The Observer, Fall 2022 - Issue 8

Student poll: voting habits and motivations

Morgana Carroll Scene Editor

Political analysts across various TV networks and their claims of an imminent “red tsunami,” plagued the airwaves months prior to the 2022 midterm elections. A “red tsu nami” is when the Republican party gets a large increase in votes.

The results of election day sub verted those expectations, and those same analysts said this was largely due to the demographic of 18-29 aged voters.

27% of voters between the ages of 18-29 showed up to vote this year, according to NPR, making it the second largest midterm turnout for that demographic. The highest was 26% in 2018. Out of a poll of 100 CWU students, 63 said that they had voted.

Six local businesses receive grants from Ellensburg Downtown Association

Omar Benitez Staff Reporter

The Ellensburg Downtown As sociation (EDA) announced the winners of this year’s second bi-an nual business awards program.

The EDA awarded six downtown businesses a grant of $1,000 to help make improvements to their busi nesses.

These businesses include Ellens burg Pet Center, Pearl Street Books, Claim Clothing, Yarn Folk, Law Offices of Tony Swartz and Blue Rock Saloon.

According to EDA Executive Director Brenda DeVore, the pro gram was started last year as a way to help struggling businesses during the pandemic.

“There were businesses that knew they had to change the way we’re conducting business and it might cost them money to do the physical improvements and changes they need,” DeVore said. “Maybe they needed to move to an online store model or they needed to implement a POS system for online, we wanted to help them with things like that.”

DeVore said that any business could apply for the program as long as they meet the criteria.

“The criteria is very specific on the contest application and is fairly basic, they need to be located with in the downtown area, businesses have to be in business for a year in order to apply,” DeVore said. “There’s a few other criteria, for in stance [the grant money] cannot be used for employee wages, or a proj ect that’s already been completed.”

Once the business applications met the criteria, they were entered

into the contest where the winners were selected by a jury.

“We put together a jury of lo cal business representatives in our countywide community,’’ DeVore said. “That jury selected our win ners based on the criteria that we required for the contest.”

The awarded businesses then provided a plan to the EDA on how the grant money would be spent.

For Yarn Folk owner Ann Min er, this meant finally getting some lighting upgrades to her shop that she first opened in 2013.

“A project that I had been think ing about for a while was doing some lighting upgrades in my space,” Miner said. “I had a couple of dead spots in the store and had been thinking about how to add some lighting to them and that seemed to fit within the scope of the require ments for the grant, so I applied for the grant and I was very happy to be selected.”

For Liz Stone, owner of Pearl Street Books, this meant getting some new books and other needed upgrades.

“We had a need for a new cred it card processing system and we also wanted to bring in some new books,” Stone said. “We wanted to bring in more travel books, we have quite a few people in the commu nity after those and our section was really small. So now we are able to offer more variety and give people what they’re asking for which is al ways huge with a small business.”

Ellensburg Pet Center owner Daria Wheeler said this grant will help the business get some tech upgrades.

“They helped get a new computer station built for us and a new box,

and it got installed yesterday and it’s up and running,’’ Wheeler said. “So yeah, we were thrilled.”

According to the EDA, the oth er business improvements include equipment replacement and im provement for Claim Clothing, facade and beautification improve ments for Law Offices of Tony Swartz and marketing and website for Blue Rock Saloon.

Business owners expressed their gratification for the support from the EDA and the community.

“I think it’s enormously helpful for small businesses like ours, we’re very small businesses, we don’t have huge staff and Ellensburg is also a very small town so our audience is limited,’’ Wheeler said. “Anytime the city steps in and recognizes that, and is of assistance, it’s always enor mously helpful.”

Miner of Yarnfolk said the collec tive support is really helpful.

“We’re all in this together in terms of creating a vibrant commu nity, a destination that people want to come and visit,” Miner said.

Stone echoed the sentiment of feeling “in this together” with other small businesses downtown.

“It shows the community is be hind its businesses and it shows that they’re willing to actually put mon ey towards the health and the well being of the masses,” Stone said.

DeVore said the sponsorship for grants changes from year to year. This year’s grants were sponsored by Umpqua Bank.

Any businesses interested in ap plying for next year’s awards can stay connected by signing up for the EDA’s email updates on their website.

Mental health grant introduced for wellness at Kittitas County Jail

Rogers Senior Reporter

Kittitas County Jail received a $483,552 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs. These grants are designed to create mental health support programs for in mates in the justice system.

“Somewhere around half, or more than half of people who come through the criminal jus tice system, have either a mental or behavioral health issue or a substance use disorder or both,” Christopher Whitsett, inspector and public information officer at the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Of fice, said.

Whitsett said most people who come through jails are repeat of fenders. To help lessen this, they want to explore different ways to reduce criminal activity.

“If we can break that cycle, and get them to stop committing crimes by helping to provide tools, then that’s what gets us to our mission,” Whitsett said. “Our mission is the peace of the whole community and the safety of the whole community.”

One tool the jail is implement ing is new types of therapy and group therapy. With these meth ods, they want to get people out of cycles of violent and criminal behavior, which will hopeful ly allow the inmates to have a more productive role in society.

Kittitas County Jail is planning to bring on a new case manager

and they hope to bring on an ad ditional therapist.

According to a press release from co.kittitas.wa.us, Kittitas County Jail “[h]as taken a lead ership role in viewing incarcer ation not merely as punishment but an opportunity to intervene in cycles of drug abuse, mental and emotional health issues, and criminal recidivism.”

United States Attorney Vanes sa Waldref said these grants are designed to provide support for improving public health.

“Having that mental health sup port can really be critical for a suc cessful return to work, return to family and return to a healthy and safe environment,” Waldref said.

Waldref said having mental health support programs in ru ral areas, like Kittitas County, is critical.

“I’m thrilled to see these funds going to a county like Kittitas County, that serves so many individuals that don’t have the same resources that are available to them and services that are available as individuals in more urban areas,” Waldref said.

Whitsett said he wants the community to know that this grant isn’t a way to coddle the inmates.

“This is an effort to try to smooth things out for the future so that those people will stop these behaviors and produce higher levels of safety for our whole community,” Whitsett said.

Megan

Paradeofinternationalflags. Photo by Katherine Camarata

Graphic designed by Morgana Carroll

Beyond Our Coverage

Local National Global

A walkout against gun violence was held Nov. 14 due to the fatal shooting at Ingrahm High School in Seattle. The protest started at the school with students marching to City Hall according to King 5.

A new Marriott hotel has made its de but in Ellensburg. The new TownePlace Suites by Marriott is located just off of I-90 and close to campus according to Hotel News.

CWU’s high school Fall Choral Classic Festival will take place on Nov. 15 and 16. Choir faculty and instructors listened to and judged the performance of over 900 high schoolers, according to the Daily Record.

Staff

GUEST COLUMN

Officials from the US and Cuba will meet in Havana to discuss immigration policies amid highest emigration in history according to AP. Authorities stopped over 220,000 Cu bans, a 471% increase.

Suspected gunman killed three Universi ty of Virginia football players and injured two other students. According to CNN, the alleged gunman was on the bus returning from a class field trip from Washington DC, it is still unknown what caused the shooting.

Students from the University of Idaho were found stabbed on Nov. 13, prompting an exodus of students before the holiday week end according to AP. According to the MPD the killer is still at large.

The US Navy seized 70 tons of missile fuel being transported from Iran to Yemen according to AP. The missile fuel was hid den among bags of fertilizer.

The Haititan driver of the US embassy convoy was attacked by armed individuals firing shots in Haiti on Monday, according to a US official and State Department representa tive. The driver had slight injuries but no em bassy staff were harmed, according to CNN.

Residents clashed with police after es caping a mandatory lockdown in Guang zhou in Southern China, according to BBC. Footage showed crowds flipping a police ve hicle and riot teams patrolling the area during a new COVID-19 outbreak.

EPISODES IN THE HERE AND NOW

Dorje Guest Columnist

I was in line at Safeway in El lensburg, and a woman ahead of me had four boxes in her arms that she didn’t put on the conveyer belt, so I placed a plastic divider down with enough space for her boxes. She picked a small package of pretzels off the impulse rack and put them on the belt and lay a dollar on top, still hold ing the boxes in her arms. She moved a step ahead, but she seemed distracted. When her turn at the cashier came, she set down four boxes of organ ic quinoa. I wanted to ask her if she had seen the YouTube video of David Lynch cooking quinoa—very creepy—but I de cided if I asked her, that might seem creepy. She moved robot like, as a Lynch character might in one of his dream sequences. She was going through the mo tions of a person buying qui noa; perhaps, she was on med ication. Each of the four credit cards she proffered was reject ed, and she left the store with her pretzels after a cash sale, as though the boxes of quinoa were merely a prop in the the ater of the absurd. I wonder if she might have anticipated that her cards would be rejected and felt that the small cash purchase would “exonerate” her from judgement.

I was reminded of a scene in Camus’s The Stranger, where a woman sits and eats with Meursault in a cafe. The odd, little robotlike woman is con vergent to his character, both

live in their own worlds out side the judgement of others. The reader starts to wonder if Meursault is himself a robot going through the motions, while asking little else but to continue in these habitual pat terns. Yet Meursault’s apathy is of his own choosing, as he moves toward finding mean ing in a meaningless universe.

“Atanystreetcornerthefeel ingofabsurditycanstrikeany manintheface.”

- Albert Camus “The Myth of Sisyphus”

A sense of absurdity arises out of the conflict between our wanting a world of order and the world of random events that resist our understanding. We duck out of confronting the ab surd because of our difficulty in resolving incompatible aspects of reality. Still, the absurdity of some events is undeniable. Re cently, I saw The March of the Ducks at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee.

How did the tradition of the ducks in The Peabody fountain begin? According to the offi cial legend:

Back in the 1930s Frank Schutt, General Manager of The Peabody, and a friend, Chip Barwick, returned from a week end hunting trip to Arkansas. The men had a little too much Tennessee sippin’ whiskey and thought it would be funny to place some of their live duck decoys (it was legal then for hunters to use live decoys) in the beautiful Peabody fountain. Three small English call ducks were selected as “guinea pigs,” and the reaction was nothing short of enthusiastic. Thus be gan a Peabody tradition. In 1940, Bellman Edward Pem

broke, a former circus animal trainer, offered to help with de livering the ducks to the foun tain each day and taught them the now-famous Peabody Duck March (www.peabodymemphis. com/ducks-en.html).

I relaxed in a deep-seated chair, sipped tea from a cup with a sau cer, listened to the cacophony of voices that has always proceeded this event—and, before tedium set in, I watched a man in uni form shepherd a team of ducks from the elevator, along a red carpet, to the marble fountain in the center of the lobby of the Peabody Hotel. The Peabody is a well-maintained bastion from the Gilded Age, and it resides comfortably in the decadence of the present. Because this hotel is a staid institution, I was not sure how to interpret the spectacle transpiring before me.

The ducks walked the red carpet, in their waddling man ner, as the majordomo raised his cane and drove them along with dramatic gestures. Order of sorts—and continuity. Near ly a century after the inaugural march, ducks still visit the lobby fountain from their room in the hotel at the appointed hour each day. What is this ritual? Does it celebrate a prank? Is it adver tising? Vanity? Or is it just an other distraction in the tsunami of mundane events? There’s lit tle one can do but embrace the absurd while also doing one’s best in the search for meaning. This, according to Camus, is our absurd freedom.

For the listener, who lis tens in the snow, And, nothing himself, beholds

Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is. - from “The Snow Man” by Wallace Stevens

A snow man doesn’t have feel ings, but a poet can use words (perhaps employing Keats’ neg ative capability) to transcend logical meaning and explore what it might be like to be a snow man. “The Snow Man,” a poem by Wallace Stevens, has a lot in it about nothing. Here, nothing is not nothing. To someone with an existen tial orientation, “nothing” is a something to be considered.

Kierkegaard, who believes a human being is spirit, experi ences a gulf between himself and God, a nothingness that terrifies him and that drives him to despair. Dostoevsky’s underground man, in his spiteful and contrary way, professes to believe that, after all, there’s nothing to be done. Focused solely on the being of Being, Heidegger asks, “Why is there something rather than nothing?” Sartre conceives of nothing as the backdrop to what is. Nothingness is an open space that allows us, without God, to make choic es. When Nietzsche’s madman claims that “God is dead!”, a foundational element for so ciety begins to crumble. The madman believes his prog nosis is premature, but by the time Camus writes The Stranger, where a priest en treats the atheist Meursault to contemplate the Divine Face in a sweating rock (his own Sisyphean hellhole), the dissolution of the meaning of “God” is well underway. How, then, are we to act in a mean ingless universe?

Behold the snow man be holding itself and not think ing of any misery! A happy thought. Another reading re verses this and reveals us as empty spirits dwelling in an inhospitable place.

Jampa

“Thenshestoodup,putherjacket backonwiththesamerobotlike movements,andleft.”

- Albert Camus

“The Stranger”

Sharing perspectives

Supportingawareness

Flag parade celebrates students at home and abroad

Beau Sansom Staff Reporter

Waves of multicolored flags flut tered in the wind as a parade of stu dents marched through campus on the brisk morning of Nov. 14.

Domestic and international stu dents alike carried flags that rep resented 67 different countries in a parade to celebrate International Education Week.

The CWU Office of Internation al Studies and Programs (OISP) kicked off International Education Week with a parade through cam pus.

International Education Week is an annual event that takes place be tween Nov. 14-18 in 2022. Its pur pose is to celebrate those who come to CWU from abroad and those who leave to pursue their studies elsewhere.

It’s a celebration of culture ac cording to OISP program coor dinator and CWU alumni Joseph Ollivier.

“The flag parade is kind of the big opening of the entire week,” Olliv ier said. “To have our international students that are here or domestic students that have traveled abroad and have a strong connection with a certain country to come and bring a flag to represent that culture and bring awareness to the diversity of cultures and countries our students represent.”

These students were given a chance to wear their heritage with pride, literally worn in some cas es as various students draped their flags across their shoulders and back.

Oluwaseun Akinsola was one such individual, wearing the flag of his home country Nigeria as he joined the parade. Akinsola is attending CWU to complete his graduate program in chemistry.

“I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time,” Akinsola said. “Ever since we had our first Inter national Week at CWU, when I

realized there was going to be a flag parade I was really excited about it. I wanted to hold my country flag, sing my national anthem and let all see that we are represented here.”

Akinsola and the rest of the pa rade was accompanied by a quar tet of trumpets to help signal the marching of the parade. The route took the participants all around campus, starting at Hebeler Hall 111 and making a loop around the school before returning.

Those who participated seemed to appreciate the significance of the event. Kazuna Oshima studied intercultural communication in Japan and came to CWU to study comprehensive English as a second language. According to Oshima, the parade was enjoyable to be a part of and she felt it was a good opportu nity for representation.

“Through this activity we can rec ognize that CWU is a more diverse university,” Oshima said. “I think 67 countries joined this event, I feel that this is a very diverse universi ty.”

International Education Week is an opportunity to celebrate stu dents abroad from all walks of life, including students such as Giovan na Empronal. She came to CWU from Peru, where she was a prac ticing psychologist for 20 years. Her goal is to learn comprehensive En glish in order to continue her prac tice here in the United States.

“It’s important that university and the people “intercambio” (ex change) the idea that learning is very important,” Empronal said.

The parade of flags was just the beginning of International Educa tion Week; the rest of the week will be packed with events celebrating the exchange of culture at CWU. Be sure to check out the OISP page on the CWU website for more de tails. Students may attend the Fall International Cafe series in SURC 137 on Thursday, Nov. 17 from 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. for a taste of the cultures being celebrated.

CWUhonorsInternationalEducationWeek. Photo by Katherine Camarata

Internationalflaggroupphoto. Photo by Beau Sansom

Participantsmarchtothetuneoftrumpets. Photo by Beau Sansom

Participantswalkassomewearflags. Photo by Beau Sansom

CWU AFROTC honors Veterans Day with 24 hour vigil

Couch News Editor

Senior Cadets of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) started their rotational shifts of a 24 hour vigil for Veter ans Day starting at midnight on Nov. 11.

Senior cadets from the AFROTC took shifts standing guard in front of a memorial outside of Lind Hall. According to AFROTC Se nior Cadet Sophia Apostolides, the vigil and the memorial are a tribute to American prisoners of war (POW) and missing in action (MIA) personnel.

“The vigil is a reminder and a way to honor all the prisoners of war and missing in action air men and soldiers and marines that have come before us,” Apos tolides said. “It’s a way for us to honor, especially everyone here in Ellensburg and the Kittitas Valley community.”

Along with the memorial, an information table with photos, plaques and other items involv ing POW and MIA soldiers was displayed.

Apostolides said there are sev eral AFROTC members who have become POW and MIA that have come out of CWU. Apos tolides said those circumstances make holding a vigil like this more meaningful to her.

“It’s very meaningful and [spe cial to those] families that are connected to those prisoners of war and missing in action that still come talk to us and talk to our program,” Apostolides said.

Apostolides said CWU has some scholarships under the names of some of the cadets from the program who are POW’s or MIA. One of these scholarships is the Captain Patrick Welch Memorial Scholarship for the AFROTC program.

Captain Welch graduated from CWU in 1975 with a degree in Geography and awaited his assign ment for flight school. Welch lost his life during his sixth overseas mission in a military exercise plane crash in Egypt in 1980.

Senior Cadet Joshua Beddall said this is just one way they are able to honor those who came before them.

“It’s not particularly easy to just stand perfectly still,” Beddall said. “It feels like we can do something to honor the people who [were in] the service before us.”

Apostolides also said that the program holding vigils like this means a lot to the surround ing community as well as the AFROTC.

“We have really good ties and connections with Ellensburg American Legion, the Kittitas Val ley Veterans Association and the Ellensburg Veterans of Foreign War,” Apostolides said. “Having those connections and being able to talk to the people that have come before us and our service members means a lot to them, and it means a huge deal to us.”

Beddall also said that holding a vigil like this is important for more than just members of the program at CWU. He said Veterans Day is a special day for sharing stories.

“I think people stop thinking about the past,” Beddall said. “This is a good opportunity, a re minder to go talk to somebody, go listen to somebody’s story be cause they need that.”

Evan

POWand MIAmemo rialoutside ofLindHall. Photo by Evan Couch

AFROTC Senior Cadet Edward Chaves standing

guard in front of vigil memorial.

POWandMIAplaquedisplayedattheinformationtableofthevigil. Photos by Evan Couch

Veterans parade across downtown Ellensburg

Beau Sansom Staff Reporter

Soldiers could breathe a sigh of relief on Nov. 11, 1918 at 11 a.m. when the Great War came to a close. The fighting was done and the soldiers overseas could final ly return home. 104 days later on that same day and same time, the community around Ellensburg gathered downtown to celebrate with a Veterans Day parade.

This year’s Veterans Day parade kicked off in a big way as hun dreds arrived to show their sup port for those who have sacrificed so much for them.

They did not have long to wait, as the parade arrived with the CWU ROTC Combined Color Guard leading the parade from the front.

Veterans from every branch of the military participated in the march and consisted of partic ipants in wars dating from the Korean war (1950 – 1953) to Af ghanistan (2001 – 2021).

Kittitas County Veterans As sociation President and CWU alumni Ed Barry was in charge of organizing the parade. He has been involved in the planning of every parade over the last 10 years and worked extensively within the community around Ellens burg, even sitting on the advi sory board for the construction management program at CWU. Barry served in the Navy during the Vietnam War, spending 25 months overseas in Vietnam.

“It’s important to turn a page in history,” Barry said. “We want to help people understand who

and what was achieved by being in the military ... It’s something to be proud of.”

Veterans Day is a day to re member those who have made sacrifices to preserve the free dom and ways of life found in the United States.

In honor of that memory, third year CWU history major Josh Brewer attended the parade. As someone whose brother served in the military, Brewer said he believes it is important to show respect and honor to those who have given their time and lives in the service.

“There is definitely a lot of sac rifice that goes into serving in the military,” Brewer said. “I can’t imagine that’s an easy thing to go through, there’s a lot that can hap pen to you when you’re out in the field and I think the unfortunate lot that go through that definitely deserve respect.”

Veterans from several different organizations came together to both support and participate in the parade, including American Legion Vice Commander Robert Granger.

Granger has worked with lo cal veterans from various walks of life, ranging from those fresh out of the service to some in their 90s. Granger spoke of the Le gion’s community outreach and expressed his thoughts on the sig nificance of this year’s parade.

“The parade reminds the com munity that they live every day with people who’ve sacrificed for the country,” Granger said. “They can reach out to us anytime they’re in need of help.”

“The parade reminds the community that they live every day with people who’ve sacrificed for the country.”

- American Legion Vice Commander Robert Granger

Thecrowdwatchesasmilitaryvehiclespass. Photo by Beau Sansom

EllensburgHighSchoolbandplayingintheparade. Photo by Beau Sansom

Veteransmarchwhilecarryingflags. Photo by Beau Sansom

CWUcombinedColorGuardleadingtheparade. Photo by Beau Sansom

Student poll: voting habits and motivations

As youth voter turnout has increased, CWU student voter turnout has also increased.

ASCWU Director of Gov ernmental Affairs Joseph Burke said that more CWU students have been voting recently.

“In the last few years abso lutely we’ve seen an upward trend of students coming in to register to vote and to vote,” Burke said.

The students who voted were asked what they thought the most important issue this elec tion season was.

33 of the 63 student voters polled said abortion and repro ductive rights were the most important thing on the ballot.

The second most important issue according to polled stu dent voters was economic is sues. 13 of the polled students thought that economic topics such as inflation and gas pric es were the most important issues, with the most common reason for this being the uni versal affects the economy has on people.

“Gas prices rising is an issue because we live in a country with very little public trans portation,” second year public relations student Brian Va

lencia said. “If you want to go anywhere outside of town, you need to use a car to do so and that means buying gas.”

Students being unsure of the most important political issue to them was the third most common answer with five an swers. A number of students said they didn’t know a lot that was on the ballot until they were in the process of voting, and four students said that af ter voting they still weren’t en tirely sure what they had just voted on.

Of the 63 students polled, 45 said they felt that the electoral process had little to no fraud. Six said they believed there was widespread corruption in the electoral process, and 12 said they were unsure. 47 of the polled students felt that mailin voting had little to no fraud. 12 out of 63 said that mail-in voting leads to voter fraud and three said they are unsure.

Students who didn’t vote of ten said that the reason they didn’t vote was because they didn’t know how.

“I registered to vote, but I didn’t know what I was sup posed to do to actually vote,” freshman computer science student Monalisa Tauanuu said. “It just feels like the re sources that tell you how isn’t very accessible.”

Third year biomedical science student Dylan Arrendono said the reason he didn’t vote was because he didn’t feel his vote mattered.

“I just feel like my vote wouldn’t matter either way,” Arrendono said. “It just isn’t impactful.”

CWU voting center encouraged student involvement

Megan Rogers Senior Reporter

CWU helped to engage students in the voting process on Nov. 8 through a voting center located in the SURC.

“If they haven’t received their bal lot from whatever county they’re from, from wherever they live, they can come here and get that ballot and be able to vote,” Jerry Pettit, Kittitas County auditor, said. “Then we’ll get it sent to [whichever] county they live so that that ballot and their vote can get counted.”

Evelyn Roehn, a senior studying political science and law and justice, was organizing the voting center. She said having this place is import ant because sometimes students may not know where to go to vote.

Roehn said engaging with college students is important because some of them may be voting for the first time.

“Getting their vote [and] their voice out there is important be cause that shows what voting will look like in the future for the next generation,” Roehn said.

Roehn said that having this vot ing center on campus is also im portant because typically, students have a tendency not to vote.

Yaritza Granados-Montes De Oca, junior studying safety health management and risk insurance E.P. management, said she voted because she came from a family who couldn’t vote.

“I believe that I have a voice and I should use it to the best of my abil ities and vote for people who can represent me and people like me,” Granados-Montes De Oca said.

Granados-Montes De Oca said the issue that was most important to her was abortion.

Noel Trujillo-Garcia, sophomore studying physical education, said he voted because other people like his parents don’t have the opportunity to vote.

“I’m Mexican, all [of] my family came from Mexico. So what I wor ry about the most is how residents view immigration, Border Patrol, ICE,” Trujillo-Garcia said. “My parents, they’ve been trying to get papers here for … about 20 years basically, so that’s something that I look into.”

Tamara Caulkins and Barba ra Bicchieri from the League of Women Voters were also at the voting center in the SURC.

Caulkins said the message they hope to get across to students is that their vote matters.

“You can’t have a democracy if people don’t vote,” Bicchieri said.

Caulkins said it is important to engage with college campuses. Stu dents have their minds open and they look at many different per spectives.

“As a college student … that open education that helps you to see a lot of different sides so that makes you a really educated voter,” Caulkins said. “Those are the people, espe cially that we need to be thinking through how our country should be governed.”

Graphic designed by Morgana Carroll

Graphic designed by Morgana Carroll

Speed dating for equity: a sense of belonging found in the ‘Burg

Andrew Ulstad Kat Cardenas Staff Reporters

The sound of chatter in mixed languages echoed through the lofty ceilings of the Hal Holmes Com munity Center on Nov. 12 for Be longing in the Burg. Community members from many walks of life gathered to search for what it means to belong in Ellensburg.

According to organizers, it was designed to bring the truth of par ticipants’ life experiences to the surface through group discussions in a low stress environment using a “World Cafe” discussion model.

In this model, groups discuss a question at a table for a set amount of time, then rotate to another table with the next question. The event held a calm and welcome atmo sphere with food and refreshments offered.

City Councilmember Nancy Goodloe said the World Cafe mod el was a perfect fit for this event.

“The goal is to help people gain understanding and appreciation for people who are different,” Goodloe

said, “We believe the only way that we can really make any significant change in Ellensburg is if we help develop relationships…[so] we wanted a model where the com munity members could talk to each other.”

The goal of the event was to increase the sense of belonging among all groups of people living in Ellensburg, according to event organizer Nicole Klauss. Members of local non-profit Allied People Offering Year-Round Outreach (APOYO) were scattered through the crowd to learn what new ser vices the community may need.

“This is the way you have to do this,” APOYO board member Mer cy Gipson said. “Community com munication is always number one. Without communication, our life is nothing.”

Gipson said she believed this event was an important first step in improving Ellensburg’s overall welcoming atmosphere toward un der-represented communities.

This was the first Belonging in the Burg event that has been host ed, with partnerships by CWU,

the City of Ellensburg, Ellensburg School District and Dispute Reso lution Center.

CWU, the Ellensburg School District and City Council have an agreement in place to collaborative ly host more community conver sations in the future, although no specific topics have been chosen at the time of publication.

Some event goers were close to

home. Cheryl Cox, CWU alumni, attended the event to reconnect with her community.

“It is incredibly welcoming,” Cox said. “I got my man and just was like, ‘Hey, let’s check this out’...we came down to see the people from my class [at CWU]. I mean, the Spanish speaking, the diversity… people come from all over just to accommodate a sense of security.”

According to Cox, opening these conversations is the first step in an ongoing dialogue.

She said she believes “just seeing people with different perspectives of what would feel comfortable for the other person” is enough to keep the process moving forward.

“Listen to others and be open minded,” Cox said.”Volunteer outside of your comfort zone.”

Cryptocurrency and how it impacts the environment

Morgana Carroll Scene Editor

Bitcoin, the first ever cryp tocurrency, was established in 2009 has grown in value astro nomically according to Forbes. Forbes estimates that if you in vested $1,000 in Bitcoin when it first launched, it would be worth $41.5 million today.

As Bitcoin and other crypto currencies have grown, envi ronmentalists like CWU Biol ogy Professor Dr. Clay Arango have voiced concerns about the impact they could have on the environment.

“It’s a lot of energy,” Arango said. “Of course, if that energy is coming from carbon inten sive sources like coal, natural gas or petroleum, then you get all those associations with air emissions.”

According to CWU Eco nomics Professor and Sustain ability Economist Toni Sipic, cryptocurrency is a non-cen

tralized currency, which means that it is not connected to any one source or entity like national currencies are. Ever since Bitcoin’s creation and its spike in value in 2018, more cryptocurrencies have been showing up.

Sipic said the majority of cryptocurrencies are produced through a process called min ing, which is when a computer solves a complex algorithm. Sipic said this process is called “proof of work.”

“So those [crypto] miners back up that value by the capital and the energy that they put in to wards making coins,” Sipic said.

Sipic said this “proof of work” process is where the majority of the environmental impact is coming from. According to Sipic, the energy used from crypto mining is equal to the amount of energy Finland uses in a year.

Arango said one of the rea sons that the emissions are a

concern is because a majority of the power used is produced by coal power plants.

“In terms of air pollution, if we’re talking about the emis sions from the coal powered plants, the carbon dioxide put into the air is for all intents and purposes for the human civilization lifespan irrevers ible,” Arango said.

According to Arango, atmo spheric carbon takes 100 - 2,000 years to break down, and the ocean acidification that carbon emissions cause can take 1,000 - 100,000 years to reverse.

Another thing that Sipic no ticed is the real estate around the hydroelectric plants have recently been occupied by cryptocurrency miners.

“[The] Columbia River is right here and we have lots of hydroelectric dams and elec tricity is cheaper and cheap er right next to those dams,” Sipic said. “We had aluminum smelters that were there, and

now we have Bitcoin miners as well as data farms for Google and Amazon.”

Sipic compared cryptocur rency to tulips in the Nether lands: the value of cryptocur rency is speculative, which means that instead of being backed up by gold or silver like the U.S. dollar, its worth is determined by how much the people investing in it think people will desire it in the future. The value of crypto currency today and the value of tulips in the Netherlands during the 1630s were entirely created based on their demand and the demand that people thought they would have in the future.

“Values are something that humans create in their heads, there’s no such thing as a price lying around,” Sipic said. “Just like back in the day in the Neth erlands, the tulips had humon gous values that [were] greater value than a whole house. And

that’s because humans decid ed that’s the case, not because that’s the intrinsic value.”

Much like tulips in the Neth erlands, Sipic predicted that cryptocurrency will not hold its value forever.

Sipic said that economists argue that cryptocurrency doesn’t have to have a negative impact on the environment because of the new “proof of stake” system that is used in cryptocurrencies such as Ethe rium.

According to Sipic “proof of stake” gives cryptocurren cy value based on the amount held by owners, similar to how the stock market works. Sipic said that while this is better for the environment since it doesn’t require mining, it being based on the amount owned does make it more cen tralized, since it is a more cen tralized system he cannot see it becoming more popular than “proof of work.”

HalHolmesCenterattachedtotheEllensburgPublicLibrary. Photo by Katherine Camarata

Psychology building melts into amorphous blob

Katherine Camarata Satirist

The psychology building’s struc ture provides more ambiguity than an inkblot Rorschach test, featuring lines, levels and angles seemingly on a path to nowhere.

The perplexing hub of insight is verifiably haunted, haunted by the fixation of psychology students try ing to study their way out of their own disarray and the ghosts of re pression past.

Rumors have been circulating about the need to replace the Psy chology building, which was first constructed in 1973. A failed trans former had to be replaced last fall, but more than merely the trans former got a new look.

The entire building was remolded into a giant block of clay and scram bled like the brains of people who get one too many MRIs to help re search students get decent grades.

CWU students noticed this shift on their way to class.

“I was on my way to Psychology of Language and I started feeling something dripping on my shoul der,” senior in the graduate pro gram Testa Money said. “It was the actual building, the concrete was melting and forming into a puddle of goop. I thought I accidentally left my VR helmet on too long after the last experiment I was bribed with extra credit to participate in but when I went home later, I couldn’t get the building out of my hair.”

As the corners of the building slowly oozed and found their way to the edges of the foundation like a flower blooming, students and pro fessors escaped the dwindling re mains puddling around the corner of Walnut St. and East Dean Nich olson Bvd., rushing toward Brooks Library, arms flailing.

Many spectators thought the phenomenon to be a secret art in stallation on the loose from Randall Hall.

“How did this get out here?”

Shifty Art Professor Shirley Whirly shrieked as passersby panicked. “This was never supposed to see the light of day.”

Other bystanders hypothesized that it may have been caused by something more sinister.

“Global warming is melting us all, like one big pot of cheese fondue, only the cheese is human life as we know it and the bread is the earth’s crust,” Random Mad Scientist liv ing behind Brooks Library said.

The building began to seep to ward the fences surrounding the construction underway in Nich olson Pavilion. A seventeen ve hicle traffic jam resulted from the blocked road as firefighters on the scene were unsure whether the road was obstructed by a solid or a liquid, consequently leading to the loss of their jobs.

“I didn’t need this job anyways,” former firefighter Moist Hose said indignantly. “This school can be left to deal with the consequences of buildings that looked like they were

OPINION SECTION

Top 10 Hip-Hop Albums of the 2010s

Favorite three songs: G.O.M.D., A Tale of 2 Citiez, January 28th

8. AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP- A$AP Rocky (2015) - A$AP Rocky’s sophomore album was much more experimental than his previous work. He took a deep dive into psy chedelic rap and the world of hallu cinogens and we see that influence heavily on this album. Rocky’s flow, swag and charisma take over this album and he makes his presence felt. The production is also excellent and has quite a few great samples on it. This all comes together to make Rocky’s best album.

Favorite three songs: Excuse Me, L$D, Jukebox Joints

7. DAMN - Kendrick Lamar (2017) - This was the first rap al bum to ever win a Pulitzer Prize, it was also Lamar’s highest charting album of his career and deservedly so. At this stage in Lamar’s career, his wordplay and storytelling ability is nothing short of elite. He touch es on topics such as racism, love, depression and even responded to some of his critics. On the song DUCKWORTH, he tells one of the most interesting stories in HipHop. Lamar is on the pinnacle of rap and he shows it on this album.

Favorite three songs: YAH, ELE MENT, PRIDE

Compton and all the struggles that came along with it. He talks about being a good kid in a “mad city” like Compton and dealing with gangbanging, murder, and all the dangers that come with being an adolescent Black male such as the constant peer pressure from his friends. The album was executively produced by Dr. Dre and is the lon gest charting hip-hop album of all time for a reason.

Favorite three songs: B*tch, Don’t Kill My Vibe, Compton, Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst

3. 4:44 - JAY-Z (2017) - His 13th studio album, (all platinum by the way) his first in four years, and per haps his most intimate and mature one. On this album JAY-Z goes into his infidelity with his wife, R&B artist Beyonce and the struggles he’s had dealing with himself and his marriage afterwards. He talks about killing his ego and moving past his old self for the sake of his new family. Other topics he raps about include being raised by a lesbian mother and institutional racism. All these topics make for a great listen.

Favorite three songs: Bam, Moonlight, The Story of O.J.

ible funk and soul filled album that takes inspiration from 1970s R&B and soul. With samples from The Isley Brothers, George Clinton and so many other great samples, the production was meticulous. This album is the epitome of a conscious album, tackling topics like institu tional racism, police brutality, Black on Black violence and depression. It even includes a surprise Tupac in terview. This album is truly a great album that’s deserving of the top spot.

Favorite three songs: King Kun ta, Alright, U

Honorable Mentions

DAYTONA - Pusha T (2018)Production was all done by Kanye West and Pusha, and it comes with bars to match the energy. This is highly regarded as Pusha’s best al bum and I agree., It was Grammy nominated and you should definite ly check it out.

We got it from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service - A Tribe Called Quest (2016) - The reunion we all wanted for one last album, this legendary group’s last hurrah deserves a listen. It also served as Phife Dawg’s last work before he passed.

Omar Benitez Columnist

I wanted to start off by saying I feel terrible about leaving out so many good albums. Only 10 can make the list, so honorable men tions are listed after. Now on to the official Top 10 list:

10. 1999 - Joey Bada$$ (2012)Every time I listen to this album, I am still absolutely amazed that a 17-year old made it. The Brooklyn rapper has a real nostalgic feel on this album, very strong ’90s vibes with jazzy beats and a classic New York flow. He is fully supported by his fellow Pro Era group members throughout the album and even a song that includes every single Pro Era member. All this makes for an instant classic, and to this day this album is such a vibe.

Favorite three songs: Third Eye Sh*t, Snakes, Killuminati

9. 2014 Forest Hills Drive - J. Cole (2014) - Double platinum with no features, should I keep going? Not only were there no features on the album but it was almost all entirely produced by Cole himself. A legend of the game in his own right, this album is him at his peak. He comes with that attack, the beat, aggressive style that we know him for but he also touches on more serious topics such as depression and infidelity. He oozes confidence on this album and makes it known he comes for the top.

6. Flower Boy - Tyler The Cre ator (2017) - Flower Boy was seen almost as a coming out album for Tyler. It was an album that re volved around themes such as loneliness, depression, sexuality, love and friendship. On this album, Tyler goes into detail about his sex uality; he talks about his journey of coming to terms with his sexuality and accepting himself and the diffi culties he faced. Tyler truly has had a huge amount of growth over the years and it shows in this well de served Grammy-nominated album.

Favorite three songs: Boredom, See You Again, 911/Mr. Lonely

5. Victory Lap - Nipsey Hussle (2018) - Nipsey Hussle’s only offi cial studio album and also his last before he was tragically murdered. The name of the album was very fitting because it truly was a victo ry lap for Nipsey. The album was long awaited and had a hyped build up that culminated into this Gram my-nominated debut album that fully delivered. The album detailed Nipsey’s upbringing in the gang life of south central Los Angeles and his long journey to becoming a star.

Favorite three songs: Dedication, Loaded Bases, Last Time That I Checc’d

4. good kid, m.A.A.d city - Ken drick Lamar (2012) - Lamar’s breakout album; this album great ly details Lamar’s upbringing in

2. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - Kanye West (2010)When Kanye set out to start this album, right from the start he knew he wanted perfection. From seclud ing himself and everyone involved on the album out in Hawaii, to making featured rappers rewrite their verses several times until he felt they made the cut. He was truly meticulous with everything when putting together this album and trying to make it perfect. I’d honest ly say he very nearly got there and it’s second here for a reason.

Favorite three songs: Devil In a New Dress, Runaway, Gorgeous

1. To Pimp a Butterfly - Kend rick Lamar (2015) - Lamar takes the top spot here with this incred

Watch The Throne - JAY- Z & Kanye West (2011) - Two mas sive legends linking up to make an absolute banger, say no more. This album showcases some of Kanye’s best production, and JAY-Z is in prime form as always.

Birds in the Trap Sing McK night - Travis Scott (2016) - This album showcases Scott’s unique style that combines and takes inspi ration from southern trap rap and psychedelic rap to make an innova tive album that slaps to this day.

Piñata - Freddie Gibbs & Madlib (2014) - Two vets, rap per Freddie Gibbs and producer Madlib, link up to make one of the best rap albums of the decade. Every time these guys get together they never disappoint.

Photo by Omar Benitez

Photo courtesy of pexels.com

OPINION SECTION

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a touching tribute to Chadwick Boseman… but a bad film

Unfortunately, outside of the touching emotional tributes to Boseman there is not a lot to like about this movie. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever treads upon the same ground already cov ered by its predecessor. The plot of this film is essentially a rehash of the first film’s story from the perspective of a different char acter, Shuri.

her role as the new Black Pan ther. She is forced to battle her desire for revenge against Nam or for the murder of her mother, Queen Ramonda at the halfway point of the film.

a poorly fleshed out villain by many, including film critic Chris van Dijk.

Sansom Columnist

the following ar ticle contains spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever*

It’s been over two years since cin ema fans have had to grieve the loss of beloved actor and “Black Pan ther” leading man Chadwick Bose man. His tragic and untimely death had left many fans to wonder how the Black Panther franchise would continue on without the titular star. Hopes were high after the first trailer for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” dropped back in July, but the question remains, does the se quel live up to the hype?

There are several moments in the film that are emotionally heavy as the absence of Boseman’s char acter, T’Challa, is felt by all of the characters who held him close to their hearts. With the king gone,

Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Shuri (Letitia Wright) and the Dora Milaje led by Okoye (Da nai Gurira) must fight to defend Wakanda from peril at the hands of Namor (Tenoch Huerta), leader of the underwater nation Talokan, as he wages war against the surface world. The shift of focus onto Shuri as the main character was done out of necessity and was handled as best as could be expected. CNN’s Brian Lowry addresses this shift best in his review of the film.

“Black Panther had already been defined in part by its strong female characters, including the king’s loyal guard, the Dora Mi laje, and sister Shuri (Wright), a genius inventor,” Lowry said. “The sequel, however, forces them to grapple with defending their people while in the throes of grief, which, again, mirrors the delicate juggling act the en tire film represents.”

Shuri and Wakanda’s return to the big screen is just as action packed and visually stunning as the previous films with proba bly the best musical score out of the Panther franchise, courtesy of returning composer Lud wig Göransson. Unfortunately all of the flash, amazing music and top-tier acting in the world cannot save a movie with a bad script, and the script for Wakan da Forever is downright lazy. Film critic Richard Brody makes an excellent point about the film’s script in his own article.

“The images of Wakanda For ever allow for little creative in terpretation,” Brody said. “The performances are slotted into the plot like puzzle pieces. The script is the main product, and it’s en gineered with the precision of a high-tech machine, with all the artificial artistry to match.”

My biggest problem with the movie is how it handles its char acters, both returning and new.

Shuri was a character with a great deal of potential and im mense room for growth as she was slated to be the star of the film. Unfortunately the writers decided to give her the exact same character arc as her broth er T’Challa in the previous films. In this movie, Shuri must accept the mantle of responsibility in

This character arc is essential ly a one-to-one redo of T’Chal la’s journey in not only the first Black Panther but in the charac ter’s debut film “Captain Amer ica: Civil War” where he must learn to let go of his need for revenge after the film’s villain, Zemo, kills his father. Following the events of Civil War, T’Chal la himself would re-evaluate his growth as a person during his showdown with the vengeance driven villain Erik Killmonger in Black Panther, echoing the same themes present in Civil War. With Shuri now having to overcome a lust for vengeance against Namor, that makes this the third time this character arc has been used in the Black Pan ther franchise.

Speaking of Namor, his char acter is essentially the same as Killmonger in Black Panther, a powerful individual seek ing vengeance for the wrongs committed against his people at the hands of colonization. Like Killmonger before him, Namor commands an immense amount of power as ruler of Talokan, and is given every opportunity to use it to right the wrongs against his people in a peaceful manner and yet refuses to out of sheer hatred. The only real difference between Namor and Killmonger is that Namor can breathe underwater and fly. Fishmonger was the lat est in a long line of weak Marvel villains, ripping off Killmon ger who is already considered

“We don’t see and only get a vague idea of Killmonger’s ac tivist education,” van Dijk said. “A great part of his mission was motivated by vengeance and this makes more sense, yet the film keeps reminding us of his more noble intentions. All of this would have been interest ing to explore, but since this is a Marvel film, we only get the bare minimum of his interesting motivations.”

Perhaps the most frustrating addition to the film is the char acter Riri Williams played by Dominique Thorne. Riri is a brilliant young inventor who accomplished the unthinkable by constructing a device that can locate and mine deposits of vi branium, the coveted super-met al thought only to be found in Wakanda. Unfortunately, Riri is given absolutely no character development in this movie as most of her dialogue is filled with nothing but quippy one-liners and science gibberish. She feels more like a plot device than a character, which is a shame be cause Dominique Thorne is clearly a talented actor that de serves better than what the script gave her to work with.

Black Panther: Wakanda For ever is a film that had a mountain of challenges to overcome before its release and unfortunately it just couldn’t conquer them all. Despite the respect and adora tion shown to Boseman in the movie, the script and character directions ultimately keep the movie from being the master piece it could’ve been.

Don’t sleep on the Trail Blazers

The Pacific Northwest is becom ing a hub of the sports world once again. The Seahawks find them selves at 6-3 and on top of the NFC West, thanks to the resurgence of Seattle legend Geno Smith. The Mariners made the playoffs for the first time in two decades this past fall, and have the heroics of Julio Rodriguez locked up for the fore seeable future.

But, a little south in rainy Ore gon, the Portland Trail Blazers are taking the NBA by storm.

This season sees the return of

superstar six-time All-NBA sixtime All-Star point guard Da mian Lillard to the line-up, after being out for the majority of last season due to recovery from ab domen surgery.

As of the time this was writ ten, Lillard is averaging 28.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game this season, on 66.2% true shooting.

One would think that with num bers like those, Lillard might not be getting much help. However, unlike years past, that is not the case.

Fifth-year breakout-star An fernee Simons is averaging 22.1

points, 2.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game this season, while doing it on 55.7% true shooting.

Newly acquired Portland-born forward Jerami Grant is also av eraging 19.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists on 61.3% true shooting.

In previous years, Lillard has taken far worse rosters deep into the playoffs. In the 2018-19 season when the Trail Blazers made it to the Western Conference Finals, the two starting forwards, Moe Harkless and Al-Farouq Aminu, averaged 17.1 points per game combined; less than Grant is aver aging on his lonesome.

This season also brings reno vation on the defensive end of the ball, with the team currently sitting at the 5th in the league in defensive rating, up from last year when the Trail Blazers were dead last at 30th in the league.

This change can be linked back to head coach Chauncey Billups, who made the All-Defensive team twice in his playing career, and was a part of Pistons teams that consistently ranked top ten in defensive rating.

Arguably the biggest change from previous Trail Blazers teams to this year, is players other than Lillard be ing able to perform in clutch-time.

Simons has one game-winner

this season (against the Phoenix Suns), Grant has two (against the Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoe nix Suns) and forward Josh Hart has one (against the Miami Heat).

All of these changes have the Blazers sitting at a 9-3 record, and second place in the western con ference. The last full season Lillard and the Blazers were fully healthy, they were third in the western conference and were four games away from the NBA Finals.

Now, Lillard has a far better ros ter, and is looking as good as he did that season. I fully believe that if there was any year for the Blazers to go all the way, this would be it.

Beau

*Warning:

Isaac Hinson Columnist

ChadwickBosemanatComicCon. Photo courtesy of Flickr

Matt Poquette swoops into senior campaign

Jahleel Breland Staff Reporter

Men’s basketball forward Matt Poquette said he has been play ing the game of basketball for as long as he can remember, but it wasn’t actually the sport he first fell in love with..

“My first love was actually football and then once I got to jr. high, around 7th or 8th grade, I hit a big growth spurt,” Po quette said. “I’ve always played basketball but it wasn’t really my passion. Once I hit that growth spurt I kind of just realized I was getting good at it and decided to stick with it.”

Ultimately sticking with the game of basketball led the Mor ton, Washington native to play throughout college. With his se

nior season of college basketball on the horizon, he is anticipat ing a big year.

“Individually I want to improve on what I did last year and take on a bigger role,” Poquette said.

Last season he averaged 12.8 points per game and led the Wildcats with 5.5 rebounds per game.

Poquette said, “one of my main goals is to make the all conference team, but really my main focus is just doing whatev er I can to help us win games.”

Poquette believes his versatili ty is one of his biggest strengths he provides to the team.

“I can do alot of different things on the court. I can de fend, rebound, pass, I can score; just being able to plug into dif ferent roles depending on what

the team needs that game,” Po quette said.

Poquetts’ efforts last season helped propel the Wildcats to a 17-9 overall record and an ap pearance in the GNAC champi onship where they fell short to University of Alaska Fairbanks.

This season, Poquette and the Wildcats hope to improve upon last year and make it to the na tional playoffs.

“I think we’re just looking to keep getting better everyday and see where that leads us but the ultimate goal is to make the conference tournament, and go win it and go as far as we can in the playoffs,” Poquette said.

Outside of playing basketball, Poquette likes to keep up with the NBA and watch his favorite player Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Returning players shape WWB

Kimberly LaRiviere Staff Reporter

This year’s women’s basket ball team shows three key re turning players - Valerie Huer ta, a sophomore point guard; Tori Maeda, a redshirt junior guard; and Samantha Bowman, a redshirt senior center.

Assistant coach Jessica Rich ardson is looking forward to what these key returning play ers will bring to this basketball season.

“They definitely impacted last year and they had a huge part in what we did last year,” said Richardson. “We’re excited to have them again and to see where they take this team for this year.”

Head coach, Randi Richard son-Thornely said that the key returning players give confi dence to the newcomers.

“They have a lot of experi ence and give confidence to the rest of the team,” said Richard son-Thornley. “They can be calm, cool and collected under pressure because they know our system and have confidence in our plays.”

Both Richardson and Rich ardson-Thornley agree that the key returning players influence and shape practices and game plays.

“Valerie is only a sophomore but she had a lot of experience last year,” Richardson said.“We lean a lot on Sam and Tori, as our captains this year, to be able to help the younger class play to the level we expect. They bring a lot of experience, leadership, and energy to practice.”

Richardson said that during games, what’s great about the returning players is that they all have different strengths.

“Tori is a great shooter and also a great facilitator,” Rich ardson said. “She gets the ball into the hands of who we want it to get to. Valerie can knock it in from past the three point line, she has a lot of different as sets and can get a bucket when she wants. Sam is an all-Amer ican and has great moves. She can score inside but she can also score from the outside.

Richardson-Thornley said having the returning players also gives confidence to the coaching staff.

“We have great returning players this year and that’s the goal, to have a long succession of returning players,” Richard son-Thornley said. “As a coach, you develop those same skills in the new players as what the key-returning players have.”

The short term goal for this year, Richardson-Thornley said, is to improve and chal lenge themselves every single day and ultimately achieve the long term goal of being cham pions.

“Day-to-day, we want our girls to be the best they can be, we want them to compete in every single thing they do,” Richardson- Thornley said. “We also want them to be the best women they can be.”

Richardson-Thornley said that what she is looking for ward to this years competition and seeing the journey as the year goes on, “It’s a really fun process,” she says.

MBB’s

WomensBasketballseenhuddledtogether.

Photo by Jacob Thompson / Thompson Sports Photos

Womensbasketballteamphoto. Photo by Jacob Thompson/Thompson Sports Photos

PoquetterisingoverUniversityofAlaskaFairbanksdefendersforthejumpshot. Photo courtesy of Matt Poquette

Poquettesoarsfortheslamdunk. Photos courtesy of Matt Poquette

PoquettefloatstheballoverUniversityofAlaskaFairbanks defense.

Women’s rugby team celebrates seniors and looks forward to playoffs

Isaac Hinson Sports Editor

The regular season for the women’s Rugby team has come to a close, and the Wildcats sit with a 4-3 record as they pre pare for the D1 Elite Semifinals.

Before the game, the Wild cats found themselves cele brating their seniors, Keia Mae Sagapolu, Shona Kennedy and Madison Hadden.

“It’s bittersweet,” Hadden said about being honored at senior night. “Everyone knew it was our last game in Ellensburg, which was a weird feeling. It was nice to be celebrated. You put in all this hard work and dedication over these four years, and you kind of get it back on that day.”

After the celebration, the Wildcats went to battle with the Life University (LU) Run ning Eagles, ultimately falling short 15-19.

“Unfortunately, we didn’t win,” Hadden said. “We were up the entire game until the last three minutes when they scored, which was disappoint ing, but we’re going go play them again next week in Mary land. This time for revenge.”

As Hadden alluded to, the Wildcats will be playing LU again on Nov. 19 at the D1

Elite Semifinals in Maryland for a chance to play in the championship game in Char lotte, NC.

“Same business as usual,” Hadden said about how the team is preparing for the up coming game. “Putting in the hard work… We’re here nonstop everyday, putting in two hours of practice everyday and lifting heavy… We know we can beat them.”

Hadden talked more about how the Wildcats are preparing for the pivotal game.

“We’ve been doing a bunch of film meetings and setting personal goals,” Hadden said. “We’re trying to flip that switch and be confident in ourselves that we can actually win and beat this team, because we can.”

Sophomore hooker Maleena Mero shed light on the mental ity that the Wildcats are going to bring to the upcoming game in Maryland.

“We always have the same mentality, which is ‘Be the storm’,” Mero said. “We want to crush down on the opposing team. But we are definitely go ing to tweak the way that we’ve been doing some things… if you don’t change the way you play, you will never improve.”

To Mero, what makes this team special is the culture

they’ve built as a unit over the course of the season.

“This is the best culture I’ve ever experienced before,” Mero said. “That’s kind of what rug by is known for, that amazing embracing culture, and going all out for the person next to you. We really encompass all of that but also the open-mind edness… Every day in practice we’re passing or tackling with someone new.”

Hadden believes that this year’s team has the ability to go all the way, but it starts with believing they can.

“This is the best year for us to win that national championship and get a ring on our fingers,” Hadden said. “We have some really killer freshmen that came in this year and really bonded and connected well with the team. We’re on top of our game this year, we’re understanding our flow and structure. We ha ven’t really connected as well as we have this year in years past.”

Mero highlighted the fresh men unit as well.

“They were kind of like a firestarter for the whole team,” Mero said. “Everyone upped their game and really got into it. We’ve become very cohesive. We have a lot of chemistry, and that’s what we’re taking into the semifinals.”

Daeon Hudson reflects on football career at CWU

Jacqueline Hixssen Sports Reporter

Redshirt senior Daeon Hudson, along with the 11 other redshirt seniors and two true seniors, embarked on their last football game as Wildcats on Nov. 12 at the annual senior day game.

“It’s going to be emotional,” Hudson said, “It usually takes a while for things to really hit me but Monday morning as I was getting ready for the weight room and I was like, ‘Wow, this is my last week as a college ath lete.’”

CWU took on University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB) where they completed the season with a ‘W,’ finishing the game with a score of 49-14.

The game was held on Veter ans Day. CWU thanked Veter ans by making the game Military Recognition Game as well.

CWU got ahead of UTPB early in the first quarter. In the sec ond half, CWU had UTPB by 21 points with a score of 28-7.

CWU defense shut down UTPB offense, only allowing two touchdowns the whole game, one per half.

The fourth and final quarter went scoreless for UTPB while

CWU secured one more touch down to finalize the score of 4914.

According to Hudson, his fi nal collegiate game and season means more to him than just playing football.

“I always told myself I would be here in the end, [last] June I was able to walk across the stage and graduate, which was a milestone for not only me but my family,” Hudson said. “To be able to play the sport that I love on top of that too has just been crazy.”

The Ohio native moved to Lakewood, Washington his senior year of highschool and attended Lake High School, ac cording to Hudson.

“They [CWU] found me when I moved to Washington … I definitely respect Washington’s game and the athletes they pro duce year after year … I’ve played against some great players here,” Hudson said.

According to Hudson, his col legiate career has not always been smooth sailing.

“There was a time period where I was suspended from the team,” Hudson said. “I was start ing as a sophomore in 2019 but I think I got too full of myself … I wasn’t really going to classes and

my coaches were trying to help me but I wasn’t accepting their help.”

Hudson came back and made moves on the field as well as in the classroom.

“I was on the Dean’s List … I ended up being consistent in my school, too. I had three straight quarters with a 3.0 GPA,” Hud son said.

The following season after being suspended was the 2020 season where CWU played in one game against Montana State University (MSU) before being shut down due to COVID-19.

During the CWU and MSU game, Hudson made 11 tackles including five solo stops, accord ing to Wildcat Sports.

As Hudson reflects on his last season, there is one memory that sticks out.

“Us beating Kingsville,” Hud son said. “That was a great team moment. … We really rode for each other. Coach Fisk always talks about riding for the brand, we rode for the brand that night. OffenseOffense came and they scored on that last drive for a game winning touchdown. It was just a fun night, everybody went home happy.”

MadisonHaddencelebratingwithanembrace. Photo by Jacob Thompson/Thompson Sports

Q&A Q&A

John Barr

Founder of NHLToSeattle, co-host on the podcast “Sound of Hockey”, board member of the One Roof Foundation, and coach of the Washington Wild Female Hockey As sociation and Junior Kraken Youth Hockey programs

What inspired you to get started with NHLtoSeattle?

When I first moved to Seattle I recognized how fertile of a hockey market Seattle was at the time and just figured it would be a great market for the NHL. I researched why they did not have a team and what they would need to get a team and just started talking about it with friends and coworkers. Eventually I wanted to talk about it more broadly, so I took it online.

How has your view on hockey in Washington State changed? It has exceeded my expectations on where it would be at this point. I had a lot of people tell me that this is not a hockey town and the NHL will not work here but my stance was that the NHL will help it grow in the area and become a hockey town. The support from the sports fans has been overwhelming and I have met so many people who jumped into hockey as soon as the Kraken came to town.

What do you love most about hockey? As a player and as someone in the crowd? As a fan, I think it is the anticipation that something great can happen at any moment. It is so fluid and action packed that I find myself literally on the edge of my seat when watching games. As a player, It is the complexity of the game. Not only are you skating on ice but you have to look up to make passes while you keep the puck on your stick as people are barreling down on you.

p.m. Open Mic Night in the Bistro

What would you tell people who are interested in learning more about hockey? I first tell people that you do not have to understand the rules to enjoy the game but if you want to learn more about hockey, try going to a game with a friend that is already a hockey fan. You can then watch it as you see fit and ask questions so someone that wants to help you enjoy a game they already enjoy.

What are your expectations for the Kraken’s second season?

Progress. They have added several quality players this offseason and the expectation is that they will get better. In the early part of the season they are playing better than I expected at this point and now they find themselves in a playoff position. If they can stay in the hunt for the playoffs by the middle of March, anything can happen.

How has having an NHL team in Washington helped youth hockey?

The Kraken have injected a huge level of excitement for youth hockey in the area and the team itself has prioritized growing the game at the lower age groups. In Washington state, USA hockey youth memberships grew 40% between the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons and a big contributor is the excitement for the Kraken. Now that they have seen the team play, there should be another increase in kids wanting to give it a try.

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