Spring 2017 | Issue One

LATINX

FINDING STRENGTH IN COMMUNITY pg. 30

MEET

USO OLIVÈ pg. 37

COACH...YOU’RE LIKE A FATHER TO ME...

LITERALLY pg. 41

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table

of

contents

our town 8 / P. U . S . H .

lifehacks 1 2 / P O S T- G R A D R E A L I T I E S 14 / BEST HIKES WITHIN TWO HOURS 18 / TRUST THE PROCESS, TRAIN TO ENDURE

passport 2 0 / F E M A L E S O LO T R AV E L E R 25 / THE BIG RASPBERRY

spotlight 3 0 / L AT I N X : F I N D I N G S T R E N G T H I N C O M M U N I T Y 37 / MEET USO OLIVÈ 4 1 / C O A C H . . .Y O U ’ R E L I K E A FAT H E R T O M E . . . L I T E R A L LY

mind & body 46 48 49 50

/ / / /

1 0 R E A S O N S Y O U S H O U L D S T R E T C H D A I LY PA I N M U ST STO P #BLESSYOU SPRING CLEANING YOU SOCIAL LIFE

food & drink 52 54 56 58

/ / / /

T H E AST R O LO GY CA F E ALMOST VEGAN BEER FOR BEGINNERS T H E A RT O F M I XO LO GY

after dark 60 / PULSE8 ft. JOHN.K 62 / BAR CALENDAR

On the Cover: Uso Olivè F r o n t c o v e r p h o t o b y X a n d e r F u // D e s i g n e d b y V a n e s s a C r u z Back cover photo by Ryan Weier

pulse staff N I C O L E T R E J O -VA L L I / e d i t o r- i n - c h i e f VA N E S S A C R U Z / c r e a t i v e d i r e c t o r

editorial MANDI RINGGENBERG / associate editor SIMONE CORBETT / features editor BAILEE WICKS / assistant editor LEXI PHILLIPS / assistant editor

design & photography JACK LAMBERT / director of photography MADDIE BUSH / graphic designer XANDER FU / photographer ELIZABETH MASON / graphic designer TAY LO R M O R R E L L / g r a p h i c d e s i g n e r ELIZABETH WEDDLE / photographer R YA N W E I E R / g r a p h i c d e s i g n e r & p h o t o g r a p h e r

contributors Z E N A A C H O LO N U , C H R I ST I N A B L A C K , RY L E Y B R U U N , GLENDAL CORREA, AMANDA ESQUIVEL, ASHLEY HARRIS, JONELLE LAUER, HANSON LEE, YOO YOUNG LEE, JULIA MORENO, LINDSEY POWERS, KYLER ROBERTS, ERIC ROSANE, MANNY RIVERA, MEGAN SCHRENK, RUNE TORGERSEN, M A C K E N Z I E T R O T T E R , J O C E LY N W A I T E

faculty adviser JENNIFER GREEN (509) 963.1066 / jgreen@cwu.edu

business manager TA R A LO N G (509) 963.1026 / taral@cwu.edu Pulse Magazine is a student-run lifestyle magazine, both in print and online at www.cwupulse.com. Student editors make policy and content decisions for the magazine, which serves as a public forum for student expression. Pulse serves the Central Washington University community with informative, engaging and interactive content covering campus and community life, trends and issues, and providing practical magazine and multimedia training.

editor’s note And another one is in the books. It’s hard to believe after this issue I only have one more left as editor in chief—what a bittersweet moment that is.

On one hand I couldn’t be more excited to graduate and really start living my life. But on the other hand, Pulse has guided me through these last two years of my academic career, and it’s hard to imagine life differently. When you become comfortable with anything in life it’s always hard to leave, but sometimes you need it for your own good. But for now, I’ll save my sappy editor’s note for next issue, since I have a lot to talk about in this one.

As I flip through this issue I can’t help but smile and think how blessed I am to have a team that’s always willing to go above and beyond. As a member of a publication staff, you realize there is a lot of work that goes on behind the nice pretty package you see on the stands—times get tough, nights get long, and your eyes get cross-eyed from looking at stories for too long—but the moment it’s all done and over, you can’t wait to start back up again.

In this issue we had a lot of heart-to-heart interactions and travel-inspired stories. On page 30 the LatinX students reveal their fears of deportation and how it has started to affect their academics. But even during this time of fear, the community they’ve built has been made to give each one of them a voice, rather than letting them feel isolated on campus.

Then if you flip a few pages over to page 37 we give you a personal look into the life of NFL prospect Uso Olivè, and what motivates him to keep going even when the odds may feel against him. And on page 41 we find out what it’s like to play a collegiate sport with your father being the coach.

And for the travelers out there, we have a variety of stories for you. We start out on page 14 discussing some of the best hikes within two hours from Ellensburg for both beginners and advanced hikers. Then on page 20 is a story about female solo travelers, which I was inspired to write after my first solo trip to Hawaii over spring break. And last but not least, we have a 36-hour trip around Vancouver on page 25 for both day and night goers.

READING YOUR PULSE To the Muslim woman or man, I’m sorry. Im sorry for the bigotry and hate that has been thrown at you by fellow Americans and even fellow CWU students. I’m sorry that leaders in our country have made it their goal to kick you out, even when you have done nothing to justify this. I’m sorry people make videos targeting your beliefs and your culture and try to demonize it. I’m also sorry that people in our country and others try to demonize you and say that you are a danger when you have done nothing wrong. Yes, there are people who try to use Muslim beliefs to justify their means of killing people, but there are also people who try to use Christian, Hindu, etc. ideology to justify them killing people. But these few do not represent the whole of Islam or Christianity or any other religion. What they do doesn’t define you or your belief system and I’m sorry if anybody claims otherwise.

To the person who has ever been sexually assaulted or abused, I’m sorry that our culture deems it okay to objectify women and treat them as an object, or “property”. I’m sorry that the porn industry and our culture in general has normalized using physical force to get what th ey want. I’m sorry that sex is exalted in our culture over true agape love and that some will do whatever it takes to have it.

To the African American or any other person who has been criticized, victimized or treated as second-class citizens because of your race or ethnicity.

I’m sorry that people with practically the same genetic makeup consider you below them because of the color of your skin. I’m sorry that people feel the need to assume things about you when they don’t even know you. I’m sorry that you are pushed out of your home or you city because you “look different”.

I’m also sorry that people draw conclusions about you like that you are a criminal, or you are good at math or whatever other judgement people place on you just because of what some people THINK represents your entire race or ethnicity. I’m also sorry to any person who has been ostracized because of their heritage, beliefs, or choices. I know that extremists don’t represent you or your culture. I may never fully understand what you have gone through and what you will go through in life, but I just wanted to say I’m sorry, I love you and I am for you, regardless of our differing backgrounds and beliefs.

With love, A Christian saved by grace and love

behind the scenes

SPRING 2017 | ISSUE ONE

P.U.S.H: Addressing Student Hunger

P

USH, or Presidents United to Solve Hunger, is an initiative created by the Alliance to End Hunger that works with college campuses to provide assistance to students who are facing food insecurity. In the spring of 2015, Central Washington University President James Gaudino made the pledge to make CWU a PUSH campus and help solve hunger among students.

How It Started In 2015, Professor of Food Science and Nutrition Ethan Bergman received an email regarding CWU’s alliance with PUSH. After talking it over with Gaudino, CWU began its work toward providing food-insecure students with better access to nourishment.

Since then, CWU has established six pantries (and counting) around campus in which students can pick up and drop off food, and works with the Center for Diversity and Social Justice (CDSJ) to manage a foundational account that provides students with money to buy groceries.

“We do that in form of gift cards to Grocery Outlet, because then they can get the most product for their money than if they would go to Safeway or Fred Meyer,” explains CDSJ Assistant Director Veronica Gomez-Vilchis.

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Not only this, but PUSH now has a student-run club, also known as Campus Kitchens. “[We] do a lot of work with leaders on our campus—including people from the CDSJ—and we’re basically … planning on where we’re going to put new food pantries, how we’re going to stock them, running food drives, [figuring out] where we’re going get the food from, [and] advertising for different things,” says senior Nutrition Major Derek Nutter, who serves as acting student president of the club.

The Issue According to PUSH members, there are an estimated 700 students who face or are at risk of food insecurity at CWU. However, this number is hard to calculate.

“It’s really hard to define it; there’s not an exact number, because people don’t really say, ‘Yeah, I’m food insecure,’” says Gomez-Vilchis.

Even though an exact number can’t be found, members were able to calculate an estimate based on students who stated on their FAFSA forms or on MapWorks surveys that they or their families rely on certain aid.

Bergman also says that food insecurity on campus is more prevalent toward the ends of quar-

OUR TOWN

not have to worry about some of those basic human [needs] which [are] food, and emergent situations like medical or anything that might come up.”

Story by Lexi Phillips Photos by Elizabeth Weddle Design by Elizabeth Mason

ters, as students begin to run low on connection card money and are less able to buy food. “If they don’t have a good safety net to fall back on, then they’re looking for ways to stretch their dollar,” he says.

However, food insecurity doesn’t just affect a student’s hunger—it also affects their ability to succeed.

“If a person’s hungry, they’re going to be concerned about trying to find that next meal, and maybe not necessarily able to study, and go to class, and do all the work that’s necessary to be successful in the classroom,” says Bergman. He then relates the issue to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which, according to BBC, lists certain needs that every person is motivated to fulfill in a certain order. When one is fulfilled, the person can move onto the next. “You have to do those things that are physiologically going to keep you alive first before you can start looking at those higher levels of concern. Doing well in class isn’t at the bottom of that pyramid.”

CDSJ Assistant Director Katrina Whitney relates the issue back to the CDSJ’s involvement with PUSH: “For us, it’s very much a social justice issue, that we’re here to create the best possible opportunity for students to be academically successful and

How to Help The best way to help solve student hunger is to let people know that it exists, and that it may even affect the people you see every day.

“You just have to talk about it, I guess. You have to make it more apparent that it’s actually happening … even if it’s just by conversation,” says Nutter.

But it isn’t enough to simply raise awareness.

“Students are either embarrassed to go take stuff from food pantries, or they feel that other people need it more, so what we’ve been trying to do is cultivate an environment where it’s okay to take from our food pantries—so that it’s a social-norm thing,” Nutter explains.

But what can you do?

“Recommend,” suggests Gomez-Vilchis. “You know, if you have a peer [who] you know is food insecure and maybe they don’t want to come by themselves, you walk with them. Partner up with your friend and say, ‘Hey, come on. I’ll go with you.’”

Looking out for your fellow student, letting them know their options, and providing emotional support is the best way to lend a helping hand.

However, there are other ways to help; since PUSH doesn’t currently have any funding, they rely on donations.

One way is to donate food to the pantries. “I think that if students have [access] to extra food … you know, coming back from your parents’ that weekend, sometimes you raid your parents’ pantries and you realize, ‘I don’t need these things.’ So, maybe just contributing what you don’t necessarily use,” says senior Food Science and Nutrition major Andrea Saavedra-Belmont. For a list of pantry locations on campus, visit the website at www.cwu. edu/push.

Another is to donate money, which can also be done on the website. The money goes toward the foundational account used to aid students.

Lastly, you can donate your time, which comes in several forms, including being a member of the PUSH club, helping out at CWU’s community garden, or helping keep the pantries stocked.

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SPRING 2017 | ISSUE ONE

Derek Nutter Senior Nutrition Major

Katrina Whitney CDSJ Assistant Director

Veronica Gomez-Vilchis CDSJ Assistant Director

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Looking Forward PUSH has already grown significantly since its start here at CWU just two years ago—and it’s not quite done yet. According to its members, PUSH is working to make more connections both on- and off-campus.

“We’re going to hopefully expand in the community … and work with FISH Food Bank … so that eventually, when we start harvesting food, I think that could be very easily used by the community as well,” says Bergman.

Connections are also being made in the classroom. According to Bergman, a Nutritions course called “Quantity Food Production and Service” will be adding a class project into its curriculum next year in which students will harvest leftover food from catering events and repackage it so that it is available to students in need.

Even better, a program will be put into place at the end of Spring 2017 in which students are able to donate any extra money left on their connection cards to the foundational account, according to Whitney and Gomez-Vilchis. This way, students who have run out of connection card money can visit the CDSJ office to request more money for food.

“This is just the beginning of what’s to come,” says Saavedra-Belmont.

Other Resources If a student is food-insecure, it is likely that they are facing other issues as well, says Gomez-Vilchis. “Some students, maybe their financial package wasn’t big enough; some, maybe they didn’t know that they could also apply for food stamps … Maybe there are some students who are couch surfing and this is an opportunity for us to help them to not be in that situation. So, there’s more questions that happen in the conversation that allows us to address other needs,” she explains.

If you, or someone you know, are having these types of issues, there are resources you or they can turn to.

If you are looking for a food bank, shelter during the cold season or clothing, visit www.cwu. edu/push for more information on the FISH Food Bank, the Ellensburg Cold Weather Shelter and the Ellensburg Community Clothing Center.

If you are looking for school supplies, check out Richard Sherman’s Blanket Coverage Foundation at www.richardsherman25.com/pages/foundation.

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SPRING 2017 | ISSUE ONE

post-grad realities Story by Simone Corbett // Design by Maddie Bush

180 credits, check. Cap and gown, check. Your hard-earned diploma fresh off the press, check. A job in the field of your degree… check pending.

The hope for most recent graduates is, of course, to land a job in the career field they spent the past four-plus years studying. But the reality is a lot of times, our passions change and with increasing life experience, dreams evolve into even greater things. That was the case for four recent graduates. From teaching to flight attending and radio hosting to policing, Pulse caught up with CWU alumni to hear about how their career goals have completely changed since graduating.

a passion shift Post-grads can end up in a career field different than they originally planned for a multitude of reasons: not enough pay, not enough available jobs, the list goes on. For Miranda Mclaren, ministry coordinator at Mercer Creek Church, it was a new opportunity at exploring a passion she had only recently discovered that motivated her career switch.

“I would’ve never in a million years thought to choose ministry myself but as doors opened and as I walked through them, I found a passion and a love for what I’m doing now,” Mclaren says.

Mclaren spent her college career as an elementary education major, until having it readjusted to instructional foundations at the very end of her last year. “I always say that going to school to be a teacher taught me that I don’t want to be a teacher,” she says. However, her original passion for teach12

ing is still able to be fueled in her current position.

“My passion behind teaching was to work with students one-on-one and I get to do a lot of oneon-one [mentorship] now in my job.”

Audra Saisslin has a similar story. The now Alaska Airlines flight attendant graduated from Central in 2016 with a degree in early childhood education. Although she really never wanted to be a teacher, she chose to major in this field because she was passionate about child development.

“I wanted to nanny because you have a closer relationship with the kids you are working with,” Saisslin says. And finding a job proved be a non-issue, she recalls often getting calls from local school districts in search of elementary teachers.

However, the current state of the U.S. education system is ultimately what deterred her from following through with her original career plan, she says.

“We live in an age that doesn’t seem to see the value of investing in education,” Saisslin says. “I knew going in I would not have a successful career in education personally.”

So, Saisslin began looking for careers elsewhere. “I did make a goal to become a flight attendant in the year 2017 and I started with Alaska [Airlines],” she says. “Alaska Airlines is such a unique company, one of their core values is to be kind-hearted. How often do you see that from a major cooperation?”

Matt Morse, recent broadcast journalism graduate, says lack of money in the radio industry convinced him to follow in his family’s footsteps of pursuing a more stable career in law enforcement.

LIFE HACKS

“Originally I wanted to become a radio DJ, and pursued that dream at Central and through 88.1[The ‘Burg],” he says. But as graduation grew closer, Morse says he began thinking more about his desire to support his own family in the future.

A career in journalism ultimately no longer fit his long-term goals. “Journalism didn’t offer as much job security or money as police work, and bouncing from station to station [and] state to state isn’t a proper life for raising a child and keeping a wife happy.”

Ashtyn Mann, recent digital journalism graduate says there’s nothing wrong with taking some time to just enjoy life before starting a career.

“For me, I never really wanted to go straight into my career after college,” she says. “I was so busy in college with volleyball and school that I never got to do things like travel [and] have fun in my twenties.” This summer, Mann, who currently works two jobs while running her own wine business, will be taking a break from work to bike across America with her brother in support of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).

campus life to real life “Life’s really expensive,” says Mann about her biggest wake-up call since graduating. For many, saying goodbye to college also means saying goodbye to financial support from mom and dad, and the comfort of having close friends just minutes away.

“At Central I was never more than maybe 50 feet from another student who was going through the same stuff as me at any given moment,” Saisslin says. “Now all my other post-grad friends have their own lives and our schedules don’t always allow us to hang out or even talk on the phone as often as we once did.”

Morse agrees, stating the college atmosphere is what he misses the most about being a student.

“There was always something to do or an activity to attend,” he says. “I’d tell the current students to

take advantage of as many of those opportunities now, while they are at their fingertips.”

For many, stepping into a new phase of life, whether it be a new job or travel adventure can be pretty terrifying. Even as prepared as Mclaren felt entering this new role, she recalls feeling mind blown by the unexpected realities of the job.

For Morse, being patient through the long process to become a police officer has been his biggest challenge since graduating. Adjusting to the fact that “things don’t always go as planned,” is something he thinks new grads should remind themselves of.

“Plan, plan, plan,” Morse advises. “Know where or what you’re going to do if things don’t go your way. The world doesn’t care if you get pushed aside, you have to be the one to elbow your way back in.”

find joy in the process Millennials are known for being driven by instant gratification. The job hunt can be a long, grueling process, and that’ll bring excessive stress to someone desperate for answers. But remember, it’s your senior year of college—quite possibly the last few months of organized freedom you may have for a long time; enjoy it.

“You can do what you love and find a career that you love but you’re gonna have to start from the bottom,” Mann says. “In America especially, we’re so focused on going to college, getting a career, making money—we’re always focused on the next step. I think we just need to enjoy the current process.”

“Take opportunities that scare you,” Mclaren advises. “If I hadn’t said yes to the small things at the beginning of my college career, I would never be where I’m at now. The big stuff and the small stuff matter and if somebody believes in you enough to give you an opportunity then I would say take it, because you have no idea where that’s gonna lead you.”

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SPRING 2017 | ISSUE ONE

Best Hikes Within Two Hours 14

LIFE HACKS

Story by Eric Rosane & Ashley Harris Design by Elizabeth Mason Photos by Jack Lambert & Eric Rosane

As the winter begins to let up, and brighter days and warmer nights approach, let’s not forget to get lost in the natural wonder of our state. Not only does this weather permit clearer paths and easier inclines, but it also allows the ecosystem to flourish with flowers, birds and many different types of wildlife.

Anna Roth, hiking content manager at the Washington Trail Association, believes hiking is not only a tool for improving a person’s physique, but also as a mental relief. “I don’t think people put as much emphasis on what a nice mental break [hiking] can be,” says Roth. “If you’re comfortable and relaxed where you’re hiking, then a day hike or even a walk, 20 minutes a day, can really help you reset your mind and relax you.”

And since Central Washington University and Kittitas Valley are centrally located within the state, here is a list of four hikes Pulse recommends to anyone looking for their next adventure.

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West Tiger Mountain

Lester Ghost Town

West Tiger Mountain

Perched in the mountainous regions off of Snoqualmie Pass, this hike is great for weekends and family outings in late spring and summer. The small town of Lester resides just off of Interstate 90, south of the Snoqualmie Summit. This hike is great for any variation of expertise, but weather, travel and accessibility are some of the downfalls.

While hiking along the eight-mile loop through Lester, you’ll trek though abandoned railroad tracks where remnants of old rusted cars lie, and houses are beginning to cave in. But the beautiful views of Lester’s valley will more than likely captivate any individual’s interest.

Talus Rocks trail loop has both steep technical hiking and leisurely walking treks. Follow the trail up the hill until you come to a split, then turn to the left towards the Talus Rocks trail. Explore around the rocks—there’s lots to see, plenty of Instagram-ready mossy rocks and little caves, and further down the trail are two waterfalls.

1 hour, 25 minutes

Coordinates: 47.2099, -121.4904 Directions from Ellensburg, Wash.

Get on I-90 W from W University Way 7 min (2.9 mi) Follow I-90 W to Kachess Lake Rd. Take exit 62 from I-90 W 40 min (42.8 mi) Take NF-54/Stampede Pass Rd and NF-5400 1 to your destination in King County

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1 hour, 40 minutes

Coordinates: 47.5036° N, 121.9756° W Direction from Ellensburg, Wash.

Get on I-90 W from E University Way 9 min (3.4 mi) Follow I-90 W to Echo Glen Rd in King County.

Take exit 25 from I-90 W 1 h 16 min (80.3 mi) Take WA-18 W to your destination

West Tiger Mountain

Rattlesnake Ridge

Rachel Lake

Rattlesnake Ridge Trail

With a gain of 1,600 feet and a trail that goes on for 8.9 miles, there is no doubt that Rachel Lake will get your blood flowing. Although moderately difficult, don’t get discouraged if you’re a new hiker—Rachel Lake is a hike for all levels.

Explore this hike during August and experience huckleberry picking, or go later in the year and take in the abundant colors of nature.

Difficult enough for an advanced hiker, and easy enough for the intermediate hiker to reach the top of Rattlesnake Dance Ridge Trail.

This hike is two miles roundtrip, and offers a 1,250-foot elevation gain that takes you on the ridge crest of a canyon. Views of the Yakima river can be seen during the entirety of the hike, and northern views display incredible rolling hills of farmland.

1 hour, 14 minutes

Coordinates: 47.4203° N, 121.3311° W Directions from Ellensburg, Wa Get on I-90 W from W University Way 7 min (2.9 mi) Follow I-90 W to Kachess Lake Rd. Take exit 62 from I-90 W 40 min (42.8 mi) Continue on Kachess Lake Rd. Drive to NF-4930

Rachel Lake

15 minutes

Coordinates: 46.8973, -120.5039 Directions from Ellensburg, Wash.

Head west on W 5th Ave toward N Main St Turn left at the 1st cross street onto N Main St Continue onto Canyon Rd Destination will be on the left Whether you’re an experienced outdoor enthusiast or a newbie, there’s no denying the fresh air and amazing views are a great escape.

If you’re wanting more adventures, visit Washington Trails Association @ http://www.wta.org/

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SPRING 2017 | ISSUE ONE

Trust the Process, Train to Endure Story by Hanson Lee & Megan Schrenk // Design by Maddie Bush // Photos by Elizabeth Weddle

Triathlon T-MINUS 3 MONTHS The sharp tang of chlorine floats in the haze of the evening light as you push your body to swim for the last fifteen minutes of practice. Three months into training, and you’re already feeling more confident in your stroke.

Spinning underwater, you catapult into the next lap; your legs are aching from the run earlier that day.

It’s not every day that you train more than once, but today is one of them.

Your coach, Josh Merz, NASM certified personal trainer, says, “Once you’ve learned how to swim and you’re proficient at it, you’re not going to be making up much time on that.” Then the focus for the next two months of your strength and build phase will be to increase distance on your bike and run, while maintaining muscle conditioning through strength training.

T-Minus 1 Month Swim then bike, bike then run, brick on top of brick, the day’s start to seem longer. In reality, the distances are shorter and the pace is faster. You’re switching gears. The end goal is only a month out.

Dragging yourself into the kitchen, you start making your post-workout meal which Merz has been reiterating even more lately. Play it by the numbers he says, refuel based off your average heart rate throughout the session.

“If I’m at 75 percent of my max heart rate, I’m burning about 50 percent carbs,” says Merz during your previous meeting, “and I need to replenish those carbs right after the workout.”

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T-Minus 2 Weeks Fourteen days out. Everything else happening today revolves around this one last push before the real competition starts.

After today, you’ll begin to taper off until race day. “Anything after ten days in, you’re not really benefiting your stamina or your strength,” says Merz who coaching you as you lock into your street bike. “You’re just causing yourself to be more tired for the race.”

T-Minus 1 Week Keep loose, stay short. Merz’s words echo in your head as you try not to exert yourself on a short 30-minute run.

“You have to keep telling yourself that this is going to make me perform better on race day,” he comments, noticing your pent-up energy as he jogs besides you.

You need to hold back.

Take Off! Breath in, breath out. Everything is going to be okay. You spent over an hour yesterday preparing your transition station between the swim and bike and bike and run.

“Hold back because you don’t want your run to be miserable,” Merz says before you took position on the line. “If you go too fast on the swim or bike, your run is going to suck.”

The gun goes off.

You check your Fitbit throughout the race to make sure your heartrate is on target. The swim and bike are done in the blink of an eye as you begin the last six-mile run to the finish line.

Your first triathlon is in the books and you couldn’t feel more ecstatic.

LIFE HACKS

Marathon T-Minus 3 Months Three months out from your upcoming marathon and you’re lying in bed sore from running the day before. It has been three days since your last rest day, and today’s workout will focus on pace with a shorter tempo.

Your friend, Daniel Beck, has competed in five previous marathons, and is coaching you on the importance of running five days a week. One of the days focuses on tempo or interval training, while the others prioritize distance. “At about three months out from your marathon you should be running about 30 miles a week with your long run approaching about 10 miles,” says Beck.

No matter how you feel, whether you’re sore, tired, or just mentally stressed out, these thoughts continue to push you forward to compete with yourself everyday as you look ahead to race day.

T-Minus 1 Month Soreness slowly leaks out of your stiff body as your feet glide over the ground. Four miles in, you slowly feel your stride loosen up, feeling better and more relaxed with every step you take.

Negative thoughts and stress are the last things you want knowing you’re now one month out. “You will run your highest mileage week one month before the marathon,” says Beck. “At this point you’ve stopped doing things like tempo runs and interval training. You’re focused on mileage exclusively.” At this stage he believe you should only be focusing on your mileage.

T-Minus 2 weeks You only ran only five miles’ yesterday and its been the longest run of the week for you, but that’s

alright. Your body needs the recovery and it’s critical at this point to ease up on your training.

“You are in your final week of taper” says Beck, who stresses the importance of not over training at this point. “I think I ran 4 days, probably 20 miles total, with my longest run being 5-6 miles.”

You’ve got nothing else to prove at this point in your training, it’s all about preparation going forward. Rest up, eat well, hydrate accordingly and you are ready to go.

T-Minus 1 Week Your body is still tired from all of the training you’ve put in over time and it’s essential at this point to treat your body in the best way possible.

“For the most part the last week is a rest week” says Beck, who recommends that you might also want to incorporate some slow easy running into this week as a way of allowing your muscles to stay loose, especially on the day before your race.”

Take Off! Jogging into the starting area you’re stressed and nervous. You don’t want everything that you’ve worked so hard for to be answered by bad results. Just remember, you’ve done the training and put in relentless work throughout the process.

“It’s not worth getting stressed out over” says Beck, “you’ve put so many miles in at this point that you and your body know exactly what to do.”

Rounding a corner, you can see the flagged finish line. Pushing every last drop of energy out of your body, you sluggishly sprint through the finish line. The moment you pass the line, your legs begin to buckle and every ache in your body seems to increase, but you did it.

The training may be long and rigorous, but the end result shows you that the reward is priceless.

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SPRING 2017 | ISSUE ONE

{ Female Solo T r avelers } Story by Nicole Trejo-Valli Photos by Ryan Weier & Brendan Laird Design by Ryan Weier

The flight is booked, the bags are packed and the plane awaits. You’re hungry for freedom, change and a new perspective of yourself and the world, and sometimes the best way to pursue those desires is to travel solo.

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PASSPORT

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FREEDOM

The thought of traveling solo may seem daunting to some but exhilarating to others—It just depends on the experiences you’ve had and the plunge you’re willing to take.

It’s her first time in the U.S. for foreign exchange student Ahlem Jedidi, 22, from Tunisia, North Africa, who wants to use her year in the states to travel around, but having no one she knew going to the places that she wanted to go to made her take the plunge of traveling solo.

“It was also a personal challenge, like if I can do this, I can do anything, if I can be by myself doing all this stuff, then I can do anything,” she says.

However, it wasn’t easy for her in the beginning.

She says it was hard to know how to have fun with yourself and be by yourself.

Being able to overcome the barrier of worried thoughts and self-doubt may just be the trait we need to help push us in the right direction.

Jessica Scranton, freelance photographer and co-founder of Purposeful Nomad, a socially responsible travel company based in Portland, says before she graduated college, she knew she wanted something more out of life. “I knew I want[ed] to have an experience that would flip me upside down, that would give me a completely different world view.”

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And while Scranton thought one way, her mother was more focused on her starting a career and moving forward in the real world. Ultimately, Scranton knew she wasn’t ready to start that part of her life yet, and wanted to travel to a different place that was completely different from what she was used to.

Same goes for Christina Turrini, California-based Frosch Travel & Leisure A-list agent, who saved up enough money in college to go on a backpacking trip with her girlfriends for a year after graduation. “We went to Italy, Turkey, Egypt, Greece, Southeast Asia, all those spots—we just wanted to explore and see different things,” she says.

It’s the freedom we get within traveling and the memories made that make some people crave travel even more.

CHANGE

It’s not always pretty and can sometimes be overwhelming when traveling alone for the first time. But it’s about pushing yourself to the limit to see what you’re capable of; you may end up surprising yourself in the end.

“I have anxiety, so I usually have panic attacks at random times even when I’m not scared. It was a tough challenge for me because I was doing something really challenging for myself and

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something that I’ve never done before,” Jedidi says.

“When I was in the airplane I was like, ‘oh my god, I’m completely by myself,’ and I landed in the airport, and still, I’m like completely by myself. But I learned how to deal with my panic attacks and my anxiety; I learned how to tell myself it’s okay and that it’s going to be okay and there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

Jedidi’s panic attacks went from happening every week, to her now not even remembering the last time it really happened. Sometimes it’s the little things that are done that change our lives completely.

UNEXPECTED

With growth and change comes the unexpected; for Jedidi it was her overcoming her anxiety attacks, but for other’s it is always different.

“Travel is so personal,” says Caitlin Murray, co-founder of Purposeful Nomad.

“For us, the world really ignited extreme passion for both Caitlin and I, and if we can just ignite someone’s passion for the world and get them excited about different communities and really show them that the world is filled with love and not fear, then that is the ultimate goal,” says Scranton. “[And] from what we’ve learned, like why each woman chose to travel with us is so different, and they’re looking for different things,” Murray says.

She describes Purposeful Nomad as a platform for women to jump off of and get more women into this world, because “women really are the change makers.”

But you must also remember to be flexible in your travel, says Christina Turrini, leisure travel consultant at Frosch Travel, and now even a step further by being fluid in your travel.

Unexpected things happen all the time, whether your home or away. Turrini says that when you’re traveling and you’re prepared, smart, and aware, then people really just want to help you, and want you to experience the best of their country and location.

CONFIDENCE

Although there may be bumps in your journey, it doesn’t mean you should hold yourself back in the pursuit of greater self-acceptance.

Jedidi says she is grateful that she had the

bravery to travel alone, and now she feels more confident in herself and enjoys her own company.

Turrini also explains she, “give[s] women the green light to travel alone, because I’ve done a lot of solo trips myself and I’m happily married, but some of the solo trips I take are even better or the ones I take with my girlfriends. You have different experiences and different challenges and also different doors opening in different ways.”

Being a female solo traveler can seem daunting, but the efforts some companies and businesses are doing in making it more appealing are starting to really pay-off.

According to the Emirates Women website, there is a hotel in Dubai which dedicates a whole floor to female solo travelers with private life access and a separate breakfast lounge. The idea was created by Debrah Dhugga, the managing director of the hotel, based on her own travel experience.

It’s those who experience it and know the challenges that arise when being a female traveler that want to make it easy for fellow female travelers.

Scranton says that the more women who travel and have their eyes open to other women on the ground, or other programs that are running… is ultimately what they’re trying to do—just change the world and make it a better place.

Murray says their intent of Purposeful Nomad is to also give women who haven’t traveled the confidence to travel more, and for those who are well-traveled to show them something new.

Again, it’s the little things like a floor dedicated solely to female travelers, or just having a company in which women can come together and can the confidence to do whatever they desire.

SELF-DISCOVERY

When traveling alone you really get to know yourself and figure out what you want in life be23

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cause ultimately you’re the one making the calls, no one else. Regardless of the time or distance you spent away from your comfort zone, you then really start to listen to what is going on around you.

“Once you travel it’s like you change,” Turrini says. “And when you come back home whether people recognize that or not, the stories that you’ve told and the things that you’ve seen take you to another level, and then it’s up to you to kind of move with that to make sure that people can relate to you in a new way.”

For Murray, travel was quintessential in who she’s become today. “I think just developing self-awareness, world awareness and confidence, and I mean so much I feel has led me to this point and it’s not for everyone. Travel was monumental in education of life and who I am and how I want to treat others, and what’s going on in the world.”

And without traveling Scranton says she would have never gotten to where she is now. “I think personally and also professionally that we

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both [Murray and I] really want to give women that opportunity and young women too who are just getting their leg in the field, that it’s an amazing time to travel right out of school because you’re so open and you have the time and the willingness and you’re hungry for experiences.”

As the pattern continues of new found self-discovery when voyaging, Jedidi experienced the same process. “I know at first it’s hard but it’s kind of like discovering who you are, discovering what you want, and what you want to do, like how do you see things by yourself. It kind of changes your perspective about yourself,” she says.

WISDOM

“How you learn about the world is about going out and exploring it,” says Murray.

Also, “travel open mindedly because if you’re so paranoid and closed off then you’re not really going to experience what you’re wanting to experience, which is your own experience of travel,” Turrini says.

“It’s not what this person told you you’re going to have happen, or what you read in this book; you might see those sights and experience some of that, but ideally when you get lost in Venice wandering streets it’s your own magical gelato spot you found and that little piece of solitude you’re going to remember. It’s the people you meet that really create the experience for when you go back,” she says.

Turrini continues saying how “it’s really important, especially in today’s political climate to recognize that everybody really wants the same thing. When you’re traveling and you meet a family, or a single mother, or little kids—It’s like everybody really just wants a roof over their head, food on the table, nice things they can have in their home, and the ability to travel if they can. I mean, apart from the government and everything else that’s going on, if you really just get to know people they all just want the same thing.”

We may all have our own perceptions about one another and the world, but the best way to teach ourselves and others is by experiencing different cultures, meeting new people, and understanding that we’re all human at the end of the day. Being a female is no reason to hold yourself back in experiencing the world by yourself, in fact as time evolves, there is a grand shift in the way women and independence collide for the better.

PASSPORT

THE BIG

Raspberry Story by Eric Rosane & Rune Torgersen // Design by Ryan Weier // Photos by Jack Lambert

So und an d F o rt u n e i n van co uver Our northern neighbor has a lot in common with the United States, all currencies and metric systems aside. British Columbia speaks mostly English, and Vancouver is very reminiscent of Seattle. As a port town on the Pacific, it sees a lot of Asian tourism and immigration, in addition to a significant native population. It is a scattered town, spread out over a plethora of different kinds of terrain, from the wooden docks and markets of Granville Island to the hills of North Vancouver and the grit of Gastown. Pulse took a weekend trip to Vancouver to scout out the area, and give you an idea of just what kinds of mischief you might get up to in our northern neighbor town.

FRIDAY 1:30 p.m.

9:30 p.m.

8:00 p.m.

10:20 p.m.

The route to Vancouver takes the I-90 West over the mountains, followed by the I-5 North.

Since the trip is international travel, a passport or enhanced ID is required at the border. After a long drive’s worth of contemplation, we were a tad nervous upon approaching the checkpoint. Of course, everything turned out fine in the end. When you go, just be polite, and answer all posed questions truthfully. After the checkpoint, we exchanged our U.S. paper dollars for the Canadian plastic ones at a gas station, and drove the half hour to Vancouver.

The trip took us about six hours, with a food break.

Northern Vancouver, where our first base was located, is unlike any neighborhood in the city; the sprawling apartment buildings hover high above the parks and drags. Arriving late in the day, it seemed as if the city had been waiting to come alive; the cloudy twilight accented North Van’s defined, yet imposing silhouette. As we arrived at our benefactor’s apartment, our 21-year-old host Elizabeth King met us in the parking garage.

After getting ready, we took the opportunity to explore Vancouver’s public transport system. All buses, subway trains (here called SkyTrains) and ferries are part of the same ticket system, which means you buy a ticket when you go into a station, tap it on a little magnetic reader when you get on your ride, and then transition from ferry to train to bus. We got on a ferry from our base in North Vancouver, then hopped on the subway to Commercial Drive. That cost each of us $2.75 ($2.25 in USD). This price depends on how long you spend in the system, and how far you travel.

St. Augustine’s lies on the corner of Commercial and Grandview highway—two of the most eccentric drags on Vancouver’s upper east side.

Upon departure from our SkyTrain, we walked one block over to St. Augustine’s entrance. St. Augustine’s is a thriving bar packed with great beer, simple atmosphere and an energy that reflects the hustling spirit of the city. St. Augustine’s is one of those locations where the televisions are on in 25

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every corner, but only for those moments where silence alludes the end of a good dinner with good people.

The Scrumpy, Bog Water, the Jerkface 9000 and the Backhand of God were just some of the delicious and variety filled ales, IPAs and wheat beers that we sampled while at Augustine’s. They offer a build-your-own beer flight deal for $10, which is a good way of tasting a lot for a little. The food is also serviceable, providing a good range from burgers to basic seafood platters.

11:15 p.m.

We wandered up Commercial drive, which our waitress had informed us was an excellent place to experience local night life. After a couple of blocks, we stumbled upon a bar by the name of Falconettis. Intrigued by the sounds of a bluegrass-style violin emanating from inside, we ordered drinks. Despite the setting, the drinks weren’t expensive ($9 apiece). We were fortunate to catch that evening’s live entertainment as well, a bluegrass/rock quartet named The Whiskeydicks.

They covered Ghost Riders in the Sky, (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!), and, strangely

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enough, the Game of Thrones theme song. On the whole, an excellent, atmospheric bar with a good taste in music and friendly service.

12:30 p.m.

Located in the bustling district of Chinatown, Fortune Sound Club is a scenic nightclub. There is a line of people waiting to get inside, as well as many conglomerates of club-goers smoking and hanging out. The main dance floor was packed with young Vancouverites. The beer selection was minimal and overpriced, but that didn’t deter us from the overall experience. We danced the night away, made some temporary friends, and even got to hang out on stage with the DJ of the evening. It’s hard not to express yourself at Fortune Sound; the inclusive environment just wraps you in.

3:00 a.m.

After Fortune closed at 2 a.m., we found ourselves with the challenge of getting back to North Vancouver. The good news was that there were taxis galore in and around Chinatown. The bad news was that it was a Friday night. Around this time, many of the clubs and bars had had their last

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call for the night, so getting a taxi would be challenging. Many taxis were full, and it took almost 45 minutes just to flag one down that was available.

SATURDAY 10:00 p.m.

After a night out on the town, we started the morning right with coffee and donuts from Canada’s own Starbucks-style coffee vendor, Tim Horton’s. Over breakfast, we sat down with King, who studies film in Vancouver. Having studied in both the U.S. and Canada, she found that “the biggest difference overall…is just that people [understand that] here, a university is just a university.

You just go there…there’s barely dorms.” King’s favorite thing about the city itself is how accessible everything is. In just “20 minutes by car, I could be in the mountains, I could be at the beach, I could be surrounded by skyscrapers, [or] I could be at the airport... I feel like that’s something that a lot of cities don’t offer. Like, if you’re in west Seattle, you’re not going to be at the airport in 20 minutes.”

She mentioned that Vancouver has a large Asian

population, so we decided we ought to experience the local Asian cuisine for ourselves.

12:45 p.m.

We found a place King talked about in west Vancouver. On Google, it shows up as Original Guu on Thurlow. While not the most appealing name, a glorious lunch ensued. It’s a small, busy shop, smelling of freshly grilled meats, curry, and comfort. Each meal cost around $8 (about $6.50 in USD), and came with a side salad. The curry was aromatic, as Japanese curries are, and felt very ‘homemade.’ The mackerel was fresh caught, and served alongside some marinated bamboo shoots.

All in all, a delicious meal in a fun setting, for a price that’s still hard to believe.

4:00 p.m.

Getting to Granville Island was a quick drive from downtown. Reminiscent of a Canadian take on Pike Place Market, Granville hosts a variety of activities and attractions: from distilleries and pubs to full-fledged farmers markets. Nestled in between the docks of the marketplace and lower downtown, our AirBnB host Brent waited patient-

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us a little more about the area. “The people in the market really know what they’re talking about.

CMHC (Canadian Housing and Mortgage Corporation) has kind of built Granville Island to be this craft area where artists and Makers come,” says Greer, “So they’re the ones who kinda sponsored the island and started it, but what they really wanted it to be, from what I know from the tourism and the distillery, is that they wanted it to be one of those kind of craft places… the people working in the market and the people who work in the other locations on the island, it’s kind of a requirement to know what you’re talking about.” The distillery itself was no exception, as we soon found out upon embarking on a round of taste tests of their products. Everything from their whiskey to their gin is obviously made with care and precision by people who are passionate about their craft. The distillery offers taste tests ($10 for samples of four products of your choice) in addition to a full menu of cocktails utilizing the spirits produced on-site.

11:00 p.m.

ly for our arrival. With this dock as our vantage point, we were able to enjoy the panorama of the Vancouver hills and lower downtown skyline, as well as conveniently walk to the market for coffee and necessities.

8:00 p.m.

We’d read about a local place called Liberty Distillery, so after grabbing a bite in the Market, we went to see what all the fuss was about. Emily Greer, a bartender there and a local student, told 28

Back on our boat, we took some time to reflect on our experiences. Greer had put the feel of the place best, saying “I’ve travelled all over Canada, and I’ve never seen a place like Granville Island.

It’s unique in the way that it’s this amalgamation of a whole bunch of different things that don’t really make sense, they’ve got the cement factory, they’ve got the university, they’ve got the tourism and the Public Market and all the restaurants, and yet it seems to become this kind of cohesive place that fosters a lot of culture.” It’s as if Pike Place Market was bigger and broader, while maintaining that feeling of a community coming together to help each other accomplish their artistic or entrepreneurial goals. This kind of random discovery and enjoyment is what that area is all about, and made our stay on Granville feel, for lack of a better word, liberated.

SUNDAY 9:00 a.m.

Waking up in our captain’s quarters, the first sounds we heard were of the seagulls and waves rocking the aging, creaking boat. This was a surprise, as one would think that the forces of nature wouldn’t be the noise producers in such a vast concrete jungle.

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Not knowing what exactly would be open, due to it being Easter, we walked carefully off of the dock to the market. There was quite a bit of business already: coffee shops were active, with three or four customers already in line, and many of the fruit vendors were already packaging product to be shipped out.

We chose the Blue Parrot Cafe primarily for its location being so open, and having a clear vantage of the boat and the skyline. After an hour of blueberry danishes and dark roast coffee, we prepared for the long day ahead.

12:00 p.m.

Sunset beach lines the coast of Vancouver, and features piles of rocks to climb, a separate, paved path for bicycling, and an iconic Inuksuk statue.

Around this statue, it seemed custom for visitors to make smaller stacks of balanced rocks on the stones. The coast offers views of the open Pacific Ocean, as well as a number of freight ships, instrumental to the city’s prosperity.

1:00 p.m.

All throughout our trip, many of the people we had the pleasure of meeting suggested we check out Gastown, so our eagerness upon visiting was an understatement. Located on the downtown eastside, Gastown is a center where culture and capitalism collide. Some of the most successful businesses, greatest restaurants and most eccentric clubs are all located here. Being almost out of financial resources, we decided on something more economically friendly for lunch.

Joe Pizza has the atmosphere of a well-lit cafe meeting an Italian pizza parlor. Looking through their menu, it’s easy to get lost in the descriptions

of mouthwatering pizzas. At only $5 a slice, this was the greatest value we had experienced thus far. The ingredients were fresh, the sauce seemed to pair very well with the crust, and the service was fast. This shop on the corner is a milestone for Gastown; it’s casual, simple, well-put-together food.

1:45 p.m.

We took our leave of Vancouver after eating our lunch. Driving away from the multifaceted city of the North, we talked about something King had said the previous day. When asked to compare Vancouver to a fruit, she said “I would describe it as a raspberry, because there are many different components to it…every neighborhood is so diverse, and I think that together, they all create one delicious Big Raspberry.”

Going back into the U.S. is very similar to going out: prove your nationality, and you’re clear.

The border guard in this case was quite friendly, and soon enough, we were on our way back home, blasting classic rock with the windows rolled down, in true all-American fashion. Each of us got through the weekend on about $300, but it can be done for less if need be. Vancouver is an excellent destination if you just need a weekend out of the country, though it’s impossible to have all the experiences one can in that town in so short a time. We merely witnessed a tiny sliver of what it has to offer, and every trip turns out slightly different than the last.

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SPOTLIGHT

TINX FINDING STRENGTH IN COMMUNITY

Story by Julia Moreno & Jocelyn Waite // Design by Vanessa Cruz // Photos by Xander Fu

In June 2015, then-candidate for U.S. President Donald Trump said he wanted to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border to decrease the number of undocumented immigrants coming into the country.

In February, Juan Manuel Montes, a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, recipient was deported to Mexico, according to news reports. The DACA Act was proposed by former President Barack Obama and protected an estimated 750,000 individuals. President Trump has promised to protect the DACA individuals even though he has also promised to “crack down” on immigration.

“He said he wasn’t gonna touch DACA so that’s my hope—that he doesn’t touch it,” says Adilene Sanchez, senior with a major in math for secondary education and a minor in history, is a DACA student and very open about that fact. “I have to accept that he’s the president so I can make him responsible for the decisions and make him liable for everything that he is saying.”

The climate of fear weighs heavily on the minds of many students at CWU, which some say makes it difficult to focus on school. Other students say they question whether it’s a good idea to even stay enrolled in classes. Roughly 15 percent of CWU students are LatinX, a term now used instead of Latino/a (see sidebar).

Rodrigo Renteria-Valencia, adviser to MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil ChicanX de Aztlan) and assistant professor in the Anthropology department, says the Trump administration created two issues for people of color, immigrants, and un-

documented individuals: an extreme uncertainty of future events and the looming fear of something “bad” happening.

Giovanni Severino, junior political science major and Alto Pacifico de Aztlán (APA) representative for student club MEChA, says the father of one of his friends was detained a couple of weeks ago while working in the fields. “Gladly she’s still coming to school. But I can’t imagine how every day she wakes up and she has that fear that, ‘Am I gonna be able to see my dad again?’ It makes a big impact in students lives,” he says.

Tanya Medina, junior political science major and a minor in law and justice, explains encounters she’s had on campus where people assume she’s undocumented because of her LatinX roots.

“I have had people approach me and tell me to go back to my country,” says Medina. “And yet, they don’t understand-- the majority of us are documented.”

Susana Camacho, senior double major in molecular and cellular biology and philosophy, says there’s a fear of being targeted for the color of your skin. And there’s a perception of who people are because they are brown.

“Like ‘oh you’re this illegal alien’ [or] ‘you’re not even a human.’ It’s just really frustrating. ...I’m not willing to be stripped of my personhood just because someone decided that it was a good idea to raise hate against my group of people to win an election,” Camacho says. “It’s tough times to think about who you are and the way others see you.”

Lori Isley, directing attorney at Columbia Legal Services in Yakima, says she has noticed the 31

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fear of deportation has gotten worse over the last year. She works primarily with migrant farm workers.

“I think the fear is very palpable in our community,” Isley explains. “I have participated in a number of community clinics recently in which many, many families wanted help with safety planning for their family in the event someone was deported. And the emotions are very, very raw as families think about the possibility of being separated. Never in my professional experience have I seen that level of fear, concern and sadness in our community.”

MEChA Board Member Severino reflects on

“ NEVER IN MY PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE HAVE I SEEN THAT LEVEL OF FEAR, CONCERN AND SADNESS IN OUR COMMUNITY.

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LORI ISLEY Directing Attorney at Columbia Legal Services

the hypothetical situation of what would happen if he was ever faced with his parents being deported. He says he would feel pressured to go back and take care of his younger siblings, especially since he is the oldest child.

“I think that has a very destabilizing effect on a family just having to plan for the possibility that you’re going to be separated from your children,” Isley says.

CLIMATE OF FEAR

The fear of local U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, raids is not completely unfounded.

According to a Seattle Times article titled “30 arrested in Ellensburg immigration raid” by Shannon Dinniny, a Jan. 2011 ICE raid resulted in the arrests of 16 people on immigration violations and 14 others on criminal charges.

In the article, ICE officials explain that the criminal charges were obtaining and/or creating false U.S. citizenship documents. The article states none of the 14 people arrested on criminal allegations were found guilty of committing the crimes they were charged with.

In the case of an ICE raid happening on campus, Michael Luvera, chief of CWU police says when campus officers come in contact with anyone, they don’t focus on the immigration status of that person.

“It makes no difference to us what anybody’s immigration status is,” he says. “If they call us and they need us, our job is to provide service and that’s the most important piece.”

“Our primary mission is not to do immigration or deal with immigration, so we don’t make notifications to ICE in that sense. The jail might if we make an arrest but we don’t,” he adds.

Luvera says the only time the CWU police would assist ICE officials is if there was an official federal warrant, which means there’s a crime that’s been committed along with an immigration issue.

If ICE uses a detainer, which is basically a request to hold someone, the CWU police do not have to comply.

“We would not let ICE into a residence hall, because we have keys, if they only had a detainer or if they just wanted to speak to someone about their immigration status,” he says.

Additionally, Luvera explains the only time CWU PD would ask about immigration status is if a student is from a certain country that requires

SPOTLIGHT

the officers to notify a consulate from that country to give them legal representation. It’s more if someone shares with the police department they’re from outside the U.S., then the police officers reach out to the consulates to give them the proper representation.

According to the Ellensburg Police Department procedures manual on immigration, Ellensburg police officers are prohibited from arresting individuals solely based on their immigration status unless the individual is part of an ICE investigation.

The EPD and the Kittitas County Sheriff ’s Office participate in the “Secure Communities Initiative,” which is administered by the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement to identify and remove “criminal aliens” in the community, according to the manual.

However, the EPD encourages individuals to report crimes regardless of their immigration status and the police officers don’t ask what someone’s status is when reporting a crime. Additionally, the EPD upholds constitutional and civil rights of everyone regardless of the immigration status of that individual.

The MEChA leadership board is also working towards giving students reliable information on what to do or who to talk to if ICE tries to detain a family member. MEChA also works towards creating a network of support for LatinX students, so if they need to talk to someone about any issues with immigration they can reach out to other members.

Renteria-Valencia says MEChA is aimed to give LatinX students a place where they feel like they are majority not the minority.

Severino talks about how he and other MEChA member, Cruz Adrian Juarez DeLaCruz, cochair at MEChA and sophomore double major in political science and law and justice, work with local immigration law firms like the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project to educate themselves on what they, and other LatinX students, should know about deportation.

“We ask them questions and we ask them if they can teach us a little about what we should all know, ‘What are our rights?’ and ‘What are everyone’s rights?’” Severino explains. “By having that knowledge we can spread that knowledge...for our community.”

Severino believes others can be comforted by the knowledge of what their rights are, the process

Definition of MEChA

The student organization promotes higher education, culture and history for LatinX students, according to the MEChA official website. Each letter in the MEChA name symbolizes something the club stands for.

According to the MEChA website, as well as Veronica Gomez Vilchis, assistant director at the CWU Center for Diversity and Social Justice, and Rodrigo Renteria-Valencia, adviser to MEChA and assistant professor in the Anthropology department, the name MEChA is broken down like this: ‘M’= Movimiento, which is the dedication to be socially active.

‘E’ = Estudiantil, which means it’s student driven.

‘Ch’ = Identity ChicanX, which was originally a derogatory, government term but was later reclaimed by the Mexican-American community in the 60s when MEChA was formed.

‘A’ = Aztlán, which is the mythical land from which ChicanX people originated, and is a way to acknowledge that they were here first.

LatinX: The ‘x’ in LatinX is a symbol of accepting all individuals without specifying masculine or feminine. LatinX is generally used for individuals who are either from Latin America or have familial ties to Latin America.

It is a term that developed in the U.S.A. ChicanX: The ‘x’ in ChicanX is a symbol of accepting all individuals without specifying masculine or feminine. ChicanX is generally used for individuals who are MexicanAmericans. However, not every MexicanAmerican uses this term to describe themselves.

It is now more of a political label.

MEChA is inclusive of everyone not just Mexican-Americans: Gomez says MEChA at CWU promotes equity rather than equality.

She describes equality as someone giving you and a friend a pair of shoes but the shoes are size ten shoes, which don’t fit either of you. She says equity is giving you and your friend pairs of shoes that fit you well, which is “leveling the playing field.” Gomez says MEChA is a family away from home and it’s a way to share experiences with people who also understand you and your culture.

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behind deportation and that being detained does not equal immediate deportation. He also stresses the importance of making sure, “that every detainee was detained legally.”

MEChA AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT

“

TÚ ERES MI OTRO YO. You are my other me.

SI TE HAGO DAÑO A TI, If I do harm to you,

ME HAGO DAÑO A MI MISMO. I do harm to myself.

SI TE AMO Y RESPETO,

If I love and respect you,

ME AMO Y RESPETO YO. I love and respect myself.

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IN LAK’ECH MEChA mantra

Even though there’s a lot of unknowns right now for many LatinX students, there’s one known place that will always provide support and where LatinX students are the majority, not the minority--that’s MEChA. This is a student organization centered around celebrating LatinX/ChicanX culture as well as inspiring political activism.

“In Lak’ech,” (below) is chanted at the beginning of every MEChA meeting by all the CWU student members. It’s a mantra to love and respect themselves and each other and it’s reflected in everything the club stands for.

Tú eres mi otro yo.

You are my other me.

Si te hago daño a ti, If I do harm to you, Me hago daño a mi mismo.

I do harm to myself.

Si te amo y respeto, If I love and respect you, Me amo y respeto yo.

I love and respect myself.

DeLaCruz says he feels like MEChA creates a family and makes CWU more of a home for LatinX students.

“For many first-generation students this is the place where you go and you find your connections.

And you network within your community and they find you great role models and great opportunities,” DeLaCruz says. “MEChA has gotten me so many great opportunities, and if I hadn’t gone into any of these spaces...I probably would’ve dropped out two quarters ago.”

MEChA has been on campus for over 20 years.

There are currently about 30 members in the club that come regularly. MEChA Adviser Renteria-Valencia says the goal for the club is to give students a space where they feel they can talk about issues they are facing as minority students.

“The intent is to give voice to those that are not represented in academic settings,” Renteria-Valencia says. “Out of this despair, out of raw fear, out of enormous amounts of uncertainty—we started

SPOTLIGHT

to have these conversations in terms of the relevance of MEChA as a safe space for [students] to voice those concerns, those fears...but also in the process, start to craft a political voice. Start to craft a sense of empowerment over your destiny. That is the relevance of MEChA.” Camacho says the community MEChA creates prevents LatinX students on campus from feeling isolated and it gives them a voice. She says her brother goes to school on the Westside and it has a small LatinX population.

“He just feels isolated because you don’t see people like you, you don’t see people who share your values and your culture and that’s necessary for you as a person. It’s important.” says Camacho.

Severino reflects on how he can take his position in MEChA and make a difference in the LatinX community as a Latino in a leadership position.

“I feel like it’s not only my duty as a leader, but as a friend and a member of the LatinX community, to encourage other fellow Latinos to keep their heads up and keep on being positive...to keep them motivated,” Severino says. “To thrive, to pursue better lives, to continue their education or continue working.”

IMPORTANCE OF REPRESENTATION

CWU is also home to other Equity and Services Council organizations like SISTERS, Brother to Brother and the Black Student Union, which are all organizations that center around celebrating diverse cultures and community. MEChA members say they feel these organizations are important for students of color in particular.

“I feel like they’re vital to be honest with you.

It helps keep your identity in touch,” DeLaCruz explains. “A lot of people get assimilated to the American culture and…there’s nothing wrong with that, but a lot of people become ashamed of who they are or where they come from. So organizations like MEChA definitely help keep that intact.”

Armando Ortiz, President of the Associated Students of Central Washington and a senior sociology major, describes his struggle to reach out to these students who don’t want to actively identify with their own culture and join clubs like MEChA, “they’re like ‘that’s not my thing’ and I get that a lot like, ‘I don’t do the Mexican thing.’”

“That’s really problematic, you can’t take your

skin off...you’re still going to be looked at, that way,” Ortiz continues. “Why not be empowered and realize the things you can do to combat... systematic and institutional racism and discrimination” DeLaCruz explains that MEChA is a necessity because CWU has a student population that’s predominantly caucasian and “wherever you go you’re going to be surrounded by the majority of white folks.”

“So, for that temporary hour and a half where you go to MEChA or you go to BSU, or you go to SISTERS, or you go to any organization with people of color—It just feels like you’re at home,” he adds.

“Because for that one hour you get to become the majority. It just, it feels amazing. You feel at home.

You feel safe.”

Even though MEChA strives to create a space for LatinX students to feel welcome on campus, several MEChA members say the lack of representation amongst faculty and staff can make it difficult.

Vanesa Alvarado is a first-generation student and a junior law and justice major with a minor in sociology. She says she wishes there were more professors who are people of color and possibly first generation as well. “There are not many professors in Central that are of color,” Alvarado says. “Getting to know them is really easy because of our similar backgrounds.”

Ortiz says he thinks there needs to be more recruitment of faculty and staff of color.

Ortiz says that one of the issues with recruiting people of color may be that Ellensburg is a small, rural community.

DeLaCruz agrees with Ortiz about the lack of representation on campus. He says he tries to help students of color and he’s a mentor to some, but he’s still trying to find someone he can confide in about the struggles he faces.

“You know trying to navigate college isn’t as easy as a student of color. It’s just difficult being a minority sometimes,” DeLaCruz says. “You never really know where to go. And you have people coming to you. Asking you where to go when you personally don’t know where to go yourself.”

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

Many MEChA students advocate for the development of a multicultural center that can better address their needs.

Ortiz says even though Andrea Saavedra, ASCWU vice president for equity and community affairs, has opened up the back room in the ASCWU 35

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“

BECAUSE FOR THAT ONE HOUR YOU GET TO BECOME THE MAJORITY. IT JUST, IT FEELS AMAZING. YOU FEEL AT HOME. YOU FEEL SAFE.

”

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CRUZ ADRIAN JUAREZ DELACRUZ Sophomore double major in Political Science & Law and Justice, Co-chair at MEChA

offices and the Center for Diversity and Social Justice has created space for students of color, he feels it’s not enough.

Ortiz explains he’s talked with President Gaudino and is part of the SURC expansion committee in order to make this dream of a multicultural center a reality. He says the committee is halted at the moment, but they have talked about what the SURC would look like if the multicultural center was added to the building.

“We deserve a lot more than 2,000 square feet,” Ortiz says in reference to SURC room 137 A/B and the Center for Diversity and Social Justice office.

MEChA Co-Chair Sanchez, says a multicultural center would give students of color a place to get information that is more specific to their needs.

For example, Sanchez recalls when she asked the financial aid offices about her Washington Financial Student Aid. “I called to ask them about my WAFSA and they were like, ‘oh, is that a scholarship?” Sanchez says. “The financial aid offices didn’t even know what WAFSA was.” The WAFSA was created in order to provide aid to students who are unable to apply for federal financial aid because of immigration status.

Sanchez says she would want the multicultural center to be a space for Equity Services Council organizations and provide financial aid information for DACA students. It would also provide mentors as well as a safe place to discuss issues.

Around one-third of students at Central are people of color. Many express how they cannot passively wait for their problems to be heard and addressed. They constantly fight to be recognized.

“Because we have a large Hispanic population of students here and we have a lot of activism going on, coming from MEChA and other groups.

We come together and we demand to be acknowledged,” Camacho explains.

DeLaCruz describes the importance of organizations and spaces that are dedicated to students of color.

“These spaces allow me to be very vulnerable.

And, I don’t get that in a lot of places,” DeLaCruz says. “So, being able to go there and be vulnerable and not always be attacked or just not accepted. ...being able to be accepted there is amazing because I’ve always, as a student of color on this campus, I’ve always looked for acceptance or like belonging. And these orgs, when I’m there for the little bit of time… I feel like I belong.”

MEET

SPOTLIGHT

USO OLIVÈ Story by Glendal Correa Design by Taylor Morrell Photos by Xander Fu

3!2!1! ERRRRR! We’ve all done it. Whether it be in the comfort of our home with a balled up piece of paper and trash bin or while practicing our favorite sport, we’ve all imagined the perfect scenario.

Clock winding down, crowd cheering your name and in the midst of all that pressure you make a game-winning play.

Aspiring athletes spend hours upon hours watching and idolizing their favorite athletes compete while trying to mimic their moves, mannerisms and idiosyncrasies.

Although many of us dream of being these professionals, not many of us have had those moments of athletic greatness outside of our imaginary game-winning bucket in the middle of our living room.

But for Central Washington University defensive tackle, Uso Olivè, that distant and coveted ‘dream’ may soon be a reality.

A standout athlete at Federal Way High School and a household name at the University of Wyoming and CWU, Olivè is part of a select few who are talented enough to see his hopes of being a professional football player come into fruition.

At the end of this month, Olivè is expecting to be picked by a professional football team in the 2017 NFL draft. His football talents have caught the attention of many, but Olivè has always been the one to watch on the gridiron since his days playing pop warner.

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“After every game a lot of the other kids’ parents would come up to my mom and say, ‘your son’s special,’” says Olivè. “I mean, I didn’t see it.

I knew I was making a lot of plays but I was just playing because it was fun.”

At 6’1”, 292 pounds, and a large Polynesian frame, Olivè’s still having ‘fun’ on the football field by putting together an impressive football resume—giving himself a shot at playing in the NFL. He has already visited the Seahawks facility for a workout this month and will probably receive many other professional opportunities.

So, what’s the catch?

The process is long, tiring and much like his life, filled with adversity.

“HE DOESN’T KNOW HOW TO GIVE UP” The odds of becoming a professional athlete, let alone being the best at your respective sport, are so astronomically twisted against you that saying you played a single second in a single game of any professional sport is the coolest thing in the world.

Although it may seem impossible, it’s not as hard when the numbers have always been against you.

For Olivè, hard work is mandatory. Every day consists of training, dieting and class but perhaps his most unrecognized characteristic is how much he has overcome to get to this point.

Teammate and friend Elisha Pa’aga praises Olivè’s passion and attributes it to how Olivé grew up.

“Having Uso as a teammate allows all of us to be comfortable on the field,” Pa’aga says. “His passion is just contagious, I think it comes from his childhood and how he was brought up.”

Olivè grew up in the West Seattle area before going to Federal Way High School where adversity was no stranger.

Olivè’s cousin, Eric Ah Fua, who refers to Olivè as his brother, recalls Olivè having to grow up much faster than most kids his age.

“He had to grow up much earlier than his peers and had to be a man at an early age for his mother,” says Ah Fua. “His father was absent and at the time his mom was sick, so he had to carry a

huge load with football, school and taking care of his mom.”

During Olivè’s junior year of high school, his mother and ‘number one supporter’ passed away from health complications.

“When my mom passed away, that’s when I really started working at football,” says Olivè. “I started going to camps, winning awards and competing.”

Olivè uses—and continues to use—his mother’s memory as a source of motivation while working towards his goal of graduating from college and making it into the NFL. “He grew up and didn’t have much, and then lost his mother,” says Ah Fua. “The way his trajectory should’ve went versus where it actually went is amazing and he never made any excuses. He just doesn’t know how to give up.”

Even Olivè recognizes his mother’s death and how it plays a significant role in where he is today.

“That was my turning point and I began to mature because my mom died young and I knew I wanted to finish her life for her,” he says.

“That was my turning point and I began to mature because my mom died young and I knew I wanted to finish her life for her.”

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THE DRAFT Olivè’s perseverance brought him to the NFL draft, but that only

marks the beginning.

It is a nerve-racking process that could end in an uproar of cheering with family and friends or a silent realization that you weren’t chosen.

All season long during the collegiate football season, NFL teams, scouts and managers are putting together a list of their team’s biggest areas of need.

There are seven rounds of drafting in which 32 teams choose one player per round (unless a team has previously traded their pick to another team).

If your name is entered into the draft, you simply wait anxiously with your friends, family, agent or whomever you choose. If you are likely to be one of the top drafted players, you are personally invited to the draft to watch. If not, you watch it televised wherever you want.

Athletes who are not drafted may still receive phone calls from coaches whom express interest

SPOTLIGHT

in their talents. These players are referred to as ‘undrafted free agents,’ and they can practice on a team and earn their spot on a roster.

Olivè hopes his name is called during one of the seven rounds or that his phone rings and a team gives him an opportunity to prove himself, but you don’t just go to the draft. It’s a business process and if you don’t prepare properly and carefully, this process can take its toll on you.

“IT’S NOT ALL GLITZ AND GLAMOUR” Past the logistics, cameras and excitement of the NFL, the draft can be burdensome for a student-athlete.

One of the first steps Olivè had to take on the path to the draft (which we often don’t hear about) was hiring an agent. “Picking an agent was harder than deciding what college I wanted to play for,” says Olivè. “It becomes a business. Yeah, [football] is still fun but now there’s a business side to this whole thing.”

At an early age, you’re being asked to choose an individual who will manage your future money, contracts and deals with hardly any agent-choosing experience. This means being very careful about who you choose, knowing the ins and outs of your contract and ultimately making the right choice.

Along with finding people to help manage his career, Olivè struggles with trying to separate people in his life who genuinely care for him, from

THE NUMBERS Not to put a damper on aspiring dreams to be the next Jordan, Brady or Phelps, but let’s break it down using the National Football League. According to ncaa.org, there were about 73,660 athletes who participated in collegiate football. Of that large number, 16,369 players were considered “draft eligible,” which means professional teams can choose those players from a seven round lottery draft of talent. Of those 16,369 draft eligible players, 253 players were drafted.

That is equal to about 1.5 percent of all college football players. That is why for most athletes the term “dream,” often remain a distant place that we can feel, but maybe never experience and for Olive, getting this close means beating the statistics.

people who are simply around because he is an NFL prospect.

Before Olivè’s last year at Wyoming, for personal reasons, Olivè decided to come back to the state of Washington to play for CWU. He received backlash for leaving Wyoming from peers and people he cared about, while also dropping from the 32nd defensive tackle in the nation to the 74th.

“It hurt because I felt like people left me because they thought I was done,” Olivè says. “Now, here at Central, I received the newcomer of the year award, 1st team all-conference; the draft is coming up and those people are starting to come back around.”

While it’s a harsh lesson to learn the ups and downs of stardom, Olivè has learned how to handle these situations at an early point in his career.

“There are going to be people who hate you, then love you, then hate you again,” he says. “That’s one thing I don’t like about this process but it’s a part of it and I’ve learned how to deal with it. It’s not all glitz and glamour.”

“THE UNDERDOG” Making it into the NFL is a big deal because at the end of the day you aren’t supposed to. Mathematically, you are an anomaly and set yourself apart from normal people because you are the best of the best at what you do.

But you don’t become one of the best by sitting around—you grind non-stop, until you feel like you can’t anymore and the only rest you seem to get is in-between sets.

Let’s say you’re not a top draft prospect; then you must train harder than others while harboring a massive chip on your shoulder.

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“There’s days where [players] feel like we just don’t want to do this anymore,” says Olivè.

“Sometimes it’s too much pressure.”

As a part of training for the draft, Olivè’s agent sent him to Hawaii to train for three months with well-known NFL football trainer Chad Ikei.

“Yes, I went to Hawaii but it was to train and strictly about business,” he says. “I went there weighing in at 330 lbs. with 32 percent body fat and left at 292 lbs. with 17 percent body fat.”

That is a total of 38 lbs. and 15 percent body fat lost in a span of 90 days.

“It was crazy because you had to wake up at five in the morning already thinking about how you were going to attack this day,” he says. “You wake up and your body is aching, you’re tired and you really have to ask yourself if you want to do this.”

After three months of training on the island of Oahu, Olivè came back to CWU to help coach, train and graduate.

Don’t be mistaken though, the numbers are still against him and there is still much to prove to take days off.

“Uso loves stories and games about the underdog,” says Elisha Pa’aga. “You’re the underdog when you are low yet still challenge someone with the upper hand and win.”

“IT’S BIGGER THAN ME” “I just want to walk away from [football] content, knowing I gave this my all because it’s bigger than me,” says Olivè. “The funny thing is, my mom didn’t care about me playing football, she said me graduating would make her happy and I will have done that.”

At the end of the day we can punch in the numbers, measure Olivè’s successes and read about the possibilities, but this has been bigger than the draft.

If draft day arrives and his ticket is pulled, many will be proud. Some may tell stories about how they knew a guy in college who plays in the NFL; others may celebrate his successes as their own.

But with so much anticipation wrapped around the draft and what Olivè may or may not do, we’d be amiss to ignore the most important part of all of this: The journey.

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SPOTLIGHT

COACH...

YOU’RE LIKE A FATHER TO ME...

LITERALLY Story by Kyler Roberts // Design by Maddie Bush // Photos by Jack Lambert

You’ve worked your butt off to get to this point. You are officially a student-athlete at a university, yet it still feels right at home. Finishing your sprints that you were assigned, about to die, you look up and see your coach looking at you and the rest of your teammates. “Again,” he says. Exhausted, you get in to position for another set of lines. You have a slightly different perspective of coach than the others on the team and he always has a keen eye on you. That’s because ‘Coach’ is also ‘Dad’.

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THE SPARLINGS Coleman Sparling is one of three athletes here at Central Washington University who’s playing for his father, the Wildcats’ head basketball coach.

He is a redshirt freshman (meaning he can’t play in any official games for the year), but he’s already learned so much in his first year.

When Coleman finished up his illustrious career at Ellensburg High, he knew the whole community would be wondering where he was going to go next. Faced with offers from schools all around the country—including some D1 universities—he had a difficult decision to make. On one hand, he could join a team and go to a school away from everything and everyone that he knows. On the other, he could stay in town and attend Central, and play for his father Greg Sparling. You obviously know how that decision went.

“You know… growing up, I’ve always been a Wildcat just because… that’s how it’s been,” Coleman says. “He didn’t push me to commit here at all, just wanted me to do whatever I thought was best. That was my final decision and I thought this was the best spot for me.”

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Greg understands how big of a presence his son has in the community, so when Coleman chose to go to Central, everyone was understandably excited.

“The thing about Coleman is that he’s just a great kid. You can ask around town… around his high school and stuff… he’s one of those kids that would give his shirt off his back and do anything to help anybody,” Greg says.

Coleman was a local kid, so some of the older Central fans have seen him grow from a boy to a man. He was a youth basketball coach, and helps put on numerous camps for kids as well. Being so involved with everyone in the town, you can see how hard it would be to leave. Even with a few D1 offers on the table, he decided to stay here. “I think at the end of the day he really wanted to play in front of his hometown,” says Greg.

Although he hasn’t played a single minute on the court because of his redshirt season, Coleman is enjoying the first year playing under his father.

If he has taken anything away from his redshirt season, it’s that he’s ecstatic to get started and he’s ready to compete.

“Winning would be pretty fun. Putting a championship up and having that chemistry… I’m just so excited just to have the opportunity after a win to give my dad a high five and say, ‘Onto the next one’,” Coleman says, smiling. “I’m [also] excited to see my mom’s reaction when he first starts yelling at me.”

Coleman will be on the court soon enough, and Greg knows his redshirt season will be worth it for both his and the team’s future.

“I think the most unique thing is watching him grow as a man,” Greg says. “It’s a real special time, it’s neat to coach your own kid.”

While working on his game in the gym, Coleman has also been in contact with a Central basketball legend. Dean Nicholson, the legendary head coach who also played for his father, always has good advice for Coleman. “I talked to Dean, and he said that this is the opportunity of a lifetime so just enjoy it and grow closer; and that’s what we’re doing so far.”

SPOTLIGHT

THE Adkissons Kourtney Adkisson is also a freshman student-athlete at Central. She runs cross country and distance events in track & field, which are both coached by her father, Kevin Adkisson. Similar to Coleman’s situation, she grew up in this area and was faced with a decision of where to go post-high school. After exploring all of her options, she knew where she wanted to be.

“It was an easy choice because I really enjoy the town and I didn’t feel like I really had to leave,” Kourtney says.

When asked if her dad being the coach played a part in it, she admitted that it did. She was obviously familiar with the coach and how things were ran, but she also knew the team because she’d been around them since she was a child. Kevin was glad to take her in and welcome her to his second family.

“It’s fun because she’s getting to take part in something that’s such a big part of my life that she wasn’t a part of before,” Kevin says. “That’s a really new zone for me.”

Unlike the Sparlings, the Adkissons have gotten a taste of coaching and competing in the real deal. Kourtney participated in the cross country season this past fall, and earned a spot on the Dean’s list for her academic excellence.

“I mean… that’s why I’m here. I’m here to learn, you know,” Kourtney says. “Although it’s really fun to come and run; it’s a good thing because it develops my character.”

Kourtney also plans to run for her father during the track season, but is taking this season off to pursue getting herself into the physics major.

She has still progressed as an athlete, and is eager to get back running for her dad next year.

“It’s just a lot of fun because you get to experience everything with someone that you’re really close to,” she says.

As his first year with his daughter comes to a close, Kevin can’t wait to see how her future unfolds, academically and athletically.

“It’d probably be one of the more exciting things [in life] to be able to watch my daughter really achieve her potential. I think that’d be a lot of fun to figure out how different it will be down the road,” he says. “Because it definitely takes multiple years to achieve that in any program.”

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THE FARRANDS Michael and Keilin Farrand’s situation is essentially the opposite of these last two studentathletes. Keilin didn’t choose to play soccer at Central initially because she was raised here and her dad was the Women’s head coach. After a year playing at North Idaho College, she decided the level of play wasn’t what she expected there and came back home to be a Wildcat for the past few seasons. Michael wasn’t disappointed in her first decision at all; in fact, he was enthusiastic about having her back not only for he and his family, but also for his team.

“We’re a family… we’re a little bit of gypsies and wanderers so we tend to be a little bit more independent. So when she needed to go away, I thought it was a good decision for her,” Michael says. “When she came back, it just gave us...on the soccer side, a lot more options that we didn’t have before. On the selfish side, it was like, ‘Yes, thank you.’”

Keilin was a star for the Wildcats’ soccer team on and off the field during her senior season. According to the Central Athletics website, she made First Team All-GNAC, D2CCA All-West Region

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Second Team, GNAC Academic All-Conference, and the Wildcats’ first-ever CoSIDA Academic All-District honors. But what she remembers most about her final season is her team’s accomplishments, not hers.

“Just that preseason in particular in California where we just started out so strongly and just kept winning… that was just really fun,” Keilin says. “Then later in regionals, it was the first time in program history so that was fun to do together as well.”

Having coached two of his daughters now at Central (other daughter Hadli Farrand played for Central from 2011-2014), Michael admits this past year is one he’ll remember for a long time.

“Definitely the year itself, in terms of the quality of what she put out on the field and what she accomplished as an individual athlete I think is fantastic,” Michael says. “Being able to be a part of the first team to regionals, that’s a huge accomplishment. I’m sure that’s one that her sister would definitely want to take back.”

From playing under her father, Keilin learned plenty of lessons regarding soccer, school, and post-grad adult life.

“I think one of the biggest lessons I can take away from playing under him in soccer would be

SPOTLIGHT

how you need to make goals, and just keep being focused on that and keep making steps towards the goal and believing its attainable,” says Keilin.

After three seasons playing for her father and Central, what could Keilin possibly miss the most?

“My Cooking! Free Food!” Michael laughs.

“No!” Keilin yells. “I just think that playing soccer at the collegiate level is pretty special in itself.

The culture here at Central is super special and the girls are great. It’s sad to not be able to be apart of it anymore but [there’s] lots of great memories.”

Smiling in the background, her father says, “She’s just a great girl, so everyday working with her and coming home with her is actually pretty fun.”

AN EXTRAORDINARY BOND

Many parents have some kind of dream to coach their kids out on the fields or courts someday. From being at the head of their son’s little league team to

being at the reigns of their daughter’s soccer team, parents want to experience teaching their kid to win and have fun doing it. To be able to do it at the collegiate level makes it that much more special.

Just because one of the kids you’re coaching is your offspring doesn’t make it any easier or harder.

It’s just a unique bond and relationship very few will be able to understand. While Coleman and Kourtney still have three to four more years to grow and learn under their fathers, Keilin seems to be living proof that when it comes to pretty much everything, parents just might always know what’s best for you.

“It’s fun everyday. When we come out here, we don’t think that it’s father-daughter [or son],” says Michael Farrand. “It’s just a good player and, hopefully, a decent coach. You know, being able to do that together… it just makes it even better.”

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REASONS YOU SHOULD STRETCH DAILY Story by Amanda Esquivel Photos by Xander Fu // Design by Taylor Morrell

LENGTHENS YOUR MUSCLES

When people think about stretching, they often think it’s something they do before a workout or after a long ride in the car. One question that never seems to come to mind is how beneficial it is for our daily lives? Stretching can relieve builtup stress and tension, and get our bodies moving to tackle our busy day.

Here are some other reasons, you should incorporate stretching into your daily routine:

“A lot of people aren’t aware when you weight lift, run and work your muscles, they actually get shorter. You want to keep them long as well as strong [be]cause there’s more strength in a muscle that is long,” says Yoga Instructor Lori Chandler.

IMPROVES CIRCULATION THROUGHOUT YOUR BODY “[Stretching] increases blood flow to your muscles. If you’re really tired in the middle of the day, they say that if you stretch the blood can circulate better and it’ll circulate better to your brain, [and] kind of wake you up,” says Kourtney Rentz, Dance Instructor and Coach.

GOOD FOR YOUR JOINTS AND DISCS IN YOUR BACK “[Stretching] increases blood flow to your muscles. If you’re really tired in the middle of the day, they say that if you stretch the blood can circulate better and it’ll circulate better to your brain, [and] kind of wake you up,” Rentz adds.

REDUCES THE RISK OF INJURY “Something I always tell my dancers is that it’s important to stretch because it can actually help to decrease chance of injuries. I’ve heard lots of football players whose coaches require them to take ballet or yoga or pilates because they say that when they’re more flexible, if they do get injured they’ll be able to bounce back a lot faster,” Rentz says.

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RELIEVES STRESS AND ENHANCES YOUR MOOD “It would be a good time where they could incorporate it into a kind of a calming moment, where they could think about the day or reflect on something,” says Recreations Service Coordinator Sarah Berry.

IMPROVES FLEXIBILITY “Flexibility of a joint is its ability to move through a full range of motion. When the range of motion of one joint is increased, it affects the entire system, reducing injury to joints, muscles and tendons,” Chandler adds.

DECREASES MUSCLE STIFFNESS AND INCREASES RANGE OF MOTION “Flexibility of a joint is its ability to move through a full range of motion. When the range of motion of one joint is increased, it affects the entire system, reducing injury to joints, muscles and tendons,” Chandler adds.

REDUCES SORENESS “In our normal daily routine, you probably are doing things like bending over to tie your shoe or picking up a package, simple things like that your muscles can get tight. It’s important to stretch those muscles so that you don’t have soreness and you can do things comfortably,” Rentz states.

MIND & BODY

DECREASES THE RISK OF LOWER-BACK PAIN “Flexibility in the hamstrings, hip flexors and muscles attached to the pelvis relieves stress on the lumbar spine which in turn reduces the risk of low-back pain,” according to the American Council on Exercise (ACE).

IMPROVES POSTURE “Stretching the muscles of the lower back, shoulders and chest will help keep your back in better alignment and improve your posture,” according to ACE.

TIPS FROM THE PROS

“For how your muscles react, you have to hold something for at least 10 to 15 seconds before your muscles kind of relax and lets yourself actually stretch. Otherwise it’s fighting you a little bit trying to hold it in. So I would say hold a stretch for 30 seconds, if they could get it up to a minute that would be even better,” Berry says.

“A few things that would be important [when stretching] is to think about what you do. For example, if you have a desk job, you’re probably stressing muscles like in your back and in your legs and your hamstrings. So I’d say a good hamstring stretch would be to sit down with your legs in front and to bend over until they feel a tightness behind the hamstring,” Rentz explains.

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SPRING 2017 | ISSUE ONE

Story by Bailee Wicks // Design & Illustrations by Maddie Bush

No matter where you are, what you are wearing, or what you are doing, it will come. Whether you are stocked and prepared or blindsided, it will be there. It also goes by the names of ‘Aunt Flow’, ‘Mother Nature’, and ‘your monthly visitor.’ That’s right, we are talking about periods.

Along with the natural symptoms of your period, some women experience intense and excruciating pain which makes it difficult to carry on basic everyday activities and tasks. If you suffer from period pain, you don’t just have to put up with it. There are both natural and medical options readily available for you.

Yoga

Exercise is a common treatment of bad cramping.

But let’s be honest, most of the time you don’t want to get out of bed, so why would you drag your butt to the gym? Yoga Instructor Morgan Murdock says that “yoga poses will help you clear your mind while relieving discomfort.” Five easy yoga poses to target abdominal muscles and pain are: Cat/ Cow, Child’s Pose, Supine Twist, Forward Fold, Knees to Chest Pose.

Tip: “When in this position, you can rock both side to side and forward and back to give yourself a back massage” Murdock adds.

Foods

It has been proven that you can eat your way to clearer skin, healthier hair, and even a happier you.

Depending on what you are eating, it can make or break your situation. Food can be considered medicine, so making sure you are eating the right foods is crucial.

Kale Kale, among other leafy greens are high in iron.

When you are menstruating, your iron levels drop, which is why cravings for iron rich foods are common. Instead of caving and eating a cheeseburger, try something like spinach, Swiss chard, or kale.

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It is a healthier choice and according to Women’s Health Magazine, one cup of cooked spinach has twice the amount of iron than a burger or steak.

Bananas Bananas are full of vitamin B6. B6 is known to boost your mood. They also contain high levels of magnesium and potassium, which can reduce bloating and water retention.

Salmon Salmon is the answer to your period cramps.

It is rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Those acids relax your muscles, which relieves pain. Omega-3 fatty acids can also be found in pumpkin, flax seeds, and avocados.

Dark Chocolate Dark Chocolate that is 60% cacao or higher is a source of magnesium, which helps calm mood swings by regulating your serotonin (happy) levels.

Birth Control

Birth control has a stigma of only being useful for having sex and not trying to get pregnant, but in reality many women use it for period relief as well.

Sometimes period pain is too much and “feels about equivalent to what I would imagine a hot knife stabbing into me and twisting around consistently, except it happens for 7 days” CWU junior Hailey Maltbie states.

“I couldn’t work most of the time and school was difficult, so I missed a lot” junior dietetics and French major Aleceeya Thill adds. “To fix that, I got an IUD instead, and [now] I just spot every three months or so with no cramping.”

There are many forms of birth control available and to find out which is the right one for you, go see a doctor.

Next time those awful pains and cramping happen, try one of these alternative methods. You have to deal with periods, but you don’t have to put up with the pain.

MIND & BODY

Story by Yoo Young Lee // Design by Elizabeth Mason // Photo by Jack Lambert

It is the most wind-full time of the year. Pollens are carried right up to your nose-here comes the season of sneezing. Especially living in Ellensburg, it is no surprise if you constantly have a red nose, watery eyes and itchy throat. There is a simple solution to avoid allergies: NEVER LEAVE THE HOUSE, but then for many of us, that is not really an option. We must learn to live above and beyond it, and remember: there is always a way—in fact, more than just one!

1. Peppermint Candy

Menthol, that is in peppermint candy, is known to relieve an itchy throat. It also helps you to produce more saliva, which will keep your throat lubricated. You don’t have to deal with excessive coughing anymore, plus it will leave your breath spring-fresh.

2. Chicken noodle soup

Hot liquid increases your body temperature, which will loosen the mucus secretions. In addition to that, during the process of cooking chicken, amino acid cysteine, used in the medicine that treats bronchitis, gets released. Even the steam from the hot bowl of soup helps with moisturizing your skin and clearing out the nasal, who knew? Your mom was right—chicken noodle soup cures it all.

3. Salmon

Lynn Quinn, a Registered Nurse, says that it is important to identify exactly what triggers your allergy and try to avoid the allergens. If you are worried about all the vitamin D that you might miss out while hiding inside, we’ve got you covered. Wild salmon is so rich in the nutrient that you don’t have to take the risk of getting outside.

4. Glasses

Don’t let anything get in between your precious eyeballs and contacts. Airborne allergens often stick onto the surface of contact lenses, and it doesn’t do any good to your sensitive eyes.

Grab the glasses instead of contacts for the season. They save you time and reduce the pollens coming in your way.

5. Tissues & Moisturizer

From blowing your nose so often, your nose turns red and gets irritated. Lotion infused tissues are mores gentle on the skin, which will reduce the irritation on your sensitive facial skin.

Also, if your nose in constant need of tissues, then it would be a good idea to invest in moisturizer. It doesn’t have to be those fancy moisturizers from Sephora, just pop the Vaseline or aloe Vera which will shed light on your dry land of nose.

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SPRING 2017 | ISSUE ONE

SPRING CLEANING YO U R S O C I A L L I F E Story by Lindsey Powers // Design by Taylor Morrell

Sometimes just hearing the words ‘spring cleaning’ makes you want to roll your eyes. Spring cleaning is overused, outdated and just plain boring. Instead, let’s focus on spring cleaning on the inside—spring cleaning of your mind or spring cleaning your social life.

Here are a few basic tips to help you kickstart your spiritual cleaning.

REMEMBER YOU ARE SELF-SUFFICIENT: Do not let yourself be sucked into the idea that you need social media to feel complete. Sophomore Alex Jennings has fallen victim. “I’ve gone through phases where I don’t use social media and every time I end up feeling disconnected and way out of the loop, so I have to go back.” The biggest issue with social media is how addicted to it we have become, just like it was for Jennings.

This goes far beyond simply disconnecting; you need to understand that you are your own person. You are not responsible for every negative thing that happens to a friend or every subtweet you see on Twitter. Once you start to understand that you do not need the negativity in your life, you can start cleaning all the bad juju out and let in more positivity.

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GET OFF SOCIAL MEDIA OCCASIONALLY: Give yourself some Zen time to decompress without checking to see how many likes your photo got or if your favorite celebrity has tweeted recently. Cameron Callen, senior at Central Washington University, says, “I need to be focused on my task to do a good job so I try to block all distractions in the first place.”

DO NOT BE AFRAID TO LET GO OF TOXIC RELATIONSHIPS: This goes for friendships and romantic connections. Don’t feel like you have to hold onto relationships that don’t bring any good into your life.

“I have eliminated people from my friend group and usually it has been beneficial,” sophomore Solveig Dahl notes.

Additionally, it is always alright if two friends grow apart; contrary to popular belief, it is perfectly normal to have people flow in and out of your life regularly.

“It’s hard to keep a friendship going when you can’t relate on most levels,” explains junior Caleb Prieto.

DOCTOR’S NOTES: CWU Staff Phycologist Carolyn Cleveland explains what she feels is the most important part of a social life revamp: “Start with yourself.

Evaluate what you want out of life.

Engage in behaviors consistent with that. If you want to be active, move towards that (either independently or with your friends with common interests).

Cleveland also identifies a key element in finding your own happiness with some social life cleaning.

“Don’t be afraid of being alone and ask yourself if your relationships are leading you towards a path that isn’t consistent with your values or if they are impeding on your personal growth and development. Life is too short (and students are too busy) to give your energy to relationships that are unhealthy.”

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SPRING 2017 | ISSUE ONE

THE ASTROLOGY CAFE Story by Zena Acholonu // Photos by Elizabeth Weddle // Design by Ryan Weier

If you can tell the difference between an Aquarius and an Aries, and know how emotional Cancers can be, there’s a chance you’re a fan of astrology. Take some more pointers from the cosmos, switch up your daily coffee routine; try out these delicious and different coffee drinks based off of your astrology sign. Find your birthday and get caffeinated!

ICED W H I TE MO C H A

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FOOD & DRINK

Aries (Mar. 21-Apr. 19)

The center of attention, you’re an audacious and attentive person with the will power to always reach new goals. You look for moments to showcase your generosity, style and brilliance. The iced white mocha mirrors your taste with a classic twist to the usual hot white chocolate mocha. This drink features the ‘fire and ice’ elements that make up your bright Aries personality.

Taurus (Apr. 20-May 20)

The serene influence everyone turns to, as a Taurus you are admired for being organized and open-minded. Your sensitivity is often overlooked, but you are a dependable and sensible person that’s eager to show it. Treat yourself to a chocolate espresso, a strong drink with hints of a sweet and delectable twist.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

You’re an amusing and interesting personality. Admired for your talent and reliability, friends turn to you and trust your judgement about emotional issues, able to adapt to any situation. For Geminis, try out a latte, the drink of choice easy to altered for almost every coffee craving.

Cancer (June 21-July 20)

The loving and passionate sign, Cancers are individuals concerned for the well-being of others, and they provide extensive support towards friends and family. An iced mochais everyone’s morning go-to drink, perfect for a Cancer who is viewed as everyone’s capstone BFF.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)

The fierce king/queen of the cosmos.

A Leo’s dramatic personality, honest values and loyalty are admirable traits. Match the fire within the Leo with a dirty chai latte, the wild take on the classic latte with an added shot.

Virgo (Aug. 23- Sept. 22)

Virtuous in nature, you are a trustworthy and honest. As a friend, you are admired for your perceptive, charming and witty personality, although to others you seem shy and reserved. Garnished with chocolate and whipped cream, a Viennese coffee reveals a fresh take on the usual cup of coffee, it’s dynamic and surprising, just like a Virgo.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) Warm,

outgoing and super easygoing. Libras are the charmers of all signs, matching closely with a coffee lover’s favorite, an iced hazelnut coffee sweetened with condensed milk is perfect for Libras’ whimsical personality and can be eased into anyone’s morning routine.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

The philosophical one, you are always in search of a deeper meaning or purpose.

The drive, determination and wavering emotions,push a Scorpio to make positive goals and always meet them. Indulge in a butterscotch cappuccino with a shot of espresso; the sweet and savory flavors are the perfect balance to your intense personality.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec.21)

Kind, open-hearted and always willing to help a friend with a favor, Sagittarians are the ‘good guys’ in the zodiac. Your free spirit and upbeat personality mesh with the warm flavors of a pumpkin pie latte with cinnamon.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Decisive, punctual, reliable and kind-hearted, you are the strong-willed friend others close to you turn to for life-changing advice or to possibly hear one of your brilliant ideas. Capricorns are time-oriented and only fitting you’re paired with coffee art, a time consming process that creates something beautiful.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

Affectionate and genuine, Aquarians are eager to learn about others and expand their realm of knowledge. Carving your own path, you are an eccentric and fun personality, a match made in heaven for a cold brew cup of coffee, humanitarian-conscious, you can create your cold brew at home, skipping cafe lines to expidite your day.

Pisces (Feb. 19-Mar. 20)

The most compassionate of the signs, you are seen as a special friend to everyone because you give your undivided attention so willingly. Remnant of an iced peppermint mocha, the fresh taste, rich chocolate and coffee flavors will have you reaching for a second cup.

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Almost Vegan

An Amateur’s Guide to Making the Switch... Sort of

Story by Mackenzie Trotter Design by Elizabeth Mason

F

or some, veganism is a preferred diet; it promotes animal welfare, physical health, and preservation of the environment. Regardless of reasoning, however, it’s important to know that there are advantages and disadvantages to this lifestyle change.

‘Vegan’ is not synonymous with ‘healthy,’ contrary to popular belief—but this doesn’t mean that cutting out animal products is a bad idea.

Dr. Matt Angove, a Naturopathic Doctor practicing just South of Olympia, says, “Limiting animal products is a great idea. Balance is key.” However, he does not recommend a vegan diet for his patients.

For those who aren’t sure, veganism means no dairy, meat, eggs, or any other ingredient derived from an animal. There are also people who don’t limit this lifestyle to consumption alone. Dedicated animal rights activists also abstain from using any

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item that comes from animals whether it’s clothing, beauty products, household furniture, etc.

While it’s great that there are people who care so deeply about the welfare of animals, it’s not an easy lifestyle for most to live. Dr. Angove N.D. claims, “Given the state of our environment and food supply most humans are already having a very difficult time maintaining optimal nutrient status, without venturing down the vegan pathway.”

Yet, this shouldn’t deter us from trying, right?

The good news is you can incorporate aspects of a vegan diet into your everyday life. It doesn’t have to be an overnight, cold-turkey transition. People can make small changes that still carry weight.

Most Americans consume more than the recommended amount of meat in their diet to begin with, so cutting back is a good idea for nearly anyone. Processed meats are bad for one’s health;

however, Dr. Angove explains, “Grass-fed beef, free range chickens/eggs, wild Alaskan salmon, and goat’s milk carry massive amounts of nutrition with no known negative health effects.”

Vegetables should be the main course in our meals, though they typically aren’t. So simply having a higher ratio of veggies to meat on your plate is already a step in the right direction. It’s okay to have some meat, as long as it’s organic and ethically sourced.

For those set on going vegan for the purpose of protecting animals and the environment, more power to you. It’s still important to consciously fill those nutritional gaps, though. Dr. Angove N.D. recommends taking B12 vitamins, creatine (particularly for men), and DHA (fatty acid) supplements from Algae to help replace nutrients lost in veganism. As for supplementing protein, this can be found in chia, hemp, pumpkin, sunflower seeds and all types of nuts.

A big issue surrounding veganism is the stigma surrounding it. People immediately think it’s too hard and too expensive.

Brooke Harden, a 20-year-old vegan, says “A huge misconception about veganism is that it has to be really expensive and that it’s really hard to find food that you can eat.” She explains that items like bananas, beans, rice, and potatoes are staples in vegan cooking. Conveniently, Harden adds, they are also some of the least expensive foods to buy in bulk.

Since switching to a vegan diet, Harden has noticed changes in both her physical and mental health. “Although I never had terrible acne, something I noticed was how clear and smooth my skin was within just a few weeks without dairy.” She adds, “Eating higher quantities of fruits and vegetables, I noticed I don’t ever feel that sickly full feeling or get bloated anymore.”

Easy swaps to make Cow’s milk, a huge staple in American cuisine, can be easily substituted with nut milk. There are so many different milk alternatives, it can be difficult to choose the best one. Almond, coconut, and cashew milk are the most common and are easily accessible at nearly any grocery store. Plus, when used in things like cereal or baking, it’s extremely hard to tell the difference.

Often, soy milk is marketed as a healthy alternative to dairy, when in all actuality there is much controversy over it. Approximately 90 percent of soy produced in the U.S. is genetically modified and contains ingredients that cause the body to produce

FOOD & DRINK

excess estrogen, according to Certified Doctor of Natural Medicine and popular radio show host, Dr. Axe. For men this can lead to breast tissue growth, and for women it can cause an array of health risks including breast cancer.

Therefore, play it safe and stick to nut milk.

Another item that can be a deal breaker for those on the fence about cutting dairy is cheese—the delicious, gooey comfort food that so many can’t live without. This is a hard one for most to part with, but it’s not impossible.

An advantage to living in the year 2017 is that grocery stores and restaurants cater to allergies and diet restrictions now more than ever. In today’s world, you don’t have to learn some complicated, homemade vegan cheese recipe in order to fill the void; companies have already capitalized on that for you.

Vegan cheese can be found in stores and comes in all types. Cream cheese, mozzarella, cheddar, parmesan—you name it, it probably exists. The only thing is, depending on where you live, it might be a scavenger hunt trying to find the one you want. A word of advice: for the most cheese-like consistency and wide variety of dairy-free products, look for the brand Daiya.

Olive oil and coconut oil are some of the best and most common replacements for butter in dairy-free cooking. More creative swaps include bananas, applesauce, avocado, and nut butter. Though, depending on the dish, some of these taste better than others. According to AuthorityNutrition.com, the best way to find what you like is to experiment until you find the right consistency that works best for whatever you’re making. As for meat, there are really great alternatives out there. Black bean or veggie burgers can easily be made at home or bought from a store. Chickpea burger patties and nuggets, commonly referred to as chik’n since they’re meatless, taste pretty close to the real thing.

Bottom line is that we can all benefit from limiting our consumption of dairy and meat. It’s better for our health, the environment, and animals. Veganism can be a fun adventure of experimenting with new recipes and trying things you’ve never had before. Whether you go all in or just eat vegan occasionally, it’s bound to make a difference in the way you feel.

The most important thing is to be aware of the risks and rewards. Find what works best for your body and live accordingly, and if you’re still unsure always consult a doctor first.

Again, it’s important to know that making this switch doesn’t guarantee you’ll be healthy. After all, Oreos are vegan.

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SPRING 2017 | ISSUE ONE

BEER

FOR BEGINNERS Story by Megan Schrenk // Design by Taylor Morrell // Photos by Elizabeth Weddle

Heady aromas loft in the warm, comforting air of the local tap room. Twenty-one years has culminated in this moment when you can legally purchase your first beer.

Reading the menu, though. Well that comes with a whole other list of complications. Before you head out to your next pub or local brewery, brush up on some common, but perplexing terminology so that you can buy the beer you want and know exactly what you’re getting.

CWU’s Director of Craft Brewing Steve Wagner provides some insightful clues on some beer basics. “All beers can be categorized as either ales or lagers, so either top fermenting beers or bottom fermenting,” Wagner says. Ales are created using top fermenting yeast brewed at a high temperature, while lagers are the bottom fermenters brewed at lower temperatures.

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Awesome! So, there are two categories of beers that every beer can fit into. But now the question is what in the world are those abbreviations on display?

“ABV is alcohol by volume and that is the percent of alcohol in that volume of beer,” says Wagner. The higher the ABV, the more alcohol is in the drink you’re holding. This can be a good or bad thing, that’s up to you to decide.

A lesser known abbreviation is IBU, which means International Bitterness Units. “That is a scale on the amount of bitterness that comes from hops that they estimate,” Wagner clarifies.

“So if you’re choosing a beer and you want to avoid a very bitter beer, then avoid a beer with a high IBU. The scale goes from 1-100.”

Here are some great local beers for you to go out and try.

LAGERS Serious Bru Bohemian Pilsner - Dru Bru ABV 4.8% - IBU 30 Beautifully blended Bohemian Pilsner malts and Czech Saaz hops bring out a complex combination of sweetness to this light, crispy beer with just a touch of bitterness.

“Lager beer you try to balance the flavors coming from the grains and the yeast is a very neutral. So it’s a beer that is more balanced,” said Wagner.

ALES

FOOD & DRINK

IPA Beer Wolf- Iron Horse Brewery ABV 6.8% - IBU 55 This Indian Pale Ale ditches the syrupy sweetness and prides itself in the robust.

German Style Ale Kölsch - Dru Bru ABV 4.8% - IBU 28 Golden colored German style ale with a light-medium body. German grown malts provide a bready aroma and flavor that’s balanced with a subtle sweetness character adding complexity as the beer finishes.

Dark Ale Irish Death - Iron Horse Brewery ABV 7.8% - IBU 12 Dark and smooth, any other attempt to classify this beer with send any beer enthusiast into a tissy. Instead it is lovingly referred to as beer candy. Irish Death is a malt bomb that anyone and everyone can enjoy from first time drinkers to daisy pushers.

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the art of

mixology Story by Christina Black // Design by Vanessa Cruz // Photos by Jack Lambert

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our average 21-year-old barista knows all of the many combinations on the Starbucks menu, but there are a select few who know how to combine over 200 beverages ranging from coffee to alcohol. They are known as mixologists.

Much more goes into making drinks than looking good with a shaker and a glass.

According to the National Bartenders website, certified mixologists have to be experts not only with over 200 drinks but liquor laws and sanitation. The best way we can summarize that is if the bar can be compared to a realm, the bartender is indisputable king.

Some bartending blogs give us more perspective on what makes a bartender.

Chris Tunstall is an author of the blog A Bar Above, “The Ultimate Resource for Bartenders, Bar Management and Craft Cocktail Creators.”

Quite the mouthful, but each post is chock-full of recipes, tips, and credibility.

Tunstall wrote a specific piece like; Bartender vs. Mixologist – What’s the Difference?

Conveniently, he summarizes such differences in his blog, included below.

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Bartender: • • •

100% attention is on the guests Creates a welcoming atmosphere; have a smiling friendly face Make drinks customized to the order, using ingredients prepared by the Mixologist

Mixologist: • • • •

Designs seasonal cocktails and cocktails that reflect the theme of the establishment Provide any house-made syrups, tinctures and bitters that a bartender might need for an order, including possible garnishes Hand pick all ingredients that also reflect the establishment's brand quality Have all tasks completed before any guests can walk through the door

FOOD & DRINK

So yeah…the mixologist runs the show.

As a point of clarity, the term “bartender” refers to both bartenders and mixologists; it’s the more common word for the person(s) running the bar.

But how do mixologists and bartenders actually get certified? More research led us to discover that mixologist certification varies by state, correlating to states’ different alcohol laws.

For Washington, there are 2 classes for which one can get certified. Anyone looking to serve alcohol has to complete Class 12 or Class 13 to legally serve alcohol in establishments. Much like how one can acquire a WA boating license, the courses are completely online. Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board go into depth about the process and requirements.

We wanted to get in on the fun too. Over the weekend our very own photographer took to his kitchen and made a Kentucky Sidecar, a sunshine yellow cocktail.

Kentucky Sidecar

Class 12 (21 and over) can: • • • • •

Draw alcohol from tap and mix drinks Perform duties included in the Class 13 permit Manage the establishment Conduct alcohol tastings at an approved locations with a tasting endorsement At least one Class 12 permit holder must be on duty

Class 13 (18-20+) • • •

Take alcohol orders Carry alcohol to the customer and pour it into a customer’s glass at the customer’s table Eligibility to upgrade to a Class 12 permit once you turn 21

To the average customer, the difference is vague when in the establishment where all the staff are handling alcohol but the certificates suggest otherwise.

But why is mixology considered an art?

The grounding in art is learning the craft of balancing liquid ingredients so well that it’s committed to memory. 200 drinks is an average number for a competent mixologist to make at slightest moment’s notice.

No matter how you mix it, earning a certificate to run a bar as professionally as we see in movies is no small task. A toast to those who undertake this endeavor to serve us masterpieces like the Kentucky Sidecar because without them, how fun would cocktails be?

Ingredients: 2 oz. Bourbon 1 oz. Triple Sec 1/2 oz. Lemon Juice Instructions: Pour all ingredients into a shaker with ice.

Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass.

Optionally, coat the rim of the glass with lemon juice and roll into sugar for a sweet counter to the bitter lemon taste. For the perfect Instagram addition, add a curl of lemon peel to aesthetically please your eyes.

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SPRING 2017 | ISSUE ONE

P U L S E 8 f e at u r e s

JOHN.k

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AFTER DARK

Story by Simone Corbett // Design by Vanessa Cruz // Photos provided by Rob Zarrilli

Singer-songwriter JOHN.k might just be 2017’s greatest hidden treasure. Soulful yet mysterious, his debut single “Runnin’,” will leave you craving more of his brilliant falsetto.

Over the last of couple months, he’s been busy swooning fans with his crisp vocals and undeniable charm while touring the West Coast with Alex and Sierra. Now, you’ll find him mixing new tracks in the studio, when he’s not hanging out with his beloved dog, of course. Pulse Magazine caught up with the Florida-native at the tour’s Seattle stop to hear all about his rising career.

1. WHAT WORDS DO YOU LIVE BY? Going anywhere in life you need help… you’re not gonna get anywhere without help. It’s a motto you have to live by if you’re going to get anything done.

2. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE SONG YOU’VE WRITTEN? “Goodbye for Now.” That song really encompasses, as a vocalist, everything I want to give a crowd. I have a lot of old soul in there and that allows it to shine.

3. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING TO DO WHEN YOU’RE NOT TOURING OR MAKING MUSIC? Of the hours that I am making music, if you were to take all of that away, then you’re left with a pretty simple guy who likes to play with his dog.

4. WHAT GOAL ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING TOWARDS? The goal of a full release. [On having only one single out] it’s kind of cool, because it allows me to almost test the market to get a lot of feedback from people, which will then dictate kind of how we go about the release schedule. [On touring] it’s allowed me to give everything to every song and see what the fans can connect to. And it’s been really diverse, which is very cool.

5. WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? I’m most proud of, not a work of art, not a work of music, I’m most proud of my fiancé for allowing me to chase this dream and being really supportive throughout the process. It’s not easy

to ask for trust on the road, to ask for sleeping at home alone, it’s a lot thrown at you. And it’s also amazing for me to be able to purely focus on the music and not anything outside of that. Because that part of my life is set; it gives me somebody other than myself to think about, and that keeps me grounded. I want this music to go because I want to provide for her. I want this music to go because I want to provide for my family, not just because I want to be famous. It really has nothing to do with that.

6. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE SONGS OF THE MOMENT? I’m a big James Arthur fan, I think he’s doing a really great job. I think Kygo can honestly do no wrong, everything he touches is gold. And “Oceans Away” is a cool song.

7. WHAT IS ONE THING PEOPLE WOULD NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU? How I fuel the music is I do tours—I take rich people to DisneyWorld every single day [through] World Class VIP. I’m usually in Disney from 7 o’clock until 2, and then I go to the studio and I’m at the studio sometimes until 3 in the morning.

8. WHAT’S THE BEST PART ABOUT BEING ON TOUR? The energy of the live show. You have a lot of stress for small moments of pure adrenaline. Those moments make the whole show worth it. You’re going to your next high; I don’t need drugs, I don’t need liquor because I’ve got a show to look forward to.

That’s the best part.

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SPRING 2017 | ISSUE ONE

ELLENSBURG

DAILY SPECIALS MONDAY Starlight $5 signature martinis Wings $2 Bud Light The Porch $5 mojitos The Tav $1.50 PBR Iron Horse Brewery Study Session 4-close $5 tasting menu

TUESDAY Blue Rock $1 tacos Starlight Half of liquor 9-close Wings 59 cent wings, half off bomb shots The Porch $2 tacos, $2 Coronas, $5 loaded Coronas, $3 well tequila shot The Palace 88 cent tacos, $2.50 Coronas, $3.75 loaded Coronas

The Tav $7 domestic pitchers Iron Horse Brewery Study Session 4-close $5 tasting menu

WEDNESDAY Blue Rock $5 burgers Starlight $2.50 single & $4 double wells Wings $2 Coronas, $3.50 Loaded Corona, $5 Coronaritas The Porch $5 glasses of wine The Palace $4 Moscow Mules The Tav $7 domestic pitchers during happy hour Iron Horse Brewery Study Session 4-close $5 tasting menu

THURSDAY Blue Rock $1 beer, $5 long island teas

Wings $1 off all bottles & 16 oz beers The Porch $4 pints The Palace 88 cent tacos, $2.50 Coronas, $3.75 loaded Coronas The Tav $5 wells, $2 tequila wells, $7 patron

FRIDAY Starlight $2 shot specials 9-close The Palace $3 Fireball shots The Tav $2.50 fireball shots

SATURDAY Starlight $2 shot specials 9-close The Tav $2.50 Fireball shots

SUNDAY Wings All drink specials

Starlight $5 long island iced teas Design by Vanessa Cruz

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AFTER DARK

Starlight 3—6 p.m.

Half off appetizers, dollar off all house wines, beers and martinis

Roadhouse 3—6 p.m. & 9—close Thursday-Tuesday All day Wednesday

Valley Cafe 3—6 p.m.

The Porch 3—6 p.m.

The Palace 4—7 p.m.

301 5—7 p.m. $2.75 single $3.75 double 9—10 p.m. $3 PBR

The Tav 3—5:30 p.m.

Monday through Friday half off appetizers, $2.50 wells

TIME FOR

HAPPY HOUR 63

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