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Ramadan Diversity
Opinion
Sports
Events
April 27, 2022
Vol. 122 NO. 4
By the students, for the students
CWU changes
room and board rates SINGLE ROOM SUITE-STYLE ROOM
SHARED ROOM
2021-22
2022-23
2021-22
2022-23
2021-22
2022-23
$ 6 5 9 2
$ 7 7 0 0
$ 9 9 9 7
$ 9 5 3 2
$ 8 0 0 6
$ 8 2 4 1
Data sourced from CWU’s housing webpage, Graphic by Sarah Stewart
By Wayne Gray Staff Reporter Housing changed to a “Same Rate, Same Room” policy which may simplify room and board for some, but increase housing costs for others. CWU recently changed its pricing model for the 2022-2023 academic year in order to simplify room and board rates for students, according to Jenna Hyatt, the associate dean of student living. “At one point we had over 10 different rate types and so this whole program and process was to simplify it for our students,” Hyatt said. According to the residence hall information on CWU’s housing webpage, there will be three types of rooms available: single, suite and shared. Previously, the 2021-2022 room and board rates distinguished room differences such as bathrooms or hall location; the new pricing model does not. 2022-2023 annual room and board rates will be $7,700 for a shared room, $8,241 for a suite-style and $9,532 for a single. Hyatt said the new room rates will give students
flexibility to choose rooms based on preference or needs. This could benefit those students who opted for more expensive rooms in the 2021-2022 academic year; they could now get the same room for a lower rate. According to the room and board rates for 2021-2022 and 2022-2023, a single room suite that would have been $9,997 will now be $465 less. This move may also impose extra costs on those students who would have opted for a lower priced room provided in 2021-2022 room and board rates and planned to do the same this year. According to the 2021-2022 rates, a standard shared room that would have cost $6,952 will now cost $7,700, a $748 increase. Selecting a standard single room, a room that was $8,006 in 2021-2022, will now cost $9,532 for the 2022-2023 academic year. For some students, this $1,526 increase in room rates may have an impact on their personal finances. Hyatt said these cost differences should be mitigated by the amount of financial aid that students receive due to increased cost of attendance.
Hyatt said CWU will be awarding $1,000 scholarships each year to incoming students in the upcoming fall quarter who commit to living in student housing for two years. Hyatt said this move could reduce the impact of housing costs for students as well. “This whole system and rate structure was designed to really be able to support and provide access and equity to our students,” Hyatt said. According to Hyatt, CWU has also made changes to contracts for student apartments. Students will now be signing for a bed rather than leasing the space. Hyatt said this change will get rid of the liability that was placed on students in prior leases. The contract lengths would be for an academic year rather than based on the calendar year. “They’re not responsible for finding the other leaseholder in that space,” Hyatt said. “It’s like a contract, like in a residence hall, so if it remains vacant they’re not paying for that other bed.” Hyatt said these moves could be seen as part of a recruiting campaign. Hyatt said she believes these changes are the right thing to do.
Letter to the Editor: From Student Press Freedom Initiative CWU’s assertion that the recent administrative confiscation of copies of The Observer during CWU Preview Day “could have been handled differently” is a laughable understatement. When College of Business dean Jeffrey Stinson and associate dean Keke “Coco” Wu stole stacks of newspapers with the intention of throwing them in the recycling, they violated the First Amendment. So, yes. It should have been “handled differently.” The law requires that it be handled differently. And that’s exactly what I told CWU this week in a letter addressed to President Wohlpart. At the Student Press Freedom Initiative — a project of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, where I work defending the rights of student journal-
did in reporting on CWU’s financial status. Courts have recognized this essential role by making clear that, when administrators steal or otherwise censor student publications because they are unhappy with content, they violate the First Amendment. In Washington, where the New Voices Act strengthens the free press rights of student newspapers, these actions also violate state law. The fact that Stinson and Wu were motivated by distaste for The Observer’s coverage of CWU’s budget woes makes the situation worse still. (You may recall that, in the presence of a Observer staffer, Wu remarked: “Why did [The Observer] think it was smart to print that story on the day that we have so many students coming to campus?”, later telling The Observer the removal was part
“We urge CWU to ... educate staff about their legal obligations and the importance of a free press.”
Lindsie Rank
ists — we see these instances of newspaper theft far too often. But it’s relatively rare that university officials are the culprits — and even rarer they are so brazen when they violate the First Amendment. While theft is theft (and, make no mistake, even stealing entire stacks of free newspapers can be criminally prosecuted), it’s especially egregious when carried out by public university administrators, who are government actors. Independent student journalism is essential to the operation of public universities. Publications like The Observer serve a watchdog role by informing the public of how, for example, administrators use (or misuse) public funds. This is exactly what The Observer
of CWU’s plan to “present our prospective students and guests with a positive portrayal and outlook of the college and university.”) This is what we First Amendment lawyers call “viewpoint discrimination,” which occurs when an official censors content because they disagree with the viewpoint espoused. We urge CWU to recognize the gravity of Stinson and Wu’s theft of stacks of The Observer and to educate staff about their legal obligations and the importance of a free press, so that something like this never happens again. Lindsie Rank Student Press Counsel, Foundation for Individual Rights in Education
A LOOK BEYOND
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April 27, 2022
Beyond Our Coverage Local
National
The ASCWU elections closed April 22. Official results were slated to be announced April 24, however have not been posted at the time of publication. Two drivers were killed in a car crash on State Route 24 east of Yakima, according to 92.9 the Bull. Union Gap resident Lisa Richards, who was in the other car, and Andres De La Luz Pacheco who was a passenger in Francisco’s car, died at the scene. The city council approves the mayor’s signature ensuring $750,000 goes to support low-income housing in Ellensburg, according to the Daily Record. Many individuals are maybe unable to access safe and reliable housing which can disrupt opportunities for employment and education. Local Ellensburg high school teacher Sammi Jo Sims has been honored as one of the nation’s best CTE (career technical education) teachers according to the Daily Record. Sims believes that CTE skills prepare students for additional opportunities down the road and have a wide range of practicable applications.
World
Two senior U.S. officials, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, met with the Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, in Kyiv, on Sunday, for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine, according to NBC News.
A Turkish businessman and philanthropist, Oman Kavala, was sentenced to life in prison over a protest. According to CNN, Kavala was “attempting to overthrow the government” in a protest in Gezi Park in Turkey.
A tunnel fire has burned over 21,000 acres in Arizona since April 17, according to CNN News. Evacuation orders were lifted for neighborhoods that were affected by the fire, but residents returning to their homes were warned to be careful of hotspots, including weakened trees and ash pits from stumps burning.
The world’s oldest person, Kane Tanaka died last Tuesday at the age of 119, according to NBC. Tanka lived in Japan and held the Guinness World Record title for the oldest living person.
A woman survived 8 days stranded in a California forest, surviving off of snow and yogurt, according to NBC. She was trapped in her car during a severe snowstorm and only had the 6-pack of yogurt in her car to eat, which she rationed and ate in conjunction with the snow. Police found her Wednesday, April 20 and she has since returned home. Protests against franchise owner Glen Taylor continue at Minnesota Timberwolves playoff games, according to the Des Moines Register. This was the third protest in the same amount of home games this postseason.
Elon Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion and will privatize the company. According to AP News, Musk believes that Twitter is the place where free speech is vital and where the future of humanity is debated. A Ukrainian mom vlogs to help her “not go crazy” during a time that is changing, according to NewsNation. She uses the platform to talk to people from all over the world and wants the world to know what is happening right now and to see that those involved are all people. French President Emmanuel Macron has won a second term, the first French president to do so in twenty years, according to Aljazeera. He won the election against far-right opponent Marine Le Pen. China is tracking down Uyghurs outside of China with the assistance of other countries, according to NBC. Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates are only a few of the countries helping China continue its persecution of Uyghurs abroad.
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Clarifications In two stories published in issue three on April 20, there was differentiating information included regarding how many states have legalized medicinal marijuana. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), 37 states as well as four U.S. territories and the District of Columbia have legalized medicinal uses of marijuana. The NCSL also states 18 states, two territories and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational uses of marijuana. In the opinion piece titled “Marijuana should not be allowed on campus,” paragraph two incorrectly states “CWU does not prohibit any possession of cannabis on campus.” This was a typo; CWU does prohibit the possession of cannabis on campus.
The Observer Staff Editor-in-Chief Star Diavolikis News Editors Libby Williams
Copy Desk Chief Katlyn White Assistant Copy Editor Addie Adkins
Evan Couch
Scene Editor Katherine Camarata Sports Editor Jared Galanti Opinion Editor Katlyn White Orientation Editor Addie Adkins Online Editor Crystal Clausen Assistant Online Editor Emily LaFave
Copy Desk Staff Mary Miller
Staff Reporters
Faculty Adviser Jennifer Green
Jennifer.Green@cwu.edu
Megan Rogers Wayne Gray Milenne Quinonez Chase Beyer
Editorial Consultant Francesco Somaini
Jacqueline Hixssen Isaac Hinson
Graphic Designers Sarah Stewart Blake Wells
Photographer Brevin Ross
Editorial Policy: The Observer is a public forum for student expression,
Joshua Kornfeld Elliott Watkins Morgana Carroll
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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April 27, 2022
NEWS
Ellensburg High School takes precaution against threats towards LGBTQ+ students By Evan Couch News Editor As Ellensburg High School (EHS) wrapped up its annual Associated Student Body elections, threats towards two student candidates prompted the district to move candidate speeches to a virtual setting on April 18 as a safety precaution. The two students identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community and told The Observer their campaign posters were vandalized and they received negative comments online. One of the students said he heard rumors that someone wanted to “shoot” him, potentially at the planned assembly. EHS Principal Beau Snow said rumors of threats were reported to him and the same threats were received in an anonymous tip on the school’s STOPit app, a reporting app available to both students and parents. The severity of the reported threats motivated the school to move the speeches online and
contact the Ellensburg Police Department (EPD). The school is currently working with EPD on active investigations regarding the threats reported on the app, according to Snow. The Observer reached out to EPD Captain Dan Hansberry, who said he cannot comment on the incident at this time due to the premature nature of the investigation. When the elections began on April 11, campaign posters of candidates who are part of the LGBTQ+ community were reported vandalized. According to Snow, administration reviewed school camera footage to find the students responsible for the damages. Those students were assigned “school consequences,” Snow said. In a letter Snow sent to students and families on April 15 regarding the situation, he explained that negative comments towards candidates of the LGBTQ+ community were being made primarily on Insta-
gram and Snapchat, after school hours. Snow told The Observer that parents of the responsible students were informed of the issue and the postings stopped. According to EHS student Grady Fortier, who ran for executive board president, the harassment that went on during the elections was nothing new to him. “I’ve experienced quite a bit of hate and dscrimination at the school as an openly gay man for a few years now,” Fortier said. “The things happening during this time weren’t much different.” Fortier said he believes that his openness about his sexuality made him a target during the election. He said he believed there was a “theme” for those who were being harassed during the elections. “There were specific people with specific beliefs, specific sexual orientation a specific look who were being attacked during this time,” Fortier said.
“I’ve always been pretty good at ignoring it,” Fortier said. “I have an incredible support system and I’ve always been a very confident person.” Another student that faced the issues was Ashley Callan, who was running for re-election for Public Relations. Callan said she also felt targeted during the elections due to being openly bisexual. Callan said she gets told that she is a “stereotype of a lesbian” and she said she believes this had an influence on how she was being treated. “I feel like it was very easy to target because a lot of people already have these opinions of me,” Callan said. Callan explained that she had been a part of ASB for four years now and had never experienced anything like this prior. “I didn’t really think that anything was going to happen,” Callan said. “I didn’t put up all of my posters and was like ‘Well I should worry about people ripping my stuff down,’ that wasn’t even a thought that came to mind until it did happen.”
Fortier explained that his posters were also among those vandalized at the school. According to Fortier, his posters were being ripped down starting the first day of campaigning, April 11, and some went as far as crossing letters off of his first name to spell “Gay” Fortier. Fortier added that many of the anonymous posts online were referring to him with slurs and other rude comments. Principal Snow told The Observer: “The behavior and actions that students were taking were unacceptable … We actively are working with our SAGA (Straight and Gay Alliance) advisor Cathie Day on how we can improve the acceptance and tolerance of all students at EHS.” Snow also added that they reached out to Kittitas County’s Prosecutor’s office to arrange for a speaker to talk about the consequences of inappropriate online behavior. According to Snow, they are working on specific efforts to be put in place in the fall.
Car parts stolen in CWU parking lots By Libby Williams News Editor “Vehicle prowlers” are known not just for stealing from inside the car, but underneath as well. Senior professional and creative writing major and writer for PULSE magazine, Paije Maas said her Hyundai Santa Fe’s catalytic converter was stolen after she left the car in the parking lot during winter break. “When I came back I noticed when I would turn it on, a loud noise would come from it,” Maas said. “I was told it was probably just my muffler since my car is so old but come to find out, someone had stolen a part from it.”
According to CWU Chief of Police Jason Berthon-Koch, the catalytic converter is under the car and works to take emissions out of the exhaust. The converter is also home to valuable metals, which Berthon-Koch said prowlers can sell. “When they steal the catalytic converters, they’re literally laying underneath the car with saws and sawing it off,” Berthon-Koch said. “They’re very quick at it.” Berthon-Koch said depending on the car, getting a new catalytic converter installed can cost around $1,500, which insurance doesn’t usually cover. Maas said she had to pay to replace hers.
“I’m still frustrated,” she said. Maas said she tried to talk to parking services, but ultimately nothing came out of the situation. She said she’d like to see more surveillance in the parking lots and around campus, as she thinks it’s a growing issue. “I would like there to be cameras on campus, if not for car theft, for the safety of our students,” Maas said. “I heard that after Christmas a ton of students’ cars were hit and it is a growing problem.” Berthon-Koch said while it is a goal to eventually have cameras in the parking lots, it will take some work. “Our current camera project is wrapping up, and it was more
based around the … inside of the campus,” Berthon-Koch said. “The problem with the parking lots is we don’t have the infrastructure currently to put cameras in the parking lots because it takes data and power to get out there, and we don’t have the money or the resources.” He also said while more cameras might help, he doesn’t think it would solve the issue entirely, especially because this isn’t a campus specific problem. Berthon-Koch said that while this is something that happens everywhere, there are some small steps you can take to avoid having your car tampered with. “They do sell shields to protect the catalytic converter
so it can’t easily be cut off,” Berthon-Koch said. “If you see something, say something … if it seems suspicious, and somebody’s hanging around the cars looking in, please call. Because you’re not only protecting your stuff, but also your friends, your other community members.” Besides protecting the outside of your car, Berthon-Koch said people should continue protecting valuables inside their car. “Don’t leave any valuables in sight inside the vehicle,” Berthon-Koch said. “Keep your vehicle locked. Don’t leave purses, wallets, laptops, books or even backpacks in a vehicle.”
Students have experienced vehicles being tampered with in CWU parking lots. Photo by Libby Williams/The Observer
DIVERSITY
Sharing perspectives
THE Supporting awareness
PAGE
Events students the mon Rama
s unite s during nth of adan
“This month is supposed to be more prayer, more kindness, giving out charity.” Ibtisam Siraj
By Morgana Carroll Staff Reporter In a practice called Wudu, sophomore in law and justice and political science Ibtisam Siraj washes her face, hands and hair and clears her mind of distraction to honor Ramadan, a Muslim holiday of fasting that lasts from April 1-May 1. Every Friday in April, Siraj meets with fellow students in Black Hall 105 at the Diversity and Equity Center (DEC), faces toward the building in the center of Islam’s most imporant mosque, Kaaba, and prays for Ramadan. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims fast during the day, according to Siraj. Siraj said that, while the period where one fasts is dependent on factors like location, she and other students at CWU fast between 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Ramadan prayer occurs from 12:30-1:30 p.m. every Friday of April. Siraj said while this space is set up on Fridays, Muslims pray every day of the year, not just during the month of Ramadan. According to Siraj, there will also be an Iftar dinner on April 29 at 8 p.m. in the Worldcat Lounge in Hebeler Hall. Siraj said that Iftar means to break fast. “Since we fast for 16 hours, we break our fast at 8 p.m., and most of us who are fasting are not from Ellensburg, they’re either international students or domestic students out of state,” Siraj said. “I decided that one night it would be great if we could all get together and eat, drink and pray.” According to Siraj, this is the first year that the DEC has hosted a space for prayer during Ramadan. Siraj said Hebeler Hall had a general wor-
ship room available in the past, but said that space is farther out of the way than the DEC. “This month is supposed to be more prayer, more kindness, giving out charity,” Siraj said. “So because of that, I asked the DEC if it will be possible to open Black Hall for the students.” Siraj said that while attendance for the prayer on Fridays isn’t bad, it could be better. Some people aren’t able to make it due to conflicting schedules, according to Siraj. “We all have different schedules,” Siraj said. “We don’t all come together and pray together, but people drop in and out to pray.” The Provost’s office and the International Center have been cooperating with Siraj since January to help her coordinate the Iftar dinner on April 29. Siraj said without the assistance of these organizations, such as the DEC providing the space and the Provost’s office providing the funding for the Iftar dinner, this wouldn’t have been able to happen. Siraj cited Student Senate Speaker Rachael Medalia as a source of inspiration while she has been setting up these events. Siraj said Medalia was the person that got her to open up and tell other people about plans for the event. According to Siraj, Ramadan is about more than just fasting. “For me, [Ramadan is] a month of self reflection,” said Siraj. “That’s where you self reflect, like okay, what have I been doing? What do I need to work towards from now on?” Siraj listed fasting, prayer, self reflection, community, charity and reading Islam’s holy book the Quran as important aspects of Ramadan. “The book is 114 chapters, we try to finish that a couple times in the month if we can,” Siraj said. “It’s like a competition, you motivate yourself to do it, so you don’t ideally have to finish it more than once, but for us, we push ourselves to try to do it two or three times.”
OPINION SPORTS
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Edith and Ethel: Ask the Aunties By ‘Edith and Ethel’ Columnists Dear Aunties, I have no patience for anyone or anything. I walk around wearing headphones and get angry when anyone asks me a question. Please help me. - Sincerely, Fed Up and Angry Edith: I’m in the exact same boat as well. My entity is raging, angry and moody. I want to get my work done and go, and have no time for questions that make no sense. This could be simple burnout or just a general decline in mental health. Ethel: I also suffer from worn out people skills. Just take the anger and stuff it deep, deep down and stay emotionless. I’ve found that works well for me. Edith: I mean yes, but also no. I find it better to actually discuss these things, as it can be beneficial to you and your health. Keeping stress in can make your body essentially shut down, not to mention I personally get acne when keeping stress in. Ethel: In all seriousness, I’ve been finding it’s more difficult to communicate with people now than it was pre-pandemic. We’re seeing so much of that in children and teens, but we don’t really talk about how the isolation of the last two years has really affected adults. Edith: Exactly! I have a bad habit to over-analyse everybody’s actions, whether it be sighing as I talk to them, or even looking away. I immediately fear the worst because body language provides so much information, I take it too seriously. Ethel: I mean, I wasn’t really all that social before either. I’ve suffered from social anxiety for a majority of my life. I used to be really good at making friends, but that was more of a survival instinct from moving so much when I was a kid. Edith: I totally get that. The bottom line for me, at least, is to just take a minute to relax and do your best to be tolerable of the situations at hand. Granted things may suck, but just know these feelings are temporary. You’ll survive and be okay! Ethel: Agreed. And give yourself some grace. Take little baby steps to becoming more social, Rome wasn’t built in a day and all that.
Write in!
submit your questions to cwuobserver@gmail.com (all questions will remain anonymous)
April 27, 2022
Opinion: Police misconduct harms everyone By Joshua Kornfeld Columnist Policing in America is a topic that is often of a polarizing nature, particularly when discussing misconduct and holding officers accountable. Some believe that police can self-monitor in terms of holding officers accountable, while others want policing to be transparent with independent commissions holding officers accountable. “The Post documented nearly 40,000 payments involving allegations of police misconduct in 25 departments across the US, totaling over $3 billion. Departments usually deny wrongdoing when resolving claims,” according to The Washington Post. In Washington state’s most populous city Seattle for instance, the Seattle Police Department paid $13 million between 2010 and 2020 to settle claims, according to The Washington Post. That’s a lot of money when considering Seattle only has a population of 730,000 people, according to the 2020 US Census Report. Officers know that departments have their back and often don’t face internal disciplinary action if misconduct is reported, so they aren’t worried about facing criminal prosecution. The Washington Post found that between 2010 and 2020, New York City paid $1.77 billion to settle claims of misconduct. Again, these payments are coming at the cost to taxpayers.
These are also civil settlements, so no criminal prosecution takes place as cities and police departments would rather quietly settle allegations with regard to claims of misconduct than go through criminal proceedings, risking further PR exposure and costs. Whether or not you agree on the existence or prevalence of police brutality or the impacts this can have on minority communities, these impacts far exceed the compensation victims can walk away with. For instance, the mental and physical trauma victims can experience; no amount of money will heal a person. Another aspect is individuals that may have lost their lives to police misconduct. In the case of Seattle and reviewing the Washington Post data, out of 50 payments made during the 10 year period, settlements ranged from as low as $1,000 to $1.9 million. This also only takes into account documented cases of police misconduct, with the true numbers potentially being significantly higher. A former cop turned researcher, Phillip Stinson, found one metric of police crimes through compiling data from Google alerts between 20052011. These crimes were committed by police officers while serving in a professional capacity. Stinson found that less than one officer per 1,000 were arrested for crimes committed. In comparison to the general pop-
Photo by Joshua Kornfeld/The Observer.
ulation, the rate is less than two officers per 100,000, according to the National Institute of Justice. A lot of police misconduct is often investigated internally, which is a big conflict of interest. In a Last Week Tonight segment in 2016, John Oliver explored police misconduct. Oliver highlighted the double standard prosecutors may have. Prosecutors may also be reluctant to press charges against officers who commit misconduct as they need officers to testify in court, which officers might not be as willing to do if they know they are being prosecuted for misconduct Oliver said. Police officers often describe the work environment as dangerous and unpredictable, yet this doesn’t justify misconduct. Nobody will argue that being a police officer is an easy job, many aspects are entirely out of their control. Yet police officers sign up for the job knowing that it can
be dangerous and unpredictable. Firefighters also serve in a dangerous profession and aren’t abusing the rights of citizens in the same way. Firefighters don’t drive around kicking down doors due to a perception of a fire in someone’s house. Police have a bill of rights and qualified immunity which is unique to the profession. Perhaps the role of police and enforcing laws draws different individuals than the traditional firefighter role. Misconduct costs taxpayers money, and instills fear into the communities police officers are sworn to protect. Many are left traumatized with little recourse. In order to combat police misconduct, several factors could help reduce this. First, reduction of qualified immunity. Second, independent police commissions that have power to hire, fire or discipline officers. Finally, reduce the amount of military hardware police are able to purchase.
Opinion: NCAA Football 14 has the best and most immersive real life football experience in video games By Chase Beyer Columnist All football fans who have interest in gaming are seeking the same thing: the best experience of real life simulation football. NCAA Football 14, a game released in July 2013, takes the cake for the best overall experience of real life simulation football. NCAA Football 14 was released nearly a decade ago, and it still offers the best overall franchise experience for the player. Over many years of playing football video games ranging from Backyard Football on the Gameboy, to mobile app games, to Madden on Xbox Series X, I have played them all. NCAA Football 14 allows you the option to create a coach and take over a team of your choice. The teams range from the power houses such as Alabama, Texas A&M and Florida, all the way down to the nobodies, in Akron, Rice and Washington State University. You load into a franchise that allows you to control the roster, play in games and recruit the future prospects of your team in a long, realistic and immersive scouting process.
My personal favorite, and a favorite of a lot of members in the NCAA Football 14 community too, is the road to glory approach to the franchise. In this approach, you take a one-star team and turn them into a powerhouse dynasty of a football program. While growing the team and program, you also develop as a coach and can provide bonuses to scouting or bonuses and added features to the in-game experience through the coaching tree. The difficult thing is that a player can leave after three years by going to the NFL Draft, or could stay as long as five years, but they
can play a maximum of four years. So it puts a huge precedent on the scouting experience. In the scouting experience, the game auto-generates thousands of prospects every year, with different names, different attributes, different skills and qualities. You can filter through players based on their interest in the team the player has taken over or by the qualities the user looks for in a prospect such as weight, height, skills, talent levels and even what state they are from. A user can put up to 35 prospects on their watch board at a time and can remove and add players at any point during the
Photo courtesy of pexels.com
season. What makes the scouting experience unique is that you have 5,000 scouting points to spend every week. These scouting points are placed onto players the user has interest in and has to be used wisely. The scouting experience is a numbers game and has to be managed every single week to consistently bring prospects to a commitment to the program. Additionally, one of the most fulfilling moments is playing games with all of the prospects that the user scouted over the years and seeing them get drafted into the NFL. While also dealing with the real difficulties of real life football, dealing with injuries and even offering the user to redshirt players and track features like the Heisman watch, top 25 rankings, recruitment class rankings, coaching carousel in the offseason, transfer players, program prestige rankings and so many other features that makes this game as immersive as it is. NCAA Football 14 offers a never-ending experience to real life simulation football of an authentic replica to what it would really be like taking over as a coach for a college football team; a dream for many of the users playing the game.
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April 27, 2022
SPORTS
Student athletes give insight into culture in CWU sports By Isaac Hinson Staff Reporter Sports teams measure success in various ways. Most of the time a team’s success can be judged based on the record they have that season. However, that isn’t the only way teams judge a season as successful. One of the things that athletes point to first when discussing their teams and how they find success is the culture that they build throughout the season. “A big part of it for us is throughout the year we’ve grown to really try and play for each other, play for the next guy in line … really try and pick everyone else up,” said senior outfielder Michael Copeland. The CWU men’s baseball team currently sits with a 12-29 record, or a .293 winning percentage. Their next series is against Saint Martin’s University in Lacey, who hold a 14-25 record. “For our season there’s been a lot of struggles and so picking each other up and making sure everyone has each other’s backs has been one of the most important pieces for us,” Copeland said. As a senior, Copeland nears the end of his collegiate play, but he thinks it’s important to instill
a winning attitude and culture for next year’s team and for teams going forward. “Culture is a huge part of any winning … It’s a blueprint or a road map to success if you’ve had that culture and had success practicing that culture,” Copeland said. “It gives next year’s team a guide on how to operate and what to do.”
off course,” Copeland said. “Having culture and everyone on the same page of what you’re trying to do, everyone pulling for each other is very important for success.” What culture means to teams differs from sport to sport. The way that baseball players think about culture and work ethic won’t entirely translate to other programs.
different … experiences we all have, that we can all share. And being on this team together is the one thing that connects us all together.” Thompson recently had a season-best performance at the Beach Invitational in Long Beach, California, posting a pole vault of 4.52 meters (14’ 10”). As
Jacob Thompson performing his season-best pole-vault at the Beach Invitational, Photos courtesy of Jacob Thompson
Copeland has been a part of a winning team in the past, the CWU baseball team from the 2021 season, which had a 16-14 overall record and went 14-10 in conference play. “Bad culture can really infect a team from inside; it only takes one guy to really get someone or a group
“A defining part of track’s culture is the diversity we have; we have a lot of different people from a lot of different places,” said senior Jacob Thompson. “We have kids transferring in from other schools in Washington or from out of state. So it’s a lot of
a senior, he takes on a leadership role among the team. “Track’s always been a little unique … we have so many different event groups, and we never really practice at the same time in the same locations,” Thompson said. “Coming into the year when we all start fall training, it’s a little
difficult to really build a big team culture, but you get to know your individual groups.” As a pole-vaulter, Thompson cited spending most of his fall training with sprinters, horizontal jumpers and other pole-vaulters. But once the competing season starts, there’s more intertwining between groups. “We don’t really get a chance to hang out with the throwers or a lot of the distance guys because they’ll be doing their cross-country season at the same exact time. So it’s a little harder to have a cohesive team culture,” Thompson said. “Once everyone’s all together, we’re all riding the bus together; we all make efforts and we do activities to learn more about people and other event groups or talk to people you don’t normally talk to.” The track and field team will travel to the Oregon State High Performance meet on April 29, as they prepare for the championship meets at the end of May. “Having that good base of a culture sets that baseline where we want everyone to be, where we know we will be successful and where we can support everyone on the team,” Thompson said. “Culture, it’s important to have.”
ROTC and CWU softball to host gold star event
SERVICE. PURPOSE. OPPORTUNITY.
Game benefits gold star families By Jared Galanti Sports Editor
Scholarships. Leadership training. Over 100 career paths. Central Washington University
AFROTC Detachment 895 • www.cwu.edu/airforce • www.AFROTC.com • 509-963-2314
A gold star family is someone who has a family member or friend who passed away that served in one of the branches of the military. This member doesn’t have to die in the line of battle for them to be considered a gold star family. CWU softball and CWU’s Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) will host a gold star softball game on May 1 at 1 p.m. Anna Reid, a Military Science (MS) four within the ROTC program, said this game has been in the works for the past couple of months. “For the past two months we have been organizing it and this is the first time that CWU has ever organized it before,” Reid said. “The softball coach, who is apparently new to CWU, did a goldstar family event with his last school he
was coaching at and he wants to incorporate that here at CWU.” Reid said she was honored that someone without a gold star family background wanted to put on an event. “It’s honoring honestly,” Reid said. “Someone that’s not necessarily in the military wants to host something that’s honoring the military members. It’s pretty nice.” Reid said they will be hosting 56 people from 15 gold star families at the event. Anyone can show up to watch. They want to put on this game to bring awareness to gold star families. “These families have paid the ultimate price,” Reid said. “They had a son, daughter, father, wife and husband who served in the military and they paid the ultimate price with their life. We want to ensure that these families aren’t forgotten, that they are still being celebrated and honored for what they have done for our country.”
EVENTS
Page 08
April 27, 2022
Wildcat Words: If a genie granted you one wish, what would it be?
Joanna L
Luca C
Kendell B
Vecinda K
Alicia T
Jr. Spanish
Sr. Professional and Creative Writing
Fr. Exercise Science
Jr. Business Leadership and Management
Sr. Psychology
“I think to have my cat talk to me. She yells anyways so maybe being able to understand her.”
“I would wish to use my talents for the good of society.”
“To be happy in whatever I do.”
“Free schooling.”
“I would want to live in Hawaii for free on a farm.”
weekly events
QA
28
&
THURS
with
29
J J A A E E D D A A N NE EL LS SO ON N
FRI
Meet Jaeda Nelson, a first-generation college student majoring in Business Administration, with a specialization in Leadership and Management. She has worked at the Diversity and Equity Center (DEC) for two years as a Student Initiatives Coordinator and has become a leader of THRIVE, a women of color empowerment program. Q: Where did your passion for community wellness stem from?
A: I love being in communities where there’s a sense of abundance rather than scarcity. The abundance of friendship, love, achieving your dreams, and so on. I want to provide experiences where people feel this. Q: What made you want to become involved with so many organizations while in college?
A: Honestly, it was and it wasn’t intentional. I went through several different groups and clubs in college and struggled to find my footing. A lot of my involvement happened with time and not wavering or rushing my desires. Once something felt right, I went for it. My involvement on campus stemmed from there not being any initiative like it (THRIVE- women of color empowerment program through the DEC) where I was lucky enough to build it from the ground up as well as initiatives that needed to be reimagined to support the current state of our campus (PUSH- President’s United to Solve Hunger). Q: What does receiving the President’s Student Civic Leadership Award mean to you?
A: This award is hard to take in for several reasons. It is very hard for me to conceptualize the work I’ve done over the past couple of years. The responsibilities I hold are not ones I take lightly and I don’t like to get comfortable with what I’ve achieved. But overall, this award allowed me to pause and give myself some praise because this work is not easy and that should not go unrecognized. Q: Do you currently have any plans for after graduation?
A: I don’t have anything set and stone. I want a job that pays well and that I find fulfillment in. Maybe move to California? I don’t like setting very tangible goals because I feel like they can be limiting and create unhealthy expectations. Q: What has been your most memorable moment at CWU?
A: I’m not sure if there is one that sticks out to me. I feel like I’ve made so many memories with so many different people, in different places, doing different things that I can’t choose! Q: When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A: I wanted to be a lot of things. Becoming a Disney star was definitely the most consistent one. I remember sending in a Shake it Up dance video (I took it very seriously). Besides that, I never had a specific occupation. I think that’s because I didn’t want my job to be my entire identity. I just wanted to be rich and happy truthfully. But more importantly, to build a life for my family and create a new legacy of prosperity.
30 SAT
1-4 p.m. Protest Art in Belarus: Courage, film and talk with director Akiaksei Paluyan @ Dean Hall 106 10-11 p.m. Improv Night The Hot New Jam @ SURC Theater 210 12:30-1:30 p.m. Ramadan Prayer @ Black Hall 105 6-10:30 p.m. HALO: Infinite - Intramural Tournament @ SURC 135
12 p.m. & 3 p.m. Softball Home Game vs. Western Oregon University @ CWU Softball Fields
1
National Pickle Day 1 p.m. ROTC and CWU Softball Team Game to Support Fallen Soldiers @ CWU Softball Fields
2
7 p.m. & 9:30 p.m. Monday Movie Madness: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone @ SURC Theater 210
SUN
MON
3
TUES
4
WED
National Teacher Day 7-8 p.m. Composition Studio Recital @ McIntyre Hall 174 1 -2 p.m. Wellness Wednesday - Garden Meditation @ SURC Patio West
Photos courtesy of Jaeda Nelson Wildcat Words - Brevin Ross, Q&A - Crystal Clausen & Emily LaFave
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