Volume 103, Issue 16
www.TheEasterner.org
February 12, 2020
THE INDEPENDENT, STUDENTRUN NEWSPAPER OF
EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
3 News | 4 Arts & Features | 7 Sports
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The Easterner staff share their tips and tricks for surviving Valentine’s Day this year Illustration by Malati Powell for The Easterner
Sports
News
Curling Championships are underway at EWU Political journalist to speak about The U.S. National Curling Championships are taking place at EWU in the URC. Check out Page 8 to get the full schedule.
fascism on college campuses
Natasha Lennard will speak about fascist habits and practices on Feb. 13.
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Opinion
Multimedia Director/ Co-Managing Editor Malati Powell easterner.multimedia@gmail.com Sports Editor/ Co-Managing Editor Drew Lawson easterner.sports@gmail.com
Photo from NIAID
Arts & Features Editor Elizabeth Price easterner.aef@gmail.com News Editor Randle Kinswa easterner.news@gmail.com Copy Editors Rose Hammack Lauren Reichenbach Web Editor Keri Kelly easterner.online@gmail.com Social Media Editor Isaiah Gessner easterner.social@gmail.com Photographer Mckenzie Ford Reporters Star Dragon Director of Student Newspaper Jeff Bunch jbunch@ewu.edu Faculty Adviser Jamie Neely jneely@ewu.edu
Racism isn’t a response to the coronavirus KARLEE VAN DE VENTER Contributer The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of The Easterner, its staff or Eastern Washington University. This letter has not been edited except for AP style. The most celebrated time in Chinese culture, the Lunar New Year, was harshly taken over with precautions against the fast-spreading coronavirus, with over 40,000 cases in less than two months. In China, more than 800 people have died, with numbers quickly rising. President Donald Trump ordered a public health emergency and set quarantine parameters in response to cases in the United States. In the United States, people have become hyper-vigilant against the disease, taking plenty of precautions to stay healthy. Some of these are normal, like wearing surgical face masks, washing hands more frequently, and staying indoors. Unfortunately, some other tactics have been racially discriminating. These can include asking Asian Americans to stay home from normal events, microaggressions towards Asian Americans they pass by, or assuming every Asian-American has contracted the coronavirus. “Just because we’re Asian doesn’t mean we have it,” Rosalind Vo said in an interview with The Inquirer, referencing people on the train looking at her strangely since the coronavirus has spread. Asian Americans around the country have experienced a spike in racial profiling in response to the outbreak.
Twitter has been full of race-driven jokes, like blaming the eating habits of Chinese citizens, spraying your package from China with Lysol, or assuming James Corden will die from the virus after dancing with the K-Pop band BTS. Big cities have seen local businesses in Chinatown lose a lot of business. Public transportation has been a hot spot for prejudice, with people moving down a seat when someone of Asian descent sits next to them. Businesses are putting up signs asking that Chinese people don’t come inside. Why do we assume a virus originating in China is inherently Chinese? It’s normal to get a little paranoid when a new sickness starts spreading, especially because there’s so much we don’t know. But when that paranoia turns to xenophobia, a line must be drawn. We saw similar problems with Ebola back during the 2014-2016 outbreak. But it didn’t stop at microaggressions. Instead, we saw a disparity in medical treatment, shifting the blame to our first African American president, and a lot of assumptions about African Americans that disrupted their daily routines. Even with a high diversity rate on our campus, we are not immune to the ideas of racism and xenophobia. Students need to be mindful of how they’re perceiving Asian countries, cultures and anything related. We need to especially be mindful of how we’re perceiving and treating Asian students on our campus and remembering that they most likely are not carrying the coronavirus. Please remember that your fellow students are probably just as worried as you are, but your Asian-identifying peers have another level of worry if we give in to the racism and xenophobia. We are safe here, and fueling our fears with hate only makes our campus harder to live on. •
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News
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Journalist coming to discuss fascism Lennard to speak on idea that alt-right speakers could cause fascist habits
EWU will be hosting Natasha Lennard on Feb. 13 from 12-1:30 p.m. in Hargreaves Hall, Room 201. Her speech is titled “Freedom or Fascism”. Lennard will be talking about how we learn fascist habits and practices and how we should fight for social justice for all. She defines fascism on a systematic constructed identity that values power and domination. Over the weekend The Easterner asked Lennard a few questions on her speech. Q: Why is it important to discuss Facsism on Campus? A: I think it’s important to discuss how fascism, its historic and continuing iterations, spread and persist in any sort of public sphere. But it’s no accident that far right groups in recent years have made a point of targeting university campuses to speak and recruit. Students are impressionable and often seeking forms of communal attachment and belonging - the very vulnerabilities fascism feeds on. Plus, fascist groups also know they can rely on university establishments defending their right to speak. We can think about fascism in a number of ways; I don’t think there’s one totally clear and sufficient definition (this is true of most concepts!); it’s a constellation of toxic practices. Many people reserve the term “fascism” only for state regimes, like Nazi Germany, Mussolini’s Italy,
Franco’s Spain. But I think it’s crucial to apply the term more broadly, so we understand the ways of fascistic practices, behaviors and desires proliferate on an everyday scale - the microfascisms that were not obliterated simply because the Allies won the Second World War! So we have to be vigilant when we see fascism gain ground in our midsts - which means not only watching out for white supremacist organizations, but also working against the misogyny we see frat culture promote and the racism embedded in university administrations and syllabi. Lennard is a contributing writer for the Intercept. Lennard’s work has appeared in The New York Times, Esquire, Vice, Salon, and The New Inquiry. The rest of the Q & A will be made available on theeasterner.org.• Randle Kinswa for the Easterner
RANDLE KINSWA News Editor
Flyer posted in Isle Hall, advertising Lennard’s speech.
“It’s no accident that far right groups in recent years have made a point of targeting university campuses.”
Natasha Lennard Political Journalist
HAMINE MENDEZ Contibutor
EWU is a dry campus. No alcohol can be sold on campus grounds. However, there is an exception to this rule. If a third party vendor is hired to serve alcohol for a special event, then attendees can enjoy a beer or some wine, on EWU’s campus. The U.S. Curling National Championships are being held in the URC from Feb. 8-15, and they are taking advantage of this rule with the help of the Spokane Sports Commission and 5 North Brewing Company. The Spokane Sports Commision is an organization in charge of bringing major sports events to the Spokane area. Sammie Reagen, the marketing and operations manager, shared how they put a bid on this event, and they were lucky enough to have Spokane chosen to host it. “About two years ago we put in a bid for this event,” Reagan said. “We thought it would be extremely successful for the region, but also the university and the sports commission as a whole.” Reagan mentioned how they hired 5 North Brewing to host the beer garden. She said that a beer garden is a major part of curling culture. Once the commission knew they needed to hire a brewery, they contacted Tom Shafer from EWU to set up this event. Bryan Utigard, the head brewer at 5 North, said it
didn’t take much time to prepare for the U.S. Curling National Championships. The important part was planning ahead to make sure they had enough beer. To add to the environment, they are bringing in Scottish beer, since curling is a Scottish sport. Justin Harris, the food service manager at the Roost, said the Roost has nothing to do with this event. They were able to give 5 North Brewing a place to keep the kegs, but none of his employees are able to clean up any beer. “We technically have nothing to do with the beer garden,” Harris said. “We rented the Roost out as an event facility.” The Roost cannot host an event that serves alcohol unless a nonprofit decides to rent out the Roost. In 2008, the Roost was built with a soda machine that could become a bar, Harris said. He mentioned how other schools like WSU can sell beer on campus. However, EWU never took part in that. Though, when events like this occur, they are able to turn the Roost into a beer garden and the local community can enjoy a cold beer and watch games.•
Randle Kinswa for the Easterner
The story of the beer garden at The Roost
The entrance to 5 North Brewing Company’s beer garden outside The Roost.
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Features
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The Easterner’s tips to su “If you haven’t seen each other a lot, it should be a very special thing.” -Randle Kinswa, News Editor
“Get together some friends and have kind of a little Valentine’s Day get together, like ‘Galentine’s’ Day.” -Keri Kelly, Web Editor
“If you don’t have somebody to spend Valentine’s Day with, don’t fret.” -Ryan Hatten, Contributor
“Just treat it like any other day. Just forget that it’s Valentine’s Day and do your homework. Study, watch Netflix or meet some new people in your hall.” -Karlee Van De Venter, Contributor
“I think it’s a good time to get together with the people that you enjoy spending time with and eat lots of chocolate because you can.” -Keri Kelly,Web Editor
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Features
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urviving Valentine’s Day “Find something to do so you’re not sitting around thinking about how you don’t have a Valentine.” -Malati Powell, Multimedia Director “If you’re on a budget, maybe cook dinner at a friend’s house together. Treat yourself to something delicious.” -Drew Lawson, Sports Editor
“If you are having trouble being alone, call up some friends and go out. Try and think about other things.” -Ryan Hatten, Contributor
“Just distract yourself, especially if you’re in your feels, distract yourself.” -Karlee Van De Venter, Contributor
“If you don’t have somebody to spend Valentine’s Day with, don’t fret. You don’t need a girlfriend or boyfriend or anything in between to have a good time and have a loving relationship.” -Ryan Hatten, Conributor www.TheEasterner.org
Arts
Easterner Asks
Have you been paying attention to the impeachment process & what are your brief thoughts on the topic? “We talk about it in our social problems class pretty often. There seems to be some serious turmoil, especially having to do with (Trump) and Pelosi.”
- Brooke Flores, Freshman “This past week I haven’t, but I was a few weeks ago... From what I have heard, nothing was very unexpected or surprising.”
- Luke Mattfuld, Senior “I feel like I was when he got elected because it seemed as though everyone wanted him gone immediately… Seems like a very ongoing situation."
- Madison Kem, Freshman "Honestly I haven’t followed it much, but I do find the way everything is happening very interesting."
- Raeann Shoesler, Sophomore
“I have been following it a little bit, and my first impression was that a failed impeachment hearing where he doesn’t get removed is a bad look for Democrats.”
- Shane Cook, Junior "I haven’t really been keeping up with it because the senate is majority Republicans… But it was interesting to see that Mitt Romney was the only Republican to vote to impeach him.”
“Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting in the Principal’s Office Together?” ELZABETH PRICE Arts & Features Editor
Generating open, honest conversations about racial discrimination is exactly what one historian came to EWU to do. In honor of February being Black History Month, the Africana Studies Program presented the “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting in the Principal’s Office Together?” speech given by professor Daudi Abe on Feb. 6. Abe said disproportionality has been an issue for African-Americans and other people of color in academic and authoritative settings. “I think a lot of times so many white students go through, at least early in life, not really having a grasp on some of these larger racially related issues,” said Abe. “For students of color, this may be something that reminds them or takes them back to experiences that either they have had or that people they know have had.” During Abe’s presentation, he said for elementary and middle school children of color, back to school means back to the principal’s office. Some students may even experience a loss of academic self-esteem. Since he was a child, Abe said there hasn’t been a time where everything was all “sun and roses” for the African American community. “All that the last few years has done is just brought it a little bit back more to the surface,” said Abe. Abe has recently helped develop an educational program for new teachers called the Academy for Rising Educators. He intends to prepare students for the program, but also lay out the expectation for what students should be after finishing the program. “For a long time in my work with teachers I have been critical of the teacher preparation process,” Abe said. “Now I have a program that has my fingerprints all over it.” Teachers with unconfronted bias can have negative effects on the students of color. Shawn Dufrene, a junior and Africana Studies major, is thinking about becoming a teacher and wants to be a part of Abe’s program someday. They said Abe had some really important things to say that needed
Elizabeth Price for The Easterner
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Dr. Daudi Abe presenting his “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting in the Principal’s Office Together?” speech on Feb, 6. to be said. “I want to make sure that when I do teach, if I do teach, that I’ll be doing it the right way,” they said. “I don’t want to discourage anyone because I’m white.” Abe said he hopes the academy will turn out teachers who have the potential to connect with struggling students or prevent someone from getting shot at a traffic stop five years down the road. “I feel very proud and humble to be able to have a hand in to hopefully cut into these negative outcomes that still exist for black people in this country,” said Abe. White people tend to shut down honest conversations before even
starting due to the fear of being judged or being called racist, according to Abe. “Creating spaces where people can have honest conversation, and ask honest questions is a key in trying to help bring out those unconfronted biases,” said Abe. Abe said he appreciates that the Africana Studies Program has been around for 50 years and has recently been established as a BA program. “I think legitimizing programs like that help not only the people that they serve, but the academic communities viewing them as something other than legitimate academic programs,” Abe said.•
“I want to make sure that when I do teach, if I do teach, that I’ll be doing it the right way.”
DAUDI ABE University of Washington Professor
- Tayvian Hoard, Sophomroe
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Sports
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Tweet thread of the week Former EWU quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. caused a stir among EWU football fans on Twitter this week with apparent complaints about the current culture of the football team. Several fans and safety Calin Criner responded to Adams’ comments, and a fascinating discussion resulted.
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Can EWU find a way to overcome Griz roadblock? Lawson, cont. from page 8 EWU is filled with talent. The Eagles have the BSC’s top scoring offense. Senior Mason Peatling, junior guard Jacob Davison and sophomore guard/forward Kim Aiken Jr. are all in the top 10 in scoring average. Freshman guard Ellis Magnuson distributes the ball with high levels of success. Sophomore forward Tanner Groves, redshirt freshman guard Casson Rouse and junior guard Jack Perry fill their roles effectively, and Shantay Legans has made the BSC Championship in both of his seasons as head coach. This is EWU’s best team in the three years I’ve been in Cheney. It also appears to be EWU’s best since the 2015 tournament team. With all the parity in college basketball this year, I wouldn’t be shocked if EWU made the tournament and gave a No. 2 or No. 3 seed a serious scare in the round of 64. EWU certainly has the confidence and knowledge that it’s perfectly capable of winning the BSC Tournament and earning the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. That much is clear to me after having spent a decent amount of time around the team this season. But there’s been a roadblock in EWU’s way for a number of years: those pesky Griz two states to the right. EWU was swept by Montana in the two games between the longtime rivals this regular season. Most recently, UM took care of the Eagles 92-82 in Missoula on Feb. 6. Last year and the year before, it was the Griz who ended EWU’s tourney hopes in the BSC Championship. In 2018 and 2019, I wasn’t overly surprised that UM was able to take care of EWU when it counted most. UM was more experienced, talented and appeared (from my couch) to play better as a team. But what’s up this year? The argument could certainly be made
that it’s not a gap in skill. UM is talented, there’s no question. But so are the Eagles. UM’s Sayeed Pridgett is a bonafide star and a top candidate for BSC MVP, but Davison outscored him in Missoula with a standout 34-point performance. UM’s Kendal Manuel scored 13 second half points in that same game to stave off EWU’s comeback attempt, but Peatling could be the best post player in the league and now holds the conference’s scoring record after his 54-point output on Dec. 13 against Multnomah. UM’s Timmy Falls is a pest and fills his role excellently, but Aiken can shut anyone down defensively (except a cheerleader…too soon?) and has a bevy of offensive skills. No, as a former above-average YMCA basketball player turned unathletic sports writer, I have a hard time believing that EWU has struggled with UM this year because of a talent disparity. I wonder if the issue is a mental block. It’s certainly tough when your rival strikes down your tournament hopes two years in a row. It grows tougher when they come into your home court and blow you out in an arena where you otherwise haven’t lost this year, as was the case when UM beat EWU 90-63 at Reese Court on Jan. 9. As this is the best team I’ve seen at EWU in my short time living the Cheney dream, I think that these Eagles are more than capable of overcoming whatever hurdles - mental or otherwise - UM has to offer. EWU has shown mental toughness this year while coming back from double-digit deficits in three home BSC games already. It’s no guarantee that EWU will see UM again this season, as the only way that could happen is the two teams facing off in the BSC Tournament. But to me - the aforementioned unathletic sports writer who loves a good storyline - a rematch in the tournament almost feels destined to happen. And EWU will have to find a way to finally leap the UM hurdle. •
National Signing Day produces 12 new Eagles DREW LAWSON Sports Editor Feb. 5 was National Signing Day across the college football world, and EWU announced the signing of nine players and three walk-ons. These 12 players join the 15 who signed national letters of intent with EWU in December during the early signing period. They will join EWU for the 2020 season. The 12 individuals signed on Feb. 5 featured five offensive players and seven
on the defensive side of the ball. The lone quarterback signed was Parker Johnson , who will graduate from Cascade Christian High School in Puyallup this spring. Running back Justice Jackson was EWU’s only signing from California, hailing from Discovery Bay. Jackson played wide receiver in high school, but EWU plans to move him into the backfield. Other offensive players signed were wide receivers Malaki Roberson and Mike Rivera and offensive lineman Kellen Wallace. Roberson is from Graham, Washington,
and Rivera is from Sunnyside. Wallace is from Moapa Valley, Nevada. Defensively, EWU signed defensive ends Taalefili Fata, LeAndre Gaines and Ben Voigtlaender, linebackers Conner O’Farrell and Amani Williams and cornerbacks Cage Schneck and DaJean Wells. Voigtlaender is a local product, coming to EWU from Mead High School in Spokane. Fata comes from Tacoma, while Gaines is from Chehalis. Schneck is from Woodinville, while Wells is a Seattle native. Williams is also a Washington native, coming from Skyview High School in
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Vancouver. O’Farrell is EWU’s only signing from up north, in Anchorage, Alaska. EWU head coach Aaron Best said these 12 newcomers will bring a combination of success to the football field and the classroom. “I think there is a level of mental toughness and some grit within the group overall,” Best said. “We finish the signing class off in February on top of what we had already added from a foundational aspect in December.” EWU kicks off the 2020 season at the University of Florida on Sept. 5. •
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Mckenzie Ford for The Easterner
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Former EWU football player Michael Roos drops the ceremonial stone during the U.S. National Curling Championship opening ceremonies.
Cheney: the curling capital of the U.S. Curling championships underway as the nation’s best converge at the URC RANDLE KINSWA News Editor This week from Feb. 8 to Feb. 15, the Spokane Sports Commission is hosting the U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Curling Championship at EWU in the URC. The 18 best teams from across the nation are competing. A great performance here could help a team qualify for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China. At the opening ceremony on Feb. 8, all 18 teams were acknowledged and were announced. There are 10 men’s teams and eight women’s teams. Michael Roos, former NFL All-Pro and EWU alumnus, whom Roos Field is named after, dropped the ceremonial stone. Roos competes in curling professionally and was one game
away from competing in the U.S. Championships. The most local team is Team Birklid, with all four members from Washington State. The roster includes Steven Birklid (Mountlake Terrace), Sam Galey (Seattle), Matt Birklid (Shoreline) and Chris Bond (Seattle). As of Feb. 10, Team Birklid is 1-3. Team Shuster is leading the men’s division with a perfect 4-0 record. Team Potter, Peterson and Sinclair are all 2-0. Cheri Gwynn, who works for the Spokane Sports Commission, said that the URC was an ideal spot for the curling championship. “It had the best mix between the seating capacity, as well as the ice being taken care of,” Gwynn said. The prices for entry vary from age group, to the type of ticket. Prices can be found on the Spokane Sports Commission website. •
Laying the Law The mildly hot takes of The Easterner’s Sports Editor
DREW LAWSON Sports Editor
Drew Lawson is the Sports Editor for The Easterner. The overtly hyperbolic opinion expressed in this article is his own, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Easterner’s editorial board.
Curling competition schedule Time and date of competition
9 a.m.
2 p.m.
7 p.m.
Feb. 12
Men Draw 7
Women Draw 6
Men Draw 8
Feb. 13
Women Draw 7
Men Draw 9
Tiebreaker (all, if necessary)
Feb. 14
Tiebreaker (all, if necessary)
Page playoffs (all)
Semifinals (all)
Feb. 15
Vacant
Women’s Finals
Men’s Finals
The Eagles could surprise people in March, but they have to beat Montana first... With eight games to go in the regular season, the EWU men’s basketball team has largely enjoyed the success that was expected when the Eagles were picked to finish first in the Big Sky Conference in the preseason media poll. There was the big win over mid-major power Belmont in November. There was the 7-4 nonconference stretch,
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the best EWU has experienced since it last made the NCAA Tournament in 2015. In late January into early February, EWU won six games in a row, including impressive overtime victories over Southern Utah and Northern Colorado.
See Lawson, pg. 7