Issuu

CWU STEALS WIN

FROM SIXTH RANKED UT PERMIAN BASIN: JUMPS TO FIRST IN LSC

Parker Wood Sports Editor

On Oct. 11, the Central Washington University (CWU) Wildcats beat University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB) Falcons in a tight 2714 matchup. The Wildcats entered the day as underdogs, sitting at No. 13 ranked on the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) poll while the Falcons were holding No. 6 spot. Thanks to the Wildcats run game and a defensive turnover in the final minute, CWU beat out UTPB and propelled themselves to the top spot of the Lone Star Conference (LSC) with a 5-0 record against LSC teams.

Before kickoff, the matchup already had major implications with both teams entering the game at 3-0 in the LSC, with the winner taking the top spot. For Head Coach Chris Fisk, the records didn’t matter. “Whether it’s an FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) team, a team that hasn’t won a game, or a team that’s undefeated like last week, it’s the same process every week,” Fisk said.

Despite CWU going into the game with the highest scoring offense in the LSC, they were facing the toughest defense, as UTPB was allowing the fewest amount of points per game. The CWU offense wasn’t alone in their matchup however, as UTPB’s offense, ranked third in the LSC entering Ratliff Stadium on Saturday, was facing the next best defense in the Wildcats.

In the last minute of the contest, UTPB’s defense was able to hold off CWU to a field goal to make the score 20-14 in favor of CWU, keeping the lead within one score to keep UTPB in the game. UTPB’s offense got the ball on their own eight yard line with only 38 seconds to go down the field and score a touchdown to win. After pressure from Defensive End Tyler King, the Wildcats almost sealed the win as Defensive Back King Williams and a UTPB receiver fought for possession of an underthrown ball only for the pass to end up incomplete. With 29 seconds left on the clock, UTPB tried for a pass down the middle of the field, only for the route to be jumped and intercepted by Redshirt Sophomore Defensive Back Javonte Walker for his second interception of the season. The defense immediately adapted, setting up blocks for Walker to take the interception to the endzone for a touchdown, sealing the upset win for the ‘Cats.

Walker spoke on his defensive touchdown, “Knowing where we’re at, where they’re at… [UTPB Quarterback]

just ended up taking his shot to the post… I just undercut it, and I saw an open lane. Seeing my D line blocking, seeing my linebacker blocking the quarterback, it was just all great.” With the game-ending interception re turn, along with three total tackles, Walker was given LSC Defensive Player of the Week honors on Oct. 13.

The defensive slugfest that was promised was deliv ered in spades, as both teams left the game with their second lowest scores of the year. In the first half, only 10 points were scored between the two teams, seven going to UTPB and CWU hitting a field goal in the draining seconds of the first half.

While junior quarterback Kennedy McGill struggled passing the ball in the air, completing only 38.9% of his passes and hitting 70 yards passing (lowest of the season), the team found success on the ground as McGill found 81 yards rushing along with a touchdown and his junior teammate, Running Back Justice Taylor, hit the century mark (100) on rushing yards and also found the end zone for the team’s first touchdown on the day.

Despite CWU holding the sixth best passing defense against UTPB’s third best passing offense, Defensive End Chase Loidhammer along with the Wildcat’s secondary held off the opposing passing at tack, leading to UTPB’s Quarterback’s worst completion percentage on the year.

While the rushing juggernaut that is CWU outpaced UTPB on the ground 238 yards to 50, UTPB won the air battle with 270 yards to CWU’s 70. Overall, CWU had eight more total yards than UTPB’s offense.

CWU now holds the top spot of the LSC, boasting an overall 6-1 record and an undefeated 5-0 record against LSC teams. Head Coach Fisk and his team don’t feel any pressure with their record going into a new week. “One of the things we talk about is every 24 hours, the world turns over on the man on top,” Fisk said. “And if you’re not prepared to stay on top, then pretty soon you’ll be at the bottom.”

After the upset win against the Falcons on the road, the Wildcats jumped up the AFCA poll three spots to No. 10 while the Falcons fell to CWU’s old spot, No. 13. The Wildcats look to return home to a standing ova tion, as the Wildcats take on Texas A&M - Kingsville at Tomlinson Stadium for their annual Homecoming game on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 6 p.m.

Kenney McGill scanning the field. (Photo courtesy of Brandon Warr)

Jalen Owens in coverage against a UTPB receiver. (Photo courtesy of Brandon Warr)

Local

22 year-old Andrew Kenneth Egger was arrested on Oct. 9 with the charges of reckless endangerment, vehicular assault and evading officers. Caught in a high speed chase, exceeding 100-mph, six people, including Egger, were injured in a collision coming into an off-ramp near interstate 90, according to the Daily Record.

The Morning Rotary Club plans to bring youth mentorship programs to Ellensburg. They partnered with the Ellensburg police department with the goal of removing any and all graffiti they can find in town, according to the Daily Record.

Kittitas county officials and residents’ concern for the water shutdown in the Yakima Basin grew after a sudden announcement. Officials were notified to shutdown surface water withdrawals from the Yakima Basin, according to the Daily Record.

National

R&B Artist Michael D’Angelo Archer, better known as D’Angelo, died at age 51 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. His family announced the neo-soul icon’s death on Oct. 14.

Two weeks into the government shutdown, House Speaker Mike Johnson notes this may be the “longest shutdown in U.S. history”. The only updates so far being that layoffs will continue, many federal workers in the Disease Control and Prevention centers being affected most recently.

Commentator and conspiracist, Alex Jones, is expected to pay $1.4 billion in compensation for damages to the victims and families who were affected by the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting that took place in 2012. Jones’ appeal was rejected after his claims of the shooting being a hoax in 2022.

Global

On Oct. 8, US President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had come to an agreement on a ceasefire, with Israel handing over 2,000 Palestinian prisoners for all living hostages held under Hamas. Along with the exchange of prisoners, the first phase of the deal included Israel withdrawing forces to pre-designated lines within the Gaza strip. Two days later, on Oct. 10, the ceasefire went into effect.

Since the ceasefire went into effect, Trump announced the end of the “painful nightmare” for Israel and Palestinians. Trump has always announced that if Hamas doesn’t disarm themselves, “We will disarm them.” According to multiple sources, Israel has opened fire on Palestinians despite the active ceasefire.

LETTER from the EDITORS

Salutations to all,

Brandon:

If you didn’t already know, I was out of town for the design of this issue, but I am still super proud of the work everyone contributed to it. I can’t say much about its layout, as my Co-EIC Jackson deserves all the credit this week. That said, the reason I’m out of town is that I’m at an academic conference in Washington D.C. which is super exciting! You can read all about my adventures in next week’s issue, until then enjoy this amazing edition!

Jackson:

As we move farther along into the quarter, I hope everyone’s classes are going well and thank you guys for picking up another issue of The Observer. I am super proud of all of our writers for yet another week of spectacular writing as I love to see them learn and improve their journalistic abilities. Also in big Seattle news I want to praise my Seattle Mariners for making the American League Championship Series as they have a chance at making their first ever World Series. They love to cut years of my life (Go M’s).

Issue 3 Recap

In News this week we look into vandalism that has been occurring at Barto Hall leading to mandatory meetings for residents. Students also shared their opinions on the actions taking place in the Hall. We also dive into the CWU Annual Security and Fire Safety report with all the reports from the 2024 academic year.

A couple scene stories this week as Jackie Cruz, known for her role on “Orange Is The New Black”, came to speak with CWU students about overcoming adversity. Multicultural Graduate Assistant Rose Montano defines Hispanic in her Culture Corner lecture. James E. Brooks Library also hosts another Silent Reading Club celebrating Banned Books Week.

Big news for CWU football in Sports this week as they take down No. 6 ranked University of Texas Permian Basin to jolt themselves up into the No. 10 ranked spot in the D2 American Football Coaches Association poll moving up from No. 13. They also now sit at first place in the Lone Star Conference

Can’t thank the design team enough for the work they do for us as they are the backbone of this paper. I always love what our designers are able to put out for us and am beyond pleased with the creativity and life they bring to our pages.

Co-Editors-In-Chief

concerns, email us at cwuobserver@gmail.com. Faculty

Asia

Jackson and Brandon?

(Photo by Ethan Kennedy)

Sydney Linville

Tage Dayton

Mulholland Dunlap

Long

Lucas Pierron

An annual crime report and a mandatory meeting in Barto Hall Campus Up dates:

Brandon Mattesich Co-Editor-In-Chief

Barto, Vandalism and Fizz

Multiple instances of vandalism and instances of student crime were reported in the Barto dorms, prompting a mandatory meeting that subsequently went viral on the student-only social media app Fizz.

A Fizz poster who shared an image with the caption “Oh brother” garnered over 1.6k likes after the image, which is a screenshot of an email sent to all Barto residents, made it onto the trending tab.

IIn the screenshot, Barto residents were informed that, “There have been several events over the past week that have negatively impacted the Barto community. This behavior takes away from the positive, friendly, and respectful aspects that are the hallmark of the resident hall living environment.” The email goes on to detail a series of mandatory meetings for all Barto residents, stating to the residents, “you must attend one of the following Mandatory Meetings.”

In contrast to the tone of the email, Executive Director of Housing and Residence Life Tricia Rabel shared that the meetings were purely “to discuss some of the positive community building occurring in the hall as well as brainstorm ways the students could improve the community.”

“It is common for residence halls to have a variety of community meetings at the beginning of a term. These help residents meet their neighbors, know what to expect, and clarify community expectations,” Rabel stated. “The Barto community has embraced how they want to engage with each other and several noted the highlights of the hall: how welcoming folks are, how easy it is to meet others, that they can talk to their neighbors, their commitment to building a vibrant Residence Hall Leadership Council and the activities they have enjoyed the most, including pool tournaments, door decoration making and karaoke nights.”

In another viral Fizz post with over 1.7k likes, one anonymous student reposted the original screenshot of the email with the caption, “It’s cuz two girls decided to cat fight, someone drew dicks on the whiteboards, a girl got alcohol poisoning, then someone stole the whiteboard markers and pool chalk.” A second viral repost with over 1.6k likes shared their own reason, stating, “Shout out to the guys on the third floor who decided to come up to the fourth floor and try to kick in my neighbor’s door. Lock in y’all are adults.”

Rabel stated however that what is happening in Barto is not a completely unique series of events. “Several residence halls have seen some low-lying vandalism and disruptive behavior. It’s helpful when residents share with us how incidents that seem like harmless pranks affect other community members,” Rabel stated. “Our students have been very receptive to this proposed reporting structure.”

Students who witness or would like to report any instances of vandalism or other on campus crime are encouraged to either talk it out with their residence hall neighbors, or call an RA if needed, according to Rabel. “Students who are concerned about something happening in their community are encouraged to confront their neighbors if they feel comfortable doing so, or call an RA for assistance,” Rabel stated.

The Crime Report

The CWU Annual Security and Fire Safety report was released detailing all the latest reported crime and fire data from the 2024 academic year.

The largest changes in the crime report, which details data ranging from 2022 through 2024, was that of the number of reported instances of “campus” rape. In 2022, three rapes were reported, with the numbering reported in 2024 having risen to seven.

In discussing the increase in reported instances of “campus” rape, CWU Police Chief Eric Twaites stated, “Historically, sexual assaults and stalking are underreported nationally. At CWU, I would like to believe most serious incidents are reported, in part because of our outreach efforts and relationships with our community. Our officers have tried to create a culture of trust so that when an incident occurs, people feel comfortable with CWU PD and are more willing to report incidents.”

Instances of reported “campus” stalking also rose from nine reports in 2022, to 12 in 2024. Notably however, reported instances of Burglary, Liquor Violation Referrals, and Drug Violation Referrals have all decreased since the data collection in the past two years. Burglary from six in 2022 to three in 2024, Liquor Violation Referrals from 82 in 2023, to 57 in 2024 and Drug Violation dropping from 28 in 2023, to only 11 in 2024.

Twaites credited the CWU Police forces’ hard work as a main contributor in the decrease of these reported instances. “I would like to believe that CWU PD’s continued efforts in community engagement with first-year students, through programs, crime prevention programming, being present and a part of the community are having a positive impact,” Twaites said. “Liquor and drug violation referrals are reported and documented through housing staff, so I cannot comment on what housing staff are seeing.” Screenshotted Fizz post of mandatory

Last week, James E. Brooks library hosted another session of Silent Reading club – but this time, with a twist. Typically, the library hosts the event a couple times a quarter, offering interested students a chance to spend a few hours enjoying refreshments and getting a chance to read some of the books curated by the library staff. This time, students had a special opportunity to read a selection that goes beyond staff picks: National “Banned Books” Week ran from Oct. 5 through Oct. 11, and during this quarter’s Silent Book club, library staff had a variety of books from their collection on display that have been subject to censorship and removal throughout the United States.

Carolin McCarthy, communications and events specialist for Brooks Library, commented on the two events lining up this year: “It was the perfect opportunity. We always love to promote banned books week in some way, and this year I saw the perfect opportunity,” McCarthy said. She went on to talk more in-depth about her involvement in the event, and how it’s changed since last year. “It was originally a winter-only event with the idea of ‘get people out of the cold, inside the library,’ but I’ve been trying to do it every quarter because it is just a really great event for people ... it’s not a big social event, it’s for the introverts.”

Last January, Brooks library hosted a similar event called “Banned Books”, where a variety of readers and the campus community came together to read excerpts from similarly censored books to celebrate intellectual freedom. This year, though, McCarthy commented on why the celebrations were smaller: “This quarter, we have a big event coming up next week. It’s [the library’s] 50th anniversary, and that’s just taken a lot of time and prepping.”

Of the banned books showcased at the event, they included “This One Summer” by Jillian and Mariko Tamaki, a graphic novel labeled the “#1 Most Challenged

Book of 2016” and “#7 Most Challenged Book of 2018” by the American Library Association. When asked about the curation of banned books in the Brooks library, McCarthy shared her insight into the process: “Being an academic library, it’s something that we don’t deal with a lot.” McCarthy continued. “I feel like books being challenged oftentimes happens more so in a public library setting [...] here, in an academic library, we’re all mostly adults, so we don’t really experience books being challenged.”

No matter what you call it; banning, challenging, censorship… books are not immune to the powers of bias and prohibition. McCarthy finished her interview with a call to action, reaffirming the stances of the Brooks library: “Banned Books Week is something that we will always promote and celebrate. It is so important to remind others of intellectual freedom and celebrate our freedom to read!”

Staff Reporter

Lucas Pierron

Photo courtesy of Pexels

ROSE MONTANO

DEFINES HISPANIC IN HER CULTURE CORNER LECTURE

Mulholland Dunlap

Staff Reporter

To celebrate and honor Hispanic Heritage Month, Rose Montano, a fifth-year psychological science graduate student and a graduate assistant for the Multicultural Center(MCC), gave a presentation explaining the differences between the terms “Chicane,” “Hispanic” and “Latine.”

After finishing her presentation, Montano led a discussion with her audience members about what being Hispanic or Latine means to them. Some of Montano’s discussion questions asked what labels each audience member used to describe their ethnicity and how such labels limit how people of a certain culture perceive themselves.

This 75-minute presentation and discussion took place in Black Hall 134 on Oct. 7 at 5 p.m. The room was tranquil because only two students, MCC Program Manager of Student Activities Justin Santoli, MCC Director Mal Stewman, and MCC Building Monitor Andrew Sarmiento attended the event.

“My first term that’s very commonly used is Chicane, and that term actually describes people who were born in the US, but whose parents or grandparents actually came here from Mexico, so they are first or second generation Mexican individuals,” Montano said. “It is this which I actually didn’t know before, but it is specific to Mexican second and third generation individuals.”

Over the course of her speech, Montano mentioned several times that before researching for her presentation, she did not know most of the facts that she stated during her lecture.

“Hispanic refers to people who are descendants of Spanish-speaking countries, which is very vague. There are a lot of Spanish-speaking countries,” Montano said. “There are countries who have multiple official languages, but if Spanish is one of those official languages, then they are considered a Hispanic country, and those who are descendants of that country are considered Hispanic.”

This vagueness of the word “Hispanic” related to the event discussion that Montano had with Stewman about how such labels may have undermined the definitions of their identities.

“I think the labels, when they’re authentic, they’re what we call ourselves, and then for the idea of being Black, I’ve always been Black for my entire life, but yet we knew there were other names that were supposed to be more politically correct,” Stewman said. Stewman guessed that a movement likely occurred that caused people throughout his life to say that African-American was the politically correct term for his ethnicity. But he confidently disagreed with that popular opinion.

“If you want to be legitimized as Americans, but also recognize this ethnicity from somewhere else, like Africa, then people try to go away. I don’t know anything about Africa,” Stewman said, “I just want to be, and I’m going to be Black.”

Latine was the third and final term that Montano mentioned in her presentation. She said that “Latine” refers to “people who are descendants of Latin America.” She recognized that different people may define Latin America differently. Montano claimed that Latin America comprises “North and South America, and it’s countries within those that speak the romance languages.”

Stewman and Santoli enjoy hiring MCC student employees to host and speak at Culture Corner events. For the Defining Hispanic Culture Corner event, they hired Montano to be the host and guest speaker because of her passion for the topic.

“I love the discussion. A lot of the people there had opportunities to really share their own personal experiences, which is always cool to connect with others and learn how they came to understand their identity in relation to being Hispanic or Latinx or Latine,” Stewman said.

As an audience member and participant of the event, Santoli was proud to have learned many new things about Hispanic cultures, even as a Hispanic himself.

“I just loved hearing people’s stories. I, being from Florida, and some of the students there who are from Washington, but we had such similar experiences, and I thought that was really cool to see how Hispanic cultures, even though we’re very spread out throughout the United States, there’s some similarities in how our stories are and how our relationships with our identities can take form,” Santoli said. “I love the storytelling aspects of these events, when people get to feel comfortable to share their experiences.”

Stewman was amazed by how the discussions about marginalized ethnic cultures related to his life, even though the event was mostly about Hispanic Heritage Month, and Stewman identifies as Black.

“As a person who was not in the Latine community, it was really interesting to see how some of the same ideas of exploring identity cross over to my personal identity as a Black person,” Stewman said. “This is the same kind of discussion or the same kind of curiosity in the learning process that I would have.”

“Even though there wasn’t much people, there was a lot of discussion,” Sarmiento said. “There was not really any silence. A lot of people wanted to talk to each other.”

The MCC plans to have several more Culture Corner events throughout the school year. As an active student staff member of the MCC, Montano knows that one of her coworkers will host a Culture Corner called “The Weight of Dismissal.” Stewman and Montano both mentioned that the speaker for that event will talk about how we view body shape and size as they relate to society.

Montano also plans to host another Culture Corner during the first week of December. “It’s going to be a discussion about how there’s so many more holidays in the winter, other than just Christmas,” Montano said. “Getting to know a little bit more information on those holidays, and having a discussion on what those holidays mean for us in our cultures.”

Photo of Rose Montano courtesy of Mulholland Dunlap

JACKIE CRUZ

Sydney Linville Staff Reporter

Last week, in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, Central’s Multicultural Center welcomed Jackie Cruz, known best for her role in the Netflix hit series “Orange Is the New Black“ (OITNB), to talk with Central students about her life and the many accomplishments she has had in her career.

During her talk with students, Cruz told her life story and how she got into the acting industry as well as the adversities she has overcome both in her personal and professional life and her own identity as a Hispanic woman in Hollywood. Cruz was born in New York and was raised in the Dominican Republic with her mother and aunts during her early life before moving to Los Angeles with her mom to pursue an acting career.

During her talk with students she shared the many different adversities she has faced and what she has done to overcome those adversities. She also shared her successes in her career including her role as Flaca in OITNB, her singing career, her life as a mom and her life while living in Mexico. Cruz has also had an impact on many people with her career including students here at CWU.

Cruz talked about the early parts of her life, including when she was homeless at 16 and when she got into a near fatal car accident at 17. When asked about what has been her favorite story about her life to share with people, Cruz said “my accident is probably my favorite to share because I lost my beauty and I realized that beauty never came from what you look like, it’s always who you are from the inside.” Cruz spoke about how her head had to be partially shaved for brain surgery and was having a hard time accepting her appearance. She was able to recover and went on to start an acting career.

When it came to starting her career, Cruz had a hard time getting roles that weren’t stereotypical Latinas and the roles were small and far between. So she quit acting and decided to pursue more music, though she did talk about missing it and decided to go back with her first role being booked as Marisol ‘Flaca’ Gonzales on the now hit series OITNB.

When talking about her time on OITNB, Cruz mentions the close friendship she has with Diane Guerrero, who portrays her best friend on the show, Maritza, and how they were still working during the first three seasons of the show before becoming series regulars in season four. Cruz has appeared in a number of projects after the show and is in the middle of filming for another movie that is to premiere on Hulu.

Cruz’s portrayal of ‘Flaca’ also had an impact on some students here at Central as well. Mariana Leos-Bravo, a business analytics and marketing management major, spoke about her admiration for Cruz’s work and how she loves the character and the development that ‘Flaca’ had throughout the show as well as Cruz’s TED Talk and how she was inspired and moved by her story.

“My favorite thing to come out of the conversation was her authenticity, how real and raw she was about how her life was, what it took for her to achieve the success she has now.” LeosBravo also mentioned how inspiring it was to hear her story since

she is also at an age of going through change and how Cruz was able to persevere through her adversities.

Izellah Rainer, an entrepreneurship major with a minor in digital marketing, also talks about how inspiring it was to have Cruz here on campus. She also is a fan of Cruz’s through the show and loved her character but she also is a fan of Cruz’s personality off-camera as much as her personality on-camera. Rainer talked about how genuine Cruz is and how connected the actress is with her culture.

“I love how she embraces her culture. She’s very genuine, and she brings her culture to the table with her whole self. And that’s the most inspirational thing you can do, especially nowadays, is be yourself.”. Rainer also praised how Cruz is very friendly with fans and how Cruz was very engaging with students and staff at Central,” Rainer said.

In 2024 Cruz released her most recent song, Fruta, and Cruz wanted to bring more light to her music career and share more about it. Her album, Hija de Chavez, seems to be an extremely proud moment for her. When talking about the album, Cruz mentioned how each song is dedicated to her family members. She talked about how she looks up to her aunts and how she wanted her album to be dedicated to her family members.

The album is also named after her father and her birth name, Jaquilene Chavez, which she doesn’t use often, preferring the name Jackie Cruz. Cruz mentioned how she wants to continue to make music and she will continue to pursue her creative endeavors. She sang a quick snippet of her song, Sweet 16, in which the audience applauded for.

Right now, Cruz lives with her husband and three kids on the coast of Mexico and talked about how, in the part of Mexico where she lives, she has a community with her neighbors especially with the tropical storms that the area goes through. She talked about how she can go to her neighbors if she is having car troubles, needs sugar, or if they need somewhere to hide from the hurricanes.

Cruz mentioned how she has had trouble finding community or finding a place where she belongs and that recently with her move to Mexico, that it has started to change. She talked about how grateful she is with her life and how she loves being a mom while also being able to pursue her career still.

We were able to have this conversation with Cruz because of outreach by the Multicultural Center. Mal Stewman, director of the Multicultural Center, talked about how it was a great honor to be able to bring Cruz here. Central has a partnership with Yakima Rotary, Heritage College, Opportunities Industrialization Center of Yakima and other partners on campus that was able to bring Cruz to Central. Her story is just a real story of someone coming from, you know, what seems like nothing, and really staying true and connected to the dream that she had.” showing gratitude for Cruz being able to share her story with students and staff alike,” Stewman said.

“I lost my beauty and I realized that beauty never came from what you look like, it’s always who you are from the inside.”

-Jackie Cruz

CRUZ ON ADVERSITY, ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY AND INTERNAL BEAUTY

“I love how she embraces her culture. She’s very genuine, and she brings her culture to the table with her whole self.”

-Izellah Rainer, entrepeneurship major

Jackie Cruz speaking at CWU.

(Photos by Sydney Linville)

Photo courtesy of CWU.

PEACEMAKER SEASON TWO FINALE

Ethan Kennedy Columnist

Peacemaker season two is officially over. The eighth and final episode of the second season dropped Oct. 9 on HBO Max, serving as what seems to be the series’ finale. With a run time of approximately 57 minutes, John Cena and a mountain of hype built around the last three episodes; fans were expecting a jam-packed stellar final episode.

With a season dedicated to building up the threat of the multiverse, specifically “Earth-X”, an alternate world where Germany won WWII, I was prepared to see many payoffs and get closure on each characters’ journey. Thankfully, there was much closure that was well needed and shown for the main cast. However, with no visit to, or from “Earth-X”, there was much to be desired in the finale.

Co-Chairman and CEO of DC studios, James Gunn, had kept the last three episodes of Peacemaker completely under wraps, claiming they were his favorite pieces of work in his career. DC Film News posted a quote directly from Gunn on the matter.

“I am the one who’s keeping the three episodes away from everybody because there’s too many surprises in those last three episodes. Especially six and eight, they are just crazy, my favorite things I’ve ever done of anything” Gunn said. I went into the finale with high expectations and an open mind. After the credits rolled, I was left wanting more. The finale did not visit “Earth-X” in any way, nor did it receive a mention for that matter. There was little exploration within the world itself, and instead the episode focused more on the emotional side of the characters.

In the first episode of the second season, we are told by Peacemaker himself that there are 99 other dimensions that could be accessed through the Quantum Unfolding Chamber (QUC), a door that can

WHAT DO WE MAKE OF THIS?

be opened anywhere, leading to a space filled with other doorways that lead to other dimensions.

The main antagonist for the season, Rick Flag Sr., had sent task force agents to track Peacemaker, and find the device he used for the QUC. Out of the 99 doorways we were told about, we only got to see five, that’s including “Earth-X” which was a main setting for half of the season.

Most of the finale had focused on substance rather than flashy fight scenes, but with so much hype built around it, and with anticipation from what was shown in episodes six and seven, there were not a lot of satisfying payoffs. Half of the episode revolves around Peacemaker, or rather Chris, and his love for Emilia Harcourt, as he eventually reconciles with her asking if their one-time fling meant anything.

What was a little disappointing though was that the whole season, the two had been mentioning their fling, and it was fairly easy to piece their history together. I feel as though we did not need 20 minutes to focus on what was already given in context.

On the other hand, the episode was a massive set up for the DCU moving forward, which is what James Gunn had stated. In episode six, it is revealed that Rick Flag Sr. Is working with Lex Luthor, the main villain of “Superman”, played by Nicholas Holt.

On “Peacemaker: The Official Podcast”, hosted by Gunn, he reveals that the alternate version of Chris’s brother, Keith, played by David Denman, is still alive after the extremely violent altercation between him and our main ensemble.

“I will say, In the original draft, [Emelia Harcourt] kills him ... I think that in one way the whole season is Captain Triumph’s origin as a supervillain. We see at the end that look in his eye and we’re

like, oh!” Gunn said. This may set up a future storyline for Captain Triumph, David Denman, to return or even another visit to “Earth-X”.

Towards the end of the episode, there is a montage playing over the eleventh street kids, the name of the main character’s group, and their succession of starting their own business to help make the world better, while gaining new allies once perceived as enemies. The montage ends with a panning shot up to the name of their building, being Checkmate. This is a direct reference to a task force like squad in DC comics under the same name.

Apart from resolving key character arcs, the finale dives into Rick Flag Sr.’s descent into villainy, as he gets closer to Lex Luthor and his goons. In the movie, The Suicide Squad, directed by James Gunn, Peacemaker ends up killing Rick Flag Jr. during the climax of the movie. This is the driving force behind Rick Flag Sr.’s motives for this season.

CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS 7

OPEN BETA SHOWS PROMISE

Tage Dayton Columnist

The Black Ops seven open beta opens eyes to viewers about what is to come in the new co-developed game between Treyarch and Raven Software. The open beta showed a lot of upside of what’s to come when the full version of the game releases on Nov. 14.

The only playable parts available to players during the open beta were the early versions of the multiplayer and zombies game modes. Although this is all we got to see, I believe that what they showed was very impressive considering the negative slide in public opinion they’ve had in their recent past games such as Call of Duty: Vanguard and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Three (2023).

Multiplayer

The multiplayer showed promise showing good gunplay, a new and different movement system than we have seen in the past from Call of Duty games, revamping the new omnimovement they released in Black Ops six to add a new wall jumping feature. I will say that something lacking in the multi player gameplay is a good map cycle. Something prominent in all Call of Duty games is the maps that come along with the games. There have been some classics from the past they recycle but the game needs its own new maps and it just doesn’t have that. The only map that I found somewhat enjoyable from the open beta was a map named Toshin but with only

six maps being able to be played in the open beta I hope that the other 12 maps in the game help pick up the slack from these sampler maps.

Another thing to talk about when discussing the multiplayer was the actual gameplay itself and it still needs some work. While I think the actual playing and pace of the game is very fun, Activision as a company has still not fixed their problems with their cheating problem.

While playing the open beta I ran into multiple cheaters using aimbot and wall hacks in games. Since 2021 when Ricochet Anti-Cheat partnered with Activision to be their anti-cheat enforcement for all of their games it has been an issue and Activision as a company continues to refuse to fix the issue.

Zombies

The zombies portion is what I and many other people grew up playing more than multiplayer so it was safe to say that I was very excited to get a sneak peak at the new mode and it did not disappoint. I was a huge fan of what we got to see and the changes we got to here that are coming in the full version of the game.

One feature that I am very excited to return to this game is the classic mode taking away loadouts from zombies. I think that brings the natural progression back to the game which has been lost for the last couple games where loadouts were the only option for zombies

to play which took a little bit of the fun out of progressing in the game. Something they put into the game even though we didn’t get to play it in the open beta was the coop campaign mode that they put into the game. I think that this is a fun option for those who want to experience the story mode of the game with a friend and I find that playing games with friends or just with other peo ple makes the game more enjoyable so I feel that the ad dition of co-op campaign is going to be an exciting thing to play on the full release of the game.

Comic by Rieley Iverson

Kamola Davies Barto Quigely Meisner Dugmore North Beck

WILDCAT WORDS

Divined by Ethan Kennedy

Aries (March. 21 – April. 19): Get your last couple of hikes and walks in Aries; it’s getting cold. It’s nearly time for your annual hibernation. Gather as much food as you can before you bundle up in bed. Tip of the day: Not many picnic baskets get left out these days.

T aurus (April. 20 – May. 20): Have you been running? Well, you should, cause they’re right behind you! You better have tied your shoes. Tip of the day: AHHH!

Gemini (May. 21 – June. 20): I’ve heard that Yellowstone has some good cave systems. Some real good ones to get lost in ya know. Just go get lost, in a cave, for a long time. Tip of the Day: The best part about cave exploration is that you don’t have to do it.

Cancer (June. 21 – July. 22): You must meditate and have patience Cancer, for good fortune is coming your way. Just don’t blow it. Let’s face it, you probably already did. Tip of the day: Gotta wait until next year.

Leo (July. 23 – Aug. 22): When is the last time you’ve touched a book? When was the last time you’ve read for that matter? Not to boast, but I don’t read that much. It’s time to go to the library. Tip of the day: Can you grab a dictionary for me?

Virgo (Aug. 23 – Sep. 22): Well look what we have here. It seems like someone forgot their morning coffee, again! Don’t worry, I’ve got some backup coffee in my left pocket. Tip of the day: Just go decaf.

Libra (Sep. 23 – Oct. 22): If you can’t decide on dinner, may I suggest breakfast. You Libras seem to enjoy breakfast foods more than anyone. Go get yourself some pancakes, bacon, and eggs. Tip of the day: Applewood Bacon is the way to go.

Scorpio (Oct. 23 – Nov. 21): Your humor has been a little dry lately. You should grab a glass of water. There, isn’t that better. Maybe just stick to your day job. Tip of the day: Knock knock jokes are not meant for stand up.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 – Dec. 21): What is your favorite dinosaur? Mine is a pachycephalosaurus, their heads look funny. You should look into the Archaeornithomimus, it’s pretty cool. Tip of the day: Long necked dinos are the best!

Capricorn (Dec. 22 – Jan. 19) : Have you always wanted a dragon? Now you, yes you, can have one of your very own! With the very low price of $20 billion dollars, you can rent a dragon for about half an hour, enjoy! Tip of the day: Gather for D&D

Aquarius (Jan. 20 – Feb. 19): Although the weather is not ideal for aquatic activities, that’s not going to stop you. That’s right; the air is cool and crisp, perfect for a dip in the pond. Tip of the day: Don’t forget your floaties.

Pisces (Feb. 20 – March. 20): Don’t get mad Pisces, but I totally stole your whole vibe. Your style, mine. Your personality, mine. Your ID, yeah I got that a while back. Tip of the day: Identity theft is the sincerest form of flattery.