Vol. 115 NO. 1 | January 16 - January 22, 2020
cwuobserver.com | @CWUObserver
Inslee proposes $3.28M for campus security Mariah Valles Managing Editor
Téa Green/The Observer
Allied People Offering Year-Round Outreach (APOYO), a non-profit food and clothing bank, has been housed on CWU’s campus since 2001. Their lease with the university will end in June 2020, giving the organization about six months to find a new space to continue operating.
APOYO lease will not be renewed Cassandra Hays Editor-in-Chief
CWU has decided not to renew the lease with APOYO based on lack of student engagement and the physical condition of the building. The organization will have to find a new space by June 30, 2020 in order to continue operating. APOYO, which is also Spanish for “support,” is a non-profit food and clothing bank that has served the lower income community in Ellensburg and surrounding areas since 1999. According to the organization’s website, APOYO provides “ethnically sensitive food and support to a diverse population in our area.” APOYO also serves as a social center for the Mexicano community, according to Founder and President Philip Garrison. While not affiliated with the uni-
versity, APOYO has been located on CWU’s campus since 2001. Over its time on campus, APOYO has been moved three times. Most recently in 2015, the organization was moved to a building near the Brooklane apartments. “When we came into this [building] we complained that it was too small,” Philip said. He added that originally, APOYO was only going to be given half of the space in the building. To make up for lack of space, two shipping containers are kept on the property for donated items that can’t fit inside of the building, such as furniture, appliances and toys. Patricia said that even with the shipping containers, there is not enough space on the property for the amount of items donated to APOYO. “Moving us into our current location
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Peggy Morache chosen as Person of the Year Page 8
was an insult to our clients,” Patricia said. “This level of disrespect is an even greater insult to the Hispanic students and the community that Central hopes to serve.” Lease Agreement with CWU APOYO keeps its space with CWU based on the conditions outlined in a lease agreement with the university. The lease agreement is renewed on a yearto-year basis. Patricia Garrison, secretary and treasurer of APOYO, said the organization was not directly informed by CWU that the agreement would not be renewed for next year’s occupancy. She said they were told indirectly by the Friends in Serving Humanity (FISH) food bank.
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Students give their perspective on current foreign affairs Page 6
Gov. Jay Inslee proposed giving $3.28 million dollars to CWU’s main campus for security enhancements. $1.8 million would go towards installing electronic locking systems on buildings, $622,000 towards a campus-wide video security system and $820,000 towards upgrading the light emergency towers. A supplemental budget session, where legislators meet for 60 days to review proposals, began on Jan. 13. This is where legislators will decide whether to approve, modify or reject the governor’s proposal. On Feb. 6, 2019 there were multiple false reports of gunshots and shooters in buildings on campus. According to CWU’s website, that was when the security needs were identified. “First responders lacked video monitoring systems to verify the information and had no way to lock down automatically,” CWU’s website says. Security Cameras More than half a million dollars would go towards adding video security on campus. Currently, this asset is only in the SURC. According to CWU’s website, the security system would “provide an additional layer of security at remote areas and those that are hard to patrol.” CWU Chief of Police Jason Berthon-Koch called the system a “non-monitored” security system. “We’re not going to have somebody sitting behind a desk watching these monitors 24/7,” Berthon-Koch said.
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Alison Mitchell hired as new head softball coach Page 11