The Observer, Spring 2023 - Issue 4

Earth

The city of Ellensburg is engaged in a variety of ways to improve environmental sustainability, according to Mayor of Ellensburg Nancy Lillquist.

“There’s the stuff we’ve been doing forever, like energy efficiency rebates and water conservation measures,” Lillquist said. “Solar Park, it’s been around for 20 years, tree city, we’ve been doing that for 40 years.”

In 1983, Ellensburg was given the title of Tree City which means that it’s a city that cares about its trees, according to the City of Ellensburg website. Ellensburg was one of the first cities in Washington to earn this title.

Lillquist emphasized the importance of education when it comes to improving air quality in the area.

“Making sure everyone knows there’s an educational component that the city can help with in terms of making sure people burn clean, dry wood and pay attention to those inversion days," Lillquist said.

The primary cause of poor air quality in Ellensburg is due to nearby wildfires, according to Lillquist.

“Primarily, the biggest air quality measures we could take would be to make sure our forests don’t burn,” Lillquist said. “The county just got a grant for a whole lot of money to put towards forest health improvement.”

The city’s sustainability plan has a major focus on identifying where greenhouse gasses are coming from and providing alternative options to lower emissions, according to Lillquist.

Here

ASCWU candidates share their goals before election

“What I’m hopeful [for] with the sustainability plan is to have a better picture, particularly for climate change, and where our greenhouse gasses are coming from…as far as my understanding right now, mostly transportation,” Lillquist said.

A major project the city is working on involves making the switch from gas vehicles to electric within public transportation, according to Lillquist. The city is preparing for this long-term project by installing electric vehicle charging stations for electric or hybrid vehicles at city hall, as well as maintaining these local charging stations, according to Lillquist.

“We have a grant that is looking towards how to electrify our bus, so those transit buses; eventually we’d like to make them all electric," Lillquist said.

Lillquist has also acted on a flooding project particularly regarding west Ellensburg. The city built Levy Road with the strategy in mind of capturing the water that previously would flood the road.

“It goes from Dollarway Road to essentially the freeway [I-90], and that captures a bunch of the water that moves though,”

Lillquist said. “We enhanced the bridges to make the bridges bigger across Dollarway Road.”

The purpose of this project is to relocate the water to keep it off the main roads, according to Lillquist.

“We’ve got to steer the water, but we have to make sure it has plenty of room to kind of spread out and soak in as well,” Lillquist said. “We’re providing a more appropriate floodplain for it than just running along the road, like it has in the past.”

CWU still seeing low dorm occupancy after COVID

Megan Rogers News Editor

Residence hall occupancy on the CWU Ellensburg campus towards the end of this academic year is still below administration expectations, impacting staff in both housing and dining.

According to records obtained by The Observer, there were 2,054 students living in the residence halls in fall 2021 versus 2,143 in fall 2022. That represents a year-on-year increase of 89 students, but still 1,000 fewer residents than pre-COVID levels, which were around 3,000, according to Tricia Rabel, executive director for Housing and Residence Life.

CWU is still not at the expected occupancy that it had hoped to be, according to Joel Klucking, CWU chief financial officer and vice president of finance and administration.

“We have lots of available vacancies in our residence halls,” Klucking said. “It’s much healthier if we can get to that 90 to 95% occupied state. That’s where we get the most revenues that are able to be put back into the building systems.”

Where the money goes

According to Klucking, housing fees coming from students support the operations of both housing and dining. They pay for their cooks, food, resident assistants and all the other employees in housing and dining.

If there is money left over at the end of the

year, Klucking said that goes into repairing the buildings.

Because there are fewer student housing fees coming in, Rabel said that CWU housing had to leave positions vacant and not hire new people.

“We’ve looked at that staffing and decided that [is] the right amount of people to bring back,” Rabel said. “We don’t have as many RA’s [Resident Assistants] as we used to because we don’t have as many students as we used to.”

With fewer students on campus, there is also less funding going into utilities, insurance and maintenance, so Rabel said housing has to be very careful about how they use their funds.

According to Rabel, Kamola, Sue Lombard, Barto, Wendell Hill A and B, and Dugmore residence halls are all bonded, and the mortgages are still being paid into.

“When we have less students to pay into that base, our mortgage doesn’t go down,” Rabel said. “We still have all the same amount of square footage on campus. But we don’t have as many students that are paying.”

Rabel said they also had to cut their programming and travel budget.

“We haven’t been sending professional staff to conferences or to train to help them better themselves and better the way they serve students,” Rabel said.

According to Rabel, the hope is that these effects are short-term and that they will be able to build traveling back into their budget in the future.

Anna Fridell Staff Reporter

Presidential Candidates Shyanne Sather (Left) and Malik Cantú (Right). Courtesy of Publicity Center

Illustration by Brandon Davis

It’s

Month:

is what Ellensburg is doing to become more sustainable

Beyond Our Coverage

After a complaint was made, King County Metro workers were told to only speak their native language in private. According to the Seattle Times their boss, Riceda Stewart, said the workers weren’t “presenting and acting like a professional.”

A new street sign was unveiled in Seattle to honor the Puget Sound Salish tribes on April 24. According to the Seattle Times, a brown street sign was placed on a stretch of road near the waterfront with the original name of the land, “Dzidzilalich.”

Governor Jay Inslee has officially abolished the death penalty in Washington State. According to the Seattle Times, 27 states remain with the death penalty in place, with Oregon having a moratorium in place halting the practice.

Fox News Anchor Tucker Carlson and CNN News Anchor Don Lemon were fired from their jobs on April 24, according to AP News. Lemon was fired following rude comments he made toward republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, and Carlson was fired a week after the settlement of the Dominion Voting lawsuit.

Maine warns rail network to address clean-up concerns following train derailment and diesel fuel spill. According to CNN, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) said the Canadian Pacific Kansas City rail network spilled an estimated 500 gallons of diesel fuel into the surrounding environment and nearby waters in Somerset County during its cleanup of a freight train derailment.

According to Smithsonian Magazine, Murphy the eagle had been incubating and exhibiting protective hormonal behavior over a rock. Hearing about an eaglet in need of a home, sanctuary workers introduced the two and Murphy’s family was complete.

Spring marks the start of ASCWU election season, and this year there are two students running for the position of president.

Malik Cantú and Shyanne Sather are both vying for the position of president, going head to head at the podium during the first ASCWU debate of the year on April 13.

All of the positions ran unopposed other than the ASCWU president and the Director of Student Life and Facilities.

Presidential Candidate Shyanne Sather. Courtesy of Publicity Center

Shyanne Sather

Shyanne Sather was a late presidential candidate into the election cycle, and said she is running on a platform of student involvement.

“I love to work with people,” Sather said. “I want to make changes and I want students to feel empowered to share their voices.”

According to Sather, she specifically wants to focus on involving students in the decision making process, a policy that Sather said she wishes the prior administration had done.

“I think our prior administration did a wonderful job this year,” Sather said. “But I would love to be able to get more involved with students and try to get their input and advice.”

Sather said she wants to implement policies that would benefit the lives of CWU students, and if she manages that she will have accomplished her goals.

“I want students to feel safe and have fun on campus,” Sather said. “I want them to feel like they have a safe place to go when things are hard.”

Upcoming Election Dates

6 p.m. Thursday, April 27 ASCWU Public Debate #2 5 p.m. Friday, April 28 Deadline to file as Late/Write-In Candidate 8 a.m. Monday, May 1 Voting begins 5 p.m. Friday, May 5 Voting Ends Monday, May 8 ASCWU Election Results Posted Friday, June 2 ASCWU Swearing In Ceremony

Editor Isaac Hinson

Online Editor Madison VanRavenhorst

Online Editor Deacon Tuttle

Staff

Editor MJ

A geomagnetic storm has caused a grade five G4 storm across the upper northern hemisphere. The Earth’s magnetic field was disturbed by coronal mass ejections, large expulsions of plasma and magnetic field elements from the sun’s atmosphere, according to Space.com.

Mexican Navy inspectors found almost 10 tons of concentrated liquid meth inside tequila bottles in Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico. According to Fox News, a sniffer dog alerted to a box of bottles that were later searched to find the substance, around 19,000 pounds of meth.

Malik Cantú

April 26, 2023 Scene

“Through campaigning and much consideration of my knowledge, experiences, and hopes with ASCWU, I realized that I could best apply my skills to the presidency,” Cantú said.

Cantú said one of the practices they would like to introduce would be to allow other student and student bodies to advocate for their needs, which would be done through what they described as a consent based practice with other student governments.

“Speaking up for yourself, your interests and your concerns can be very intimidating, which often shuts down students from using their voices,” Cantú said. “It can be easy to lose track of those things and feel harmfully vulnerable when there seems to be manipulative expectations in collaborative spaces. Introducing common language and practices that give agency back to vulnerable voices, makes room for enhanced thinking, effective communication and overall empowerment.”

Editorial Policy: The Observer is a public forum for student expression, in which student editors make policy and content decisions. The mission of The Observer is two-fold: to serve Central Washington University as a newspaper and to provide training for students who are seeking a career in journalism. The Observer seeks to provide complete, accurate, dependable information to the campus and community; to provide a public forum for the free debate of issues, ideas and problems facing the community at large; and to be the best source of information, education and entertainment news. As a training program, The Observer is the practical application of the theories and principles of journalism. It teaches students to analyze and communicate information that is vital to the decision making of the community at large. It provides a forum for students to learn the ethics, values and skills needed to succeed in their chosen career. If you have questions or concerns, email us at cwuobserver@gmail.com.

Malik Cantú was initially going to run for the position of Director of Student Life and Facilities, but ultimately decided that they would rather pursue the presidency.

Presidential Candidate Malik Cantú. Courtesy of Publicity Center

DIVERSITYPAGE

Sharingperspectives

Planning problems place ad hoc sleep center in predicament

Beau Sansom Staff Reporter

Imagine yourself unable to feel a rush of warm air as you enter your home on a cold winter night, imagine having to find a place to sleep outside with no real indication of safety. This is the reality that many in Washington face on a daily basis. Washington is ranked the #5 state in overall homeless population according to Wisevoter and Ellensburg is no exception.

“There is a sizable homeless community here in Ellensburg,” Care Coordinator for Kittitas County Health Network (KCHN) Sascha Burckhardt said. “Our job is basically to support those people with finding housing…and right now, we don’t have a shelter space for them.”

A solution to the lack of housing in Ellensburg is currently in the works with plans to develop the ad hoc sleep shelter. According to Public Information Officer for the City of Ellensburg Nicole Klaus, an ad hoc [from Latin and means “for this” or “for this situation”] committee on homelessness was formed in January 2022 to address the growing housing concerns in the community.

“When that committee formed, there was a big gap identified in the lack of year-round overnight shelter facilities,” Klaus said. “They have continued meeting to discuss public camping regulations. Without a sleep center, public camping regulations can’t be enforced so the committee is recommending construction of an overnight sleep center.”

The ad hoc committee on homelessness has been a joint effort between many organizations, including the city of Ellensburg, the Kittitas County Health Network, HopeSource and the board of county commissioners. According to Klaus and Kittitas County Commissioner Laura Osiadacz, the committee is still in the early stages of planning the sleep center and are looking at other community models for inspiration.

“The sleep center is a model that’s used by other central and eastern Washington communities,” Klaus said. “Moses Lake uses a sleep shed model, where there’s little sleep sheds and they check in and have a place to put their stuff and then they check out; it’s managed by one of the non-profit partners.”

The sleep center model in Moses Lake has been toured by members of the ad hoc committee. They are assessing how the model has been implemented and what the model in Ellensburg should include.

“They’re individual units, it’s not luxurious but there would be cots, there would be a place for people to store their belongings and a place for people to shower,” Osiadacz said.

While the plans for the sleep center have continued to move forward, it is not without roadblocks. According to Klaus, one major issue facing the establishment of the sleep center is finding a suitable location.

“We’re in the very early stages of searching for an appropriate location for the overnight sleep center,” Klaus said. “We’ve looked at current public property inventory really hoping we can find something

around downtown so our guests who are using the sleep center don’t have to go too far from services, we just have not found a place in our current inventory of properties that will work.”

According to Klaus, in order to help solve this issue, the ad hoc committee has begun a search for an outside consultant for assistance in finding a location that will suit the sleep center’s needs. In the meantime, the committee will continue to examine similar programs’ effectiveness as they, along with the community, assess the situation.

“We have to take it one step at a time,” KCHN Assistant Director Doug Fulp said. “People are concerned about where it’s going to be, but it’s also about getting to know that this is a model that’s been successful in other areas.”

According to Osiadacz, the sleep center is planned to be a solution to both the safety of the Ellensburg homeless population as well as the feeling of safety for the general public. If the plans for the sleep center were to not come to fruition, the current issue of homelessness in Ellensburg may persist until a new solution is discovered.

“If the sleep center wasn’t to get off the ground, it’s [this issue] twofold,” Osiadacz said. “People that do have concerns because of the location of some of our homeless right now, there would be no legal way to remove people if people are feeling unsafe. The ultimate concern is that, especially during the cold months, there would not be a location for people to find a warm place to sleep.”

Zileni Milupi Senior Reporter

Light snacks and an eager audience created a productive, discussion-filled environment centered around the cultural history of Mexican Cinema.

The Diversity and Equity Center (DEC) hosted a culture corner on April 18 in Black Hall 101 on Mexican Cinema in which DEC student coordinator and anthropology senior Roberto Chavez gave a presentation on the reflection of culture and time periods within the Mexican film industry.

“I think this type of discussion is important because it gives dialogue to the fact that if you can read subtitles, you can watch any movie,” Chavez said. “And once you understand dialogue, you can understand different kinds of stories… and maybe even different genres of films that you never thought were a thing.”

Post-event iwwnterview with Chavez

Born in Mexico and having immigrated to the U.S. at a young age, Chavez explained that he wanted to reconnect with his culture in some way through music or film while recognizing the history of Mexico.

“I really wanted to focus on Mexican cinema because I noticed that a lot of movies in America portray Mexican cinema or even just Mexican actors as stereotypes and that’s it,” Chavez said. “In reality, it’s a wide variety of actors and genres and films.”

Chavez explained that the movies he presented were a mixture of movies he had grown up with and movies he had to research. He said that the challenge of finding Mexican movies to watch was that most of the old movies were on DVDs or VHS, which weren’t sold in Target or Walmart.

Chavez noticed a pattern with most of the movies he researched. He realized that poverty and underdog stories were a common theme of most of the movies.

“I feel like we need more relaxed stories,” Chavez said. “Sure, you can have serious films, but you should also be able to have comedies that make you laugh genuinely and aren’t just cheap jokes.”

Regarding movie recommendations, Chavez mentioned “Amar te Duele” and “I’m No Longer Here” as two of his favorite films. He explained that “Amar te Duele” portrays the different dynamics and lifestyles in Mexico regarding economy and class as barriers to finding love.

Chavez gave his opinion on native English speakers who are against watching movies with subtitles. “It’s almost like a privilege thing,” Chavez said. “You already have had amazing cinema for 100 years. So, you think you have the right to just watch movies in your own language when you’re kind of starving yourself from different stories. I think there’s a lot of good stories that deserve that audience and

recognition. I feel like because it’s so hard to break that language barrier here in America, people kind of give up on it.”

Chavez explained that one of the things he hopes attendees took away from his presentation is an interest in cinema outside of Hollywood.

“I hope they gained a curiosity to watch films and then tell their friends to watch more foreign films, and not even just from Mexico,” Chavez said.

Presentation

During his presentation, Chavez analyzed the different eras of Mexican cinema dating back to the 1930s right up to the 2000s. The presentation consisted of Chavez’s analysis of Mexican films across the decades as well as Q&A sections for the audience.

During the Q&A, Chavez asked attendees about their thoughts on the impact of early Mexican cinema based on his analysis.

A few attendees stated that the relatability and empathy in the content in the movies drew audiences. According to the attendees,the characters in these movies were regular and ordinary people who audiences saw themselves in.

In another section of the discussion, attendees gave their thoughts on why they believe more Mexican films are gaining popularity and awards in Hollywood and the world in general in recent years. Some attendees explained that after consuming white dominated stories for so long, more people have a growing need and desire for more diverse stories showcasing and celebrating different cultures.

Other attendees explained that Mexican directors such as Alejandro González Iñárritu and Alfonso Cuarón who made award winning Hollywood movies, “Gravity” and “Birdman”, had established a reputation that made the rest of their works in Mexico a point of interest for audiences.

After the event, a majority of the audience members expressed the importance of a discussion like this on campus.

“CWU gets awards for diversity, and we never really see that implemented in the school,” Graduate Teaching Assistant Fatima Acevedo. “Events like this make it more representative and interesting.

Anthropology Professor and Interim Associate in graduate studies, Rodrigo Renteria expressed how impressed he was by Chavez’s presentation as a Mexican immigrant who grew up watching the movies presented.

“It was fascinating to see how the first era of the Golden Age was so seminal to producing Mexican identities,” Renteria said. “Now as Mexican cinema gets together with Hollywood it changes the scope of what can be done.”

“The questions that Roberto asked were so important, how do we relate to these [movies] personally and also how is this part of a bigger picture?” Renteria said.

Culture corner’s Mexican cinema edition illustrates the universal language of storytelling

EllensburgCityHall. Photo by Beau Sansom

RailyardbehindFredMeyerwherehomelesshavebeenreportedsleepinginthepast. Photo by Beau Sansom

Downtown spring cleanup: making Ellensburg a better place

Quincy Taylor Staff Reporter

Ellensburg community members took the time to come out and help clean up the streets of downtown in honor of Earth Day on April 22.

The Downtown Spring Cleanup is an annual event for all ages to help clean Main Street. This event has been running for 10 years now and continues to grow.

Executive Director of the Ellensburg Downtown Association Brenda DeVore said that this event provided a “sense of place to the community” and that for people to join and to do something good for the community on Earth Day is special.

“I think that increases community spirit and it’s also an opportunity for folks to network, to make friends…just to connect with other people in the community in a unique way,specifically to Earth Day” DeVore said.

Felicia Easton, who is with the design committee, stated that because of Earth Day, they try to make the environment “as green as possible”.

“[We] try to stay away from using plastic materials that are one-use materials…so any way that we can be as green as possible, we try to reuse all of our supplies year after year,” Easton said.

DeVore said that this event entirely focuses on the environment at hand and that it gets people outside to come work together, especially with spring right around the corner.

“[We] do a zero waste event, so there’s no plastic. We don’t create any trash through this event, and we encourage people to bring their own water bottles and refill those,” DeVore said.

Impact

on the community

DeVore said that there are 35 cities across the state of Washington that do a similar event.

According to DeVore, this event will provide an opportunity to volunteer and make a difference in the community for all ages.

“This is a volunteer opportunity that’s for everyone,” DeVore said. “It gives people a

chance to push a broom, to powerwash, to do a little bit of gardening…we promote that through all aspects of our organization.”

DeVore and Easton explained how this event helped to bring the students of CWU and the community of Ellensburg together..

“That has been [the] number one priority in our focus,” DeVore said. “To open the doors for our Central Washington students and faculty to come and enjoy downtown.”

“We really try to keep the avenues between downtown and Central open,” Easton said. “We want to try and encourage them to stick in the area to be a part of our community because it can get kind of secluded down on campus.”

According to Easton, spreading the word about the event to the community is very important because it can lure the public to come and check out what is going on downtown.

“I think word of mouth is huge,” Easton said. “I think working on the social media aspect and getting it out there as much as we can, and having people that come to the event to promote it will help in the future.”

Easton said that she wants downtown to be more enjoyable and free of trash.

Cleaning up downtown

The Downtown Spring cleanup took place at Rotary Pavillion on 4th Avenue and Pearl Street. Volunteers in the community came out in the morning to clean up and make their mark on change in downtown.

Ellensburg resident Andrew Morse shared his thoughts on how it felt to give back to the community on Earth Day and what it meant to feel responsible for making the community healthy for a greener future.

“It feels great,” Morse said. “We are all a part of this community and [we] also have to take responsibility for making sure we have a clean and healthy environment where we live, learn, work and play.”

Morse said he believes that the community is stronger when there is space for people to come together and act as a part of something bigger than themselves.

Mark Holloway, who works at D&M Cof-

fee in downtown, explained how fulfilling it was to look at a job well done.

“I feel good about it when I’m done,” Holloway said. “[I] got some good exercise and I’m doing stuff that is good for the town, so it makes it nice for everybody, it makes me personally feel like I take ownership of my community.”

Kyle Krauskopf, a resident of Ellensburg who moved here a couple weeks ago, described his thoughts on how it felt to make a positive impact to the community in a short time.

“It’s a good feeling,” Kraskopf said. “I just moved here like two or three weeks ago, so I just figured, jump in and help out and meet some people. I’m trying to do as much volunteering and helping out as I can.”

After the event was nearing its end, Easton described how good it was to see people in the

community help out so much. According to Easton, over 50 volunteers had come out and they were “eager and ambitious” with their volunteer time.

“It’s really exciting that there’s so many people within our community that want to make it better and want to spend their Saturday morning volunteering of all things,” said Easton.

According to Easton, it was really exciting to see lots of people give back and make a difference to downtown. She stated there was already a difference in the area when people were done with volunteering.

“I hope that it inspires people to want to come out and want to contribute and want to be a part of the community that we have in Ellensburg, and especially downtown,” Easton said.

MarkHolloway,OwnerofD&MCoffee. Photo by Yohanes Goodell

PlantstoPlatescoverage. By MJ Rivera See Story Online

SnorkeltheTurtle. Photo by Yohanes Goodell

Orchesis annual performance showcases student choreography across genres

Dr. Therese Young celebrates 28th and final year directing at CWU

Katherine Camarata and Zileni Milupi

Lead Editor and Senior Reporter

Splashes of vibrant color and bright white lights echoed across an expansive white backdrop behind the stage of the Milo Smith Tower Theatre as audience members gasped, laughed and cried their way through the annual Orchesis dance production; the show featured styles ranging from hip hop to ballet to ballroom to tap, performed to music genres from classical to altpop to rap.

Three quarter’s worth of dedication culminated for the dance department from April 20-22 in McConnell Hall, and as is custom, the Saturday evening show sold out.

According to Associate Professor of Dance and Director of the dance program, Therese Young, CWU’s performance company Orchesis has existed for around 40 years. Young has been teaching and directing at CWU for 28 years and this will be her final year teaching and directing Orchesis. Young’s students tearfully shared stories about her generosity and offered her a gift basket after the closing show Saturday evening.

“It’s been very joyful, I have so many memories,” Young said. “My words of wisdom to the students is do something you love, because life is too short and you need to enjoy what you’re doing. I tease my students. I’m like, ‘oh, in 20 years when I’m sitting in a rocking chair and I hear a song on the radio I’m going to think about all of you.’”

Director and faculty perspectives

Young emphasized that students have creative freedom regarding dance concepts and choreography.

“We want to release them and let them work,” Young said. “The times when we do have more input is when someone says they are stuck or don’t know what to do with a piece.”

Assistant Professor of Dance and Assistant Director of the Dance program, Gabrielle McNeillie, has been a part of eight Orchesis performances and gave her perspective on the evolution of the show.

“I think what I’ve noticed changing is the development of the choreography,” McNeillie said. “Our choreographers are just every year

becoming increasingly more advanced, and we also have broadened the styles of dance that we’re showcasing.”

McNeillie highlighted the close relationships between the students and faculty, and how that contributes to the creative process.

“We want them to be confident in the work that they’re doing and feel excited to share this work with others because it can be really scary to put your creative self out there,” McNeillie said.

McNeillie continued: “I hope people walk away not only enjoying the show, but I hope there are pieces that can make them think and ask questions. Maybe some of the pieces change their mind about what they think dance is or what dance could be.”

Young reminisced about a few of the many pieces she choreographed during her decades at CWU.

“Over the years, I’ve done some really interesting, creative pieces that seemed kind of crazy at the time,” Young said. “It’s been quite a journey having a way to express different things through movement.”

Young explained that she maintains close relationships with her students after they graduate.

“The policy was I’ll be their facebook friend after they graduate,” Young said. “Now I get to see them having kids and their kids are dancing, and that’s really heartwarming.”

Dancers and choreographers

From high energy, jubilant group numbers to tear-jerking solos and duets, Orchesis weaved its way from moment to moment with clear consideration for its delivery.

The show was off to an energetic start and flowed into a hip hop piece choreographed by Kieran Smythe. The mood shifted, with a contemporary duo piece choreographed by Emily Evans and performed by Alison Prekeges and Hope Worth, which left multiple audience members in tears on Saturday night.

Mechanical engineering sixthyear and dance graduate Aislinn Williamson talked about her experience as a dancer and choreographer in the show.

“I’ve been on both the performer

and choreographer side,” Williamson said. “It’s really cool to work with other choreographers because everyone has their own process”

One of the dances Williamson is a part of, which tells a story about grief, was personal to her as she recently lost two family members.

“The feelings that I had with recent loss fully took over,” Williamson said. “This was my own personal journey with grief performing this piece.”

Dance and Physics BS major Alison Prekeges explained how Orchesis helped her pursue her passion. Prekeges said she was comfortable with most of the dance styles at Orchesis prior to joining the company, but some were newer to her.

“Coming to Central, it’s the first time I’ve ever done ballroom styles,” Prekeges said. “I think it’s really cool that we have a ballroom piece this year because I’ve never seen stuff like that before.”

Sophomore in the dance program and Orchesis dancer Emma Tolmich said the ballet piece she choreographed and performed with Sophie Blasingim and Emily Evans was one of her favorites to perform.

“We auditioned a trio on pointe shoes with a red string,” Tolmich said. “It’s to signify friendship and how you can lose friendship over time and sometimes you reconnect, but essentially, you just break off and that’s one of my favorites.”

Tolmich said she hoped audience members could see the emotion in their facial expressions to feel what the dancers were feeling, and gave credit to the stage crew for their hard work.

“All the lighting designers and the stage manager Luis [Anguiano], they are doing amazing work and they’re really bringing the show together,” Tolmich said.

Audience perspectives

Vicky Garrett, mother of an Orchesis dancer and attendee of the production for years, said she appreciated the Milo Smith Tower Theatre for this show.

“I love the Tower Theatre, it’s intimate and cozy,” Garrett said. “McConnell is beautiful also and it’s fun as well, but this is a beautiful space for dancers and they can take up the whole space.”

Kylene Ayer, a CWU dance alum, said she was particularly moved by the “Would You Do it All Again?” piece choreographed by Hannah Townley.

“It actually brought a couple tears to my eyes and I was not prepared,” Ayer said.

Ayer mentioned the ballroom number choreographed by Young as another stand out moment.

“It was a transportation in time to a little more elegant courting system,” Ayer said.

Isaac Olson, junior in musical theater and sociology, was in the audience and said: “My favorite number by far was ‘United in Grief,’ Abby Faulk did so good with that. Her choreography is so incredible, I love dancing with her. Overall, you could see the passion for dance in each of the dancers.”

ThereseYoungchoreographedaballroomdancenumberfortheproduction. Photo courtesy of Therese Young

AbbyFaulkchoreographedahiphopandmodernpieceto“UnitedinGrief”by KendrickLamar. Photo courtesy of Therese Young

CWU football coaching staff welcomes

Isaac Hinson

Sports Editor

CWU Football Head Coach

Chris Fisk has some new help in the coaching staff, as well as a returning face in a new position.

James Basham and Ronnie Scott have taken over as Defensive Line Coach and Special Teams Coordinator/Safeties Coach respectively, while former graduate assistant and Defensive Line Coach Grant Torgerson has been promoted to Defensive Coordinator.

Grant Torgerson

Torgerson has been a fundamental piece to the puzzle that is the Wildcats coaching staff for the past five years. Starting as a graduate assistant coach for the defensive line, Torgerson paved a path to becoming the defensive line coach and now the defensive coordinator.

“I think anytime you get a promotion, you kind of go from a role where you’re just a part of the plan to going to make the plan,” Torgerson said. “Anytime you get to be a coordinator or get a chance to make a jump from a coordinator to a head coach, there’s a little bit more on your plate.”

After being a part of the coaching staff for half a decade, Torgerson says it feels rewarding to be given this position, and credits his relationship with Fisk which has been just as storied. Torgerson was a player at Southern Oregon University while Fisk was the offensive line coach.

Torgerson said he has made a life in Ellensburg, and is happy to stick around.

“To come here as a graduate assistant and work the whole way up is probably a little bit uncommon in our profession from the standpoint of just being at one place long enough for that to happen,” Torgerson said. “I love Ellensburg, this is where I met my fiance, we’re getting married this summer, I love this athletic department.

newcomer Basham to step into as the new defensive line coordinator. Torgerson credits what Basham has done for the program already.

“We’re 10 practices into this thing and he’s been doing a great job,” Torgerson said. “Coach Bash[am] has been a great addition to our program and has done an amazing job with those guys in terms of getting them to play hard … I’ve enjoyed getting to know all of the new coaches on our defensive staff and on our staff as a whole.”

James Basham

Basham took over defensive line duties from Torgerson. Basham said that he and Torgerson already have rapport and have been working together closely.

[at WNMU] because the culture that was there just wasn’t it,” Basham said. “We dug deep into the transfer portal… That was really our big tool [recruiting], being at a school like Western New Mexico, there’s not really shiny toys to be able to sell as a recruiter so we really had to sell ourselves as coaches. I hope that me being able to recruit and build relationships, that’s something I want to bring over here too.”

Basham prides himself on his ability to make genuine connections with his players. He insists that building lasting relationships is the key to both on-field and off-field success.

man year at Warren High School in Downey, California before quitting to focus on playing baseball. He says baseball was always his true sport. Basham returned to football his senior year as a promise to his late aunt.

Everything that Central Washington is doing, there’s a reason people want to be a part of it.”

Torgerson said he’s been adjusting to his new position smoothly. He’s excited for the larger responsibility that comes with being defensive coordinator.

“I feel like I’ve been acclimating pretty well,” Torgerson said. “It’s exciting to step back and be a part of the bigger picture. You’re not just dealing with your position group. As a defensive line coach I was looking after 13 guys, and now we have 40-some-odd guys on our side of the ball … It’s been a fun challenge.”

With Torgerson receiving a promotion, that left an opening for

“Very fortunate that Coach Torg[erson] is still on staff,” Basham said. “I look at that as a blessing for me. Being able to go to the guy who has had this group for the past couple of years, has been a great benefit to me. Because I can easily ask, ‘Hey, how did you coach this drill? How did you guys coach this?’ The minute I accepted the job he called me and told me congrats … He’s been a great friend and a great colleague.”

Basham joins CWU from Lone Star Conference rival Western New Mexico University (WNMU). The Mustangs saw a jump from 1-10 in 2021, their first season with Basham on the staff, to 6-5 in 2022. The 2022 season marked the Mustang’s first winning record in 30 years.

“We needed to build a new culture

“I don’t like to bullshit them, I like to shoot it straight,” Basham said. “I think a lot of kids nowadays appreciate that more than you just jumping around the actual truth. All these kids go through their own ups and

“I ended up going back to football my senior year for multiple reasons,” Basham said. “One of them was just wanting to get into better shape for baseball. The other one was a request from my aunt who had passed away from breast cancer. When she was going through her chemo battles she told me before she passed ‘James, I really wish that you would reconsider playing football.’” Basham was hesitant at first, but ultimately returned as he thought about it further. Once he came back, he started honoring her on the field.

“At the time I was like ‘That’s not really what I want to do Auntie, I’m a baseball guy’,” Basham said. “When she passed, I kind of reconsidered it. I went back for her and I wrote her name on my tape on my wrist and on my cleats before every game.”

When Basham began his return to football during spring training of his junior year, tragedy struck again as one of his former teammates became paralyzed in an accident.

downs and different types of things that happen in their world, you need to be able to hear them and understand them. And once a kid knows he can trust you, they’ll run through a wall for you.”

Basham’s path to coaching was not traditional. He played his fresh-

“He was actually my cousin’s boyfriend,” Basham said. “He was at the beach and he had an accident where he actually ended up becoming paralyzed. I remember going to visit him before practice one day in the hospital and he told me ‘Hey man, play hard for me because I can’t do it anymore.’ … There’s a lot of people that

Photos by Jacob Thompson / Thompson Sports Media

Grant Torgerson Grant Torgerson

James Basham James Basham

“It’sexcitingtostepbackandbea partofthebiggerpicture.”

- Grant Torgerson

“Onceakidknowshecantrust you,they’llrunthroughawall foryou.”

- James Basham

new faces and promotes an old one

aren’t fortunate enough to be able to play, people have accidents all the time. They always ask us ‘What is your why?’ My why was for him and for my aunt as well.”

Basham went on to play defensive line for Warren High School and won Rookie of the Year, despite the team not recording a single win.

During his time at WNMU, Basham coached against CWU twice. Both bouts resulted in wins for CWU, but WNMU’s defensive line shined in both contests, recording seven sacks across both games while CWU recorded none.

From the other side of the field,

Basham could tell that there was football culture at CWU, both from the players on the field and the fans in the stands.

“I was able to come up here in September when we played in week two,” Basham said. “Seeing the fans, you could tell that there was a culture here and there was support as well … I always do my research and see the history, and see that they’ve [CWU] been successful for a number of years. It wasn’t just a fluke of them being successful one year, they’ve strung together consecutive years of being successful and that’s something I want to be a part of.”

Basham has already begun to acclimate himself inside the Wildcats locker room and likes what he’s seen from the team already.

“From the first practice that I attended I could just tell that there was a culture that was built from day one,” Basham said. “The boys buy in. They do all the little corny chants that other programs kids might be like ‘I don’t want to do that clap or chant’ but here the boys buy into all that, which I love. I love the energy that they bring, I haven’t heard a single player complain about anything we’ve done in practice. That’s a refreshing feeling as a coach.”

To learn more about breast cancer and how you can help both locally and nationally, visit gretchenwellerfoundation.com and cancer.org.

Ronnie Scott

New Special Teams Coordinator/Safeties Coach Ronnie Scott joins CWU from Kansas where he spent the previous football season coaching the Highland Community College (HCC) Scotties. Under Scott, HCC led the National Junior College Athletic Association in pass break-ups. They also were second in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference in blocked punts, as well as first in starting drive distance.

Before his time at HCC, Scott also coached at Division One program Alabama State University (ASU) as a Defensive Graduate Assistant Coach. Before finding his calling in coaching, Scott played at ASU for two years as a starter and captain in 2016 and 2017. He wound up being named Magic City Classic MVP as well as being awarded a spot on First Team All-SWAC (Southwestern Athletic Conference) in 2017.

Those accolades earned him a spot playing professionally in the Arena Football League for the Baltimore Brigade, and later the Tampa Bay Tornados of the American Arena League where he led the team in interceptions and led the defense in touchdowns.

“When you play arena football, it’s not much like 11-on-11,” Scott said. “The field is smaller, there’s less players on it. The game seems to move a lot faster. But that taught me the idea of adaptation, how fast the adaptation has to happen. I’ve taken that into work as a coach. You get four years to get better as a player. So how fast can you get better? How fast can I figure out what it takes to teach these guys to get better from one day to the next.”

Scott says building relationships with his players is his key to both him finding success as a coach, and the players themselves finding success.

“X’s and O’s is pretty easy, the game is pretty easy for the players,” Scott said. “The hardest thing is getting them to play for you. Getting

them to buy into the culture of not just the team, but each individual room and each individual coach that coaches those guys. I think the building of relationships, understanding how to do that and how important that is in the big scheme of things is something that’s really going to help me here.”

This is part of a mentality Scott preaches called “exponential growth” that he wants to see from his players. To achieve that, he says he puts in the extra work off the field and in the offseason.

“Exponential growth is what I call it,” Scott said. “We have to be able to grow exponentially, not linearly. [To do that] you build the relationships, you spend the extra time not on the football field picking their brains, learning what they like and what their strengths and weaknesses are. And then from there as a coach, it’s my job to apply whatever information I’ve been given from those guys and put it into those couple hours we have everyday of practice.”

Scott joined the coaching staff on March 31, and in that short time he says he has already grown to love the team, attributing their attitude and their excitement to play.

“I love it here so far,” Scott said. “The energy is great from the guys. That’s the hardest thing, you can’t fake energy … Really excited to be able to coach some of these guys. I can tell right away they’re willing to get better. I think once you have good energy and a willingness to want to learn, everything else will take care of itself. The sky’s the limit.”

While everything is running smoothly for Scott on the football side of things, there has been one fairly drastic change for him: Ellensburg weather.

“It’s a long way from the south,” Scott said. “In Tampa right now it’s 95 degrees, high humidity, not much wind or cold weather. So I’m definitely figuring out how to layer up, what a base layer is. I’m learning, I’m not sure what you guys call it, I call it Dippin’ Dots when it’s falling from the sky and it’s not quite rain or snow and it melts in your mouth like Dippin’ Dots. Definitely not an easy adaptation for a kid from the south, but I love the new experience of it all.”

TheCWUfootballteamatpractice. Photos by Jacob Thompson / Thompson Sports Media

Ronnie Scott Ronnie Scott

Reid Rasmussen & the Wildcat baseball team push toward end of season

Charis Jones & Ryan Gildersleeve Staff Reporters

The Wildcats traveled to Monmouth, Oregon on the weekend of April 15 where they fell short to the Western Oregon University (WOU) Wolves in each match of their four-game series.

These games held a lot of importance, given that CWU is currently vying for a spot in the playoffs that will commence on May 11. Only the top three teams in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC)

their at-bats, even when they were down in the count.

“We did a great job this past weekend of fighting with two strikes,” Helm said. “We didn’t have a lot of guys go down without at least putting it in play.”

Tripoli was able to highlight a couple of positive aspects of the weekend’s performance as well.

“We were mentally checked in throughout the weekend [and] we executed bunts on offense as well,”

Tripoli said.

ten the preferred outcome out of this four-game series, as sophomore pitcher Ryan Arrendondo said, “It’s baseball. Things happen. The only thing to do now is look forward and respond the best way we know how.”

To stay optimistic and focused in the face of defeat, Helm turns to his teammates for support and encouragement, given the tightness of the group.

“I lean on my teammates to help me get through the losses and setbacks,” Helm said. “We’re all focused on the same goal and it’s hard to not be positive around this group of guys.”

Amongst the CWU baseball team’s ranks are many players with differing stories of their rise in the sport, as well as their path to CWU. This is no different for the GNAC player of the week, Reid Rasmussen.

Rasmussen has been with the Wildcat baseball team since 2021, and since joining the team he’s appeared 23 times on the mound, starting in 18 of those appearances and racking up 53 strikeouts along

Before making his way to CWU, Rasmussen played ball at Selah High School where he was a contributing part of two 2A state championship runs. Rasmussen looks back fondly upon his time with Selah, adding that his tenure with the high school taught him a lot about himself.

“I think my freshman year in high school when we won a state title at

Selah just truly put into perspective what it takes to be a winner,” Rasmussen said.

Since becoming a more frequent addition to the Wildcat starting unit, Rasmussen has been able to create opportunities and moments that he holds highly among other accomplishments.

“Early this year when I went a complete game against Western Oregon, it just kind of showed the type of player I was and the adversity I’ve overcome… I think those two pinpoints have shaped who I am and what I’ve become in a way,” Rasmussen said.

With every athlete, driving motivations can be observed and oftentimes picked up on by many, but with a player like Rasmussen, he prefers to let his intensity do the job for him.

“You have to be the most fierce competitor you can be in any collegiate sport you want to do, it’s very

hard to be a collegiate athlete and I’m a huge competitor, I hate losing at anything I do,” Rasmussen said. “Without my lord and savior I wouldn’t be where I am.”

Rasmussen has been steadily improving throughout the season, and was recently awarded the GNAC player of the week award. Above winning the award, this hard earned title has proven a bit to Rasmussen about himself.

“I’ll tell you what, when I got the phone call from Coach Storey that Monday, it was a pretty relieving feeling because I know I’ve been working hard since last year when I got injured and just knowing that I’m capable of doing that and I’ve got a great team,” Rasmussen said. “it was almost like ‘wow I’ve worked hard and it’s finally showing and people are seeing it which is a great thing.”

Full Story Online

RedshirtsophomoreReidRasmussenwalkingoffthefieldafterpitching3strikeouts and5groundouts. Photo couresty of Jacob Thompson

Sports Spectated

By: Isaac Hinson

The sun is out! I can wear shorts again and finally put the basketball court at Central Park to use. Come pull up, if you dare. If you think you’re ready to guard my corner-three you are so sorely mistaken. Anyways, I don’t have to think about the Trail Blazers again for a whole three weeks! I can already feel my mind and skin clearing, my mental health on the rise and my joy coming back.

Seattle Mariners welcome the Wildcats to T-Mobile Park

Brittany Cinderella Copy Desk Lead

The crowds were filled with crimson, black and white at T-Mobile Park as the Seattle Mariners welcomed CWU students, staff, alum and fans for CWU Mariners Night. CWU-themed Mariners jerseys were given out to help celebrate Mariners and Wildcats alike.

To kick off the event, CWU alum Michael “The Wanz” Wansley opened with some of his music. Best known for his voice in Macklemore’s “Thrift Shop”, Wansley sang along with some of the CWU cheerleaders during the pregame festivities and took the field for the national anthem.

To help celebrate CWU night, ASCWU president Luis Reyes, a senior in business administration, took the mound for the honorary pregame pitch.

“It was amazing...having the support of everyone that was here really helped me out,” Reyes said. “I want people to know CWU is an amazing university that gives any student the opportunity to do fun things like this.”

Engagement Program Manager for the CWU Alumni Association Rachel Case said the event had a record number for CWU Mariners Nights.

“We had 1,500 special CWU tickets that you would receive the

co-branded jersey if you bought these tickets and we sold out,” Case said. In previous years, the CWU Mariners Nights gave away CWU Mariners co-branded hats, hoodies, flags and t-shirts; this was the first year they’ve done a jersey.

Ashley Holum, a junior in clinical physiology, attended CWU Mariners Night with her friends.

“I think it’s important for current students and also alumni to be able to come back and enjoy this night… [and] have that college experience,” Holum said.

The night ended with the Mariners winning 5-2 against the St. Louis Cardinals. Both teams’ starting pitchers had strong showings deep into the game, before they both sent in their relievers. Mariners A.J. Pollock had a 2-run double in the bottom of the sixth inning that gave the Mariners the lead, and helped secure them the win.

This is the first Mariners season with the new pitch timer rule, allowing only 15 seconds per pitch if the bases are empty, and 20 seconds if there are runners out, according to MLB.com. Major League Baseball has also shortened the time between batters to only 30 seconds.

To find out when the next CWU Mariners Night takes place, check the CWU Alumni Association for upcoming events and news at cwu. edu/alumni.

Moving on, I get to discuss the fact that secretly, I am a Miami Heat fan. Not really, but kind of. In the 2020 bubble after the Blazers lost to the Lakers in five games, I needed to choose another team to ride with for the remainder of the playoffs and it ended up being Miami. They went all the way to the Finals and ended up also losing to the Lakers, this time in six games. But Jimmy Butler played out of his mind that entire run, and earned a fan for life in me. Now, Butler and the Heat are up 3-1 on the one-seeded Milwaukee Bucks as the eight seed and are prime for the first 1-8 upset since 2012. This is thanks to Butler’s explosion in game four on Monday, logging 56 points and 9 rebounds on 67% shooting, the fifth highest scoring game in NBA playoffs history. Is he Michael Jordan’s son or Michael Jordan in a skin-suit? It’s one or the other.

Elsewhere, the Kraken are tied 2-2 against the Colorado Avalanche in their first ever playoff series, which is pretty cool. It’s a fun time to be a Seattle sports fan. Now all we’re waiting on is the inevitable NBA expansion and the return of basketball to Seattle. Bring on the Supersonics.

April 22

Win 10-6

BaseballvsNorthwest Nazarene

April 24

Win 11-6, Win 10-4

SoftballatSan FranciscoUniversity

April 25

Loss 4-3, Win 10-1

SoftballatSimon Fraser

NewsEditorMeganRogers(left)andAshleyHolum(right).

Photo by Brittany Cinderella

Reyessalutingfansduringthehonorarypitch. Photo by Brittany Cinderella

WellingtonandMarinerMoose. Photo by Brittany Cinderella

CWUmen’srugbyandtheir historicrun. By Tre’Jon Henderson See

From Tik Tok, to Snapchat, to Instagram: children are simply exposed to too much, too young

Anna Fridell Staff Reporter

Though censorship is a scary word to many, social media should be censored to children under the age of 12.

There is no question about how accessible the internet has become, from discovering the latest trends, to finding information on just about anything. Children in 2023 are far too exposed to the dark sides of social media.

The negative impacts of social media on children are extensive. A study shows that 11-year-olds that use social media tend to develop problematic behaviors such as social anxiety and the involvement of online harassment, according to Cleveland Clinic.

The use of social media at a young age leads to unhealthy comparison to others, as well as the creation of a social standard that is impossible to reach.

If social media were to be censored to children under 12 years old, it could decrease the dangers involved such as cyberbullying, online predators and harmful viral trends, according to Cleveland Clinic.

One study found that children who are active on social media and actively compare themselves to others result in feelings of envy, guilt, regret and defensiveness, according to Newport Academy.

A newer celebrity role in society falls under the title, “influencer.” These individual’s jobs are to create platforms for themselves that others will follow which may cause them to replicate their behaviors.

This is problematic for children, because their brains are still forming, as well as their ideas of their own self-image. For chil dren to be so easily influenced by others online results in a false image of themselves with others telling them who they should strive to become.

Social media simply is not age-appropriate for young chil dren. Any and all ideas can be posted within seconds, resulting in a constant uncertainty of what viewers may come across.

Though most social media apps have an age requirement of at least 13-years-old to join, it’s as easy as one click to falsify their age, if the child is determined to.

“Thirteen is the age limit for the benefit of social media companies- not because that age has been determined safe for kids to use social media,” according to Dr. Murthy at Washington Examiner.

Parenting in the age of social media has brought its own challenges. There are many cases of children going into their shells and hiding from the outside world yet coming alive in an active online presence.

In 2020, a survey on parents found that two-thirds believed their children were addicted to social media, while disrupting

their abilities to socialize normally, according to National Affairs.

A solution to this social media epidemic could be solved through the censoring of information for children, as well as stricter monitoring by the parents.

It is important to limit screen time and monitor the usage of social media for children to create the standard of social media being a creative outlet, rather than a social necessity, according to Cleveland Clinic.

As generations become more attached to social media as a means of self-worth, it is import

ant to show children how in-person interactions and activity far out-weigh the enjoyments gathered online.

Monitored screen time, constant education on the implications of social media use and censored content that is age appropriate could provide solutions to the negative impacts of social media use in children.

If children under the age of 12 were to be kept off of social media, it would provide an oppor

The student debt crisis: a burden on America’s future

Mykah Koke-Filimaua

Columnist

The student debt crisis has reached a tipping point in America, with more than 44 million borrowers carrying a total of $1.7 trillion in student loan debt, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. (Federal Reserve Bank of New York, 2021). As a journalist, I believe that this crisis is a significant burden on America’s future and requires immediate attention from policymakers and the public alike.

According to the Institute for College Access and Success (2020), the average student loan debt for 2019 graduates was $28,950. This is a significant amount, especially for graduates who enter low-paying jobs or have trouble finding employment due to a lack of job opportunities in their field.

Furthermore, this debt is disproportionately borne by students from low-income families who struggle to pay for their education without taking on loans.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau found in 2019 that many student loan borrowers face challenges in repayment, including confusion about repayment options and difficulty accessing loan forgiveness programs. This results in high levels of delinquency and default, which can have long-lasting negative impacts on credit scores and financial stability.

The lack of support for borrowers perpetuates the student debt crisis and makes it harder for graduates to achieve financial security and reach their full potential.

To address this crisis, policymakers need to take concrete steps to provide relief for borrowers. One solution is to expand loan forgiveness programs, particularly for graduates who work in public service low-paying fields. Another is to cap interest rates on student loans to

It’s essential to address the student debt crisis as it not only affects individual borrowers, but also has broader economic consequences. The federal Reserve Bank of New York noted in 2021 that the high levels of student loan debt can limit young adults’ ability to buy homes, start fam-

The student debt crisis is a significant burden on America’s future. Policymakers must take action to provide relief for borrowers and support for low-income students to address this crisis. The time to act is now, and we must work together to create a brighter future for generations

Students face increasing financial burden as a result of loan debt.

Photo by Yohanas Goodell

Photo courtesy of Pexels.com.

Satire: President Wohlpart’s second home to be constructed underneath Bouillon Hall

Mysterious fenced off holes mark start of new era

Katherine Camarata Satirist

What most believed to be a simple and usual construction site with holes left uncovered behind cyclone fences was actually something far more progressive and unexpected: the future location of President Jim Wohlpart’s new home.

Wohlpart said he wanted to “take one for the team” costwise with enrollment still on a decline and decided that instead of building a second home in the Maldives, he would relocate it to a concrete nest being built under Bouillon Hall.

“I couldn’t think of a better location than under a building named after soup broth ingredients,” Wohlpart exclaimed. “What could be more comforting than soup?”

The student body couldn’t agree more as they gear up for a caution-tape-cutting ceremony on April 32, where Wohlpart will be spoon-feeding his constituents ice cream and reading to them while dressed up as Wellington.

At the event, the CWU cheer squad will be carefully placing Wohlpart at the top of their pyramid before he does a somersault tumble into his freshly-renovated second home for the first time!

“I’m proud of our community for the bottom-up approach we just took to this cheer formation,” Wohlpart said while doing a snap after a crisply-landed back handspring in rehearsal.

Wohlpart said he hopes to expand his new home to include a web of tunnels underneath the school for him to travel through so he can make surprise appearances in classrooms.

“Can you imagine?” Wohlpart asked. “You’re in the middle of your COM 444 class, you’re relaxed, you think you’re having a normal day, then BAM! Here

Why Goodwill is good for you

Hunter Rhea Columnist

comes Wohlpart wearing a curly wig and mardi gras beads, talking about relations versus transactions. Wouldn’t that be something to write home about?”

Wohlpart said the tunnels will have wifi access, air conditioning and “enough space to work out your woes on a leisurely stroll.”

According to Wohlpart, his new “smart den” and subsequent tunnels will feature state-ofthe-art technology supported by various departments on campus. The underground dwelling will receive silver STARS in sustainability by 2025 at this rate.

Dining services has a direct tube running from the Bistro kitchen through the sidewalk and into a mouthpiece nozzle that Wohlpart can access for food at any time, according to shoulders, knees and toes of dining, Mary Nate.

The Computer Science department in Samuelson is taking this a step further by developing a microchip that will allow Wohlpart to ingest food psychically at any time; this project is set to finish in 2025.

“The technology is advancing, and CWU is no exception,” Wohlpart explained. “We are working closely with our student governance groups to determine how best to roll out this technology to students as faculty comes to understand its twists and turns.”

Wohlpart said he hopes students will visit him in his second home, even if they have to wear headlamps and other miners gear.

“You can get a cool miner’s hat with a lamp built in and Wwellington’s outline stitched all over it at the Wildcat Shop, how can you resist?” Wohlpart said.

After construction is complete, the Recreational Center in the SURC will offer free rock-climbing workshops for those interested in learning how to visit the depths of Wohlpart’s den.

Goodwill and thrift shopping alone is a lifesaver, whether it comes down to updating your wardrobe or donating clothes to make space for moving out of your apartment. There are more benefits that stem from the community and the environment.

Jobs

Goodwill offers jobs for those who have a disability. Goodwill, which is a non-profit that claims that it reinvests all of its earnings back into the franchise, gives a portion of the population a chance to learn and work in a team environment, learning workforce skills that will prepare them for a successful life outside of Goodwill.

A good portion of the U.S. population has disabilities and Goodwill claims in its mission statement that this non-profit organization allows people with learning disabilities to help their community.

Saving money

Going into Goodwill many times when I did not fit into my dads’ clothes, a great example of this was during my first homecoming or when I didn’t want to spend money on overpriced clothes at Macy’s and Zumiez.

I picked up a used and refurbished suit and slacks along with a nice pair of shoes for just under $40, compared to what I could’ve paid $200 or more. Prices at these thrift stores should feel

Wardrobe fixer-upper

Moving into college and hitting yet another growth spurt, finding new clothes that fit well as soon as possible was important. Not wanting to spend a lot of money at Fred Myers I went next door to Goodwill.

I find my own personal fashion is simple and easygoing. Being more laid back I found that shopping at Goodwill was a lifesaver instead of spending money on gas to drive down to Yakima and go to the mall. Grabbing your friends or even a date can be fun to go thrift shopping and going to coffee afterward

Helping the community

Donating clothes to Goodwill is also a contribution to the community. Being in a small town like Ellensburg, the choice to donate clothes that do not fit anymore or don’t match your style sheds light on those around you.

For an important job interview for someone who cannot afford a nice suit, Goodwill has been a receiving donation front that takes clothes and refurbishes them for resale. Many times when I was a child, growing out of my clothes my family would always donate them to Goodwill.

Whether in elementary school or going into high school, My family would clear out their closets and load trash bags full of used clothes and we would make Goodwill trips, there’s probably a kid wearing my old custom ‘RHEA’ track and field sweatshirts I’ve had throughout the years. Goodwill can bring you good-will, and maybe some good karma at the end of the day. Donat

President Wohlpart’s second home is set to finish construction in 2025.

Photo by Katherine Camarata

Photo courtesy of Pexels.com.

Wildcat Words:

What is your favorite plant or flower?

“My favorite flowers are actually roses, water lotuses, water lilies, lilacs and jasmines.”

“I like pine trees because I love WA. There are so many beautiful pine trees here and they’re really pretty.”

“I’ve always loved roses as a kid and I think they’re really pretty in the spring time.”

Q&A Q&A

Bonnie Hendrickson graduated from CWU in 1999 with a masters in experimental psychology. She was associate director of CHCI from 2011 to 2013 until the program was closed by the university. She currently works as a scheduling coordinator in the SURC.

What was the purpose of the Chimpanzee and Human Communications Institute?

In 1980 Roger & Debbi Fouts came to CWU seeking sanctuary for five chimpanzees, Washoe, Moja, Tatu, Dar and Loulis. Washoe was the first non-human to learn a human language, American Sign Language (ASL). Moja, Tatu and Dar were part of a second project to learn ASL. Loulis was adopted by Washoe and learned ASL from his family, not humans.

Roger and Debbi’s purpose was to be advocates for captive chimpanzees. They began a program that taught ethical care for captive chimpanzees. They fought to stop the capture of wild chimpanzees and the breeding of chimpanzees for research & entertainment. They also lobbied to re-classify captive chimpanzees as an endangered species instead of threatened, an accomplishment that provided more protections for captive chimpanzees. It was the purpose of CHCI to teach others to see chimpanzees as intelligent emotional beings deserving rights and freedom like us.

By 1993 they had raised enough money to build the CHCI. It provided the chimpanzees a healthier, more comfortable living environment with large open areas. Here they had more room, more options and sunshine.

What was it like having chimpanzees on CWU campus?

That’s a hard question. To quote Dr. Fouts, working with chimpanzees is bittersweet. While it was a great privilege to work for Washoe’s family, I was caring for individuals who were in prison due to no fault of their own and they understood that. They lost their rights and freedom to choose even the most basic things in life. Tatu would sign “key” and point to the locks on the doors. They would ask to go out of their enclosure and point to the environment outside of their limited world. Moments like that were heartbreaking. To compensate we worked very hard to give them as many opportunities to make choices and experience new things as we could. For the students on campus and the community I think it was fun to hear the pant hoots and see the chimpanzees in their outdoor enclosure. Visitors from around the world came to visit the chimps through Chimposiums, a visitation program with 30 minutes of education and 30 minutes of visiting Washoe’s family from an observation room. Thousands of people visited CHCI every year bringing business to the city. International and out of state students came to Central to be a part of the program. The chimpanzees brought a lot to Central and Ellensburg.

Which of the chimpanzees was your favorite chimpanzee to work with?

I loved working with all of them. They were very unique personalities, so I had a different relationship with each one. But I believe that I had a particularly strong friendship with Washoe from the very beginning. Washoe was the matriarch and I was an older non-trad student. I think she saw me as a kindred spirit.

What would you say was your favorite memory working for the CHCI?

Chimpanzees are very territorial and you have to earn their trust. My first day at CHCI I was stationed in an observation area with a fence between me and the chimpanzees. My instructions were don’t stare, don’t react, look down and pretend all is well. So that’s what I did as Dar and Loulis hazed me. As I sat quietly, they banged, screamed and spit. They were very intimidating. My first time up close with chimpanzees and I was in awe and a little anxious. But then it suddenly got quiet. I was afraid to look up. I waited a moment and then decided I needed to make sure everyone was ok. So with a healthy amount of trepidation, I peeked. The boys were gone and Washoe was standing there looking at me. She looked me in the eyes and then calmly walked away. From that moment on the boys accepted me and I had formed an extraordinary bond with Washoe.

“My favorite flower would have to be either balsam roots because there’s a lot grown in my hometown or tulips as they’re so colorful.”

“My favorite flower is a gardenia, because it smells really nice and it reminds me of home.”

2:30 - 3:30 p.m. - ASCWU Public Meeting in SURC Board Room

6 - 8 p.m. - ASCWU Election Public Debate 2023 in SURC 137A/B

National Save the Frogs Day

International Astronomy Day

National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day

7 - 9 p.m. - Open mic @ Old Skool’s

3 - 4 p.m. - ASCWU Public Meeting in SURC Pit

4:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. - Monday Movie Madness: Cocaine Bear in SURC Theatre (Students Only, Bring ID)

6 - 7:30 p.m. - A Musical Celebration of Black History and Culture in McIntyre Hall 175 (Recital Hall)

7 - 8:30 p.m. - Wind Ensemble Concert in McIntyre Hall 175 (Recital Hall)

6 - 7 p.m. - David McLemore, Faculty Tuba Recital in McIntyre Hall 175 (Recital Hall)

SUN

Kamoana Ross Jr. Entrepreneurship & Film Production

Haley Aho Sr. Design & Theater Production

Q&A compiled by Brittany Cinderella

Camille Odell Soph. Elementary & Special Education

Alexander Anderson Fr. Computer Science

Caden Binder Soph. Computer Science

Bonnie Hendrickson

Bonnie and Loulis (1998).

Photo coustesy of Bonnie Hendrickson