So, make them think they’re crazy instead. Hit them with a deadpan “what do you mean?” As far as you’re concerned, you saw them just last weekend. If you’re feeling creative, get weird with it. “You’re right, it is so strange to see you in the flesh. Recently I’ve just been dreaming about you.” People love to be dreamed about! Bottom line? None of this ever happened. Shove it down deep inside you, it’s the healthy thing to do. You can deal with it when you’re 50.
2. Parent Trap
Twins, this one’s for you. Congratulations, you are now one person. Gone are Larry and Terry, you are now one man: Jerry. It’s been said it takes 40 days to make a habit, and by now staying home is certainly the habit, so share the load and relish in isolation on your days off. Avoid all human interaction and work from bed like you’ve been doing all year, no shame in admitting you enjoy this way of life better. If you’re a fraternal twin, don’t fret. You’d be shocked at what a wig and some good makeup can do to a person. No twin? No problem. Clone yourself. The science department is getting that new building. I’m sure they can figure it out for us. We’ll send in some Yale students to help with the bigger numbers.
3. Relocate
Moving is almost as big a pain as small talk with your life long best friend who you haven’t interacted with since your “weekly” Netflix parties ended last April, two weeks after they started. To put it gently, you’ve got two birds here and a really big stone. Pack up your things, move to a different state and start fresh. You’ll still have to make small talk with people, but at least they know nothing about pre-quaran tine you and how much you’ve regressed socially. Change your name and style while you’re at it. Were you really that close with your family and friends, anyway?
Amy Turningof eve SoloBabinec: art exhibit
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my Babinec has a unique art enjoyed style, “I discovered that I really which is inspired working in museums and working lost memory, with art objects,”by Babinec said. trauma DIY In a webinar artist talk,and Babinec archaeology. It offers bit of said some of her workquite deals awith variety and Subsidence something isfor subsidence. theeverygradual one, which can be seen at onsinking or caving of an areaher of land. going art exhibit. She discovered this phenomenon Originally from through research. Belleville, IL, Babinec started led herher artistic jourHer research to explorney by getting coal a bachelor’s degree ing abandoned mines, and said in art. She then switched gears she was “visually struck as an artist” and majored in Russian language by what she found. She said it was and literature, as well as majoring
Her research led her to exploring my Babinec has a unique art abandoned coal mines, and said she style, which is inspired by was “visually struck as an artist” by lost memory, trauma and what she found. She said it was interDIY archaeology. It offers quite a bit esting how the Earth is holding mines of variety and something for everyone, up and keeping them from collapsing. which can be seen at her ongoing art Babinec’s art is also inspired by lost exhibit. memory. She said she went back to Originally from Belleville, IL, places her family had lived and took Babinec started her artistic journey by pictures. She then painted over the getting a bachelor’s degree in art. She things she didn’t remember. But she then switched gears and majored in also added in things that she believed Russian language and literature, as well about her family members. She called as majoring in art history. She worked it “filtering reality through paint in in four different museums and received my memories.” her master’s degree in art history and “I’m interested in memory and archaeology from the University of how objects reveal memories … and Maryland. I like how the conventions of archaeology, the rules of archaeology reveal something about my personal life,” in art history. She worked in four Babinec said. different museums and isreceived Babinec is fascinated interesting how the Earth holding how objects said revealshe memories … and by I her master’s degree in art history howhow people stuff in a parmines up and keeping them from like the remember conventions of archaeand archaeology from the Univerticular the place, as how revisiting collapsing. ology, rulessuch of archaeology reveal sityBabinec’s of Maryland. places can about bring my back memories art is also inspired by something personal life,”that discovered I really enjoyed may havesaid. been forgotten. lost“Imemory. Shethat said she went back Babinec working in museums working Something said sheby tries to places her family hadand lived and Babinec saidBabinec she is fascinated with pictures. art objects,” said. over to capture her workstuff is what peotook SheBabinec then painted how people in remember in a para she webinar artist talk, ple canplace, lose. An example gave was theIn things didn’t remember. But ticular such as howshe revisiting Babinec said in some of that her she work a fragment of a back cup, memories how it used she also added things places can bring thatto deals with subsidence. Subsidbelong to been someone and we will never believed about her family members. may have forgotten. encecalled is the gradualreality sinking or know who that person was. She it “filtering through caving of an area of land. She Babinec said never knowing who paint in my memories.” discovered thisin memory phenomenon that person was is what fascinates her “I’m interested and through research. about memory, as well as being able
eryday to art Amy items Babinec to remember shesaid lostshe in tries her Somethingwhat Babinec life and sharing with isothers. to capture in heritwork what peonew pleBabinec can lose.isAnworking exampleon sheagave series of work ofthat is how basedit used on was a fragment a cup, ice and snow. She said shewill has to belong to someone and we painted ice and before,was. but never know whosnow that person she Babinec wants the to havewho a saidpaintings never knowing crust-like that persontexture. was is what fascinates experimenting with herThrough about memory, as well as being different paints and pigments, able to remember what she lost in Babinec saidsharing she found mixing her life and it with others. polyBabinec acrylic,is Guerra workingpigment on a newand sesome ink works the best. ries of work that is based on ice and Associate Professor of Art and snow. She said she has painted ice Design Rachel Kirk Babiand snow before, butinvited she wants the nec to CWU to participate in an paintings to have a crust-like texture. event after meeting Babinec at difa Through experimenting with conference two ago. Babinec ferent paints andyears pigments, Kirk art style is said she said foundBabinec’s mixing poly acrylic, different from her own because it’s Guerra pigment and some ink works the best. Associate Professor of Art and Design Rachel Kirk invited Babinec
“pretty and simto CWUminimalist” to participate in uses an event plistic imagery. However, Kirk after meeting Babinec at a conference appreciates two years ago.it for the efficiency andKirk simplicity, and itart makes you said Babinec’s style is focus on from the detail thatbecause is there.it’s different her own “It’s minimalist” simplistic and imagery, but “pretty uses simplislayered and layered textures so tic imagery. However, Kirk appre-it makesitme on the application ciates forfocus the efficiency and simof the paint drawing materiplicity, and it and makes you focus on the al,” Kirk said. detail that is there. Thesimplistic concept imagery, behind Babinec’s “It’s but layworkand is exploring abandoned coal ered layered textures so it makes mines and collecting and docume focus on the application of the menting the objects she Kirk finds, paint and drawing material,” Kirk said. said. Kirkconcept said Babinec’s art shows The behind Babinec’s students the variety of style work is exploring abandoned coalin contemporary art and each mines and collecting and how documentartist style differing theinterprets objects shethe finds, Kirk said. ently. also said Kirk Kirk said Babinec’s art Babinec’s shows students the variety of style in contemporary art and how each artist interprets the style differently. Kirk also
Written By Ondrea Machin Photos By Kassidy Malcolm Designed By Javier Medrano
process of going out,ofinvestigating said Babinec’s process going out, and studying and the studying world is something investigating the world students can learn from and is something students can learnutilize from in their own work.own work. and utilize in their CWU isishosting hostingaasolo soloart artexhibexhibCWU it that features pieces from various it that features pieces from various series ofofBabinec’s Babinec’swork. work.The The show series show runs from fromApril April11totoApril April2424ininthe the runs Sarah Spurgeon SpurgeonGallery, Gallery,open open weekSarah days 10:0010:00 a.m. a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and on weekdays to 3:00 Saturdays, p.m. to 1:00 5:00 p.m. p.m., and on1:00 Saturdays, p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
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OPINION
April 14, 2021
Top three video games I played during quarantine
Samantha Cabeza Columnist During this time where we have been cooped up at home, I have decided to try and explore different hobbies to get into. I was looking on Amazon one day in April of 2020 and saw that the PS4 was on sale. On a whim, I purchased it and a couple of games and decided to see if I would enjoy gaming. I was excited to see that I did in fact fall in love with it and now, I am always looking for new games to play. The top three games I played this year were “Star Wars” Jedi: Fallen Order, Red Dead Redemption 2 and A Way Out. No. 3: A Way Out This is a multiplayer game that can only be played with you and another person. It’s a split-screen journey that consists of police chase, heated arguments and intense robberies. The premise of the game is that you must work together to successfully escape prison. Like Netflix’s Bandersnatch, the players are the ones making all of the decisions for the characters--meaning whatever decisions they make controls the ending the players get. While quarantining at home, my brother-in-law and I played this together and instantly became hooked on the story. We went into the game thinking that all we had to do was get these two characters, Leo and Vincent, out of prison, but there is much more to the story than just that. The game harbors an amazing chronicle between two people who in the end just want the same thing: to be with their family. The journey is heartwarming, angsty and interesting, so you end up feeling for the characters and their emotions. If you’re a gamer who is more into story rather than lots of action and doesn’t care for sidequests, try this one out. This game is available for PS4, PC, and Xbox. No. 2: “Star Wars” Jedi: Fallen Order While I desperately wanted to give this game the number one spot, I am solidifying its spot at number two. The player follows the story of a young Jedi named Cal Kestis, who was a padawan
at the time of the Great Jedi Purge. The game takes place five years after Order 66 and Kestis has solidified his safety on a planet named Bracca, where he becomes a rigger for the Scrapper’s Guild. In an accident that deems it necessary for Kestis to use the force, he is discovered by Imperial Inquisitors (Jedi hunters) and joins a small crew of ‘outlaws’ to begin a journey to assist in rebuilding the fallen Jedi Order. Kestis is one of the best protagonists I have experienced in a fictional story. A young man with an unrelenting past who is willing to put his whole life aside to find force-sensitive children and train them to be the next generation of Jedi. You root for every character in the game, including the villains. Trilla Suduri, known as Second Sister, made her way to my favorite Star Wars character spot after I played this game. Although she is played out to be the antagonist, she is anything but. She is more of a troubled soul who lost not only her master, but herself after the ending of the Clone Wars. The relationship between Kestis and Suduri is interesting to watch unwind as they both essentially fight for the same thing: freedom from their pasts. Kestis also meets Merrin, a gentle Nightsister who lost all of her people during the war as well. She has a hatred for the Jedi and has a difficult time warming up to Kestis, and they navigate the loss of their people in the game. Cere, an ex-Jedi who disconnected herself from the force, acts as Cal’s guide and crew member in the game. I can’t forget his sweet droid friend, BD-1, an exquisite map navigator and hacker. The relationships throughout the game will have you desperate to watch them develop and grow. This game does not have any side missions, but there are plenty of mini-games like combat training. Even if you are not a big Star Wars fan, this is a great story to experience. No. 1: Red Dead Redemption 2 I played this game about three times all the way through and I wish I could ex-
Photo by Kassidy Malcolm/The Obsever
perience what it was like to play it for the first time again. The story follows a group of outlaws who escaped a town called Blackwater after a mission. They are now permanently on the run, their main mission to escape to a faraway place like Tahiti to begin mango farming. That includes bank and train robberies, shootouts and escaping the law. Arthur Morgan is the protagonist of the game, but as the game goes on, you root for the whole gang to succeed in their mission. Even though they’re criminals and considered “bad people”, redemption is always obtainable for even the most broken people. The details in this game are amazing to maneuver around. You can hunt and
cook animals, choose your own horse and build a bond with it, grow your hair out, gain and lose weight; the experiences are endless. The map of the game is huge and the player is free to explore and experience whatever they pleased. There are stranger missions and decisions that Arthur has to make that eventually chooses the ending of the game. You have to make morally-guided decisions throughout the game as well, which sometimes are extremely difficult to make knowing it’ll have an effect on your game. This game is huge, so the player should take their time with it. There is a lot to explore that is not worth missing.
CWU should bring in Greek life Britnie Monaghan Columnist College life is all about creating connections and lifelong friendships that you will carry with you throughout the rest of your life. For some students this can be difficult. It’s hard to put yourself out there and create these relationships. That’s where Greek life comes in. Being a part of a fraternity or sorority has many advantages. For instance, you are able to participate in a variety of networking opportunities, create bonds between your brothers or sisters and be involved in the community. While the college you attend alone can give you plenty of opportunities to network, being a part of a fraternity or sorority can make it even
easier to achieve your dream career after graduating. According to The Fraternity Advisor, “a U.S. Government study showed that over 70% of all those who join a fraternity/sorority graduate, while under 50% of all non-fraternity/sorority persons graduate.” This percentage alone shows the benefits you can receive by joining Greek life. It gives you an extra boost while attending college to take a little stress off when worrying about your academics or life after graduating. Things like internships, choosing a career path and having several mentors throughout your college career is what joining a fraternity or sorority can give you. Not only are you setting yourself up for success in your academic life, but
you are also investing into relationships that can impact your life. Sisterhood and brotherhood in sororities and fraternities are essential to some students who have a difficult time making friends easily or people who need deep connections in their life. Sometimes the best medicine for stress during the crazy school year is spending quality time with your friends and having someone to rely on. One of the most popular reasons people join Greek life is because of the lifelong friendships that you make. In fraternities and sororities they assign you a “big brother” or a “big sister.” The meaning behind this is to intentionally keep relationships you have within your fraternity or sorority strong and so that you can have someone to mentor
you throughout their time in Greek life. Greek life really emphasises on community involvement. With having such a big establishment like fraternities and sororities in communities with many students, it gives a perfect opportunity to share community service. For example, different fraternities and sororities take turns each week to walk around the neighborhood and pick up trash. On a larger scale than just the impact it would have on Ellensburg, some fraternities and sororities are partnered with Make a Wish and other big donation establishments that create the same impact but in the country as a whole. Overall, Ellensburg would benefit from having Greek life in the community and so would CWU students.
April 14, 2021
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Running is the best way to stay healthy Jackson Sorensen Columnist
Being a competitive runner for over five years has shown me that no other workout satisfies my health needs and goals. I have also seen that I am at my peak health when I run three to four times a week. I have found sufficient evidence that running is good for all different aspects of your life. According to a study conducted in 2018 by Ball State University, a group of 75-yearold lifetime runners and bicyclists had biological profiles closer to 25-yearold graduate students than to their non-exercising 75-year-old peers. It has been said that running adds years to your life. Another great benefit to running that I notice personally, is that my sleep improves when I run. When I finish my runs, I am usually still very much running on adrenaline. When the adrenaline runs out, I feel a different type of tiredness. I feel as if I have
OPINION
exerted all of my energy into something that is beneficial to my health, as compared to mental tiredness. When I wake up, I feel rejuvenated and energetic. Running is also known for immunity boosting. Because your heart rate increases, the productivity of the rest of your organs increases. My high school coach always said at the first practice that by the end of the season, you’ll feel “clean.” While it’s a hard sensation to explain, I can only describe it as feeling quite literally, healthy. There were plenty of times where I wasn’t feeling the best, but I’d go for a run and would feel so much better. Because all of your organs are working faster, it’s making all the junk and waste in your body leave faster, leaving you feeling healthy and “clean.” Probably the best benefit that running has on my personal well-being is that it greatly improves my mental health. Being in an atmosphere that I am familiar with, doing something that I enjoy and is good for me, makes
all the difference when it comes to mental health and clarity. Good music, breaking a sweat and the sunshine really advocate for my mental health. A 2016 study conducted by researchers on sports and depression shows that exercise and running can be “an effective treatment for depression and can serve as a form of therapy.” I, personally, see it as a form of therapy. Being away from the things that stress me out and clouding my thoughts with music can quite literally turn my entire day around. I am a person who cannot run inside on a treadmill. I have to run outside. I need to be able to look at things and actually see myself moving. When I run indoors, I get bored and I’m not able to correctly match my stride pace, which messes with my running times. My music has to be something that will keep my hype levels up and won’t be interrupted by ads. For those of you who are skeptical on the idea of running, I encourage you to pace yourself and know your
limit. I had to learn the hard way, that having flat feet with no arch support can be costly on my health. I spent a good bit of time my first year running trying out different forms of shoes and various insoles. I had custom insoles crafted for running and for everyday life because my feet are so flat. I will always have insoles in all of my shoes. Even the shortest amount of walking or standing, can really hurt me. While I run, I use a running app/ game called Zombies! Run. This app saved my love for running. You are placed in an apocalyptic world with zombies. There is an entire story mode that you can “play.” There are supplies to be gathered and zombies to avoid, while listening to allies back at base talk to you as you go through your mission. There are currently 9 seasons out and I am on season 5. By finding the right motivator, the perfect playlists and the perfect shoes, you can begin this journey of improved health.
Professors shouldn’t profit from students’ textbooks Joshua Smith Columnist How far can you trust the salesman who earns a commission from his wares? It depends, I suppose, on the salesman. Still, when we hear his claims of ‘best on the market’ or ‘top-of-the-line,’ it warrants hesitation. Is it as he claims or isn’t it? What happens then, when the salesman is your professor and the wares are textbooks. This isn’t a new question. In fact, in one high-profile instance, as of 2015, Harvard professor and author Gregory Mankiw had earned an estimated $42 million in royalties on his textbook “Principles of Economics” according to an article written in the Oregonian by two-time Pulitzer winner, Richard Read. As consumers and as students, we have to ask ourselves if the resources we are required to purchase provides the best education or if their true purpose is to pad the bank accounts of those empowered by their lofty position? Considering the vast amount of textbooks accessible in the public domain, such as openstax.org, for what reason is it necessary that we spend thousands of dollars every year on mass-produced books that have comparable solutions available for free? Our gatekeepers, those who dictate whether we are fit to leave the confines of our collegiate careers only to work at Starbucks or Jamba Juice for the next halfa-decade, hold a responsibility to provide the best education possible without the
prerequisite to learn the art of dumpster-diving just to eat a decent meal. The question then becomes, how do we, as students, hold these purveyors of education accountable? First, celebrate those professors who choose to utilize free, open-source materials. Positive reinforcement is a powerful tool. By highlighting those individuals who set their students up for success,
your complaints to your professors, the school administration and even the secretary of education. In fact, according to public documents, in March of 2020, students filed a lawsuit against textbook publishers such as Cengage, Pearson, and McGraw-Hill and campus college chain bookstores for predatory practices resulting in higher course materials rates. The results from this lawsuit are
we provide a guiding light for others to follow. Second, speak out. Complain to the right people. Don’t gripe and moan about expensive books in the food court. Take
to-be-determined. However, the simple act of enacting a suit is a step towards positive change. As for faculty, on behalf of the student body, let me say this: you cannot continue
to make financial decisions for students. It is a gross injustice for you to mandate the purchase of textbooks over food, gas, rent, electricity and a dozen other necessary expenses that students furlough month after month. Instead, I challenge you to introduce a team of student-elected individuals who, alongside faculty, vote on course materials. By including individuals who represent our community, as members of our community, you would elicit trust from the student body rather than suspicion when making decisions that affect students. With all the coverage on student-loans and whether or not President Biden will provide some level of loan forgiveness, it is crucial to keep in mind why student loan amounts balloon to such extremes. It’s easy to dismiss $1000 a year on textbooks for the much grander and exorbitant tuition rates. However, the education system, much like time, is wibbly-wobbly, interweaving many corrupt systems. Forgiving student loans, although necessary, does not uproot the underlying cause of massive student debt. One step we can take today is questioning the necessity of expenses with solutions that are free and accessible to anyone with an internet connection. Education shouldn’t be an industry for profit at the expense of students. Education is a system that teaches empathy, enhancing human growth and potential. It’s about time we start treating it that way. Graphic by Javier Medrano
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April 14, 2021
OPINION
My experience with LGBTQ discrimination in campus housing Jamie Wyatt Columnist I wasn’t sure I wanted to write this piece. I wasn’t sure that I would resonate with traditional students as I’m a very non-traditional student. I’m 35, queer, and in fall 2018, I was just moving in with my girlfriend and 12-year-old child into student housing. I did my research prior to moving to CWU’s Ellensburg campus. I found they were rated the No. 1 LGBTQ inclusive school in Washington State and I called the housing on multiple occasions. At the time, my girlfriend was also a CWU student majoring in psychology; she also made numerous calls to the housing office. I spoke candidly with the housing office, I outed myself on numerous phone calls trying to explain my situation. I had a dependent, yes, and I wanted to share my space with my girlfriend, another CWU student. Seems easy enough to understand. I was told many, many times by a variety of people in the housing office that it wouldn’t be a problem for my child and partner to live with me while I pursued my degree. We even took the pains in explaining that my girlfriend was further ahead of me in her education by a year, meaning she would graduate first. Never at any time did anyone tell us that once she graduated, she would no longer be allowed to live with me unless we married. I consider myself to be a lucky queer. By that, I mean, I’ve been lucky enough to have a mostly supportive family, supportive friends and, having lived on the west coast for most of my life, I really hadn’t experienced discrimination up until this point. I was surrounded by an inclusive cohort at my community college, particularly with our LGBTQ club. It was a struggle to find really any information about the queer experience in Washington State colleges and there was practically nothing for queer students of the non-traditional variety. As stated in the article published in Community College Journal of Research and Practice, by Jason C. Garvey of the University of Alabama, “There is an absence of literature examining the experiences of lesbian, gay, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ).”
This is true for universities as well, if not more so, since many queer students fall into the bracket of people who find four year schools inaccessible. You can imagine my surprise when the housing office called my girlfriend and I, during winter quarter asking who I was planning to room with the following year. First, I tried to patiently explain my situation. Many problematic phrases were given on that phone call: “This isn’t how we traditionally do things;” “It’s not our policy;” and “I don’t know who told you that” were some of the phrases I heard. It immediately caused stress since I had moved my girlfriend and child to a rural, conservative county where we could now be potentially homeless. We went in for a sit down meeting with a housing office administrator. During this time my girlfriend and I were told, when we asked about our situation, referring to my relationship as though it were an unwanted pregnancy from the ‘50s, what verbiage I used specifically. I told the housing administrator that I called on many occasions, not just once, and discussed how I needed family housing because I had a child and wanted to arrange it so my girlfriend and partner paid for the additional room in our apartment; one room paid for by her, one paid for by me. This housing official, someone who I thought would be an ally and try to help advocate for our family, told me the words ‘partner’ and ‘girlfriend’ are open to interpretation. Their employees weren’t aware of what I meant by these words since they can have many meanings. I stared at him, and both my girlfriend, myself and the housing official knew he was wrong. I had diligently explained myself to several of his employees. I responded by asking if they expected me to blatantly come out to strangers, whom I’ve never met, to explain that I need a room in which to have queer sex with my girlfriend, my anger getting the best of me. At this time, he backpedaled a bit insisting he wasn’t saying the housing office expected queer students to out themselves, but what we were asking for was against policy.
My girlfriend and I left the office crying, angry and saddened by what we had experienced. In truth, it soured our experience in Ellensburg and living on campus. At the time, we were determined to fight it, reaching out to the CWU Student Rights & Responsibilities office. We were given an advocate who began to work with us and also informed us that housing had been allowing a heterosexual couple in the same situation to live together with their child, one of them a student, the other working in the community, as recent as fall 2018. Unfortunately, our child was assaulted at school in the process of our fight and we had to prioritize our families needs. It was decided that our experience living in CWU’s on campus community and within the Ellensburg community was detrimental to all of our mental health and we moved back to the west side when spring quarter 2019 ended. It was, and still is heartbreaking. A really great way to support LGBTQ students is through supportive interactions with faculty and instructors. One of the ways that administrators can better their interactions with LGBTQ students is by going through trainings and workshops as indicated in the article by Josie L. Linley for College Teaching journal; “Safe zone training could help faculty learn more about experiences of their LGBTQ students and continue to publicly support them as advisors, instructors, and mentors.” I would hope some sort of training for faculty exists for interacting, supporting and avoiding bias with the LGBTQ community, but it clearly needs to be updated. I want to be clear, I don’t write this with the intention of wanting to drag CWU’s reputation through the mud. On the contrary, I want this school that I still love, with professors who care, to take a critical eye to its policies and practices and ask if it serves ALL students, not just the affluent ones. CWU has a unique opportunity to hear this information and not put it aside, but to use this negative experience for one LGBTQ student and family and turn it into future positive experiences for the next LGBTQ family that lives on campus.
April 14, 2021
SPORTS
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How to balance life as a student athlete Jared Galanti Senior Reporter Balancing life as a college student can be a lot to deal with. Adding sports on top of keeping grade point averages at a level where they are eligible to compete leaves some student athletes with a hectic schedule. With practices, games, getting homework done and finding time to have a social life, student athletes have a lot on their plate with only 24 hours in a day to do all of it. Laynie Erickson, a sophomore digital journalism major who also plays for the volleyball team, said the best way for her to balance everything from her job to athletics and school work is to give 100% focus to whatever she is doing at that current moment. “I think something that I’ve learned is compartmentalization,” Erickson said. “If I’m at volleyball practice I’m focusing 100% and giving 100% at volleyball practice. If I’m doing my schoolwork or in class, I’m giving my all to that subject.” While some may not like the schedule of going from thing to thing without much free time, Erickson welcomes it as she experienced being busy in her high school days.
“I am happy the way it is because I have a really supportive team and really know for me I do such a better job at ev- supportive coaches who are always there erything when I’m busy,” Erickson said. “I for us. And if we ever need to talk about have always ran under a busy schedule all anything they’re always easy going.” Peyton Vogel, a sophomore soccer through high school. I did three sports, three seasons and club sports and I was player, said that for her getting homework done and always travplaying her eling. So this sport are her is the lifetop priorities style I chose during soccer for myself.” season before M a c y “It’s hard just because of her social life. Wilke, a “Social life sophomore COVID and everything and it’s comes last,” who is also stressful balancing all that,” Vogel said. on the volWilke said. But we have a real“With classleyball team, es and soccer said balancly supportive team and really you are still ing school supportive coaches who are getting social work with interaction, other college always there for us. but obviously aspects has balancing out been chal-Macy Wilke, a relationship lenging, but or talking to she is thanksophomore your famful to have ily or just a great suptalking to porting team roommates around her. if you’re not “It’s hard living with just because of COVID and everything and it’s stress- athletes comes after that because a student ful balancing all that,” Wilke said. “But we athlete’s life is pretty busy. But I think the
easiest way to balance it out is figure out which ones the top priorities.” Vogel said that because women’s soccer usually starts in the fall she wishes that during that time she did have a little more free time due to the lack of people she gets to interact with. “Fall sports already come in a month before any other students, so that is a nice advantage,” Vogel said. “But we only get to meet so many people and the fall quarters and winter quarters of your freshman year I find very very important on where you plant yourself and who your friends are, it’s really hard as a student athlete coming in as a freshman.” Wilke said that if student athletes are struggling to balance all their work, the best advice she would give is use the resources given to you provided by the school. “I would say that it’s definitely more common among student athletes than you think it is,” Wilke said. “And I would say to reach out to someone if you needed help because it will only make it worse if you don’t. So even if you don’t feel comfortable reaching out to your coaches about it there are resources for everyone on campus and I think that is really useful. So if you don’t feel comfortable reaching out to you coaches or teammates reach outside.”
Putting some distance between the track team and COVID-19 in 2021 Noah Wright Staff Reporter
together there is a bit of normality to the lives of these athletes. Senior distance runner Rajesh Gill said another challenge Due to the sudden emergence of these athletes face are mask requirements. “When we do track workouts and COVID-19 last year, there was a cancelation to the 2020 track season. For distance when we aren’t running hard we have to runners on the Track and Field team it has wear a mask,” Gill said. “It takes a little bit been more than a year and a half since the to recover because it is hard to breath.” While Gill said, “he has gotten a bit last time they were able to compete. more used With the to it,” he said season finally there is no back in acdoubt that tion, there are the masks high hopes make it very for the dishard to put tance athletes out the best to compete It is nice to have the performance at the conferstructure back with a possible. ence champi“When onship and a goal of competing and competing, new “normal” athletes get the ability to practice for them to to compete combat. with the group, with masks “In the off because past we went of our weekall five days of ly testing,” the week and -Donovan Barnhart, Kevin Adwould meet senior distance runner kisson, head up on weekcross country ends on our and track & own,” senior field coach, distance runsaid. “When ner Donothey check van Barnhart in, athletes said. “Now we really only meet for short meetings and our shorter recovery runs are get to remove their mask at the line.” A final challenge these athletes face is done individually or with our houses.” Being back together with the team has there is always a chance for a positive test to come up. been a big accomplishment for the team. “We have been so prepared “It is nice to have the structure back with a goal of competing and the ability to change at a moment’s notice,” to practice with the group,” Barnhart said. Barnhart said. According to Adkisson, there have “People are getting more comfortable, and already been a couple of positive tests everyone is getting better each week.” With the team being somewhat back that have halted practices for the team,
Photo by Casey Rothgeb/The Obsever
Because of the weekly COVID testing, runners are able to compete without masks. putting into perspective how easily COVID-19 can ruin the season. Adkisson gave a lot of thanks to the administration and health community who have worked hard to get the team where it is today. There is also credit given to the athletes on the team who have worked to stay healthy during this year. “When taking the full squad to the meet we take two busses and to get on the bus the athletes have to do a symptom check and have their temperature taken,” Adkisson said. These two procedures, combined with the weekly testing, can bring about a varying degree of uncertainty and anxiety, both of which can impact how an athlete competes. Adkisson said he is very excited for the future and that, “a few people, that had a challenge with motivation or health, are ramping up.” According to Adkisson the team
is scheduled to have six meets left this season. With the future looking bright, Gill explains that, “the last week of competition is GNAC,” and that, “a lot of us are looking to rank in the top 16 and compete at GNAC’s.” According to Barnhart, there are some underclassmen such as Shawn Clough, Ethan Lapic, Katelynn Strate and Molly Mattson, who have done really well so far. Barnhart said that he, “expects these athletes to continue to grow.” All these challenges aside, the team has made great strides in both their training and performance since the beginning of the year, with many athletes posting great times so far. Gill said, “there are many things to expect in the future for this tight group of friends that works every day to be the best versions of themselves.”
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April 14, 2021
SPORTS
Women’s rugby looks to defend their home in semi-final
Gabriel Strasbaugh Staff Reporter Looking at the 2021 season up to this point, success has fallen in favor of the Wildcats. Their 4-1 record has propelled them into a playoff semi-final at home against Life University on April 17. The Wildcats split their last two matchups against Life by winning the most recent 10-5 on March 27. The stage is now set for one of these ball clubs to win the theoretical best out of three series. The Wildcat’s dominance was on full display in their first three games of this season, outscoring their opponents 199 to 21. “I think they were so juiced up, ready to hit people and just play after a very long layoff,” head coach Trevor Richards said. Richards’ faith in his team has continued to flourish as the season continues. “We built into our season, so the last two games of the season were by far the most difficult.” Richards said. “We have full confidence in our players and what we’re able to do.” Overconfidence, according to Richards, is not in his team’s character. “That doesn’t mean when we walk in, we aren’t that arrogant to just walk in there and think we are gonna do whatever we want,” Richards said. “I’m very confident in where we are at and I think it’s going to be a very good game against Life.”
Courtesy of CWU athletics
Wildcats took home a win against Life University 10-5 Saturday, March 27. Senior prop Haley Abeyta noted the team’s talent with their drive. “Yeah, we did win 130 to nothing but we kind of didn’t really focus on what we did good,” Abeyta said. “We are sticklers on the things we were doing bad. Although we won by a lot, we still made mistakes that are fixable, so we just go into film.” The Wildcats’ undefeated season came to an end after losing 62-12 at home against the Lindenwood
Lions. The team has dropped its last eight ball games against Lindenwood. Abeyta and Kennedy both said the team was able to bounce back and are in preparation mode for their upcoming playoff against Life. “We’re not worried about that anymore,” Abeyta said. “This Life [University] game coming up next weekend, the goal is to go to the finals or national championship.”
Abeyta said the team’s adjustment to last week’s game plan against Life will benefit from getting to play at home in their familiar environment. “We both have been able to see how each other’s team play, so we will have to adjust off how they play,” Abeyta said. According to both Abeyta and Kennedy, the weather could turn the tide in favor of the Wildcats. “I’ve never experienced that before,” Kennedy said. “I’m from Ireland. I couldn’t even breathe, the air was so thick.” Both players noted that playing at home is more than a psychological advantage. “We’ve got the advantage now,” Kennedy said. “Imagine driving on a bus for two and a half hours, flying for four hours, driving again for two hours, staying in a hotel and playing in a game. Compare that to sleeping in your own bed and welcome to the field.” Kennedy noted the changes in audibles are another key piece if they plan to advance to the next round. “From playing Life already, they know our calls, so we’ve changed those up a bit. They won’t know what we’re doing,” Kennedy said. Kennedy said her confidence in the team is without doubt after film study from the last two weeks. “We’re looking really goo I’m excited”
CWU men’s rugby season ends with loss in California Simon Lafita Staff Reporter After showing improvement, the men’s rugby team ended its season in a loss to Saint Mary’s College of California (SMC) on April 10. With a final score of 38-17, head coach Todd Thornley said the team learned a lot from the match. According to Wildcatsports.com, Thornely said slow starts and not matching the pace set by SMC were reasons the team ultimately fell, and said that was something he intends to fix. With the team’s morale high, the players looked forward to the match against SMC and had planned to secure another victory. “We’re gonna do what we’re good at,” senior wing player Max Riseham said. “We’re gonna go all out and do the best we can because it could be the last game for us seniors.” After last year’s season getting preemptively canceled, the men’s rugby team was struggling to find its rhythm at the start of this year’s season. The team suffered a loss against Lindenwood in the season opener on March 13. “We knew not playing a year would take a toll on us,” senior rugby player Alex Mackenzie said. “The team tried their best but didn’t get the results that we wanted. Right now we have a lot to work on.” With the men’s rugby team slowly improving game after game, it can
Photo taken by Jacob Thompson/Thomspon Sports , courtesy of CWU athletics
The men’s rugby team traveled to California to compete against St. Mary’s College Saturday, April 10, and lost 17-38. be seen that the players learned from their mistakes. “The team didn’t do lineups very well. So we took the time to get that problem fixed during our practices,” Riseham said. After facing off against Arizona on March 27, CWU secured its first win of the season. The team was ecstatic to know that all its hard work paid off.
“It felt good seeing the results of our efforts. Putting [47 points] on them was a real confidence booster,” Riseham said. “We were all doing the right things, putting all the material we learnt from practice into the game.” According to Riseham, the match against Arizona reassured him that the team’s synergy was improving because the players were executing plays prop-
erly, communicating on the field and looking out for one another. He said the overall performance of the team felt better than their previous matches. “Having that day be senior day a lot of the [players] wanted to play for each other,” Mackenzie said. “The [teams] whole mentality was different and our performance was much better that day.”
April 14, 2021
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SPORTS
CWU softball is ready to take a swing at the remainder of the 2021 season Isaiah Salevao Staff Reporter CWU softball is looking towards a comeback year. Senior Lexie Strasser and sophomore Myiah Seaton are ready for the challenges and can’t wait to show that even a world changing virus can’t slow them down. Here’s what they have to say about the upcoming season. The team members said they can’t wait to hit the field and get back in action. Senior pitcher Lexie Strasser dwells on the previous season that was only
Courtesy of CWU athletics
Lexi Strasser, Senior pitcher.
meant to be delayed, but after weeks of delays the season was later canceled. “Playing again feels weird because we don’t have fans and games felt like regular practices and scrimmages,” Strasser said. Strasser and her teammates are just excited to be playing again and remind each other to live in the moment because it can all be taken away at any moment. Trasser reminds her teammates to “control what we can control” as it is a key to their success. Sophomore infielder Myiah Seaton reflects on the absence of softball in her life, “it got me through tough times, had to find something new to get through the toughest moments.” Seaton said the return to softball was definitely a weird one but everything clicked when they played in their first game. She said she always tells her teammates to “appreciate the little things, can be taken away at any moment and play like it’s your last game.” The team is currently on a threegame-strong winning streak, part of its 13 victories so far this season. The most recent game was against Humboldt State University, with CWU taking home a win of 10-2. Head coach Alison Mitchell told CWU Athletics she “really enjoyed seeing players make adjustments on their own in the batter’s box,” and said the team “started swinging at not-great pitches early, but did a good job laying off those the
Photo taken by Jacob Thompson/Thomspon Sports , courtesy of CWU athletics
Teammates celebrated their 10-2 win over Humboldt State University on April next time through the lineup and barreling balls up.” An upcoming 4-game series against Northwest Nazarene University (NNU) is scheduled for April 16-17 and will be home games. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. on both April 16 and April 17.
Historically, CWU has taken home 73 wins and 16 losses against NNU, with the longest win streak being 14 games. The last game at NNU happened May 3, 2019, and resulted in a CWU victory of 5-2. Fans are still not allowed to be present at the events, but they will be livestreamed.
Intramural and club sports: Back in action? Kenia Reynosa Staff Reporter The Recreation Center has come a long way since the pandemic began. Now that Kittitas County is in phase three, more events and activities are becoming available to students. Last spring, campus had to close completely, including the Recreation Center. Intramural Sports Manager Spencer Dalzell, recalls how they had to adapt to restrictions and come up with new ways to keep students involved. “Around this time last year everything went into shut down. We were really really limited on what we could offer and what we could do. We had to communicate through Zoom and we couldn’t host people on campus. Getting into this year, we had some trivia nights and virtual esports events,” Dalzell said. Dalzell is thrilled to finally get the ball rolling with this quarter’s lineup of both in person and virtual events while still following the university’s and state’s guidelines. “Going into this quarter we have a lot more opportunities and things that we can offer because there’s less restrictions. We’re being able to hopefully go back to a time before COVID existed as the quarter progresses and maybe start moving into phase four.” Dalzell mentioned some of the activities and events happening this quarter including skill challenges, a new volleyball and a golf simulator league. “We’ll be introducing three v three volleyball this quarter. That’s kind of our first step at getting back into real intramurals it’s not quite six v six but it’s better than nothing. That’s one of those things again that we’re
being limited by the amount of people we’re allowed to have on the court at the time,”Dazell said. Close contact sport leagues like basketball and soccer are still not approved, but Dalzell is hoping it is something that they can offer in the near future. CWU’s club sports program has also been heavily impacted by COVID-19. Restrictions on travel, practice and number of participants are just some of the few hurdles they’ve run into. Nonetheless, Coordinator for Sports Clubs Samantha Wary said she remains optimistic for what lies ahead. “The fall was a struggle because we were really deep into the COVID restrictions and very limited on what we were able to do. But this quarter we are picking back up. We have a few presentations and presenters for the clubs to come and attend,” Wary said. Even though they had to take some time off, Wary mentions that, “we’ve taken the year to look at how we can rearrange and improve things.” Teams that had been inactive since last year have started to come back. They have been working on fundraising, community service and recruitment for the fall. Wary explained an online campaign started in order to increase both awareness and recruitment. “We have a recruitment campaign called #jointheclub we’re trying to market and push the sport clubs. We are recruiting now because when we come back in the fall we’re really gonna hit the ground running,” Wary said. Get involved and learn more about upcoming events by visiting the intramural and club sports websites.
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April 14, 2021
ENGAGEMENT
PULSE Magazine presents a Q&A with
COOL CAT: DANE SANTOS Interview by Sanna Bjork | Photo contributed by Dane Santos | Design by Itzel Montoya
While the entire world came to a halt due to the COVID pandemic in March 2020, Dane Santos’ own health problems began several months before. Santos, a 2019 graduate of CWU with a degree in Communication Studies, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in December 2019 and started his journey with chemotherapy in January of 2020. He hasn’t let his illness keep him down. Dane is planning to move to Chicago with his wife and eventually go back to the police academy. He even set a goal of working out for 100 days in a row during his treatment, and he filmed motivational videos about that effort. Here’s why you should know this Cool Cat.
FAVORITE CHILDHOOD MEMORY:
Fishing with my family, or snowboarding.
Tell us about your hobbies:
I fish and I do a lot of snowboarding. I love to ride my bike as well. Keep it simple... I started chemo, or my second round of chemo, I did chemo from January to April of 2020. Then I did radiation from June to July. Then I did another batch of chemo [on] November 2nd. And through that, I set a goal for myself [to] either walk, ride my bike, walk stairs or do something every day. My goal was 100 days, and I hit that. From November 2nd to February 10th, [that was] 100 days exactly. I was able to get so many miles [in] and I did a couple videos.
Tell us about your personal goals:
My first personal goal is to get out of the hospital and be cancer free. My second goal would be to finish the Washington State Police Academy. It’s going to take some time, just because I won’t be cleared for another year and a half. So those are my top two.
Tell us more about your career goals:
“
Three fun facts:
This is the hardest question yet. I’m married to my high school sweetheart. We have two golden retrievers - golden doodles. I spent more time fishing than I did going to class.
Suffering is the true test of life.
-David Goggins
Where can you find Dane:
I live in Camas right now. Well, technically, I live at OSU right now, in Portland. I’ve stayed at the hospital for 10 days. Hopefully, I’ll be out soon. Hopefully in the spring, I’ll be out in Chicago.
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“
I worked for the Richfield Police Department. I got 10 weeks into the academy when I was diagnosed [in] December of 2019. So, I’ve been fighting this thing for a year and some change. I need something to fill in that space for when I can go back. I got a job with the company that put my port in, Becton Dickinson, they make medical supplies and all that. I’m going to hopefully sell some oncology medical devices for them. My wife and I will probably move up to Chicago in May or June.
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