In This Issue

President-designate lays out future of CWU

Mitchell Roland Editor-in-Chief

While he isn’t scheduled to assume the office for up to six months, CWU’s president-designate has already begun mapping out his early tenure at CWU.

CWU announced A. James Wohlpart as its next president late last week, replacing James L. Gaudino. Gaudino announced in February 2020 that he planned to step down by July of this year.

One of Wohlpart’s priorities as president is increasing diversity and inclusivity, though the demographics at CWU greatly differ from his current and previous institutions.

The student population at UNI is 82.3% white, while the student population at Wohlpart’s previous institution, FGCU, is 65.3% white. During the current academic year, the student population at CWU is 54% white.

“What I’m interested in is creating a culture of belonging for everyone at the institution, so that they can feel their whole human selves and feel welcomed for who they are,” Wohlpart said.

Wohlpart said it is a “moral obligation” for CWU to ensure that every admitted student can be successful, and said he plans to

In This Issue

News Scene

1-3 4-5

News 6-7

Opinion 8-9

Page 2 CWU preps for future

President A. James Wohlpart

See Wohlpart, Page 3

Page 4 CBD products in Ellensburg

Ellensburg and CWU police departments to receive funding for body cameras

Star Diavolikis Senior Reporter

Residents of Ellensburg will soon see CWU and city police officers wearing new body cameras due to monetary requests being approved at the beginning of this month by Ellensburg City Council.

According to the council’s agenda from Jan. 4, the budget was approved in December during the 2021/2022 biennial budget, and the expenditure was approved during this month’s meeting on Jan. 4. Ellensburg Mayor Bruce Tabb said the vote was unanimous, and the council is supportive of the local police department.

Ellensburg Police Department (EPD) Captain Hansberry said having body cameras will hopefully keep and strengthen the trust they currently have with the community. He acknowledged there are people who either do not trust or doubt the police, and hopes this body camera program will eliminate these doubts.

“One of the things we’re looking forward to [with] this program is complete transparency and accountability,” Hansberry said. “Our officers want the public to know that they’re doing the right thing. Not that they won’t ever make mistakes.”

Tabb said there is a good relationship currently between the community and the police department, especially with efforts the current Chief of Police Ken Wade has taken.

“The current chief has made some significant investments in time and energy in reaching out and establishing communication, particularly with students and the broader community,” Tabb said. “[He] has also invested time and resources in providing training to all the officers around things such as complicit bias, issues in the LGBTQ community, mental health training and just a range of different issues in things that he’s worked to expose the police department with.”

Hansberry said it is uncertain when exactly the cameras will be in use, however will hopefully be within a few weeks. These cameras provide new documentation opportunities due to how the system functions.

“The body camera syncs with the incar camera, so part of what we’re purchasing is a camera system that incorporates both the in-car camera and the officer’s body worn camera and then syncs them together,” Hansberry said. “Usually the audio from the body worn camera [is] the audio for both cameras.

Having a body camera along with the audio can dispel a lot of issues regarding

See Body cameras, Page 3

Page 11 New womens basketball lineup

Levi Shields Staff Reporter

When the COVID-19 pandemic caused a drastic change in the way we all go about our daily lives, it became apparent to Director of Dining Services Dean Masuccio that there would have to be changes to the way students eat on campus when they returned for spring and fall quarter.

Now, about ten months later, Food Management magazine has named the dining department “Innovator of the Month” for January.

Assistant Director Denise Payton said that if a student on campus is identified as having COVID-19, they may access the Wellness Delivery Program through the Housing and Residential Life team, where they can use an online ordering system to have food and other general goods such as shampoo and soap delivered to them the next day.

Dining Services has implemented multiple new ideas like the Wellness Delivery Program over the past few months to keep dining safe for students during the pandemic, while also keeping the food that they eat from becoming dull, from pop-up events to mobile ordering.

“The team was very flexible, adaptable,” Masuccio said.

In regards to the award, Masuccio said “I think it validates a lot of the hard work and effort they put in.”

Dining Services started by reducing the menu on campus. The goal of this, according to Executive Chef Joe Ritchie,

Photograph by Casey Rothgeb/The Observer

was to speed up service for those staying on campus.

Ritchie said the department followed an industry trend of focusing on a core menu consisting of fan-favorite items, and then evaluating and modifying the core menu over time. The changes made over the past few months have also served to ensure that the reduced menu does not become stale.

The department is also hosting multiple pop-up events each quarter. Small food-related events give those interested a chance to eat something they wouldn’t normally be able to order and have a little fun at the same time.

For example, fall quarter saw a pho night and a wing cook-off, where two chefs made their own chicken wing recipes and students voted on which they preferred.

This quarter, Dining Services plans on hosting a tamale night, “welcome back” steak night and what Ritchie referred to as “KFC, Kittitas Fried Chicken.”

Another recent addition to the dining scene on campus is mobile ordering. There were plans to implement this system before the pandemic began, but Masuccio said it would have likely taken a couple of years to implement.

Despite this, the department was able to fast-track it to implementation in time for fall quarter, allowing students to avoid gathering inside dining areas by ordering their food remotely and picking it up when it’s ready.

With the many changes that have been made over the past few months, feedback, both positive and negative, is especially important. Ritchie urged students to reach out directly to Dining@cwu.edu.

“It’s an exciting time to be a student on campus because the dining program has made a lot of progress,” Ritchie said.

Central creates Destination 2025 for new students

Madalyn Banouvong Staff Reporter

Destination 2025’s plan’s main goals for the next five years include supporting new student recruitment, diversity and inclusion, retention, persistence and degree completion. Since diversity and inclusion in the classroom has been proven to be necessary to create a healthy learning environment, it is part of the reason why Destination 2025 was created at CWU.

Josh Hibbard, vice president of enrollment management, said he has been excited to share the highs and lows that came to the completion of the year’s objectives. Coming off the success of year one, those involved were able to improve their capabilities to support the plan.

The enrollment management division’s website explains that currently in Students can now mobile order food from dining services to help comply with health and safety guidelines. year two they will be focusing on tasks like enhancing online and remote services and transfer student recruitment, support and services.

To assist with the plan, workgroups of students are split to specialize in enrollment, diversity, student success and projections. Excluding projection, each group focuses on their goal and breaks down how to incorporate it into projects, initiatives and activities for the year.

Because of COVID-19, those involved were able to quickly make changes and adapt accordingly after year one. Events have been salvaged and saved for later dates as the enrollment division decided how to move forward, adding additional activities to the original plans in response to COVID-19.

In addition to increased diversity and inclusion of more traditionally under-represented student groups, the

The Observer Staff

Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Online Editor News Editor Scene Editor Sports Editor Photo Editor Opinion Editor Copy Desk Chief Assistant Copy Editor

Mitchell Roland Amy Morris Amy Morris Bailey Tomlinson Sean Bessette Rey Green Casey Rothgeb Abigail Duchow Abigail Duchow Addie Adkins

Lead Designer Rebekah Blum

Graphic Designer

Meghan Salsbury

Graphic Designer

Ilse Orta Mederos

Senior Reporters

RachelAnn Degnan Star Diavolikis

Copy Desk Staff

Katlyn White Clara Wetzel plan’s third main objective is to increase retention and completion rates. This goal involves more than first year students and affects all those who choose to enroll at CWU.

“The goals go beyond just new student recruitment,” Hibbard said. “In many ways we really think about number three as student success and how that plays into our overall enrollment.”

All students are encouraged to create plans for success and connect with the staff during their time at the university with Destination 2025.

There are yearly overviews and quarterly check-ins the plan stays on top of to make sure everyone is proceeding like they are supposed to. The workgroups focuses are documented and measured to see if the goals have been met or they need help to reach the fullest potential.

Staff Reporters

Max Hughes Madalyn Banouvong Justin Zabel Levi Shields Milenne Quinonez Derek Harper Deacon Tuttle Jackson Sorenson Dakaline White Gabriel Strasbaugh Jake Tilley Ondrea Machin David Snyder Nidia Torres Libby Williams Monthly meetings between all areas help to follow the progress and discuss how to to overcome roadblocks.

Hibbard said he is especially passionate about Destination 2025 because not every university has an enrollment program like this that shows they are committed to what they’ve outlined for their students. It is important to the team that not only does CWU have a plan, they intend to follow up frequently on each of the objectives.

“I think the fact that we have a plan and branded Destination 2025, it demonstrates our commitment to these things,” Hibbard said. “Because we’re not just saying we value these things, we are building a plan and developing action items that we can measure every single year that takes us one step closer to achieving the goals in the plan.”

Advertising

Cait Dalton

Faculty Adviser

Editorial Consultant

Jennifer Green

jlgarciagreen@gmail.com

Francesco Somaini

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

having incomplete records of what happens in certain events. With these body cameras and microphones, there will always be audio and video documentation of the event.

Hansberry said the new system will pick up all audio due to the microphone being on the body worn camera. In an example, Hansberry described during a traffic stop the police officer will now have full audio and visual documentation. “Where before, you might hear the scuffle on the mic, or the mic might be breaking in and out, but you don’t see any video from the dash camera and you have sketchy, if any, audio at all from the microphone to the in-car.” Following this event, the officer will be able to log the audio and video footage for case records.

A setback was the laws surrounding body cameras that made them costly. Legislation recently changed regarding body camera laws that made things easier for police forces interested and caused the total costs to lower, which in turn made it more obtainable for EPD.

“After several years of legislative work on privacy concerns for both the public and the officers, the laws and guidelines for body worn cameras are in line with our expectations,” the meeting agenda stated. “The Police Department has researched body worn camera systems and identified Coban Technologies as a vendor that will sync body worn cameras with an in-car camera system.”

Within this budget, there are other costs besides the cameras alone. Hansberry said a budget for staff that is dedicated to sifting through the footage is required, and the meeting agenda states redaction software will be needed. The redaction software will be necessary when public disclosure requests are made.

NEWS

ebb more than they have in the past,”

Wohlpart from Page 1 Wohlpart said. “And we need to be prepared for that and have a resilient review the curriculum, hiring and other budget model.” policies at CWU. Wohlpart said at FGCU Part of his plans to address CWU’s he was “part of that process” to increase budget will be to increase the university’s diversity on campus. fundraising efforts.

“The work that I’ve done, both at “I will be elevating the profile of the [FGCU] and UNI, is to help those stu- university in terms of fundraising so that dents of color be successful,” Wohlpart we can greatly increase student scholarsaid. “I think that I have incredible expe- ships,” Wohlpart said. rience with understanding how to build When Wohlpart began at UNI, the teams and initiatives that allow those stu- university had just begun a three-year efdents to thrive.” fort to raise $50 million for student schol-

Wohlpart has an extensive history in arships. UNI hit the $50 million mark in a university administration and currently year and a half and ended the drive after serves as the provost and executive vice raising a total of $75 million. president for academic affairs at the “I really will focus a lot of my energy University of Northern Iowa (UNI). He on those kinds of work, to support [stupreviously served as interim president dents],” Wohlpart said. “It will be about at Northern Iowa from July 2016 to Jan- [students] when I am off campus doing uary 2017. that leadership.”

Before his work at UNI, Wohlpart This effort for additional scholarship served in various roles over 21 years at funding could include endowed professorFlorida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) ships and named colleges at CWU, Wohlincluding as dean of undergraduate stud- part said, and he estimated as much as half ies from 2011 to 2015, the associate dean of his time would be spent off-campus and of the College of Arts and Sciences from speaking with legislators and donors. 2005-2011 and chair of the Division of While much of Wohlpart’s time in ofHumanities and Arts from 2000 – 2005. fice will be spent off campus, CWU’s next

Wohlpart holds both a Ph.D. and president has visited campus before. After B.A. in English as well as a B.A. in phi- his interview for the presidency, which losophy from the University of Tennes- took place in Seattle, he drove to Ellenssee and an M.A. in English from Colo- burg afterward to tour the campus. rado State University. “I will tell you it’s a beautiful cam-

During an all-faculty forum on Jan. 14, pus,” Wohlpart. “You all have a spectacWohlpart said it is “essential” for CWU to ular campus.” diversify its resources and that he planned Wohlpart will stay at UNI through to look at CWU’s budget model. their spring commencement, which is

“We know that the state resources ebb scheduled for May 8, and will officialand flow, and we also know that they may ly take over for Gaudino no later than June 21, though his start date could be moved up.

Wohlpart plans to take several trips to Ellensburg before he officially starts the job, though this is contingent on his ability to travel safely.

“I will spend a lot of time between now and then meeting people, and building those relationships,” Wohlpart. “That is a priority for me.”

Nathaniel McMillion, the BOT student representative as well as a member of the search committee, said in a student forum on Jan. 15 that Wohlpart has “a lengthy history of inclusion, of diversity, of making sure that all voices at the table are heard.”

McMillion said Wohlpart was not only the candidate ranked in the top five for everyone on the search committee, he was also the only candidate ranked either first or second among all the trustees.

“I’m really, really excited to see what he’s going to be doing with [CWU],” McMillion said in the forum.

During an exempt and classified staff forum on Jan. 14, Carolyn Thurston, director of academic concerns and dispute resolution and a member of the search advisory committee, said that during the interview process, Wohlpart talked about things that matter to her.

“He talked about having spent an enormous time studying leadership philosophies. He mentioned specific authors of books on leadership, culturally sustaining pedagogies and the coming realities for higher ed,” Thurston said. “All things very, very timely and important for us here at CWU.”

©2018. Paid for by the United States Army. All rights reserved.

START RAISING THE BAR.

Army Officers inspire strength in others. Make Army ROTC part of your college experience and be eligible for a full-tuition scholarship. Join the team that makes a difference.

Join CWU's Wildcat Battalion Army ROTC! Call (509) 963-3518 | email armyrotc@cwu.edu Stop by Lind Hall, Rm. 220 for more information. goarmy.com/rotc/ark2