CWU UNION PRESIDENTS RESPOND TO STAFFING ATTRITION:
“IT CANNOT BE UNDERSTATED THE TOLL THE ATTRITION IS
TAKING ON ALL STAFF”
Brandon Mattesich Co-Editor-In-Chief
Over the past few years, CWU has taken an attrition approach to decreasing staffing numbers at the university, in response to lower enrollment and lower state budgets. Across the state, different universities have approached these staffing reductions differently, with Western Washington University notably facing campus-wide layoffs in response to the decreased state budgets.
While the general consensus across the assorted union chapter presidents at Central has been that they would rather face attrition than layoffs, the nuance of what attrition effects on CWU’s campus has led to mixed reactions from staff and faculty alike.
Faculty Non-Renewals
A bulk of the recent attrition at Central, according to Kara Gabriel, chapter president of the United Faculty of Central (UFC), has come from non-renewals. Some instructional staff at the university are on either quarter long, year long, or multiyear contracts, and when those contracts are up, the school can either choose to renew them, continuing their employment, or not renew them, effectively letting them go from the university.
“We’ve definitely seen a lot of attrition of faculty,” Gabriel said. “That comes from resignations, faculty who are moving on to other institutions. That is from retirements, folks who are deciding to retire and their positions are not necessarily being filled. And then we also have what are called non-renewals.”
Although it’s nationally fairly common to not renew, the positions at Central that are not being renewed have often been career positions that are now left vacant. “It’s common in higher education for those types of jobs to help fill gaps in Ellensburg,” Gabriel continued. “Those tended to be folks who stayed, though, who live in Ellensburg and have been here for decades. It has been hard to see folks that we’ve worked with for decades not be renewed.”
Terll Stone, chapter president of the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE), aligned non-renewals with layoffs. “Western’s doing layoffs. Central has been doing that for years. They’re just calling it something different,” Stone said. “Central just laid off a ton of adjuncts last year, and they don’t deem
“Western’s doing layoffs. Central has been doing that for years. They’re just calling it something different.”
-Terll Stone, WFSE chapter president
that as a layoff, because what they did is they just didn’t renew their contracts.”
The long term effects of this type of attrition is where Gabriel pointed most of her concern. “If people are resigning from Central, if they’re not being renewed, faculty who have multiple job opportunities may look not just at the cost of living in Ellensburg, but at the stability of jobs in Central, and may think twice about coming, and that’s my concern,” Gabriel said. “I want the best faculty possible for our students, and I think we have it now, but I’m looking to the future, and I want us to continue to have a good reputation.”
Stress on Administrative Assistants
Both UFC and WFSE shared a common sentiment, one that was echoed by Ray Wells, chapter president of the Public School Employees of Washington (PSE): that the bulk of the stress of attrition, at this time, is falling on administrative assistants.
According to Wells, the attrition model has caused increased workloads for these assistants. “We have administrative assistants in each of the colleges who are covering at least a second department,” Wells said. “It’s pretty much a different model in each of the colleges. [The] College of Business currently has one administrative assistant covering all four departments, and since those include two departments that each have two co-chairs, they’re reporting to six chairs within four departments, and all of the faculty of that department that they have to work with, and all the students in that college [they] serve. It’s a huge, huge ask for them.”
Stone talked about how his wife, who is a member of PSE, has personally experienced the effects of the increased workloads being placed on administrative
assistants. “My wife, she moved departments, so now there’s no longer a secretary in the computer science department,” Stone said. “So all the work that she used to do for computer science still needs to be done, but they chose not to refill that position. So all that work that was being done by my wife … is passed to somebody else … and right now the math department secretary is doing some of that work. Now that secretary, or that administrative assistant, has a lot of backing from their department chair, so what they’re taking on is very limited. But you have administrative assistants that are doing the full workload of two departments under one FTE of pay.”
“They’re essentially doing the work of two people because one person left,” Stone continued. “You’ve got others that are doing it for three departments, four departments. The work still has to be done, but they’re passing it off to one person to do two people’s work. Well, then that one person starts getting in trouble for not getting all the work done, or getting talked to for not getting all the work done. So they start feeling awful at work. Their stress level goes up, and it’s just untenable. So then they quit.”
“Then it compounds, because now you have a person that was doing two departments’ worth of work leaving, that’s two departments’ worth of work that still needs to be done … and so it just keeps compounding like that at the lowest level,” Stone said.
Other Impacts on Campus
The effects of the attrition model are not just limited to faculty and administrative assistants however, something all three union chapter presidents made clear. “There’s an [empty] instructional classroom technical specialist [position] in biology, and that hasn’t yet been filled and has been sitting vacant for a few months now,” Wells said.
CWU as seen from above. (Photo courtesy of CWU Flickr)
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LETTER from the EDITORS
Hi, howdy, and hello all,
Brandon: Guys I had a great week this week. I saw Doechii on Monday, which was amazing, and now I’m working on this paper which I love. The only thing bringing me down is that we’re closing at the end of the quarter, which means this is one of the last issues I get to make with Jackson as Co-EIC. Operating as the dream team has been, well, a dream and it’ll be a unique challenge to continue this paper without Jackson doing all the work he does. Grateful is my favorite word lately, this week is no different.
Jackson: I first of all want to thank any and all veterans who are either currently, or have served our country. Special shoutout to my dad for his 15+ years of service in the Army and everything he has done to help me become who I am now. I had a chance to go home and see him, as well as other family this weekend so it was great to see them. Less than a month to go until I graduate and I am just soaking up the rest of time here at CWU and of course The Observer. I love what I do and I hate having to count down the days until I have to leave this amazing group of people,
Corrections:
but I am cherishing every last moment I have with this team.
Issue 7 Recap
News this week was really interesting for me to write and I hope something you all find as informative as I did. Attrition isn’t new to Central, but its effects are really starting to materialize and so our coverage will evolve as the situation develops.
This week’s scene coverage goes over Veterans Day in downtown Ellensburg honoring those who have served, and are currently serving this country. An opinion piece covering Gen Z rock and roll diving into the rock band Geese. Finally a look into how many North American Indigenous tribes were matriarchal societies.
The first basketball coverage of the quarter is here after Guard Jordan Clark opens up the season with a GNAC Offensive Player of the week. The Wildcats also start the season 2-1 and have their home opener on Nov. 21 against Chico State University at the Nicholson Arena.
Design this week highlighted a wide variety of stories, and a couple fun pages as well. With the center always working as a design highlight, we have a rock and roll piece that is sure to excite our more visual readers. We also have a single story front page, which we haven’t had much of this quarter. Our designers this quarter have really hit their stride and it’s been awesome to watch their journey so far.
Kelly Boozer’s title was incorrectly attributed to the Wildcat Pantry. Her accurate position is within Basic Needs.
Sports Editor
Brandon and Jackson but two dimensional. (Drawings by Robin MacArthur and Rieley Iverson)
CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE
“The department chair has described the situation as being a safety situation, because they’re dealing with scientific equipment and there’s safety involved there.”
Wells also stated that, “Everyone in our bargaining units has been affected in much the same way, getting more work, largely for the same pay.” Gabriel, on the other hand, touched on how the attrition model has affected campus instructors’ ability to meet workload requirements. “About 80% of our time is supposed to be spent teaching,” Gabriel said. “People are teaching the same number of classes, but there may be more students in those classes now. The other two elements to our work are research and service. And service are things like serving on committees, engaging in professional activities outside campus, community work, that kind of stuff.”
“It has been harder with fewer faculty to get the service work done here on campus. It’s that type of work that tends to eat up your hours sometimes, and so that has been difficult,” Gabriel continued.
Because of the increased workloads, Gabriel shared that faculty’s main concern tends to be about how attrition will affect quality of education at the university. “Where faculty grow most concerned is, are we still serving students well,” Gabriel said. “If class sizes are going up, that gives us less time to work individually, one on one with students, or offer support to one student in a class … If the students’ quality of education is being impacted, they need to let the administration know that. We, the faculty, are still working as hard as we can. We love teaching. That’s why we’re here.”
Stone described how training is becoming a larger issue, as under the attrition model a position is not refilled for typically at least 3-4 months after it is vacated, and because of that gap, by the time the position is refilled, the person with the expertise to train them is gone.
“It gets even worse for staff when we see this and we’re having to pick up the slack for somebody else that leaves and doesn’t get refilled, but we sit here and watch as the upper administrative positions that get paid four times as much as us instantly get refilled,” Stone said. “Or they’re bringing in their
replacement while the person that’s leaving is still there. So this person that’s still there can train them on what they need to be doing. Then we have two people in the same position.”
“In custodial, on Halloween, we had one of our custodian members, Dale Hubbard, retire,” Stone continued. “They will not even post his position to refill it until after he has used up all of his leave. So if he has six months of leave to use before he’s officially retired … he will no longer be working here for six months, using all of his leave, and when he’s officially gone, then they will post the position. Then we have to wait weeks for the posting to be up, for new interviews, for them to finally hire somebody. So it could be six months down the road before his job is even posted. But he’s already gone, and all of his work still has to be done.”
“If
the students’ quality of education is being impacted, they need to let the administration know that. We, the faculty, are still working as hard as we can.
We love teaching. That’s why we’re here.”
-Kara Gabriel, chapter president of UFC
The Future
Gabriel stated that UFC’s main concerns are with the effects attrition will have on future recruitment. “Our concern is that it may make it more difficult to hire more individuals to fill those gaps. If there is a class that students need, we have to try to staff that class. When you live in Ellensburg and you don’t necessarily have a large population base of PhDs to draw from, it may be more difficult in the future to recruit faculty to teach those classes.”
“I do trust that the university is making decisions based on the student numbers, but if we could retain more of those non-tenured folks, then maybe we won’t be so pressed to recruit
“...The more these staff are treated as if our work doesn’t matter, as if we are just some replaceable cog in the machine, the more the quality of everything at Central is going to decrease.”
- Terll Stone, WFSE chapter president
from outside of Ellensburg when our numbers go up for students,” Gabriel continued.
The PSE chapter president, Wells, said that from what he’s seen, morale has been hurt at the university because of the attrition, a sentiment shared by Stone. “It really hurts morale,” Wells said. “I do want to be clear here … I would much rather that we’d be facing attrition than layoffs, but it still is something that has to be managed, and I know that the administration is doing their best at managing it, but it’s definitely hard.”
“If you’re working 40 hours a week and you’re doing everything that you can to get your work done in 40 hours a week, but then you have to do an additional 10 hours work in that same 40 hours, it’s impossible,” Wells continued. “I know it’s not the message that anyone wants to send, but it does make our members feel unappreciated, as though the work that they have been doing isn’t recognized as being a full time job … It’s really hard to get past that and to try and get motivated to get the work [done] that you need to get done.”
Wells also described how his union’s bargaining unit, the group of employees represented by a single union in negotiations with their employer, has been affected due to the merging of positions seen under attrition. A position that was held within his union was merged with one outside of it, and the position that was created no longer falls within PSE’s bargaining unit. “We can appreciate how that happens,” Wells said. “But it means that because the university was able to find another way to get that work done outside of our bargaining unit, that’s probably at least a half time position that would have been filled if it had stayed in the bargaining unit, the financial realities being what they are being.”
As for WFSE, Stone said that he’d like to “go back to seeing staff just be able to be hired.” He added, “It can’t be understated enough the toll that the attrition is taking on all staff. We have a lot of staff that really care about their jobs, a lot of staff that legitimately care about the university, legitimately care about seeing the students get the best that they can from the university, and the more these staff are treated as if our work doesn’t matter, as if we are just some replaceable cog in the machine, the more the quality of everything at Central is going to decrease.”
We want to hear from you.
If you are a student, staff or faculty member at Central and have witnessed or experienced the effects of attrition, positive or negative, and would be willing to share them, you can scan this QR code to share your stories or complaints for our upcoming coverage. Anonymity is optional, and emails are not collected.
WILDCATS START THE SEASON WITH GNAC AWARD:
JORDAN CLARK WINS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Parker Wood Sports Editor
The Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) has announced their first Basketball Player of the Week and the recipient is CWU’s Junior Guard Jordan Clark. The announcement comes close to two weeks after Clark was named to the GNAC Preseason All-Conference Team. Outside of that, this is Clark’s first award in his collegiate career.
In the first weekend of the season, the Junior Guard earned 47 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. Clark is picking up from where he left last season off where he was second in three point percentage in the GNAC and first at CWU in three point percentage and free throws made and percentage. So far, Clark is already leading CWU in three points made, total minutes, free throws made and total points.
Head Coach Brandon Rinta had high praise for the Junior Guard, “Jordan has been a big part of this program since day one. His dedication to the game has been proven by his consistent improvement.”
The Wildcats have started their season playing in the CCA Division II Canadian Tip-off Clas sic against both GNAC and other Division II teams. CWU started with a eight point win over California State University San Bernardi no with Clark leading both teams in multiple stats, such as points with 24 and field goals made with nine. Rinta spoke on Clark’s performance in his first game, stat Clark “showed his elevated level of comfort and confidence.”
Clark continued dominating through the weekend, help ing CWU beat University of Central Oklahoma 75-65. While less impressive statis tically, Clark helped CWU win multiple facets of the game away from Bronchos, such three point shots, throws, and most importantly, points.
For the last day of the Tip-Off Classic, the Wildcats faced the St. Edward’s University’s Hilltoppers. The Hilltoppers ultimately shut down any offense Clark was trying to start, putting him at the bottom of the Wildcats stat sheet. Despite leading the ‘Cats in minutes, field goal attempts, and three point attempts, Clark left the day with only two points, the second lowest of the team.
When asked about the weekend, Coach Rinta spoke on the team’s chemistry through adversity. “The team has been a lot of fun so far,” Rinta said. “They have good energy and enjoy playing togeth er. Unfortunately, we have had some key guys get injured but everyone has done a good job of adapting and adjusting.”
The Wildcats have yet to start their GNAC games and they won’t for another week as their next game will be a part of the West Re gion Crossover, a basketball tournament hosted by Western Washington University. CWU’s first game of the tourney will be against Menlo College on Friday, Nov. 14 in Seaside, Calif. After the tour nament, the Wildcats come home for their first GNAC challenge of the season against Chico State University, for a Wildcat vs Wildcat matchup on Nov. 21 in Nicholson Arena at 7 p.m.
“Jordan has been a big part of this program since day one. His dedication to the game has been proven by his consistent improvement. Opening weekend he showed his elevated level of comfort and confidence.”
- Brandon Rinta, head coach
Jordan Clark at Media Day.
(Photo courtesy of Joe Pumphrey)
OPINION:
The gambling addiction epidemic
The World Health Organization reported that 17.4% of the world’s population has an addiction to gambling. This addiction is on the rise worldwide, specifically, sportsbetting. It’s hitting younger generations harder than before and its impacts are not just limited to the major scandals we see in the news. The amount of gambling problems not only in the U.S. but also worldwide is becoming an increasing concern in today’s society.
Athletes Caught Illegally Gambling
Gambling as a whole has become an apparent issue throughout the sports world as polarizing players and public figures have been found out to have either gambling addictions or having been illegally betting on games. Most prominently as of late was the scandal with former coach of the Portland Trailblazers, Chauncey Billups.
The case against Chauncey Billups is one in which he is being accused of being in the “mafia.” What the case boils down to is Billups was accused of conspiring to rig poker games and get a group of peoples favor using different advanced cheating techniques. His court date is scheduled for Nov. 24 and he has had restrictions as placed as it approaches. He has a no travel hold and one about no further gambling. He also has many no contact orders for the defendants in the case.
Just as recently as this past Sunday, Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were both put under investigation for rigging and illegally betting on games they played in. Clase and Ortiz, both pitchers for the Cleveland Guardians, could be facing up to 65 years in prison.
Another insider trading/illegal gambling scheme that happened just two years ago involved four Detroit Lions players who were caught illegally gambling on games. While the players did not rig the games, all four players were punished with two players receiving a six game suspension and the other two being released from the team.
All of these different situations involve current or former professional athletes. Showing the problems with illegal gambling and the problem with gambling addiction among professional athletes.
Introducing Children to Gambling
Not only is gambling being a problem through adults, gambling is fed to today’s youth through many different methods that many parents aren’t even aware of.
The children of today are more linked to the online space than ever before and some creators and games are using different loop holes to advertise gambling to children. Kary Evan, a business major, shared his thoughts on this by stating, “Just like anything else, companies are going to try to get the younger generations addicted to whatever they are selling.” Many different sources advertise gambling, whether it’s through your phone, video games or even toys that you buy at the store for your child could be all linked to gambling in different ways.
A large way that today’s video game developers advertise to players to achieve certain things in games is through a system called “loot boxes.” These loot boxes would grant you a chance at getting something that you want out of many things that can come out of it. This is gambling being subconsciously added to games to intrigue players
into getting lucky to get the big high value item that they might want.
With children’s toys, it’s no better than video games, with many stores also now coming out with different versions of real life loot boxes. Even the very recently popular Labubu toy line has come out with a line of blind boxes where it has the same effect as the video games loot box as it has a chance to have a high value or a lower value Labubu based on chance.
Advertisement of Gambling
Another thing that has happened that is very apparent is that illegal gambling advertisements have become very regular in the influencer space. Sometimes a popular influencer will post and show their parlay or the bet they have made and not disclose that they are partnered with the gambling company to try and raise the popularity of the company more naturally.
Sports gambling, although typically thought of when thinking of major cities like Las Vegas or Atlantic City, still hits hard on youth and older people in small towns just like Ellensburg. CWU campus has many students that have gambling events in the dorms and off campus.
Evans stated that, “there’s no positive impact on gambling period … It’s just like a drug with the dopamine rush just like any risk with a reward.” Students knowing of the risks they might face when gambling isn’t stopping them as poker nights still take place even with the no gambling policy on the campus.
For those in need of support there are resources at your disposal. You can call 1-800-gambler to get free counseling options to help with gambling addiction issues, as well as
Tage Dayton Columnist
I’m sure we’ve all experienced this before. It’s post-COVID, you’re trapped at home between days of high school classes or college breaks, and your Baby-Boomer parent or uncle gets caught up in a conversation about music with you. It’s futile; they’ll go on and on about the brilliance of unknown bands like Pink Floyd or The Rolling Stones, and in the same breath, silently nod along in apathy as we force them to listen to the sounds of now.
To our parents and relatives, the air smelled different and the messages of music were simple… now molded by sixty years of rose-tinted glasses. So before the cycle inevitably repeats itself, I have found myself in my day-to-day idly thinking about what bands will become these reviled figures. Who will represent Gen Z, the Zoomers, in the coming decades? If you spend some time around the local bands here in town, you’ll hear one name crop up time and time again to fill that role: Geese. Geese, formed in 2016, in Brooklyn, New York, and started off like many other small acts. Their frontman and lead vocalist, Cameron Winter, formed the band when he was fourteen years old with help from his friends at school. Now, in 2025, Geese is a united quintet, touring internationally and appearing on latenight TV. Initially planning on breaking up before they graduated high school in 2020, the band’s first self-released album, ‘A Beautiful Memory’, started to attract attention from indie record labels – including Seattle’s own “Sub Pop” records. What followed was a continuation of their high school jam sessions. After five years and two more studio albums under the record label “Partisan”, their latest album “Getting Killed” released on Sept. 26 to widespread acclaim. With their level of growth and slow amassing of fame, the case can be made that these guys may
be at the forefront of the next generation of rockers. So, is this album any good?
Well, frankly, I think it’s fine. Geese’s music has been described as belonging to many different classifications: indie, art rock, alternative, jazz, prog rock, metal… they have even earned comparisons to the early 00’s sounds of “neo-new wave” and “post punk revival,” typically attributed to bands like The Strokes and Arctic Monkeys. In the 2020s, it’s becoming clear that the natural progression of alternative, artistic forms of genres like rock strive in a communal environment now, and that can be a double-edged sword for a new listener.
On “Getting Killed”, and the rest of Geese’s discography for that matter, songs can range from psychedelic chords laying beneath Cameron Winter’s voice yelping terroristic threats (“Trinidad”) to celebratory plucked strings and swinging, dancing pianos backing Winter’s cries for a lost lover (“Au Pays du Cocaine”). The emotional irregularity of an album like this may turn off the more casual listener, but if you can stomach the tempo shifts and tonal disparities that separate it from the cohesion of a traditional rock album, there are moments of pure, crystal-like quality.
The title track, “Getting Killed” stands out as a show-opener and all-around accessible song for eager ears dropping in. A chanting choir and dry, effect-heavy guitars lead a simple, yet high-energy melody reminiscent of songs like “Bodysnatchers” by Radiohead, or “Fluorescent Adolescent” by the aforementioned Arctic Monkeys. “100 Horses” is another stand-out track, highlighting the writing skills of Geese – in short bursts of surreal, commanding lines of prose, Winter extends every breath he takes like an opera, telling the story of a soldier becoming disillusioned by war, emancipating himself from reality and humanity. A
simple, natural sounding drum break and a progressive buildup of jangling percussion contrast the infectious, raw sound of guitars and pianos.
The album is not without its issues, though. A runtime of over 45 minutes can make some of the longer songs like “Islands of Men”, as well as the less accessible sound of songs like “Bow Down” and “Long Island City Here I Come,” drag on. The production is clean, the direction is grounded and the energy is there for everything; but as a full record, it doesn’t pull me in as much as Geese’s contemporaries have with their studio albums – such as “black midi”, “Protomartyr” and “Black Country, New Road.” Having been released for over a month now, the initial hype has died down and what has remained are the unfiltered takes: it’s not bad, but nothing crazy.
It can feel surreal watching people around our age writing and producing music at this level of stardom. With music being such a powerful medium to spread ideas and cultural expression, they are burdened with the responsibility of creating something that simultaneously flexes their creative aptitudes while also creating an everlasting symbol of expression for us to look back on and relate to. Geese is weird, and they are not for everyone – but I think a lot of us in Generation Z are weird in our own way, too.
Lucas Pierron
Columnist
(Photo Courtesy of Envato)
DOWNTOWN ELLENSBURG PUTS ON A VETERANS DAY PARADE
Ethan Kennedy & Mulholland Dunlap
Scene Editor & Staff Reporter
In honor of Veterans Day, the Ellensburg community was able to come together and show their support, hosting a parade with a headcount of over 100 people. Running down N. Pine St. and ending at Morgan Middle School was a parade of military vehicles and supporters waving from the back of a truck. Attendees were holding tiny American flags while cheering on local Veterans.
Ellensburg High School (EHS) Freshman Zachary Berry said that Veterans’ Day is “a time to really give thanks to the people who sacrificed so much and really put their lives on the line to keep us safe.”
The Kittitas County Chamber of Commerce supported its local veterans and showed appreciation for everything that they have given by hosting the parade.
CEO and President of the Kittitas County Chamber of Commerce, Amy McGuffin, attended the event and was able to provide insight on the preparations and attendance.
“There were less [veterans] in attendance than expected. I spoke with the county commissioner, they said some could not come due to the shutdown furloughs or from not being paid ... There were many people attending from what I saw. The local military group came to show restored military vehicles,” McGuffin said.
EHS Freshman Micah Hammond watched the parade because he wanted to “thank the veterans who fought for us and who went to war to make our country free.”
CWU Physics Professor and Department Chair Erin Craig-Rickertson said he celebrated Veterans’ Day “because the people from our communities who are willing to risk their own safety and put their own lives on the line for the rest of us deserve our respect and honor.”
The parade occurred in downtown Ellensburg on Tuesday, Nov. 11, at 11 a.m. The parade lasted around 30 minutes before wrapping up for the day.
When asked about his favorite part of the commemoration, Craig-Rickertson’s son, Wyatt Rickertson, a seventh-grade student at Morgan Middle School, answered, “I’m not going to lie, probably the band. But to be fair, it was a short parade. If it had been going on longer, I might have had different answers. Let’s be honest, like many parades, the band is one of the greatest points.”
Conversely, Hammond liked seeing the veterans “all riding on the vehicles and seeing them carry a flag at the beginning.”
After the parade concluded, the IAFF (International Association of Fire Fighters) local 663 held a barbecue at the Ellensburg fire station. Guests were treated to music, free food and a flag presentation.
The prolonged effects of the Government shutdown have affected many people, including veterans. However, Ellensburg was able to and will continue supporting local veterans during the year.
The people from our communities who are willing to risk their own safety and put their own lives on the line for the rest of us deserve our respect and honor. “ “
Army/Air Force Senior Vigil. (Photo by Jackson Roberts)
CWU Physics Professor and Department Chair Erin Craig-Rickertson
Flags at ROTC’s Army/Air Force Senior Vigil. (Photo by Rieley Iverson)
THE POWER OF WOMEN IN MATRIARCHAL INDIGENOUS SOCIETIES
Mulholland Dunlap
Staff Reporter
Many North American Indigenous tribes were matriarchal societies. This means that women were their main leaders and governmental figures, according to Alyanna Ayala, the student event programmer at the Multicultural Center (MCC).
As a Navajo tribal member, Ayala lectured about her matriarchal Indigenous society and compared it to those of other Native American communities. As part of her talk, she led an open discussion about the resilience of marginalized women.
Law and Justice Major Bianca Gil De Lamadrid explained that the presentation title, “Time Immemorial,” means “giving honor to anyone that has really put me in the place that I am now here today. For instance, my mom and my grandma.”
Thrive, an Equity Services Council (ESC) club designed for women of color, collaborated with Indigenous Find Your People, another ESC group, to host the 45-minute forum on Nov. 5 at 2 p.m. in Black Hall 201.
“I thought it would be important to have a discussion around these histories that have faced erasure, but also bring into the discussion how we can revive these traditions and bring back these cultural practices that were lost during colonialism,” Ayala said.
History Education Major Rain Call recognized and sympathized with the severe damage that European Americans have done to the Natives over time.
“The only people that can actually truly be considered American are Indigenous people, because they actually have had this ancestry on this continent,” Call said. “But now [white men] are saying that so many people don’t count as Americans, and the ones that do genetically and historically come from far off. They come from Europe, not America.”
Call wanted the term “American” to refer to those who chose to live in the United States. Additionally, she wanted society to highlight how citizens could make the country welcoming for all.
Gil De Lamadrid appreciated the catchphrase at the end of Ayala’s presentation. “Moving
forward, for the seven generations behind and the seven generations ahead,” Ayala said. According to Gil De Lamadrid’s interpretation, Ayala meant that everyone must do their part in making the world better.
“I think we all feel like we can’t make change unless we move this big old rock out of the way,” Gil De Lamadrid said. “It’s not about who can make the biggest change. It’s being able to do your part, even if it is little.”
The two ESC clubs intended to use this gathering to honor Native American Heritage Month, which occurs in November. “Matriarchal Indigenous societies in North America is the foundation of US history,” Ayala said. “That is US history before it was even the United States.”
Overall, Ayala and her co-host, MCC Student Initiatives Coordinator Shadae Ingram, believed that Women in Power Since Time Immemorial and Thrive was a successful event. Ayala highlighted the fact that about 13 people showed up at the event. She felt this was a great turnout compared to other events hosted by Indigenous Find New People.
Conversely, Ingram said, “I based my success on how people feel walking out the doors of my event, not the amount of people.” She noticed that her participants felt content and comfortable sharing their vulnerabilities at her gathering.
However, Ingram felt that “nothing matters more than the interpersonal connections that we built in that room and how far we’re willing to go when we share with each other.”
Photo by Bianca Gil De Lamadrid
Photo by Mulholland Dunlap
Illustrated by Rieley Iverson
WILDCAT WORDS
“1600s
“Jurassic
“Back
Designed by Z Morris
Divined by Ethan Kennedy
Aries (March. 21 – April. 19): It’s time you slay your first dragon. Draw your weapon, take a deep breath and smite thee. Your Knight of the Round Table: Sir Tristam de Lyones.
Taurus (April. 20 – May. 20): Do you feel old yet? You know, the Bee Movie is 18 years old. Don’t panic, you just have to find the fountain of youth. Your Knight of the Round Table: Sir Gawain.
Gemini (May. 21 – June. 20): You must find the holy grail. It will be a treacherous journey. Don’t be discouraged, but once you find it you gotta hand it to me. Your Knight of the Round Table: Sir Percival.
Cancer (June. 21 – July. 22): Mount thy trusty steed. Throw caution to the wind and take to the fields. Just don’t go to the Swamp of Sadness... we all know what happened to Artax. Your Knight of the Round Table: Sir Bedivere.
Leo (July. 23 – Aug. 22): Excalibur! The fabled sword stuck in the stone. One swipe can vanquish any foe. It also takes AA-batteries. Your Knight of the Round Table: Sir Lancelot.
Virgo (Aug. 23 – Sep. 22): You are destined for greatness. A leader amongst leaders. Stronger than kings and queens and all those who stand against you. Rule with an iron fist. Your Knight of the Round Table: Sir Galahad.
Libra (Sep. 23 – Oct. 22): Finally! It’s time for lunch... I’m sorry you said launch? Okay wait- Is this a trebuchet or catapult? Your Knight of the Round Table: Sir Bors de Ganis.
Scorpio (Oct. 23 – Nov. 21): I bet you spend most of your free time out at night. Do you happen to be nocturnal? You would most definitely vibe with the elves. Your Knight of the Round Table: Sir Lucan.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22 – Dec. 21): Merlin’s Beard! What do we have here? Thine constitution holds no candle to the great wizard. But you can still try and cast your little spells. Your Knight of the Round Table: Sir Lamorak.
Capricorn (Dec. 22 – Jan. 19): Have you ever mixed any potions? Well today is your lucky day! Eye of rabbit, toe of toad and a hint of howling wolfs hair. There you are, one potion of instant sleep. Your Knight of the Round Table: Sir Kay.
Aquarius (Jan. 20 – Feb. 19): Behold, the kingdom’s shiniest armor. Told to be able to tank that of the strongest battle axe and swords. That will be 40,000 coins. No waitcome back! Your Knight of the Round Table: Sir Gareth.
Pisces (Feb. 20 – March. 20): Gold and treasure is not what you seek. For it is fame that catches your eyes. One day the red carpet shall be yours, just don’t be surprised that it’s red from the blood of your enemies. Your Knight of the Round Table: Sir Mordred.
