The OBSERVER
IMPROPER INTOXICATION Students with MIPs face consequences Page 3
FASHIONISTAS
3 Central designs selected by international competition Page 7
HOME SWEET HOME
Women’s basketball looks for streak Page 15
@CWUObserver cwuobserver.com Online daily, print weekly Vol. 98 No. 8, No. 19 - Dec. 3, 2014
By the students and for the students of CWU Photo Illustration By Derrick Clarit
2 The Observer • Nov. 20 - Dec. 3, 2014
State and federal laws conflict: What that means for the pot-smoking student A schedule I drug is a substance with “no currently accepted medical use in the United States, a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision, and a high potential for abuse,” according to usdoj.gov. BY KYLE FENTON
Staff Reporter
Views on marijuana are rapidly changing nationwide, as four states have legalized recreational cannabis use in the past four years. But that does not mean Central has completely changed it’s views on the federally illegal Schedule-1 drug. For students who receive financial aid, it is important to know what could happen in the event of a marijuana-related crime. Central Police officer Greg Margheim said marijuana related crimes on campus are all classified under the Violation of Uniform Controlled Substance Act (VUCSA) and depending on the incident, the police can make an arrest. In the month of November, there have been eight VUCSA-related cases on campus, two of which resulted in an arrest. “It does affect student conduct,” Margheim said. “I’ve heard of specific cases where
students have lost their financial aid.” Marijuana is classified as a Schedule-1 drug along with heroin, LSD, ecstasy, bath salts and other drugs. School policies - FAFSA and drugs Because financial aid is federally funded, students convicted of a marijuana-related crime, could lose their financial aid, depending on the offense. “Financial aid gets directives when there is a conviction through the court systems,” Richard DeShields, Central’s chief conduct officer, said. Adrian Naranjo, director of Student Financial Services, said the financial aid office doesn’t actually get a notice when someone is convicted of possession or sale of marijuana, it is on the application for student aid. The student self-certifies in applying for aid that he or she is eligible. Convictions only count against a student’s eligibility for
STAFF Editor-In-Chief Adam Wilson Online Julia Martinez (Editor) Camille Meador (Social Media) News Colt Sweetland (Editor) Chace Davy (Assistant Editor) Haley Curl Kyle Fenton Aaron Kunkler R. Troy Peterson Rashay Reading Cooper Wortley Scene Camille Borodey (Editor) Maria Harr (Assistant Editor) Brittany Allen Xander Deccio Morgan Green Nicole Huson Kala Tye Cassidy Warness Sports Chance Weeks-Williams (Editor) Rachel Charlton (Assistant Editor) Jonathan Glover Jeffrey MacMillan Cole Ridley Dillon Sand Donnie Santos
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY DERRICK CLARIT
UP IN SMOKE Students’ financial aid can be compromised if they have a marijuana-related charge.
aid if the offense occurred while the student was receiving financial aid. A student regains eligibility the day after the period of ineligibility ends, or when they successfully complete a qualified drug rehabilitation program. Further convictions will make him or her ineligible again. Marijuana a Schedule-1 drug: Unconstitutional? In California last month, a federal judge announced an
Copy Desk Austin Luft (Copy Desk Chief ) Forrest Hollingsworth Anna Kessner Kayleigh Perrier Sarah Quartararo Mariah Rocker Photographers Derrick Clarit (Editor) Susie Comyns Alyssa Darby Riley Elliott Brittany Rash John Whittlesey Graphic Designer Jordan Brown Faculty Adviser Cynthia Mitchell mitchelc@cwu.edu Business & Ad Manager Kristin Gaskill 509-963-1026 Student Ad Manager Taylor Simental Ad Designer Jordan Brown Ad Sales Nina Black Danny Golden Daniel Soltero
end to a five-day hearing on the constitutionality of cannabis’ Schedule-1 status. Judge Kimberly Mueller is requesting extensive briefings from both parties, which could delay her ruling until December. On Oct. 30, the final day of the hearing on scientific and policy evidence, Judge Mueller heard from Dr. Bertha Madras, the former deputy drug czar under George W. Bush, who insisted that her position that cannabis lacks any accepted medical value was accurate, while Zenia
DEADLINES
Weekend sports information: Sunday 5 p.m. Letters to the editor: Sunday 5 p.m. Entertainment, meetings, calendar events, display ads, classified ads: Friday 5 p.m.
Gilf, attorney for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), courntered with claims that the government’s research was biased. The Leaf Online reports that Madras protested in her defense, “There are thousands of studies on marijuana. It’s very difficult to study all of them.” If Judge Mueller were to find it unconstitutional to have marijuana listed as a Schedule-1 drug, it would impact marijuana astronomically.
CONTACT US
The Observer Central Washington University 400 East University Way Bouillon Hall 222 Ellensburg, WA 98926 M-F 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. 509-963-1073
SECTION E-MAILS
Editor-in-Chief cwuobserver@gmail.com News cwuobservernews@gmail.com Scene cwuobserverscene@gmail.com Sports cwuobserversports@gmail.com Opinion cwuobserveropinion@gmail.com Photo cwuobserverphoto@gmail.com
ADVERTISING
Kristin Gaskill Central Washington University 400 East University Way Bouillon Hall 232B Ellensburg, WA 98926 509-963-1026 gaskillk@cwu.edu
CORRECTIONS: -In Issue 7, we incorrectly printed photos of “The Red Curtain Broadway Revue” in our preview of “The Duchess of Malfi.”
NEWS
The Observer • Nov. 20 - Dec. 3, 2014 3
Editor//Colt Sweetland
cwuobservernews@gmail.com
Minor in Possession
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY DERRICK CLARIT/OBSERVER
Charges carry significant impact on student life BY R. TROY PETERSON
Staff Reporter
For underage students at Central, being caught in possession of alcohol can result in either a court date or a date with Student Rights and Responsibilities. Greg Margheim, a bike patrol officer for Central Police, has worked for the university department for two years. He said that officers who catch minors in possession (MIP) have the option of issuing citations which can result in one of two possible outcomes. “I can either cite them with a crimination citation, which requires them to go to court,” Margheim said. “Or you can be cited with the pre-charging diversion program.” Central Police is the only department in Ellensburg which issues pre-charging diversion citations. Richard DeShields, associate dean of students, said that the role of Student Rights and Responsibilities is primarily to educate under-age students about drugs and alcohol. He said that this education occurs whether there has been an incident report filed by the police or by the resident assistants on campus. “Our job is to meet with students and talk with them about the ramifications of their decisions,” DeShields said. “So we’ll meet with students and get their perspective, and then potentially hold students accountable.” Margheim said that the most common days for MIP citations, and alcohol citations as a whole, are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. However, he said that incidents are not limited to those times. “I can tell you I’ve written MIPs on a Tuesday at nine o’clock in the morning,” Margheim said. “With students walking to school, walking to class with a beer.”
Three Strike Rule
Number of MIP Infractions
Strike 1: Prime for Life course Strike 2: Off-campus assessment Strike 3: Suspension
=195 people
= 71 people
INFRINGEMENTS In Fall 2013, 73% of MIPs in E-burg were on Central’s campus, and 27% were off.
Margheim said since the loss of fraternities and sororities on campus, MIP citations have also gone down, and credits the city’s noise policies for this decline. He also said that recently, there has been a greater amount of MIPs with marijuana instead of alcohol. The issue of minors possessing alcohol is not limited to Central’s campus. It also manifests itself at local businesses, such as Safeway and Fred Meyer. A former Fred Meyer employee, who wishes to remain anonymous due to Fred Meyer’s policies about talking to the press, expanded on some of the techniques used by the store to prevent minors from purchasing alcohol. “As far as management, they really stress that you verify every single aspect of the ID,” the anonymous source said. “The birth year, whether it’s expired,
whether it’s actually that person. But at the same time, there weren’t very many people that we had to turn away. There weren’t very many minors that have tried to go through with fake IDs.” The anonymous source said that he had witnessed Fred Meyer employees selling alcohol to underage persons. “People have been terminated for that, though,” the anonymous source said. Despite the fact that at Fred Meyer selling liquor to minors is a terminable offense, the anonymous source said that they were unable to give an exact number of employees terminated for that offense. “You’re not really supposed to talk about things like that there. If you talk about anyone being terminated, you yourself are eligible for termination,” the anonymous source said. The anonymous source also
said that one of the red flags employees are trained to look for is suspicious behavior by one or more of the customers purchasing alcohol. “The biggest problem with minors trying to buy alcohol is just them trying to get their friends to do it for them,” the anonymous source said. “The minors here are college aged kids. They’re a little bit more intelligent than the high school aged kids.” While it is generally a crime for minors to possess and consume alcohol, the Washington State Liquor Control Commission (WSLCC) makes some exceptions. According to the WSLCC website, it is legal for Washington state minors to be given alcohol for consumption by a parent, guardian, physician or dentist for medicinal purposes. These would include cases in which minors were given alcoholic bever-
ages with their family meal. DeShields said that Central enforces their own policy as well as the state and federal policies. As such, Central essentially treats every MIP the same. The WSLCC website also states that any minor seeking medical attention for alcohol poisoning, for themselves or for others, cannot be charged based on information offered during any medical attention. As for any business that sells alcohol to minors, the WSLCC can issue citations. Such sales, which are a gross misdemeanor, can result in a verbal or written warning to the business. If the offense is more serious, or the business is a repeat offender, the WSLCC issues administration violation notices. According to the WSLCC website, the consequence for repeat offenses by businesses is the revocation of their alcohol licenses. DeShields echoed the sentiments of Washington law. “The biggest concern with alcohol is that a lot of students don’t know the risky choices,” DeShields said. “We want to try to prevent a student from moving through the path of having to be hospitalized. We do see several students who have to be transferred for emergency purposes, so we really want to make sure that we’re helping students make low-risk behavior choices.”
4
NEWS
The Observer • Nov. 20 - Dec. 3, 2014
CWU considers alternative heat BY A ARON KUNKLER
Staff Reporter
Central, along with the city of Ellensburg is looking into the possibility of switching to a new biomass boiler. Central is a centrally heated university, with the heat supplied from a facility located near 11th and C St. According to Bill Yarwood, director of Capital Planning and projects, Central’s current boiler runs on natural gas purchased from the city of Ellensburg. It also has the ability to burn diesel. The boiler was installed in the early 1970s, and will most likely be replaced in the coming years, though there is no exact date or solid proposal for what may replace it. Yarwood said that a study to determine the efficiency of a new boiler was commissioned by the Ellensburg Chamber of Commerce after receiving a grant to figure out ways to reduce fire dangers in the forests around Ellensburg. “The university has certainly looked at [a biomass boiler] in the past,” Yarwood said. An updated system would run on dry wood waste secured by various means. Along with wood waste, un-
JOHN WHITTLESEY/OBSERVER
WASTE Excesses from a farm similar to the one above, or from forests and brush, would power a new biomass boiler on Central’s campus.
used wood by-products, such as sawdust from wood mills and orchard waste could be used. The study said the construction costs for a new boiler would be around $37 million. According to Mike Moon, director of Maintenance and Operations, the study projected that in 10 to 20 years, a new biomass boiler would save Central around $2 million a year. Moon said all potential leads
are still open, and that this study is just an assessment of the issues and potential options for future development. Some potential concerns for getting a boiler would be cost, environmental impacts and the sustainability of fuel resources. According to the study, a biomass boiler could ultimately lower the particle emissions that Central’s heating generates. “Anything that the university
looks at needs to be in the long term,” Moon said. “We need to make what I call a 30-year decision, and in reality, it’s going to be longer than that.” Moon said that Central would continue buying fuel from the city, and that any new boiler would ideally be able to run on a variety of fuel sources such as wood, natural gas and diesel. The main thing students might notice would be more
trucks delivering wood fuel to a new boiler. Other campuses are using similar technology; the University of Idaho has been using a biomass system to fuel their campus heating for around 25 years. Yarwood and Moon said these are all ideas designed to look at potential paths for Central’s heating. Any change would have to get state approval first.
n ch ig at s ks w his ee t w r r ! fo he too
ot
Lunch at
HAMSTERS
GUINEA PIGS
is
0 5 ! . y 6 a d $ s Fri
i h t 10:00 a.m.-1:30 p.m. check the menu
CWU.EDU/DINING AA/EEO/Title IX Institution. For accommodation email: CDS@cwu.edu • 10870913
TROPICAL FISH
CHINCHILLAS
LIZARDS
FERRETS
Head on down to Etllensburg Pet Center
NEWS
The Observer • Nov. 20 - Dec. 3, 2014 5
ROTC to relocate to Lind Hall
BY HALEY CURL
Staff Reporter
The Chimpanzee Human Communication Institute (CHCI) building has recently become a study hall for the athletics department. The ROTC programs had requested use of the building, but did not receive the necessary funds. “That facility was not a traditional classroom space,” Linda Schactler, director of public affairs, said. “We were trying to identify what a good, permanent function would be for that building.” Army ROTC Lt. Col. Scott Carpenter said the CHCI building is not very useful to the university, due to it being set up more like a zoo than a classroom. “The university last fall did an assessment of programs that might be interested in that space,” Schactler said. “ROTC is one of the highest priority programs.” Instead of using the CHCI building for ROTC, the university plans on moving the ROTC to Lind Hall when Science Phase II construction is done. “They’re going to spend a
year refurbishing it, the whole second floor will be army and air force, the bottom floor is going to be student services,” Carpenter said. A legislative request by the university was made last year asking for the ability to renovate the CHCI building to make it more suitable for the ROTC programs’ use, Schactler said. However, the proposal was turned down. A second request could have been made this year to start renovations. However, the university felt that the ROTC programs couldn’t wait that long for an update, Schactler said. In the meantime, Peterson Hall, two double wide modular housing units are the current home for the Army and Air Force ROTC. Senior Military Instructor Kori Kvalevog said that one unit in Peterson has already began the process of renovation, and should be ready for the programs’ use later in 2015. The current facilities for the ROTC programs are located on the northwest corner of campus. The main complaint is that there is too little presence of ROTC on campus. “I think [the facilities] are ad-
RILEY ELLIOTT/OBSERVER
AT EASE Members of the Army ROTC meet in front of the current ROTC building, Peterson Hall.
equate,” Kvalevog said. “We’re provided a place and we’re able to accomplish our missions with it. So I have really no issues with it.” Carpenter and Kvalevog said that, though some aspects of the buildings are less than desirable, they’ve been grateful to have these resources. “Obviously it’s an old building, but it’s served its purposes.” Carpenter said. “You always would like better, newer, state-ofthe-art stuff, but it’s done every-
thing we’ve needed.” Having access to their own building has given the ROTC programs the benefit of not having to compete with others for space. Carpenter said that the plans to put the programs into Lind are perfect. “It puts us on main campus, and all students who come on the university come through there.” Carpenter said. “So we’ll get a chance to meet all the men and women who come through there
and let them see what opportunities there are to become a military officer.” The university has been looking for ways to accommodate the ROTC programs, said Carpenter, but those decisions have to be make financial sense. The ROTC programs have worked with their current facility, but are looking forward to the addition of Lind. “We do the best we can with what we’ve got.” Kvalevog said. “That’s the way of the army.”
ATTENTION Student Entrepreneurs!!
• What does it mean to be an entrepreneur? • How do you take your product design, service or app idea and turn it into a business venture? • What do successful entrepreneurs do to be successful? Learn about ENTREPRENEURSHIP through the 2015 CWU Student Business Plan Competition— a competition with cash awards! Information about the Business Plan Competition will be posted on the I4IE website and the SOURCE website on DECEMBER 1, 2014. Presented by the: CWU Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
cwu.edu/business/i4ie
CWU is an EEO/AA/Title IX Institution. For accommodation e-mail: DS@cwu.edu
The Best Business Schools in the World
6
OPINION Humanities: Don’t CopBlock me, bro
The Observer • Nov. 20 - Dec. 3, 2014
Editor-in-Chief//Adam Wilson
cwuobserveropinion@gmail.com
don’t give up on us BY KAYLEIGH PERRIER/ PERRIER/COPY EDITOR
Language: The very building blocks of communication and society. Yet when we talk about the English major, it becomes something wrong. “Why major in English when there are so many other sensible majors out there? English wont get you anywhere.” It saddens me to say that all the humanities are usually treated in the same manner. Art, music and electives like photography or creative writing are the first to get cut from school curriculum when the budget needs to shrink. Central offers every kind of career fair including several for the college of business but none specifically for any of the humanities. Even at the “all majors” job fair, once the potential employers saw my English major nametag, I was told unanimously “they didn’t have any jobs like that.” Like what? Jobs for people who are excellent communicators, work well with others, have extensive knowledge in writing grants, memos and advertising? In the last five years STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) careers and education have been pushed down our throats. In 2009 President Barack Obama launched an “Educate to Innovate” campaign that focuses on teaching kids and teens about STEM careers in the hopes that they will fill these positions and become the pioneering minds of tomorrow. This focus has spread throughout our schools and has made everyone think twice about their love of art or books, thinking instead that they should listen to their parents and go for that sensible career in computer science or be that doctor their biology teacher encouraged them to be. If those aren’t their passions, what are we really teaching them? Do what society expects even if you hate it? You should start liking math more because your photography in motion class is going to be cut next semester? Do we really want people who couldn’t care less about STEM careers working in them?
Maybe there is a brilliant poet out there who can inspire the masses with his words, but his passions are being crushed by the societal expectation that STEM careers are the only way to make money, be happy and make a difference. If my doctor is only in it for the money, I don’t want him treating me. There are people whose passion is to read Shakespeare, to write, to create music and art, to study history and to teach people , and that is just as worthy of attention as every other profession. I’m not opposed to people majoring in STEM disciplines if that is truly what they enjoy. I want scientists, doctors and accountants out in the world doing the things they do best. Telling students that those are their only realistic options is wrong. English majors like Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and presidential candidate Mitt Romney, TV host Conan O’Brien; actors Harrison Ford, Matt Damon and Susan Sarandon; or directors James Cameron and Martin Scorsese would say their education was well spent. When I tell people I’m an English major, their first question is usually, “Oh, so do you want to be a teacher?” I politely say no, and explain I’m specializing in writing. Most people start to look confused at this point. Why not major in computer science, ITAM, economics, accounting or even business? Those are the kids who get jobs. Those are the jobs that make the real money. Well perhaps I’m not in it for the job security or to get rich quick, and let’s be honest: That won’t happen. The J.K. Rowling’s of the world are few and far between. I don’t study English for the potential future fame, I do it because I love books, I love writing, I love studying characters and their motives and using pretty words. Telling me that these qualities are somehow less valuable than liking to dissect things in biology class is sad. English and humanities majors develop critical thinking skills, study cultural differences, develop communication skills and study what it means to be a human. If this doesn’t make us poised to solve world issues and be the next innovators, I don’t know what does. I may not get paid the highest salary or even be guaranteed a job when I graduate with my English degree, but who is in today’s market? At least I can say I studied something that matters (despite popular opinion) and something that I loved.
BY AARON KUNKLER/STAFF REPORTER
Cop Block sucks. There, I said it, and before all you Cop Blockers start throwing words like ‘shill’ and ‘enabler’ around, hear me out. When I first found Cop Block, a blog dedicated to holding police accountable for their actions, I thought it was great. Most people in our “millennial” generation can see that police brutality, as well as our legal system, is out of control. It has a long and rich history of racism, classism, homophobia and sexism. Which is precisely why Cop Block gets it all wrong. What really set me off this week in particular was their complete ridicule of “casual” sexism by way of mocking the issue of street harassment. Police brutality and harassment is an important issue, and trivializing one to strengthen support of your position is straight up garbage. There’s this sentiment that I picked up on from the site and community Basically, it’s that :modern police forces are out of control and over-militarized, and that if we can get back to “The way things used to be,” we’d be better off. But what exactly was this mythical state of existence that’s so touted by Cop Block? Was it in the ‘50s and ‘60s, when police were busy throwing dogs and thousands of gallons of pressurized water at civil rights protesters?
Was it in 1969 Chicago, when Fred Hampton was murdered in cold blood by the raiding police for talking about education and free school lunches? Was it in the 1980s, when President Ronald Re a g a n’s reinvigorated “War on Drugs” started packing American prisons, while disproportionately targeting people of color and the poor? Was it in the 1990s, when police officers were getting acquitted for brutally beating Rodney King? Certainly the idea behind Cop Block is a good one, namely keeping America’s police force accountable to the people they’re charged with keeping safe. If, however, you’re only going to focus on the lowest-hanging fruit, the police officer, you’re doing it wrong. Police brutality is a systemic problem, and one that will take systematic changes to tackle, from the beat cop all the way up to the federal court system. If we’re not looking for ways to meaningfully change the legislation that cops are obligated to enforce, we’re never going to see real change. Laws are predominantly written by older white males to enforce existing power structures which keep them in power. We owe it to every Mike
Brown, every John Crawford and every victim of police brutality to do our part to create a better and more just society. But that won’t happen if we hold up some mythical state of the past as the gold standard of American police and legal action. I support short-term actions like we see in Fe r g u s o n , Mo., or the protests that happened in New York City, and we need more of them, but we also have to think bigger. If you’re worried about immigration roadblocks, but not about rewriting immigration laws. If you’re worried about institutionalized racism without thinking about how to increase our fellow citizens socioeconomic situations and how to eliminate laws such as “Stop and Frisk.” If you’re worried about police brutality without thinking about how to write laws which reduce violent situations in the first place, I’m going to use Cop Block’s favorite line, and say that “You’re part of the problem.” Our situation is much, much more complicated than just a “good cop, bad cop” scenario. We have to start fundamentally rewriting how our country operates, and for once, create that ‘Golden Age’ of legal action, which has so far eluded American society.
Letter to the Editor
The pink elephant in the room When November 7 Feminism issue of The Observer came out, I was ecstatic. I read it immediately upon receiving it. However, as the paper continued, I found myself steadily growing more and more disappointed. While the content was good, the way in which it was presented struck a chord with me. Every feminist article was titled in pink. I can understand the rationale. Pink makes it readily identifiable. These articles are about feminism. However, the issue I have is mainly this: pink is not the color of feminism, it is the color of women. As you can read on feminist. com, the most common col-
ors associated with the feminist movement are purple and white. And while pink is used, because of the push for purple, I believe that there is no reason someone would theme their entire paper pink to reflect the subject matter at hand. With the exception, perhaps, that feminism is often seen as a “woman’s issue.” One of the greatest hurdles feminism faces is the idea that it is only a woman’s issue. On your own cover is the statement “a movement for equality” and this fact is reiterated by feminists in various articles within. It should be clear that feminists do not consider this a woman’s issue, but a human issue. We are all affected by gender inequality.
By using the color pink, it felt to me like the entire paper was stratifying the subject, categorizing it as solidly a woman’s issue. Anything in black, therefore, was not something women would be interested in. I felt as though The Observer were making a comment on my gender and what should interest my gender despite the fact that the paper was supposed to be tackling gender disparity, not causing it. The association with women is something that feminists are actively fighting, to try and make gender equality more inclusive, and I think there could have been better ways to indicate it in your paper. -Lynn Thompson Art Department Secretary
Have an opinion? Let us know! Send any letters to the editor to cwuobserver@gmail.com or submit them on our online form at cwuobserver.com
SCENE
The Observer • Nov. 20 - Dec. 3, 2014
Editor//Camille Borodey
cwuobserverscene@gmail.com
7
PHOTOS COURTESY OF ANDREA EKLUND, TAKEN BY DANIEL BALDWIN AND MEGHAN GILBERT
FASHION Models pose in Andrea Eklund’s design (left), Krissy Knutz’s design (middle) and Ryanne Durfee’s design (right). The competition took place on Nov. 12.
Central designs hit the runway Three Central pieces accepted in International Textile and Apparel Associationʼs design competition ful, yet so dark at the same time, so I brought those two concepts into the design,” Eklund said. Three fashion designs from Eklund also incorporated Central were accepted into the a pleating technique that she International Textile and Appar- learned during a workshop in el Association’s design competi- Montreal. tion this year. Inspired by the famous deCentral apparel, textile and signer, Madame Gres, Eklund merchandising senior Ryanne used a specific hand technique to Durfee, Central alumna Krissy pleat the bodice of the piece. Knutz and associate professor of Last year, Eklund took a class apparel, textiles and merchandis- on working with alligator. The ing Andrea Eklund’s designs were whole back of the dress is real accepted into the prestigious alligator leather, with alligator competifeet as the tion. shoulder The Inaccents. The goal was to use ternation“The al Texthe different techniques I goal was tile and use the have learned and incorpo- to Apparel different rate them into one garment, techniques Association holds which was fun, but took a I have one of learned very long time. the most and in-Andrea Eklund rigorous corporate design them into Associate professor of apparel, textile competione garand merchandising tions in m e n t , the world which was every year fun, but in Charlotte, N.C. took a very long time,” Eklund The International Textile and said. Apparel Association accepted Eklund said that designing only 313 designs this year. Of and creating the piece was a very those, only 105 were selected for long and tedious process. the live gallery show on Nov. 12. “It took me quite awhile,” Eklund’s design, “Haunting Eklund said. “It took me probDarkness,” was accepted into ably over 200 hours total on one the competition at a professional garment.” level. Every year Eklund submits a The design was inspired by piece into the competition every the gorgeous cemeteries in New year. She requires her students to Orleans, where Eklund attended do the same. It was Eklund’s goal an annual conference. to make it into the competition “I was fascinated by the cem- but also to challenge herself and eteries there. They are so beauti- try new things this year.
BY NICOLE HUSON
Staff Reporter
“
“
“I wanted to push myself and develop,” Eklund said. “I have never worked with alligator or that pleating technique on a garment before, so I wanted to use those skills.” Knutz is the former vice president of the Student Fashion Association. Knutz’s piece, “Marguerite,” which she designed before she graduated in the spring, was accepted into the competition this year. Knutz’s design is a long bellsleeve lace crop top. Knutz learned the dying technique she used on the top from a theatre design class she took last year. The class is also where she got the inspiration for her design. Knutz dyed the lace of her piece in coffee to give it a vintage, Victorian look. Crop tops have been in style recently, but Knutz wanted her piece to be different. “I didn’t want to make the crop top that ‘little girl’ look, I wanted my design to be more sophisticated,” Knutz said. “I also noticed bell-sleeves are coming into fashion so I took the two styles and put them together.” Knutz’s goal was to create an elegant looking crop top with long sleeves, as opposed to the short-sleeved crop tops that are usually seen. “I chose a deep wine colored skirt to make the crème colored top really pop,” Knutz said. “The colors look really rich together.” Knutz explained that making it into the competition was unexpected. The designs she had entered into the competition in the past had not been chosen, and she was honored when she found out “Marguerite” made it in.
STYLE Durfee’s (left) design “Walk the Line” and Eklund (right).
“I was really excited when I found out my design had been selected,” Knutz said. “I was really happy that I had put all this work and time into this design and the hard work paid off.” Durfee also designed a piece that was selected into the competition. Durfee is currently studying fashion abroad in Italy. Durfee’s design, “Walk the Line,” is a short, black, backless dress. The International Textile and Apparel Association competition was reviewed by a double blind
jury and evaluated on criteria such as technique and innovation of design. It is one of the hardest competitions to get into, and the winner of the competition gets a paid semester of design school in France. Although none of the pieces won any awards at the competition, Eklund is grateful her and her student’s work got selected. “I’m so excited whenever my students make it into the competition because it’s very difficult to get in,” Eklund said.
8
SCENE
The Observer • Nov. 20 - Dec. 3, 2014
Central student has the beat BY BRITTANY ALLEN
Staff Reporter
is science - that’s when it became more interesting. It’s more than making music; it’s creating sounds.” Jenkins said. When Jenkins first attended Central, he was looking into a major in geology, but it was a class in philosophy that essentially changed his outlook on life. “Everything that that professor was talking about just got me thinking,” Jenkins said. “I realized that I wanted to be free, free of the burden of the world. So I started to make music and I found
that that was the best way to express myself and feel comfortable, to feel like I’m contributing something, and I feel great about it.” Also at that time, Jenkins was bored, and his job at the Safeway in Cle Elum left him unenthused. Jenkins’ style is influenced by a variety of sounds and genres including classical, ‘90s metal, rock, grunge, ambient music and underground hip hop. “Andrew loves music more than anything. He dedicates most of his time to it. Even if he has to slave away at a job, he’ll come home when he’s really tired and he’ll work on his music,” Clark said. “It gives him energy and makes him happy.” On Halloween, Jetpack Brigade played at the House of Haze, a hookah lounge in Ellensburg, where Jenkins used to work. Izaak Fukuyama, a friend
JO AN RD BR OW N
Andrew Jenkins, also known as Droptonix, leads a double life, working 40 hours a week and producing music. Jenkins and his partner and co-founder of Jetpack Brigade, Coco, bonded over wanting to break away from the style of the more mainstream electronic dance music (EDM) scene. “I never listened to EDM,” saMalissa Clark, Jenkins’ girlfriend of two years, said. “I called it techno, and I thought it was stupid until I met him. He showed me the good stuff, the more underground, the more complicated and heartfelt music.” Jenkins and Coco first formed Jetpack Brigade when they were roommates living in an apartment in Cle Elum. They decided their extra space would be best used as a studio. Jetpack Brigade does not collaborate as often anymore. “My style is a little more spacey and Coco’s has a more raunchy style,” Jenkins said. “I try to be a little more musical and move things more fluidly because one thing that I don’t really like about EDM is how chopped up everything is.”
As a kid, Jenkins used to play around with music editing software in his downtime. Jenkins can do more than just play keyboard and create EDM sounds. He’s also a self-taught guitarist and took drum lessons when he was younger. “I just like to beat on things,” Jenkins said. “I used to have an ‘84 Suburban, when I didn’t have a drum set, and I would just play drums on my car because it was a rickety old Suburban, and you could get some nice sounds out of it.” As Jenkins got older, he grew to love electronic music production and see it from a different perspective. “Once I realized that [music production] is really an in-depth science, that’s when I got really interested in it because I’ve loved science my whole life. So once I realized that - that sound
Jetpack Brigade
www.facebook.com/ JetpackBrigade https://soundcloud.com/ jet-pack-brigade of Jenkins and also an employee of the House of Haze, says he liked Jenkins’ music from the start. “I’ve had other people show me their music, and it was just generic electronic music, but when I listened to [Jenkins’], it has this unique sound that he made, this organic, metallic sound. It’s really unique. It’s so peaceful,” Fukayama said. “It was thought out and layered.” On May 30, Jenkins not only played at the House of Haze’s Space Cowboy Rave, but helped decorate and organize the event. He has been very involved with promoting the business as an outlet for his music. “He just wants to share how much he loves the world through what he creates and how it makes people feel,” Clark said.
Classical Season
a family power struggle of epic proportions Friday, Saturday
NOVEMBER 14-15
7:30PM
Milo Smith Tower Theatre
Thursday, Friday, Saturday
NOVEMBER 20-22
7:30PM
Milo Smith Tower Theatre
Sunday
NOVEMBER 16 & 23
2:00PM
Milo Smith Tower Theatre
TS TICKVEAILABLE OA
ALS
Brenda Hubbard
NOV. 20
cat Wild op Sh & e com e W l nter e C
TICKETS
For more information visit www.cwu.edu/theatre/current-productions
SCENE
The Observer • Nov. 20 - Dec. 3, 2014
9
Gallery One hosts Mimosa Saturday BY CAMILLE BORODEY
Gallery One
Scene Editor
Last Saturday, ten women gathered upstairs at Gallery One for Mimosa Saturday, where they painted Christmas themed canvases while sipping on orange juice and champagne. The class was taught by Mary Duke, who traveled all the way from Snohomish. Duke volunteers frequently at Gallery One; she substitutes children’s art classes and more recently, taught some adult classes. “The class itself is just fun,” Duke said. “I just love being around people who want to create. I just love being involved in the creative process and helping people realize how to go forward with art.” Duke grew up in Ellensburg and used to volunteer at Gallery One when she was younger. She reconnected with the gallery when her daughter, Hayley, who assisted Duke at Mimosa Saturday, attended Central. “I have a really close tie to Ellensburg and Gallery One. It’s crazy how much the gallery has grown,” Duke said. Duke teaches 4th grade art in Mukilteo, but she enjoys being able to work with the adults at
Mimosa Saturday: Dec. 13 @ 10:30 a.m.- 1:30 p.m. Information: visit Gallery One @ 408 N Pearl St. or call 509.925.2670 Gallery One as well. “Mary is very open to people learning the techniques and then taking it where they want to go,” Becky Parmenter, education program coordinator at Gallery One, said. In the class, each person was given a canvas. The process included several steps of painting and drying before they decorated the canvas. For a holiday theme, the participants put a stag silhouette on the canvas and added words, beads and other crafts to their pieces. “It’s a good way to meet people in the community. I took the print making class last winter and that was pretty fun. This one was a little more relaxed, a little
bit more free form,” Brittany Holmes said. Holmes is a Central alumna, with a master’s in chemistry. She said she uses art as stress relief from her job at the department of agriculture in Yakima. “It’s a never ending science project, so it’s nice to have a release,” Holmes said. Holmes has grown up with art. Her mom is an interior designer, her aunt has a photography card art business and her uncle makes metal sculptures. Holmes thought the most enjoyable part of the class was learning a new type of art and the most challenging part was not overthinking the project. “It kinda forces you to take a step back, put it on the wall or hold it up and look at what you’ve done. See if it needs more or less. Usually less,” Holmes said. Holmes thought that Duke’s overall teaching style was very relaxed. “Which is how art should be, at least this type of art, it’s not really rigid,” Holmes said. “There are certain steps and techniques, but you get to do what you want.” For Parmenter, the hardest part of the project was the decision making process. She said that she is used to taking a long
CWU’s Student-Run Online Interactive Lifestyle Magazine
Com 446 All majors are welcome. Interested in the class? Contact Professor Jennifer Green at cwupulsemagazine@gmail.com
www.cwu.edu/~pulse /cwupulsemagazine @CWUPulse
Pregnant ?
Free pregnancy tests. You have options.
Pregnancy Center of Kittitas County
509-925-2273
PregnancyHelpEllensburg.org
CAMILLE BORODEY/OBSERVER
HOLIDAY ART Participants painted Christmas themed canvases.
time on art projects. “Mary knows a lot about color and textured surfaces,” Parmenter said. “That’s one of the reasons I wanted to take [the class] from Mary, because when she wants to discover or do something, she just keeps testing the limits to how far you can go with it. She’s really an inspiration.” One of Parmenter’s favorite parts of the process was getting to look at everybody’s pieces as they were being created. She also liked that she used art materials she has never used before. “Now that I know a little bit
more of what we’re doing, I’ll be able to work on my piece more than just trying to just work with the material. I can take it further and think about my piece ahead of time and explore using more colors,” Parmenter said. Gallery One offers a variety of art classes for people of all ages and there will be another Mimosa Saturday at Gallery One on Dec. 13. “All of those individuals got out of their box. They didn’t just do what my demo was,” Duke said. “They put their own unique twist on the subject matter.”
SCENE
10 The Observer • Nov. 20 - Dec. 3, 2014
The small town Black Friday ing Black Friday into something more local. Staff Reporter “Our local merchants are With downtown Ellensburg here to serve the customer and full of independent businesses, they are in a unique position,” the Ellensburg Downtown As- Holloway said. “They are not sociation is hosting the national only the merchant selling the product, they are your neighbors event Plaid Friday. Plaid Friday is an alterna- and customers themselves. You tive experience to Black Friday, can spend $1 in Ellensburg and aimed at promoting local and in- it stays in Ellensburg, helping our community thrive.” dependent shops. Holloway said that ‘HomeThe day long celebration town Holiday’ events like Plaid on Nov. 28 encourages holiday Friday are a great way for busishoppers to veer away from hecnesses to say thank you to the tic lines at big box retailers and customers of Ellensburg for besupport local businesses. ing a part of the community. During Plaid Friday, custom“I think our Ellensburg comers wearing plaid receive special munity, both merchants and cusdiscounts at participating busitomers, value the unique things nesses in the downtown area. that are available here in town,” “Historically, Black Friday Holloway said. “Where else can is the biggest shopping day for you go to a 100 year-old business large box stores and retailers,” like Fitterer’s and have them bake Mark Holloway, D&M Coffee cookies for you while you shop co-owner, said. “We were think- for that special gift? Or at D&M ing Plaid Friday would be a fun Coffee, where you can purchase way to promote local businesses a unique gift card with artwork and the diversity they offer.” designed by the owners who atFor D&M tended the Coffee Comart program pany ownOur local merchants at CWU?” ers Mark Holloway are here to serve the cus- said that they Holloway and Donna tomer and they are in a are looking Malek, Plaid unique position. They are forward to a Friday has not only the merchant sell- busy holiday been a celing the product, they are season. ebratory P l a i d your neighbors and cus- Friday was day for their tomers themselves. company. launched in Accord2010 out of -Mark Holloway ing to HolOakland, Owner of D&M Coffee Company loway, the Calif., a town couple was known for part of the sponsoring initial comlocal business mittee that brought Plaid Friday campaigns, according to plaidfrito Ellensburg in hopes of turn- day.com. BY CASSIDY WARNESS
“
RILEY ELLIOTT/OBSERVER
RAD PLAID Downtown Ellensburg shops, such as Flirt, give shoppers a local Black Friday experience.
According to Leslie Newton, manager of Sedona Sun, the after Thanksgiving shopping rush doesn’t attract enough customers to her store for them to participate in events like Plaid Friday. “Small businesses have to compete with big-box chains and their advertising so most customers go to chains like Fred Meyer,” Newton said. “I don’t want to make people, both my workers and customers, come in on Thanksgiving or the day after. It’s family time.” Newton said that competing with big-name businesses in advertisements and sales is too costly and Sedona won’t be open for Plaid Friday. With the store motto, “friends
don’t let friends shop at chain stores,” Megan West, owner of Claim Clothing on Pearl Street, is excited to participate in events like Plaid Friday that support local businesses. West said that this is the store’s first year participating in Hometown Holiday Events such as Plaid Friday. “It is important to support small businesses,” West said. “I didn’t understand how important local businesses are until I starting owning my shop, but it’s a good way to see and, from a business point, show locals what we have to offer.” West said that the Claim Clothing store has been busy since she opened in May of this year and is prepared for a lively
holiday season. “We don’t know what to expect, or have concrete numbers, so we are basing product and promos on the demands from our customers. We will be going with the flow this year and next year we will be twice as prepared,” West said. Because this is Claim’s first year participating, West is planning special promotions to attract customers including Starbucks card door busters and deals throughout the shop. “Since this is our first year, we are preparing for any outcome,” West said. “Sounds like there are many downtown events planned the same day so it will bring more and different crowds down.”
“
Students gobble about Thanksgiving BY MORGAN GREEN
Staff Reporter
Thanksgiving is the first big break that students have away from classes, and some students cannot wait to relax and spend time with their families. While some students go back home to celebrate with a Thanksgiving feast, others have different traditions. “Every year we go to Leavenworth for Thanksgiving. We get a cabin on Icicle Creek and this will be our fourteenth year going,” Michael Cyr, a junior computer science major, said. According to Cyr, his mom’s side of the family all converge to spend the holiday together. “We also make it a point, especially me, my dad and my brothers, to do something outside. I actually recently just did the Enchantments (a wilderness area about 15 miles from Leavenworth),” Cyr said. Many other students find ways to keep active on the holiday. “I am going to run a 5k in my hometown of Wenatchee. Every year my family does it; it is
a tradition,” Emily Danko, senior English education major, said. “Then we will go over to a friend’s house for dinner.” Other family traditions center on spending time with people they care about. “We eat turkey and we normally do a bonfire,” Hannah Grover, a sophomore English major, said. According to Grover, her favorite part is getting the opportunity to hang out with her family. “Going home to see my family, I just love that,” James Todd III, a freshman Spanish interpretation major, said. Danko agrees with Grover and Todd III about seeing family. She says she really likes being able to reconnect with people she hasn’t seen in a while. “It is important to take time out of your year. Like Christmas is very materialistic, but Thanksgiving is more like getting together and eating good food with people. People that you love,” Danko said. Many families have a tradition where they express their gratitude.
“We have a table cloth, and every year we write something that we are thankful for on it. It is like a time capsule. This is our fourth or fifth year doing it,” Cyr said. One of the many staples of
AN B J O RD
R OW
N
Thanksgiving is the large Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. “Honestly, I just love the performances,” Celestina Ramirez, a freshman psychol-
ogy major, said. Some people say that the true meaning of Thanksgiving, being thankful, has been lost over time. “I don’t think it matches what it originated from,” Ramirez said. Students still believe that it is a time of the year to be thankful. “I think it is [a time] to reflect on what you are thankful for throughout the year, and just remember that we have a lot to be thankful for,” Grover said. One of the main reasons that people believe the meaning of Thanksgiving has been lost is because of Black Friday shopping. “I am against Black Friday personally. It is moralizing the capitalist greed. It is saying that it is justifiable because there are so many great deals. I am actually repulsed to hear people getting trampled and people being assaulted,” Beth Vander Stoep, a junior social services major, said. Danko said she doesn’t like
Black Friday either. “I have never actually done Black Friday shopping, for me, it is Cyber Monday,” Cyr said. Other students really enjoy the Black Friday experience, even going so far as to plan out their whole night. “We go right on-the-dot at midnight until six in the morning, sometimes,” Ramirez said. Even though students can be polarized when it comes to issues of Black Friday, there is one thing that most students can agree on in regards to Thanksgiving - the food. “My favorite food for Thanksgiving is the turkey and pumpkin pie,” Grover said. Some students really look forward to all the leftovers from special Thanksgiving food. “I also love the day-after and you throw the leftovers into a pan and make like a casserole,” Danko said. Thanksgiving break cannot come soon enough for some students. “I’m excited to go home and have home cooked food,” Danko said.
SCENE
The Observer • Nov. 20 - Dec. 3, 2014 11
Review: Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 there are no doors to keep the killer robots out, and the building doesn’t have limited power. I flip between stationary se- Instead, you have a mask to fool curity cameras in a place that the animatronics and a flashlight looks like a nightmarish Chuck- to paralyze them briefly. Like the E-Cheese. I linger on the screen first game, you are stationary in a where a trio of animatronics usu- security office. Another addition was a music ally sit. It hits me. The bunny is miss- box which the player has to coning. Frantically I click around the stantly make sure is playing to map, finally finding the bunny in soothe one of the animatronics or die instantly. a room filled with presents. This makes the game meI switch the camera to the music box room, furiously winding it chanics more about the player’s up, too afraid to leave it alone for reaction times and time managetoo long. I flip back to the bunny ment skills, rather than tracking to make sure it hadn’t moved. It an animatronics’ movements and did. It’s in the party room, on all closing a door, which I preferred. Other gamers agreed. fours near a vent. Watching me. “Having doors meant you had As soon as I click away, the telltale thump of the bunny en- a barrier, you could isolate yourtering the vent sounds. The vent self,” Omar Freemire, sophomore in Aviation Management, leads directly to me. Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 said. “Now they can just get in. (FN@F2) is an indie point-and- You never know when you’re goclick survival horror game cre- ing to die.” After the first night, I never ated by Scott Cawthon. You play as a security guard who works a actually got to explore what was 12-6 a.m. shift at the pizza res- going on in the game in the other rooms because I only had time taurant Freddy Fazbear’s. Unfortunately, the pizzeria’s to wind the music box and then check if an animatronics animatronic are malfuncin my tioning and It needs to be easier was room then are out for to be scarier [...] You have switch back blood. half a second to put on a to the music The first box. FN@F was mask or you’re dead. It got old released Aug fast and I 8, 2014 and -Evan Catlin wasn’t alone with the seJunior English major in my frustraquel released tion. Nov 11. The “It begame gained attention from popular You- came a chore,” freshman Lucas Tube personalities who do “Let’s Kleven said. “You constantly get Plays,” videos where viewers a game over screen just because watch them play the game with you weren’t looking in the right commentary. place.” I noticed the game differs Since it was so difficult, I often from the first in a few ways: just felt angry instead of scared, BY KALA TYE
Staff Reporter
“
“
SCOTT CAWTHON/STEAM
CREEPY One of the “malfunctioning” animatronics makes its way through a vent to kill the player.
just like Evan Catlin, junior English major. “It needs to be easier to be scarier,” Catlin said. “You end up only looking at the music box and your own room instead of exploring the other cameras because you have no time. You have half a second to put on a mask or you’re dead.” I thought the ambiance of the game, however, was solid. There’s creepy children laughing, pipes getting banged on, garbled mechanical noises, and a soft overlay of music from the music box that combined to create a disturbing effect. The security cameras are grainy and often black out, and lights tend to flicker throughout the restaurant. Dismembered animatronics also kept me feeling uneasy, espe-
cially when their eyes are sharp red pinpricks staring straight into the camera, mouth agape to show several rows of teeth. The story was wonderfully disturbing, with subtle clues placed throughout the game indicating the animatronics are being manipulated by the souls of dead children. My favorite part was that sometimes when you died, instead of starting the night over an 8-bit game would pop up. The game usually led you through a story. Once, I played the grim reaper who gave “life” to children by giving them animatronic heads. “Learning more about the story was interesting,” Kleven said. “Especially since so much of it is through assumptions.” I do think the third install-
Review: Interstellar BY MARIAH ROCKER
Copy Editor
The planet is turning into an inhospitable environment and humanity is facing extinction in Christopher Nolan’s newest film, “Interstellar.” In the near future, a blight similar to the Dust Bowl of the 1930s is destroying all the crops and oxygen on Earth, and the 21st century is to blame. Those remaining live in a world where people are scarce, farming is vital, air travel is nonexistent, and school children are taught the moon landing was a hoax. Humanity’s desire to progress was its ultimate downfall. As a result, people are more focused on attempting to nurture the planet than to reach beyond it, and NASA has become a secret operation, hidden underground. Most of the people left believe that returning to a simpler way of life is the only way to save the human race, but Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), a former NASA pilot with a background in engineering, is one of the few that still has his head in the clouds.
PARAMOUNT PICTURES
Living and working on his father-in-law’s farm, Cooper’s life revolves around tending to the few crops left, tinkering with abandoned robotics and spending time with his family, a 10-year-old daughter, Murphy, known as “Murph,” and his 15-year-old son, Tom. Despite Cooper’s clear desire to explore, his life is incred-
ibly mundane until a mysterious message in the dust leads him to NASA’s underground facility. It’s here that Cooper learns of the devastation that Earth is headed for: that his generation might be the last on earth to survive. In order to save all of humanity, Cooper is recruited as the pilot for Endurance. Endurance’s small crew con-
sists of Amelia Brand (Anne Hathaway), Romilly (David Gyasi), Doyle (Wes Bentley), and two robots: CASE and TARS. Although Romilly and Doyle’s involvement throughout the film is limited, Brand is a major player. As the daughter of the professor (Michael Caine) behind the mission, Brand’s relationship with him while she travels is one
ment needs a new idea in order to keep the game fresh. Freemire mentioned he thinks in the next game you should be able to actually walk around the restaurant. More time in development, with extra play testing, is also necessary, since there were only three months between the games. Overall, the game suffered from too much micromanaging to be truly scary. Frustration made even the jump scares dull. I recommend anyone with anxiety to be careful about playing, as it is incredibly stressful and will make your heart race. The user score on video game review site Metacritic is 8.6. It has an “overwhelmingly positive” review on Steam from users, with over 1700 reviews, and is a top seller this week.
of many emotional strings the film likes to play with. Their mission is to travel through a wormhole that was inexplicably found near Saturn hoping to find new habitable planets. For the members of the Endurance, time passes—but not as quickly as it does for those left behind on earth, due to the subtleties of time and relativity that I dare not attempt to explain. What truly separates this film from others is Nolan’s attention to detail. Not only does the film employ ideas like time, relativity, wormholes and black holes, but these concepts are explained in ways that most audiences can understand. People often forget how interesting those subjects can be, and it fosters a desire to learn more about the universe. With mind-boggling concepts and unexpected twists—including a surprise celebrity whose involvement in the film was never made public—Interstellar is a movie that will capture your attention and make you think about the universe.
SPORTS
12 The Observer • Nov. 20 - Dec. 3, 2014
Editor//Chance Weeks-Williams
cwuobserversports@gmail.com
ALYSSA DARBY/OBSERVER
DROPBACK Quarterback Jake Nelson scans the field and receives a snap against Lincoln University. Nelson finished third in the GNAC in total offense with 3024 yards.
Wildcats mirror 2013 record Central falls short of GNAC title despite going 7-4 again
BY JEFFREY MACMILLAN
Staff Reporter
The Wildcats finished this season with seven wins and four losses, and a four and two record in GNAC play. Central’s defense influenced every game with their harassing style and constant team pressure. Central’s secondary finished the season ranked fourth in the nation in pass interceptions (21), first in the nation in total interception return yards (485 yards) and tied for first in the nation in interceptions returned for touchdowns with five. Junior Isiah Davis, leader for Central’s secondary, finished the season in the top 30 players in the nation in interceptions with five. Davis also returned one for a 66-yard score versus Dixie State in St. George, Utah in a GNAC win for the wildcats. Davis attributes his success to the work of his teammates on the defensive side of the ball and to the coaching staff. “The guys around me are what make me successful,” Davis said. “Coach (Payam) Saadat’s game plan puts us where we need to be to make plays.” In the middle of the Wildcats defense, the opportunities continued as sophomore Kevin Haynes did it all for the wildcats defense. Haynes is the nation’s leader in interceptions (five) for linebackers. Haynes led the Wildcats with 99 total tackles and had six games with 10 or more tackles. “Kevin works hard to make sure he’s improving every week,” linebackers coach, Mike Dunlevy said. “Even when he’s banged up he’s still working hard to be ready for Saturday.” Much of what Central does during games comes from their
ability to create pressure in the opponents backfield. As the nation’s ninth ranked pass rush, the Wildcats have been able to put pressure on the opposing team’s quarterbacks; recording 35 sacks for a total loss of 212 yards from scrimmage. Tovar Sanchez, who wears the prestigious number 44 jersey, has been the defense’s biggest weapon this season, recording 22.5 tackles for loss. This makes him tied for eighth in the nation, Sanchez’s backfield accolades don’t end there. Sanchez has recorded 12 sacks this season ranking him eighth in the nation in this category as well. “When I’m pressuring the quarterback, that lets the guys behind me make plays,” Sanchez said. “If I hit them enough something good is going to happen.” Assistant coach John Picha said that Sanchez has made strides on the field. “Tovar works on the field to be the best he can,” Picha said. “He’s only going to get better.” On the offensive side of the ball, the Wildcats offense rank 41st in the nation, scoring at 35.5 points per game. The Wildcats, lead by sophomore quarterback Jake Nelson, implemented coach Shoemaker’s spread offense this season with good results. Nelson found himself second in the GNAC in total offensive yards. Nelson, a dual threat, showed off his arm, averaging 245.6 yards per game and rushing for 322 yards making him eleventh in the GNAC. While Nelson’s running was a bonus, junior running back Jordan Todd’s was a necessity. Todd is Central’s running back, carrying the ball 191 times for 738 yards. Todd’s number of carries
placed him third in the GNAC in rushes. That, combined with his 23 receptions and duties in the pass protection scheme, placed a large amount of responsibility on Todd’s shoulders. The Wildcat’s receiving core stepped up this season as they demonstrated a knack for big plays, led by senior wide receiver Greg Logan’s 63 receptions and 917 yards, he led the team and placed fourth in the GNAC in both categories. Benefiting from Logan’s work on the outside was sophomore wide receiver Jesse Zalk, who led the Wildcats in touchdown receptions with seven. Another wide receiver who benefitted from Logan’s work was Kent McKinney Jr. who was the Wildcats big play receiver this season. McKinney made 39 receptions but averaged a team high of 16.2 yards per catch, including a long of 87 yards. His ability to pull the top off the coverage caused havoc for defensive secondary all season long. The Wildcats said goodbye to seven senior players this season, including offensive Linemen Marshall Green and Calvin Hoohuli Jr. Hoohuli Jr.’s hard work has been apparent to his coaches. “Calvin might be the most productive guy on the line this season,” Picha said, “His work on and off the field has shown in his play all season long.” According to Shoemaker, wide receiver Greg Logan has been the silent leader in the receiving core. “Greg isn’t a ‘rah rah’ guy,” Shoemaker said. “He’s a guy who work’s hard and doesn’t need to tell people how good he is, he just proves it at practice and in the game.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF CWU ATHLETICS
PLAYMAKER Linebacker Mitch Haldane celebrates a tackle.
Ishmael Stinson, who came on late in the season managed to break into the GNAC top ten in rushing yards per game (42.2 yards per game) while only participating in eight games this season. This season senior Cole Graves changed positions from defensive back to linebacker. Graves took any change as a team player and sacrificed for the betterment of the team, and his coaches took notice. “Cole Graves is the kind of person you want in your locker room,” Shoemaker said. “He’s a leader on and off the field. When you think of the type of attitude, you want in your program, you could hope for players like Cole. He is a locker room leader, and his voice carries respect and weight that is unmeasurable and invaluable to this program and
these players.” The last senior leaving the ’Burg, JB Torsey. On the field, Torsey was a leader for the team on the defensive side of the ball and was quickly voted captain. “Sometimes [junior college] players are more headaches than you’d want,” Picha said. “But JB has been a leader on this team and has the respect of everyone in that locker room.” The Wildcat’s loss of valuable leaders is clear, but moving into next season the Wildcat’s future looks bright as Central will hope to expand on the seven wins in Shoemaker’s first season. With so many key players returning next year, the GNAC should get ready because it looks like Central is going to be coming back with more experience than they will lose.
SPORTS
Nov. 20 - Dec. 3, 2014 • The Observer 13
Sisters stand out at CWU BY DILLON SAND
Staff Reporter
DERRICK CLARIT/OBSERVER
In sports, it is common knowledge that whenever you play against someone more skilled, or extremely competitive, it will likely make you better. It makes sense, the more you play, the better you get. Imagine playing against someone that is just as competitive and skilled as you are, and you compete against them in everything you do. Now, imagine that the person is your sister. This is life for Courtney and Jennifer Johnson. Courtney, a senior forward and captain of the women’s basketball team, and Jennifer, a freshman on the rugby team, have been competing with and against each other for as long as both can remember. Growing up, both sisters say they played every sport possible. “We played T-ball, soccer, basketball… if you name a sport, we played it growing up,” Courtney said. Growing up in a house full of competitive athletes helped both sisters develop into the athletes and individuals they are today. Being the youngest of three sisters didn’t make Jennifer have any less of a competitive edge growing up, and she acknowledges her sisters as the ones who always pushed her to be better. “I definitely feel like being the younger sibling they made me strong. I had to grow up fast in order to guard them and keep up,” Jennifer said. Although there is a gap of a few years between Courtney and Jennifer, they never let that affect their competitiveness or desire to beat their siblings. Game night in the Johnson household is where their real competitiveness comes out. “We play a lot of board games and card games… Speed is our favorite. We would sit on the living room floor and play for houirs
and just go at each other again and again,” Courtney said. Jennifer added, “We couldn’t stop because neither of us wanted to stop playing after we lost. It went on forever.” After Jennifer was offered a scholarship to play basketball at Central, it was one of the first times that both sisters could have played on the same team. Jennifer made a difficult decision to turn down the scholarship to play rugby instead. “I started playing rugby in March and I just fell in love with it. Then at Central it became a varsity sport and I knew I wanted to join. It was hard to turn down playing with my sister but I couldn’t be happier with my decision,” Jennifer said. Courtney admits that she tried to convince her sister to choose basketball instead, but realized that rugby is what made her most happy. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters to either sister. After playing soccer and basketball for all of her life, Courtney knew that she wanted to continue he career into college. She decided to play basketball instead of soccer in college, but was unsure of where she wanted to play after high school. Courtney’s coach at the time, former Wildcat men’s basketball player Keith Hennig, advised her to look at Central. Her visit to campus sealed the deal and she was invited to walk onto the women’s basketball team. After not knowing what sport she would play, or where she would play it, Courtney is now in her fourth season with the Wildcats and is currently their leading scorer at 20 points per game, while also adding seven rebounds and 1.5 assists. She says that growing up in a house with multiple sisters, that each eventually went on to play collegiate athletics, helped develop her competitiveness to the level that it is today. Athletics and competition have always been a part of both of their lives, both sisters make sure that family comes first before anything else. Both Courtney and Jennifer always try to make time to watch the other play. “We’re both usually pretty quiet on the sidelines whenever we watch each other play,” Jennifer said. Courtney added, “Unless there’s a play that gets us really fired up on the sidelines, then we’ll be heard.” Although both sisters have taken different paths with their collegiate sports careers, it is obvious what is most important to them. “Athletics has always just brought us all closer as a family,” Courtney said. “I think that’s probably the reason we have grown to love it so much and continue doing it today.”
SPORTS
14 The Observer • Nov. 20 - Dec. 3, 2014
BMX track still in the works There have been proposals in recent years to bring a bicycle moto-cross (BMX) course to Ellensburg. A former resident of Ellensburg pushed for the recreational addition for many years before leaving town. Ellensburg City Hall announced in December 2012 that a BMX track had been added to Rotary Parks master plan. The Parks and Recreation department of Ellensburg acquired more property for Rotary Park and has created a plan for the addition of the BMX track. Brad Case, the Parks and Recreation director, led the team. “At the time we did the master plan update, [the former resident] was big into BMX and was pushing hard to get something out of Rotary Park,” Case said. “His input and involvement in the process was the catalyst to including BMX into the plan.” The 100-acre park currently has four regulation Little League baseball fields, four other baseball and softball fields, four soccer fields, a basketball court, a play structure, walking trails and
324 parking stalls. If there are no more additions made to the plan, the future Rotary Park would include the four youth baseball fields, four softball fields, seven full-sized soccer fields, three smaller soccer fields, an off-leash area, a play structure, a basketball court, a roller rink, a BMX track and 1,600 parking stalls. According to Case, the BMX track would be fullsized, large
enough to host certified BMX or other unsanctioned races. The
plan includes asphalt turns, dirt and a starting hill wide enough for a starting gate and eight bikers wide races and competitions.
“The idea would be to serve local riders and also be a way to bring people from outside the community to come to Eillens-
burg,” Case said. “But the details of the track are not even close to being developed.” A landscape architect generated a cost estimate for each component of the master plan, with the BMX track estimated at $250,000, without lighting. Case and his team are agreeing to move forward with the project. Case sees the addition of the property as an economic generator and a way to bring the community together through racing. The inclusion of a BMX track could play a factor in the decisions of high school seniors from around Kittitas valley on where they plan to attend college. Central’s Outdoor Pursuits and Rentals (OPR) program provides opportunities for students wishing to engage in recreational activities. OPR connects with skiers and snowboarders searching for transpor-
Rotary Park 1200 W 5th Current features: •Four LL baseball fields •Four regular softball and baseball fields •Basketball court •Play structure •Walking trails •324 parking stalls tation to the Snoqualmie Summit and offers other connections with people who like to raft, hike and rock climb. OPR could work with the BMX track at Rotary Park in the future and create another connection with recreational BMX riders looking to attend Central. Case said that the establishment of the track is years away, but it’s on the future plan for Rotary Park and will be taken seriously by the Parks and Recreation department.
HOT APPETIZERS SALADS PRIME RIB AU JUS POMEGRANATE GLAZED SALMON VEGETARIAN ENTREE GREEN BEANS GARLIC MASHED POTATOES RICE PILAF SQUASH SUCCOTASH ROLLS & BUTTER FUDGE PUMPKIN ROLL PECAN PIE ICE CREAM PEPPERMINT HOT CHOCOLATE
CWU DIN
I
NG
S
Staff Reporter
ICE
BY COLE RIDLEY
SER
V
Tree designed by Freepik.com
CWU is an AA/EEO/Title iX Insitution. KB18201114
SPORTS
Nov. 20 - Dec. 3, 2014 • The Observer 15
Defense will be key for CWU Women’s basketball looks to right the woes of a season ago
BY JONATHAN GLOVER
Staff Reporter
Coming off an electrifying win over Hawaii Pacific in the Nazarene Tip-Off Classic in Nampa, Idaho, Central’s women’s basketball team looks forward to playing Evergreen State at home. Settling into a 1-1 start, the Wildcats hope to improve from their 7-19 record last season. Under new head coach Jeff Harada, the philosophy of the Wildcats can be summarized by one word: defense. As a defensive-minded coach, Harada said the biggest area of improvement for the team is tightening down on their assignments, since they don’t have the firepower to outshoot their opponents. “We’re trying to establish an identity that when you play Central Washington, you’re in for a tough night,” Harada said. After their disappointing season last year, the Wildcats were predicted to rank last this season by the GNAC coaches. Despite this, Harada has chosen to remain hopeful and work on turning this team around. “I’m very excited to prove [the GNAC coaches wrong],” Ha-
rada said. “It bothers me, and it should bother the team. We feel we’re better than tenth. We cannot control where we’re picked in the beginning, but we can control where we’re picked in the end.” Coming off an important win last weekend, the Wildcats have much to look forward to, after their impressive defensive performance. The Wildcats allowed Hawaii Pacific 63 points, just under last year’s opponent average- pergame of 69. In their loss to California Baptist, the Wildcats allowed 68. Senior forward Courtney Johnson, originally a walk-on her freshman year, is excited about the changes Harada has made to the team dynamics. Something Harada has done differently is make the team feel more like a family, she said. “Personally, I liked [Nelson] but there were just a lot of ups and downs,” Johnson said. “People didn’t buy in, and I think one of the most important things is all people from top to bottom need to buy in, and I think that’s something we were missing. With coach Harada, he’s made it very clear that this is the way it’s going to be.”
Even freshmen players recruited by the staff of former coach Nelson have found success in Harada’s coaching style, remarking that the family dynamic of the team is something they cherish. “My favorite thing about this team is the chemistry we have and the bonds we’ve created,” Jasmine Edwards, freshman point guard, said. “We’ve gone through a lot of stuff together like training, conditioning and all the blood, sweat and tears together. It’s brought us closer together.” “Together We Will” is a slogan created by the players as a means of overcoming previous adversities and sticking it out as a group, Harada said. “We know that a lot of times it’s just going to be us that believe in us,” Harada said. “We’ve gotta be in it together. We win together. We lose together. There really is no selfishness on this team.” When playing in front of the home crowd, the Wildcats have historically found more success. On away games last year, the team sunk to a disappointing 1-8, but at home, the team improved to 4-9 overall. For the players, there’s something about the home atmo-
Home Schedule
Away Schedule
Nov. 22 Evergreen State Nov 29. Dixie State Dec. 4 Saint Martins Dec. 6 Western Oregon Dec. 13 Concordia Jan. 8 Western Washington Jan. 10 Simon Fraser Jan. 29 Alaska Anchorage Jan. 31 Alaska Fairbanks
Nov. 30 Eastern Washington Dec. 18 Montana Tech Dec. 19 South Dakota Mines Jan. 1Alaska Fairbanks Jan. 3 Alaska Anchorage Jan. 15 Montana State Billings Jan. 17 Seattle Pacific Jan. 24 Northwest Nazarene
sphere and the stadium that mix together to make something special. As for Johnson, it’s a matter of routine and comfort that can make the difference. “You’re familiar with the gym and familiar with the school,” Johnson said. “It’s kind of that home court pride where you
don’t want to lose at home and you want to defend it.” The Wildcats will have the opportunity to defend themselves against Evergreen State, who currently sit at 3-0. The game is not part of the GNAC schedule, but nonetheless, Harada said the team will be playing their hearts out.
X-Country makes Regionals BY DONNIE SANTOS
Staff Reporter
For all the hours sacrificed and the miles traveled, it all comes down to the regional races for the Central Washington cross country runners. For the regional tournament, held in Billings, Mont., all the teams in the West Region will gather to be in the top six team positions. The top six teams will then be allowed to send their seven best runners to nationals in Louisville, Ky., on Dec. 6. “Both teams have been looking forward to this race,” head coach Kevin Adkisson said. “It’s going to be an especially tough race for our women. As the season has come to show that our region has eight or nine really strong teams that are all going to be fighting for one of those six spots with us.” Currently, the women’s team is ranked seventh in their region. Making it to nationals can be done through an individual route as well. The first three runners, who are not on one of the top six teams will earn a bid. Returning senior All-American Connie Morgan was able to make the national race as an in-
dividual qualifier. “I think making it last year inspired a lot of people,” Morgan said. “Nobody thought I had a chance to make it, including myself. It was a great experience and it has been a goal of mine to have the whole team go this year.” The women’s team will be lead by Morgan and junior top runner Dani Eggleston. In the last two years of regionals they have finished 10th. They will be looking to break that streak. As the season continues into the winter, racing in unfamiliar climates and various terrains gives racers mental and physical obstacles that they might not be used to. With the cold weather in the Northwest, Central racers have become acclimated to training in conditions that are often foreign to many other competitors. The Wilcats are planning to use this difference in temperature to their advantage. “This cold weather is really hard to run in,” Morgan said. “The way we see it, though, is we have an advantage over teams who are from the Northwest coast or from California, because Billings has similar conditions as Ellensbiurg.”
Western Regional Tournament
Connie Morgan
Regional Race Billings, Mont. Nov. 22 Women’s 6K, Men’s 10K
Division II National Championship National Race Louisville, Ky. Nov. 22 Women’s 6K, Men’s 10K The regional race will be on Saturday, Nov. 22. The men’s race is a 10k and the women’s will be a 6k.
Regular season results CWU Invitational 4K 14:58 Sun Dodger 6K 22:53 Willamette 5K 18:18 Western Washington Invitational 6K 22:31 Viking Short Course 5K 18:43 GNAC Championship 6K 21:02
SPORTS
16 The Observer • Nov. 20 - Dec. 3, 2014
21 or over only.