September 30, 2021
Vol. 120 NO. 1
Football expectations remain high after a full year off
What students are seeing as they return to campus By Star Diavolikis News Editor Now that fall quarter has started, students may have noticed slight changes in the COVID-19 procedures set in place by the university. One of these guidelines being while masks are required, no social distancing is required. Students who have attended Welcome Week events or in-person classes may have noticed there are no social distancing guidelines. At the Welcome Week Drag Show hosted on Sept. 19 in the SURC Ballroom, chairs were placed right next to each other with no distance between them besides space to create four main aisles. In classrooms, chairs are not spaced a specific way, and students can sit anywhere. In Brooks library, all social distancing markers are removed. Ryan Mead, a junior majoring in Elementary Education, said her classes were not socially distanced, but rather very full. Mead said she dislikes the choice CWU took by removing social distancing guidelines. “It’s not the best, a lot of my classes are very full,” Mead said. “I felt a bit uncomfortable,” . On the FAQ page of CWU’s website, it is said that “six feet of physical distancing will apply inside classrooms that have been reconfigured.”
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By Jared Galanti Sports Editor
Meet President Wohlpart Learn more about your new President, Jim Wohlpart
Photo Courtesy of CWU, After spending six years at the University of Northern Iowa, Wohlpart took the position earlier this year.
By Sean Bessette Editor-in-Chief Back in June, President Jim Wohlpart stepped onto CWU’s campus for the first time. Over 1,500 miles away from his previous position, Wohlpart began a new adventure as CWU’s 15th President. Wohlpart took the position after spending six years as Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI). Before his time at UNI, Wohlpart served in several academic and administrative positions at Florida Gulf Coast University, including Dean of Undergraduate Studies, Associate Dean in the College of Arts and Sciences and Chair of the Division of Humanities and Arts. He holds a doctorate in English from the University of Tennessee, received his masters in English from Colorado State University and his bachelors in English and Philosophy from the University of Tennessee. Well-traveled,Wohlpart brings a collection of experiences to fill the shoes of former President James Gaudino. *Disclaimer: Q&A has been edited for lengthiness and readability. Q: What about CWU, or the larger Ellensburg area, attracted you to this position?
A: “This was the only presidency I applied for and I applied because of the way in which faculty and staff touch students’ lives and help them see a potential that they may not have known they had, and then help them get really good at that and succeed later on.” Q: What has the adjustment from Northern Iowa to Central Washington been like? A: “Seamless. There’s a fantastic team here, again, a great faculty and staff. I said that and I’ll say that a million times.” Q: In a Yakima Herald article, you said the university saw an enrollment decrease during the pandemic. How do you plan on addressing the enrollment decrease? A: “We need to create what I call an intentional and strategic pipeline of students. We need to be reaching back into elementary schools, middle schools, but certainly in high schools, and building relationships with pockets of students, with individual students, with their families, with communities, with counselors, building those relationships, doing the marketing and the branding, getting them interested, the outreach and then finding really intentional ways to do the orientation, the onboarding, the week of welcome which we do well here.” Q: With an enrollment decrease, are there any major budget issues you
see coming in the near future? A: “No. We were able to address that on the front end right when I got here in June. We were prepared for the enrollment number so our budget will be fine.” Q: Because the budget looks fine, you don’t see any potential for a decrease in specific degree programs offered as a result of the enrollment decrease? A: “No.” Q: How would you describe your leadership style? A: “Collaborative, distributive, relational. I am someone who believes that community is the best way to drive a vision and get answers because there’s a lot of really smart people in the community.” Q: As the school year continues, what are some of your goals for the university this year? A: “So we will develop a vision, mission and strategic plan. We’re going to investigate our culture and find ways that we can build a stronger culture of belonging. We’re going to elevate our academic programs, especially around what are called high-impact practices, things that we know make a difference in terms of student engagement and student learning.” Check cwuobserver.com for the full version of the Q&A!
After a full year off from their regular scheduled season, the CWU football team is once again playing in the fall. They are off to a pretty good start. The Wildcats have started the season 2-2 with wins against Eastern New Mexico 66-24 and Simon Frasier 36-14 and losses against Eastern Washington 6314 and Angelo State 14-9. Redshirt freshman quarterback JJ Leming said despite the weird year last season expectations have remained the same for the entire team. “Our expectations haven’t changed at all even with COVID and everything,” Leming said. “We’re obviously trying to be a national powerhouse and try to play at the national level here at Division ll, get to the national playoffs so that’s always been our goal.” Leming has had an up and down start to the 2021 season. In the first game against Eastern New Mexico he completed 14 of 22 pass attempts for 322 yards, five touchdown passes and no interceptions. However, over the last two games he completed a combined 18 for 46 passing for 175 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions Leming said the team is still trying to work out a few issues but hopefully they will get it together soon. “Right now we’re going through some kinks,” Leming said. “But we’re working through them and I think we are going to be alright for the rest of the season.”
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