Volume 102, Issue 13
www.TheEasterner.org
Jan. 23, 2019
Gauging a comeback? After suffering a season-ending injury, senior quarterback Gage Gubrud has entered his name into the NCAA transfer database. Gubrud has narrowed his choices down to Washington State and Utah and awaits confirmation for a medical redshirt.
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Features
From college grad to comedian EWU alumnus Matt Setzer leaves his archaeology job to pursue a career in stand-up comedy.
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Sports
News
Fighting measles
EWU is the only four-year state college in Washington that doesn't require a measles vaccine.
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Switching sports
After playing four years of basketball for EWU, Cunningham has made the switch to track and field for her final year of eligibility.
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2 - The Easterner Editor in Chief Michael Brock 509.359.6737 easterner.editor@ewu.edu Managing Editor Jeremy Burnham easterner.mngeditor@ewu.edu Multimedia Director Richard N. Clark IV easterner.multimedia@gmail.com Chief Copy Editor Amanda Haworth News Editor Dylan Harris easterner.news@gmail.com Sports Editor Taylor Newquist easterner.sports@gmail.com Arts & Features Editor Erik Rotness easterner.aef@gmail.com Web Editor Colleen Ford Social Media Editor Matthew Pennell Copy Editor Sam Jackson Reporters Kendall Koch Drew Lawson Kaisa Siipola Emmaline Sylvester
News
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EWU mostly unaltered by About government shutdown The Easterner The partial closure began over a month ago NICOLAS ZERBE Contributor The shutdown of the U.S. government is reaching its fifth week, but operations at EWU remain largely unaffected. A $5.7 billion border wall dispute has President Trump and Congress playing tug-of-war with the appropriations bill. The resulting shutdown, which began on Dec. 22, leaves hundreds of thousands of federal workers without jobs or pay, but financial aid and grants at EWU are seeing little to no impact. According to the White House website, President Trump is requesting “$5.7 billion to fund a steel barrier system, including embedded investments in technology and roads, on our southern border in the priority areas cited by Border Patrol.”
Financial aid For EWU students worried about their financial aid status during the shutdown, it appears to have had almost no effect. One of the only ways in which students may have seen any impact at all is in the attempted retrieval of tax information through the IRS, though the issue has since been resolved, according to Associate Director for Financial Aid and Scholarships, Kandi Teeters. “We received notification from the Department of Education that they’ve provided alternative options, so there was a temporary issue but that’s been relieved,” said Teeters.
Because of the way in which financial aid is distributed at EWU, student funding was also unaffected, according to Teeters. “It didn’t delay any funding,” said Teeters. “The institutions release aid and then get reimbursement from the government—so it’s not anything that delayed funding to the students.”
External funding The Office of Grant and Research Development, which helps the EWU community secure external funding, was also minimally impacted. “A lot of our grant awards had already been awarded,” said Executive Director of Academic Grants and Contracts, Ruth Galm. “The only way we’ve been minimally affected is by new opportunities that should have come out already but haven’t come out yet because of certain agencies being shut down.”
Federal grants The Grants Office received around $14 million in grant funding, but not all of which is from the federal government, according to Galm. The office is continuing to apply for federal grants throughout the shutdown, and according to Galm, the requests are still being received. “We’re kind of just in a wait and see mode,” said Galm. “Certain things that should have been announced by now haven’t been and we’re just checking every day to see when grant opportunities are going to be announced.” •
Photographers Mckenzie Ford Bailey Monteith Director of Student Newspaper Carleigh Hill Faculty Adviser Jamie Neely
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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 voice and 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 http://www. theeasterner.org. The Easterner is distributed throughout the Cheney campus and business district as well as Riverpoint and various Spokane businesses. If you would like the Easterner to be distributed at your business call the Advertising Department at 509-359-7010.
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 Easterener 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.
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Richard N. Clark IV for The Easterner
EWU the only four-year public university in state to not require measles vaccine
KENDALL KOCH Reporter Of the six public four-year colleges in Washington state, EWU is the only school to not require its students to have the measles immunization. While the requirements vary from school to school, all five other schools, including Washington State University and the University of Washington, require the measles vaccine. The EWU Senior Director of Wellness and Recreation Programs Tricia Hughes has been working for four years to create a policy that requires students to have the MMR vaccination, which helps prevent measles, mumps and rubella, before attending EWU. “Currently, we are working on a draft policy on immunizations that will go to a vote within the next two months,” Hughes said. “EWU is the only four-year public college in the state of Washington to not require important vaccines.” EWU has a list of recommended vaccinations for students, however there are no requirements for any particular vaccine. While other colleges require students to have vaccines completed, like MMR, EWU could be at a possible risk of an outbreak in the event that an unvaccinated student develops a disease like measles. According to Hughes, if such a measles outbreak did happen here at EWU, the university would be working with the Spokane Regional Health District to track where it originated from within the school. Hughes, who has extensive experience in public health, said students should be vaccinated in case an outbreak does happen.
“Always be vaccinated, unless for medical reasons, it will help you in the long run,” Hughes said. “Plus, if you catch a serious illness as an adult, the effects are always much worse.” Hughes said that if someone who has not received the vaccine for MMR attends class while unknowingly sick, the person is putting others at risk. “Measles is an airborne virus,” Hughes said. “If someone in a classroom who has measles is coughing and sneezing without using respiratory etiquette, they are not only spreading the germs to those in the classroom at the time, but to the people who use the classroom next are exposed to it.” EWU President Mary Cullinan said in a statement provided to The Easterner that there may be some immunization requirements in the future. “EWU is in the process of approving a new policy that would require students provide verification of a MMR vaccination or titer unless a student requests a waiver,” Cullinan said. The policy will be presented before the Board of Trustees for approval in February, according to Cullinan. Carol Gahl, the director of Student Health for EWU and WSU Spokane Clinical Services, said that measles is not the only serious illness that students should be vaccinated for and be protected against. “It is recommended by doctors that those about to attend college get the meningitis, hepatitis C and MMR vaccines before moving away,” Gahl said. “If living in a close space, like a residence hall, always be sure to use respiratory
etiquette, wash hands well with soap and if you absolutely cannot miss class, wear a mask.” Emma Lengle, a sophomore and a predental hygiene major, said she worries knowing that her fellow students could be unvaccinated. “I feel uneasy about this because personally I feel that it is the right thing to do to protect yourself and susceptible people around you,” Lengle said. “In Washington, we have policies that allow you to refuse vaccines for religious and philosophical reasons, so I respect their beliefs and their right to not vaccinate. But in my opinion, I think it’s selfish and dangerous.” Lengle also discussed how easy it is to prevent a disease. “People can die from a disease we’ve cured which is unacceptable to me,” Lengle said. Vaccinations have been a constant hot topic all over social media. Whether it's memes regarding how mothers treat a very serious virus with essential oils, or an
outbreak of measles in the Clark County area of Washington in the beginning of January this year, controversial vaccination issues are often making headlines. According to the Oregonian, there have been two confirmed cases of unvaccinated children having measles, along with 11 others who are suspected to have contracted the illness. According to Dr. Alan Melnick, the public health director and officer for Clark County, the outbreak is occurring even though measles is “completely and entirely preventable” with vaccines. According to the Mayo Clinic, measles can be serious or fatal for small children, and the number of cases in the U.S. has jumped from 60 to 205 cases a year in recent years. The symptoms of measles, when they appear after 10 days, are fever, dry cough, runny nose, inflamed eyes and a skin rash made up of flat blotches that often flow into one another. •
Westside Church of Christ A Place for New Beginnings 13520 W 6th Ave Airway Heights Sunday Bible Class - 9:30 am Worship Service - 10:30 am College Age Class
Contacts: Jonathan Carpenter Youth Minister (EWU Grad) jonathan.carpenter93@gmail.com
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Patrick Newbill Minister
psnewbill@yahoo.com 509-951-9316
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Attempted murder conviction overturned John T. Mellgren, the 27-year-old man convicted of beating former EWU track athlete Robert “Drew” Schreiber with a baseball bat outside of The Grove at Cheney apartments, had his attempted first-degree murder conviction dismissed “without prejudice” in appellate court on Dec. 11, because prosecutors failed to use the word “premeditation” in the charging documents. “We reverse the conviction of John Mellgren for attempted first-degree murder without prejudice to the State to refile charges,” Judge George Fearing wrote in his opinion. Mellgren was convicted of attempted first-degree murder and first-degree assault in April 2017 and was originally sentenced to 17-22 years in prison. It is unclear at this time whether the charge will be refiled. “On appeal, John Mellgren challenges the sufficiency of the charging information for attempted first-degree murder,” Fearing wrote. “He argues that the information failed because it did not employ the word ‘premeditation.’ We agree.” The assault occurred on the night of Oct. 8, 2016 outside of The Grove at Cheney apartments. According to court documents, Schreiber had been playing games and drinking with some friends when he suddenly became angry for an unknown reason and locked himself in his bedroom. He then proceeded to jump out of his window and began chasing a car in the parking lot. When the vehicle came to a stop, Schreiber jumped on the car and smashed his knee through the back window. He jumped off the front of the car and the three men inside the vehicle chased him down. The three men, Mellgren, Damian Dunigan and Josh Sonnabend, tackled Schreiber to the ground and began punching and kicking him
Dan Pelle for The Spokesman-Review
DYLAN HARRIS News Editor
Robert "Drew" Schreiber testifying at court on April 13, 2017. He spent 45 days in the hospital following the assault.
“According to one witness, Mellgren angrily swung the bat as if 'chopping wood' while striking Schreiber four to six times in the head with the bat.”
- GEORGE FEARING Division III Court of Appeals Judge while he tried to cover his head. Witnesses on the scene were able to describe Mellgren’s role in the assault. “Mellgren held a baseball bat in his hands and struck Schreiber in the head
with the bat as Schreiber laid in a fetal position,” Fearing wrote. “According to one witness, Mellgren angrily swung the bat as if ‘chopping wood’ while striking Schreiber four to six times in the head with the bat.”
EWU offers three honors society organizations including Phi Eta Sigma, the National Society of Collegiate Scholars at EWU and The National Society of Leadership and Success. “Phi Eta Sigma is for first-year freshmen who have completed their first two quarters at Eastern (fall and winter) and have earned a cumulative 3.5 GPA at the end of one of those quarters,” Dori Roberts, honors program adviser and coordinator said. Phi Eta Sigma is a “somewhat active honor society on campus,” according to Elder. The National Society of Collegiate Scholars at EWU is an honors organization that recognizes and elevates high achievers. NSCS provides career and graduate school connections, leadership and service opportunities, and gives out
a million dollars in scholarships annually, according to its profile on OrgSync. Students may have received an invitation or email from the National Society of Leadership and Success. If a student receives an invitation from the National Society of Leadership and Success, it is legitimate according to EWU Career Center internship coordinator Romeal Watson. “Yes, yes it’s very legit and I know there has been questions about it,” Watson said. The National Society of Leadership is dedicated to peer to peer support, community involvement and teaching leadership and success. Students are selected each quarter to receive an invitation from the National Society of Leadership and Success. “It’s more of a general search,” Watson said. “They acquire a list through the Eastern’s
Schreiber was then transported by paramedics to the hospital. He had suffered potentially fatal injuries, and had bleeding between his brain and skull. According to court documents, Schreiber likely would have died had he not been treated that night. Schreiber was in the hospital for 45 days. Mellgren, also a former EWU track athlete, was the registered owner of the vehicle involved in the incident. He was arrested five days later, and officers seized his shoes which were stained with blood later determined to be Schreiber’s. Police did not take any DNA samples from Dunigan or Sonnabend. Dunigan later pled guilty to second-degree assault and was sentenced to 21 months in prison. Sonnabend did not face any charges. The trial lasted from April 10 through April 18, 2017. The jury returned with a verdict convicting Mellgren of both charges brought forward. He was initially sentenced to 17-22 years in prison, but was later sentenced to 15 years, as reported by The Spokesman-Review. The decision to reverse Mellgren’s conviction is based off past cases in which the word “premeditation” was left off of charging documents. “The language does not imply that Mellgren acted with premeditation,” Fearing wrote. “The information contains elements of ‘attempt,’ such as the substantial step requirement, but the charging document fails to set forth the essential element of premeditation.” The reversal is based solely on the exclusion of the word “premeditated.” “The outcome of this appeal depends on procedural facts rather than facts of the underlying crime,” Fearing wrote. •
Honor society emails raise questions KAISA SIIPOLA Reporter Some students have received honor society invitations in their school email accounts in recognition of obtaining quality grades. Dana Elder, an EWU professor and the former director of the University Honors Program, encourages students to research the honor society organization if they receive an invitation. “Double check to see if it’s a real honor society, there are a number of things out there that are simply for profit,” Elder said. “If you get one of these invitations do what you can on the computer to find out how legitimate it is.” Elder also added that it is important to check if the honors society has an active chapter at EWU.
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online database of all the students, and then they send out an invitation to a certain amount of those students for each quarter.” NSLS has pulled from Banner, a university database, and they have a list of all the students that are enrolled this year, according to Watson. "Banner is the name of our university database software program that keeps track of our student and employee information,” Watson said. “If we need to know anything about a student, we can look there first." Elder emphasized a tip that students can take into consideration when deciding if joining an honor society is worth it. “If it’s legitimate, if there’s an active chapter here, that’s doing things that will benefit you and that you can contribute to, then that might be a good decision,” Elder said. •
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Mckenzie Ford for The Easterner
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PUB opening impacts Aladdin's A line of students at Panda Express, one of the several new dining options in the PUB. It is located on the first floor of the PUB.
Owner Alaa-Eldin Aamer says sales have declined due to new dining options centrally located in the PUB KAISA SIIPOLA Reporter Aladdin’s Egyptian Food has been in Tawanka since fall 2016, and the reopening of the PUB has led to a decrease in business according to Alaa-Eldin (Aladdin) Aamer, the restaurant's owner. Aamer has received letters of recommendation from students and faculty commending his service and quality of food. A petition created in 2016 by students with assistance from the Black Student Union acquired over 1,100 signatures, asking the university to allow Aladdin’s to remain on campus. Aamer said he feels that they’re being pushed away from the PUB and acknowledges that students often choose dining options that are located in the same place. “It’s not fair, it’s really not fair. We (have) been serving the college since then 1984 and we (are) supposed to be one of them,” Aamer said. “Of course this area is nice and good, but the students always run for the area where they can get everything in one, one time, because they don’t have time to go from places to other places.” The dining options included in the PUB are Panda Express, Freshens, Union Market, Eagle Store Cafe and Global Cuisine. “All the business food go to the PUB area, and of course the students go there because
everything is there and nobody expects that we are still here, especially the new students,” said Aamer. Currently, Aladdin’s contract will be renewed in Tawanka for one more year and they don’t know what will happen after that, according to Aamer. Aladdin’s Egyptian Food has been on campus since 1984 and was in the PUB for 35 years, until three years ago. Aladdin’s has not been offered a space in the newly remodeled PUB. “Everybody knows that (we were) in the PUB,” Aamer said. “Students made a petition and didn’t want (Aladdin's) to move as a small private business--they didn’t want (us) to go and wanted to keep (us) in the PUB.” A couple of students stopped by Aladdin’s and commended the business for its service and quality of food. EWU junior Mary Bass likes that the food is prepared in front of her. “It’s made by a person you can see and that she is sharing something that she knows,” Bass said. “I like that it’s meat and vegetables and less preservatives.” EWU senior Vera Parks recommends to students that Aladdin’s is worth the wait because the food is good. Business is becoming scarce for Aladdin’s Egyptian Food, according to Aamer. “We would like to go where we (are)
supposed to be, a lot of people think that we are closed,” Aamer said. “We are strong and trying so hard and this month is going to be hard.” Aamer said he would like to continue to serve the students. “Everybody loves the food and everybody says this is good food, this is the best food, why are you losing this,” Aamer said. Aladdin said he hopes to be offered a spot in the PUB. “I would just like the college (to) listen, I would like the college to have a big heart to put us back where we (are) supposed to be, in the PUB,” Aamer said. Dining Services is still utilizing the Tawanka facility during the week and Tawanka Main Street Dining will be open for Sunday brunch. “It was the plan to reduce the services in Tawanka,” University Dining and Catering Services Director Dave McKay said. Dining Services is also using its kitchen and dining room as a venue, and for preparation and catering purposes. “It’s our on-campus bakery, we do all of our grab-and-go production, bakery production and catering out of the kitchen,” McKay said. “The dining room is utilized as a special event venue and some days during the week as catering facility.” Dining Services intends to evaluate the dining room over the next year in terms of
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what the campus needs for space and how it will be utilized, according to McKay. The dining options that are offered in Tawanka are Einstein Bros. Bagels, Tawanka Espresso and Aladdin’s Egyptian Food. The Roost is located in the URC and Thomas Hammer is located in the JFK Library. “We have more than enough options,” McKay said. “We wanted to keep some things here because there’s so many classes for students in Hargreaves and Monroe and Kingston, that during their breaks they really don’t have time to get to the PUB and get back.” McKay added that he wants to keep in mind the students in different corners of campus, even though he said the PUB is luxurious and has great food options. Dining Services will be implementing winter meal credit events this quarter, such as Soupalooza and Treats for you Sweets Workshop. “All of our meal plans have what we call special events counts,” McKay said. “We are committed to doing 10 to 15 special events Sunday brunch being one of those events.” If anyone has any questions or concerns feel free to contact the Tawanka Business Office at 509-359-6224 or visit ewu.edu/ dining. •
Feat
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Dressing for the job wit EMMALINE SYLVESTER Reporter
After four long years, the graduation diploma finally arrives. The nightmarish group projects are over, the exams are finished and the retail-therapy sessions are fewer and further between. All that effort may have built skills and confidence for a post-graduation career. It might not, however, have built up an interview ready wardrobe or
a bank account to pay for one. Because of that, the Career Center is partnering with JCPenney to offer EWU students affordable, professional clothes to prepare for job interviews and professional work environments. The JCPenney Suit-Up event will be held Sunday, Jan. 27 from 5-8 p.m. and is open to all current EWU students and first-year alumni at the JCPenney in the Northtown Mall. Students will receive 40 percent off all professional attire, and
those who pre-register on Handshake will be entered into a drawing for a gift card provided by the Washington Students Employee Credit Union. Members of the JCPenney staff will be on hand to help students and offer insights on current fashion trends. Sephora will give free beauty consultations, and the JCP Portrait Studio will offer professional portraits for $29.99. “Finances drive a lot of things,” said Virginia Hinch, assistant vice president
for student services and executive director for career development. “That's why we’re so excited about this event, because we’re making what we know is a very big investment at a reasonable price.” Hinch recognizes that a lot of students underestimate how much preparation it takes for that first interview and job, and that many students put it off until their senior year. “You can really miss a lot of opportunities because employers are
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thout breaking the bank expecting students to come out of college with some experience and I think sometimes students think all they need is the degree,” Hinch said. According to the most recent Life After Eastern Survey, 57 percent of students report having at least one internship while in college and 93 percent of alumni report being employed full or part time. Attending this event not only serves to make the cost of professional clothing more obtainable for college students
so they can be prepared for future job interviews and careers, but also to encourage students to start thinking about what's coming after graduation. As students are preparing for graduation and seeking internships, the Career Center has many resources to offer. HR Coordinator at etailz, Inc. and recent EWU graduate, Isaiah Henderson, says he received a lot of guidance from the Career Center such as help with interviewing
preparation and professional dress tips. He encourages students to attend the career fairs to put their professional outfits to the test and seize the great networking opportunity. Henderson found the most valuable thing he could do was ask questions about the dress code standard and work environment and wants to encourage graduating students to feel comfortable doing the same. “Every piece you can put together, that makes you more prepared, takes anxiety
out of that first interview or that first job and enables you to bring your best game to the table,” Hinch said. Students can schedule a one-onone appointment with an adviser for help with career planning and resumé building. They can also visit the Career Center's webpage to search for jobs and internships, and attend the upcoming FUSE Career Fair on March 1.•
Illustration courtesy of Hannah Bottino
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Courtesy of Spread Eagle Comedy
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(left to right) Matt Setzer, Chris Armi and James May have fun fooling around before the "Acoustic Apocalypse" show at the Big Dipper on Jan. 12. The trio make up Spread Eagle Comedy and have brought their diverse comedy styles across venues in Spokane
Alumnus jokes around town SAM JACKSON Copy Editor After a year of working in archaeology in Western Washington, EWU alumnus Matt Setzer decided to spread his wings and relocate back to the Spokane area to pursue what he truly wants to do—comedy. Setzer graduated from EWU during August 2017 with a bachelor's in anthropology and focused on a career in archaeology. Setzer says archaeology is fun, but jobs can be a hit or miss. It wasn’t until he found himself waking up at 5 a.m. every morning, putting on a yellow vest and taking pictures at an archaeology site for nine hours, that he decided to quit and commit fully to comedy. “Archaeology and anthropology, I can always return to that,” Setzer said. “But this comedy thing if you start late and you find out you're good, then it’s like well s--imagine how much better I would’ve been if
I found out about this 15 years ago. I took a large risk moving over here just for that … but I did it for comedy.” In a “completely unexpected way” the entire anthropology degree prepared Setzer for his comedy endeavor. He even wrote his senior capstone on stand-up comedians and how they related to anthropology. “I have this joke that I open with, ‘Yeah I graduated from college and decided to start doing stand-up comedy. If you’re keeping track, that means I got a degree in being a f---ing moron',” Setzer said. Setzer realized that he could use his knowledge of anthropology and his understanding of people’s perspectives as a valuable trait in his comedy. “That’s something they really push on you in anthropology,” Setzer said. “Having knowledge of other people’s cultures and how they see the world. It really helps with forming jokes that can work towards certain crowds.”
The group After joining the Spokane comedy scene, Setzer came across a fellow amateur comedian, James May. “James was the first person I met at the comedy club, and he was pretty optimistic,” Setzer said. “I kind of wanted to surround myself with optimistic people.” May wanted to form a group of aspiring comedians and acquainted Setzer with another comic, Chris Armi. In September 2018, the three assembled a comedy group known as Spread Eagle Comedy. For fresh comedians, the purpose of having a group is to make promotion easier, according to Setzer. May however saw it as an opportunity to showcase a diversified version of comedy. “I wanted it to be all types of comedy,” May said. “You come to a show, you get Matt, Chris and me, but we're not all the same shtick. Nowhere close is our comedy anywhere near the same.” Armi explains that because comedy is typically a “cut-throat and lonewolf type of thing” this group works as a team and they help each other often. “We really are a team effort and we try really hard not to have a hierarchy,” Armi said. "Everybody does as much as they can.”
Upcoming Shows Spread Eagle Comedy performs in open mics at venues all over Spokane including the Red Room Lounge, The
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Observatory, Lucky’s Bar and Spokane Comedy Club. The group will host a Roast Battle Competition at The Observatory on Feb. 5 at 8 p.m. Anyone aged 21 and over can attend. The first-place winner of the competition will receive a $50 prize and cannabis samples. Carts and Comedy—the biggest show the group has ever hosted—will be at the Garland Theater on Feb 21. from 9-10:30 p.m. The show is open to people 21 and older, and the audience will be allowed to smoke cannabis with vape pens inside the venue, according to the group. “There’s no regulation in Washington that says you can’t use weed vapes indoors and so we got the Garland to say we can use weed vapes for the show,” Armi said. The group acknowledges that the comedy industry is a tough game to be a part of, but intends to continue hosting events and supporting each other throughout their comedy adventure. “Early on we recognized, if we want to progress, people aren’t going to hand us stuff,” Armi said. “We have to go out and get it on our own. And that’s what we do …We are self-starters. We are creating everything we can and uniting as many people.” For more information on the group’s bookings and events visit the Spread Eagle Comedy Facebook page or spreadeaglecomedy on Instagram.•
Sports
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Hammer Throw
Bailey Monteith for The Easterner
Shot Put
Left to right: Throwers freshman Garrett Peoples and junior Jonny Law work their cores in training on Jan. 17. Peoples has the top mark in the shot put for EWU this year with a 16.01 meter throw in the Lauren McCluskey Memorial Open on Jan. 12.
A good throw comes from below DREW LAWSON Reporter
Discus
Many track and field athletes participate in a multitude of events that test all physical abilities, including running long distances, sprinting and jumping. While it’s obvious that the strength to succeed in those disciplines would come from the legs, it may not be as clear that the legs are also key in a fourth sector—throwing. There are five different throwing events that the track and field team competes in: discus, javelin, shot put, weight throw and hammer. Both men and women participate in all five. There are 15 women throwers and 11 on the men’s side.
Work the legs
Weight Throw
Javelin
Colleen Ford for The Easterner
Garrett Peoples, a freshman who does shot put, hammer and discus talked about the exercises he does to train. “We (work out) a lot of legs,” Peoples said. “Legs is probably the main thing that we hit every time...a lot of squats, cleans, snatches and deadlifts.” Snatches are designed to work the upper leg with an emphasis on the thighs. The starting position is the same as a clean, but when users pick up the barbell, they quickly move into a squat position and push the barbell above their head. They then slowly stand up with the barbell still extended above. “All the throws are really lower body,” women's head coach and throw coach Marcia Mecklenberg said. “In the weight room we do a lot of the Olympic lifts, especially the cleans. We’ll also do a little bit of snatch ... for explosiveness.” Cleans are also focused on the quads,
hamstrings and glutes. Participants begin with a barbell on the ground in front of them, and in one movement pick the barbell up and turn so that it is even with the shoulders.
Building quickness Emma Chappell is in her second year on the EWU track team after transferring from Concordia University in Portland, Oregon. She focuses solely on javelin, and stressed the importance of shoulder and foot quickness conditioning in regards to her discipline. “To train for meets, it’s a lot of dynamic warm-ups,” Chappell said. “We need to have our muscles ready. Shoulder especially, that’s most important. We do a lot of quick feet drills and powerful core workouts ... We do a lot of quick bench press, so (a) speedy close grip bench press. We’ll do extra work with bands where it’s a lot of fast movements and stability exercises.” Chappell noted that the training at EWU is different from her experience doing track for Concordia. “At (Concordia) it was a lot more strength based instead of flexibility and mobility,” Chappell said. “The strength was great but I wasn’t able to perform (my) best because I had a lot of slow muscle instead of fast twitch, so the training here definitely has improved my technique and form by creating fast twitch muscles instead of slow twitch.” According to Mecklenberg, the training for shot put and discus is the most similar of the five events, but their level of correlation depends on the technique the athlete uses.
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Stressing technique “Depending on the technique, it’s even more similar,” Mecklenberg said. “If there’s spin in the shot put, it’s very similar to the spin in the discus. If they’re a glider, that technique is a little more different from the discus, but it’s still the same as far as (when) they hit their final position.” Mecklenberg added that hammer requires different technique from the other three events. “Hammer is totally different from them all,” Mecklenberg said. “You’re trying to push the ball, whereas the other three you’re trying to pull and create separation. That’s not something you want to do with the hammer.” When the throwers are practicing, the main technical focus is finishing in a square and closed position in alignment with the throwing ring. “The thing that we talk about the most, especially for discus, javelin and shot put, is landing closed,” Mecklenberg said. “When you hit your final position, you want to be squared to the back of the ring. You don’t want your upper body to be sideways, you want it to be back. We stress that a lot. In the hammer, we (stress) waiting for the ball, so you’re not pulling the ball, but the ball is pulling you across the ring.” The biggest similarity between the four events, according to Mecklenberg, is the rhythm that athletes must strive for in being consistent and correct in form. During the indoor season throwers only compete in shot put and weight throw. The other events start in the outdoor season. EWU’s next meet is in Seattle at the University of Washington Invite Jan. 25-26.•
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Courtesy Bridget Mayfield photography
Player profile
Senior multi-participant Mariah Cunningham competes in the high jump at the WSU Indoor Open on Jan. 18. Cunningham competed in the 200-meter dash, 60-meter hurdles, high jump and long jump at the event. The previous week at the Lauren McCluskey Memorial Open, Cunningham competed in the pentathlon and placed tenth out of 16 competitors.
Swapping her kicks for spikes Mariah Cunningham goes from basketball to track and field DREW LAWSON Reporter
In spring 2018, Mariah Cunningham had a decision to make. The senior forward from Central Valley High School in Spokane had exhausted her four years of NCAA eligibility for basketball, but had the option to play one more season. The catch? She’d have to switch to track and field, a sport she hadn’t played since high school. “She played (basketball) her full four years,” EWU women’s basketball head coach Wendy Schuller said. “NCAA rules allow you five years to play four (seasons), so she played four seasons, (which) opened up the opportunity for her to do track.” Cunningham was on the fence about switching to track for the 2018-19 season until a conversation with Schuller, who reminded her that EWU had offered her a spot on both teams originally. “I was pretty hesitant because I was like, ‘dang, I haven’t done track for four years prior to this,’” Cunningham said. “After some convincing (from Schuller), I decided that I’d give it a shot.” Cunningham is listed as a multiparticipant on the EWU track and field roster. Multi-event and jumps coach Dave Nielsen decided to place her in the heptathlon, a competition that features seven disciplines: 60-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put,
200-meter dash, long jump, javelin and 800-meter run. Nielsen has quickly noticed what Cunningham brings to the track team. “She’s a really nice person and teammate to have,” Nielsen said. “She’s a good sport, because she’s not where she was when she was in high school as far as track level, because she spent four years being a great basketball player. As far as being a good teammate and getting better, she’s doing awesome.” In high school at Central Valley, Cunningham earned four letters in track in addition to playing basketball, volleyball and cross-country. She holds the school record for long jump, an event she’s enjoyed picking back up as she transitions back to track collegiately. “My favorite is long jump because that’s what I did in high school and what I’m successful at,” Cunningham said. Cunningham acknowledged the difficulty of returning to a sport she hadn’t played in four years. She said some of the main adjustments to playing track collegiately after four years of basketball has been the less-rigorous practice schedule and change in weight training. “As far as practices, it’s interesting,” Cunningham said. “They’re a little bit shorter than basketball, so that was new for me. As far as weights, we do a lot of Olympic-style lifting. That was a challenge to go to, and then just getting back into the swing of track has been a little difficult because I’m not the same person
I was four to five years ago. It’s an interesting (transition), but a really fun one.” During Cunningham’s four years on the women’s basketball team, the sixfoot forward averaged 2.6 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. She played in 113 games, starting in 43. In 2016-17 she was named to the All-Big Sky Academic Team. Her career high in points, 14, came at Creighton on Nov. 28, 2015. Cunningham praised her experience playing basketball for the Eagles. “It was really fun,” Cunningham said. “I had a good experience. I learned a lot. I’d say that I grew a lot as a basketball player, but it also helped me grow a lot stronger, which helped ease the transition into track.” Schuller praised Cunningham’s work ethic and ability to improve. “She brought a great attitude every day,” Schuller said. “She was that positive teammate. You knew every day she was going to have a smile on her face and
you knew that her effort was going to be excellent. She was a player that was fun to coach because every year of her career she got better and better.” Schuller added that Cunningham’s oncourt strengths were athleticism, speed and back-to-the-basket play. “She was undersized for the position that she played,” Schuller said. “We tried to put her in positions where she could use that speed and quickness against bigger post players, and she got really good at doing that.” On Jan. 18 and 19 the EWU track and field team participated in the WSU Indoor Open in Pullman. The women defeated WSU and Central Washington, with Cunningham finishing 19th in the 60-meter hurdles and 25th in long jump and the 200-meter dash. EWU will travel to Seattle next weekend for the University of Washington Invite on Jan. 25 and 26.•
"I was pretty hesitant because I was like, 'dang I haven't done track for four years prior to this.'"
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- MARIAH CUNNINGHAM Senior multi-participant
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Top left: senior forward Mariah Cunningham shoots a free throw against Southern Utah on Jan. 20, 2018. Top right: Cunningham high-fives teammate Baylee Rexing on Feb. 22 2018. Bottom left: Cunningham guards a driving SUU player on Jan. 20, 2018. Bottom right: Cunningham posts up a defender on Nov. 17, 2017 against Brigham Young. In her EWU basketball career Cunningham averaged 2.6 points and 2.1 rebounds. Middle: Cunningham runs the 200-meter dash at the WSU Indoor Open on Jan. Middle photo courtesy Bridget Mayfield photography, all other photos courtesy The Easterner archives. 18. Cunningham has competed in all three indoor events this year.
University Apartments
1027 Cedar St Cheney, WA 99004 apartments@ewu.edu
The University Apartments provides housing on campus for students who are married or have children, single graduate students, and single students aged 25+. We have two apartment complexes: Anna Maria, across from the EWU Children’s Center Townhouse Apartments, behind the Red Barn on 7th St Rent includes: One parking permit, water, sewer, garbage, and internet Financial aid can be applied to students rent after tuition and fees, or students can be charged monthly. July and August are charged monthly.
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2 BDRM (Shared) - $510/month
1 BDRM - $490/month 2 BDRM - $580/month
1 BDRM - $490/month 2 BDRM (Shared) - $450/month
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2 BDRM - $650/month 3 BDRM - $730/month
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V102 I13 - 1.23.19
Schmedding out as defensive coordinator
Football offseason
Gubrud gauges collegiate comeback
Bailey Monteith for The Easterner
The Eagles' third-greatest passer’s college career was thought to be done when he opted for season-ending surgery halfway through the 2018 season, but his replacement may have brought it new life. Gage Gubrud’s name appeared in the NCAA transfer database according to a report from The Spokesman-Review on Jan. 10. Gubrud would need to seek a medical redshirt in order to be granted a sixthyear of eligibility and with the Eagles’ FCS championship run, it looks to be possible. To qualify for a medical redshirt, a player can compete in no more than one-third of a team’s games. Gubrud played the first five games of the season, suffering his injury against Montana State on Sept. 29. With the FCS championship, the Eagles played in a total of 15 games. If Gubrud is cleared for a sixth NCAA season he will not remain in Cheney with the accomplishments of his successor Eric Barriere, and reports of his name in the transfer database. Speculation arose around where he would go, with most signs pointing to Washington State. With the success of the Cougars' graduate transfer Gardner Minshew leading the team to their first ever 11-win season last year, WSU may be in the market for another experienced transfer. Gubrud recently followed a number of WSU accounts on Twitter including two receiver coaches (Dave Nichol and Steve Spurrier), a running back coach (Eric Mele) and the manager of player personnel (Brittany Thackery).
EWU athletics
TAYLOR NEWQUIST Sports Editor
Senior quarterback Gage Gubrud drops back to pass against Cal Poly on Sept. 22. Gubrud threw for 1416 yards with 13 touchdowns before suffering a season ending injury against Montana State on Sept. 29. Gubrud's name was found in the NCAA transfer database according to a report from The Spokesman-Review on Jan. 10, and may be granted another year of eligibility from the NCAA. Gubrud made his first NCAA appearance when EWU upset WSU 4542 in 2016. He totalled 551 yards and six touchdowns in that game. Gubrud confirmed he has narrowed down his choice between WSU and Utah in a Jan. 21 Spokesman-Review report. "Yeah, I'm between those two schools," Gubrud told the Spokesman-Review via text message. WSU head coach Mike Leach left the possibility of bringing in a transfer quarterback open when asked before the team played in the Alamo Bowl, but didn’t name Gubrud.
“It’s a little early yet on that,” Leach said. “Really nothing specific. I feel good about the two guys here (Anthony Gordon and Trey Tinsley), but then also we’ll see what’s out there as well.” Through his EWU career Gubrud threw for 9,984 yards with 87 touchdowns and a completion percentage of 65. His best season came in 2016 with NFL receivers Cooper Kupp and Kendrick Bourne on the team. That year Gubrud totalled 5,766 yards of total offense with 53 touchdowns and was No. 3 on the Walter Payton Award list for most outstanding FCS player.•
Former EWU defensive coordinator Jeff Schmedding. Schmedding spent 15 years on the Eagles' coaching staff.
TAYLOR NEWQUIST Sports Editor After spending 15 seasons on the EWU coaching staff, former defensive coordinator Jeff Schmedding has opted to join Boise State as the outside linebackers coach and co-special teams coordinator. Broncos' head coach Bryan Harsin announced the change on Jan. 18. Schmedding is a Spokane native, and graduated from University High School in 1996 and graduated from EWU in 2002. Schmedding had been the EWU defensive coordinator since the 2015 season, but he was with the team since 2004 when he started as a graduate assistant. He was the Eagles’ special teams coordinator from 2006 to 2014, coached linebackers in the 2008 season and coached safties from 2010 to 2014. This past year the Eagles' defense led the FCS in defensive touchdowns with six, and was second in forced turnovers with 34. EWU also tied a school record for most games holding opponents to 20 or less points with nine. The last time an EWU defense achieved that feat was 1997. Both BSU and EWU’s coaches have yet to comment on the move.•
2019 EWU football schedule confirmed; Eagles won't play 2018 Big Sky co-champs TAYLOR NEWQUIST Sports Editor The 2018 FCS runners-up will open the 2019 season against three-time defending PAC-12 champion Washington on Aug. 31. Missing from EWU's schedule are fellow Big Sky co-champions Weber State and UC Davis. The Wildcats have beaten EWU the past two seasons. The Eagles will renew their rivalry with Montana, which didn't play EWU for the first time since 1982 last year.•
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Aug. 31 @Washington
Sept. 7 Lindenwood
Sept. 14 @Jacksonville State
Oct. 12 Northern Colorado
Oct. 26 @Montana
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Sept. 21 @Idaho
Nov. 9 @Idaho State
Sept. 28 North Dakota
Nov. 16 @Cal Poly
Oct. 5 @Sacramento State
Nov. 23 Portland State
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