The Observer- Spring 2021, Issue 3

April 21, 2021

Vol. 119 NO. 3

See Herstory month, Page 2

By Ondrea Machin

Photos by Peighton Bortle/The Observer Students participated in the WOMXNS MARCH starting at Black Hall last Wednesday afternoon. Both men and women joined together with crafted signs in support of the “All of Us or None” movement.

The future is looking amber-colored for CWU students

Craft Brewing program opens to all students providing opportunities to refine their beer brewing skills

By Joshua Smith The Craft Brewing program at CWU has opened its doors to all majors, regardless of scientific background, to enjoy hops in its multitude of flavors.

According to the Director of Craft Brewing Dr. Eric Graham, the lim-

In This Issue News Scene Opinion Sports Engagement

1-3 4-8 9-10 11 12

iting factor of requiring a student to declare their major in the Craft Brewing program was barring students who had the prerequisites from exploring their hops-related educational pursuits at CWU. “We’ve opened [craft brewing classes] up to anyone who may have the prerequisites,” Graham said.

“That is a lot of science majors, but we also have a lot of classes that don’t require chemistry.”

However, all classes do require students to be at least 18 years of age, with two classes, CRBW 450, Sensory Analysis for Brewing and CRBW 490, Cooperative Education, requiring a minimum age of 21.

But this may soon change. According to Graham, they will be adopting a sip and spit method like that used in wine culture, opening the program to younger students.

Page 3 Vaccine clinic on campus

Page 8 Stop Asian hate

Page 11 Tennis team update

Craft Brewing, Page 4

2

April 21, 2021

NEWS

ASCWU virtual debates kick off general election

By Sean Bessette The first of two ASCWU virtual debates took place last Wednesday night over a Zoom webinar.

The positions of president, executive vice president, director of Governmental Affairs and senate speaker are unopposed and only have one candidate.

Director of Equity & Multicultural Affairs and director of Student Life & Facilities both have two candidates in the general election.

The lack of competition for some of the positions didn’t stop the debates from carrying on as planned.

Each candidate had a minute to give an opening introduction. Following the introductions, two rounds of questions

prepared by the elections commission took place. Each candidate was asked one question per round and had three minutes to answer each question.

The debate ended with 10 minutes of an open Q&A session. If a candidate wanted a rebuttal, they’d have the opportunity to do so. The debate took place for an hour, and nobody asked for a rebuttal once.

Common themes among the questions asked included resources equity, representation for students who the candidates don’t personally identify with and fall 2021 reopening.

Geoffrey Odoch, executive vice president candidate, said during the debate, “My premise of running for this position is on the idea of accessibility, equity and then accountability.

This is because we need equitable re-

source distribution and accessibility to resources.”

Multiple candidates stressed optimism and excitement for more in-person activities in the fall.

“We’re hoping that everything will be in full gear this coming fall,” Syafiq Mohd Suhaimi, one of the candidates vying for the director of Student Life & Facilities position, said.

Presidential candidate Madeline Koval will be the first president that isn’t a person of color in the past five years. During the Q&A session, she was asked how she plans to continue the work former presidents have done to keep underrepresented voices engaged in student government.

“I think this is important to discuss because I want to make sure that I’m respecting the space

and acknowledging my own white privilege and using that for good,” Koval said.

Additionally, Koval said she wants to make sure the Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI) is still in production.

“I want to work towards to make sure that momentum does not slow on that project because we really need this project [CCI],” Koval said.

According to an Observer article published in October. 2020, ASCWU wants to turn the Old Heat building next to Munson Hall into the CCI. The article states the planned start for reconstruction depends on funding but is projected to start fall 2021.

The second and final ASCWU virtual debate will take place tonight at 6 p.m. Students are encouraged to register to attend and can do so at cwu.edu/ ascwu/elections.

Herstory month from Page 1 In honor of Women’s History Month, 30 students attended the Herstory March on April 14 to support and empower women, as well as bring awareness to the issues of equality.

The Diversity and Equity Center put on the march to celebrate all women, whether that be LGBT women, trans women, women of color, straight women and any other women from other backgrounds. The DEC also wanted to highlight the intersectionality that gets left out of traditional feminism, according to Student Initiative Coordinator with a specialization in the Heritage and History Month Joey Packer.

“It takes all of us to bring fairness and equity to all female bodies and how people can be allies,” Packer said.

Freshman Emma Cavin said for her, the march was about empowering everyone, “women, men, trans, as well as equality for all.” Cavin also said everyone deserves to be heard and everyone needs to stand together, rather than stand against each other.

“Everyone’s here, getting to know each other and doing a movement that’s going to impact us all and so why not help it,” Cavin said.

Junior Communications major Chante Jacobs said the march was about supporting women of all backgrounds and love for all women. She said women can change the world and can be anything they put their mind to.

“I feel like I know so many strong women and the people that have im-

Photo by Peighton Bortle/The Observer During the march participants chanted “People of quality do not fear equality.”

pacted my life the most have been women, so to do anything to further show the support for my fellow women is something to make my voice heard,” Jacobs said.

Jacobs said she hopes that other people will see some of the same ideas that she has and continue to empower each other.

Freshman Art major Kaitlyn Ness said the march was to spread awareness of an ongoing injustice and help other women.

“I know there is a stigma around women putting other women down for what they want but it’s important to bring everybody up and help everybody,” Ness said.

Ness also said she hopes other people will “get on board” with the movement

because she feels ignoring the meaning of the march is not going to help or change anything.

Student Initiative Coordinator and leader of the mentorship program for women of color students Jaeda Nelson said having the march gave students the opportunity to come together and really think about what feminism means.

Nelson also said the event was meant to offer a relaxed and comfortable community where people could empower others, whether they identify as women or just want to support the movement.

“Having a support system around you and encouraging people that they are doing the right thing continues the work,” Nelson said.

Packer said he enjoyed seeing so many people of all ages come out and

support the march, all the people who made signs and being able to provide people with the opportunity to come out and make a difference.

“I would just encourage anyone on campus who feels like they aren’t connected to any communities to come to us come to the DEC and our whole of the job is to help people find community,” Packer said.

At the end of the march, the DEC crew passed out some cards that had sentences with some missing pieces in the middle. Participants filled in the missing pieces with words or phrases that they felt described them.

The point of this activity was to encourage participants to build a relationship with themselves, remind them to empower themselves and see the beauty of who they are as a person, according to Nelson.

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April 21, 2021

3

NEWS

Application for student trustee now open

By Samuel Harris Applications for the Student Board of Trustees have opened for the 20212022 academic year.

The Student Trustee is a position hand-selected by Gov. Jay Inslee and is responsible for many important decisions at CWU like selecting the President of the University. The current student trustee, Nate McMillon helped select the incomin g President A. James Wohlpart.

“As the trustee, it’s just [about] making sure that all the best decision making [is happening] for all of these Central students, and really in the larger picture, the students of Washington state as a whole,” McMillon said. “I knew this transition of looking for a new president was something that was going to be crucial to how Central is going to move forward in the future, even past the point of me being here.”

With the position opening every year, McMillon said students who want to see CWU improve and move in a positive direction should consider applying.

Graphic by Javier Medrano

“It is a one year opportunity to be in the role, but you still have your chance to have your voice heard and to be a representation for, as I said earlier, all the Central students in decisions that affect Central at an institutional level,” Mcmillon said.

For a convincing application, McMillon said to show how you are already involved with CWU. “It hasn’t been easy to get involved, but you want to show something that shows how you engage with your community, how you engage with both your peers [and] leaders around you, even staff and faculty,” McMillon said. “That shows that you can be [not only] friendly, but you can [also] communicate easily with any type of people.”

Students from all majors can apply for the position, as long as they want to make a positive change for their fellow students.

“What I really appreciate is that all the board members there really appreciate having a student trustee on the board, and appreciate getting a student’s perspective,” McMillon said.

Other than the mandatory meetings, McMillon said he dedicates five to ten extra hours to the Board per week.

McMillon said he applied for two reasons: the first being a personal feeling of responsibility.

“I wanted to make sure that we’re steering the ship in the right direction through this pandemic, because nothing’s going to be the same, nothing is

going to be life as usual anymore,” McMillon said.

The second reason was making sure all students got their voices heard.

“Before coming onto this I wasn’t even aware that this was the year that we were going to be bringing on a new president, so when I found that out, he just gave me an opportunity to be just as vocal as I could be about what students are looking for in this experience, and being able to share that at a board level was just an opportunity I didn’t want to pass up,” McMillon said.

McMillon said he recommends students use all options available to make their voices heard and to begin having those conversations with those around them.

“It isn’t necessarily about a platform [or] changing facets,” McMillon said.

“If you can educate one person, if you can change the perspective of the individual, then that can continue to have a domino effect.”

Applications for the student trustee position are due by April 30.

More information, as well as the application itself can be found on the events calendar at https://www.cwu. edu/event-calendar.

CWU offers on-campus vaccination clinics

By Libby Williams Two hundred and sixty-five doses of the Moderna vaccine were administered to eligible students, faculty and staff on April 13. This was the first vaccine clinic offered on campus, and more dates have already been announced in the coming weeks.

“We want to see as many people as possible get vaccinated so our campus and our community can return to normal activities by this fall,” President James L. Gaudino said in a press release on April 14. “We were able to get to this point with the help of our community partners – KCPHD, KVH, and our local police and fire departments – and we look forward to working with them even more as we plan for a safe return in September.”

The clinic originally planned to administer the single dose Johnson

& Johnson vaccine, but after federal health officials called for a pause in the use of J&J on the morning of the clinic, a quick switch to Moderna was made.

“That change was impressive,” Kasey Knutson said. Knutson is the special programs coordinator at the KCPHD, as well as the public information officer for Kittitas incident management. “Students, staff and the folks running the clinic responded beautifully.”

Knutson said that while local clinics have the resources to accommodate students, providing the vaccine on campus helps with convenience and accessibility.

“I think it’s fantastic to make sure that [the vaccine] is easily accessible, and to go where people are already comfortable and more likely to get those vaccines,” Knutson said. “We

Photo courtesy of David Dick There will be at least one more vaccine clinic on campus, which will occur next week.

Photo courtesy of David Dick Following a federal pause on the J&J vaccine, the clinic switched to Moderna.

want people to get vaccinated. Anything that’s going to encourage that is absolutely a win in Kittitas County.”

Knutson encouraged anyone who has questions or is feeling hesitant about the vaccine to reach out to a trusted health official.

Zoe Whittaker Jameson, a senior studying elementary education, received her first dose on Tuesday. She heard about the clinic through her boss at CWU Hype, where she works as the Street Team coordinator.

“I woke up to a phone call from Jenna Hyatt,” Whittaker Jameson said, “and she said, ‘is it okay if we give you Moderna instead?’ and I said, ‘yes that’s fine!’”

Whittaker Jameson and everyone who attended Tuesday’s clinic will receive their second dose on May 11.

She said she’s looking forward to being fully vaccinated.

“I wanted to get the vaccine so I’m safe and protected,” Jameson said, “but also I am looking forward to go back and do my volunteer experience in the elementary school, and part of that is being vaccinated.”

As of April 14, CWU added two more vaccination clinics. The first one occurred April 20, while the second will take place on April 27.

The clinics will be available for all CWU students and staff from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the SURC ballroom, and second dose appointments will be announced soon. The KCPHD plans to administer 300 doses of the Moderna vaccine.

Signups for the April 27 event is on a first-come, first-served basis and can be completed through Signup Genius. If appointments fill up, applicants will be placed on a wait list.

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April 21, 2021

SCENE

Writer De’Shawn Charles Winslow shares journey writing novel

By Milenne Quinonez

Award winning author De’Shawn Charles Winslow read from his first novel “In West Mills” through a live virtual reading, where he was able to talk with CWU students about his process, held on April 13th.

“In West Mills” takes place in North Carolina between 1941 to 1987, as it explores the life of Azalea “Knot” Centre, a woman who is determined to live a life she wants while living in a rural community that struggles to understand her. The novel was published in 2019 and earned Winslow the 2021 William Morris Award for Southern Fiction, the 2020 American Book Award and the 2019 Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize.

In the live virtual reading, Winslow talked about his journey as he began writing and how he turned to fiction to imagine what his father was like at a young age. While in school Winslow originally majored in Business, but after registering for an introduction to creative writing class,

Craft Brewing from Page 1 “It is mostly for Sensory Analysis, that rule allows us to get some younger students under the age of 21 into our classes,” CWU student and craft brewing major Robby Williamson said.

Williamson is a transfer student set to graduate next spring. Previously studying mechanical engineering at the University of Washington, Williamson found his way to CWU to pursue a passion for beer.

De’Shawn Charles Winslow

he changed his major to English. After that, every piece he wrote was a “what if” piece about his father, which is how his career started.

“We invited him because we thought he was an excellent example of a writer that’s representative of an identity that we haven’t had,” Maya Zeller, the coordinator of the Lion Rock Visiting Writing series said.

Zeller also said inviting Charles Winslow, a Black queer man, also “Once I knew I was going to Central, I bought a home brewing system … started making beer, started serving it to my friends, … it definitely wasn’t professional grade stuff, but I wouldn’t say it was bad,” Williamson said.

He added that since he began the craft brewing program there’s been a noticeable improvement in his skills as a brewer.

“With the brewing program I’m starting to understand more in-depth science of why things are happening at a chemical level when making beer,” Williamson said. “Before I was doing the elementary steps of brewing and just hoping for the best outcome.”

For students interested in supporting the Craft Brewing program by purchasing

represented an identity that has not been a part of the Lion Rock lineup in the last couple years. She said the Lion Rock Visiting Writer Series emphasizes on bringing authors to campus who want to interact with the student population, and authors who care.

“He is such a caring and compassionate presence, and his willingness to interact with students and those questions,” Zeller said. “He represents an early career writer, and that’s closer to what our students are right now, early career writers who are just beginning to publish” According to Zeller, the Lion Rock Visiting Writer Series is a year-long series, and it normally brings one to two authors to campus in the fall and winter, and three or more in the spring.

“We have a goal of being very inclusive of a range of identities, aesthetic approaches and representing a variety of writers across genres for our students, our community at Central Washington and our broader community,” Zeller said.

This quarter, Lion Rock is having students introduce each of the authors that are being invited, the program puts out calls to students and asks who would like to introduce. This gives students the opportunity to also read a little bit of their own work.

“We have so many students with just such strong voices, and who are such good writers,” Zeller said.

Paula Williamson, a professional and creative writing major, had the opportunity to introduce Wilson while also presenting two poems of her own. Williamson’s first poem titled “Summer of the Plague” highlights dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic over the past year.

The second poem was titled “Nana,” which was about her great grandmother who is 101 years-old and is in a nursing home. She chose to share this poem because her grandmother was from the South and it connected well with “In West Mills,” since both take place in the South.

“In West Mills is a really great piece of fiction, and it was an honor to be able to introduce [Winslow],” Williamson said.

student-made beer, there’s no luck. Currently, the program is unable to offer its products for sale, but that doesn’t mean students can’t pick up a pint.

“We are working on getting a license for an experimental brewery,” Graham said. “However, we can give our beer away in events.”

According to Graham, beer can be given away for free at CWU events that maintain a list of participants. Programs interested in hosting events that could benefit from an inebriated audience can reach out to Graham or get in contact with CWU Brewery Club for more details.

Photo by Samantha Cabeza/The Observer

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A B O B A B O B A B O B April 21, 2021

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SCENE

Local boba delivery service gets an upgrade

By Jackson Sorensen

Young T&Tea, which used to deliver boba teas and other drinks to Ellensburg residents, will soon open a physical shop on Fourth Ave. Young T&Tea is operated by Emmie Nguyen and her boyfriend. She has been making and delivering drinks since October of 2018.

“We want to bring something to Ellensburg that it doesn’t have yet,” Nguyen said.

Nguyen graduated from CWU last year with a bachelor’s of science degree specializing in Biomedical Science. She wanted to become a veterinarian and attend WSU, but said due to the pandemic, she was rejected from their veterinary school. Nguyen began to pursue some hobbies and interests of hers, which led to the creation of YoungT&Tea. “I did this as a way to make money and pay for rent and utilities,” Nguyen said. “I wanted to make money, but I didn’t want to work for someone else. I never expected to come this far.”

In hopes of setting up a new store, Nguyen and her boyfriend looked at different buildings that were for sale. The original building that they wanted for their business was bought by someone else. They originally wanted to open a restaurant, but due to a small budget, staffing and keeping a steady income would have been a challenge. The duo decided on a bubble tea shop instead.

Photos courtesy of Emmie Nguyen

They were then offered a tour of the old Grapes and Crepes building on Fourth Ave and quickly accepted the new building.

Before this new building, Nguyen would make the orders that she received via Instagram or her website, right in her apartment. She would then deliver the drinks to the customers.

Nguyen is holding off on deliveries for now because she wants customers to come into their store when they open. She hopes to offer delivery again once they are settled in their store.

“We want to slowly start offering food options,” Nguyen said. “Foods that you would typically eat while drinking your drinks.”

Nguyen currently isn’t hiring due to their budget being solely based on equipment. Nguyen moved into an empty building so she and her boyfriend have to install all of their equipment themselves.

“I’m taking small steps at a time, but we’re close,” Nguyen said. “They’re small steps, but they’re strong steps.”

YoungT&Tea is hoping to have their new bubble tea shop open either by the end of April or early May. For more information regarding the store and the business you can follow YoungT&Tea on Instagram @youngtandtea.

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April 21, 2021

NEWS

UPDATES FOR 2021 GRADUATES CWU offers updates on spring graduation ceremony

By Jackie Tran While many restrictions have been lifted over the past year, CWU has once again decided to hold the graduation online in pursuit of keeping the CWU students, their families, and the faculty safe.

Lauren Zeutenharft, director of executive events and protocol, gave details on CWU’s plans for spring graduation, the ongoing pandemic leading to another virtual commencement.

Although the ceremony will be held online, many changes have been made since last year’s graduation with the extra time allowing for more thorough planning. There will be five virtual commencement ceremonies, one per each college campus, all of which will go live online 9 a.m.

June 12.

The school has collaborated with companies this year to add extra features such as the option for students to add photos, videos and special messages along with their names, degrees

and honors on their slide. The files themselves will be open for access several months after the graduation for students to save, download and share their personal clips.

Similar to last year, there will be recordings of the CWU president and several other speakers as well as grad packages which will contain diploma covers and commencement books.

This year, the school has increased opportunities for students to get as much out of the experience as possible by making grad box pick-ups all across the state starting in May. Graduation t-shirts that were originally only sold in person will be sold online and mailed after purchase. Students graduating spring 2021 will also receive a commemorative tassel.

Zeutenhorft said while there will be no regalia required this year, it will still be available to purchase along with other graduation merchandise in CWU’s Wildcat Shop.

Dillon Clare, one of many students graduating this year, said that he is not

opposed to the idea of a virtual commencement ceremony. After attending CWU for three years following time in running start, Clare said he has been happy with the school and understands there has been a lack of options due to the pandemic.

“I think ideally everybody would want it in person,” Clare said. “But I understand you can’t really help things. I don’t know all of the regulations, all the hoops they’d have to jump through.”

Having already gone through long graduation ceremonies in the past, the convenience of a virtual ceremony and the lack of regalia cost is also seen as a benefit to Clare.

“I didn’t think I was gonna plan on doing the graduation ceremony. If it was virtual and didn’t really cost anything then … I would take part in it,” Clare said.

Zeutenhorft said CWU is doing its best to make every celebration possible but understands that even with all of the accommodations, the ceremony is still not in-person.

Courtesy of CWU

April 21, 2021

7

NEWS

Career Services to hold annual school fair virtually for second year in a row

By Justin Zabel With commencement around the corner, graduates are beginning to look ahead to their life after college.

On April 22, Career Services will be holding the annual Spring Career, Internship, & Grad School fair. However, with current restrictions in effect, the event is being held virtually for the second year in a row.

Because this event is virtual the number of organizations is low, but what is being offered for students is giving them other opportunities to grow after their college years and providing them guidance.

“There’s 48 organizations registered and that is a combination of grad programs,” the Director of Career Services Vicki Sannuto said. “There’s a

few school districts that are attending to hire as well. There is probably eight school districts from the look of it.”

In order for students to have a successful job fair, preparation is key.

“They really should go and look at who’s coming to the fair and students have to use this app that was used a couple times call Career Fair Plus,” Sannuto said. “[Students] can read their explanation in there. ...

They should be understanding what the school offers and come with questions.”

To register for this event students need to go to the career services website, download the Career Fair Plus app, fill out their information, and upload their resume and cover letter to interact with the organization and schools that will be involved.

Fast facts: National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) provides a projected job market outlook every year targeted toward college graduates.

Employers project hiring 7.2% more college graduates (Class of 2021) Out of 200 respondents, 30% report plans to hire more college graduates in spring Up from 16.5% of the 227 respondents with similar plans last fall Out of 200 respondents, 8% report plans to decrease hiring in spring Down from 31% of the 227 respon- dents with similar plans last fall

Photo by Casey Rothgeb

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April 21, 2021

SCENE

#StopAsianHate: Campus conversation addresses safety and mental health

By Lexi Wicks According to the Stop AAPI Hate news release, starting from March 19 of last year through the end of 2020, a total of 3,292 reports of violence and harassment against Asian American and Pacific Islanders were reported from all 50 states. #StopAsianHate has been flooding social media and the streets as marches are taking place in order to advocate for the AAPI community.

The Diversity and Equity Center hosted an AAPI Community Conversation on April 12, to find safety and support in what they say is feeling like an unsafe world.

Several of the students in attendance used the opportunity to share personal experiences and concerns.

Graphic by Rebekah Blum

Demonstrating the difficulties of generating conversation about this topic on campus, only ten people attended including three counselors, two police officers, and one staff member available to help answer questions.

The staff used the 90-minute meeting to listen and respond to some of the concerns and provide information about local and campus efforts to support the AAPI community.

Although the official date is not set, the group plans to meet again in May and is organizing another event for April 28. Anyone is welcomed and encouraged to attend, either in person or online via Zoom.

Finding support Director of the Student Counseling Center Cindy Bruns said that students who hold “marginalized identities” face systemic problems like “white supremacy and those experiences of oppression and discrimination, or racism, or sexism, or homophobia, or transphobia.”

This makes it “really important, from our perspective at student counseling, that we are not pathologizing a problem that is a system problem and making it an individual problem,” Bruns said.

“We offer support for people to understand how the system that they’re living in, how white supremacy, impacts their mental health. And then how can they cope with that in effective ways

to support and improve their mental health,” Bruns said.

“It starts with you as an individual, but it also starts with the power structures at the university as well,” Bruns added.

What’s happening Various groups on campus are responding to the call for the need to create a safer environment both on campus and within the community.

According to Bruns, student counseling services do more training than what CWU requires in terms of diversity, equity and inclusivity. They have an annual social justice initiative, quarterly book readings and continued education and training.

According to officer Andy Bayne, CWU Police Department (CWUPD) makes an effort to engage with students and community members while on patrol.

The department also provides a women’s self-defense class that is conducted

by CWUPD officers through the physical education department.

Andy Bruns, sergeant and defense tactics instructor at CWU, said CWUPD partners with the Asia University America Program throughout the year to give a personal safety presentation. It also helps to introduce new students to CWUPD and their role within the CWU community.

Community members can be allies. “If you see something, say something,” Officer Bayne said. “No matter the request we

will [respond] and determine what steps need to occur next.”

CWU President James Gaudino and Delores (Kandee) Cleary, the vice president of Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity both put out statements of support for the AAPI community within the last six weeks.

Student Mental Health Resources Student Counseling Services Appointments available by phone Staffed line Monday – Friday (509)-963-1391 couseling@cwu.edu

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Primate Awareness Network club co-hosts fundraiser with Gallery One

By Jamie Wyatt Opening on April 3 and running until May 1, CWU’s Primate Awareness Network (PAN) club, in conjunction with Gallery One, is hosting an exhibit of artwork created for a contest that helped raise money for local Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest (CSNW).

The art contest is a fundraiser created by PAN, an on-campus club that posts research on social media about different primate species and their conservation status. They also hold fundraisers supporting primate awareness among the public, students and university, and supports the ocal CSNW. Margaux Hingey, a PAN member and Primate Behavior and Ecology major, discussed PAN’s purpose and online presence.

“Generally, there are a lot of events that are meant to promote awareness about primates among the general public, or even the university, and then events to support CSNW.” Hingey said.

PAN has different committees within the club, with the fundraising committee being the orchestrator of the art contest and Gallery One partnership. Hingey is part of the fundraising committee along with Danna Boshak, a graduate student in the Primate Behavior and Ecology program.

Boshak gave further insight into how the idea for the art contest and fundraiser came together.

“The initial idea was just the art contest to create a T-shirt, but as soon as I heard Gallery One, I was like that means we’re doing a gallery exhibit right? I don’t know if that was part of the initial idea, it was my misunderstanding maybe, but I’m glad we did it,” Boshak said. “In addition to just engaging people in the contest. It gives a wonderful opportunity for outreach and for people in Ellensburg to really learn more about the sanctuary and the chimps that are there.”

Diana Goodrich and J.B. Mulachy are co-di-

rectors of CSNW with a connection to CWU. Both graduated from CWU, and Mulachy is now an adjunct professor in the Primate Behavior and Ecology program. Goodrich provided a short history of the chimpanzees and how they arrived at CSNW. “There’s a group of seven chimps that came in 2008. Really, the sanctuary started with the very basics and we’ve been building it around the chips, adding more space and more habitats for them,” Goodrich said. “A few years ago we decided we were at a point where we could start thinking about bringing more chips to the sanctuary. … In 2019, we were able to rescue three more chimps, so there’s 10 now. We’re working very hard on an expansion so we can take in a group of six. It takes a lot to house chimps a lot of long term care with chimps living into their 50s.”

CSNW’s website has pictures, biographies and videos of the chimpanzees currently housed at CSNW and the six chimpanzees they are hoping to raise enough funding to bring to CSNW in the near future. Goodrich spoke of how appreciative she is for CWU’s PAN club and their work in putting together the art contest and gallery showing.

“The student group has been really amazing, especially this year. [CSNW] haven’t done a ton of local outreach in the past,” Goodrich said. “This group of students this year has just been helping a lot with local outreach in Ellensburg and we’re really grateful for their work.”

The fundraising portion of the art contest allows for the purchases of products with the winning design.

“The merchandise is for sale in both Gallery One’s shop & CSNW’s website. Proceeds from those purchases do go to help support the chimps,” Boshak said.

Students and the community can see the exhibit running at Gallery One, in Ellensburg at 408 North Pearl St. through May 1.

CWU OFFICE OF UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH

SOURCE 2021 SAVE THE DATE! May 16-22, 2021 A completely virtual event in partnership with the Student Opportunity Center.

PLEASE EMAIL SOURCE@CWU.EDU IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS

April 21, 2021

OPINION

9

Why are graphics cards so hard to get a hold of right now?

By Javier Medrano Graphics cards can serve a great purpose to us in this pandemic. During these times, we are either stuck with nothing to do or we are forced to adopt a new work environment. That means most of us either playing video games or working from home.

In the fall of 2020, we were greeted with a whole new set of cards to play with. Graphics cards can be seen as little expansion packs for your computer, taking the load of displaying images off your computer.

What they excel at is doing a lot of simple tasks at the same time. A decent graphics card can do all the busy work while your main computer processor can focus on more complex operations. This means a stronger graphics card can spit out a better image, making it the perfect tool for video games.

But that isn’t the only thing they are good for. Their ability to crank out tasks can apply to many other applications that require the same operations to be calculated thousands of times. This extends to video editing, 3D rendering, teaching AI and even mining cryptocurrencies.

It seems like everyone could really benefit from having a nice graphics card in their computer, whether it be for gaming, work or just for enthusiasts. It would make sense to go online and buy one right now.

Except you can’t.

For the past half year, it’s been nearly impossible to get your hands on a graphics card at a reasonable price. Everytime they go on sale, they are sold out before you can click the “Add to Cart” button.

That’s how quickly they go out of stock, and it’s been like this ever since Nvidia’s new series of graphics cards dropped.

What could be causing this lack of stock?

There could be a few reasons.

COVID-19 Firstly, there’s currently a pandemic. At the time of the announcement of these new cards, many of us were still stuck at home and producing computer parts from home isn’t something we can do at the moment. So, production of these components are down since people are trying to work less.

Secondly, even though less people are working, a lot of them are also choosing to work from home. This can lead to more people needing powerful computers to get their work done. This would mean an increase in demand met with a decrease in supply. In fact, that’s exactly what Nvidia’s CFO said in an by PCMag. Even though production has been slowly ramping up again, they still can’t meet the demands of the market. According to an article by Kotaku, this problem is extending to the previously mentioned video game consoles, phones, TVs and even . This shortage can’t be easily fixed, these rare parts are hard to produce. You simply can’t solve the issue by opening up a few more factories.

But those can’t be the only reasons as to why these things are so scarce. I mean, it’s not like Nvidia is currently scrounging for money right now. Yahoo Finance that Nvidia expects the first quarter sales of 2021 to exceed their forecast of 5.3 billion dollars. Clearly someone is buying these cards, but who is it?

Scalpers Well let me introduce you to the wonderful world of scalping. No, not the horrific act of removing one’s scalp, but the equally despicable act of buying up the stock of a product to intentionally inflate their market price.

If you own enough of a product and you’re the only one who has it, you’re able to decide the price of that product.

And if people decide that your pric-

es are “reasonable” enough, they’ll buy from you.

That’s the free market for you.

There has been a new wave of post market sellers buying up the stock with the intention of selling them back to the consumer base at incredibly inflated prices, serving as an unnecessary middleman.

How exactly are they getting so many cards? Usually when new products are released with the expectation they’ll be in high demand, many physical stores impose a customer limit to prevent people in front of the line from buying the whole store. But with the lovely pandemic going on, many stores have shifted to online storefronts to sell their products and with new technology comes new problems.

Scalpers have figured out a way to make robots so smart that they are trick the website into believing their real individuals. Scalpers have been buying thousands of these bots to ensure they get a hold of a lot of products.

These bots are so fast that they can add an item to a cart, fill out all the necessary information, and click check out before you could even refresh the page.

Most online stores don’t have lines, it’s a free-for-all once the product goes on sale.

Surely, that has to be it right? Right?

Wrong. In addition to all of these reasons, there is one more we need to talk about.

Cryptominers I’m going to be honest. I’m not going to attempt to explain how cryptocurrencies function and what they exactly mean, mostly because I barely understand it myself. However, there is one thing that is important to know. This somehow ties into graphics cards.

See, there’s a thing called cryptomining, and it’s not exactly done with a pickaxe. It’s an incredibly complex process where people are rewarded money in

the form of cryptocurrencies for solving complex functions. It requires a lot of power and processing power, specifically for completing thousands of tasks over and over again.

Sounds familiar yet? Yep, graphics cards do this job incredibly well and the thing with cryptominers is, they are on the more technical savvy side of the consumer base. Not only do they use bots to buy up tons of cards, but they set them up in these things called mining rigs.

They are basically shelfs of graphics cards all being run at the same time to mine cryptocurrencies. This process draws a ton of power and puts these cards through the ringer. These aren’t for resell, cryptominers pretty much suck all use they can out of these.

What we’re up against So to recap, if you want to get your hands on a graphics card at the Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price, you have to compete against scalpers, robots, cryptobroes and a deadly virus. Now this isn’t an issue that money can’t solve of course.

You could always buy a scalped card for nearly double the amount or buy a prebuilt computer that comes with the card you want for about five grand. But a lot of us can’t do that right. We are still suffering from this pandemic, and some of us have to choose between paying the rent or having something to eat.

It’s worse if you need a card to work, but you can’t work without a card. You’re stuck in this Catch-22 situation where you can’t do one without the other. And it like this year isn’t going to be much better.

I suppose the best thing to do is to hope that at least one of these problems could be solved soon. It would really help all of us to try to get back to normal living by the end of the year, not having to worry about viruses or robots. Let’s just keep our fingers crossed.

WiseCrax: Happy Earth Day!

By Libby Williams Being environmentally cautious and trying to lead a more sustainable life has become more popular in recent years. Especially with all these new documentaries where they show footage of plastic waste islands in the ocean or zoom slowly into the face of a cross-eyed, two-day old cow and cut immediately to someone eating a burger. It’s enough to make anyone feel personally responsible.

Maybe you’ve seen some of these movies and it stirred something in you.

Maybe you’ve watched the news, seen an environmentalist get up to the podium to say “yeah, we’re all screwed,” and sit back down, and it made you want to make some lifestyle changes.

That’s great! Even if you aren’t 100% sustainable, any act of eco-mindfulness is a win. But going green can be daunting, and you might not know where to start.

Luckily, I took an environmental class freshman year… or was it biology… either way, I’m an expert, and I have some tips.

With Earth Day coming up on April 22, I hope you’re able to try some of these and make an impact!

No Plastic, No Guilt Take a look around your kitchen and notice how much of your food is wrapped in some form of plastic. It’s jaw-dropping, but really, what can you do? Even if you buy reusable grocery bags, they’re not going to start selling Doritos farmer’s market style, in a big bin with a scoop. The plastic waste can feel unavoidable.

Simply unwrap whatever you’re going to buy at the store and transfer it to a reusable bag/jar/vessel. You’re still going to pay for it, but the plastic garbage will be off your conscience and left with the store.

It’s not your fault that Fred Meyer made the active decision to only buy plastic wrapped foods. At the end of the day, living sustainably is all about making you feel like a better person, so pin the guilt somewhere else.

It’s Electric (Boogy Woogy Woogy) This just in, gas is out. Fossil fuels?

We don’t know her. Literally, what are fossil fuels? Someone should explain that to me, please.

If I know one thing, it’s that drilling for oil is terrible for the environment. But maybe you’re not in a place to shell out thousands for a new electric “smart car.”

What car brands don’t want you to know is that gas tanks and rechargeable batteries are completely interchangeable.

Take the weekend, grab some buddies, and DIY an electric powered car.

I’ve found it works best to use 600 AAA batteries, but if you find something that works better, feel free to email it to the newspaper and I’ll make an amendment.

Go Vegan I know I know. Gross. But hear me out! It’s much easier than most think to adopt the vegan lifestyle. There are so many delicious options at the store, and lots of amazing things you can do with

veggies and grains. Plus, many experts have said going vegan actually has some health benefits.

Granted, some of those pre-prepared vegan meals are a little questionable, but being busy college students, are technically a better option than spending two hours trying to make asparagus appealing.

There are ways to spruce up these frozen meals. This recipe was passed down from my great-great-great-great grandmother: What you’re going to want to do is get a vegan, microwavable lasagna. The fake cheese is going to look like Styrofoam, don’t let this scare you. Microwave until the plant based meat has melted into the noodles. Take the tray out of the microwave, being cautious because the paperless cardboard they put that food in has definitely disintegrated in the condensation. Put the food on a nice plate, and finally, dump a bunch of shredded cheddar on top.

You won’t even be able to tell that way.

10

April 21, 2021

OPINION

Transphobia is the new homophobia

By Farron Knechtel Fears about transgender people using the restroom, seeking gender confirmation surgery and competing in sports appear to be on the rise from a small and vocal minority. If you are trans or otherwise LGBTQ, however, it’s probably not much of a surprise.

I’ve been openly part of the LGTBQ community for most of my life. Discrimination is nothing new for members of our community. Over the course of about two decades, I’ve seen a shift in focus in this discrimination. I’ve witnessed and lived this discrimination first hand.

I experienced frequent bullying when I was a senior in high school in 2003. My classmates called me homophobic slurs and insulted me about being “confused” by my masculine clothes and short hair.

Classmates I hardly knew expressed disgust toward me or demanded to know the particulars of my sex life. I even experienced violence in my personal life.

Over all, there was an air of disdain around “gays and lesbians.” “Gay”’ was an insult synonymous with “stupid” or “lame,” and I heard my peers throw the insult around at everything: a movie or a singer they didn’t like or a chair with a broken leg. If I called my peers out on it, they became indignant or ignored me.

Hoping to find a community amidst such hostility, I became the vice presi-

dent of my school’s newly founded Gay Straight Alliance (GSA). We made two appeals to the student Associated Student Body (ASB) to receive recognition as an official club and were denied each time. During the same meeting we outlined our community outreach and volunteer work, the ham radio club and collectible card gaming club were approved. We were told our club was not necessary.

After that, our GSA quietly skirted policy by “just happening” to hang out in our advisor’s classrooms. We reached out to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). After the ACLU sent a letter to our school board outlining legal and civil rights concerns, we were allowed to keep meeting on campus.

Still, we were not allocated funding or recognized as an official school club. It was disappointing, but at least we didn’t have to sneak around. After I graduated, I busied myself with other concerns, but I never forgot my anger as my peers told me that my club, my community, had no reason to exist.

The discourse and understanding around LGBTQ identity shifted rapidly in the years that followed. I came out as trans and genderqueer. I faced confusion from my friends and loved ones all over again, and transphobic remarks from some of the gay and lesbian people I once considered friends.

Having lived through that very homophobic time in the ‘00s, I notice a lot of similarities at the apprehension cis people have toward trans people. It seems remarkably similar to the fears people had toward me as a lesbian two decades ago.

The way trans women are characterized as perverts who want to sneak into women’s restrooms or cheat at women’s sports reminds me of how girls would tell me not to stare at them in the locker room when I was minding my own business. I was treated as though I had an ulterior motive for participating in activities all the girls were doing.

When I hear concerns of cis parents afraid that their children will make sudden decisions that they regret, I remember how mental health professionals told me that being gay and questioning my gender identity were nothing more than a phase.

The overall rhetoric - that young people need to be protected from trans people, and trans people need to be protected from themselves - seems incredibly similar to fears of gays and lesbians “recruiting” in the ‘90s. The sanctity of designated gender seems like a stand-in for the sanctity of heterosexual marriage.

My trans siblings and I are frightened by the precedent these anti-trans laws are setting. The Human Rights Campaign states on hrc.org that 2021 is “a record

year for anti-transgender legislation.”

Over 70 state bills that seek to limit the rights of trans people have been proposed this year.

Bills limiting health care for transgender youth, banning trans youth from participating in gendered sports, and other limitations of the legal rights of trans people are tracked by the ACLU at https://www.aclu.org/legislation-affecting-lgbt-rights-across-country.

Lawmakers seem to be sending the message I received back in the ‘00s: you are not allowed to exist in the same way your peers do. You need to express yourself in the ways that we approve of. If you try to create a space for yourself, we will undermine you and force you to stop.

Given my years of experience, I have to hope that eventually this injustice will be seen for what it is: as backwards and cruel as the anti-gay legislation in our recent past.

In 2009, I received an email from the former president of our GSA saying that the ACLU helped him win the legal battle for recognition of our GSA. When it comes to this current fight against transphobia, I want to believe I’ll someday say the same words I did then. They’re the words I said when gay marriage was final legalized nationally, and when President Biden overturned discriminatory national policies in 2021: “Took them long enough.”

CENTRAL WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

Enroll in CWU Summer Session.

Earn credits.

Graduate early.

Talk to your advisor about summer. With more than 550 courses, most online, you’re sure to find what you need.

BENEFITS OF CWU SUMMER

• Take Gen Eds and Pre-reqs • Complete an Internship

• Live at Home, Study Online • Financial Aid is Available for Those Who Qualify

IMPORTANT DATES:

APRIL 19 ADVISING BEGINS MAY 3 REGISTRATION BEGINS JUNE 21 CLASSES BEGIN

cwu.edu/summer For details and course list.

April 21, 2021

11

SPORTS

COVID-19 brings another opponent for athletes

By Noah Wright The year 2020 saw the rise of COVID-19 and with it came a new standard for athletics here at CWU. With seasons started back up, there is a new procedure that has created an extra opponent for student-athletes to face while in competition.

Weekly testing has brought with it a new set of rules that affect not only the athletes, but athletics as a whole.

According to the Director of Athletics Dennis Francois, the path to this date has been exhausting.

“We knew that we were going to need something in place when seasons started again,” Francois said, “but it seemed like every two weeks, something changed.”

According to Francois, one of the most confusing parts of the testing procedure is the different testing cadences for each sport.

“High-risk sports, such as football and rugby, have to test weekly if they are competing or practicing without masks,” Francois said.

Intermediate-risk sports have seen the biggest changes in testing cadences.

“If these sports [baseball, softball and basketball] are not traveling, then

we test 30% of the team on a two-week basis,” Francois said, “but if they are traveling we test the whole team 3 days before departure.”

The low-risk sports, such as track and field and cross country, test only before traveling, Francois says.

According to Head Athletic Trainer Isaac Perry, the teams take a lab-based PCR test, which he considers to be the best possible ones.

“The tests are all done through the UW lab in Seattle,” Perry said. “They have an online system where we order tests for every person by putting in each person’s information prior and then we go through and print out all the information for each test.”

According to Perry, the testing procedure is that the teams test in the upper gym at Nicholson Pavilion. For the actual testing, Perry said everyone is given a swab, test tube and plastic bag which they use to self-administer the test and package up to be sent off.

The tests are then sent to the UW lab and results are released about 24 to 48 hours later, according to Perry.

According to Perry if a test comes back positive, CWU health center

director Dr. Carylin Holsey, is the first one to be notified by the UW lab directly.

“Her job is to then relay the information to the appropriate people on campus, as well as the county health department,” Perry said.

Perry also stated that if a person misses the testing day, then they are held out until a makeup test is administered or the next testing cycle comes around, whichever one comes first.

According to Head coach Trevor Richards of the women’s rugby team, the whole testing process can be very stressful.

“Obviously, no one wants to stick a swab up their nose,” Richards said, “ but beyond that there is a little bit of anxiety while waiting for the results.”

According to Richards, another stressful piece of the testing and procedures is the effects they have on everyone’s experience.

“It’s been really tough to come together as student-athletes because we are taking away their normal experience,” Richards said.

According to Richards, the athletes come to college and then they are told not to behave like normal college students.

However, the athletes on the team have been working hard to keep giving negative test results according to Richards.

“We have been following the procedures and I feel bad sometimes because it is very hard to catch your breath while wearing the masks, but someone has to be the mask police,” Richards said.

This effort has paid off according to Richards.

“We [the team] started testing in the beginning of February and have not had a positive test,” Richards said.

According to Richards, negative test results are always encouraging to the team because it shows their efforts are not in vain. “[The team] spent so long shut down and it was a very trying time, but continually getting negative results are what allow us to compete,” Richards said.

But one negative weekly test is no reason to forget all the safety procedures, according to Francois and Perry.

“The test only provides a result for that day,” Perry said. “It is important that we need to adhere to procedures daily because you could come back negative on one day and have symptoms a few days later.”

Tennis club to host tournament for members

By Jared Galanti The CWU tennis club has gone through some changes this year. Gone are the trips to other schools to compete in tournaments, and in their place are practices on CWU tennis courts to sharpen their skills.

That will change on May 21-22, when the tennis club will be hosting its own tournament for club members.

There will be five different tournaments going on that weekend. A men’s and women’s doubles and singles tournament, as well as mixed doubles.

When we last heard from the club back in November, they were still practicing in hopes that they would be able to compete later in the year.

Jordyn Fassett, a junior and current vice-president of the club, said that some things have changed since then.

“Since (November) we’ve been able to use our facility,” Fassett said. “We’ve been able to play outside with our masks on. It’s been a lot of fun, we’ve had new officers, we had new games introduced and everybody seems to have a good time.”

Fassett said the club has a little bit of an overflow of funding due to the lack of travel that they are accustomed to during the school year. They have spent that extra

Photo courtesy of Danny DeBock

With no traveling this year, the Tennis Club has been sharpening their skills . money on T-shirts and sweatshirts for the seniors who are graduating this quarter.

Fassett said that the lack of traveling to other schools forced the club to come up with other ways to bond together.

“The core group of us who do (travel) have had to find other ways to connect and bond,” Fassett said. “We’ve had a couple get togethers, safely of course, it’s been really fun. I think people real-

ly value the time we have up here now.

A lot of people do show up and show up consistently.”

Practice coordinator Danny DeBock said that the main goal for this time is to help those in the club improve their skills.

“Looking back on what we said, my mission was always to improve and be ready for the tournaments,” DeBock said.

“And that’s been the case. We’ve seen a

lot of improvement from a lot of players. One of the main advantages that I’ve seen through this year is how a few of us have become tactically smarter in our tennis game.”

DeBock said he’s been seeing a lot of players moving from just trying to get the ball over the net to continue a rally, to trying to actually win the point.

DeBock said the reason why they are putting the tournament on is to get the competitive edge that the club has not yet experienced this year.

“We haven’t had any competitive side that we could really exude except within practices itself,” DeBock said.

“You can only do so much during practice, there hasn’t been much of a chance to compete.”

DeBock said that the tournament will be a nice way to prepare for next year when they can hopefully travel to other schools again and participate in tournaments there.

“Are we going to travel next year?

I can’t guarantee anything,” DeBock said. “But I would say this things are a lot more open than they were this year compared to last spring … in hindsight while looking at all of this I would say the odds are in our favor of traveling next year.”

Wildcats on the Move walking challenge to continue as COVID-19 restrictions lift

By Mariana Gonzalez As COVID-19 restrictions ease and more of the U.S. population becomes vaccinated, the Wildcats on the Move walking challenge offers staff and students a safe way to get some steps in as the U.S. slowly shifts back to normal. The challenge, which started as a staff-only event, has evolved to a student-focused event in the past three years.

Students, including those not based in Ellensburg, and staff can register for this event on the Recreation Center portal under special events until April 21. The

challenge will begin on April 19 and will last for six weeks until May 28.

Signing up for the challenge is free and all students are provided with a CWU pedometer they get to keep after the challenge is over.

The pedometers will be available for pickup at the Recreation Center at the start of the challenge. Students who cannot pick up their pedometers may use their own or track their steps on any smartphone app.

Students are allowed to participate in the challenge alone or in groups of two or three. Participants will record

their steps online for the challenge and receive updates on who is in the lead.

When signing up, participants will have to choose a category to compete in. The Iris category is for students walking 70,000 steps a week. The Sunflower category is for students walking 70,000-85,000 steps a week. The Orchid category is for students walking 85,000100,000 steps a week.

The winners of each category will win prizes that may be picked up at the Recreation Center or mailed to off-campus winners. There will also be prizes given during the event for special challenges.

Intramural Sports and Special Events Coordinator Shana Kessler encouraged participating students to be mindful of their surroundings and wear bright colors when walking early or late in the day.

The challenge comes at a time when most students are emerging from lifting restrictions.

“It’s a super fun and easy way to do something with your friends,” Kessler said.

Based on previous years the expected turnout for the Wildcats on the Move Walking Challenge is 150 participants.

12

April 21, 2021

ENGAGEMENT

PULSE Magazine presents a Q&A with

COOL CAT: kyle wilkinson Interview by Nidia Torres | Photo contributed by Kyle Wilkinson | Design by Itzel Montoya

CWU alumnus Kyle Wilkinson has the call of the wild written in his heart.

His passion for fly fishing, writing and reporting motivates this 2020 Digital Journalism graduate to live the best of both his worlds, incorporating storytelling into his work as a fly-fishing guide and social media director at the Ellensburg Angler, a fly-fishing outfitter in Central Washington. In April, Wilkinson took a job as a fly fishing guide in Alaska.

Wilkinson’s passion for the outdoors also fuels his interest in hunting, hiking and scouting, and inspired some of his award-winning reporting for PULSE magazine while at Central. Here’s why you should know this Cool Cat.

FAVORITE CHILDHOOD MEMORY:

When I was in fourth grade I went to Wide Hollow Elementary in West Valley, and my friend and I got in trouble on the playground for selling [fishing] flies to each other, as we’re both tying flies at that time. We got in trouble for that because we were basically bringing fish hooks to the playground, so that was one of my favorite memories that kind of goes towards my passion for fly fishing.

Tell us about your hobbies:

Fly fishing, I mean that’s my job. I’ve been doing it four years now, full-time the last year since I graduated and then I was doing it in the summers, in the winters.

We either rode in a drift boat down the Yakima River or guiding, walking trips on the Naches or walk trips at Rocky Fork Spring Creek – those are all places that I grew up fly fishing.

I started when I was like three or four. I had a creek going through my backyard and I fished that like, almost every day in the summertime. My fish weren’t very big, but it definitely instilled a passion for fly fishing for me. Even if I wasn’t fishing, I was down there flipping rocks, finding bugs, watching muskrats and otters and beavers; so, growing up in that kind of atmosphere really got me interested in fly fishing as a sport.

I grew up fishing all the rivers around here. I was fishing for like bass and walleye and salmon steel or spinning gear and a little bit with fly fishing gear, but when I went to Yellowstone, I think in like 2012 or 2011, all I brought was a fly rod and my dad and I fly fished all the way from Washington to Montana, Wyoming and then back into Washington.

Ever since then, I’ve only been really fly fishing since. I could probably count on both hands how many times I’ve fished with spinning gear just because that got me hooked on fly fishing.

Tell us about your personal goals:

I’d like to be able to keep working in the outdoor industry – whether that be as a fly fishing or fishing or hunting guide or creating content – whether that be writing or photography or videography or audio or podcasts. Being able to continue to do that to share my passion with other people and my knowledge.

Tell us more about your career goals:

Working as a fly-fishing guide. That’s what I really like to do or a hunting guide.

That’s what I’d like to do ultimately. I enjoy writing for newspapers and magazines and stuff, but I can definitely see myself being more invested, more passionate about my job if I’m still able to work out in the field.

Three fun facts:

I think it’s really awesome that I’ve been able to make a career out of what I have a passion for and being able to tailor my degree around that. I’ve able to use that to take photos from social media, write, edit, photograph and run a podcast…

I got married pretty young and a lot of people thought that that was a bad idea.

They didn’t necessarily agree with that. I think that was the best thing that I could have done personally. I think it was really a good decision to get married young… We got married in the Olympic National Park on the beach. Not many people can say that they got married like literally in a national park on a beach.

Quote to live by: “Happy wife, happy life.”

Where can you find kyle hanging out:

If I’m not at home, I’m either fishing on the river or I’m up in the foothills of the Cascades. Then I’m either checking trail cameras to get pictures of wildlife or scouting or hunting a variety of game species. So, I’m either doing that or I’m fishing on the river.

THIS WEEK

21 WED

3-4:30 p.m. Spring Quarter Sustainability Cafe* 6-7 p.m. ASCWU Virtual Public Debate #2* 7-9 p.m. Trivia Wednesday SURC Theatre Rm 210, *

25 SUN

11 a.m. to 2 p.m. ASCWU General Election 2021 - SURC Pit (100C), **

@CWUObserver

*Virtual Location for Online Events **Student Union Operations

22 THURS

12-2 p.m. Seed to Spoon Plant Care Tutorial - SURC Patio East 4-5:30 p.m. Diversity Award Celebration* 7-9 p.m. Create a Creature Make & Take - SURC Ballroom Rm 215A, SURC Pit (100C), *

26 MON

11 a.m. to 2 p.m. ASCWU General Election 2021 - SURC Pit (100C), ** 8-10 p.m. Monday Movie Madness: Holes - SURC Theatre Rm 210, *

CWU Observer

@CWUObserver

23 FRI

11 a.m. to 2 p.m. ASCWU General Election 2021 - SURC Pit (100C), ** 4-6 p.m. The Hot New Jam Free Play - SURC Theatre Rm 210

27 TUES

11 a.m. to 2 p.m. ASCWU General Election 2021 - SURC Pit (100C), ** 3-4 p.m. Talking Gender Series* 7-9 p.m. Lucky Bamboo Make & Take - SURC Ballroom Rm 215A, *

24 SAT

11 a.m. to 2 p.m. ASCWU General Election 2021 SURC Pit (100C), **

28 WED

4-6 p.m. OPR Weekly Fireside Chats - Outdoor Pursuits & Rentals Patio

cwuobserver@gmail.com

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