the students, for the students
TOO HOT, TOO COLD:
HEATING ISSUES IN BROOKS LIBRARY?
$3.8 MILLION INVESTED INTO BROOKS LIBRARY
Jackson Roberts Co-Editor-in-chief
Brooks Library is where many CWU students find themselves diving into their studies and furthering their academic knowledge. However, lately staff and students have complained about the heating throughout the building. As the library celebrates its 50th anniversary, it welcomes changes that will solve these heating issues as well as make overall improvements to the school’s longtime library.
Library Paraprofessional Tom Dell who works in access services and has worked at the library for nearly 28 years, is tired of the building feeling hot in some places and cold in others stating that it is uncomfortable at times.
“Sometimes people have to use their own space heaters, it’s not great,” Dell said. “It’s important that people are comfortable if they’re here to study. They are having to bring electric blankets and coats and stuff, that’s not awesome.”
According to Director of Capital Planning & Projects (CPP) Delano Palmer, the current heating issues are isolated to the exterior perimeters of the east and north sides of the building where radiators are responsible for providing much of the heating. The library has supplemental heating located on the north side of the building to offset the issue as much as possible.
“Our Facilities Maintenance Department (FMD) has per-
formed several minor modifications to extend the life of systems, but eventually like most mechanical systems they reach a point in which replacement is necessary,” Palmer said. “The Capital Planning team began a first phase Library Energy Efficiency upgrade project in July of 2023, which removed one of two failing coils improving a large portion of Library heating and general building pressurization while operating at higher efficiency. The first phase project was completed in fall of 2024 prior to the onset of winter weather.”
The upcoming plans include a second phase for the Energy Efficiency upgrades that will replace the second damaged coil. This is thanks to CCP being awarded a $956,000 Department of Commerce Grant in fall of 2024. The contracted partners are currently working on engineering for the Spring 2025 construction that is anticipated to be completed by June of this year.
“The preservation, remodel, and new construction of our campus building is how FMD and CPP live into the values and mission of the university,” Palmer said. ”Our work represents the physical manifestation and embodiment of a model learning community of equity and belonging. Our entire team takes great pride in making our campus beautiful and even through the struggles of aging
facility we remain steadfast to address these needs to the best of our ability.” Palmer also stated that Brooks
CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
Brandon Mattesich Co-Editor-In-Chief
TikTok is a platform with over 1 billion active monthly users, it is used by over 50% of adults under the age of 30 and unless the Supreme Court acts soon it is facing a nationwide shutdown.
Why
is TikTok being targeted?
Due to legislation signed by Joe Biden, TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is being forced to sell TikTok to a U.S. owner or shut down entirely. If the Supreme Court does not overturn this legislation, TikTok is set to shutdown all U.S. operations on Jan. 19.
“I was initially skeptical about the ban, and I’m still pretty skeptical about it,” Dr. Matthew Altman, chair professor of philosophy, said. “ByteDance doesn’t have any free speech protections because it’s a foreign company, it’s not covered by the constitutional protections … The free speech issue doesn’t really come up with the company itself. It comes up more with the people who are using it as sort of a public square in which to express themselves. On that, I think there’s a lot more merit to the case of not having a ban.”
The legislation in favor of forcing ByteDance to divest TikTok argues that because TikTok is a Chinese owned company, there are safety concerns surrounding two key factors. First, is their collection of user data ranging from location to biometric data such as face prints and voice prints. And second is their ability to use the platform to silence or promote propaganda relating to the Chinese government.
TikTok’s defense combats the legislation from a user perspective, arguing that restricting TikTok in the U.S. is infringing on the rights of its users as protected in the first amendment. TikTok, currently being one of the largest social media platforms globally, argues that by effectively banning their app the U.S. government is restricting the free speech of its citizens.
Photos courtesy of Brandon Mattesich
LETTER from the EDITOR
Welcome back Wildcats!
Hope everyone had a great winter break. You might’ve noticed some things different with this letter from the editor. Our long time Editor-In-Chief, Isaac Hinson, served his last quarter in the fall. We’d like to thank Isaac for everything he did for this paper, and for teaching us how to fill his very large shoes. Without further adieu, let’s get into the first issue of winter quarter!
Jackson
Co-Editor-In-Chief, this is something I couldn’t be more grateful and excited for. From my first three quarters as a staff writer, to my single quarter as sports editor and to the position I’m in now, I look forward to continuing to bring you the news you want to know as well as the news you need to know. Personally this front page story is one of my favorites I have had the opportunity to cover! These investigative pieces are a blast to go out in the field and look into the current issues of the university and how CWU plans to solve them. I hope you guys enjoy Brandon and I’s first issue together in this position. The excitement is through the roof and we can’t wait for you guys to see the product we look forward to putting out!
Brandon
Wow, so I’m Co-Editor-In-Chief now, that’s exciting. I’m really happy with how this first issue turned out, and I’m really looking forward to an amazing quarter with the Observer. I had a lot of fun writing my TikTok story this week. Learning about the Supreme Court and all the drama surrounding this case has been an extremely fun and educational experience and I hope you are able to get something out of it that you didn’t know before. Also, I’m proud to keep Sound Bite going strong for its third quarter at the Observer. I have a lot of fun planned for future music coverage!
Issue 1 Recap
Starting off strong in our news section, we have exciting stories on the current issues affecting James Brooks Library and the potential TikTok ban. Both stories that will affect the students here on campus.
As for the sports section, we have a recap of what your Wildcat basketball teams were up to over the break. Written by one of our returning sports writers and now the sports editor Parker Wood. We are so excited to have him as a part of staff. His work last quarter was stellar and he has already continued that trend into this quarter.
Our Copy Desk Lead/Opinion Editor Astor Powell-Pedersen has the center spread this issue. His story on international professors is a fun first entry into what we are hoping becomes a recurring series. If you’re interested, we will also have translations of his story up on the website for our bilingual readers.
In our opinion section this week we have a great story by our Social Media/Online Editor Hayley James about combating seasonal depression. As well as a movie review and bringing back Sound Bite, our opinion spread promises to have a little something for everyone.
Last but certainly not least we have the Observer staff’s new year’s resolutions, and a fun divisional round prediction for the NFL.
Shoutout to all of our designers Z Morris, Robin MacArthur, Julia Snow and Lizeth Valdes for all the hard work they put into making the issue look as beautiful as it always does. This would be impossible without them!
We hope you guys enjoy the first issue of the quarter we’re very proud of all the staff!
See you next week! Brandon & Jackson
STAFF
Brandon (Left) and Jackson (Right) smiling! (Photo by Z Morris)
CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE
Library is the second most visited building on campus by students and how it was conceptually considered for renovation as part of the North Academic Complex. However, budgetary issues eliminated that option as pandemic era construction inflation was highly prominent and problematic. The building has been a focal point of his tenure as Director of Capital Planning dating back to August of 2018.
There have been other improvements made over the past few years that include changes like replacing the carpet, a renovation of the music library located on the fourth floor northeast corner of the building and installing ten interior cameras to improve student and staff safety. Currently there is also a window treatment replacement project in the works as well to update the aging windows.
Dean of Libraries Sydney Thompson talked about the importance of these changes and looking out for the students. “We just try to make incremental changes as we can, as we have the funding,” Thompson said. “It’s all towards making the library feel like a space students want to
be, where they are welcome and where they belong.”
Dell voiced his opinion on the other issues that are still going on in the building that he would like to see resolved, even proposing the idea of tearing down the building like we have seen recently with the Language & Literature building.
“I think it would be awesome if they actually give us a new building at some point. They built all these buildings at the same time, and they’re tearing down all the buildings except for ours. They built them all to last about 50 years, and it’s been here about that amount of time. The heating is a symptom of the fact we need a new building,” Dell said.
A Project total of $3.8 million has been invested exclusively to Brooks Library over the last five years. With CPP making an emphasis on improvements to what should be an environment where students and staff can comfortably work on their academics.
Photos courtesy of Brandon Mattesich
CONTINUED
FROM FRONT PAGE
Altman proposed a different solution to the problems raised by the TikTok legislation.
“With free speech, the counter is usually not to shut it down, but to have more speech,” Altman said. “So if it [TikTok] is burying negative content about China, then the thing to do is not to shut down the system, but instead to have more speech about China … When we are talking about the free speech issue, it seems like a strange and in some ways unprecedented way to respond is to shut it down.”
Dr. Mark Meister, professor of communication, shared a similar sentiment regarding the potential legislation. “The complication here is that China is not a citizen,” Meister said. “But we are dealing with users who understand and find the content relevant … There’s a use value to some people who access the content on any social media site, and to completely ban it in a draconian way, really puts aside a potential dialog and contribution by a group of people who find the information on TikTok relevant … To ban something goes against an opportunity to open up dialog about the significance of it.”
What will happen if TikTok gets banned?
There are a few key things that will happen if the TikTok legislation gets upheld by the Supreme Court. “On January 19th, as I understand it, we shut down,” TikTok
lawyer Noel Francisco, in an argument at the Supreme Court, said this past Friday. If the legislation goes into effect, the app would be pulled from all U.S. app stores, but would remain downloaded on any phones who already had the app installed. However, even for those with the app already downloaded, attempting to open the app would most likely prompt users with a message stating that they cannot access the app in their country.
Altman brought up one possible effect that banning the app might have on political participation. “We are talking a lot about how people express themselves by posting on TikTok,” Altman said. “One interesting statistic I discovered is that 39% of adults under 30 get their news, regularly, from TikTok. So it’s not just about speaking your own truth in your posts, but it’s also about learning about the world and what’s going on.” Altman proposed the idea that banning the app might have a chilling effect on political participation.
Typically when cases like this go to the Supreme Court, a precedent is set for the future of the laws surrounding the case. However, Altman suggested that this case might be different.
“I don’t know that there’s going to be much precedent beyond this individual case, and in some ways that’s unfortunate,” Altman said. “If the concerns are about the collection of our private data and how it might be misused, and about propaganda, the [same] stuff is going on with these other
US owned companies, right? So Google, Meta, all these things, track users around the internet even when they’re not using their apps.”
Instagram, Facebook and most other social media platforms collect similar metrics to TikTok. “All the social networks collect the same data as Tiktok does, and there doesn’t seem to be any urgency from the US government toward protecting that data,” Altman said. “Just about every other developed country in the world has some sort of national policy when it comes to privacy and people’s personal data that the US doesn’t … So I worry that the focus is exclusively on China’s potential use of this private information, and there’s no real focus on privacy in general and or our personal information when it comes to multinational U.S. corporations.”
Design by Lizeth Valdes. Photos courtesy of Pexels.
Graph courtesy of Pew Research Center
CATS CONTINUE CARVING THE COMPETITION ‘
WINTER BREAK RECAP
Parker Wood Staff Reporter
While CWU students went home for Winter Break, women’s and men’s basketball both continued to represent the Wildcats, playing multiple games between the last days of finals, Dec. 13, and the first day of winter quarter, Jan. 7. The men’s basketball team went 2-2 during this time with only a couple of narrow losses and blowout victories. The women’s team went 2-3 in a similar situation to the men’s team, losing those three games by 12 points or less and winning the duo of games by 38 and 33 points respectively.
The men’s basketball team were on a four game winning streak before entering Nicholson Arena on Dec. 16 to face Northwest Missouri State University. Both Central Washington and Northwest Missouri entered the half tied at 30 before the Bearcats scored 12 unanswered to earn the lead. The Wildcats tried to make a comeback with Cavin Holden hitting two three-point shots in 13 seconds before ultimately falling 83-80 to the Bearcats.
The Wildcats rallied 3 days later on Dec. 19 in a matchup against Lincoln University, winning 102-61. This is just the second time the men’s team scored more than 100 points this season, the other time being less than a week earlier against Evergreen State University on Dec. 14 where they won 111-79. The Wildcats then travelled to Idaho to face Northwest Nazarene University only to fall 78-85 in an overtime matchup.
When students returned to the halls, the men’s team beat University of Alaska Fairbanks on Jan. 9 in a 93-74 road victory and rounded out return week with a 64-52 win over Alaska Anchorage.
The women’s basketball team started off winter break with two straight losses, the first coming from the undefeated 15-0 Cal State Dominguez Hills on Dec. 18, losing 73-85. The second loss came the next day against Cal State Los Angeles, losing only 6871.
The Wildcats then won the next pair of games against Biola University on Dec. 21 in a 88-52 score and University of Alaska Fairbanks on Jan. 2 with a 87-54 final score. Right before classes started for CWU, the women’s team dropped one more game on Jan. 4, losing to Alaska Anchorage 61-68 at home. Come Jan. 9, the ‘Cats kept a lead against Simon Fraser, winning 82-70. The women’s team then travelled to face Western Washington University, falling by only three points in a 65-67 loss.
The men’s and women’s team both return home for matchups on Jan.16 and Jan. 18. The men’s will be looking to improve their 4-1 Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) record while the women will be looking to improve from 3-2 in the GNAC. Both teams will be facing Seattle Pacific University, the women’s team playing at 5:15 p.m. and the men’s team playing at 7:30 p.m.. On Jan. 18, both Wildcat teams will be facing their Montana State University counterparts, the women’s team tip-off starting at 4 p.m. and the men’s will start at 6:15 p.m. All four games will take place in Ellensburg in CWU’s very own Nicholson Pavilion.
THE SECOND TIME THE MEN’S TEAM SCORED
Sunny Huerta fighting through Anchorage defenders. (Photo by Andy Guerrero)
Eli Williams shooting a three point shot. (Photo by Nathan Herde)
Copy Desk Editor
In the first of a planned series, The Observer interviewed Dr. Tennecia Dacass and Professor Yoon Kim on their backgrounds as immigrants to the United States.
Tennecia Dacass
Dr. Tennecia Dacass is an associate professor in the economics department with her PhD in economics from Kansas State University. Dacass grew up in Kingston, the capital and the largest city in Jamaica.
“I am the eldest of five girls, and for most of my life, my mom was a single parent,” Dacass said. “I had to take a lot of responsibility early on, taking care of my siblings, and I recall just how much we focused on the basics like having enough food to eat. We would count the number of days until the end of the month when my mom gets paid.”
Despite living paycheck to paycheck in her childhood, Dacass said that her mother understood the value of education, and worked hard to make sure her and her siblings had what they needed, “She would do whatever it required. Working extra, getting another job just to make sure that we had all the books we needed. In Jamaica, you would be supplied with some, but not all of the books. I remember my mom taking a second job closer to the school year, just to make sure we had all of our books.”
Dacass completed her undergraduate degree at the University of the West Indies, “And then I went and I found a job, but it wasn’t as rewarding as I initially envisioned, and I realized I would need more training to achieve the things I wanted,” Dacass said. “So my end goal back then in my 20’s was to get the qualifications I need from the first world and then return home to contribute and try to empower some of the young people. My hope was to join the university [of the West Indies] as a faculty there.”
In 2014, Dacass moved to the United States to start her PhD program at Kansas State University. “But being here changed my outlook on things, in terms of the responsibility that oftentimes immigrants have for their families back home, right? Especially coming from a developing world, the US is viewed as the land of opportunities, and if you’ve migrated to the US of another first world country, you often switch roles to become more of a helper of your family. That’s one of the reasons I decided to stay, I believed I could get more returns on my education living in the US, and that would allow me to help my family back home,” Dacass said.
After graduating from her PhD program, Dacass interviewed with several Universities across the country, “I got a few fly outs, but Central was really special. I loved what I saw when I came here. The faculty was warm to me. I want to say that I
coming to two CWU professors on
thought that the college was lacking in diversity and so I figured I could contribute to that,” Dacass said. “In Jamaica. 95% of the population is black. So when you are there, you know that you are black, but it’s not something that you’re reminded of as often as living in a country with people from different cultural backgrounds and maybe even being treated differently because you’re black.”
To Dacass, the lack of diversity in Ellensburg has been very noticeable. She said that while a lot is being done on campus such as The Diversity and Equity Center (DEC) and THRIVE, the summers and even weekends really highlight that for her, “I recall my son walking to the park and seeing another person of color. He was just so excited. He’s four, and he was like ‘Mom, he looks like me!’ and that’s not something we are able to experience on the regular, so we have a lot more work to do.”
“America is called the country of immigrants,” Dacass said. “So I really want to share that on the net, immigrants coming here to the US are not here to mooch or become a burden. They are often here because this is the land of opportunity. Research shows that a large portion of immigration is positive. A large proportion of immigrants are highly skilled, and they are filling jobs that would not be filled otherwise. The net benefit of immigrants is a strong one.”
Dacass and three of her younger sisters. (Photo courtesy of Tennecia Dacass)
Dacass (right) and her mother (left). (Photo courtesy of Tennecia Dacass) Dacass headshot. (Photo courtesy of Tennecia Dacass)
to america their journeys to the US
Yoon Ah Kim (김윤아)
Yoon Ah “Yoon” Kim is a professor of Korean language and culture who moved to Ellensburg from South Korea with her partner in 2013. Yoon Kim grew up in Gangdong ( 강 동구 ), a district in east Seoul, the capital city of South Korea.
“[Gangdong] wasn’t somewhere really bougie like Gangnam, it wasn’t like high class society, but it wasn’t countryside either. It was really comfortable and really safe,” Yoon Kim said. “This is where my whole family, my entire childhood and my school life was. I miss little me, the little girl who grew up there, and I miss the family time. At that time [when I was a child] I was actually thinking ‘oh I’m going to be the president of Korea,’ and I miss the little me that grew up with big dreams and big goals, not knowing how privileged I was.”
from zero. I had to rebuild my life and my whole identity. This whole world kind of forced me to become like a little seven year old, which meant I had to depend my whole life on other people.” Yoon Kim states that because of her lack of papers, she couldn’t do things like drive, purchase alcohol or even work because she was under a student visa.
Yoon Kim attended University in Seoul, first at Dong-ah Institute of Media and Arts ( 동아방송예대 ) and then at Hankuk University of Foreign studies ( 한국외국어대학 교 ), “With my second degree, I did not fully finish because I had to move to Ellensburg,” Yoon Kim said.
“I never noticed until I moved here how my life was really good and comfortable and privileged. I really just didn’t have to go through any struggles or any concerns. That’s such a luxury in Korea that I had. So after I moved here my world was kind of flipped,” Yoon Kim said. “First of all, I did not have a license of any sort of papers, although I was not undocumented or illegally came, the experience that I had was to build
Yoon Kim also struggled with people’s perception of her, “People treat you differently here. I don’t want to get categorized like a stereotypical Asian immigrant. Some people call Asian people model immigrants because we become lawyers or doctors, you know the stereotype. People just see me outside and then adapt to the stereotypical race stuff, and that’s just not who I am. Also the language barrier and different cultural perspectives. All of a sudden I just became a minority in every aspect.”
Eventually, Yoon Kim said she wants to live somewhere that is sunny, but also more diverse than Ellensburg, “I want [to live] somewhere that has my diversity existing just generally as a town and culture. I like to get surrounded by many people who are maybe from a similar cultural background as me, maybe some people from Korea, but I want more diversity and a melting pot of cultures. It doesn’t matter if it’s in Korea or America. I adore both of my homes, both Korea and America, because they have such different cultural perspectives.”
Yoon Kim as a child.
(Photo courtesy of Yoon Kim)
Yoon Kim (right) and her mother (left) (엄마) wearing traditional Korean hanbok (한복). (Photo courtesy of Yoon Kim)
Yoon Kim in front of the old Language and Literature building at CWU. (Photo courtesy of Yoon Kim)
THE FIRE INSIDE A STORY WORTH TELLING
This past winter break was a great time to go to the movies.
From Robert Eggers chilling take on the classic film “Nosferatu”, to James Mangold’s “A Complete Unknown” there was a little something for everyone to enjoy. But one film in particular really took me by surprise.
“The Fire Inside” is a film that follows the incredible life of Claressa Shields, a prolific boxer from Flint Michigan who would go on to be the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in boxing. This directorial debut by Rachel Morrison is an emotional, powerful and important story that I feel really deserves to be seen. To be fully transparent, before seeing this movie I had never even heard the name Claressa Shields. Now, I’m a fan.
The movie follows her life starting in early childhood all the way through her second Olympics. Normally I would keep my reviews “spoiler free” but because this is just a biopic about her life it feels important to talk about why I think this movie is so powerful. Up until she wins her first Olympic gold medal I was thinking that this movie was a pretty average story of overcoming the odds and fighting for your future. But it wasn’t until the second act that I really understood what this movie is all about.
After winning her Olympic gold medal Shields expected sponsorships, interviews, and really just any sort of recognition. What she got was forgotten. The whole second half of this movie follows the aftermath of her first Olympic win, and it is devastating. Shields returns home an Olympic gold medalist only to find that she is stuck in the same tragic situation that she was stuck in beforehand.
This movie serves as a wakeup call to anyone who thought that discrimination based on gender or even race was a thing of the past. Claressa Shields won her first medal in 2012, and it wasn’t until 2016 when she won her second gold medal that she even came close to getting the pay and recognition she deserved.
Ryan Destiny’s performance as a young Claressa Shields is perfect, and she really captures that angst and aggression you would expect out of a 17 year old Olympian. To me though, the standout of this film is easily Brian Tyree Henry as Jason Crutchfield, Claressa Shields’s longtime coach. Not only does he nail the role, but it really just cements him as one of the most versatile names in the business right now.
Interestingly, this movie was written and produced by Barry Jenkins, a name that might sound familiar to any “Moonlight” fans reading this review. It serves as a testament to his ability to tell grounded yet impactful stories, especially in contrast to his other recently released film “Mufasa: The Lion King”. I enjoyed almost every aspect of this film, and considering its small budget I think it easily accomplished everything it set out to do.
If you are looking for a good movie to watch, I highly recommend checking out “The Fire Inside” before it leaves theatres. Because not only is it good on a fundamental filmmaking level, but it tells a story that I feel desperately needs to be told.
Brandon Mattesich Columnist
Ryan Destiny is Claressa Shields. (Photo courtesy of Amazon Content Services)
Destiny with Brian Tyree Henry as coach Jason Crutchfield. (Photo courtesy of Amazon Content Services)
SOUND BITE YUM!
COLUMN
SAD but true:
how winter weather affects your mental health
As we reach the middle of winter, the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting longer. With the start of the winter quarter, students need to prioritize themselves and their mental health coming back from winter break. As daylight diminishes, this can often reflect on people’s mental health and overall moods.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), commonly known as Seasonal Depression is, “a type of depression characterized by a recurrent seasonal pattern, with symptoms lasting about 4−5 months out of the year.”
There are a wide range of different symptoms of seasonal depression and different ways that you can recognize it. Such as feeling low energy, changes in your appetite and cravings, having difficulties concentrating, feelings of sadness, oversleeping, trouble getting out of bed and lastly self-isolation.
There are many different reasons that people develop SAD and many causes for this disorder during the colder months. One cause comes from the change in sunlight which affects many people and their moods. Because of the lack of vitamin D, serotonin levels are down, resulting in people feeling less happy.
Because this disorder looks different for everybody and affects people differently, there are many different ways people can help themselves cope and feel better. One of the top recommendations to help treat SAD symptoms and seasonal depression is regular exercise. Not only is moving your body and exercising good for you physically, but it is also beneficial for your mental health. According to the National Library of Medicine, “Exercise improves mental health by reducing anxiety, depression, and negative mood and by improving self-esteem and cognitive function.”
Another way many people help boost themselves from this slump is by maintaining a routine. With the longer nights, it is easier to let the day slip away and get into a funk. Keeping a schedule can help keep you out of that funk and focus on yourself. Spending time outside and in nature is another way to cope and support your mental well-being. Of course, if you are having trouble with SAD and none of these coping mechanisms work for you, seeking professional help is also highly recommended.
Addressing seasonal sadness and maintaining mental health is critical as we enter the winter quarter. It is important to prioritize yourself and remember to take care of yourself this year.
THIS WEEK IN MUSIC
Brandon Mattesich Columnist
Welcome back to Sound Bite! This week I’ll be catching you up on everything you missed over Winter Break, and catching up with some artists I feel like deserve another listen. So from Tyler, The Creator to Mac Miller we’ll be covering a little bit of everything on this week’s Sound Bite.
Lil Baby recently released his latest album “WHAM” to mixed reviews from fans and critics alike. There are definitely a few standouts on the album, such as Young Thug ’s verse on “Dum, Dumb, and Dumber” which was probably my favorite song on the album. Overall though I was pretty underwhelmed with this release, and I feel as though Lil Baby has not lived up to his early career hype.
Tyler, The Creator released a new single over break entitled “THAT GUY”. The song, which uses the beat of “Hey Now” off of Kendrick Lamar’s latest album “GNX”, is a freestyle that proves Tyler’s ability to flow over almost any beat. Not only does this song showcase his versatility, but it serves as his first official entry into what I would consider the fight for the top three. In this song he boasts about the response to his latest album, and the applause he got performing at the Kendrick Lamar concert “The Pop Out”. And to be honest, I think it’s very arguable that he deserves a top three spot.
Mac Miller ’s Estate also released a new single recently, and they are consistently proving that they are probably the only estate who knows how to ethically handle an artist’s music after their passing. “5 Dollar Pony Rides” is tragic in the sense that I love the lyrics, and I see the vision but the vocals just really feel like they are lacking that polish you would get on a final recording. Thundercat ’s instrumentals really elevate this song, and despite its lack of polish I think it’s another good entry into Mac Miller’s catalog. While I wish Mac were still around to finish his upcoming album the way he wanted to, I think “Balloonerism” still holds a lot of promise and I’m very excited to review it.
Lastly I want to give a shout out to Waka Flocka Flame for literally no reason other than that I feel like he deserves more recognition than he’s currently getting. Over this past Winter break I went and relistened to a lot of his biggest hits, and they easily still hold up. As an artist I think he was groundbreaking and although his current music isn’t necessarily pushing the envelope in any way I would really hate to see his legacy get lost to time. If Waka Flocka Flame is a name you’ve heard before but you’ve never listened to any of his music, this is your sign to dive right in.
Photo and Design by Brandon Mattesich
Hayley James Columnist
Photos courtesy of Pexels.
Brandon - I would love to make at least 20$ this quarter. That would be fun.
Jackson - I would love to make homemade meals as much as possible. (I’m never home)
Astor - This year I really want to focus on my Korean language studies so that, y’know, I can speak to people when I move there in August lmao.
Parker - I want to finally be able to bench and squat my own weight (200 lb).
Patrick Pugh - Take over the world, or ask out a girl, whichever comes first.
Robin - Honestly I just want to figure out where my education is going. Maybe even figure out a vague career path if we’re feelin’ crazy. Who knows.
Hayley James - Quit procrastinating on my homework and create a better homework routine.
Z Morris - Confront every other letter, and give them a piece of my mind.
Julia - Pass my classes and graduate.
Liz - Make more art outside of class and graduate!
The chase for the Lombardi Trophy begins Divisional Round Drama?
Jackson Roberts Columnist
TThe NFL playoffs are under way and the wildcard round has wrapped up and my Green Bay Packers were eliminated in the opening slate of games. I can now bring you guys an unbiased playoff bracket over the course of the next few weeks without saying the Packers blow out every team that stands in their way. In all seriousness, we have the divisional round next week where we have some star studded matchups that are calling for nothing short of instant classics.
The wildcard round wasn’t extremely eventful but did have notable games where it felt like the better team moved on to the next round.
The National Football Conference (NFC) teams that moved on from the first round included the Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders and Los Angeles Rams while the Detroit Lions have been sitting comfortably after their first round bye thanks to their 15-2 regular season record.
As for the AFC on the opposite end of the bracket, wildcard teams moving on are the Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans. The Kansas City Chiefs and their devil
magic they have used to somehow finish 15-2, get them the one seed in the American Football Conference (AFC) where they, like the Lions, got a chance to sit back and watch the chaos ensue without stressing in this opening round of games.
Onto the fun stuff which are my predictions that will 100% be true by the time the NFC and AFC conference championships occur. We will start in the AFC as this is where I see the most exciting games panning out.
AFC
Ravens (12-5) at Bills (13-4) on Jan. 19 at 3:30 p.m. pacific time is the one to circle on your schedules. This matchup sees the two 20242025 MVP candidates Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen going head to head. Both run the offense at quarterback of their respective teams and are the heartbeat of the offense. Overall I think the Ravens—while they will be on the road in an intense environment in Buffalo, New York— have the better overall roster with more players providing Jackson some help. On top of that, while the Ravens defense is inconsistent, when they are clicking they look like one of the better defenses in all of the NFL. I’ll take the Ravens moving onto the AFC championship. This matchup will be the primetime game on Sunday that many NFL fans will be watching regardless of their favorite team. If it wasn’t for the NFC and AFC being on different ends of the bracket, I could’ve seen these two teams matching up in the Super Bowl. It will be a shame to see one of their seasons end.
Football laying on grass. (Photo courtesy of Pexels)
Sudoku
Fill in the puzzle so that every row across, every column down and every 9 by 9 box contains the numbers 1 to 9.
CWU
CWU Building Word
CWU Building Word Search
CWU Building Word Search
Dean
WILDCAT WORDS
Divined by Z Morris
Aries (March 21 - April 19): Your dreams are real Aries. All of them. That dream of you flying? Real. That dream of you giving a lecture in your underwear? Also real. They are living breathing entities. You just have to search out the right one. Tip of the day; Maybe join a dating app or indeed idk.
Taurus (April 20 - May 20): Are you content were you are at Taurus? No? Ok read this again in a different spot. Does that help?... Uh huh… really?... No way he did not say that to you. Wow… Hm? That didn’t help? Oh. Tip of the day: Move.
Gemini (May 21 - June 20): The snitches are everywhere Gemini! They’re gonna tell you to “watch your back”, “youre falling off”, “pay your taxes”. You know, I think they want to weigh you down. All you need to say is “NO! I WILL NOT PAY MY TAXES, YOU ****** ****** ****!” Tip of the day: Invest in crypto.
Cancer (June 21 - July 22): Change is scary Cancer. It’s always in our lives, moving, inflating, deflating, jangling, clinking, ending up in our couches. But you know what, you have to be an advocate for the common penny. Thats right, it’s up to you to bring the copper coin back. Tip of the day: pay everything with only pennies.
Leo (July 23 - Aug. 22): Leo, Treat everything like a game. I’m not talking chess, thats to cliche. I’m talking Candy Land. Gurl, Princess Lollie is not to be trusted and I wanna beat her up. Tip of the day: Deforest the lollipop woods.
Virgo (Aug. 23 - Sep. 22): Virgo, everything you say this week will be correct, no matter how many people tell you it’s fake. Go ahead, say anything! You’ll notice that what you said was a fact. Don’t worry about how this is possible, th e Observer is working hard on that. Tip of the day: The birds aren’t real.
Libra (Sep. 23 - Oct. 22): Libra, I can tell you are going through something? But why go through that when there are so many other substances to walk through. Like water, or cold air, or idk try metal. I bet you can phase through metal if you were fast enough. Tip of the day: Speed is Key
Scorpio (Oct. 23 - Nov. 21): Stay curious Scorpio. Stay inquisitive and discover something every day! Learn monkey noises, and get a monkey suit while you’re at it. Track down a man that looks like a banana, and worship him forever. Tip of the day: Study planet of the apes.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 21): Sagittarius, action brings awesome results. That’s why I bought a sports car, a ramp to drive it on, and a film crew stationed outside Black Hall. The more time I spend being the next John Wick, the more pain will be healed. Tip of the day: fight crime.
Capricorn (Dec. 22 - Jan.19): Capricorn you are a ray of sunshine! So bright! So shiny! So blinding! Like you are gorgeous! But my retinas are going away! Please spare me!!! Tip of the day: Buy me shades.
Aquarius (Jan. 20 - Feb.18): You have two wolves inside of you Aquarius. One wants to be an academic weapon, one wants to go sleepy eepies. That wolf seems cute and cozy but don’t fall into that trap! I’ve gone down that road, t he blankies will consume you. Tip of the day: Drink a gallon of Red Bull.
Pisces (Feb. 19 - March 20): Pisces, I need you to invest in one company alone. You know the one! The one that is very popular and cool. Put all your eggs into one basket and it will go great. Tip of the day: you can predict the stock market.
Events compiled by Brandon Mattesich Graphics by Julia Snow
“Gave my brother a book on Christianity.”
Chávez