Volume 103 Issue 18

Volume 103, Issue 18

www.TheEasterner.org

February 26, 2020

THE INDEPENDENT, STUDENTRUN NEWSPAPER OF

EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

2 Opinion | 3 News | 6 Arts & Features | 10 Sports

confessions from the

confessions guy

Page 6,7 Malati Powell for The Easterner

Sports

News

Perspectives surrounding recent faculty report

A recent report written by several members of EWU faculty regarding budget cuts and athletics has sparked discussion and controversy. The author of the report and EWU’s athletic director discuss their perspectives.

Page 10

@The Easterner

@The_Easterner

The Police Beat is back!

Stay up-to-date with police activity and campus crime.

Page 5

@_TheEasterner

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

Multimedia Director/ Co-Managing Editor Malati Powell easterner.multimedia@gmail.com Sports Editor/ Co-Managing Editor Drew Lawson easterner.sports@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 Karlee Van De Venter Director of Student Newspaper Jeff Bunch jbunch@ewu.edu Faculty Adviser Jamie Neely jneely@ewu.edu

V103 I18 - 2.26.20

Opinion

The impact of young voters LAUREN REICHENBACH Copy Editor

Lauren Reichenbach is The Easterner’s copy editor. Her opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of The Easterner, its staff or Eastern Washington University. This article has not been edited except for AP style.

With Super Tuesday happening March 3, the stress is on for Democratic presidential candidates all across the country. EWU students are also feeling pressure, attempting to raise awareness for their preferred candidates.

While many college students think voting doesn’t matter, making our voices heard in the 2020 elections is now more crucial than ever. The last four years have been a political whirlwind, and with an impeachment only two months behind us, tensions are at an all-time high between parties.

Young adults account for approximately half the voting-eligible population.

Our votes have the most potential impact this comig election.

G a b e He r n a n d e z , president of the College Republicans on Campus club, believes being wellinformed before voting is extremely important.

“It is every American’s right to vote, but it is a right that should be exercised responsibly,” said Hernandez. “Collegeaged kids who are up-todate on issues and know enough about candidates should absolutely vote, but those who get their news exclusively from social media, or only one side of the aisle probably should not vote. Voting affects everyone in your area, not just you personally.”

However, many students are still skeptical as to whether or not their individual votes really matter that much.

With how the Electoral College is set up, some candidates win the presidency even when other candidates had more votes.

In the 2016 election, President Donald Trump won despite having lost by over 2.5 million votes in the popular vote.

Since a majority of states are either red or blue, many voters feel like their votes won’t matter. If their voter preference is opposite the state’s, what’s the point of voting if it won’t change anything?

A single vote certainly won’t turn the tables of the entire state, but Hernandez urges students to vote regardless.

“If enough people think that [their votes don’t count], the cumulative lack of votes can be the difference in an election,” said Hernandez.

Tessa Smith, a member of Students for Bernie, also believes voting matters, regardless of the voting process.

“When you vote, you could be directly affecting the lives of other people who need your vote to help their well-being and lives,” said Smith. “Minorities really depend on those votes. I’m trans. I rely on people getting out and voting for my rights.”

Smith also believes increased voter turnout leads to more p r o t e c t i o n fo r minorities and prevents them from being overpowered or silenced by oppressive regimes.

“If you can vote, you should vote,” said Smith “Some people don’t have that liberty, and you need to stand up for those people.”

Even if a single vote can’t change the outcome of the election, voting definitely is a right we should not take for granted. If we want to see unfair policies change and make living in this country equal for everyone, making our voices heard through casting our votes is the first step.•

If you would like to register to vote, you can go to https://voter.votewa.gov/WhereToVote.aspx?ref=voteusa.

About The Easterner

MISSION We, as independent student journalists at the Easterner, inform our EWU audience of the governance, activities and views of our community. We provide a learning environment for students to engage, connect and make informed decisions.

CIRCULATION The Easterner publishes a weekly print version as well as web content during the week at www.TheEasterner. org. The Easterner is distributed throughout the Cheney campus and businesses. If you would like The Easterner to be distributed at your business call The Easterner office at 509-359-6737

www.TheEasterner.org

CORRECTIONS The Easterner never knowingly publishes inaccuracies. If any error is found, The Easterner is obligated to correct the error as soon as possible regardless of the source of the error.

The Easterner does not remove any editorial content from TheEasterner. org. However if there is a factual inaccuracy in a story, the editors will run a correction or an update as needed.

News

3

The Easterner -

Mckenzie Ford for The Easterner

2.26.20 - V103 I18

Students counter-protesting at the campus mall on Nov. 7.

Caruth pretrial conference postponed until April as video evidence is awaited Randle Kinswa News Editor

Last Thursday, a pretrial conference for ASEWU legal liaison Maya Caruth was postponed until April 16 to allow the defense to obtain video evidence.

Caruth was charged with obstructing a law enforcement officer Nov. 7. Caruth and other EWU students were responding to the presence of three religious activists demonstratingon the campus mall.

Caruth and her attorney, Steve Graham, asked to have the court date pushed back to April 16. The prosecution and Judge Robert Leland both agreed.

“The reason we wanted to continue,” Graham said, “is that we wanted to wait for further video evidence.”

Graham said the defense should have the footage from the body cameras of

the Spokane policemen who were at the protest, and he has requested further video evidence.

“We suspect that we’re going to have the Spokane Police Department bodycam videos either tomorrow or Monday,” Graham said friday.

Graham is also is meeting with students on campus to watch video evidence they captured.

Graham said he believes that Caruth’s arrest was an example of “selective prosecution.” He said there were plenty of other students who crossed the safety zone but were not arrested. He said that the video evidence will back this up.

According to police reports, law enforcement determined that there should be a safety zone between the protestors and the students.

Police reports state that Caruth tried

to enter the safety zone, explaining to police that one of the protestors wanted to speak with her.

According to police reports, officer Zebulon Campbell told Caruth that she needed to respect the safety zone so the protest would not accelerate into a riot. Caruth then argued with Campbell, stating that he did not have authority over her because EWU is her campus.

Campbell then told her over five times to go back with the other student counterprotestors.

According to police reports, Campbell attempted to take control of Caruth’s left elbow and escort her back to the student side of the protest. Caruth tried to pull her arm away from Campbell. Campbell then told Caruth that he was giving her a lawful order to exit the safety zone and join the student side of the protest.

Campbell continued to order Caruth to return to the student side, yet she refused his request again multiple times before the arrest.

According to police reports, Caruth’s behavior enticed other students to disrespect the safety zone as well as commands from officers.

Daniel Rusk, Bruce Wakeman and Thomas R. Meyer were the three preachers who antagonized students in November.

Meyer was accused of spitting on students and spanking an EWU student at the November protest. Police detained Meyer and told him to leave the campus.

Charges of fourth-degree assault were recommended, but Meyer has not been charged.

Campbell has worked for the Cheney Police Department since 2006. •

“The reason we wanted to continue, is that we wanted to wait for further video evidence.”

- Steve Graham Maya Caruth’s defense attorney

www.TheEasterner.org

4 - The Easterner

News

V103 I18 - 2.26.20

Super Tuesday is approaching History indicates March 3 will determine the Democratic nominee this election cycle

Super Tuesday is March 3 and “more than a third of all delegates for the Democratic National Convention are up for grabs on this one day,” according to The Washington Post. Whichever Democratic nominee wins Super Tuesday will be on track to win the nomination early this summer.

Donald Trump is running as the incumbant president and faces no serious opposition within the Republican Party.

“Republicans also can vote in their presidential primaries in most Super Tuesday states, but since President Trump doesn’t face a serious challenger, we’re focusing here on the Democrats,” said The Washington Post.

Students may be wondering why Super Tuesday is so important. This vote decides which Democratic nominee or nominees will receive a sizable portion of the delegates, helping determine who will be on the ballot for the general election.

“Many candidates’ fortunes have lived and died on early primaries,” said Karen Hartman, a lecturer of EWU’s Political Science Department.

Hartman says this is why students should be involved in early primaries because they have the most chance of their voices being heard while controlling who moves on to the general election.

It is possibly one of the most important times in the election season, because 38% of the delegates are going to be decided after Super Tuesday, Students may not think that their vote counts for a lot, but Hartman believes differently.

“Even if they think that their little drop in the bucket is really small, a lot of drops fill a bucket,” said Hartman.

There are 13 states that participate in Super Tuesday, including California, Texas, Virginia and Massachusetts.

The first formal Super Tuesday occured in 1984. Since its official creation, every winner of Super Tuesday, regardless of their party, went on to win their party’s nomination.

Through the first three caucuses, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has had the strongest showing. Sanders won both the New Hampshire and Nevada caucuses, decisively.

Sanders finished just second behind Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, in the highly contested and shaky Iowa caucus.

The following are a few tools students can use for the upcoming election.

On usa.gov/voter-registration, people can change their voter registration, confirm they’re registered to vote, learn how to get a voter card and learn how to register to vote.

For students wanting to learn more about the Democratic candidates running, information on all candidates can be found at https://vote-usa.org/CompareCandidates. aspx?State=US •

Current standings of Democratic nominees

Democratic Nominees

Bernie Sanders Pete Buttigieg

Joe Biden Elizabeth Warren Amy Klobuchar

Number of Delagates As of 2/24/20 1.991 Delagates to win nomination

45 25 15 8 7

Photo obtained by Randle Kinswa for The Easterner from Wikimedia commons

Star Dragon News Reporter

Graph of states that will be involved in Super Tuesday on March 3. States in blue are contested states.

www.TheEasterner.org

News

2.26.20 - V103 I18

The Easterner -

EWU students approve of self-checkouts for technological, social and business reasons Karlee Van De Venter Arts and Features Reporter The Safeway in Cheney received a recent upgrade, getting several self-checkout kiosks.

Self-checkout kiosks have been growing in popularity in the past few years.

There are many debates about the new technology.

Some believe it encourages shoplifting, while others claim it prevents it. Some say it creates a better customer experience, while others think it’s inconvenient. But how does this affect Cheney residents, or EWU students, working there?

Many students have already used the new technology. ´ EWU freshman Alyvia Kendall, used one this week and compared it to other experiences she’s had with self-checkout. “I think it is not as attentive as the Walmart one, like it doesn’t yell at you for stuff. It felt easier to use than the ones at Walmart. I like it because then I don’t have to socialize,” Kendall said.

Kendall is not alone. An analysis of self-

checkout done by MIT reported that one of the biggest benefits of self-checkout is privacy.

Consumers don’t want to feel judged, and younger generations tend to shy away from being social if they don’t have to.

Freshman Aunna Isakson also recently used the machines. Her experience was “pretty good.”

Isakson also said she was asked before checking out if she needed help finding anything.

“The first self checkout I went to said ‘Please wait for assistance’ before I even scanned anything, so I went to a different one,” Isakson said. “The other one worked just fine, and I happily left the store with my ice cream.”

Isakson brought up another benefit of selfcheckout: employees now have time to help customers throughout their shopping trip. Instead of having so many employees stuck at cash registers, self checkout allows these employees to be located elsewhere.

Safeway is owned by Albertsons, so all nearby locations got the same upgrade. EWU junior Ryan

2/9- Alcohol violation

Photo obtained from flickr

Cheney Safeway implements self-checkout

5

Photo of a Safeway self-checkout machine.

Burgess has worked at a Spokane Valley Albertsons for nearly two years. He said that hours haven’t been affected since the installation.

“It’s made business a lot faster and more efficient.,” Burgess said. “We always have one person manning the self check machines to make sure people aren’t stealing, and to help them with anything, like checking IDs for alcohol, et cetera. I wasn’t a fan at first. But I like them now.”

Burgess said one of the ways they make business more efficient is allowing a divide to form by the amount of items they have. Customers with fewer items will use the self-checkouts, and those with a large number of items will use the regular checkouts. This way, people won’t have to wait as long.

Overall, students seem to enjoy the upgraded technology, both as employees and customers.

Students particularly appreciate the ability to socialize less while shopping more efficiently. While there may still be some downsides, there seem to be plenty of positives that students have noticed. •

2/12- Driving while suspended

At around 12:30 a.m. campus police were called into Dressler Hall by a resident advisor for a student breaking an alcohol violation. The student was referred to Student Affairs.

Campus police pulled a non-student over on the 1000 Block of Washington St. at 10:42 p.m. The driver was driving with a suspended licence. The driver was charged with driving with a suspended license in the third degree.

2/10- Homeless man needs sleep

2/17- Attempted residential burglary

A female student reported a residential burglary in Pearce Hall three days after the incident. The female student told campus police that a homeless male broke into her room and slept on her bed. Police inferred that the homeless man was mentally unstable and likely on drugs. There were no other witnesses, and there have been no suspects reported at this time.

2/11 Fight between roommates

Campus police were called to break-up two roommates who were fighting in Streeter Hall. They were referred to student affairs.

A student called campus policeto report an attempted burglary at Streeter Hall. The witness saw the suspect trying to jump on the bike shelter area to try and attempt to eventually reach the fire escape. There are no suspects at this time.

2/17- Another alcohol violation At 1:22 a.m., campus police were called to synamncut Hall for an alcohol violation involving an 18 year-old non-student. Police reported she had attended a party offcampus. She was found face-down on the second floor. Arrangements were made for her to be taken to Spokane, where she resides.

www.TheEasterner.org

6

- The Easterner

Features

Behind the EWU Con KARLEE VAN DE VENTER Arts & Features Reporter EWU students craving the latest gossip have had a main source for all the campus tea during the past couple years.

The anonymous owner of the @EWU_Confessions account on Instagram (and @ConfessionsEWU on Twitter) has been making waves across campus.

With more than 5,000 Instagram followers and over 500 Twitter followers, he’s been posting student confessions for almost two years.

Posting several times a day, providing outreach for students in difficult situations, hosting events and promoting clubs and organizations, the account is consistently active. The Easterner spoke with him about what it’s like to be the masked face of the account.

The Easterner: To start off, I want to know how you got the idea for the account, and how you started growing it. What were the early days of the account like?

EWU Confessions: My high school had a page similar to this where an anonymous a d m i n /c o n t e n t creator ran a superlatives page.

They would take random seniors and give them super creative “awards,” such as “most likely to win a state championship,” “nicest smile,” “funniest drama queen” and things like that which focused on students’ characteristics t h at t he y weren’t normally complimented on. It gave students an opportunity to be seen by their classmates and appreciated.

When I started the account, I thought it would only get around 300 followers and then it would be gone. I thought it would be talked about for a week and then fail miserably! I was able to start growing the account through giving the students what they wanted to see: drama.

The early days of the account were slow. My first three posts were my makeshift rules and guidelines for the account, telling students how to submit confessions anonymously, and creating a core set of rules that I knew I wouldn’t break. I believe a large part of my success has been sticking to my core guidelines and trying to stay unbiased on my account.

My account is an escape from all the everyday stress of a college student. I wanted to show students that whatever they’re going through, they are not alone.

TE: How do you feel the account has changed since the beginning?

EC: The account has achieved a lot of growth in these last two years! In the beginning, the confessions were pretty tame and mellow. I would post probably 3-5 times a week. Flash forward to today and I am

www.TheEasterner.org

posting around five times a unposted confessions. I w on my post to jumping up I am beginning to tra quality content on my pa opinions on local topics, s report regarding their wis EWU. I try to give student that they deserve.

TE: How has running t college experience?

EC: Before I started m fresh m a n who

a t on of large social life. Today I h many students begging to Through EWU Confess an outlet for students to e that being said, I have bee to help students in a large Through the anonymous all of the drama on and off benefits but also some flaw I would experience.

I have been able to get m and organizations that a give them some positive pu received without my acco I have been able to work

Features

e scenes of nfessions

a day and I have over 3,000 went from getting 20 likes p to 1,000+ likes today. ansition to posting more age. I like to get students’ such as the recent faculty shes to drop athletics from ts the high quality content he account changed your

my account, I was a quiet d i d n’ t h a v e

friends or a have 5,000 followers with o meet me. sions, I was able to create express themselves. With en able to use my platform e majority of ways! s confessions, I get to hear campus. This comes with ws that I did not know that

more involved with clubs are lesser represented to ublicity they may not have ount. k with local businesses in

Cheney and Spokane to give great deals to students!

TE: Can you think of a time where you feel like you really made a difference because of the account?

EC: With the help of other students on campus, I was able to throw a Halloween party! We raised money through charging admission for students, and all of the money that was raised was donated to an Eastern student who is battling cancer.

And with the help of a fraternity on campus, I was able to host a water pong tournament. The winner received a $25 Amazon gift card, and the money raised was donated to the same student. The event also doubled as a canned food drive, where cans of food were donated to the EWU Food Pantries!

TE: You’ve mentioned online that sometimes you get really intense issues confessed to you. What do you do in those situations?

EC: There have been many times where students d irect message me need ing to vent about personal problems.

Whenever I experience a student who is struggling, I like to be someone who will really listen and generally we come up with a solution!

When students come to me about t heir emotional struggles, depression, sexual assault, et cetera, I direct them to the resources on campus who are trained in aiding students who go through these situations.

TE: I know people ask you this a lot, but do you have any plans for what you’ll do with the account after you graduate? When are you graduating?

EC: As of this moment, nothing is set in stone. I have been toying with the option of raising an apprentice who would take over the account after I graduate in Spring 2021 … hopefully.

As of now, I am not stressing about it because I have over a year left. I am enjoying the ride and trying to give students at EWU something entertaining!

TE: Last question, is there anything else you want to address or say to the students here?

EC: This is cheesy, but I would like to say thank you to every single one of my followers. If it weren’t for followers, I would not have any content to post and my page would not exist! EWU students have been there for me through the ups and downs, and I have been able to make a lot of friends whom I wouldn’t have if it weren’t for the account.

I always appreciate the messages talking about students who love my account and my captions.

The messages that make me the most happy are messages about how I have built a mini community for students who have never felt included on campus.

It makes me feel like all the time I have put into this was worth it!•

www.TheEasterner.org

V103 I18 - 2.26.20 -

7

Features

V103 I18 - 2.26.20

The new barrier on Highway 904 next to Grocery Outlet. The barrier has caused frustration and controversy among EWU students and Cheney residents.

Mckenize Ford for The Easterner

8 - The Easterner

STAR DRAGON News Reporter There is a new traffic barrier on Highway 904 in Cheney between Simpson Parkway and the Grocery Outlet, and many students and Cheney residents have taken notice.

The barrier is placed on the left turning lane onto Simpson Parkway.

According to Brett Lucas from the City of Cheney Community and Economic Development and Planning Department, the barrier was put in place prior to Grocery Outlet’s grand opening in late November.

The barrier has poles sticking up from the concrete, and currently, three of them are missing on the front end. The barrier has resulted in the mayor’s office receiving a lot of complaints.

“A lot of people have expressed their displeasure,” Maile Snider, the senior administrative assistant to the mayor’s office, said. “There’s really nothing we can do.”

The 904 is state-run, meaning Cheney does not have jurisdiction to change the barrier or replace the missing poles.

“The 904 is managed by the Washington State Department of

Transportation and we are in contact with them,” Lucas said.

“Because (of ) the Grocery Outlet southern exit, we wanted to make sure that cars were not going to go straight across the 904 over to Simpson Parkway, [this] could create some safety hazards”, said Lucas. when asked why the barrier was put in place. “(The) Public Works Director is trying to get the ball rolling on that too it’s just slow going,” Snider said.

Brenna Mckenna, a Cheney resident, said that she completely avoids the barrier to get to her house because of the inconvenience.

Meanwhile, EWU student Whitney Bolar, also dislikes the barrier. “(It’s) really blocky and odd,” Bolar said. “I guess I can understand why it was made but it is definitely going to take some more time to get used to.”

On the contrary, some EWU students don’t mind the barrier.

“I guess it’s chill. It hasn’t inconvenienced me,” said Annika Rauch.

If students would like to get in contact with the Washington State Transportation Department to address any comments or concerns with the barrier they can visit: wsdot. wa.gov/contact/feedback. •

Mckenize Ford for The Easterner

New traffic barrier: irritating or insignificant?

Traffic moves next to the new barrier on Highway 904.

“We wanted to make sure that cars were not going to go straight across the 904 over to Simpson Parkway. (This) could create some safety hazards.

”

-BRETT LUCAS City of Cheney Community and Economic Development and Planning Department

www.TheEasterner.org

Features

2.26.20 - V103 I18

The Easterner -

Looking Back

9

Easterner Asks

Decision expected soon on PUB expansion issue What are your ROBERT SILLER & ALICE KIRKMIRE Reporters

This story was originally published in The Easterner, Vol. 35, No. 4, October 13, 1983 and has not been changed except for AP style.

Gene Dietzen for The Easterner

The ASEWU has informally decided to recommend that the Board of Trustees accept portions for the PUB 8 expansion bid to allow work to begin on the “inner projects” of the expansion plan.

If the trustees accept the students’ recommendation, work could begin next month on the im­ provement of food service facilities and the construction of a new commuter lobby and an outdoor bus shelter, said council member Peter Perkins.

Although the lowest bid for the expansion project as a whole was Tammy Treat and Traci Sharples hand out bumper stickers at Eastern’s almost $800,000 over the max­ Octoberfest yesterday. imum allowable construction cost, the inner projects were within their survey sent out to all residence hall of the issue they were answering to.

In order to get a clearer idea of students last week. The residential allotted costs, Perkins said.

Perkins said the board has until life/dining services survey asked what student opinion on the PUB Nov. 17 to either reject all bids for whether residence hall students expansion issue is, members of the expansion project or ac­ cept would be in favor of a reduction the council will be meeting with part of them. The cost to complete in room rates because of the students in the residence halls to the three inner projects would be appearance that PUB expansion had give students a brief history of the PUB project and to discover their about $160,000, out of a total budget been shelved.

Response to the survey was said to viewpoints, Perkins said. available now of about $360,000, he The council will also discuss have been overwhelmingly in favor said. further ways to elicit opinion on Another proposal circulating of reducing room and board rates.

Council members have dis­ the matter from a broad range of on campus would be to shelve the expansion plan indefinitely and counted the survey, however. students including commuters reduce room and board rates $186 They said the survey included no and those studying in Spokane. a year, the amount residence hall information about PUB expan­sion, This contact may be in the form of students are paying to support the and thus was misleading because one-to-one discussion or through the large number of freshmen in the questionnaires and surveys, Perkins expansion plan.

That issue was addressed in a residence halls would have no idea said. •

Comics

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.

thoughts on the possibility of cutting funding for athletics?

“I don’t think that it’s a good idea because sports is one of the things that brings our community together.”

- Alex Rybyn, Junior “We had a meeting about it, and they told us nothing would happen and how it’s just a proposal...It’s important for everyone to know athletics is important to Cheney as a whole, and it’s the reason a lot of people attend EWU in the first place.”

- Brock O’Neal, Junior “I don’t think that is very fair...they may cut it a little bit but cutting it all the way isn’t a smart thing to do. It would be a huge blow to the students that come here for athletics.”

- Charles Blankenship, Freshman “I think that there definitely should be some cuts, but we shouldn’t cut it completely... a lot of students come here because of athletics and it’s very important in terms of bringing people together.”

- Ellie Gardner, Senior

sandwich

“I think athletics is very important because it brings Cheney as a whole together, not just students at the university.”

sandwich.

- Jeromy Dail, Senior “At the end of the day, what matters most is that students and faculty can work together to find a compromise that is beneficial to everyone here.”

- Mourseu Meiresonne, Freshman

www.TheEasterner.org

Sports

V103 I18 - 2.26.20

Malati Powell for The Easterner

10 - The Easterner

EWU football players take the field. A faculty organization report presented seven possible alternative models for athletics, one of which was eliminating football.

DREW LAWSON Sports Editor Is EWU going to cut athletics?

That question has been stirring around social media in the past couple of weeks in the wake of a faculty organization report written by four members of the EWU faculty senate: Dr. David Syphers, Dr. David Bunting, Robert Dean and Anthony Flinn.

The report stirred controversy and campus discussion by presenting the findings of an investigation conducted by the report’s authors and asking for an evaluation of seven possible alternative models for the athletic department. The seven models presented were eliminating athletics entirely, moving to Division II, III or NAIA, cutting the football team, creating severe cuts to the athletic department or maintaining the status quo.

Meanwhile, EWU has repeatedly announced on social media that it has no plans of cutting athletics and will be remaining a Division I program. Athletic director Lynn Hickey confirmed this stance to The Easterner.

“I’ve been hired to be a Division I FCS athletic director and to oversee this program, and that’s what we are continuing to do,” Hickey said.

Hickey said the athletic department doesn’t agree with the report, but respects Syphers and his team’s right to

investigate the department and its financial happenings.

“This is not a university-commissioned report; it’s an ad hoc committee,” Hickey said. “We respect the work of our faculty … and they have the right to investigate and to report on things that they think will be of help to the university.”

Syphers, the main author of the report and a physics professor and dean at EWU, said the main goal of the report was to start a conversation about the money allocated to athletics in the wake of EWU’s ongoing budget issues. “Eastern is in some difficult budget times right now,” Syphers said. “We’re looking at cuts, and we’re looking at drawing things back because of a tight budget.

We wanted to ask the question, ‘how can we do that in a way that best preserves the entire institution and best preserves the student experience?’ … It looked like people weren’t considering athletics very closely, so we’re adding one piece to the puzzle.”

Syphers will be presenting the report at the Board of Trustees meeting Thursday, Feb. 27. Syphers said his team hopes the Board will consider an independent review from a team outside the university of the athletic department’s finances in comparison to the university’s budget state.

See report, pg. 11

The recent faculty organization report regarding EWU athletics and budget cuts.

Five takeaways from the faculty report discussion

Laying the Law Mildly hot takes from The Easterner’s Sports Desk

DREW LAWSON Sports Editor

Malati Powell for The Easterner

Hickey, Syphers share perspectives regarding faculty report on athletics

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.

DREW LAWSON Sports Editor Like many people that have a vested interest in EWU athletics, the faculty organization report discussion has been of great interest to me. My initial reaction, admittedly, was to text friends and co-workers and talk about how ludicrous the idea of cutting EWU athletics was after reading the story in the Inlander.

Now, I still hold the opinion that making cuts or adjustments to athletics isn’t the direction EWU needs to take in the face of budget cuts. Athletics seem to serve the purpose that athletic director Lynn

www.TheEasterner.org

Hickey reaffirmed to The Easterner: athletics is the front door to EWU, and academics are the rest of the house.

I didn’t hear about EWU because of the new STEM building, the morbidly obese squirrels or even The Easterner. My first exposure to EWU was the red football field. Former running back Sam McPherson is in the same boat, telling The Easterner that as a westsider, he wouldn’t have heard about EWU had it not been for football. Also, I wouldn’t have a job without EWU athletics.

See Lawson, pg. 12

Sports

EWU senior forward Mason Peatling makes a move with a view of Reese Court in the background.

Report, cont. from pg. 10 Hickey also said there hasn’t been any face-to-face communication between the authors of the report and the athletic department in the wake of the report’s release. The only communication occurred during the investigation when the athletic department answered Syphers’s questions via email.

“They asked for data; we gave them data,” Hickey said.

Hickey said the report merely focused on data, and didn’t reflect the entire picture and value of athletics to EWU. “There are some things that you can be black and white (about); it costs this much, and therefore this is the value,” Hickey said. “But there are a lot of things that we’re involved (in) that are intangible ... the engagement, the increased visibility, its engagement. I don’t know how you put a dollar price on that, and I don’t think any of that was really ventured into very well.”

Hickey also disagreed with the report’s comments about student fees going into athletics. The report’s executive summary says, “(It’s) an allocation not subject to student control or vote.”

“We don’t have an athletic fee,” Hickey said. “That is not correct. We are a part of the student service fee, and I have to present to a committee of students every year. It’s their call. It’s not our call.”

Hickey stated 40% of the direct university support that athletics receives goes right back to the university.

“When we’re supported by the university for scholarships, that all goes back to tuition fees, dining and housing,” Hickey said. “Just like on the student service fee, we can use that for operations.”

Hickey said the athletic department gives $450,000 from the student service fee back in student wages.

“That’s a lot of income back into the pocket of the university,” Hickey said.

The executive summary of the report says, “based on analysis of data provided to the committee, athletics has no positive impact on our student enrollment, retention or recruitment.”

Syphers said this conclusion was drawn after analyzing the correlation between the football team’s record and EWU’s enrollment. Syphers said the football team’s success didn’t positively impact enrollment, even after EWU won the national championship in 2010.

“That’s the maximum visibility we can get from football, (and) it had no impact on enrollment at all,” Syphers said.

Hickey said a cut to athletics wouldn’t just impact EWU negatively, but would also have a negative impact on Cheney.

“What happens to Cheney if you don’t have those five or six football games?” Hickey said. “That’s nothing to put aside for those businesses in the city ... The Holiday Inn is booked right now for next year during football season. They don’t have any rooms.”

Hickey also said that EWU maintains its stance that athletics

Seven athletic models presented in the faculty organization report A). Cut NCAA athletics at EWU B). Transition to NAIA C). Transition to Division III D). Transition to Division II E). Stay Division I, but cut football F). Enact big athletic budget cuts G). Maintain current model is merely the front door to the university, but academics is the “whole house.”

“All we’re doing is inviting people in and getting them in the house so they can get further engaged with the university,” Hickey said. “Instead of worrying what the costs are, why not use us as an asset and better leverage this to help the university grow?”

The report makes no recommendation on which of the seven models it would prefer EWU to move toward. Syphers said his personal opinion on a preferred model is irrelevant to the discussion.

“My personal preference doesn’t matter,” Syphers said. “What I wanted to do was lay out every option I could think of, from one extreme to the other.”

Syphers also said he doesn’t want any cuts to athletics to have to be made, but said he thinks it’s a discussion EWU needs to have.

Ultimately, Syphers hopes that students and non-students alike take the time to read the report before forming an opinion.

“I think the issue that I’m dealing with right now is the students, and perhaps the public at large are not getting a clear picture of what our report was,” Syphers said. “A lot of the people commenting have not read the report ... I would encourage people to read the report, not just make comments about it.

Some things have been taken out of context.”

Syphers hopes to have an informed conversation with students about the report.

“I think the students are the single most important voice in this conversation,” Syphers said. “But it needs to be an informed conversation ... once we have an informed conversation, I want the students to be the loudest voice in the room.” •

www.TheEasterner.org

11 Bailey Monteith for The Easterner

The Easterner -

Mckenize Ford for The Easterner

2.26.20 - V103 I18

Former EWU running back Sam McPherson.

About that CTE comment...

DREW LAWSON Sports Editor

One of the most controversial quotes of the faculty organization report regarding the athletic department came on page 10 during the description of Model E: Continue as Division I, but eliminate football. The quote, in reference to head injuries often suffered by football players, read “We are not here to have them trade brain damage for a reduced-cost education.”

Many current and former EWU football players and fans took to Twitter to express their frustration over this comment. Former running back and current mechanical engineering major Sam McPherson said he was “outraged” when he originally read the Inlander’s story on the report and was particularly irked by the “brain damage” line.

“It stings because we put so much time and effort into athletics,” McPherson said. “To throw shade at us is very disrespectful for all the time and effort we do for the school.”

Dr. David Syphers, lead author of the report and physics professor and dean at EWU, said he wasn’t trying to insult anybody when writing the comment about brain damage. Instead, he wanted to point out that nine out of 10 college football players suffer brain damage, and wondered if it’s worth it to the players and university for a few thousand dollars of tuition reimbursement.

“I’m not saying they’re stupid,” Syphers said. “Playing football causes injury to the brain. It’s a personal choice whether or not you want to do that.”

Syphers said he doesn’t have any problem with people playing football, as long as they know the risks. However, he noted that CTE has become a prevalent discussion in the past decade, and wonders if it’s worth discussing the morals behind encouraging students to play football.

“We are an institution of higher learning,” Syphers said. “Our goal is to help our students learn. Football is at that point where it’s unclear whether that’s really a moral thing to encourage our students to engage in.”

McPherson said the comments about brain damage were also insulting because many athletes take their academics very seriously.

“We can do both,” McPherson said. “We’ve had a 3.0 GPA on the football for so long...if we don’t take (academics) seriously, we can’t play on the football team.”

Syphers reiterated that his comments were not meant to be offensive toward any EWU football players.

“I’ve had some football players in my physics classes,” Syphers said. “They’re perfectly good students. I’ve had no negative interactions with them, and I’m not trying to insult them...but there’s a lot of risk to this, and that may not be what an institution of higher learning is about. But it’s not up to me to make that decision. I just thought that it’s something we should be aware of.” •

Intramural Scoreboard

Scores from Feb. 18-20 Coed volleyball (League play)

Feb. 20 My Hits Don’t Lie 2, Kiss My Ace 0 My Hits Don’t Lie 2, Poopheads 1 Blockbusters 2, Poopheads 1 A for Effort 2, Blockbusters 1 Indoor soccer (League play) Feb. 19 Stupid Idiot Face 9, Miles and Friends 7 Backnet Ballers 12, I.M. All-Stars 4 Scott’s Tots 7, Probation FC 5 Men’s basketball (League play) Feb. 18 Alley Hoopers 48, Big Ballers 4 JR’s Henney 69, Lil Cuties 68 Big Truss 55, Team Sunnyvale 49 Team Buckets 74, EBDBBnB 49 Coed basketball (League play) Feb. 20 Daddy’s Little Cuties 69, D6 Bound 61 Dubs Only 71, The Screwups 43 Hoopers 77, Straight off the Couch 73

Lawson, cont. from pg. 10 While my general stance on the idea of cutting or changing athletics hasn’t ultimately changed since my first exposure to it, I did want to read the whole report and form a more educated opinion about its intent and possible outcomes. As it turns out, I think Dr. David Syphers and his team had some valid points of discussion. Here are five takeaways I had from reading the report and conducting several interviews regarding the subject.

1. Fans don’t have to worry--EWU isn’t cutting athletics or the football team.

It’s not happening. Lynn Hickey said it. EWU Twitter said it. I said it. Don’t worry, EWU athletics aren’t going anywhere. Cool? Cool.

2. There was a lot of talk about what appears to be a lot of nothing.

Going back to Takeaway No. 1, EWU has made it perfectly clear that there will be a Division I football team and athletic department at the university.

The report made waves on social media, especially Twitter. EWU wide receivers coach Pat McCann responded to the report by posting a screenshot of popular Madden play call, “Clown Post.” (Google Antonio Brown to learn more about this meme.)

The report was talked about in places that are even more

Sports

V103 I18 2.26.20

Spotlighting the men’s volleyball club SULAMITA MARTYNENKO Contributor Members of the EWU men’s volleyball club described their group as fun, exciting and even stress-relieving.

“I cannot picture where my life would be if I hadn’t found this club,” said club member Alex Wasilewski.

Some of the players came to EWU with considerable experience and some with little.

Palmer Young loved to play volleyball growing up, and even after he enrolled at EWU, he didn’t want to leave the sport.

“This club gave me an opportunity to keep on playing in college,” Young said.

Mack Tate said that he was nervous when he joined the club. Many of his teammates played better than he did. After some time, he felt welcomed. He now hopes the club finds a way to extend the volleyball season and attend more tournaments.

When Wasilewski came to EWU as a freshman, he lived in a quiet dorm which made it hard for him to connect with people. When he got involved with the volleyball club, he was glad to find many friends.

“My network of friends exploded,” Wasilewski said, referring to the wide range of the Spokane volleyball community.

The coach, Trent Codera, prefers to be called the “player leader.” That means anyone can become the coach. His interest in volleyball started back when he played on the baseball team at Yelm High School in Seattle, but his friends played volleyball after class.

Codera has been drawn to volleyball for as long as he can remember.

In his sophomore year at EWU, Codera found out about the opening of the men’s volleyball club. It promised competitive playing, which was a hook for Codera. Usually, he would play just for fun, but now playing had a meaning.

The core group had so few players that Codera ended up becoming one of the founders of the club. After four successful years, the the club expanded. It now has an average of 20 players each season.

desolate and sad than Cheney, such as Ohio. But unless Syphers can drastically change the Board of Trustees’ minds at Thursday’s meeting, all the hubbub appears to be quite inconsequential, if not an interesting talking point.

3. It’s worth talking about the budget.

Syphers said his main goal of writing the report was to start a discussion about whether the athletic budget or department needs tinkering in the context of budget cuts. It’s certainly not breaking news that EWU is making cuts across the board in various departments. The athletic department took a 3% hit last year.

Everyone *wishes* there wasn’t a budget gap, including myself. If EWU weren’t short on cash, The Easterner would be rolling in dough and sending six to seven reporters and photographers to all sporting events, home and away. (A joke, but I can dream.)

As these cuts occur, it’s certainly worth evaluating the athletic department within the tough discussions that must be had.

4. People should read the report and create an informed opinion.

A lot of people clearly didn’t read the whole report before making proclamations calling for all the faculty to repent of their sins or asking Lynn Hickey what they should do now that the Inferno is going to be incinerated. My drippingly sarcastic tone aside, Syphers hit the nail on the head when

www.TheEasterner.org

Mckenzie Ford for The Easterner

12 - The Easterner

Bowe Rojas of the men’s volleyball club.

The club has brought Codera many true friends, and it’s become his favorite place to hang out. As a leader, he guides players to improve their skills in volleyball. He arranges meetings, club collaborations and funding for travel.

EWU’s volleyball team plays primarily during the winter season. They compete and travel all over the Pacific Northwest, playing an average of five to seven tournaments a year through the Pacific Intercollegiate Volleyball Association.

The EWU men’s volleyball club collaborates with the women’s volleyball club to travel to tournaments together.

This year, the club is trying something new. They are traveling to Kansas City, Missouri in April. They have never traveled that far before, but they want to compete in the National Collegiate Volleyball Federation Championships. Players have differing opinions about the club’s future and the role they play.

“We will wait and see – always ready for good surprises,” said Young. •

he told The Easterner that people should read the report and think about its whole message before commenting.

Being educated on any subject before making blanket statements is important and this is no different.

5. It’s difficult to put a dollar amount on the impact of athletics.

Syphers and his team made an admirable effort in attempting to calculate costs and compile pages and pages of data in an attempt to gauge the impact of athletics at EWU, and I commend them for that. However, I don’t think it’s that simple. How many people’s first exposure to EWU is the red football field, compared to the PUB or JFK Library?

It’s hard to tell, but the local media doesn’t tend to do stories on academia at EWU, for better or worse. Calculating that impact and exposure would be very difficult to do.

Not only that, but athletics significantly impacts the city of Cheney. Football games are the largest concentration of people in the city each year by a wide margin, and local businesses profit from people coming into town for the game.

People stay at Holiday Inn for the weekend, chow down on Zip’s and Gerardo’s, and get plastered at Wild Bill’s LongBar and Eagle’s Pub. Take athletic events away, and what type of economic hit does the city take?

To sum it all up: EWU’s budget crisis is worth discussing, but making changes to the athletic structure probably isn’t the ultimate solution. •