Volume 103 Issue 14 by Easterner Online

Volume 103, Issue 14

www.TheEasterner.org

January 29, 2020

THE INDEPENDENT, STUDENTRUN NEWSPAPER OF

EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

3 News | 4 Arts & Features | 7 Sports

Finding your home away from home

Page 4,5 Photos from ewu.edu and Elizabeth Price for The Easterner

Sports

A look into attendance at EWU sports events Attendance at major EWU games has declined in recent years. Now, EWU’s challenge is figuring out how to maintain a strong home advantage. Page 8

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News

Get the scoop on the Roost

The Roost has been going through some changes. Learn about what’s new and what’s been happening at The Roost this quarter. Page 3

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2 - The Easterner Ad Director Jacie Philips advertising@ewu.edu

Multimedia Director Malati Powell easterner.multimedia@gmail.com Sports Editor Drew Lawson easterner.sports@gmail.com Arts & Features Editor Elizabeth Price easterner.aef@gmail.com Web Editor Keri Kelly easterner.online@gmail.com Social Media Editor Isaiah Gessner easterner.social@gmail.com Photographer Mckenzie Ford Reporters Randle Kinswa

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Editorial: An update on staff changes at The Easterner DREW LAWSON Sports Editor/ Co-Managing Editor Dear readers of The Easterner, My name is Drew Lawson. I’m the sports editor here at The Easterner, and I wanted to let you know of some staffing changes going on within our student-run news organization. Student staff members are the key to putting out a weekly print copy of The Easterner and also putting the content we generate on our website, theeasterner.org. Unfortunately, we have experienced a period of severe staff turnover among many of our key positions. For various reasons that I won’t delve into out of respect for my former colleagues and still-current friends, in the past two months our editor-inchief, managing editor, news editor and arts and features editor all left The Easterner. This clearly creates a culture shift within the organization, and decisions had to be made quickly as winter quarter got under way. After much discussion with our director, Jeff Bunch, and our faculty adviser, Jamie Neely, a decision

Director of Student Newspaper Jeff Bunch jbunch@ewu.edu Faculty Adviser Jamie Neely jneely@ewu.edu

Malati Powell

was made to make myself and our multimedia director, Malati Powell, co-managing editors in the interim in addition to our current positions. For now, a new editor-in-chief will not be hired. Malati and I will accept many of the responsibilities bestowed upon higher management. It is certainly a break from past norms to have co-leadership at the top of the organization, but I fully trust Malati as a colleague and know that we will continue to put our best foot forward as we seek to create content for our readers to enjoy and be informed by. Malati is an experienced designer and photographer and has already shown great leadership skills in helping to keep the ship afloat in this time of transition. I’d like to thank a few people who have been influential in keeping The Easterner running. Our former managing editor, Dylan Harris, stepped down at the beginning of winter quarter, but has continued to come in on layout nights as a favor and provided invaluable copy editing and advice to Malati and me. He’s been a calming force amidst a time of transition. Jeff Bunch and Jamie Neely have also been phenomenal aides. Jamie has provided editing, constant advice and guidance as decisions surrounding the paper are made. Jeff has also taken extra time out of his busy work schedule to make sure that those of us still on staff have the resources we need to keep running. The Easterner would have been in serious trouble without their help. The Easterner does still have several holes to fill. We’ve hired Lizzy Price to be our new arts and features editor. Lizzy was formerly an arts and features reporter who quickly showed a knack

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for the job and will use her writing and creative skills to move into her new position seamlessly. You can expect some great content from the arts and features section under her guidance. We are still looking to hire a news editor, copy editor and one or two new reporters. Those positions will be made available on EWU’s Handshake site soon. Students interested in working for The Easterner and helping us create content that informs readers of the happenings at EWU are encouraged to apply. Though there has been much staff turnover, I want to stress that our mission remains the same. Many students have worked at The Easterner in its 103 years of existence, and it has become a reliable news source regarding the EWU community. I want that to continue throughout this school year, and Malati and I are committed to continuing that tradition while learning many valuable skills while doing so. Thank you for reading, and I hope that you continue following The Easterner for all things related to EWU news. • Sincerely, Drew Lawson

Drew Lawson

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News

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The scoop on The Roost The rumors came in November: The Roost had undergone a health inspection and failed. It underwent a new inspection soon afterwards. The rumor that the workers failed to wash their hands at The Roost spread on the Wildfire app and students soon began to share their various experiences with the popular dining spot. However, after further investigation, it turns out that the results of The Roost’s actual health inspection in Nov. 2019 were considerably more benign than the rumors had indicated. The Spokane Regional Health District’s report did state that the workers at The Roost washed their hands, unlike the false information that had been circling EWU’s campus. Instead, the report stated that “the back-handwashing sink near the dishes was blocked by several carts, corrected by moving the cart to allow access to the handwashing sink.” This is something that happens in a cramped kitchen space during rush hours when students are being served. However, the blocked sink was only one of five sinks on the premises. Workers were washing their hands in the others instead. As for the sink that was blocked, the wheeled cart was easily removed from the area. This problem has been mentioned in past reports as well, but it is an easy one to fix. “It’s so small, but it cost us $190 for the (inspector) to come back out to make sure that we’re not blocking a handwashing sink with our cart,” says Justin Harris, the manager of The Roost. Another problem mentioned in the report was the placement of the fresh produce while it was being stored. The inspector included this note: “Observed unwashed peppers being stored above ready-to eat sliced tomatoes. Corrected by placing unwashed produce below and away from ready-to-eat products.” This problem was fixed immediately and did not cause enough concern for the inspector to return for that specific issue. Food inspections occur at least once a year at all EWU food establishments. Every two years the inspector is changed in order to prevent the facility from getting used to one inspector. All inspections are “snapshots

Keri Kelly for The Easterner

KERI KELLY Web Editor

The new menu items offered at The Roost of the food handling at the time of the inspection,” according to the health district’s report. The inspection reports for The Roost are posted on Spokane Regional Health District’s website. Every student working in The Roost must have a Food Worker Card as well as attend ServeSafe training. In ServeSafe training, the workers must learn about food safety, personal hygiene, the importance of sanitation and other food safety practices. David McKay, director of dining services said, “What’s really important is that we take good health practices really seriously.” Students who work at The Roost tend to be sophomores and freshmen. For many, this is their first job, and they are learning while serving their fellow classmates. Harris recognized that students may make mistakes, but he feels that it is his job to educate them and help them grow. “It’s a constant training for students,” Harris said. McKay said that The Roost relies on its student

customers in order to stay in business. Therefore, it would be helpful if students could directly let the manager know if there is an issue with their food or experience at The Roost. There are comment cards next to the register for students to fill out about their suggestions and experiences at The Roost. The Roost is also open to new ideas and menu items. Recently, The Roost has come out with new options for students such as chicken and waffles, mashed potatoes and the brownie sundae. It has adopted breakfast foods and aims to continue developing its new menu. Harris would also like to remind students that social media is not always the best news source and that anything off these platforms should be verified by the consumer. Rumors like these can be taken out of context or blown up to create sensationalism. Harris also asks that people come to him if they have an issue with their food. “We’ll fix it. We’ll do what we can. ... We don’t know about it unless someone comes to us,” said Harris. •

“We’ll fix it. We’ll do what we can. ... We don’t know about it unless someone comes to us.”

JUSTIN HARRIS Manager of The Roost

Photo by Keri Kelly

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Features

Townhouse Apartments 620 W 7th Street (509)359-2451

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Photo by insideewu.edu

Anna Maria Apartments 906 and 922 Washington Street (509)359-2451

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Photo by insideewu.edu

4 - The Easterner

Features

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Apartment Hunting

Finding your new home on EWU’s Campus Living in the campus dorms may be a dream for some, but for others, apartment life may be the way to go. EWU has three on-campus apartment buildings including the Anna Maria, Benjamin Lofts and Townhouse apartments. The Anna Maria Apartments have a total of 20 units across from EWU’s Children’s Center. The apartments consist of 12 onebedroom and 8 two-bedroom units. The Townhouse Apartments are larger, consisting of 75 units located behind the university police station. The Benjamin Lofts are the newest addition of on campus apartments. They have 96 available rooms including two-, threeand four-bedroom apartments located on Erie Street. Before students lease an apartment, there are a few things to consider: contracts, budgets and locations. Although it’s only January, starting the process of apartment shopping early can reserve students a living space for the 20202021 school year. April from Benjamin Lofts believes that there are some advantages to leasing an apartment sooner rather than later. According to April, The Benjamin Lofts currently have open availability, and students will be able to move in mid-August. “There’s definitely some advantages to being able to tell me where you want to be,” said April. “That’s another perk to doing it now because you are locking in the lower rates.” She said she is very excited to see students develop a community of friendships at the new apartments.

Speaking of friends, room assignment counselor Melanie Potts thinks it is critical that students have really good conversations about what it’s going to mean to live together. On campus there can be room changes if a situation isn’t working out, but the same rules don’t apply with apartments Potts said. Potts said about half of the units between the Anna Maria and Townhouse apartments will be available to single students. She recommends making sure students know exactly what the lease entails so they are aware of their rights. “It could be easy to take advantage of somebody who’s living on their own off campus for the first time,” said Potts. She advises that students know who they’re working with because people can lead you to believe they are student-friendly, but not in the ways you would think. In terms of budgeting, apartments can be a great way to test drive the experience of balancing money, according to Potts. Second-year students are not required to have a meal plan, but may purchase the Pewter Commuter meal plan designed for offcampus students. Potts believes it is a good idea for students to live close to campus because parking can be quite a hassle. She thinks The Benjamin Lofts are in a great location for students. That being said, the Anna Maria, Townhouse and Benjamin Lofts apartments are all on-campus housing options for students looking for a place to call their own. •

Benajmin Lofts 101 Erie Street (509)590-7041

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Photo by Eliizabeth Price

Elizabeth Price Arts and Features Editor

Arts

- The Easterner

Easterner Asks

What is your favorite activity to do during the winter?

Looking Back

Eagles try new approach to twinbills

“I personally really enjoy playing with my dog, and cuddling up and watching movies.”

- Alyssa Bateman, Senior “I have actually never been skiing or snowboarding. I enjoy playing indoor soccer.”

- Brashanna Gaudam, Junior “I like the snow but I don’t like doing activities that much. ... (I’m) honestly not much of a skier or anything."

- Brinlly RiddleAnderson, Freshman "One thing I really enjoy is going up to the slopes. I enjoy being up high in the cold."

- Markus Taylor, Junior “I really enjoy snowboarding during the winter. I personally go up to Mount Spokane mostly.”

Photo by Randy Rains

Eastern reliever Barry Kato fires to the plate during the second game of the doubleheader loss to Washington State Sunday.

The Easterner Archives This story was originally published in Easterner, Vol. 33, No. 26, May 6, 1982 and has not been changed except for AP style. Tired of splitting their first seven Pac-IO doubleheaders, the Eastern Eagles tried something else Sunday against Washington State. This time, they lost both games. The double disaster loss to the Cougars dropped Eastern’s record to 7-9 in the conference, 15-25 overall before last night’s doubleheader at Lewis-Clark State. Friday, the Eagles travel to Portland to face.the Pilots in a doubleheader, then Saturday it’s up 1-5 to Seattle for a twinbill with the Huskies. Last weekend Eastern dropped three out of four to slip into fourth

Comics

in the Northern Division of the Pac-10. Oregon State leads at 12-5, followed by Washington State at 10-6 and Gonzaga at 8-8. The Bulldogs ran three Eagle hurlers through the meat grinder last Saturday in the opener, pounding out 17 hits in a stunning 14-5 romp at Eastern’s dust bowl of a baseball field. The game was relatively close (7-3 Gonzaga) until the Bulldogs batted around for seven runs in the sixth inning in the Eagles’ worst pitching outing since early in the season. Chris Fazendin, Eastern’s ace who still does not get many runs, didn’t need many as he tossed a six hitter and Alex Podruzny rapped an RBI single in the eighth as EWU salvaged the nightcap 2-1. Fazendin hurled his eighth

complete game, one short of the school record set last year by Bill Patterson. Fazendin also lowered his earned run average to 2.34, best on the club. Eastern’s two losses to Washington State on Sunday were not totally unexpected, considering that EWU has beaten WSU only eight times in the last 75 years. The Eagles fell 2-0 in the opener as WSU lefty Jay Hunt pitched a sixhitter. In the nightcap, three walks and an outfield error in the fourth paved the way for three Cougar runs in a 7-2 WSU roll. Shawn Mackin and Jeff Karr kept the Eagles fro~ going scoreless for the entire day, ripping RSI doubles in the seventh inning.•

Plucking Feathers

Plucking Feathers is The Easterner's comic section illustrated by Web Editor, Keri Kelly. The purpose of these comics is to poke fun at the EWU community.

- Max Watne, Sophomore "I usually go ice skating here on campus, and I like to go to Schweitzer during winter.”

- Yousuf Alhaaddad, Junior

When you’re late to your 8 a.m.

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Sports

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Mckenzie Ford for The Easterner

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Trust the process EWU junior Rylee Braeden looks to backhand the ball during a recent practice. Braeden figures to be one of EWU’s top players this season.

Women’s tennis attempts to maintain consistent mindset from last season DREW LAWSON Sports Editor

Last season, the EWU women’s tennis team enjoyed its most successful campaign in head coach Dustin Hinson’s seven-year tenure and the best regular season Big Sky Conference record in school history (8-2) before falling in the first round of the BSC Championship to Southern Utah. This year, the goal is to keep the same mindset as last year, with a familiar message from Hinson. “Trust the process,” junior Zoey Nelson said. Junior Rylee Braeden echoed that message. “Things may not fall our way, but we always have to learn from it and get better,” Braeden said. EWU has seven players on its

roster this year. Six of the players are returners: Nelson, Braeden, senior Marta Heinen, junior Stephanie Broussard and sophomores Yasmin Mansouri and Louise Waite. EWU’s lone newcomer is freshman Renata Gabuzyan, who hails from British Columbia. Hinson said EWU discovered Gabuzyan through a connection with Mansouri, who is also from B.C. Mansouri told Hinson about Gabuzyan, and from there the recruiting hat was on for Hinson. “(Mansouri) grew up with Renata, so that was a little bit of a link,” Hinson said. “I feel like anytime we get someone on campus for a visit, we put a good foot forward.” Nelson and Braeden are pleased with how Gabuzyan has integrated with the team. “She fits in really well,” Braeden said.

“As expected, as a freshman she was nervous at her first (match), but she came back strong and she knows what to do now.” Hinson said his expectation for the team is similar this year to last year. Last year, he expected his team to perform well in BSC play, a goal he felt EWU met. “I think now, given that experience, they feel like they can meet or exceed what they did last year,” Hinson said. Braeden and Nelson are expected to be EWU’s top doubles pair this season, while Braeden should be the top singles player. EWU has played in two matches thus far this season, holding a 1-1 record. The Eagles knocked off Seattle University 5-2 on Jan. 10 before falling to the University of Washington 0-7 on Jan. 12. Against Seattle U, EWU got the

doubles point and got singles victories from Nelson, Braeden, Mansouri and Waite. Hinson was pleased with EWU’s performance overall in the first two games, saying the team got over its nerves quickly at Seattle U and competed well at UW, despite the sweep. “We went in there and I feel like we really performed well,” Hinson said. “We had really good points. Score doesn’t necessarily reflect how close points were (and) how close games were. We were right there.” EWU has three more nonconference matches before entering BSC play (vs Whitworth, at Gonzaga and at Washington State). EWU was picked fourth in the BSC preseason poll. All home matches are on EWU’s campus on the outdoor tennis courts by the soccer field. •

“I think now, given (last year’s) experience, they feel like they can meet or exceed what they did last year.”

DUSTIN HINSON EWU head coach

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Sports

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Mckenzie Ford for The Easterner

EWU cheerleaders shout for the EWU men’s basketball team as students cheer in the background. Student attendance is increasing at men’s basketball games, but has been steadily decreasing at football games.

Drop in game attendance appears to correlate with EWU student participation RANDLE KINSWA Sports Reporter

There is a trend on U.S. college campuses concerning athletic attendance. Across the nation, college students have attended fewer and fewer sporting events in the last decade. EWU has seen a drop in attendance at home games the last few years. In 2018, the EWU football team had an average of 7,974 people attend home games. In 2019, the EWU football team had an average of 6,367. That is a drop of over 1,600 people on average per game. On a national level, according to Sports Illustrated, attendance across the FBS fell an average of 7.6% since 2014. Student attendance is as low as it was in 1996. In the 2017-18 season, EWU men’s basketball team had an average of 1,628 attend per game. In 2018-19 that number dropped to 1,152. This year, through eight games, the average is 1,303 per game. EWU Deputy Athletic Director Devon Thomas said that presently, commuting students and more options for spending free time could contribute to a drop in student attendance. “They say (as students) ‘it’s a long ways’ (to drive to Reese Court),” Thomas said. “I think there is just more to do (now) than when I was in college.”

The men’s basketball team shuttled students across campus to come to the first game of winter quarter against Montana. Thomas said that through streaming and other mediums, the athletic department wants to make it easy for people to consume EWU athletics and never have to come to a game. Thomas also said that the ability to watch every game at home for free, and the convenience to not have to leave your house, apartment or dorm, is huge for people. “(When they) play Montana it’s packed in there,” Thomas said. “Just about anyone else… (the student involvement is) about half that.” Thomas said this is not just a problem at EWU, but a problem nationwide, noting that Gonzaga has struggled in recent years to get more people to show up to games. Thomas said another factor is that the school is pulling students from a lot further geographically who don’t have a personal tie to EWU. Thomas said that the entire Big Sky is struggling to get students to attend games, noting that when you watch other BSC schools play on TV or streaming services their crowds are lacking. Thomas understands that being able to stream a game is convenient. Thomas said the strategy that is used at EWU is to go all-in on one big game a year. “At our level, you tend to stack all of your

eggs in a basket in a big game,” Thomas said. “Show our student athletes a big crowd and hope that the environment and the mob mentality of being there really sparks that fire in people … and hope they come back.” Thomas pointed out that the men’s basketball team has had success thus far this season, and there is a bit of a rise in student crowds the last few games. Thomas said the team being exciting to watch while winning games plays a part in that rise. According to Thomas, the EWU marketing team is doing what they are supposed to be doing. He said the team is trying to see how they can make it fun and party-like at games without taking away from the game itself. ASEWU President Key Baker shed some light on not just the decline in students attending sporting events, but students being disengaged with the campus as a whole. “I think that living off campus is a big component,” Baker said. “But something that is just my personal perspective is that students I think quickly get fed up attending here.” According to Baker, the recent changes in administration have been very helpful in making the campus more appealing to students. EWU has reportedly been looking to add a position tasked with making EWU more enjoyable.

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Baker said the student government has done a great job of promoting its committees. She said that it had a huge number of applicants. However, Baker also said that there tends to be a lack of communication between different organizations on campus. She said that ASEWU has had trouble contacting clubs. She said the student government is trying to find a better way to contact clubs, rather than just through email. Baker said that more collaboration between organizations could help students become more engaged in events. Joshua Scroggins, a resident life coordinator for snyamncut, said at his alma mater, West Georgia, student activities and events were organized differently. “It was a lot more student led,” Scroggins said. “Students made things for themselves, … so the professionals just kind of provided the money, the logistics, … but didn’t really do much setup.” Scroggins said the people who attend football games appear to be more alumni than students. He said that he has seen more alumni attend football games at EWU than any institution that he has ever been a part of. Technological advances are inevitable, but EWU’s challenge is to convince fans that in-person experiences are irreplaceable. •