By the students, for the students
Lee Beck
Scene Editor
The play “John Proctor is the Villain” is “A very nuanced piece with a lot of levels,” Emily Rollie, associate professor in the theatre and film department, co-coordinator of the BFA performance program and director of this year’s fall play “John Proctor is the Villain,” said. “Ostensibly, it is about a class of students in a small high school… in the U.S., who are studying the crucible in 2018 amid #MeToo, and they realized that the events of the world in #MeToo are directly impacting them in class, and the ways that the play they’re reading about is actually playing out in their real lives.”
According to Rollie, “John Proctor is the Villain” has “caught fire across the country.” With its Broadway debut in March 2025, the play provides relevant social commentary about the way society perceives women. “Though it’s set in 2018 amid #MeToo… the play is
about young women’s voices being honored and amplified in ways that the white, patriarchal culture in which we live doesn’t always honor,” Rollie said. “It resonates in the 2018 moment and today. Arguably even more today amid everything going on in this world around control of women’s bodies… and voices.”
Kimberly Bellflower, playwright for “John Proctor is the Villain,” chose to only allow the play to be licensed by educational institutions before its Broadway run. “The playwright is like ‘Only colleges and high schools can do this,’” Rollie said. “I think she’s really interested in how this actually supports young people.” Which is close to the reason why Rollie chose to direct this play in the fall at CWU.
‘John Proctor is the Villain’ Show dates
Commentary on power over women’s voices
“I think it’s so important to do on a college campus,” Rollie said. “Because it’s about the power of young people’s voices, and the power of community within that.” Rollie continued this notion by mentioning previous directors of this work have described the message as the power of sisterhood specifically, and how that breaks moments of patriarchal control.
Beyond the connection on campus, Rollie spoke on how the small town in the play was similar to Ellensburg. “It’s set in a small town,” Rollie said. “Ellensburg is not big. So how do rumors get spread? How do things get misidentified? Who do we believe? And how do we believe them?” Rollie continued to mention
Nov. 22, 23, 24 and Dec. 6, 7, 8
7:30 to 9 p.m.
Theatre Tower
the timeliness of this play among the recent election.
“I think there’s so many young people who have visions for the future that didn’t play out… where the election ended up,” Rollie said. “So I think the way this amplifies young voices… [and] ends with a moment of hope for the future is powerful.” Rollie picked out a specific quote from a monologue at the end of the play that she said rang in her brain on election night. “One day, the world we were promised will actually be new.”
With the nuanced and timely elements of this play grappling with difficult subjects, “The play is funny as well,” Rollie said. “It has to be funny to make space for the hard stuff… So it’s funny, it’s profound, and there’s hope at the end. Which also makes it really helpful right now.”
Jada Madrid (Focus) Gavin Hundley (Direct Left) Paris Marie (Far Left) Neo Klosterman (Right) (Photo by Brandon Mattesich)
Jada Madrid (Left) Paris Marie (Center) Bailey Frasier (Right) (Photo by Brandon Mattesich)
NLINE EXCLUSIVES
LETTER from the EDITOR
Hello, Wildcats!
Happy Thanksgiving! We don’t have an issue next week, so I wanted to pre-emptively get my well wishes out there. I hope everyone is able to safely get home next week to spend time with their loved ones, and if not, that you find comfort and warmth in Ellensburg. Treat yourself a little bit, holdovers.
I flew back in from California today, and had the best time ever. It was incredible to see my partner and spend some time in the sun, and I’m sure you can imagine the whiplash my body felt coming from that weather into the cold abyss of central Washington. Thanks to my team – and specifically Lee – for carrying the load while I was gone.
We have a jam-packed issue this week. Our first 16-pager of the quarter! It’s always great to feel the thickness of a big issue. Our front page showcases the production of “John Proctor is the Villain,” which will be performed this weekend. I’m personally very excited to see some live entertainment, and I think the show looks great. Inside, we have a duo of stories regarding the school’s finances, including another discussion with Chief Financial Officer, Joel Klucking.
Sports-wise, we’ve taken a look at the hot start the women’s basketball team has seen, and profiled senior Sunny Huerta, who is always a great interview. Then, on a slightly more national scale, we have an opinion piece about the controversial Jake Paul vs
Mike Tyson boxing match that happened last Friday. Personally, I think that it was the worst professional sporting event I’ve ever seen. Then, I got to write about my Portland Trail Blazers and talk about why I love Shaedon Sharpe, and what the team should do moving forward.
In the middle, we have a super fun spread showcasing art from faculty members currently being shown at the Sarah Spurgeon Art Gallery. After that we have a trifecta of scene stories detailing everything from pets on campus, to the rock-climbing wall at the SURC, to the ever-busy Ace Body Piercing.
On our traditional opinion spread, we have two pieces from our news section, as well as one of my personal favorite stories of the week – Parker’s take on how the members of the Justice League would line up on a football team. Thank you as always for reading. I know I’m ready for this break. See y’all for the final issue of the quarter in December.
Isaac
(Photo courtesy of Gracen Bayer)
Joel Klucking speaks on key factors in funding
College of Sciences leads budget per student, College of Education last
Astor Powell-Pedersen and Brandon Mattesich News Editor and Staff Reporter
CWU is home to multiple Colleges each with their own programs and achievements. However, not every college receives equal funding. For example the College of Arts & Humanities received a total budget of $14 million for the 2024 financial year, whereas the College of the Sciences had an allocated budget of $23 million. Staff, enrollment and history all play a role in these budgets, but each carries a different amount of weight.
According to Joel Klucking, CWU’s Senior VP Finance & Administration, there are several components that go into planning a college’s yearly budget. “The key factors are how many students [in the program],” Klucking said. “How many student credit hours we expect that college to teach, how many tenured faculty we have, how many students they can teach, and then we calculate how many non tenured faculty are needed, and that creates the budget for faculty.”
However the largest factor by far is faculty, according to Klucking.
“Wages and benefits are 92% of the total cost,” Klucking said. “So when you talk about the college budget, it’s mostly people. Faculty and staff.”
It isn’t as simple as picking one thing to be the deciding factor for a college’s budget because every factor affects the others. To a certain extent enrollment in a college or specific department is going to determine that college’s funding, but even with fewer students a college may receive more funding to pay for tenured staff or cost of materials that another college does not have. At the same time, the number of staff in any given department is directly affected by the number of enrolled students. The College of the Sciences had the highest budget per student with its budget averaging out to $8,735 per student. Following that was the College of Arts and Humanities with $7,968 per student, the College of Business with $7,567 per student and lastly the College of Education with only $6,982 per student.
Under the banner of their respective colleges, department funding can be handled in a number of different ways. “At my level, I’m just giving money to the colleges,” Klucking said. “The four colleges probably operate slightly differently depending on who the dean is. We, in about February... calculate how many students we think are going to show up in the fall. We calculate… how many faculty will be needed, based on some teaching assumptions, and then in February, we decide the college budget. It’s then up to the dean, associate dean, the department head, faculty probably also have input. In some cases, they’re probably coming up from the other perspective saying ‘Here’s what I need to to get my teaching done this year.’ And so those two things have to be reconciled. So for the difference between what they need and what we can provide they then have to make choices.”
According to Klucking, the current funding model differs from those used at CWU in the past, particularly on how it views colleges as more than
Budget Per Student: College Level
just a means for profit. “Under the old model, the RCM ABB model, that was one of the big problems,” Klucking said. “That’s what led to the competition, because that particular model sort of forced us to look at programs as profitable or not profitable, and that’s just not that’s not productive. Because we are… a comprehensive institution. You have to have a whole bunch of different programs to make us who we are. And so when you start looking at profitable ones versus non profitable ones, you’re losing sight of what we’re actually here for, right? So in total, the university has to make their budget work.”
Graph by Brandon Mattesich
AWAY FROM DROWNING’ ‘ONE EMERGENCY
CWU’s Budget Cuts Leave Staff Positions Vacant
Brandon Mattesich and Lexie Barker
Staff Reporter and Student Contributor
Budget cuts at CWU have led to reduced staff and increased workloads across campus. For the 20242025 school year, there have been budget cuts due to low enrollment rates and retention of students.
On CWU’s dashboard, data for enrollment and retention both show a clear decline over the past five years. Registered Admissions are down by 1,062 students since 2019. Similarly, Undergraduate Headcount Enrollment was down by 2,791 students since 2019 and the number of Tenured Faculty at CWU has dropped from 278 members to 256 members.
“We are trying to calibrate our employment on a replacement basis,” Joel Klucking, the Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration and the chief financial officer at CWU, said. “So once somebody leaves or they retire, what we’re trying to do is look at the work that that person did. Can we do it differently? Can a work group come up with a different way of doing things that does not require replacing that position?”
“In my opinion, I think that a workload that isn’t properly compensated for makes employees feel under-appreciated, and they are more likely to leave.”
Volha Isakava, Professor and Chair of World Languages and Cultures, described the struggles of having a secretary with limited hours. The lack of hours forces their secretary to spend most of their time on day to day tasks, effectively leaving no time for long term projects that would promote department growth. There are departments that currently have no secretaries, and in those
departments the problems are only exacerbated further.
“In general, it feels like we can just barely keep our heads above water,” Isakava said in an email. “[It feels like we are] one emergency away from drowning. I am very grateful to our administrative professional for her good spirits, her helpful and positive attitude even given those challenges.”
Isakava also described the struggles faced by departments when trying to get positions approved. “Our department wanted to replace a secretary senior position with that of a Program Coordinator,” Isakava said. “A professional who would focus on recruitment and retention, community outreach, alumni relations and other important initiatives we have in our department. Not only did we not get approved for this type of position, it is precisely those things that fall by the wayside as our secretary has to tackle immediate challenges.”
Because of the lack of staff, and decreased campus budgets multiple staff feel that they are being undercompensated for their workload.
A senior secretary that recently moved departments and asked to remain anonymous out of concern about retribution, said: “The workload is already so massively extensive that we do need more assistance… I can’t afford a home. I can’t afford to buy a house... when I was younger, I knew blue collar workers could afford a house with this type of an income. Why can’t I do that anymore? I am priced out of the market completely... once I have all of [my] bills paid and everything set to where I can put it to feasibly get through a year I maybe have 80 to 40 bucks every paycheck to spend on food.”
Students and faculty grapple with AI
Raya Miron
Student Contributor
According to a recent survey of nearly 4,000 college students across 16 different countries from the Digital Education Council (DEC), more than 85% of respondents said they used Artificial Intelligence in their studies.
Generative AI involves software systems trained on vast amounts of data to generate text, images, videos and other digital outputs. Examples would be ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini and more.
A new “Generative AI Taskforce” at CWU sent out an email to the community in Sept. 2024 outlining benefits and potential risks and concerns of AI.The taskforce was formed last summer with members from across campus to provide guidance for faculty, students and staff about using AI. Among the concerns they highlighted were disclosing sensitive information, copyright, accuracy of information, bias, discrimination and ethical use of AI.
“Ethical use and transparency are crucial considerations,” the email read. “It is essential to ensure that generative AI is used responsibly and that the processes behind these technologies are transparent to users and stakeholders.” The email underscored an issue already on many people’s minds as school started back up this fall.
“[AI is a] tool, it’s just like anything else we use. If you are using it in the wrong place with the wrong intent, it’s not going to be great.” Chad Schone, director of the multimodal education center and universal design for learning at Central Washington University, said. “The worry for a lot of faculty is that AI is going to take away some of the very important tools that we use in order to help students become critical thinkers and masteries of different subjects, as well as creative thinkers, writers.”
“Here at the university we have trainings,” Dr. Sean Dahlin, associate sport management professor and sport and athletic administration program coordinator at CWU, said. “And a third of those sessions are on AI, and its use, and how to catch students using it.”
In the DEC study, 73% of students agreed that universities should be providing training for faculty on AI tools. 69% of students use AI to search for information, 42% use AI to check grammar, 33% use AI to summarize documents, and 24% use AI to come up with first drafts. Just under 30% of students think that AI is declining the quality of education.
Clara Crosby, a senior studying elementary education at CWU, expressed positive sentiments on the usage of AI., “I know sometimes it’s hard to get your thinking going for an assignment,” Crosby said. “Using it to find prompts and changing up to your wording is the same as reading an article and changing your wording. I think it can be helpful.” Crosby added that most of her professors have told her to “stay away” from AI.
“We have to worry a little bit more about plagiarism in different ways,” Dahlin said. “Are students just taking information from AI and calling it their own? What will plagiarism even maybe look like moving forward? I don’t know.”
Dahlin believed AI was going to be a consistent part of the future. “It’s not going away,” Dahlin said. “And I think it’s just going to continue to evolve to something that I can’t even probably comprehend. I know a lot of professors are worried about how it’s going to be policed, and I understand that.” Approximately 59% of students from the DEC Survey said they expect their universities to increase the use of AI in teaching and learning.
Experts say AI can be of use to students with disabilities. AI can translate text into speech for visually impaired students and interpret speech into text for hearing-impaired students, for example.“AI has a great, awesome enhancement for anyone who needs accessibility,” Schone said. “So students who have any disability whatsoever, AI is going to really change some of the things.”
Photos courtesy of Pexels.
SUNNY SHINES
SUNNY SHINES
AS CWU WOMEN’S BASKETBALL GETS OFF TO HOT START
Maggie McBroom Staff Reporter
The Central Washington University Women’s Basketball team is off to a hot start with four preseason wins, two of which were 20 plus point blowouts in the CCAA-GNAC crossover.
On Nov. 9, CWU Womens Basketball put up 90 points against Cal State East Bay’s 67 for their season’s home opener. The next day, CWU dropped 92 to Stanislaus State’s mere 57.
Two time first team all-league senior guard Sunny Huerta had two standout performances with a combined total of 47 points in CWU’s first two matches. Twenty of these points were against Cal State East Bay in just 17 minutes on the court. These two dominant performances earned her the first GNAC Player of the Week award of the 2024-25 season. In her sophomore and junior seasons she averaged 18 points per game and continues to be a consistent scorer for the Wildcat offense.
“I feel like we brought really good energy and we came out really strong, and I was just super proud of us.” said Huerta. The CWU womens basketball team’s success is a direct reflection of the hard work being in behind the scenes at practice. Huerta believes in “Holding myself to a higher standard, and also holding my team to a higher standard. I feel like that kind of just pays off when we’re playing” Huerta said.
While the Wildcats were scoring left and right, they also put on an incredible display of defense. In the first quarter against Stanislaus State, they managed to only concede
only two points while answering with 26. The Wildcats held Cal State East Bay to 15 points or less each quarter, besides the last quarter where Cal State East Bay scored 16.
This past Friday on Nov. 15, CWU found a 70-66 point win in Santa Barbara against Vanguard University for the first game of the GNAC/Pac-West crossover. They turned around and found yet another win against Westmont University scoring 66-55.
Junior guard, Asher Cai, found 28 points in one game against Vanguard University. This added up to over a third of the team’s points, tipping the scales in the Wildcat’s favor for a tight four point win. Cai also led the team with nine rebounds.
Sophomore forward Capri Sims was a defensive standout on Saturday against Westmont Uni versity, logging 8 defensive rebounds over the course of 39 minutes. Sims had 13 rebounds total that game.
Hard work and a high standard is en grained in CWU Women’s Basketball’s team culture, and is upheld by players and coaches alike. “The coaches always set the intensity, they set the tone, and we know to follow that. They’re super bought in, so we know we’re super bought in. And so yeah, they just lead and we follow.” Huerta said. Their high intensity training prepares their players to make big plays when they show up on the court. Sometimes, key play
ers can feel pressure to perform. However, Huerta embraces the pressure and shows up for her team anyways. “I have a big role, and I’ve just bought into that. I want this position,” Huerta said.
CWU Women’s Basketball does not slow down for Thanksgiving break, as they have games on Nov. 29 and Nov. 30 at home in Nicholson Pavilion. Wildcat fans can attend the match in person or tune in to the livestream from the comfort of their homes
Sunny Huerta at Media Day. (Photo courtesy of Joe Pumphrey)
The Mike Tyson and Jake Paul figh T was a se T u P for fans
Christoph Belford Columnist
Ialready knew from the very start that the fight was going to be an issue, and my suspicions were right. The fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson that aired on Netflix on Friday, Nov. 15 was one of the most hyped-up title matches. The setup was fascinating with Paul, who was formally well-known for being a YouTuber, and brothers with Logan Paul, a prominent YouTuber who influenced Jake to follow in his footsteps.
In 2018, Paul appeared in boxing in an exhibition match against KSI’s brother Deji. Paul’s professional boxing career didn’t start until 2020, and since then, he has matched and defeated former NBA players, MMA fighters and a few pro boxers. However, that was not all that impressive.
This fight against Paul and Tyson was definitely hyped up to be one of the biggest professional boxing matches, and I can not deny that. But a match with a 58-year-old versus a 27-year-old? I’m not sure about you, but that doesn’t seem all that fair to me.
And yes, Tyson is one of the greatest boxers of all time, but that was during his prime in the ‘90s when he was one of the most well known athletes in the world, but fighting in the year 2024 against another professional boxer who is much younger and faster than you doesn’t make for an entertaining match.
During the fight, you can notice that Tyson couldn’t move around a lot and was way stiffer. Especially since in June this year, he almost died from having eight blood transfusions after losing half of his blood, and 25
pounds while at the hospital. Hearing this after the fight sheds even more light on how Tyson should not have even thought about stepping back into the ring.
If Paul were Tyson’s age, this fight would go the other way quickly. If you look at all those who boxed before and what they look like at Tyson’s age, they more than likely can not even hold up with a professional fighter like Paul, so seeing Tyson do it is incredibly impressive.
From that point as well, Tyson was doing a whole lot of training leading up to this fight, so he is definitely not a slacker at his age and can definitely throw a strong punch. But Paul is a professional fighter at the prime age point of 27 and will only get stronger and better over the next few years.
opinion: shaedon sharpe is him... so where do the blazers go from here?
Isaac Hinson Columnist
The last time I wrote about the Portland Trail Blazers for The Observer, it was after the team had started 9-4 in 2022, just over two years ago. I wrote that people shouldn’t be sleeping on the Blazers that season. The front office had just traded for forward Jerami Grant, Anfernee Simons, Josh Hart and Grant had all hit game-winners in that stretch, and Damian Lillard was playing some of the best ball of his career. What ended up happening? The team missed the playoffs and ended up with the seventh pick in the draft lottery, and haven’t made it back to the postseason – or outside of the lottery – since. Pretty astute prediction on my part. So, why does it feel like they’re in a better position now than they were then? Is it that they are currently on a three game winning streak? Well, obviously that is making me see the team through rose-colored lenses. Is it because of the coaching? Well, despite the winning streak, and being two games away from a .500 record, I still would like to see
Chauncey Billups let go from his position. So, what could it be?
The Don. Shaedon Sharpe.
The former seventh overall pick in the 2022 draft has shown promise throughout his career with his unparalleled athleticism and high-flying dunks, but was hindered last season due to injury and missed the majority of the year. The Don came back six games ago, and after a slow start has looked like the Rose City’s superstar of the future. In the team’s two back-to-back wins over the Minnesota Timberwolves – an organization that was a mere few games away from making the NBA Finals last year –Sharpe averaged 25 points and 4.5 rebounds (Boasting his career-high 33 points in one game), while shooting 50% from the floor and 40% from the three-point line, despite being guarded by All-NBA superstar Anthony Edwards and All-Defensive forward Jaden McDaniels.
Sharpe, despite not playing in college, quickly found his footing in the NBA thanks to mentorship from Lillard, the former face
of the franchise. You can see it in his game. Sharpe moves at a similar slow pace that Lillard does, being methodical with every step he makes knowing exactly when to pull the trigger. On Sunday versus the Atlanta Hawks, Sharpe hit a step-back three-pointer from well beyond the arc to seal the game for Portland, a move that fans had seen Lillard hit time, and time again.
ART AND DESIGN
DISCUSS THEIR PIECES
Catherine Bell Staff Reporter
The department of art and design is holding a faculty exhibition, being showcased from Nov. 14 to Dec. 14 in the Sarah Spurgeon Gallery in Randall Hall. Before the opening of the exhibition, three professors whose art is being displayed, Marcus DeSieno, Gregg Schlanger and Jaqueline Trujillo, gave small lectures on what their art represents to them and to the community they’re reaching.
The first speaker was DeSieno, who displayed his photography skills through hacking into satellite cameras and other expressions of photography. DeSieno started his talk by telling a story on how he stayed with a stranger, a migrant that he saw struggling on the side of the road. While waiting for an ambulance for the stranger that man had passed away. When the ambulance came 90 minutes later, the paramedics said, “Illegals die out here all the time.”
DeSieno went searching for reasons why these things are taking place. “This callous indifference to life shocked me to my core and started me on this path of discovering the horrors of taking place south [of the] border,” DeSieno said. He found much of it came from harmful policing tactics.
“Prevention through deterrence… This is a draconian approach to hyper policing the border in select areas,” DeSieno said.
“To purposefully redirect migrants into the most dangerous and hostile sections of the border … the open deserts of the southwest and the unpopulated wilderness of southern Texas.” While asking questions, DeSieno found this policy to be one of the reasons why border crossing is so deadly for migrants.
“This policy has not prevented migrants from crossing into the United States but has instead led to a humanitarian crisis,” DeSieno said. “Where the United Nations has now declared the US-Mexico border to be the deadliest land crossing in the world.”
DeSieno brought attention to this issue at CWU through this exhibition. “I recognize and acknowledge my personal politics are probably very different than a lot of you here,” DeSieno said. “When making this work, I want to bring all this information to the viewer. I’m interested in finding some common ground in an increasingly polarized United States. And for me, it starts with this. Nobody should be dying out here.”
DeSieno chose to use his art to protest and raise awareness on these conditions.
“I’ve been using these photographs and words from my conversations [and] interviews to raise awareness and apply pressure to government officials,” DeSieno said. DeSieno spends his summers
volunteering in California, Arizona and Mexico, providing water to migrants, giving first aid and working with search and rescue. He also helped in the shelters in Mexico.
The next artist who spoke was Gregg Schlanger, who also did outreach with his different types of art in communities. He talked about making concrete molds of endangered small animals with kids up in Providence, RI. Then he made bricks and created two towers in Rugby Gates, which is a neighborhood on the north end of Memphis, TN as a tribute to the water tower that had been there.
“But what I thought I would focus on in this short time is public art, which is the other side of my practice,” Schlanger said. Schlanger has created many public art pieces for communities to come together and enjoy.
“[I] worked with a number of kids,” Schlanger said. “So part of what I enjoy doing is working with the community as much as I can and letting them get part of the creation of the work.” Schlanger seemed adamant to explain that the art he would plan wasn’t only for the community, but also to include the community in creating it.
Schlanger not only did outreach in communities but in schools as well, and brought kids from inner cities to learn
how to create art. “There was a selected neighborhood, Smith Hill,” Schlanger said. “Which was selected [because it] was a really rough area in… Providence, and through a grant in the city… a number of kids were hired to work with me.”
The last speaker was Jacqueline Trujillo, who worked in mixed media art. She’s also a resident artist at Gallery One. “My work is a personal narrative that attempts to expose the fallacy of memory,” Trujillo said. “Reveal the value of familiarity, confront uncanny recollection and embrace nostalgia.”
Trujillo’s work was strongly influenced by her childhood home. “I use the juxtaposition of natural and man-made landmarks to trigger nostalgia and familiarity from these locations and to provide a contextual environment,” Trujillo said.
The challenge to keep the memory that was once so clear as a child. Trujillo shared that as she grew, her art of her childhood home morphed into different colors and aspects. “My work began to change and evolve as I re-evaluated my childhood home,” Trujillo said. “And how perspectives made all the difference in memories.”
Jacqueline Marcus DeSieno
DESIGN FACULTY
IN NEW EXHIBITION
Aidan Lancaster
Rachel Hall Kirk
Kyung Hee (Kate)
Kyung Hee (Kate)
Shari Stoddard
Justin Colt Beckman
Jacqueline Trujillo
Glen L .Bach
Howard & Lorraine Barlow
Gregg Schlanger
The benefits of owning an animal during the school year
Hayley James Staff Reporter
The transition from being at home to going to college can be a lot for some students and having a pet can help that transition. “I think it helps a lot of people out,” Nalanie Pecora, senior English professional and creative writing, wine studies and psychology major and staff reporter at The Observer said. “I think, it [pets] definitely gives people the emotional support in themselves, and because college, for students who haven’t been doing it as long as I have, it’s really a struggle.”
According to the American Institute of Stress, 45% of American college students experience “more than average stress.” A survey done by beyondthetreat.com showed that 90% of college-student respondents found their stress levels lowered thanks to their furry friend.
Pecora, brought their dog, Apricity, to campus. “Apricity is a miniature Australian shepherd, and she’s deaf and has a little bit of sight issues,” Pecora said. “The word itself means warm sun on a winter day. So she meets all the requirements for the name.”
Many students at CWU have pets and rely on them in all different ways. “I got
her as an ESA, so more or less she helps me,” Pecora said. “Being able to take care of her helps me realize that I need to take care of myself.” For some students, having a pet that they take care of can help remind them of the importance of their own personal well-being. Although having a pet at school can be nice for the emotional support and the transition to college, it can be difficult to balance the workload of school and caring for an animal, especially a deaf animal. “It’s a little bit of a struggle, she definitely… knows when she can read body language really well, but she also struggles to tell us when she needs to use the restroom,” Pecora said. “There is the issue of she can’t hear us, so we have to bang on the floor or wait to get the vibration to hit her or turn the lights off and on, and that’s when she turns around, and she’s like oh there you are, and she’ll come running over.”
The Students at CWU own a wide variety of animals. Another CWU student Rayen King, sophomore social services major, brought with them a two year old Crested Gecko, who they call Cobalt. “Crested Geckos have a pretty simple routine… which makes them… great starter reptiles for most people,” King said. “They are from the New
Caledonians and are arboreal, so they need tall tanks, so they can climb and jump about high up.” Gecko’s are special pets and require a different routine and different forms of care. “They primarily eat fruit and small insects so I feed her a mix of both every couple days in a dish placed high up,” King said. “Cresties do best on their own and aren’t too keen on being handled but some tolerate it if it is done properly.”
Nalanie Pecora Staff Reporter
CCWU lead C limbing C lini C tea C hes safety W hile C limbing
WU’s lead climbing clinics are meant to teach students climbing safety. Rock climbers are responsible for their safety in a rock gym or out on a mountain. Without proper training, there could be detrimental casualties for the climber. Luckily for students interested in climbing, CWU provides clinics based around different types of climbing such as the lead climbing and top rope belay clinics.
“Our gym is set up for rope climbing primarily, and then secondarily it’s a bouldering gym, so we teach the skills needed to go out climbing,” Scully said. “Our local form of climbing
is lead sport climbing because our closest crags are the Columbia River Basin Vantage, and out there it’s not bouldering… So what you’ll find out there is just big cliff bands or big bolts in the rock. So you need to know the skills of how to lead climb.” Scully teaches lead climbing in this clinic to give CWU students a chance to learn the skills to climb outside of the CWU gym.
Scully mentions it’s important for those who climb to do so safely. “You need to know the skills on how to lead climb,” Scully said. “It is a little bit more dynamic of a procedure than top rope climbing, and it’s important that people do it safely, which is why we try to teach those skills here so we know that people are going to climb, whether they learn how or not.”
CWU doesn’t have just lead climbing clinics but so much more. They’re all to help educate the students here. “We have bouldering technique clinics, top rope clinics, which would be belaying with the rope already above you,” Scully said. “And then we have lead, which is climbing clipping in as you go. And then we also do Trad placement clinics, which is how to use traditional climbing gear when there are no bolts to set in there.” Scully mentioned. Students have different choices for climbing if lead climbing doesn’t fit them.
“Coming up in January, we have our big NC3 bouldering competition,” Scully said. CWU also
had this competition last year and it was widely popular. This event is hosted by the University Recreation & Adventures Program. It will be held on Jan. 27, 2025, and it’s $35 to compete in the competition. This event is for people with all different skill levels, ranging from beginner to advanced, and it is for anyone in the community. More information is on the CWU Climbing Wall page.
“I’d like to say that even if you’re not sure if you want to try climbing, come hang out at the climbing wall,” Scully said. “It’s a great informal space just to sit on the pads and talk to other students, and it’s got really casual lounge vibes. So if you want to come and hang out with other students, and traditional exercise isn’t your thing, just come hang out at the wall and you’re going to meet friends that are going to go outside on hikes… just come hang out.” The rock gym in CWU is open to everyone whether you’re a beginner or advanced rock climber. The gym encourages those interested in climbing to try the clinics and learn the techniques to keep everyone safe, and also have fun while climbing the rock wall or a mountain.
Apricity the miniature Australian shepherd. (Photo by Nalanie Pecora)
One of the climbing walls in the SURC. (Photo by Brandon Mattesich)
The History of ACE BODY PIERCING
Nalanie Pecora Staff Reporter
Ace Body Piercing has been a local family-owned business since 2000. It’s located in downtown Ellensburg on Main street. Erica Cox took over the business for her mother, Kelly King, who started the business. “Erica is the only one that’s really got the training, and she’ll probably have it for a long time,” King said. Ace has been the go-to piercing spot in Ellensburg since then.
When the business first started, it was a shared space between Ace and Old Skool’s, the vintage record shop right next to Ace. At this time, they were both under the name Threads and Needles. The shop evolved when the name changed and separated to what it is now – Ace Body Piercing. Kelly’s old-school hippie chic style is still in the business and blends with the new style updates that Erica brings to the table.
“Actually, I studied anthropology and that’s when I got first interested in piercing, it was just sort of starting to be more popular at that time,” King said. “So I saw people with piercings, and I liked a lot of them. And then in anthropology, I learned a lot about the history of piercings and their cultural significance, and so I was just intrigued by it. But honestly, I got into it because I had the opportunity. It just sort of fell into my lap. I graduated from Central with a philosophy degree, and there’s not a lot you can do with philosophy unless you do doctorate work. So, you know, this is what I did.”
The building itself comes from the second wave of Ellensburg’s
Photo by Brandon Mattesich
downtown construction. John H. Wipple built it approximately in 1908 but it may have been built earlier. The building occupies the center block between the 3rd and 4th Avenues and the front of Main street. It’s a spacious building, the inside covered in posters, tapestries and paintings with many different bands, people and colors. King commented on the decor of the business. “We started out as Threads and Needles because we were combined with Old Skool’s next door,” King said. “So we had clothes, and we did piercings. We kind of did it all, and we sold posters and all that stuff. But, yeah, they’re just kind of left over from then.”
Piercing is a fun business to King. “The fun part is well.. we had this kid in this morning. [She was] scared to death, and [I] tried getting her to relax, you know, and to get piercing,” King said. “And having her feel like, ‘Oh, I did it, that’s great.’ I love that. Yeah, these are always challenging,” King enjoys parts about piercing. “I like the artistry of it,” King said. “I’d be lying if I didn’t like it. I’m a perfectionist person, like I like things to line up. I think I like them to look precise. So that’s good for this job because it makes me conscious of that kind of thing.”
King had a bit of advice for those looking for direction.“Do what you like to now, because you can’t do it later,” King said. “That’s as good as it gets. Because I saved a lot of things to do when I got older, like my art and my beading and stuff and I have bad hands now and I can’t actually do a lot of that. Yeah, so that’s always my advice to everybody, anything you want to do.”
The justice league’s starting offense
The Legion of Doom has made the ultimate gamble– They have challenged the Justice League of America (JLA) to an 11 on 11 football match for control of the world. Superman, being the goodie two-shoes he is, couldn’t deny the challenge and spoke to the league members about where they would be on the roster. This is my interpretation of where each member would fit. For this exercise, I’m using the original founding members: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman and Martian Manhunter. I’ll also include some other iconic members: Cyborg, Shazam, Green Arrow, Atom and Hawkgirl.
We’re gonna start with one of my personal favorite superheroes, the Dark Knight, Batman. Now this might be cheating, but I’m putting Batman at head coach. While he has the skill to fill one of the positions, Batman’s IQ, preparation and money would immediately put him as a top head coach in the NFL today. Remember, if you give Batman a week of prep time, he can beat anyone. Now give him a roster filled with super powered individuals, we’re looking at the first undefeated team since the ‘72 Dolphins.
We’re gonna start in the backfield. Your starting QB for the JLA is the one and only, Green Arrow. Now I know what you’re thinking. “This is the perfect spot for Superman,” but I counter with the simple idea of having the perfect sharpshooter throwing the ball. Also, where else would Oliver Queen go? Green Arrow doesn’t have the strength to play Offensive Line and doesn’t have the quickness to play on the outside. His ability to place the ball where he wants it would leave secondaries in shambles.
Behind Green Arrow is the Flash at running back. Not much needs to be said. He’s the fastest man alive, runs 186K miles per second, outran death and a big bang. Square peg, square hole. At the far outside wide receiver, or the X receiver, we have Billy Batson, A.K.A Shazam. If the cornerback tries to get in his head, he has the wisdom of Solomon. He gets jammed at the line, he has the strength of Hercules. He is an every down receiver with the stamina of Atlas. You can throw the ball up to him since he has the power of Zeus. There’s no cornerback that can scare him since he has the courage of Achilles. You can’t even put Kalon Barnes on
him since he has the speed of Mercury. Grab every great wide receiver in NFL history and put them into one man, –kid, actually– and you get Shazam. Plus, he can fly.
On the other end of the field is the Amazon Wonder Woman. Arguably the most powerful of the JLA, Wonder Woman is the most underrated part of the offense. She has the strength to hold her own against the Man of the Steel and is fast enough to block bullets. Imagine Superman without the obvious and exploitable weakness of kryptonite, and you have the most dominant wide receiver since Calvin Johnson.
In the slot, we have Ray Palmer, or Atom. Atom has powers similar to Marvel’s Antman. Atom can shrink himself to subatomic size while retaining his natural strength. We’re placing him in the slot due to his ability to go unnoticed by defenses until it’s too late. We’re gonna have him play a Tyler Lockett or Devonta Smith role, where he slips into holes in the defense then goes back to his original size when he is wide open.
At the Tight End position, we have the Man of Steel, the Last Son of Krypton, Clark Kent, Superman. Can you imagine how terrifying it would be to try to cover Big Blue himself? Now imagine seeing him running at you full speed to block for the flash, who is the next fastest JLA member. This is like facing Gronk if he had the strength of Myles Garrett and the speed of Tyreek Hill. Put whoever you want opposite him, it’s a mismatch a la Eli Apple vs Cooper Kupp in Superbowl ‘56.
To start the offensive line off, we have Martian Manhunter at left tackle. Arguably the most important part of the offensive line, J’onn J’onzz sets the edge with super strength and being able to stretch his arms out to keep the opposing defender as far away from the QB as possible. This was a no brainer for me.
At right tackle, I’m putting Aquaman. I’m sending a message to all Aquaman haters: he is one of the strongest members of the founding 7, he has carried a battleship out of the ocean, he’s been able to throw trucks and submarines, he was able to survive near the earth’s core (which Superman was struggling to do), and was able to tank torpedoes in multiple occasions. He has the courage, strength, and durability to hold the right side of the line.
At left guard, I’m setting up Green Lantern. Now he isn’t the physically strongest JLA member, but he has the ability to create constructs
that will slow down anyone coming up the middle. He’s also quick enough to set up screens. Hawkgirl sits opposite of him for somewhat the same reasons. She’s not the strongest but she still has the strength to commit to double teams and the speed that’s needed for the guard position.
The leader of the offensive line is Cyborg, at Center. Now Cyborg is canonically a division 1 football player, meaning he has the knowledge to identify blitzers and call out where the linebackers are. He also has serviceable enough strength to hold the center of the line and much like Hawkwoman and Green Lantern, has speed to set up different run formations.
With the JLA’s offense now fully ready and stocked, it’s now up to the Legion of Doom to set up their defense.
Head Coach - Batman
Quarterback - Green Arrow
Running Back - Flash wide receivers - Shazam, Wonder Woman and Atom
Tight End - Superman
Left Tackle - Martian Manhunter
Right Tackle - Aquaman
Left Guard - Green Lantern
Right Guard - Hawkgirl
Center - Cyborg
Parker Wood Columnist
SOUND BITE
COLUMN
Kam Schindewolf-Broyles
Columnist
Nov. 8 to 10 marked one of my personal favorite times of the year– Kumoricon! Kumoricon is a yearly anime convention held at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, OR. I’ve been going to this convention since 2022, and the last two years they were so kind as to offer me press badges so that I could attend and write about the convention! So, how was my Kumoricon 2024? I’d love to tell you! We’ll start with Friday. On this day I went as a casual Chrollo from “Hunter X Hunter.” I normally go all out with cosplay, but this time I decided to keep it a little more simple, so that I had the opportunity to actually walk around and enjoy everything without having to worry about a wig headache 30 minutes into the convention.
I started out the day by meeting up with my hometown friends and spending $75 on a cup from Wild Bill’s Craft Beverage Co. A tradition I have for this convention since the cups come with unlimited soda refills and overall just look super cool. After that was my first event of the day, a K-Pop dance class. K-Pop classes and gatherings have started taking up more space at anime conventions, and I’m honestly here for it.
These fandoms tend to overlap a lot of the time, so it’s nice to see that they’ve started including K-Pop activities at conventions! Shortly after was a K-Pop random play dance (RPD), where they play sections of a K-Pop song and
What’s Deku doing in portland? Kumoricon hosted in Portland last week
THIS WEEK IN MUSIC
Brandon Mattesich Columnist
Welcome back to Sound Bite! This week I’ll be covering three major album releases that I think everyone should listen to. Musically this has been one of my favorite weeks so far, so I can’t wait to jump into what could possibly be the most stacked Sound Bite yet.
if you know the choreography you go out and dance! These first two events were put on by a group called REV PDX, a group that I’ve come to know very well from seeing at multiple conventions running RPD’s and classes just like these!
Up next we have Saturday, the busiest day for almost every convention. This day was when I decided to walk around the artist alley and vendor hall a little bit more, just to get an idea of what there was. One thing about conventions, you will see some of the most amazing art. There was of course a ton of anime fanart being sold, but there were also many artists selling original works that were just as beautiful.
In the vendor hall you’ll also see more insane art, just in a different form. Many vendors at this convention were selling handmade clothes, accessories and I even saw someone selling beautiful ceramic pieces. However, I didn’t make any purchases this day. Word of advice, always wait until the last day of the convention to buy anything. This is because you’ll see so many amazing things throughout the convention that you’ll wanna snatch up immediately and that’s a great way to go broke real fast.
My rule is that if I’m still thinking about it by the last day, then I really do need to get it. This day of the con had two more RPD’s that I, of course, had to go to. One was held by a group called BrightNRose, a group that both hosts K-Pop events and performs K-Pop covers, and the next was another one hosted by
REV PDX. Both were such amazing events, and I even signed up for a performance with BrightNRose afterwards since I had such a good time!
Now we come to Sunday, the last day of the convention. This day I just did a casual Yor Forger cosplay from “Spy X Family,” wanting to be cozy since it had started to get a little colder out. This day was mostly spent making purchases in the artist alley and vendor hall and seeing some amazing cosplays!
On this day my friend Huy was dressed as vigilante Deku from “My Hero Academia,” a cosplay he made completely himself! This has always been one of my favorite things about conventions, seeing all the creativity and hard work that people put into these cosplays. These cosplayers, to me, are very similar to the artists seen in artist alley. No two cosplayers ever look the exact same. Even if they’re dressing as the same character, they always add their own flair whether it be the wig, the outfit or the makeup.
And sadly, Kumoricon 2024 had to come to an end. This convention is one of my favorites for a reason, especially going as press. The press staff at Kumoricon is made up of some of the kindest people I’ve ever met, always wanting to help out and being so attentive. The staff working the doors or checking badges always have a smile to give people, and just overall they make sure that the convention runs as smoothly as possible. So, if you’re ever in Portland in November, maybe stop by the convention center and have a look for yourself.
First we have a huge release in the modern Metal and Rock scene with Linkin Park releasing their first project since 2017 after their lead singer, Chester Bennington, tragically passed away. The album, entitled “From Zero”, is a testament to the bands lasting legacy and staying power even after all the recent controversy surrounding their new lead singer. It’s a strong entry in their catalog and I am honestly very impressed. So much of what I would consider the Linkin Park sound came from Chester, and when he passed away I wasn’t sure they would ever be able to recapture that. What I think they are doing here is very smart, they’re not recapturing anything. Instead, they are moving forward. It’s a solid album and if you have any interest I would highly recommend checking it out.
Denzel Curry is a name you wont hear me shut up about. I believe him to be one of the most consistently impressive and talented artists of the modern rap era, and he has been for quite some time. I wouldn’t call him an up and comer or the future of rap, but I would definitely say he deserves his flowers. His latest project “KING OF THE MISCHIEVOUS SOUTH” just proves that. It’s essentially an expansion of his previous mixtape that he released this summer, but it’s improved in almost every way. It’s loud, it’s aggressive and it’s got some of the best features I’ve heard on any rap album this past year. Curry takes some bold creative choices on this album, and every last one of them work. It’s a throwback and look into the future. If you have the time I could not recommend it more.
Cordae also just released a highly anticipated album that he’s been in the process of rolling out for quite some time. “The Crossroads” is a powerful testament to the growth Cordae has gone through in the past couple years. From his charismatic flows to his layered lyricism Cordae has carved himself out a solid place in the rap scene. On top of this, the album boasts fantastic features from the likes of Lil Wayne, Anderson. Paak, Ty Dolla $ign and many more. I’d like to highlight a few tracks off the album in particular since I think there are a few standouts. Starting with “Saturday Mornings (feat. Lil Wayne)”, a track that not only highlights Cordae’s lyricism but his ability to expertly weave features into his songs. A Lot of times in rap you’ll hear something about a feature “stealing a song”. With Cordae, and a select few other artists, it’s different. They are masters at weaving features into their songs and making it all flow smoothly. Another track that really stood out to me was “06 dreamin”. Something about the production combined with the song’s tone really stood out to me, so if you’re looking for a place to dive into the album I don’t think there’s any better spot.
Photo and Design by Brandon Mattesich
Huy cosplaying as vigilante Deku. (Photo by Kam Schindewolf-Broyles)
The entrance of Kumoricon. (Photo courtesy of Huy Le)
WILDCAT WORDS
Designed by Z Morris Divined by Lee Beck
Aries (March 21 - April 19): Not to alarm you, but I think you’ve been doing too much and from that there’s a very neutral twin of you just wandering around doing much of nothing and it’s not a huge deal but I think it’s your job to take care of it.
Taurus (April 20 - May 20): Do your research before you buy something, Taurus. One too many times you’ve bought something for someone, and they hated it, and now you have to take it back to the store, super embarrassed.
Gemini (May 21 - June 20): OH MY GOD! STOP TALKING! I’m sorry but dude you have been talking for wayyyyy too long. It’s just this week too, like you just can’t seem to shut up. You have not stopped talking since Sunday…
Cancer (June 21 - July 22): You’ve been thinking about your future a lot, I can tell. You’ve been thinking about how you want to drop everything you’re doing now and travel to New York and become a street mime. You could do it. You could become a successful New York street mime.
Leo (July 23 - Aug. 22): Your social life is going craazzzyyyy right now. So many things to do, so many people to meet. You’re definitely going to burn out soon but like hey. You know your limits. Probably.
Virgo (Aug. 23 - Sep. 22): Your body may be on campus, but your mind, heart and soul are far far away in your bed. You know, you may not learn much this week but at least you’ll be warm. At least some of you will be.
Libra (Sep. 23 - Oct. 22): Ponder this week Libra. Just do some real thinking. Some real long hard contemplating. Some wild reflecting. And after that, throw it all away. It means nothing. Thoughts lose all meaning outside of the mindscape.
Scorpio (Oct. 23 - Nov. 21): Scorp, I heard you owe someone money. Someone very… serious… money… Don’t worry, you can get yourself out of this jam! Just try to talk it out and hope they don’t bring a baseball bat to your precious precious kneecaps :)
Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 21): What’s the big idea, Sag!? You’ve gotta be kidding me… your friend’s roommate’s goldfish’s goldfish-best-friend saw what you did. Yeah, that goldfish saw what you did, relayed it back on down the chain, and now everyone’s kinda weirded out.
Capricorn (Dec. 22 - Jan.19): Listen to your laundry, Capricorn. It’s screaming. It wants out, it wants to be let go. It wants to live in a landfill, where the wind will carry it to a stream and eventually it will end up in the ocean where it truly wishes to be.
Aquarius (Jan. 20 - Feb.18): Expand your mind! Read a new book, go hiking, watch a movie that makes you cry. Just go do something. Like, you’ve gotta be sick of staring at the same walls and watching the same movies.
Pisces (Feb. 19 - March 20): Cracked, shattered and scattered, Pisces. Your heart’s on the mend but it could fall off the wagon again at any moment. Be careful, be kind. Most importantly chill out.
Hendrickson Soph. Computer Science
Maggie the magnifying glass. (Design by Brandon Davis)
National Electric Guitar
Events page compiled by Lee Beck
