CWU Observer – Fall 2020, Issue 4

Page 1

Vol. 117 NO. 4 October 6 - October 13, 2020

@cwuobserver, cwuobserver.com

Ensuring your vote is counted Ty McPhee Staff Reporter

ASCWU will be providing a safe and clean environment to ensure that student votes are collected and counted towards this year’s 2020 presidential election. ASCWU Director of Governmental Affairs Edgar Espino wanted to remind students to register to vote before Oct. 26 which is the last day to register to vote by mail and online. Same day voter registration will be offered at the Student Engagement Hubs on campus, as well as the Auditor’s office, which run election centers. “Those who you elect at a local level will have a more direct impact on your daily lives than, say, the President of the United States would,” Espino said. “That’s one thing that people don’t realize half the time when they just don’t vote.” Voters between the ages of 18 and 29 are the voting demographic with the lowest turnout in the United States, according to the United States Census Bureau. Kittitas County Auditor Jerry Pettit said they’re expecting a high turnout this

ASCWU hosts annual meet the presidents and provost event David Hartless Staff Reporter

Source: United States Census Bureau

year even if there aren’t that many students on campus. “We’ve done this, all of us have worked together for 10 years to do this so it’s not something new to us, it’s what we do,” Pettit said. The only big changes coming this year, as opposed to previous years, is the difference in location. Instead of the two rooms

downstairs in the SURC, they’ll be upstairs in the ballroom to accommodate for spacing between people. The included map was made to visualize how students would be guided through the process. Someone will ask if you’re registered or unregistered and will then direct you to the line or to the waiting area. Each ballot station will have enhanced cleaning. For those unsure about mail-in ballots, Pettit published a press release on Sept. 29 talking about it. Voters can check online through voter.votewa. gov to ensure that their ballot has been counted and tallied. He also published another press release Oct. 2 over the concerns surrounding ballot box security. Ballot boxes have logs for who access each one and who is transporting ballots from a ballot box is also logged. The Student Engagement Hubs where students will be able to register to vote as well as submit their ballots will be held on campus Nov. 2 from noon to 8 p.m. and Nov. 3 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

On Wednesday, Sept. 30, ASCWU hosted their annual Meet the Presidents and Provost event virtually. President James L. Gaudino, ASCWU President Mickael Candelaria and Provost and Vice President of Academic and Student Life Michelle DenBeste were speakers at the event. During the hour-long event, each panel member was asked an array of questions from the moderator Jeff Rosenberry, executive director of student involvement. The panel was asked a selected number of predetermined questions, as well as questions from people who joined in the virtual audience. After discussing their backgrounds and answering a few predetermined questions, such as what their favorite quarantine snack has been, the Q&A session with attendees began. One attendee asked if CWU will be setting standards for professors with online learning. “There is a big learning curve for some professors. Some have never taught online and last spring was their first time doing it,” DenBeste said. She also asked students to be transparent with any issues they may be having with online learning and encouraged students to reach out to their professors for help.

Continued on Page 2

President Gaudino announces layoffs Mitchell Roland Editor-in-Chief

Citing a decline in students enrolled and living on campus as well as a challenging financial outlook, CWU announced 56 layoffs on Sept. 30 that will impact 48 employees tied to residential services. Soon after the announcement, Director of Human Resources Staci Sleigh-Layman joined President James L. Gaudino, Vice President of Business and Financial Affairs Joel Klucking and Vice

In This Issue 1-4 5-7 8-9 10-11 12

News Scene Opinion Sports Engagement

President of Enrollment Management Josh Hibbard on a Zoom call to discuss the layoffs as well as the financial outlook of the university. The layoffs will occur in five departments: housing, dining services, facilities, computing and supervision. Layoffs in supervision occur when a group of employees overseen by a supervisor is laid off and that supervisor no longer has employees working underneath them. In addition to the 56 layoffs, CWU has also eliminated 140 open positions since

Page 4

Hispanic Heritage Month

spring 2020 as the school grapples with how to deal with a projected $8.5 million loss in enterprise funding. Before the pandemic, the school projected a net positive of $3.5 million in enterprise funding. “That is really a terrible outcome for the enterprise funds. It represents two and a half to three years’ worth of results. Money that has been put in the bank to improve housing stock that we will not be able to do,” Klucking said. “We can sustain that for maybe one year, but not more than one year.”

Page 5 Ellensburg fall activities

The layoffs are the result of a combination of lost revenue as well as fewer students and employees living, working and attending on-campus classes. Klucking said a drop in 600 enrolled students will cost the school about $2.5 million in tuition over the course of the year, while the 60% dorm vacancy rate means a loss of $28 million compared to a typical year. “The impact of the pandemic has obviously been substantial,” Klucking said.

Continued on Page 3 Page 11 Are you up for a challenge?


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
CWU Observer – Fall 2020, Issue 4 by CWU Observer - Issuu