The Observer - Spring 2022, Issue 8

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Diversity

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Opinion

News

Sports

May 25, 2022

Vol. 122 NO. 8

By the students, for the students

College of Business unveils new agribusiness certificates

By Evan Couch News Editor

ICYMI: Anti-abortion and abortion-rights protesters gathered in opposition on campus Both anti-abortion and abortion rights protestors were present on May 17. Photos by Joshua Kornfeld/The Observer

By Katherine Camarata & Joshua Kornfeld Scene Editor & Staff Reporter Tiny Heartbeat Ministries anti-abortion advocates held signs with graphic images of aborted fetuses, handed out pamphlets and wore Go-Pro cameras outside the SURC and Black Hall on May 17. The group is a “Christian anti-abortionist non-profit,” according to their website.

A crowd of people gathered as a response to the group being present on campus.

The community response, planned in advance, included a “comfort station” and an abortion-rights counterprotest with signs showing phrases like “Vasectomies prevent abortions,” and “Keep your laws off my body.”

A student set up an electric guitar and amplifier. Police officers also monitored the area.

The students sitting at the comfort station said their goal was to provide comfort to students when confronted with “triggering” images while walking through campus. The station had tables with snacks including chocolate, cookies, water and hot chocolate. “[It’s] a safe place for students and faculty showing that we care about their right to choose,” said Emma CrowE, a junior in English professional and creative writing.

Paije Maas, another English professional and creative writing major sitting at the comfort station, said she went to the prochoice March last Friday. There, “Dr. [Teresa] Divine mentioned that the Tiny [Heartbeat] Ministries were coming today.

They’re known for really grotesque images that are triggering,” according to Maas.

CrowE said the words coming from those standing with Tiny Heartbeat Ministries were a lot to handle.

“Paije and I care about other people, so that’s what we’re here to do,” CrowE said. “We have been sitting here for about an hour and I don’t even know how many times we’ve already been told that we’re supporting murder, which is so hard to hear. Especially because we’re not trying to interact with them [anti-abortion protestors] because we don’t want to cause some kind of argument or fight.”

Andrew Kerin, the executive director of Tiny Heartbeat Ministries, said, “We’re here to convince students that abortion is always wrong, because it intentionally dismembers, disembowels and decapitates an innocent human being … Abortion is murder and should be treated as such by our courts or judges or police officers.”

Maas said she thinks abortion rights are more than just women’s rights.

“Your body, your choice,” Maas said. “Having a baby is hard.

We do also acknowledge that going through an abortion is not easy … Sometimes, for some people, it takes a toll. We are here for you. It’s not just women’s rights, it’s everyone’s rights.”

The pamphlets handed out

by Tiny Heartbeat Ministries also showed photos of aborted fetuses, and one section of the pamphlet was entitled, “Throughout History Injustice Began with Dehumanizing Other People, The Injustice has Spread to the Womb.”

In this section, the pamphlet mentioned and showed photos of the Holocaust and enslaved

people, positioning abortion as a similar human rights offense to these atrocities.

Kremiere Jackson, vice president of public affairs, sent an email to the campus community on Tuesday, May 17 at 8:07 a.m. with the subject line “Freedom of Speech.”

In it, she wrote that university policy, in accordance with federal and state law, allows advocacy groups to express themselves at all outdoor locations on campus.

The email said: “CWU community members are urged to express their views in a respectful manner and participate in civil discourse. Or, should demonstrations or activities take place on campus that conflict with your beliefs you may choose to deprive such groups of an audience by avoiding the area of demonstration entirely.”

Tiny Heartbeat Ministries has visited campus before. During an October 2021 visit, students played music over their speeches and ripped up their pamphlets (see “Anti-abortionists visit CWU to tell students about their beliefs”).

The anti-abortion group moved on from campus around 1 p.m. that afternoon.

According to a statement released on Tuesday by the Ellensburg School District, 10 people with Tiny Heartbeat Ministries later moved to sidewalks on Third Street and Capitol Street by the Ellensburg High School.

District officials asked protestors to remain on public sidewalks and off school property.

The statement said, “Protestors had posters and flyers and were attempting to interact with students and drivers as school was released.

This group was not affiliated with Ellensburg School District and remained on public property.”

The College of Business unveiled two new continuing education certificates that are set to roll out in the fall of 2022, where both focus on agribusiness.

According to CWU’s continuing education webpage, the Food and Agribusiness Management and Marketing Certificate will focus on strategic marketing decisions, marketing and promotion, HR management and economic and policy analytics.

CWU’s continuing education page also states that the Applied Agribusiness Technology Certificate will focus on agribusiness technology, programming and data management and data-based agribusiness decisions to “make the food and agriculture industries more efficient, sustainable, transparent and responsive to rapidly shifting consumer behavior.”

“These programs are designed for working professionals in the food and agriculture sectors who are seeking additional qualifications, for instance for changing positions or moving up into management,” said Dr. Claudia Dumitrescu, the faculty lead for the upcoming programs, in a CWU news release.

According to Dumitrescu, starting in the fall, both education certificates are designed to allow current CWU students to pursue them as well as current working professionals who are looking to add to their specialization.

Each certificate can be completed in a single academic year. Dumitrescu also said for continuing education students who are currently working professionals, the certificates are condensed into a six and a half month period to allow for flexibility of schedule.

The Food and Agribusiness Management and Marketing Certificate is 23-25 credits and the Applied Agribusiness Technology Certificate is 2125 credits, according to Dumitrescu. Each will have three required courses and two elective courses. The elective courses allow students to pick what interests them.

“The beauty is that students, in terms of electives, [they] can take any electives, any courses out of 30 plus elective courses that can range from business, wine, geography … you name it,” Dumitrescu said.

With the certificates being able to be completed in an academic year, Dumitrescu said she hopes they will be able to help students and professionals immediately apply work skills to their profession after completion.

“The key is that the programs give the students the opportunity to learn the skills [and] obtain the knowledge that are immediately applicable to their job,” Dumitrescu said.

According to Dumitrescu, these programs are industry driven and are designed to address workforce needs that were identified in the food and agriculture industries.

Dumitrescu said that CWU’s College of Business worked in listening sessions with organizations in the agribusiness industry to identify needs that these certificates would help teach students and professionals apply to the workforce once completed.

Some of the organizations included Double Hop R Ranches, Haas, Stemilt Growers LLC, Treveri Cellars, Yakima Valley Hops and Zirkle Fruit Company.

According to Dumitrescu, some of the needs identified during the listening sessions were human resource management skills, marketing & management skills, new technologies, forecasting and planning and data management and analytics.

Dumitrescu said she hopes that with informational materials and promotional materials, they will be able to get students interested in the opportunities that these certificates offer. Dumitrescu also said she hopes that certificates like these will help society face its current challenges.

“With the challenges we face, climate change, food scarcity, global population increasing significantly,” Dumitrescu said. “We need more people to make sure that our food will still be on the table.”

A LOOK BEYOND

Page 02

May 25, 2022

Beyond Our Coverage Local

National

World

Certain Jif products are being voluntarily recalled over a salmonella outbreak, which was sold and distributed across the U.S. and Canada, according to CBS News. The lot codes for these certain products are 1274425 – 2140425.

James Wohlpart was officially installed as CWU’s 15th president Thursday May 19, according to The Daily Record. Read more about Wohlpart on pages 6-7.

King County health officials are investigating the first case of Monkeypox in Washington, according to The Seattle Times. The virus was found in a King County resident who claims he had recently been traveling.

A European military plane lands in Indianapolis with 39 tons of baby formula to relieve the deepening formula shortage in the U.S., according to CBS News.

The Ellensburg High School baseball teams head into the semi-finals against second-seed Columbia River for the WIAA Class 2A Baseball State Championship. The Bulldogs are going into the semi-final game with a winning streak of 7, according to The Daily Record.

Moderna is seeking clearance for two low-dose shots for U.S. children under age 6 while Pfizer hopes to offer three extra-low doses to kids under age 5, according to Associated Press. Health officials and their expert panels must first decide they are safe enough and provide enough protection to authorize them.

The mixture of wind and fire caused multiple homes in Ellensburg to be burned. No people were injured and the families who were affected have been assisted by HopeSource for temporary housing, according to KNDO and KNDU.

Ukraine holds its first war crimes trial and the first Russian to be found guilty of killing a civilian has been sentenced to life, according to Associated Press.

Cases of Monkeypox have been reported in 12 countries including the U.S. and Australia, according to Fortune.

According to the U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the advised quarantine time from contracting monkeypox is now three weeks.

Iran president calls for revenge after the assassination of an Islamic Revolution Guard Corps colonel, according to BBC News.

Starbucks has decided to pull its brand presence from the Russian market on Monday, May 23, according to CNN. They will continue to pay their Russian employees for the next six months.

The House of Representatives Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack will hold six public hearings in June, according to The Guardian.

Letter to the Editor

Visit our website for more information.

cwuobserver.com

Hello,

For the past 10 years, ASCWU has been trying to get a multicultural center on campus. A space on campus to help marginalized students better succeed in college as they have been historically disenfranchised in higher education spaces. This building would include academic spaces, a prayer room, a communal kitchen space, meeting rooms, and resources to help support these students and the cultural event they want to put on via ESC orgs; every public 4-year university in the state has a space like this on their campus. There has been a common reoccurring cycle that’s been happing between ASCWU and the administration, where they’ve met, discussed potentially getting this space on campus, building hype, the hype dying, and the administration essentially does nothing to move this idea forward. This was especially the case under former president James Gaudino’s tenure, where during the 2020-2021 school year, Old Heat was looked at, funds were committed to a predesign (floor plan/blueprint of potential space) yet in the last few days of his tenure in office, he dropped the plan for building it in Old Heat as he claimed were that it wasn’t a good space for a building like this, it was isolated from campus, and it would be costly to build on campus. this constant back and forth action has made ASCWU feel like they weren’t being heard by the administration, which reflected a lack of political will on their end to implement space like this on campus as attempts in the past were made 10 years ago, which looked to incorporate fishery studies as well as tying it with the Yakama Nation, but was rejected by the state legislature as they have a tendency to only commit funds for the construction of university buildings for academic spaces (specifically STEM). There seems to be much more political will under Jim Wohlpart to get a space implemented on campus, funds for a floor plan have been committed, and the Senator election is moving forward and initiative to extend the SURC bond (the fee we pay to pay off the bond used to build the SURC) which can be used to help fund the construction of said building. This won’t secure full funding for construction, but it will significantly help, though it is on the administration’s part to secure extra funding for this space from the state legislature. Progress has been made and we want to make sure as ASCWU, that momentum doesn’t die, and the administration doesn’t drop this project once again, which is the main reason we are looking to organize a demonstration on June 1st. As we want to make it clear that we are serious about getting this space implemented on campus and we will hold the administration accountable to that by mobilizing the student body and making sure their voices, concerns, and frustrations are clearly expressed to them.

Thank you, Edgar Espino

The Observer Staff Editor-in-Chief Star Diavolikis News Editors Libby Williams

Copy Desk Chief Katlyn White Assistant Copy Editor Addie Adkins

Sports Editor Jared Galanti Opinion Editor Katlyn White Orientation Editor Addie Adkins Online Editor Crystal Clausen Assistant Online Editor Emily LaFave

Faculty Adviser Jennifer Green

Jennifer.Green@cwu.edu

Megan Rogers Wayne Gray Milenne Quinonez Chase Beyer

Evan Couch

Scene Editor Katherine Camarata

Staff Reporters

Editorial Consultant Francesco Somaini

Jacqueline Hixssen Isaac Hinson

Graphic Designers Sarah Stewart Blake Wells Annie Tran

Editorial Policy: The Observer is a public forum for student expression,

Joshua Kornfeld Elliott Watkins Morgana Carroll Mary Miller

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

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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.

Page 03

May 25, 2022

THE

DIVERSITY PAGE

Sharing perspectives

Supporting awareness

Polynesian culture celebrated at PolyFest

By Elliot Watkins Staff Reporter The SURC ballroom was lit up by green and yellow lights around the room, while lights overhead dimmed. As the audience slowly flooded in to find their seats, they were greeted with Polynesian music. The host entered the stage and the crowd went silent as PolyFest began.

PolyCentral is a community of Polynesian students at CWU, and for the first time since 2019, they hosted PolyFest on May 21. The event is held to celebrate Polynesian culture, as well as grow the community of PolyCentral students.

Business and entrepreneurship major and PolyCentral President LeiBen Tivoli Fesili said he expected the

event to be nothing but fun and enlightening for those that are not as familiar with Polynesian culture at CWU. “The reason why this is important is because we want to draw attention to a university like CWU that our Polynesians on the west side are struggling to know, here is a college for you,” Tivoli Fesili said. “You do have a voice if you come here.”

The festivities included many traditional dances originating from Indigenous peoples of Maori, Fijian, Tahitian, Hawaiian, Tongan and Samoan descent. According to Tivoli Fesili, dances and cultural attire are both extremely significant aspects of the Polynesian culture.

“We are the Polynesian people,” Tivoli Fesili said. “Ex-

pect that there’s going to be games and things like us boys dancing, having funny dances, incorporating modern day music and stuff. It’s our culture, and cultures continue to change nowadays.”

For audience members, like business administration major Sam Robbins, the overall experience of PolyFest was eye-opening, especially because of the presentation of diversity throughout the Polynesian cultures.

“It gave me a bigger insight on how many different cultures of Polynesia there are … I went in at first knowing Hawaii and Samoa, but I didn’t know about the other ones,” Robbins said. “This gave me better respect for them and their cultures, dances and the stuff that they do.”

Performers wore traditional Polynesian dress. Photo by Jacqueline Hixssen/ The Observer

Polynesian dancers perform for PolyFest. Photo by Jacqueline Hixssen/The Observer

PolyCentral students take to the stage. Photo by Jacqueline Hixssen/The Observer

According to safety and health management major and PolyCentral social media representative Lewa Emmsley, dances were to be expected.

“PolyFest is all about having fun and just enjoying being able to see all of the different cultures,” Emmsley said. “I will mostly be dancing.”

Between performances, there were games that encouraged audience participation on stage. These games included audience members giving their best “Pukana” face, attempting to move their hips prompted by Polynesian dance moves, a Polynesian take on Simon Says and couple’s charades.

When two couples from the audience got on stage to play couple’s charades, the audience watched as one of the boyfriends got down on one knee.

The audience gasped along with the girlfriend as he proposed.

When she said yes, the crowd gave a standing ovation to congratulate the newly engaged couple.

The night concluded with a tribute to all of the loved ones of PolyCentral members that have passed away. The tribute consisted of a slide show presentation of all of their “fallen angels,” according to Tivoli Fesili.

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May 25, 2022

THE

DIVERSITY PAGE

Sharing perspectives

Supporting awareness

PolyFest photo gallery

Polynesian dancers interact on stage wearing traditional dress. Photos by Jacqueline Hixssen/The Observer

Multiple countries unite to represent Polynesian culture. Photo by Emily LaFave/The Observer

Page 05

May 25, 2022

CWU theatre puts on the coming of age story Spring Awakening

President Wohlpart connects with students at ice cream social

By Joshua Kornfeld Staff Reporter

Student performers focus on sensitive topics in Spring Awakening. Photo by Morgana Carroll/The Observer

By Morgana Carroll Staff Reporter

to the culture of 1800s Germany is similar to how many states still offer abstinence-only sex education.

Similarly, Morris said they think this play is relevant due to the current challenge of the status of Roe v. Wade. One of the characters in the play goes to visit a doctor for an abortion after getting pregnant.

“Many adolescents are dealing with a lot of this still,” Morris said. “To add the challenges of how society is working now on top of that, many of the sto-

separate the actor from the character in these scenes.

“Similar to fighting choThe bright stage lights bore reography, the actors aren’t down on Wendla, played by actually fighting, they’re just Sayli Keni, as she walked on performing that fight,” Rolstage. The first thing Keni saw lie said. “That also applies to was a mirror, as Wendla tried to scenes with sexual content. understand her changing body The actors are performing. and why she looked more like They aren’t doing any of these her mother every day. actions. There’s an important “Mama, who bore me?” Keni separation there.” sang.

Keni said that she always Spring Awakening is a play felt comfortable rehearsing written and set in late nineand going over these scenes teenth century Germany by and didn’t remember any of Frank Wedekind, her co-performers and later adaptvoicing that they ed into a musical were feeling unby Duncan Sheik comfortable. and Steven Sater “For me, perin the early 2000s. sonally, I was The CWU Thecomfortable with atre Department everything,” Keni put on the musical said. “Of course, on May 13-15 and some of the inti20-22 in McConmacy took some nell Hall 129. getting used to, The musical is a but also we have a coming of age stovery talented intiry about teenagers macy coach.” trying to underKeni said that stand their feelings Spring Awakening toward their adowas a fun show to lescent bodies, in a work on because of society that doesn’t how mature it was. provide emotional “Compared to support and around the other shows I’ve elders who won’t done, it’s a lot more provide answers. mature,” Keni said.

Spring Awak“It’s been kind of ening has mature an acting challenge, and adult themes, for that reason. So so the ticket webthat’s what makes it site includes a con- Performers from the Theatre Department sang on stage. Photo by stand out more.”

Morgana Carroll/The Observer tent warning with One scene that a list of the themes, including Keni said she’s always really glad ries we see in this piece people sex, masturbation, suicide and to perform is the song “Totally will identify with.” abortion. The program handed Fucked,” due to how much fun Intimacy Choreographer, Emout at the start of the play also it is to sing. Keni also said that ily Rollie, said the team of coordiincludes content warnings for it’s easy to sing because it is all nators made an effort to portray the audience. in chorus. the sexual scenes in a way that was Director Callum Morris said “One moment that stands comfortable for the actors. one of the reasons this play was out to me every night is whenev“You can tell the story in chosen was because of how releer we perform ‘Totally Fucked,’ so many different ways, so we vant these themes are. which is probably our favorite want to tell the story in a way “This is subject matter we’re song in the show,” Keni said. that the actors are comfortable still talking about and trying to “Every time we perform it, we with, where they can consent understand today,” Morris said. have so much energy, even if enthusiastically to the scenes,” Morris said the way the we’re not feeling our best that Rollie said. “We tell the story characters in the play didn’t day. We put all our energy into within the actor’s boundaries.” have any resources to underthat one song, and then it feeds Rollie said something she stand their changing body due off into the audience.” always makes sure to do is to

SCENE

Students socialized and seized the opportunity for a midday sugar fix from local business Winegar’s ice cream hosted by President A. James Wohlpart. Wellington Wildcat greeted students as they waited in line and a DJ provided by 88.1 the ‘Burg provided tunes.

The event on May 19 was sponsored by Campus Activities, the Office of the President and Public Affairs. The social was held as a way for students to meet President Wohlpart before his installation ceremony.

One student, senior accounting major Jason Chang, said meeting Wohlpart allowed him to understand the role of the president at the university better. “[It was] very nice to talk to him, a little intimidating as he is the university president,” Chang said.

Delores “Kandee” Cleary, the vice president of inclusivity and diversity, said her favorite part of the event was definitely the ice cream, yet highlighted that building community between the president and the students is really important.

“It’s a great place for students to meet the president if they haven’t done it before,”

Cleary said. “It’s great for him because he gets noticed and he loves that.”

Wohlpart said his favorite part was getting the opportunity to talk to students. He said he was able to pick up from conversations he had previously with some students he already met.

The event also allowed him to meet new students and hear about their journeys, according to Wohlpart. He wanted to hear how spring quarter was going for students, especially with the quarter winding down and summer just around the corner.

“Our students are special,” Wohlpart said. “What all of my work, and all of the faculty and staff, care about deeply is the journey that students are on, and how they are figuring out who they want to be in the world, what kind of work they want to do.”

Wohlpart said community is really important, especially within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and students returning to campus.

Wohlpart said the event allowed students to build connections.

“Today really is a celebration of the transition for a new president,” Wohlpart said. “For me, the focus is always on students. This is a really neat way to get the students out, [to] interact with one another.”

Read more about Wohlpart on Pages 6-7

Photo courtesy of CWU Flickr

Wohlpart reviews his first year

By Addie Adkins & Libby Williams Orientation Editor & News Editor Applause rang across the auditorium as a gold chain with a gold medallion was placed on President Jim Wohlpart. The Presidential Installation on May 19 marks Wohlpart’s first year at CWU, officially inducting him as the 15th president of the university.

Wohlpart, whose work started in June of 2021, said he has made a point to show that diversity, equity

and inclusion have been on the top of his list of goals.

“The foundation of our work must be the engagement and success of an increasingly diverse student body,” Wohlpart said during the installation. “This must be the lever that drives everything we do, and we must consider student success broadly through three pillars: first, ensuring the professional preparation of our students, second developing their civic capacities and third assisting them in developing a sense of purpose and meaning.”

Presidential Duties and a Look Back on The First Year According to Wohlpart, his duties and goals are set by the Board of Trustees. He said he had a list of eight goals this year, though some of them are longer term.

“One of [the goals] was creating the vision, mission and strategic plan. [Others were to] elevate shared governance, increase high impact practices, launch a campaign,” Wohlpart said. “So those eight goals are how they will measure my success.”

Creating the vision and mission statement and setting a strategic plan to reach that vision and mission is one long term goal set. The vision and mission statement, sent to the university community including students, went to the Board of Trustees Friday for approval.

After approval, the next step for this goal will be strategic planning in order to find ways to best implement the vision and mission, according to Wohlpart.

“The steering committee will work over the summer thinking about how we would organize a strategic plan,” Wohlpart said. “That strategic plan will create a pathway to get us to this place of equity and it’ll mean recording more students of color, first generation students, low socioeconomic students, providing more resources for them to be successful … and then help them succeed as they go all the way through staying at institution and graduating.”

In addition to the yearly goals, Wohlpart said his dayto-day duties include fundraising, talking to legislators and managing the executive leadership team. The executive team

faced changes in February as two people resigned their posts.

See The Observer’s coverage of that here:

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Wohlpart also made changes to the executive team positions.

According to Wohlpart, he took the Vice President for Enrollment position and combined it with duties from the Academic and Student Life position, creating an all new Vice President of Student Engagement Success.

This position is expected to be filled this summer.

The Chief of Staff position has also seen several applicants as the search for Linda Schactler’s replacement continues.

Wohlpart said the Vice President for Advancement interim position ended and Paul Stone was hired for that role.

Wohlpart said he hopes to continue providing transparency to the students and the rest of the university community. In addition to increasing communication, he said he’s seen a lot of student involvement as well.

“What I keep hearing from people is that they really have appreciated the transparency,” Wohlpart said. “We’ve had students involved in all of the big committees that are on all of our searches, and I hope I send out lots of emails … so hopefully we work to increase that.”

In an interview with The Observer in fall quarter, Wohlpart said the number one goal he had was to create a culture of inclusion.

See more from that Q&A here:

“As we model this type of civil discourse at Central Washington University, we must build an environment of meaningful engagement with others who have different backgrounds and world views,” Wohlpart said during the installation.

One of the ways Wohlpart plans to change this culture is in the vision and mission statement and eventually the strategic plan. The mission statement reads, “In order to build a community of equity and belonging, Central Washington University nurtures culturally sustaining practices that expand access and success to all students.”

With Pride Month coming up in June, some students

have wondered how the university plans to ensure this culture of inclusion will be felt by the LGBTQ community specifically.

“One of the things we’ve been trying to do is be more proactive with our work around the LGBTQ community and other communities … to demonstrate our support for them. Then we hope that that helps change the culture,” Wohlpart said. “We’re trying to be proactive with a whole series of things with a lot of events, a lot of education, a lot of demonstrations.”

Additionally, Wohlpart plans to work more with the campus and student community regarding disability services. He said he hopes to shift the idea of disability services “which talks about a deficit,” to making the campus culture more about accessibility and accessibility services. “[This] talks about the institution’s responsibility to everybody having access to [those services],” Wohlpart said. “We actually have a donor who’s very interested in accessibility services. We’re working with that donor right now to increase the opportunity for us to offer services to a whole range of students that we don’t currently offer to.”

Fifteenth president focuses on Inclusion and Engagement goals and Non Tenure Track Faculty

Other Questions From Students Early in the month, The Observer posted a call for questions to the president on social media.

Some additional questions students had regarded COVID-19 and enrollment numbers and how those have affected Non-Tenure Track faculty.

According to Wohlpart, there has been little evidence that suggests a surge or outbreak of COVID-19 among students, staff and faculty. He said some faculty have noticed a few students in classes out sick, but nothing like it used to be.

“It’s interesting, as cases have started to go back up a little bit, the hospital cases are not going up,” Wohlpart said.

Now that registration has opened, enrollment projection numbers are expected to be around 10,000 students, as Wohlpart predicted in early fall.

“We are still projecting 1,700 freshmen, it may end up being slightly higher than that, [and around] 900 transfers,” Wohlpart said. “Still slightly down from last year, but not nearly as strong as we’ve had in the past.”

Wohlpart said there have been some adjustments to faculty, as there is every year. He said because of the last two small incoming classes let in during the pandemic, it has affected “the frontlines in ways it shouldn’t have.”

“We must consider student success broadly through three pillars: first, ensuring the professional preparation of our students, second, developing their civic capacities and third, assisting them in developing a sense of purpose and meaning.”

CWU President Jim Wohlpart

OPINION SPORTS

Page 08

Edith and Ethel: Ask the Aunties By ‘Edith and Ethel’ Columnists

Dear Aunties, How can you tell you’re truly happy?

- Optimistically Pessimistic Ethel: Coming in hot with the real deep questions. Buckle up Edith, I hope we can tackle this!

Edith: I hope so too! This is such a complex question - this depends on what you find happiness in. I would strive for constant happiness rather than momentary happiness, such as impulsive shopping trips.

Ethel: Being truly happy reminds me of the best things in life.

Ice cream on a hot day, kids laughing, windows down and music up.

Edith: A major thing to assess is if you’re happy in the environment you’re in. If you are surrounded by negativity or things that don’t make you happy, try changing it up!

Ethel: One thing I want to point out is that you can be truly happy in general but still feel sad, angry and disappointed with things happening in your life. Feeling a wide range of emotions is only human.

Edith: Exactly, don’t worry about if you aren’t constantly happy. The question to focus on is, “Am I content with how I am living?” It’s a really raw question that may hurt, but it is something that has helped me shape my course of action in the past.

Ethel: If you find you are having more sad or angry days than happy days, it might be time to reach out to someone, either a close family member or friend, or a licensed professional.

Edith: Reaching out to professionals can definitely be scary.

It took me about four years from first realizing I wasn’t happy to reaching out to a professional. I would ask someone to check in on you once in a while to encourage self care.

Ethel: I think you know you’re truly happy when you can be the happiest with yourself and the path you are on.

Edith: Don’t be afraid to do what makes you happy. If you can financially and emotionally afford to make choices that will benefit your happiness, why not follow it?

What could you lose?

Write in!

submit your questions to cwuobserver@gmail.com (all questions will remain anonymous)

May 25, 2022

Opinion: Graffiti should be viewed as an acceptable form of art

By Morgana Carroll Columnist I love seeing graffiti. I drive through Portland on my way from home to CWU, and my favorite part of being stuck in traffic jams is seeing the cool graffiti art on the walls and bridges.

Sure there is some less pretty graffiti, but there’s a lot of not pretty paintings and sculptures too. Seeing the depths and range graffiti can have prove that graffiti is art.

A lot of graffiti is really pretty. Downtown Portland has a ton of gorgeous murals. One of my favorites is a graffiti mural of the Chinese zodiac calendar on the wall of a Chinese restaurant. Of course, not all graffiti is as pretty, but I’ve never seen a piece of graffiti that I thought was unbearably ugly.

There have been some graffiti art pieces that have conveyed great messages, especially in a time of civil unrest. During the Black Lives Matter protests, a lot of politically motivated graffiti showed up in large cities, and a lot of it was beautiful.

Graffiti and street art can also serve a purpose. By most

standard definitions, art requires some sort of meaning and plenty of graffiti art does have meaning behind it.

A good example of this is all of the street art that happened during the Black Lives Matter protests. According to an article by the BBC, street art of George Floyd appeared all over the world. It wasn’t just in the U.S., which is where the events leading up to the protests happened, it was in Karachi, Kenya and Palestine as well.

This is also an example of graffiti being an art form that has been made inaccessible by society. Most visual arts are seen as “high society.” It’s hard for someone in poverty to get their hands on pastels and a canvas, but they can probably find some spray paint and a blank wall. Graffiti allows those with a voice to express themselves in a way that is otherwise gated by a price tag.

One of the most common arguments against graffiti is that people don’t want to see it. They don’t want to walk out their door and be bombarded by graffiti.

My argument against it is: suck it up. I hate constantly being bombarded with billboards

and in-your-face advertisements and I still have to deal with those. These aren’t things we consented to seeing any time we’re outside in a large city, but if I have to deal with huge red signs with cheeseburgers on them, you can deal with concrete underpasses having artists’ tags on them.

The fact that graffiti is criminalized since it’s considered vandalism also makes me upset.

According to the Seattle Criminal Defense Law Firm, in Washington, graffiti is considered criminal mischief and can be charged as such in the first, second or third

demeanor. This can result in fines up to $1,000 or more and at least 90 days in jail. If the damage done to property is valued at more than $250, then it can become a felony offense.

According to Oregon Public Law, the law for graffiti in Portland is a fine and can additionally sentence up to 100 hours of community service, which includes the removal of the perpetrator’s graffiti or in its absence a similar work.

It just feels so weird to enforce laws about something so harmless, especially when it can be used as such a good form of expression.

Back alley behind Jerrol’s. Photo by Kat White/The Observer

Opinion: How Tom Brady became the greatest of all time

By Jacqueline Hixssen Columnist Tom Brady was released from the New England Patriots in March of 2020; Brady had played for the Patriots for 20 seasons. He built himself a legacy that not only Patriots fans knew of. ‘Brady’ became a household name.

Brady is the best quarterback to ever play the game. He is quite literally the greatest of all time. From his trophy collection to his knowledge of the field, there has never been a more successful quarterback.

Where the Legacy Began Drafted out of Michigan in 2000 as the 199th draft pick in the sixth round to the New England Patriots, Brady was supposed to be the backup quarterback for the Patriots behind Drew Bledsoe.

During the second week of regular season in 2001, the Patriots faced the New York Jets, a game that changed the Patriots forever.

During the fourth quarter of the game, Bledsoe got hit by Jets linebacker Mo Lewis.

Lewis’s hit on Bledsoe caused a lung injury but Bledsoe was projected to return as the starting quarterback for the Patriots, until Brady started showing promising results for the Patriots.

Brady’s first start for the Patriots occurred in week three of the 2001 season, and history began to shape. The Colts, led by Peyton Manning, visited Gillette Stadium in hopes of securing a

win against the Patriots because of the loss of Drew Bledsoe.

The Patriots went to defeat the Colts 44-13 and became the first team to fall to Brady.

The Patriots ended the regular season in 2001 with an 11-5 record, placing them in first place in the AFC East and giving them a spot in the playoffs.

Brady and the Patriots went on to defeat the Oakland Raiders in overtime (16-13) for the divisional playoffs, the conference championships against the Pittsburgh Steelers (24-17), and the St. Louis Rams (20-17) to secure the first Super Bowl for Brady and the New England Patriots.

SuperBowls After defeating the Rams in the 2002 Super Bowl (2001 Season), Brady and the Patriots did what no other team has done; they won five more.

You may be thinking, ‘the Steelers have six Super Bowl titles too,’ and you would be correct.

The only difference being, their Super Bowl wins did not include the same quarterback.

Making it to the Super Bowl is hard but winning the Super Bowl is even harder. The Patriots went on to win the Super Bowl in 2004, 2005, 2015, 2017 and 2019. With their six Super Bowl titles, they also made an appearance in five more, the most Super Bowl appearances in history.

Recordbreaker Brady is the one to beat. He

holds more records than one can count. When arguing if Brady is the greatest of all time, looking back at his stats sheets and achievements should be the table turner.

He holds the record in regular season completions with 7,263 yards, total passing yards with 84,520 yards and touchdown passes at 624. Brady obtained 14 ProBowl invitations throughout his career so far. He also is the owner of five Super Bowl MVP Awards and three NFL MVP awards.

He has competed against some of the most notable quarterbacks including, Brett Favre, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers, while none of them have truly competed with Brady.

After the Patriots The Michigan State Alum soon became one the most wellknown players to ever play the game. The Patriots and Brady were unable to come to terms on a contract that would allow Brady to retire with the Patriots, which ultimately led the franchise to release Brady into free agency.

After leaving the Patriots, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quickly picked Brady up. With this team, Brady soon killed the idea that he couldn’t win a Super Bowl without his former head coach Bill Belichick.

During his first season with the “Buccaneers,” their offense was number one in the conference, with best passing attack at 289.1 yards per game. Brady also racked

up the third most passing yards in the league with 4,633 yards.

Brady took the Buccaneers to their second Super Bowl in franchise history in 2021. They competed against the Kansas City Chiefs where they did not allow a single touchdown for the Chiefs. The Chiefs obtained three field goals throughout the first three quarters.

With a scoreless fourth quarter, Brady secured his seventh Super Bowl title, his fifth Super Bowl MVP and the Buccaneer’s second Super Bowl win.

Whatever team Brady goes to, championships are expected. Brady made his name by his knowledge of the field, his composure with the ball and his ability to execute and make completions.

Having a second half quarterback will never fail and if you are ever wanting to make money betting, you would be smart to bet for whatever team Brady’s behind.

There really is not an opposing side when arguing if Brady is the greatest of all time. Mind you, he has set all these records and is still going strong at 44 years old, one of the oldest quarterbacks in league history.

Brady is the best quarterback to play the game, his ability to execute makes him the most winning player in the National Football League. He will not retire until he is no longer able to win a Super Bowl; viewers may be able to watch Brady for the next few seasons because of his constant tenacity and will he has for this sport.

Page 09

May 25, 2022

OPINION STROPS

Where’s the “Diverse” in “Most Diverse Campus”? Part two

By Star Diavolikis Columnist A previous opinion piece I wrote expanded on one example regarding the lack of diversity in a simple setting such as a school event, but this piece wasn’t enough. There are still banners outside of Brooks Library describing CWU as being the most accepting campus and official social media accounts still have posts bragging on social media of having a major representation of diversity, yet there is next-tonothing to support these claims.

I still applaud the entities on campus who do push for diversity and initiatives that support marginalized communities, but there is still no widespread support.

The Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI) has been something in the works since before I attended here, and it appears to be pushed off another year as I leave.

Core values that CWU lists on their website include student success. Under student success, the website says, “CWU believes that student success is best achieved by providing supportive learning and living environments that encourage intellectual inquiry, exploration, and application.”

With this, more representation and space for marginalized students would be considered, at least in my eyes, a “supportive learning and living environment.” Every person has a background and a story, so why not provide a space for those who have been discriminated against to be comfortable and support their growth and their character?

This opinion piece isn’t to campaign for that project or any others in the works, but it is an example of something that would benefit marginalized communities on campus, yet is placed on the backburner. It appears as though STEM and sports are taking priority with more flashy buildings. Why is there no huge push for a single building for diverse communities to have a space in?

According to the CWU website’s “Quick Facts” section, in the 2020-2021 school year, 42% of the student population were students of color. Clearly, these communities aren’t a small portion of the student body.

I’m happy there is representation with different events such as the Parade of Nations, PolyFest and African Night.

However, if you notice, nearly all of these positively-received campaigns are done by the same groups and departments repeatedly. Personally, I would be endorsing as many of these events as possible if I were an entity on campus. Beyond the idea of promoting diversity simply being an indicator of being a good person, it would shed a positive light on my department.

The lack of support for students of all backgrounds is disappointing. I feel nervous being openly known as “that Indigenous editor from The Observer who pushes for diversity.”

Having a reputation of being a strong-headed worker doesn’t always meld well with the stereotype of possibly being a “stubborn Native from the reservation.”

Yet, there is not much in place to help me with this. I have witnessed cases of discrimination, censorship and harassment on campus that were swept under the rug by administration, and I’m nervous for the next day that somebody discriminates against me here once more.

Under the inclusiveness pillar CWU upholds on its website, it says, “CWU believes that all faculty, staff, and students must be and

must feel physically, professionally, and emotionally safe in order to fully engage in and benefit from the university experience.”

The way situations have been handled in the past lead me to believe they say they care, yet won’t act beyond initial damage control.

Discrimination has been presented when a student burned the pride flag hanging in the SURC, yet no official update or conclusion has been presented.

Censorship and harassment has been presented throughout multiple stories I have seen The Observer run. With the way things are going on, I truly don’t feel I would get help or be taken seriously with a discriminatory complaint beyond being told, “Just carry pepper spray if somebody approaches you, and some people are just bullies.”

With all of this, I simply hope to see more action from all entities on campus to promote more diversity rather than making colored students the “poster kids” for CWU. It is upsetting that the “burden” of acknowledging all identities on campus falls on the same few departments and organizations I mentioned in my last opinion piece. Why only have a few

people spearhead a campaign when, with some effort, many departments can come together to start a big initiative that highlights everyone?

A collaborative effort within departments has been seen previously with events such as Fresh Check Day. Different departments worked together to create a day that provided guidance for students on how to navigate their mental health.

Why can’t there be a day where resources for marginalized students and information on cultures are presented in an approachable way compared to simple posters, one-off events and once-in-a-while Zoom information sessions? Students from various backgrounds deserve a safe space beyond invading the Diversity and Equity Center, as they are simultaneously using that space to work.

Showing rather than telling is the call I’m trying to make. Avoid being performative when choosing to highlight the minorities in the campus community. We can write on a million banners that we are a welcoming and diverse campus, but without actions to prove and back up that claim, those banners become meaningless and a waste of ink.

Opinion: The Lord of the Rings is the king of film trilogies

By Evan Couch Columnist The era of Director Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy catapulted cinema goers into author J.R.R. Tolkien’s world of

Middle-Earth. With the release of “The Fellowship of the Ring,” in 2001, Jackson introduced a whole new audience to the immersive world and vast cast of characters that The Lord of the Rings offer.

Photo courtesy of pexels.com

It is this unique sense of culture and world building that Jackson brought to life as well as popularized that I truly believe aids the notion that The Lord of the Rings is the best movie trilogy ever made.

When I say Lord of the Rings, I mean Lord of the Rings, not the Hobbit films. Those films were a CGI mess and a topic for another opinion. So separate the two trilogies.

Let’s start from the beginning.

Without diving too deep into the intense and vast lore of Middle-Earth, let me just start by saying that Tolkien was a damn genius.

He created this entire world as well as all the races, languages, religions and beings that inhabit it over the course of his writing tenure.

Tolkien began writing about Middle-Earth in 1917 while serving in the British Army in World War I. Much of what Tolkien experienced in his childhood in the English countryside as well as his experiences fighting in the war helped create his ideas for creating the world of middle-earth and the lord of the rings.

Part of what made these movies so special and unique is how true Jackson stayed to the source material that Tolkien laid out nearly 100 years prior. However, the part that made it truly fantastic and cinematic was its upscaled action and darker tone compared to the books

all while fitting the same narrative.

These films are easily some of the best fantasy-action movies anyone can watch. Jackson’s use of practical effects as well incredible filming techniques boost the level of realism that these films offer.

With a budget of 281 million, Jackson and crew utilized every cent of it to bring middle-earth to life.

According to variety.com, the trilogy utilized a production team of 2,400 as well as 26,000 extras during the course of filming. Much of the movie was filmed on location in New Zealand.

One incredible technique Jackson used to bring these incredible scenes to life was the use of “bigatures.” Bigatures are miniature sets of scenes and places that the filming crew created to get close up shots and blend CGI and practical effects.

Many of the scenes in the movie involving architecture are the results of these miniature sets scaled up to look real with extras moving in and out of them, a one of a kind technique.

The biggest factor in bringing the world to life aside from filming techniques was the cast.

Jackson did an incredible job at finding actors and actresses to portray these unique characters.

Actors such as Viggo Mortensen who played Aragorn and Orlando Bloom who played Legolas put

their bodies on the line and used it to drive their performances.

During the filming of the second movie, “The Two Towers,” Mortensen and Bloom both suffered injuries during filming.

Bloom fell off of a horse and broke his rib while Mortensen broke two toes in a scene that actually made the movie.

The dedication to their roles boosted their performance as well as raised the level of their fellow co-stars to bring loved and intriguing characters to life. Stunning sets, incredible action sequences, large scale battles and outstanding performances all led to the multitude of awards for the films.

In 2004, the third and final film in the trilogy, “The Return of the King,” took home 11 Academy awards including Best Picture.

This was the first time a fantasy film had ever been recognized as the best picture. The 11 Oscars were the perfect culmination to what was essentially 10 years of hard work and dedication.

I truly believe we will never see another trilogy quite like the Lord of the Rings. From the stunning visuals to the perfect cast, it’s one of a kind masterpiece. The amount of love and attention to detail that went into creating these films is unmatched and goes to show that The Lord of the Rings is the king of movie trilogies.

SPORTS

Page 10

May 25, 2022

Jacob Thompson: CWU’s pole vault champion and athletic photographer

By Jacqueline Hixssen Staff Reporter Jacob Thompson, CWU’s sports information student assistant, told a story of he and his friends having a competition to see who could climb the highest up a gate outside his high school in Oahu, Hawaii years ago. On the other side of the fence was his high school pole vault coach, who influenced him to take on the sport, according to Thompson.

“He didn’t yell at us, we didn’t get in trouble for anything, but he just asked me ‘Hey have you ever thought about doing pole vault?’”

Thompson said. ”I told him ‘not really’ and brushed it off.”

Later that year, the coach became Thompson’s math teacher and and Thompson said he kept subtly asking Thompson until he finally caved and tried the sport.

Thompson is currently CWU’s sports information student assistant. He covers most home games for CWU and also

Jacob Thompson clearing the pole that made him GNAC Champion “I could see that the bar was still resting ... and I couldn’t believe it,” Thompson said, Photo courtesy of Jacob Thompson

Thompson played other sports growing up including baseball and football, Photo courtesy ofJacob Thompson.

covers special events including the hall of fame inductions.

Thompson also won the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) championship for pole vault.

The GNAC Championships would be the last time senior Thompson laced up his spikes, but he said it was the first time he was labeled a champion.

“It’s weird because this is the first time I have been the champion of anything,” Thompson said. “It’s very fitting for my definition because that was the peak of my career. It was my

very last meet and I am so stoked we ended like that.”

Thompson secured gold at the GNAC championships after clearing the bar at 15-feet 2.25-inches.

“I was just riding a crazy high … I could see that the bar was still resting on top of the pegs and I couldn’t believe it,” Thompson said. “I turned to the side of the track where my parents were standing; I screamed and yelled. I was so excited.”

Thompson not only represents CWU through his pole-vaulting career, but also

Thompson not only competes for CWU, but captures photos for the athletic page, Photo courtesy of Jacob Thompson.

through his photography career.

After quitting football his sophomore year of high school, Thompson wanted to remain a part of the team, just as a different role.

“A bulk of my friends were made from football and a lot of them kept playing after I finished,” Thompson said. “I still wanted to support them and kind of cheer them on.”

According to Thompson, one struggle his friends were having was finding pictures of themselves from their games.

“I was like, ‘well, if I’m not doing anything, if I’m just in the stands, I

might as well just get pictures of my friends,’” Thompson said.

According to Thompson, when he initially started his photography journey, he stole his sister’s camera to take his shots. He said he did not realize he would have a niche for athletic photography. Track meets are busy days for all track athletes, but as a photographer, Thompson said his meet day is a little more jam packed.

“I leave my camera bag on the side, go compete and then as soon as I am done, I take like a five-minute break and then I’ll put on my camera gear and

start taking pictures,” Thompson said.

After graduation Thompson has two different routes he may take.

“I am applying to graduate school right now and I am also starting to apply for some photo internships … I applied to both of them so we are seeing what comes back,” said Thompson.

He will be graduating after spring quarter with a degree in psychology and a minor in exercise science. He said he hopes to get his master’s degree in sport and performance psychology.

Page 11

May 25, 2022

SPORTS

Allie Thiessen hits on First Team All–GNAC selection

By Isaac Hinson Staff Reporter Allie Thiessen was awarded a First Team All-GNAC selection this month, following a season where she held career-bests on multiple statistical fronts. Thiessen led the Wildcats in batting average at .392 and on-base percentage at .471, both of which are career-bests.

Motivation can be different for every student-athlete.

Thiessen said the motivation for her and her teammates this year was the fact that they believed they were better than how others saw them.

“From a team perspective, we were ranked seventh [last in the GNAC] from the coaches poll at the beginning of the season,” Thiessen said. “We all wanted to prove how much better we were than that. Get-

ting a new coach was a big deal and we wanted to prove to him that we were capable of it.”

Head coach Joe DiPietro joined the coaching staff in November of 2021. The team was able to secure a spot in the GNAC tournament for the first time since 2019 this season.

“We also wanted to prove everyone who was rooting against us wrong,” Thiessen said. “Having that fire and trying to compete with each other to win was the biggest motivator for this year.”

Thiessen cites her parents as a big reason for why she began playing softball in the first place, and that they started her young.

“I started playing when I was about five-years-old,” Thiessen said. “My parents were big into putting their kids through sports.

So through middle school, I played every other sport and

then in high school, I started thinking that I wanted to go to college for softball.”

Thiessen said that traveling with her team was one of the motivating factors for continuing softball.

“I really liked the team dynamic,” Thiessen said. “Playing with so many teams … I was in Canada, so I got to travel to the east side often. The experience of being with everyone was kind of my biggest part in choosing softball.”

Thiessen said as a softball player from Canada, her path to becoming a collegiate player was different than most.

“Softball is not as big back home,” Thiessen said. “So I ended up playing in the states more often. We didn’t have as many big tournaments … I was at a softball academy for high school. We trained for half the day every single day. I don’t re-

Allie Thiessen had career highs in Batting Average .392 and on base percentage .471 this past season. Photo courtesy Kim Douglas/Crazy Bees Photography

SERVICE. PURPOSE. OPPORTUNITY.

Thiessen earns unanimous selection to First Team All-GNAC. Photo courtesy of Jacob Thompson/Thompson Sports

Scholarships.

Leadership training.

Over 100 career paths.

Central Washington University

AFROTC Detachment 895 • www.cwu.edu/airforce • www.AFROTC.com • 509-963-2314

ally see a lot of that down here.”

Thiessen was one of six Wildcats from the softball team named to All-GNAC honors.

Her selection to First Team AllGNAC was unanimous.

Thiessen said she takes pride in being able to represent CWU. She said playing at a smaller school like CWU helped her achieve a successful season due to more opportunities.

“That’s why I like the smaller school, I had a better chance of being a starter and having a bigger impact on the team,” Thiessen said. “Being at a Division II level lets you compete in a more comfortable area where you’re able to succeed more.”

Coming off her unanimous First Team All-GNAC selection, and heading into her senior campaign, Thiessen said she knows she is going to be stepping into a leadership role next season.

“I’m pretty soft-spoken,” Thiessen said. “I’d say I’m more like a lead-by-example type of player … especially going into being a senior next year. We have eight new people coming in, and I want to set a good example for them, show them how the four years here have kind of changed who I am as an athlete and a person, and that it’s worth putting in that extra work too.”

EVENTS

Page 12

May 25, 2022

Wildcat Words: What is your best piece of advice?

Valerie E. So. Environmental Science “Don’t take life too seriously, because you are just going to get bogged down by stuff that doesn’t really matter.”

Kathryn P.

Kyler F.

Lucy L.

So. Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Fr. Buisness Leadership and Management

Fr. Fashion Marketing Management

“Find a community of people with similar interests.”

“Be true to yourself. Follow your gut and let that create your path.”

“Make sure you have the right friends around you. People that encourage you all the time.”

QA &

with

COBRAHAWK

Met L. Jr. Undecided “Understand yourself before trying to change others, because in that case, there is no point in really doing anything in life.”

weekly events

26 THURS

27

2-10 p.m. Wild Fest 2022: Student Appreciation Day @ Barto Lawn 10 p.m. - 12 a.m. Wild Fest After Party @ SURC Ballroom

10-11 p.m. Improv Night The Hot New Jam @ SURC Theater 210 National Road Trip Day

FRI

28

8 a.m. to 5 p.m. USTA Doubles Tennis Tournament 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Yakima River Rafting @ OPR Patio

29

8 a.m. to 5 p.m. USTA Doubles Tennis Tournament National Pickle Day

SAT

Meet Cobrahawk, a rock & roll band known for driving guitar riffs and pounding drums, matched with raw, powerful vocal melodies. The headline act for the 2022 CWU Student Appreciation Day event Wild Fest is comprised of Lakyn Bury on vocals, Nat Nickel on drums, Devin Duncan and Kyle Bain on guitar and Matt Carstens on bass.

Q: How did Cobrahawk come to be/How was the band created?

A: The band started off almost 10 years ago as a cover band under the name Walking Talking Stephen Hawking. Once we began starting to write original music we changed it to something a bit more PR friendly. Since then the band has released two full length albums ‘Vindictive’ (2017) and ‘Excuses Excuses’ (2020) across all digital platforms.

SUN

30 MON

Q: What is the meaning of the band name/How did you come up with it?

A: To some Cobrahawk is based off the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent. To us, it was a simple mix up of the football team “the Seahawks” as the “C-Hawks” and it sounded like a cool band name.

31

Q: What has been the most memorable performance to date?

A: Lakyn: Definitely opening for Buckcherry last month, the crowd and venue were both excellent and we played really well.

Devin: For me it’s gotta be either opening for Buckcherry a few weeks ago, or getting to open for Smash Mouth and having a catwalk on stage.

Matt: Definitely Buckcherry.

Kyle: Opening for Buckcherry. It was cool playing for so many people. And we played well as a band.

1

Q: What does the future look like for the band?

A: Lakyn: I’d like to continue to grow and get better. Hopefully we’ll book bigger and bigger shows and get our music out to as many people as we can!

Devin: Hopefully to continue to make more music and grow as a band Matt: Hopefully get our drummer back on a jumbotron Kyle: Last I checked it looked pretty good. Things are getting better all the time.

Memorial Day - no classes

National Pickle Day

TUES

WED

9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Donut Stress @ SURC 137 4-6 p.m. OPR Weekly Fireside Chat @ OPR Patio 7-8 p.m.

Composition Studio Recital @ McIntyre Hall 174

Q: What has been your most memorable moment at CWU? A: Lakyn: I’d say when some students filmed a music video for us as a school project a few years back. It turned out really great.

Devin: I’d say either when we filmed our music video for our song Hot & Bothered with some CWU Students two days after getting my wisdom teeth out, or when we did our first album premiere with 88.1 The ‘Burg on Halloween and we were dressed as X-men characters.

Matt: Losing in the intramural flag football championship by 1 point.

Kyle: I’m a big Nick Zentner fan so he’s my most memorable thing about CWU. Q: When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A: Lakyn: First and foremost a rockstar, but also a marine biologist. And for a short time in 6th grade, a paranormal investigator.

Devin: I used to want to be a pro skater when I was younger, but quickly realized I was much better at guitar, and being a musician required less physical requirements.

Matt: Always wanted to sell out to corporate America as a musician. There’s still time.

Kyle: I wanted to be a musician since the age of 12 or so. I also wanted to be a basketball player, but there was another kid named Kyle that was bigger and better than me, so it didn’t work out.

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