The Observer, Winter 2024 – Issue 7

Voting: Who’s at fault?

Orchesis dances into the spotlight

Unseating ‘Oppenheimer’

See Page 5

See Page 8

See Page 9

Vol. 127 NO. 7

February 22, 2024

By the students, for the students

REVISTING LAST WEEK’S ETHICAL DILEMMA STORY ON PAGE 3

CONSECUTIVE CAREER HIGHS FROM GENNETT AND SANDERS HELP CWU PUSH FOR PLAYOFFS Jackson Roberts & Devanee Lopez Staff Reporters

C

Maverick Sanders right hand floater.

(Photo courtesy of Jacob Thompson / Thompson Sports Media)

oming into the final stretch of the CWU men’s basketball season the Wildcats sit at 15-8 and 8-6 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) play.

Following a loss on the road to Northwest Nazarene, the Wildcats need to make a strong push at the end of the season for playoffs. Junior guard Colby Gennett and freshman forward Maverick Sanders have stepped up, dropping career highs that resulted in wins for CWU. Both of their career highs came against the two Alaska colleges in the GNAC with Sanders being against Alaska Fairbanks and Gennett’s against Alaska Anchorage. Sanders came first on Feb. 8 in an 88-60 blowout win where he led the team with 26 points on 10-17 shooting. As a freshman, Sanders is typically not the primary scorer but has started every game in his first year and has stepped up when he is needed.

“I don’t think it was really part of the game plan going into it,” Sanders said. “I just started hitting some shots and then coach [Brandon Rinta] put his trust in me and started calling some plays for me and I followed through.”

Just two days later was Gennett’s career high, the Wildcats were able to win their game with a score of 75-66 sending both the Alaskan teams back home with

Colby Gennett makes unbalanced three point buzzer beater.

(Photo courtesy of Jacob Thompson / Thompson Sports Media)

losses. His shot was perfect that game, shooting 7-7 from the field and 2-2 from the free throw line, not letting any of his shots go anywhere but through the basket and finishing with 19 points. “It was one of those days where that first shot went in, then I was never forcing anything and just taking what they gave me,” Gennett said. “Having my teammates and coaches trust me and put me in spots where I can get some easy buckets is really what happened all game.”

Both athletes grew up around the sport of basketball and were pushed to try it out at a young age. Sanders said he fell in love with the game because of his athletic family urging him to play, he started at age five. Gennett said basketball is in his family’s blood because he has two older sisters that both played basketball, and both of his parents were athletes.

He was born and raised around basketball and loved it from the moment he started playing.

With the GNAC Tournament coming up Gennett was able to give his outlook on the season and what we can look forward to.

“The season has been good, like any other season there will be ups and downs,” Gennett said. “But I think as far as the future, this team has shown what they are capable of. If we play to the level

we know we can play at I know we’re in for a long run.”

Sanders also mentioned how he is excited for the GNAC tournament and proving to others CWU can beat the other teams in the tournament. While he is not the only freshman that gets playing time, there are plenty of upperclassmen on the team and Sanders mentioned what he has been able to learn from the players with more experience under their belt.

“Preparation is very important,” Sanders said. “Scouting and watching film before the game and knowing what the person you guarding is doing and what they are capable of doing.”

Gennett was also recently one of the five players that earned honors for the GNAC All-Academic, this is his third consecutive year making it, while also leading the team with the highest GPA, (3.82). CWU is currently tied with Alaska Anchorage and Saint Martin’s for the highest honorees. Next up for CWU is an away game against Simon Fraser. The game will be happening tonight at 7:00 p.m. The last time they played them CWU knocked them out with a 92-68 score.

Come to the game tonight and hopefully see a repeat of history.

February 22, 2024

Page 02

BEYOND OUR C OVERAGE LOCAL

NATIONAL

A Washington woman was arrested for first-degree murder of her newborn baby nearly 18 years after the crime. According to The Seattle Times, on Feb. 20 authorities announced to the public that they had identified and apprehended the person responsible for the crime that was committed nearly two decades prior.

A woman from Seattle was arrested outside the Ellensburg Police Department on Jan. 31 and now has 13 charges pending. According to the Daily Record, on Feb. 19 the woman pleaded not guilty to the charges, of which included three counts of second-degree possession of stolen property and seven counts of possession of stolen mail. The trial for these charges was planned for March 26.

On Feb. 13 a man was arrested in relation to attempted burglary at the Mountain River Trails clubhouse on Feb. 12. According to the Daily Record, a 911 call stated that a man had used a pry tool to enter the clubhouse to access the showers. The man was apprehended for second degree attempted burglary and second degree attempted malicious mischief. He made his first appearance in the Kittitas County Superior Court on Feb. 14.

A 7-year-old girl was killed when a hole dug in the sand collapsed at Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, a south Florida beach, on Feb. 20. According to The Seattle Times, emergency crews found an 8-year-old boy stuck chest deep in sand, the 7-year-old girl was buried completely beneath. The children were taken to a nearby hospital in Fort Lauderdale, the girl was pronounced dead upon arrival and the boy was hospitalized and is in stable condition.

Two men were arrested on charges of murder following shooting at Kansas City Chiefs super bowl victory parade. According to ABC News, the two men were arrested on counts of second-degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon. One person was killed in the shooting.

For those interested in kayaking below sea level, Death Valley National Park now offers such an experience. According to CNN, the Badwater Basin, a dry salt flat most of the time, has had almost five inches of rain collected in it. The informal name of the basin is Lake Manly.

GLOBAL

Scientists found a black hole that eats the equivalent of one sun per day. According to NPR, Australian scientists have discovered a black hole that is 17 billion times larger than the Earth’s sun.

The quasar, named J059-4351, is located 12 billion light years away from earth.

Europe’s ERS-2 satellite which observes the Earth re-entered the atmosphere on Wednesday morning. According to CNN, the satellite which has been in orbit since April 1995, was deactivated in 2011 and has been on a spiral towards re-entry since.

Greece legalizes same-sex marriage, becoming the first majorly Orthodox Christian country to invoke marriage equality. According to CNN, the decision was supported by 176 out of 300 members of parliament. Same-sex couples can also now adopt in Greece.

LETTER from the EDITOR The sleeper has awakened, CWU, I hope you all had a splendid three-day weekend, and that these final weeks of the winter quarter have gone smoothly. I don’t have much to say this week: I’m excited to see “Dune: Part Two” this Sunday and I’m happy Damian Lillard won All-Star MVP last Sunday – and won the three-point contest on Saturday, becoming the first person to win an All-Star Saturday event and All-Star MVP since Michael Jordan – pretty cool company.

We’ve got a really nice issue for you guys this week. We have the return of the diversity page this week, discussing the failure-to-launch of the multi-cultural center, and a great news editorial regarding young people going out to vote. I had some Oscar discussions before our second-to-last issue next week, and we have a very fun opinion about skin care as well.

Thanks again to the hard work put in by the other editors, the reporters and the designers each and every week. You make my job easy.

Until next week, let’s go out on this quarter with a bang, Isaac (Photo by Winnie Killingsworth)

Spot anything wrong in the paper? Let us know.

STAFF Editor-in-chief Isaac Hinson

Copy Desk Lead / Opinion Editor Megan Foster

Faculty Adviser/ Editorial Consultant Francesco Somaini

Scene Editor

Isaac Dobmeier

Sports Editor

Brandon Davis

Junior Graphic Designer

Staff Reporter

Staff Reporters

Lead Graphic Designer

Z Morris

Lee Beck

Charis Jones

Raya Miron Jackson Roberts Devanee Lopez

News Editor

Winnie Killingsworth

Staff Reporters

Astor Powell-Pedersen Layla Taha

Editorial Policy: The Observer is a public forum for student expression, in which student editors make policy and content decisions. The mission of The Observer is two-fold: to serve Central Washington University as a newspaper and to provide training for students who are seeking a career in journalism. The Observer seeks to provide complete, accurate, dependable information to the campus and community; to provide a public forum for the free debate of issues, ideas and problems facing the community at large; and to be the best source of information, education and entertainment news. As a training program, The Observer is the practical application of the theories and principles of journalism. It teaches students to analyze and communicate information that is vital to the decision making of the community at large. It provides a forum for students to learn the ethics, values and skills needed to succeed in their chosen career. If you have questions or concerns, email us at cwuobserver@gmail.com.

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Page 03

February 22, 2024

Revisiting last week’s issue

Why Ethics in Journalism Matter Isaac Dobmeier & Winnie Killingsworth Scene Editor, News Editor

L

ast week, The Observer’s cover story discussed an ethical dilemma in which CWU President Jim Wohlpart directly offered an internship to The Observer’s Editor-in-chief (EIC) Isaac Hinson, according to Hinson’s account of the event. An internship is a graduation requirement for a bachelor’s degree in Media & Journalism, which Hinson is working towards.

Such an offer would undermine Hinson’s ability to remain free of bias when reporting on matters relating to President Wohlpart, creating a conflict of interest between a student journalist and the head of the university. Hinson has since committed to refraining from writing about President Wohlpart during his tenure as EIC in an effort to keep his hands clean from Wohlpart’s breach of journalistic conduct.

The Observer’s staff neglected to provide sufficient context to the article. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.

Our readers weren’t in the room where it happened and we did you a disservice by failing to provide further, necessary, information.

In the remainder of this story, we hope to further clarify the situation and explain why we believe President Wohlpart’s offer was important to report on.

President Wohlpart’s relationship with Hinson before Feb 13. was largely nonexistent. According to Hinson, he had interviewed President Wohlpart once previously. However, according to Hin-

son, Wohlpart did not recognize him going into this most recent interview, acting as if they were meeting for the first time. President Wohlpart had made no such offers to the two previous Observer EICs Morgana Carroll and Katherine Camarata during his tenure. No precedent exists, to The Observer’s knowledge, that relationships between EICs and President Wohlpart were anything but purely professional and Observer-related.

The avenue through which this prospective internship was to be obtained was David Leder, Associate Director of Strategic Communications and University Relations. During a phone call with The Observer’s News Editor, Winnie Killingsworth, on Feb. 13, Leder maintained that he had not been approached by President Wohlpart regarding the internship opportunity prior to, or following Hinson’s interview. In short, Leder was completely in the dark regarding the topic.

Leder’s out-of-the-loop position along with President Wohlpart’s lack of knowledge on Hinson led staff at The Observer to question President Wohlpart’s intentions when offering such an opportunity. While student success should be of the utmost importance to any university president, frankly, we at The Observer believe that President Wohlpart’s direct approach to Hinson was inappropriate due to his position as EIC, and falls outside President Wohlpart’s jurisdiction as president.

It’s important to note that all conversation regarding the offer occurred, intentionally or not, outside of Hinson’s recorded interview, which focused solely on the hiring of CWU’s new provost.

That being said, there is no record of this conversation taking place excluding Hinson’s testimony and Andrew Morse’s (Chief of Staff and the Vice President of University Relations) response to further questioning about the offer, as mentioned on the front page of The Observer’s last issue.

The Society of Professional Journalists’ (SPJ) Code of Ethics, states that journalists should “Refuse gifts, favors, fees, free travel and special treatment, and avoid political and other outside activities that may compromise integrity or impartiality, or may damage credibility.”

This is repeated in The Observer’s own policy manual in three separate instances. Employees and reporters should: “Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived. Remain free of associations and activities that may compromise integrity or damage credibility. Refuse gifts, favors, fees, free travel and special treatment, and shun secondary employment, political involvement, public office and service in community organizations if they compromise journalistic integrity.” It goes without saying that integrity, and the ability to dissociate oneself from bias, are essential to maintaining a career as a journalist.

At The Observer, we hold ourselves to a high standard regarding this matter. Our codes and our beliefs echo those found at any credible news outlet in the “real world.” While we have no ill feelings toward President Wohlpart, acknowledging his offer invalidates the contract each and every member of The Observer is required to sign before joining the team in any capacity. Hinson would be unable to maintain the sacred credibility he has as a journalist if he entertained the possibility of an internship as mentioned by President Wohlpart.

This violation would go beyond the newsroom at CWU. Information reported by Hinson in the future could be potentially tainted by his interaction with President Wohlpart, and Hinson’s own journalistic integrity could be put into question by audiences as well as employers. It’s a big deal. Regarding the offer itself, President Wohlpart should not have addressed Hinson about an internship opportunity in an interview capacity. This is a separate conversation to have, removed from the shadow of Hinson’s work at The Observer.

Part of a newspaper’s role is to serve as watchdog for those in authority positions. For campus newspapers like The Observer, a university president is one such figure. We at The Observer would be failing to fulfill our role as watchdog if this ethical dilemma was not made public for the aforementioned reason.

Barge Hall.

(Photo courtesy of CWU Flickr) @CWUObserver

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February 22, 2024

THE

DIVERSITY PAGE

Sharing perspectives

Supporting awareness

The Multi-Cultural Center Layla Taha Staff Reporter CWU has advertised itself as the most diverse campus in Washington, yet we don’t have a Multi-Cultural Center (MCC) like all other universities in Washington. After years of active mobilization from students, students at CWU were finally promised their own MCC. As plans for the building seemed to grow into fruition, students were abruptly told that the MCC stand-alone building they were promised would not be happening.

Students were then given several options to compensate for the MCC they were promised. The only two viable options presented were the extension of Black Hall — which is currently where the Equity and Service Council (ESC) holds their meetings and where the Diversity and Equity Center (DEC) is located — and the renovation of the back of the Old Heat Building, which is located across the street from campus.

Yaritza Granados de Oca, a fourth-year student here at CWU and the Director of Multicultural Affairs, has been one of the leading voices in the conversation surrounding the MCC. Having lobbied for the money that was supposed to be used for a stand-alone building, Granados has a strong and unwavering position on this issue.

Granados shared that when she met with the Board of Trustees (BOT), the board in charge of funding for the MCC building, they mentioned that the DEC should be enough for Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) students and there was no reason to build an MCC building. This is

why Granados believes students shouldn’t settle on one of the two options presented (the extension of Black Hall or the back of the Old Heat building).

“If we expand on the DEC (or the extension of Black Hall),... why would they feel justified to give us our MCC now after that?” Granados said.

Even though students were given these options, many students are quite upset with how this situation went down and feel as if it was a “slap in the face” to all the hard work they had put into fighting for this building.

The fight for this building began in 2017. At first, the MCC was just going to be an extension of the Student Union and Recreation Center (SURC. From there, it developed into talks about a standalone building and the necessity for one given the number of BIPOC students on campus.

It was these events that led to a demonstration in June 2022 that took place at CWU, where students mobilized for a stand-alone MCC building. In January of 2023, students lobbied for the allocation of $6 million for the demolition of the International Building to then build a stand-alone MCC building in place of it.

“It’s frustrating… I’ve only been a part of this for three years now,” Granados said. “I think it’s really important for students to know how long it’s [the MCC] been fought for and how much it has taken for students to fight for this. And for us to find out that the stand-alone building was no longer an option last quarter, which we weren’t even told, we just kind of found out through the options. That was really disheartening.”

CWU currently has nine organizations, a part of the ESC, and the DEC is the only space that is designated for them. As the most diverse university in Washington, this space has become increasingly difficult to share.

“I was an officer for the ESC for two years… I know the struggles of having to borrow spaces and having to work alongside people’s schedules, and having to know that you don’t have a place on campus for you,” Granados added. ”This place [the MCC] would serve as a place for ESC organizations... [it] would be a place for any BIPOC student who wants to use it as a resource. [It’s for] anyone whose needs aren’t being met on campus already as a BIPOC student.”

Granados herself is a Hispanic student on campus, and because of the lack of a MCC building on campus, she feels as if her needs aren’t being met.

This leaves people wondering how CWU’s diverse population is treated here on campus.

“Central loves to use those images they take of us [BIPOC students] with the president... and use that for promotion, and really use that as statistics to lure students in and say, ‘Look, we’re so diverse,’” Granados said. “They love tokenizing that in a way… but when you get here, you don’t feel the support that they first offer you when you first apply, and it really just shows that they use us [BIPOC students] for statistics and for grants.”

As the fight for the stand-alone MCC building continues to grow, students at CWU can expect this discussion to be at the forefront of many public meetings where they can share their stance on this issue.

Original proposed design for The Multi-Cultural Center. (Photo via CWU Capital Project Proposals 2023-2025)

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February 22, 2024

E D I TO R I A L

THE VOTING CRISIS Another thing to blame on young people Astor Powell-Pedersen Staff Reporter

P

retty much since the beginning of time, it’s been popular to blame any little problem on the “younger generation,” be it social issues, economic crashes or your local supermarket not having the brand of corn chips you wanted. It’s annoying, it’s disingenuous and ultimately, it is unhelpful in making any sort of change in the world. But as much as I hate to admit it, there are certain things that are undeniably an issue with younger people, and one of those things is voter turnout and civic participation.

A few weekends ago I took a two-day trip to Olympia to lobby on behalf of bills and policies that directly affect all of our lives as students. This was a free trip within the school week, with food, travel and hotel completely covered, and an amazing opportunity for our voices as students to be heard. Attending Lobby Day was genuinely an amazing experience, and it really put a lot of things into perspective for me. But despite the fact that it was a free trip, there couldn’t have been more than thirty of us in attendance. Part of that may have been due to a lack of advertising, but even then, a solid chunk of the students who signed up didn’t show up. It was disappointing to see how few people were there honestly, and

it got me thinking about our relationship with our democracy as young people and as college students.

Historically speaking, college students and young people are massive proponents of social change and progression. From attending protests to signing petitions to boycotts, we are out there speaking to the world and demanding they listen, so why is it that when it comes time to vote, people don’t have the time to check boxes and sign a piece of paper? Less than 50% of people in the United States ages 18 to 24 are registered to vote, and of those who are, not all of them bother to vote.

I think that no matter what side of the political spectrum you are on, we can all agree that change is important to any society that wants to grow and develop, and as young people, we are the ones being most affected by the people who we are not voting into office. Decisions that are made now will affect us for the longest, but politicians do not care what we want or what we have to say, because we are not voting. Can you blame them? The walking corpses that run our countries, our states and often even our education boards aren’t going to care about the needs of young people when catering to the wishes of older people and corporations is what gets them elected, and keeps them in power.

VOTE

VOTE

It’s honestly just disappointing. In Washington state, there really is no excuse not to vote when we have ballots that come to us straight to our mailboxes. You cannot claim to care about social change and the people around you when you don’t do the absolute bare minimum of participating in our democracy. Look, I get it. Voting for national elections often feels pointless, especially if you’re voting for anyone outside of the two major candidates. Between the two-party system, the electoral college, and the fact that politicians seem to never be able to deliver on their promises, it can feel totally hopeless.

Like your vote doesn’t matter.

So vote local. Do you know who your county sheriff is? Do you know the names of the city council members making decisions directly about the place you live, the water you drink and the streets that you walk on?

Because most people don’t, and if we want anything to get better, we have to do better; and that starts local. Change doesn’t happen overnight, and it can be difficult to feel like your vote means anything among the thousands or millions of people voting alongside you. But you know what doesn’t mean anything? Pushing for a cause and having none of its supporters vote for it because they believe it won’t matter. Your votes add up.

(Photo courtesy of Pexels.com)

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CWU Dance Company Fosters

(Photos courtesy of CWU Orchesis Dance Company Facebook Page)

February 22, 22, 2024 2024 February

February 22, 2024

Lee Beck Staff Reporter

T

eamwork makes the dream work!

At least, that’s true for CWU’s dance company, Orchesis. With the help of two staff directors, the dance company is entirely student-run. Because of this aspect, it’s imperative the students can work together.

Orchesis was initially a student club in the 1963-64 academic year. It was proven to be unsuccessful, however in 1968 Dance professor Lana Jo Sharpe revived this club, and it has been thriving ever since. Each fall and spring quarter auditions are held to be part of Orchesis.

Page 07

Over the ten weeks in each quarter, the Orchesis team works on student-choreographed dance pieces that were selected.

In years past, there were quarterly shows for the team to perform their pieces. But the “Works in Progress” fall and winter performances will be postponed until the construction on the Auxiliary Gym in Nicholson Pavilion is finished.

That leaves the spring performance, however, which is going to be April 18-20 of this year. Held in the Milo Smith Tower Theatre, the spring performance is a compilation of all of the pieces the company worked on over the year. In collaboration with the Theatre department, students work to create visually intriguing pieces.

What sets Orchesis apart from other dance opportunities at CWU is that it’s entirely student-run.

There are two directors, Gabrielle McNeillie and McKenzie Baird, whowever, their approach to running the dance company is to take a step back. “It’s for them [the dancers], and for them to explore their choreographic process,” McNeille said. McNeille feels that the dance company flows as a more positive environment because the students work on these pieces for themselves, rather

than the approval of their mentors. “We allow them to create in ways that they feel are going to be successful for them at that moment,” McNeillie said. She continued by saying she and Baird are there for guidance rather than to tell the students what they should do.

A new Orchesis member, Cesca Gossing reflected on the positive environment of the dance company. She mentioned being in dance from the age of two and how it negatively impacted her self-image contrasting the feeling with her experience in Orchesis.

“It’s a competitive industry… You’re all fighting for approval is what it is, and it’s like here you don’t have to do that,” Gossing said. She continued, saying the directors McNeillie and Baird are what makes this aspect work.

Orchesis is open to anyone at CWU who wants to dance, regardless of their level of experience. Because of this, the directors aim to individualize each student’s growth. “We’re trying to help them on their journey, on their path, and allow them to grow from where they are,” McNeillie said. They don’t aim to make each student the perfect pupil, they want to help them on their personal path.

McNeillie also highlighted the strong team bond between the members of the team.

“Once they’re in the company, we see this as a team. So, they all work together. They all end up becoming friends,” McNeillie said.

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February 22, 2024

Are Skincare Products a Scam?

Raya Miron Columnist

S

kincare looks different to anyone and everyone. Some people wash their face with a bar of Dove soap, while others have a 20-step skincare routine.

Personally, I have a two-step skincare routine that consists of a CeraVe face wash and a CeraVe moisturizer. Meanwhile, my sister has a seven-step skincare routine that consists of two different face cleansers, four different serums and creams, and some spray that I personally think is just water in a fancy can.

The reason for the question, “Are skincare products a scam?” is because of the outrageously high prices associated with many products. Don’t get me wrong there are some good skincare products out there that are reasonably priced, but then there are many products that tend to be on the higher end of the scale price-wise.

The way I think about it is, that the most expensive products are the best products for you; but if that were the way the world worked, we would all be broke.

Skincare does not have to be expensive, but some brands make it look that way.

Certain brands sell products in such small containers and jack up the prices for no reason. The brand Sunday Riley has a product called C.E.O GLOW Vitamin C + Turmeric Face Oil that is 0.5 fluid ounces for 40 dollars. That is ridiculous! What does this product even do? The sad thing is that more expensive products are out there than this one.

Maybe I am missing some factor of skincare, but I truly do not understand what goes into companies’ minds when pricing things.

Yes, I understand that the company needs to make a profit from selling products, but some of the prices are outrageous.

Another way people could answer the question is to say, “No skincare is not a scam. Everyone has different skin that has different needs.” So, for some people, Vitamin C + Turmeric Face Oil could be the one product their skin needs.

So, again, why is it so expensive?

Why could the one product someone needs not be at a lower price?

The supposed reason that some of these products are so expensive is because of what is being put in them, which I think is dumb. Just because my skin needs more hydration does not mean I should pay more money to keep my skin healthy.

Another way brands get you is through the type of advertising they use.

Brands can get your favorite creators or celebrities to post with their product, which can make you believe it’s the best when it is otherwise. Multiple companies have sent content creators on thousands of dollar trips to get them to promote one product. Why do companies do this? They take the money we pay for products and send people on trips for more PR.

There are so many opinions about skincare products and prices but in reality, we are still going to buy the products we need and promote what works for us. Whether your skincare routine is two steps or 20 steps, no one really cares because it is what works for you. Overall there is no definitive answer on whether skincare is a scam or not because everyone has their own opinion.

Woman doing skincare.

(Photo courtesy of Pexels.com)

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Page 09

February 22, 2024

GOLD RUSH

OPINION SECTION

(Photo courtesy of Pexels.com)

The Best Picture power rankings C a n

a n y o n e

Isaac Hinson Columnist

T

he 96th Academy Awards are right around the corner, and the race simultaneously feels decided, yet… close? It’s the general consensus that Christopher Nolan’s historical epic “Oppenheimer” is all but guaranteed to sweep. So why does it feel like a couple other movies have a chance?

This is going to be my final Gold Rush piece before the ceremony, there will be nothing next week as instead I have a very, very special – perhaps spice-inflected – review planned for then. So, I figured I would act as if I’m submitting my ballot for best picture, and give you all my power rankings of the best picture class of 2024.

In print I’ll have the top five movies I think have a chance, you can find my thoughts on the rest online.

I truly am a fan of each and every movie nominated for best picture this year, and while these rankings are based on my enjoyment of the films, they are also indicative of the chances I think each movie has of winning best picture. They’re all at least four-star movies. It’s a mix. It’s complicated. I don’t know. Don’t @ me.

Note: I am yet to see “The Zone of Interest.” Hopefully I will see it this weekend, but I imagine it will place right in the middle of my rankings based on word of mouth.

5 - “The Holdovers” When “The Holdovers” first debuted, it seemed like it was the number one film to possibly take the crown away from “Oppenheimer.” It’s very warm, cozy and easy to digest, while containing three fascinating central characters that work off of and challenge each other really well. Da’Vine Joy Randolph is essentially a lock to win Best Supporting Actress, and Paul Giamatti is still likely the only person who could take away Best Actor from Cillian Murphy. But for me, the missing piece here is the absence of Dominic Sessa in Best Supporting Actor.

Dominic Sessa and Paul Giamatti in “The Holdover.”

(Photo courtesy of Focus Features)

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b e a t

The movie doesn’t work without Sessa. His performance is it’s heart and soul, and it doesn’t work nearly as well if he isn’t playing on the same level as Giamatti. But, he didn’t even get a nomination, and to me that is indicative of “The Holdovers” maybe not being as big of an undertaker as we initially thought. And while I thought that the movie was delightful and incredibly charming, I’m unsure if there is much meat on the bone for viewers to chew on beyond the three performances, so if the most important performance doesn’t even get a nomination, what does that say?

4 - “Killers of the Flower Moon” It’s time to talk about the big boys, and Martin Scorsese might be the biggest boy of them all. Coming into 2023, it was pretty much consensus that “Killers of the Flower Moon” was the biggest Oscar contender of the year. And then the year unfolds, we learn about more movies, Barbenheimer happens, and now it stands here at fourth on my rankings.

Now, in favor of “Killers” is ranked choice voting. This is going to be near the top of a LOT of voter’s ballots.

The respect for Scorsese among the Academy is immense, and we don’t know how many more films from him we have left, especially compared to someone like Christopher Nolan.

Perhaps the recognition for him could come in Best Director, but I wouldn’t be shocked if come March 10, Scorsese walks out of the room with the biggest award of the night.

Not to mention, the love for Lily Gladstone’s performance is real, and she is competing hard with Emma Stone for Best Actress. The momentum for her could transfer over to the film as a whole. I think it would be cool if it did. Let Marty get his!

Cillian Murphy in “Oppenheimer.”

(Photo courtesy of Universal Studios)

‘ O p p e n h e i m e r ? ’

3 - “Past Lives” My favorite movie of the year for the majority of the year was “Past Lives,” and I’m disappointed that it’s taken me this long to be able to talk about it with significance.

“Past Lives” took my heart, put it in a blender, put it back together and then put it on the curb and stomped on it for twenty minutes.

An excerpt from my Letterboxd review accounts how I felt about it in the moment, which I think still resonates: “This must be what it felt like for my parents to see ‘Before Sunrise.’

I feel deeply seen and also deeply attacked, which I think equates to being deeply understood.”

I imagine most of the Academy voters have long lost lovers, and “Past Lives” takes a look at what those people mean to us on a level that reaches our bones. One knock for it could be that it is only nominated for two awards, Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. But, in 2022 “CODA” won Best Picture while only being nominated for three awards, those two and Best Supporting Actor for Troy Kotsur. I believe.

2 - “Poor Things” Since it debuted at the Venice International Film Festival last September, “Poor Things” had always been lingering. The talk of the town.

“Watch out, ‘Poor Things’ is coming.” And now it’s here, and been in theaters for about two months, and yeah. “Poor Things.” Wow. Just a totemic piece of work. Career-best works from pretty much everyone involved; Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, director Yorgos Lanthinmos.

It’s hard to deny. Stone especially is just sensational in the movie. This movie plays with a lot of the same themes and ideas as “ Barbie,” but it is just naturally a lot more intellectually inclined and plays to both average movie-goers who might be looking for something a little more challenging, and to voters who have come to expect this type of work from Lanthimos.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone in “Killers of the Flower Moon.”

(Photo courtesy of Apple)

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Emma Stone in “Poor Things.”

(Photo courtesy of Searchlight Pictures)

In any other year, this would be the runaway Best Picture front-runner. It’s a stunning production, with great performances, cinematography, direction and music. But, it’s not any other year. It’s the year of…

1 - “Oppenheimer” What else would it be?

I know at the beginning of this piece, I said that the race might be closer than we all think. And I think that’s true! But, that doesn’t change who is still the top dog. The perfect blend of prestige and entertainment, a propulsive, heavy, stuffed to the brim study on the man who changed everything, his reckoning with that and the weight he – and in turn the world – carries.

Do you know how hard it is to make a movie that is simultaneously the most supremely entertaining movie of the year, as well as the most well-made movie of the year? I don’t. I think there are maybe three people on the planet who do. Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and Christopher Nolan.

I’ve seen “Oppenheimer” five times now, four times in theaters. It gets better each time. It gets easier to digest, and easier to sink your teeth into each time. The jarring editing becomes more natural and fascinating each time. Cillian Murphy’s performance becomes more revealing each time.

With all of this, the true achievement of what Nolan accomplished here becomes more apparent each time.

“Oppenheimer” is the unstoppable force of this year’s Oscars. Is there anything that could be an immovable object in its way? I’m unsure.

The Academy set a precedent of inevitability last year with “Everything Everywhere All At Once” sweeping the awards, a sweep that was well tracked in the months prior, and it’s been assumed for a while now that it was “Oppenheimer” or bust. And while I can’t say I would be thrilled if “Oppenheimer” walked away with every award it was nominated for, I also couldn’t be mad.

Teo Yoo and Greta Lee in “Past Lives.”

(Photo courtesy of A24)

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Page 10

February 22, 2024

Devanee Lopez Staff Reporter

W

hile CWU’s decorated athletic department may be known for its Division I rugby teams or the dozens of All-American athletes it produces each year; less familiar to the community is its men’s club soccer team. Whether a new student or a senior, the team has encouraged any male parties interested to try out before their first match in the spring.Given that the CWU athletic department doesn’t oversee an official collegiate men’s soccer team, those passionate for the sport may seek out its club team. The team has two seasons in a year, one in the fall and one in the spring where they compete against four teams in five games. Compared to other CWU sports teams, men’s club soccer lacks common elements such as a formal head coach. The team isn’t coached by a coach but by a player, Josh Durfee. Durfee is the one who sets up the practice drills and who makes the team.

That’s right, their own “coach” is a fellow athlete and student who is playing with them during the game. The four teams they play are all coached by a coach, they have coaches, coaches assistants and an assistant to the assistant of the coach. The players are left to themselves to decide when to come in or not.

No Soccer Team?

NO NO PROBLEM. PROBLEM.

CWU Men’s Club team. (Photo courtesy of Blake Stevens)

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So, if CWU is able to successfully beat these teams, do they really need a coach to get by? “We use it as motivation, honestly it’s like they have all these coaches for what?” Blake Stevens, a sophomore right back for the team said. “We’re still beating them when they have all these other resources compared to ours.” Stevens has been playing with the team since last spring.

Currently the team is in their off season as they anticipate the start of their spring season. The team is practicing Monday, and Wednesdays, from 4 to 6 p.m. They are holding tryouts for the spring season a week before spring quarter begins. “We have [a] short turnaround time,” Stevens said. “We have three days of tryouts, and then we have a game the next weekend and then that’s one of your six games. So you only have five games to kind of solidify a play style or just the overall vibe of the team.”

The team is encouraging any men that are interested in playing to come and try out. The season is short lived and an overall exciting activity to add to the college experience. If interested in trying out, follow @cwumenssoccer for more information.

Their first game will be the first week of classes for spring quarter, (schedule not yet made). They’re having a friendly match against WSU on Feb. 24, that will be in Pullman.

February 22, 2024

Cativities

Page 11

No rain, no flowers

by Megan Foster Without the rain There would be no flowers Without the clouds There would be no shade Without your love Here I would be Here but not nearly the same Without the night There would be no morning Without the hard times There would be no joy With you There is always And I hope there is forevermore

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Page 12

February 22, 2024

Wildcat Words What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

Ava Shanahan

“One of the best pieces of advice i was given was ‘it’s your life, you got to make your own decisions.’”

“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”

Sr. Psychology

“Everything happens for a reason, everything will fall into place.”

Film Fanatic Dylan Hanson is a junior majoring in film at CWU. Hanson has had a strong passion for film since his youth, but that passion has grown during his time at the university.

While at CWU, his studies have opened his eyes to a passion for photography. After graduating, Hanson aspires to work within the field of film as a director.

Q&A compiled by Megan Foster (Photo courtesy of Dylan Hanson)

A &A Q Q&

Austin Baird

Jasmine Hite

Dylan Hanson What sparked your interest in photography and film?

“I’ve wanted to be a filmmaker since I was six years old. Whether it was directing shorts on the weekend with my buddies or practicing makeup effects on kids in my neighborhood, I always had an interest in film. Photography started later on in college when I joined The Observer for a quarter and [then] PULSE [Magazine] later on. Through those outlets I found out I really loved photography as a way to express more abstract ideas I had.”

When, and how, did you know this is what you wanted to do professionally?

“I always dreamed about directing movies as a kid because I saw them as a way to escape from my own life. It felt like an escape from my everyday problems and it transported me to places where anything was possible. I used to draw posters for horror movies I planned on making and I’d bug my parents with all my ideas. ‘Evil Dead 2’ was a movie in particular that blew my mind as a kid. I wanted to know how they made it and who was responsible.”

What are your favorite projects that you’ve worked on at CWU? “‘First Moves,’ my coming of age feature film I’ve been working on for the past 2 years or so has been life changing. It’s basically an ‘awkward dating stories’ the movie. I’ve learned so much about the process of making a project of this scope and now I have all these great creative partners who’ve been amazing to work with. It makes me excited once we wrap production to start working on my next feature. My other project that I loved doing was ‘Dead South,’ an action short film me and my team shot last spring. It was the hardest short film I had ever made, every day had some difficult challenges, but I grew a lot from that experience.”

Soph. Biomedical Science

“Just keep swimming.”

“I think the best piece of advice to give anyone is ‘It’s okay to ask questions.’”

Weekly Events 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. - Dress for Success: SURC 137 A and B 4 to 5 p.m. - S&A Committee Meeting: on Zoom 5 to 7 p.m. - Majors in Minutes: SURC Ballroom

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22

THURS

23

National Hospitality Workers Appreciation Day International Stand Up To Bullying Day

FRI

9 to 10:30 p.m. - Hot New Jam: SURC Theatre All Day - OPR Moonlight Cross Country

24 SAT

25

National Chocolate Covered Nut Day

SUN

4 to 6 p.m. - Lead Climbing Clinic: Recreation Center 5 to 7 p.m. - Managing Stress and Academics with Crafts: Brooks Library 152

4 to 5 p.m. - Career Fair Prep: Samuelson 128

26 MON

27 TUES

4 to 6 p.m. - Lead Climbing Clinic: Recreation Center 5 to 6 p.m. - Trivia Night: R&B Music Brooks Library 6 to 7 p.m. - Esports: Super Smash Bros SURC Pit

What, in your opinion, is the best movie or tv show?

“My favorite movie is probably ‘Place Beyond The Pines.’ It makes me feel something that no other film has replicated and it’s a top to bottom masterpiece. I watched it when I was twelve years old and the way I approach film has changed ever since. My favorite show is probably ‘The Bear,’ I relate to it in a lot of different aspects. I also love the aesthetic of that show, it feels so fresh and original.”

After graduation, what do you hope to pursue within your field of interest?

“To be honest I would love to work full time as a director, whether that’s films, television, or commercials.

It’s the thing I love the most so my dream would be to continue that path and get to keep working with my team on a bigger scale.”

Chris Gardeback

Jr. Biology

28 WED

(Design by Brittany Cinderella)

Fr. Special Education

Oscar the Observant.

Henry Wood Fr. Trombone Music Performance

See Full Q&A Online

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