The Easterner: Volume 102, Issue 24

Volume 102, Issue 24

www.TheEasterner.org

April 24, 2019

THE INDEPENDENT, STUDENT-RUN NEWSPAPER OF

EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

3 News | 7 Arts | 8 Features | 12 Opinion | 13 Sports

Celebrating 10 years of pride Members of the LGBTQ+ community aren’t planning to go anywhere, according to Pride Center manager Nick Franco, with this year's Pride Week theme being “Queer Today, Queer Tomorrow.”

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News

Sports

ASEWU presidency contest narrows

Women's tennis 'Unites the Fight'

The race to become the ASEWU president is down to Key Baker and Reilly Responte. With the general elections happening this week, The Easterner looks back at the debate between the two candidates.

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@The Easterner

After a regular season that featured the best winning percentage in head coach Dustin Hinson’s seven seasons at EWU and the best conference record in school history, the women’s tennis team is gearing up for the Big Sky Conference Championship.

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@The_Easterner

@_TheEasterner

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 easternercopy@gmail.com News Editor Dylan Harris easterner.news@gmail.com Sports Editor Taylor Newquist easterner.sports@gmail.com

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Bridging the divide

ASEWU and The Easterner to host discussion panel centered around the relationship between journalism and government THE EASTERNER Editorial Board ASEWU and The Easterner are partnering to hold a discussion panel on EWU’s campus. The purpose of this event is to bring members of journalism and politics together to have an open dialogue on the relationship between the two entities.

The panel will consist of four members: Dante Tyler (president of ASEWU), Michael Brock (editor in chief of The Easterner), Doug Nadvornick (news

director of Spokane Public Radio) and a local politician to be named later. The discussion will be moderated by The Easterner’s managing editor, Jeremy Burnham and ASEWU’s public relations specialist, Madyson Rigg.

With the president of the U.S. constantly referring to journalism as “fake news,” there is currently a strained correspondence between media and government. There is also sometimes a confusion about the purposes of each.

Politicians play a major part in making decisions that impact the general

population. At the same time, one of the primary roles of journalism is to keep those in power accountable. As such, the relationship between journalism and politics is a necessary one to sustain.

The discussion panel will be from 3-5 p.m. on Thursday, May 16 at the JFK Library. Complementary food and drinks will be provided.

Attendees will have the opportunity to write down questions for the panel.

We encourage anyone interested in journalism, politics and the relationship between the two to attend. •

Arts & Features Editor Erik Rotness easterner.aef@gmail.com Web Editor Colleen Ford Social Media Editor Matthew Pennell Copy Editor Sam Jackson Reporters Drew Lawson Malati Powell Kaisa Siipola Marco Vargas Karolyn Wambold Photographers Mckenzie Ford Bailey Monteith Director of Student Newspaper Carleigh Hill Faculty Adviser Jamie Neely

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 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.

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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

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Bailey Monteith for The Easterner

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Key Baker speaking to the audience during the ASEWU candidate debates. Baker is running for ASEWU president against Reilly Responte in the general elections.

ASEWU primaries see improved turnout JEREMY BURNHAM Managing Editor Earlier this month 1,001 students, or 10.24% of the students eligible to vote, took to the polls for the ASEWU primary elections. Voting for the general elections is from April 23-25.

While the primary figure may seem low, it is actually a sizable improvement over a year ago when 6% of voters turned out.

“Part of the reason (for the improved turnout) is a new constitutional change that made the elections a three-day process,” said Brian Moore, ASEWU’s director of elections.

“We were happy to see that number.”

This marks the second consecutive ASEWU election hitting 10%, as last year’s general election surpassed the mark for the first time in several years. This is important because no constitutional changes can

be passed unless at least 10% of eligible students vote.

While Moore is happy with the improved primaries, he thinks the general numbers should be even higher.

“One thing I noticed is that during the primary, candidates weren’t really going out, weren’t really campaigning,” said Moore. “But now that they have gotten through the primaries, that’s really picked up. My hope is that for the general election, turnout is at least 15%.”

Last week, ASEWU prepared for the general elections with a candidate debate.

Candidates answered questions from Moore and the audience in the PUB. One candidate seemed a little more relaxed than the others. Connor Attridge, who is finishing up a term as technology advancement officer, is running unopposed for the executive vice president position.

However, he says he would welcome an opponent.

“It’s a different experience this year,” Attridge said. “In many ways, I was actually hoping to have an opponent. The vice president runs the council … so it’s important to have more than one choice.

I’m going to have to reach out and get more opinions from other students simply because there is not an opposing opinion to my own.”

Attridge said it was good to be able to listen to what the candidates in the other races had to say.

Contested races include the race for president. Reilly Responte, who won the primaries with 561 votes, stressed student involvement on campus. He told the crowd that he wants to make students “want to be on campus.” Key Baker, who picked up 377 votes, said she is running to make

minorities feel more welcome on campus and to address food insecurity.

In the race to become the legislative affairs officer, Mikayla Beeler (469 votes) and Gloria Bravo (381 votes) advanced.

Bravo said she would focus on issues that may seem small, but are important to students. She said she’d propose legislation to require better snow removal on campus during the winter because “it was a problem for many students.”

Beeler said she would listen to what students want when deciding what legislation to propose.

“The best thing we can do is ask what the students need,” Beeler said. “Because I might have an opinion on something that everyone else in this room has a different opinion on.”

The entire debate can be seen on ASEWU’s Facebook page. •

Manufacturing 3D challenge on April 5 at Michigan State University.

EWU’s team won a first prize of $250.

“At first we designed the hovercraft for the competition in Michigan State based on that they give points for how much was 3D printed and we tried to get the maximum amount of points,” Metcalfe, the driver of the hovercraft said.

The competition consisted of teams from universities around the country. The teams were required to produce hovercrafts using 3D printers. They used coding to control

the hovercrafts and drive them through an obstacle course.

“Payload was 3D printed for the hovercraft to lift, so we were not sure how much it weighed,” Kelly said. “We were given the 3D specifications and had to replicate the payload for how much it weighs which was about 100 grams or so.”

Including EWU, there were eight teams that competed at Michigan State.

According to Metcalfe, the reason for not many teams competing is because the competition is being revamped due to years

of cancellations.

“Jack did all of the designing as well as the printing on his personal 3D printer,” Lenoue said.

According to Metcalfe, it took from October to March for the entire process of designing, printing and assembling the hovercraft.

The 3D competition for next year is set for 3D printed drones and the team is already underway with designs and ideas. •

Engineering students come out on top KAROLYN WAMBOLD Reporter

A group of EWU mechanical engineering students took first place in a hovercraft manufacturing competition. The team’s hovercraft placed highest in each category it was judged in.

The team, made up of juniors Qasim Alqasim and Ben Zuniga, and seniors Cameron Metcalfe, Joe Lenoue and Jack Kelly, went to a competition called the ASME E-Fest North for the Innovative Additive

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News

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Bailey Monteith for The Easterner

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Key Baker (left) and Reilly Responte (right) addressing the audience during the ASEWU candidates debate. Responte won the primary election with 561 votes, while Baker finished in second with 377 votes.

Key Baker and Reilly Responte face off in race for presidency JEREMY BURNHAM Managing Editor The race to become the ASEWU president is down to Key Baker and Reilly Responte after voters eliminated Alaa Almohammed in the primary elections. The general elections are this week.

Baker and Responte allowed voters to get to know them a little better by taking part in the ASEWU candidate debates last week.

Both candidates talked about what led them to run.

“Eastern has truly become a home to me,” Responte said. “This place means everything to me. Going to college here was a huge step in my life. And when taking that step forward, Eastern really supported me.”

While Responte cited his love for EWU as motivation, Baker focused on areas that she believes need improving.

“I’ll be honest in saying that I do not think EWU has been a perfect place,” Baker said. “And I do not think ASEWU has been a perfect student government. I’m very happy to hear that (some of the other candidates) think of Eastern as a home, that’s great …

But I do know there are a lot of students on campus who do not feel the same way. We need more representation for students of color.”

Responte talked about his leadership experience as the president of Beta Theta Pi while Baker mentioned her time as an athlete with the EWU women’s basketball team.

Responte’s message centered around unity. He said he wants to see more diversity in the hiring practices of ASEWU, saying that the current practices are “too Greek oriented.” He also mentioned that he dislikes how few people remain on campus after their classes end.

“That tells me that people aren’t getting out and doing things in their community on campus,” Responte said. “We don’t really show that we’re a community as one.

There’s a lot of individual organizations on campus that act on their own, and basically only participate in events with themselves …

I want to make those walls break down and connect all the campus organizations with each other.”

An important campaign issue to Baker is food insecurity among college students. She said she will push school administrators to make changes to help hungry students.

“I recently conducted a survey of food insecurity on our campus,” Baker said.

“Some students had gone an entire day without food to eat. The fact is I have done this research, I have the data … I can tell (the school) ‘hey, I took the time, I’ve done the work and I have this information.’”

Baker also talked about the prices of food on campus.

“I’d like to start a petition talking about the price of food at the PUB,” Baker said.

“They are too high.”

After the debate, Responte told The Easterner that he agrees with Baker that food insecurity is an important issue. He

said he’s proud of the way the school is addressing it.

“One really cool thing that is happening on campus right now is the Department of Community Engagement, led by Brian Davenport, advocated for food pantries all across campus,” said Responte. “You can find them everywhere. Students walk up to them, they open them up and they take food. These get refilled about once a week.”

Responte says he’d like to take it further.

“I’d like to see a centralized location where students swipe their Eagle card

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and can shop for all the food they need for the week,” Responte said.

Baker said that while the pantries are a step in the right direction, they aren’t being executed as well as they could be.

“While we do have food pantries, we aren’t doing a good enough job promoting them,” Baker said. “A lot of students don’t know that we have them, don’t know where they are or how to access them.”

Polls for the ASEWU general elections open on Tuesday, April 23 and close on Thursday, April 25. To vote, go to vote. ewu.edu. There will also be voting booths set up around campus. •

News

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ASEWU position breakdown MALATI POWELL Reporter ASEWU is the EWU student government elected to serve the students. Elected representatives act as a resource for students and work to voice and address concerns of all students.

The primary election for the 20192020 representatives is complete and the general election takes place this week.

Most students are aware of the ongoing

elections, but not everyone is informed when it comes to what each candidate will do if they are elected. Here are some brief summaries of each elected position’s roles and responsibilities.

All of the information presented in this article references the ASEWU bylaws and the ASEWU website. For complete descriptions of each position, visit ASEWU’s official website at ewu.edu/asewu/.

Diversity Outreach

This representative is responsible for all matters of diversity for students. They work with the Multicultural Center, Veterans Resource Center, Africana Studies, Chicana and Chicano Studies, American Indian Studies and other departments on campus.

Graduate Affairs

This representative is responsible for matters related to graduate students. They work with the EWU Spokane Student Services, the Graduate Affairs Council and act as the EWU Spokane Liaison for all students to the ASEWU.

President

The president is the Chief Executive Officer of ASEWU. They are responsible for enforcing any decisions made by ASEWU. They sign bills into law and speak on the behalf of ASEWU. They work closely with the university president, the board of trustees and the Washington Student Association to advocate for the needs of EWU students.

Executive Vice President

The executive vice president is the head of the ASEWU council.

They lead all of the work sessions and council meetings. They help make decisions with ASEWU and take on the duties of president if the president is unable. They are also the chair of the PUB board.

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Legislative Affairs This representative is responsible for legislative matters related to EWU students for support from Washington state legislators.

They obtain information based on the needs and wants of students and advocate on their behalf by assisting the legislative liaison while in Olympia during winter quarter.

Student Activities

This representative is responsible for matters related to student organizations. They work with SAIL to host student organization meetings that provide valuable information to the students regarding functions, funding and meeting requirements for student organizations.

Finance Vice President

The finance vice president is in charge of the money in ASEWU. They chair the Finance Committee, sit on the Service and Activities Committee and attend the University Budget Committee meetings.

They help balance the budget of ASEWU and work on the points systems for student organizations to earn supplemental funding.

Academic Affairs This representative is responsible for advocating and addressing the academic matters of students. They work with the Academic Senate, Undergraduate Affairs Council, Rules Committee, Learning Commons and the faculty president.

Athletic Affairs and University Advancement

This representative is responsible for athletic and university advancement matters. They work with the athletic department, campus recreation, career services, University Recreation Center, Alumni Association and the vice president of University Advancement.

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Student Health and Safety Services

This representative is responsible for matters related to the safety and health of students. They work with EWU Campus Police, Health, Wellness and Prevention Services, Disability Support Services, Counseling and Psychological Services, Student Rights and Responsibilities and Student Support and Advocacy.

Student Services

This representative is responsible for matters of services provided to students by EWU. They work with dining services, parking, child care services, transportation, financial aid and Housing and Residential Life.

Technology Advancement This representative is responsible for matters of technology provided to students. They work with Technical Support Services and the library circulation desk.

News

Sexual Assault Action Week provides resources and education KAROLYN WAMBOLD Reporter The entire month of April is set aside in the U.S. for sexual assault awareness.

From April 15-18, EWU had many different events going on for its Sexual Assault Action Week on the Cheney campus. Sexual Assault Action Week is intended to support those who have been sexually assaulted and to give them access to the resources that they need.

Deborah Parker was a keynote speaker

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Mckenzie Ford for The Easterner

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Signs with sexual assault related statistics posted along a walkway outside of the PUB. Sexual Assault Action Week lasted from April 15-18.

during one of the week’s events in Monroe Hall. She spoke as an advocate who was sexually assaulted and discussed how she was able to go to the Senate and House of Representatives to fight for rights for all sexual assault survivors.

“When your spirit tells you to stand up and do something, that’s what you must do and sometimes it’s at all costs,” Parker said.

In a documentary called “It Happened Here,” statistics show that one in five women are sexually assaulted on a

college campus with less than 20% of sexual assaults being reported to campus authorities. The documentary also states that 85% of sexual assault perpetrators are acquaintances of some sort.

Sexual Assault Action Week was a week for EWU students and faculty to come together to support victims of sexual assault.

“EWU has an education program called Start by Believing that helps in supporting victims of sexual assault,” Lindsey Fulton, the event coordinator said.

Title IX was a major focus during the week. Title IX is a section in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin.

Sexual Assault Action Week had many different events and covered different aspects of the very sensitive topic. Both students and faculty were able to attend these events and get knowledge regarding sexual assault and the resources available to victims. •

students who might have struggled in high school based on their GPA. “It was a mentoring program. So the idea was that the students, when they were admitted into Pathways, they would have terms and conditions,” Durbin said. “With your GPA, we would admit you to Eastern as long as you were willing to participate in Pathways. So it’s kind of a two-way street. We were also providing services for the students for their freshman year. So basically, when you boil down the terms, you agree to meet with your mentor twice a week.”

The change of Pathways will have an effect not only on the mentees but the staff of Pathways as well. According to Page, there will be a collaboration across campus to revitalize the program.

“We are also making the program more tailored to each student’s unique needs by having students meet with an academic adviser to create a success plan, before they even attend new student orientation,” Page said. “We believe that if we can create a plan that addresses the unique needs of students rather than lumping everyone into a onesize-fits-all situation, that student will be

better supported.”

Durbin continued to share the last time the program saw a change.

“In 2016, the program moved over to the Center for Academic Advising and Retention. I also became the full-time adviser for the students in the program,” Durbin said. “When we started this year, I believe we had 26 mentors and a graduate student and myself. That budget paid for my salary, and the rest of the budget, probably 95% of it, paid student employees, and then our graduate student got a waiver.”

The news came as a bit of a shock to Durbin after she received an email sent by President Mary Cullinan last week.

“On (April 8), an email came out from Dr. Cullinan that salaries were a big part of the cost of running Eastern and there would have to be cuts,” Durbin said. “And on that Monday, I was scheduled to have a meeting with the Provost.”

According to Durbin, the program will be cut.

“What was told to me at that time was that due to the budget shortfall, Pathways was being cut,” Durbin said. “And at that time, I asked what was going to happen

to my students because they get a lot of attention, they need it. And I was told that the students would be taken care of in CAAR … So there will be no more mentoring program in the sense of these students are assigned a mentor in June.”

Associate vice president of Undergraduate Policy and Planning Mark Baldwin answered a few questions in a phone interview with The Easterner about the complexity of this program’s transition.

“It was a progam that was really designed to serve about 100 students that we think can take advantage of a program that can help support them," Baldwin said. "The dollars that were supporting Pathways were not a part of the budget so it was really hard to find the dollars to support Pathways.”

The students in Pathways will be taken care of by CAAR according to Baldwin.

“We wanted to use the resources that were available in CAAR ... We want to focus on what will be successful for students,” Baldwin said.

The Easterner will continue to follow this story. •

Pathways program facing changes AMANDA HAWORTH Chief Copy Editor The Pathways program has been at EWU since 2014 and is being restructured due to budget concerns.

“The program was started in order to provide support for students who are statistically at risk of not graduating,” program coordinator Tracy Durbin said.

“When we use that in the context of Pathways, it just means based on your high school GPA, your chances of actually graduating from college are lower.”

According to Heather Page, the executive director of Academic Advising & Retention, the program is not being disbanded or discontinued, but rather, changed.

“Pathways program was only able to serve about 100 students. The changes we’ve made to the future program include: creating more partnerships across campus for supporting students and tailoring the program to each individual student’s needs,” Page said in an email.

The program provided a mentor and mentee relationship for incoming

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Arts

Easterner Asks

What are your thoughts about the food services at EWU? "I feel like the less healthier options are easier to get. It would be better to have the healthier options, but they usually cost more. It is easy to get the chicken tenders and fries."

- Michael Quindlen, Sophomore “I would say they are pretty good especially since the Fall. Especially for people with food allergies. I’ve noticed at Freshens they have vegan and gluten-free, and it is nice that it is labeled."

- Delaney Irvin, Freshman "I think they are good, but really expensive. I think more vegan options would be really cool. I am vegan and it is really hard to find something good other than a salad."

- Erin Williams, Senior "I am adhering to a specific diet and Panda Express is relatively low-calorie depending on what you get, and it tastes really good."

- Randy Heckard, Junior “They only provide fast food type of things like hamburgers and fries not really the healthiest choices. I think they should increase the variety of places to eat."

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Looking Back

Eagles dominate meet THE EASTERNER Archives This story was originally published in The Easterner Vol. 30, No. 21 in 1979 and has not been changed except for AP style.

The Eagle track team came away with seven firsts, five seconds, four thirds and four fourth place finishes last Saturday at Woodward Field in a meet that was marred by gusting winds and cold temperatures.

"We did a fine job in the field events and came away with three first place finishes in the triple jump, high jump and the javelin,” said Jerry Marlin, EWU track coach. "It's pretty hard to evaluate the other events because of the weather, but I know the guys are in good shape.”

The Eagles swept first and second places in the triple jump as Jeff Frederick and Ron Thomas covered the distance in 48 feet 7 inches and 47 feet 4 inches, respectively.

The EWU squad also took the top three places in the thousand meter run with John Elsip leading the pack, followed by John Blalock and Jim Forgath.

Other Eagle first place finishers included Vic White in the high jump, who won with a 6-foot-8-inch leap, and Mike Maletich won the javelin competition with a 189-foot-5-inch throw. Mike Balderson topped the 200-meter dash in 23.0 seconds, and Steve Kiesel took the 400 in 50 seconds flat.

Second place finishers included Steve Quigley in the shot-put, Rick Gehrts in the 800-meter dash, Dave Sullivan in the 200-meter dash.

Third place finishers included the 440 relay learn, Jay Terry in the steeplechase, and Tom Thomas in the long jump.

Fourth place finishers included Quigley in the discus, Maletich in

Bill Hupe: Easterner, Vol. 30, No. 21, April 5, 1979

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IS IT A PLANE...? EWU track member Vic White completes a jump during competition last Saturday at Woodward Field. White later placed first with a 6-foot-8-inch leap in the high jump. EWU took seven firsts and five seconds in the meet. the shot put, Brian McKinnis in the triple jump and Jay Manning in the 800-meter dash.

The track meet featured teams from Washington State University, Spokane Community College, Whitman College, Whitworth College and North Idaho College.

Martin said the team travels to

Ellensburg this Saturday to compete against Central Washington and the University of Idaho.

This Sunday and Monday will be the Invitational Decathlon, with five events scheduled for each day.

Participants for the Eagles will be Steve Erickson, Mark Pierce and Brad Duffy. •

Confessions These posts were originally published on Instagram @EWU_Confessions. The purpose of this platform is to provide a safeplace for students to comfortably share their experiences and to support one another. The account @EWU_Confessions is not affiliated with The Easterner and is independently operated by an EWU student. To submit confessions, please go to @EWU_Confessions on Instagram.

- Daisy Ibarra, Freshman "I think it is quite expensive, but the food is pretty decent. It’s gotten a lot better since Tawanka was taken out in my opinion. I love the burrito bar. I go there twice a day.

It is pretty fire."

- Britton Bakke, Freshman

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8

“To me, having Pride Week shows,

for people who don't come to the Pride Center, that there is a place where you can feel comfortable, and that there are people that you can reach out to if you ever have any difficulties.”

- JORDAN McGEE Eagle Pride Club Co-President

Pride Week events

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The Pride Center will provide some swag including phone fans and rainbow water bottles for students to enjoy while supplies last from 10a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Pride Center on April 29.

On April 30 is a movie night featuring “Love Simon” at 7 p.m. in the PUB NCR.

Local trans-fronted band, The Angela Marie Project, will play an outdoor concert at noon on May 1 in the campus mall.

On May 2 is a discussion on Ace Visibility, which will address the meaning of the term “asexual” and how the term is often overlooked and misunderstood, at noon in the Women's and Gender Education Center located in Monroe 207.

In celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month at EWU, the Pride Center will showcase art throughout the month of May from queer AAPI artists at 1 p.m. in the Pride Center. The formal Queer Asian American/Pacific Islander Artist Showcase will be on May 2 at noon with a Q&A reception with the artists to follow.

The last event on May 2 is Our Space for Gender Non-Conforming Folks which is a discussion on topics related to being gender non-conforming at 2 p.m. in the Multicultural Center.

Pride Week finishes with the 10th Annual Lavender Graduation. The graduation is a cultural celebration recognizing graduating LGBTQ+ students and allies from the entire Cheney and Spokane region including high school and community college students, at 6 p.m. on May 3 in the Hargreaves Reading Room.

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EWU is

proud EWU celebrates its 10th Annual Pride Week KAISA SIIPOLA Reporter This year marks the 10th Annual Pride Week at EWU which celebrates and emphasizes LGBTQ+ issues and identities with a week full of events and activities on campus from April 29 to May 3.

The theme for this year’s Pride Week, “Queer Today, Queer Tomorrow,” was inspired by the idea that members of the LGBTQ+ community aren’t planning to go anywhere, according to Pride Center manager Nick Franco.

“It is important that we have events, like Pride Week and Lavender Graduation, because that sends the message that EWU is, or at least aims to be, welcoming and accepting,” Mimi Marinucci, professor of philosophy and women's and gender studies, said in an email to The Easterner.

Pride Week concludes with the 10th Annual Lavender Graduation. The graduation is a cultural celebration recognizing graduating LGBTQ+ students and allies from the entire Cheney and Spokane region including high school and community college students, on May 3 at 6 p.m. in the Hargreaves Reading Room.

Director of Student Activities, Involvement and Leadership Stacey Reece has worked at EWU during all 10 years of Pride Week.

Reece will be in her 18th year at EWU coming up in August and supervised the Pride Center when it began in 2009-2010.

Students held a rally to have a Pride Center on campus around the 2006-2007 school year.

“It took time to figure out funding to support the center and the staffing needs,

especially since the university was going through budget cuts in 2007 and 2008,” Reece said.

The original person who started the Lavender Graduation was Sandy Williams, the Pride Center coordinator at the time.

“This was an event that was very dear and near to her heart,” Reece said.

Reece loves the feeling and energy that she gets when attending the Lavender Graduation.

“Just the sense of pride and accomplishment and kind of the ownership of who you are becomes really apparent in that moment,” Reece said.

The Pride Center was originally under the student affairs category and was switched to the diversity and inclusion category on Sept. 1, 2017 according to Franco.

The Pride Center and Pride Week complement each, showing how EWU’s campus has changed and maintained conversations on LGBTQ+ issues on the forefront to support students, according to Franco.

“I think Sandy, who was the first manager of the Pride Center, really kinda brought the conversations forward that folks weren’t really talking about as far as identity expression,” Reece said. “I think Nick Franco, since they have been here, has even escalated that conversation in the sense that we have gender-neutral bathrooms, we are talking about identity and self expression more so in the last couple of years than I believe we ever have.”

EWU's campus has changed dynamically from a logistical standpoint since having Pride Week, according to Franco.

“People are reaching out to me well in advance to figure out or ask when Pride

Week is so that they don’t program over it,” Franco said. “Which indicates to me that they recognize the event as being really important and that they want to make sure that we get a whole week to ourselves.”

Co-president of the Eagle Pride Club Jordan McGee said that this is her third year as a participant.

“To me, having Pride Week, shows for people who don’t come to the Pride Center that there is a place where you can feel comfortable and that there are people that you can reach out to if you ever have any difficulties,” McGee said.

Franco hopes that students gain a sense of affirmation from Pride Week.

“Sometimes just seeing rainbows on campus has this way of making you feel like I’m seen and heard,” Franco said. “I want them to feel like they matter, there are people who care about them, there are people who are like them on campus … And that it is OK for them to be themselves on campus.”

The Pride Center partnered with several organizations on and off campus including Community Colleges of Spokane, Counseling and Psychological Services, Diversity and Inclusion Office, Eagle Entertainment, Multicultural Center, the President’s Office and Student Activities and Involvement & Leadership while putting together the events.

If any graduating student is interested in more information, including how to register, visit the Lavender Graduation web page: https://sites.ewu.edu/ pridecenter/lavgrad/.

Guests and students will not need to register for the Lavender Graduation.•

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De-constructing

Features

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disability KAISA SIIPOLA Reporter

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Priscilla Fraire

Learning about disability doesn’t have to be limited to students with disabilities.

“The Student Disability Culture Club is a diversity club that focuses on breaking down disability stereotypes and talking about disability culture,” EWU SDCC President Matthew Seeberger said.

The club currently has eight members; six of them are officers.

The SDCC was developed by students Aubrey Gilmore, Dorcas Awuah and Haylee Betts who were enrolled in the Disability Studies capstone course during winter 2018 because they wanted to build community, and enhance activism and advocacy on campus, according to Director of Disability Studies Ryan Parrey.

To Seeberger, having a SDCC means providing a space for people to learn and see disability as just another experience.

“I thought it was very interesting and because I am a disabled student myself,” Seeberger said.

Lujan Ramirez is another club member; she is the social media chair for the club and is currently working on new posters to hang up around campus.

Ramirez said she joined the club after she had a class with Seeberger who explained the club’s mission.

Having a SDCC to Ramirez is having the opportunity to break down stereotypes of disability, teach and educate people about disability, and help those who may go into career fields working with people with disabilities.

“Even if I don’t go into a field where I am working with people with disabilities, it’s good to be aware and to know things, and that’s why I really enjoy it,” Ramirez said.

Parrey remembers when he was the only disabled student in college and says that he didn’t think about making friends on campus at the time. He says that he wanted something that helped EWU students with disabilities make friends.

“Too often we can forget that disability isn’t just about classroom accommodations, but it’s about people and community,” Parrey said. “I know some students that didn’t know each other before an event and now they’re best friends, and I think that’s just perfect, and it’s exactly what it’s supposed to be.”

Members of the SDCC hope to host a movie night, fundraisers and more club meetings according to Seeberger.

The SDCC’s goals are to establish funding for next year, recruit more members, break down disability stereotypes and pass the torch to the next SDCC club president by next year, according to Seeberger.

More information on the Student Disability Culture Club can be found on its Instagram @ewu.sdclub and on its Orgsync.•

The Notre Dame Cathedral before the fire on April 15. Students from EWU visited the Cathedral and shared their experiences with The Easterner.

Students recall Notre Dame MALATI POWELL Reporter The Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris caught fire Monday April 15, 2019. While under renovation, the cathedral was surrounded by scaffolding. According to the New York Times the fire started in the attic in a small space above the arches.

These arches are dry wood that formed a combustible lattice.

The source of the fire is believed to be an accident. The infamous Rose Window along with the rectangular towers and priceless Christian relics survived the fire.

A group of students from EWU went on a trip to London and Paris through the Study Abroad Program and were able to see the Cathedral before the fire. Some of them shared their reactions with The Easterner.

“My experience on this trip and seeing the cathedral was absolutely astounding,” EWU graduate student Rachel Goodner said. “Paris is everything. Paris was the city of lights for me because of the energies it produced: the people; the food; the language; the politics; the architecture; the history; the wine; the art; the gardens; the apartments; the everything; the Notre Dame.”

Graduate student TJ Carter also took the trip to London and Paris. He said the trip was amazing and that he got to see many iconic sights, museums and neighborhoods.

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“I would highly recommend going on the next one,” Carter said. “Notre Dame was certainly one of the trip's highlights. Looking at a picture of the building cannot do it justice. Inside, the scope of the interior is both daunting and inspiring. The stone columns rise so high they seem to defy gravity. No one needs to be told to speak in whispers. It is a human instinct to whisper when in a place like Notre Dame.”

Donations from numerous contributors have been made to help rebuild the Notre Dame Cathedral. The president of France, Emmanuel Macron, says that he wants the reconstruction to be complete in five years. The rector of the Notre Dame, Bishop Patrick Chauvet, says the cathedral will be closed for at least five years, possibly six.

Notre Dame was built between the 12th and 14th century.

“The loss of the wood used for the original roof, and the energy those trees held has been lost,” said Goodner. “No matter how accurately the rebuilding goes, I believe the reverent power of the interior has been lost, and will only come back with time as people heal from this great loss.

Trees have a special gift of holding time and thoughts, so I am anxious to see what the new bones of the Notre Dame say.”

So what does it cost to rebuild such a historic cathedral?

It has been yet to be determined by French authorities but a major European insurer is projecting a cost of $8 billion worth of renovations. As of right now, approximately $1 billion has been given in donations to help rebuild the cathedral, as predicted by French authorities.

Companies such as Apple and Disney have contributed to this.

This event affected many people around the world. The cathedral means something different to each person.

“Speaking from my own experience, the Notre Dame was an impossible building, and it represented a beauty and history that spoke for France long before the Eiffel Tower was a thought,” Goodner said. “I think that’s why this tragedy is globally devastating; the Notre Dame spoke to people, and the fire somehow silenced her.” •

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Greater Expectations Features

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EWU professor's studies show female professors receive greater work demands SAM JACKSON Copy Editor

In this study, students also completed an academic entitlement assessment, in which they rated their entitlement on a scale of one to An EWU psychology professor’s research seven (the same as the other survey). Students showed some students inflict gender bias answered on if they felt that the professor against female professors in higher education should approach them if they are struggling in institutions. the class, if they thought they were a product After finding that sometimes her ‘no’ wasn’t of their own environment and it’s not their being heard enough in the classroom, especially fault for doing poorly in class, if they blame regarding her policy against giving out her the professor for failing a test due to not PowerPoint slides, EWU professor Dr. Amani understanding the lecture and if because they El-Alayli wondered if her male colleagues were pay tuition that they deserve a passing grade. going through the same thing and if any of this “The reason we included academic was somehow related to entitlement is gender. because I was “People expecting thinking about all women to be more of my hardworking nurturing and helpful students who could get generalized wouldn’t really ask to other settings, for any of those and so maybe me not special favors in the giving out my slides first place," El-Alayli would contradict said. For them, the that expectation,” Elrequests wouldn't Alayli said. differ by professor This experience gender because led El-Alayli to study requests like these gender dynamics in the wouldn’t even cross Dr. Amani El-Alayli classroom and discover their mind in the EWU Professor the extra burdens first place." female professors The study found encounter by some students. that academically entitled students had El-Alayli teaches for the psychology significantly stronger expectations of getting department at EWU. Around the year 2013, a ‘yes’ for special favor requests from female she and two other collaborators—Michelle professors.

Ceynar, a faculty member at Pacific Lutheran Greater demands University, and Ashley Brown, a former graduate student of El-Alayli and a professor at Bridgewater State—began conducting two In the second study 300 institutions studies that centered around the bias some were randomly selected by the Carnegie students have about female professors.

Classification of Institutions of Higher The first study consisted of 121 EWU Education to participate. Eighty-eight psychology student participants. Fifty- professors took part in the study. One male and eight students were female, 61 male and one female professor from each participating two identified as other or unspecified. school received a study link.

It was an online survey that displayed The professors were asked to think about fictitious professors that were either their most frequently taught course and male or female. Students evaluated seven determine the frequency of special favor hypothetical scenarios involving requests requests and standard requests by students. for special favors from the professor.

Standard requests included meeting The purpose of the first study was to during office hours, receiving emails about determine if students were more likely to materials, explaining an assignment further expect female professors to approve their and other standard duties professors should special favor requests, causing the students do. Additionally, professors reported otherto make more requests and express negative directed emotional labor, or forms of emotional reactions when their requests are denied. support toward students.

Special favor requests included students The study showed that female professors asking to retake a test after failing due to a exceeded male professors in both difficult week, asking the professor to meet to categories of requests, and reported more go over all the material they missed in class other-directed emotional labor. after missing for a good reason, and asking the “So we did find that female professors were professor for study guides after being informed reporting that they were getting more extra that there will be no study guides offered, just favor requests, but they were also reporting to name a few. Students rated scenarios like getting more standard work demands than these on a scale of one to seven—one being not male professors,” El-Alayli said. “Those are at all likely to ask and seven being extremely things that we’re supposed to for our job, likely to ask for these favors. but female professors were saying they were

“I think it's

important for people to be willing to accept that they might not always treat people fairly .

”

getting more of them, which is interesting.”

After all of the studies El-Alayli has done on how students perceive their professors, she said she isn’t seeing evidence that students have less respect for their female professors or view them as less competent.

“I think a lot of people assume that’s what’s at the root of all this, but it’s not really that,” El-Alayli said. “It’s just people expect women to be nurturers, so it makes sense that students might expect female professors to be more nurturing and to take on that motherly role.”

El-Alayli said that she’s always been pretty firm about sticking to her policies and being a fair teacher. “(The studies) haven’t changed how I have taught but changed how I understand student reactions,” El-Alayli said.

El-Alayli has told her students about the research in these studies at times because she wants them to know about the pattern of gender bias in classrooms.

“I don’t think students are intending to treat their female and male professors differently,” El-Alayli said. “Also, female students are doing it just as much as the

male students. So it makes me think that this is a bias people have that they might want to know about and control for. Plus the idea of students taking responsibility is an important thing to learn in college. So generally speaking I think it can be helpful to tell them if they expect too much of their professors.”

El-Alayli has noticed some students “trying to overcorrect for it” and end up not asking her for anything.

“As a professor I want to know what their concerns are and I want to be able to help them in a way that I think is fair,” El-Alayli said. “But now they're afraid to ask for any extra credit in the course when it might be something that I would offer.”

El-Alayli’s goal is for people to be aware of the biases that exist. She wants students and teachers to treat each other fairly.

“I think it’s important for people to be willing to accept that they might not always treat people fairly,” El-Alayli said. “Because if you think you’re immune to that, if you think you’re invulnerable, then you will never fix it.”•

Dr. Amani El-Alayli teaches for the psychology department at EWU. Between two studies she's conducted, El-Alayli showed that female professors receive more special-favor requests and standard work demands than male professors.

Mckenzie Ford for The Easterner

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Opinion

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Guest Column

Deborah Parker asks EWU: 'What are you willing to protect?'

LEAH NEMETH Guest Columnist

April is recognized as Sexual Assault Action Month, which departments such as EWU Health, Wellness and Prevention Services take on to lead the campus in a week’s worth of events.

These events have historically featured guest speakers, education through creative arts across campus and discussions on unpacking what it means to support and understand those who have survived sexual violence.

EWU had the honor of welcoming Deborah Parker, a nationally recognized social activist and scholar who has dedicated her life to causes surrounding indigenous nations’ rights, violence against men, women and children, and sexual assault awareness. She has been instrumental in the passing of legislation in support of missing and murdered indigenous women, environmental justice, and social justice.

Parker’s keynote speech and workshop were nothing short of captivating. The keynote opened with her taking the time to look at the faces in the room and providing a warm welcome, acknowledging the land of the Spokane Tribe that everyone in the room and larger EWU community stood on.

This led to her story on how her upbringing, inspiring her children to go beyond limitations, and tribulations through her life led her to the realization that she had to make her mark on the world. Parker shared the importance of honoring your ancestors and the spaces you encompass, the vitality behind taking care of yourself and your soul, and being able to teach when institutions fail to.

The workshop activity after the keynote was when Parker created an atmosphere where students thought deeply about what current issues they would fight for. After getting into small groups with individuals of similar passions, each group presented on the three issues they felt were pertinent to their causes. This not only created a supportive environment for those who might not have recognized the voice they had before, but it also challenged others to think about what Parker had asked us: “what are you willing to protect?”

Lisa Logan

Leah Nemeth is a senior at EWU. Guest columns do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of The Easterner, its staff members or Eastern Washington University.

Deborah Parker gives a speech to EWU students on April 16. Parker, who was the keynote speaker for Sexual Assault Action Week, is a social activist and member of the Tulalip Tribes of Washington.

Parker’s visit to EWU’s campus not only empowered students, but it opened their eyes to the power they had inside already.

She created a space for individuals to unpack within themselves how they can become agents of change.

Parker provides us with the utmost importance of taking action year-round, and highlighting that although sexual violence is typically a conversation focusing on women, it affects everyone of all gender identities, ages, and cultural backgrounds.

The Women’s and Gender Studies program and the Women’s and Gender Education Center collaborated with Health, Wellness and Prevention Services and American Indian Studies to make this event happen.

By Parker coming to campus, she generated the awakening of the next generation of activists and leaders by reminding us that it takes just one voice to start a movement. •

“Parker's visit to EWU's campus

not only empowered students, but it opened their eyes to the power they had inside already.”

- LEAH NEMETH Senior

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Camps, Continued from pg.

16 “We talked in another story about how I thought Spokane was a basketball mecca,” Currie said, referring to an article from The Easterner about Spokane’s basketball culture, originally published April 10.

“What a cool way for all the teams … who are coming to our team camp to kind of get exposure to our area and what we stand for as a program.”

Men’s basketball hosts elite camps, team camps, coed developmental and skills camps. Like the other sports’ camps, all coaches and many players get involved.

Camp coordinator and assistant coach David Riley said camps are good for recruiting and for high school teams to bond with each other. Team camps are an opportunity to look at potential future recruits when they’re younger, and elite camps frequently generate eventual Eagles.

“If they’re getting recruited, they’ll try to make it out to one of those camps,” Riley said. “(They) see the campus, work with us a little bit. It’s a good experience for everybody, because you get to see what the coaches and the players are about.”

Many EWU basketball players attended camps in high school, including all of last

Taylor Newquist for The Easterner year’s senior class–Jesse Hunt, Ty Gibson and Cody Benzel. Other players who attended camps in high school include: junior Tyler Kidd and freshmen Kim Aiken Jr., Tanner Groves, Jordan Veening and Casson Rouse.

Football hosts more camps than any other sports, since there are specific clinics for position groups. EWU divides players

Newquist, Continued from pg. 16 Before my confidence was stamped out in my sophomore year, it was fueled on Roos Field the year before.

One of the best parts of going to the EWU football camp was getting to play on the Inferno, especially as a 14-year-old from a small town it feels like a big deal. Not to mention none of us had even stepped onto turf before.

My best memory from that first camp was rolling to the right and running in a touchdown, despite my slow speed. The red field made it all the better.

Flash forward to the next year, and I was put in for a few snaps with the varsity team, because most of the players would rotate in at camp.

It was a scrimmage against Lynden. For some perspective, when we played them they had five state championships in the previous 10 seasons.

We knew we were going to be crushed going into the scrimmage, and it didn't take long for that to come to fruition. By the time I came in at quarterback our team was morally defeated.

It only took me three throws to tally two interceptions, and from that point I figured I should try and put my energy toward other positions.

And that I probably should keep studying, because

into upperclassmen and underclassmen camps. Camp coordinator and Director of Football Operations Marc Anderson said EWU head coach Aaron Best calls himself a “camp guy,” because Best himself wasn’t noticed as a high school player until he attended camps.

“They’re important to us from a perspective of exposing high school

football wasn't going to be my ticket to college.

I kept playing quarterback on the junior varsity team until about halfway through my sophomore season, when I suffered a season-ending collar bone injury, and decided I would just stick to defense after that.

On a cold, rainy night in Selah, we were playing the best team in the league that year, Ellensburg. I had been sacked at least five times in the first half, and although I can't remember much, I think I had a slight concussion.

My final play of that game lives in my mind on a regular repeat. I'm sure everyone has one of these moments. The feeling of the worst injury you've ever had.

I dropped back to pass and the defensive end on my back side (I'm left handed) ran right by the right tackle. Within seconds I was hit at the perfect angle, where all of the defender's body weight crushed down on my shoulder against the ground.

The snap of my collar bone echoed inside of me, bringing an instant, 'oh sh-t,' as the wind knocked out of my lungs.

I limped off of the field, and spent the next several months in a sling. The next season, our team opted to go to camp at Linfield College instead of EWU. Either way, I never played quarterback again, and I'm glad I didn't.•

13

students and coaches and teams to Eastern Washington University,” Anderson said.

Anderson added that players who attend receive instruction from their respective position coaches on the EWU staff. Players get involved by refereeing games and helping coach younger campers. Similarly to men’s basketball, many current players attended camps in high school.

“We looked at the numbers a couple years ago, and it was a good percentage,” Anderson said. “It was about half our signing class at that point … were on campus for some sort of camp.”

The EWU soccer team is doing a soccer and volleyball fusion camp for younger children in addition to a team camp and two individual development camps. According to camp coordinator and assistant coach Mackenzie German, individual camps are a chance for high school and junior college players to experience EWU and display their skills. “(Players) that are interested in our program, they can come,” German said.

“We train them and then watch them play.

It’s an opportunity for them to showcase themselves.”

Information for all EWU athletic camps, including dates, times and costs can be found on the EWU Athletics website.•

Tweet of the week

Rams to name adopted dog Cooper Pupp

Mckenzie Ford for The Easterner

McGee breaks 40-year-old long jump record EWU competed in multiple California meets last week.

Junior Keshun McGee had a standout performance at the 25th Beach Invitational, in Long Beach on April 19.

McGee's mark of 25-feet-2-inches beat his previous best by nearly four inches. He surpassed Vic White's 25-feet-1.25inch mark set in 1979.

McGee is now ranked No. 30 in the nation in the long jump. The top 48 athletes in each event qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships on June 6.

Junior Keshun McGee competes in the triple jump at the 47th Peuller Invitational in Cheney, on April 13. McGee holds the EWU record for long jump and triple jump.

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The Los Angeles Rams Twitter account adopted this dog from the LA County Department of Animal Care and Control this week and used a poll to give it a name. The dog will be training with Shelter to Soldier to be a psychiatric service dog for a combat veteran suffering from PTSD or traumatic brain injury.

Sports

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Bailey Monteith for The Easterner

14 - The Easterner

Sophomore Zoey Nelson swings at practice on Oct. 11, 2018. Nelson has performed well in conference play this year, with a 5-1 record in No. 3 singles and a 7-2 record in No. 2 doubles with partner freshman Louise Waite.

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EWU Athletics

Women's tennis finishes regular season with record number of conference wins

Left to right: Volunteer assistant coach Victor Pereira, seniors Faye Worrall, Moriah Austin, Jennifer Lewis and head coach Dustin Hinson pose on senior day before a match against Sacramento State on April 14. EWU finished the season with a 6-2 home record.

DREW LAWSON Reporter After a regular season that featured the best winning percentage in head coach Dustin Hinson’s seven seasons at EWU, and the best conference record in school history, the women’s tennis team is gearing up for the Big Sky Conference Championship on April 25-27 in Phoenix.

EWU finished the season 8-2 in conference and 12-9 overall. The Eagles had a chance to win their first regular season BSC title in program history on April 20, but lost 6-1 to four-time defending champion Northern Arizona. EWU fell into a three-way tie for second with Idaho and Weber State, and didn’t gain the tiebreaker over either school, securing the No. 4 seed for the BSC championships.

The Eagles will take on No. 5 seed Southern Utah in the quarterfinals, whom they beat 4-3 on April 19.

This is the third time in Hinson’s stint as head coach that EWU has made the BSC championship tournament, and the first time that the Eagles have finished higher than No. 6 in the regular season standings. The top six regular season finishers advance to the BSC championships. Hinson said the team has leaned on remembering its motto, “Unite the Fight,” during its run throughout the regular season.

“The unity part we’ve really been focusing on,” Hinson said. “Being a team unit and playing for each other, (not) playing for yourself. (We) realize that we need each other to be successful … They’ve been doing a really good job of being unselfish throughout the season and building momentum from there … The physical talent is there, but tennis is so much more than that. It’s so mental.”

Sophomore Zoey Nelson and freshman Madeline Lamoreaux led EWU in the regular season in singles

play and had strong doubles performances across the board. Nelson went 10-7 in singles play, while Lamoreaux finished 13-8. Lamoreaux teamed up with sophomore Rylee Braeden to go 15-5 in doubles, while Nelson and freshman Louise Waite went 10-3.

Senior Faye Worrall and freshman Yasmin Mansouri went 7-3 together in doubles play. Nelson said the commitment of this year’s team has allowed EWU to rise in the rankings.

“All the girls are really good in their own individual way, and we’re all super hard working,” Nelson said.

“Everybody’s putting in the time and effort it takes. I think the determination is definitely there.”

Nelson added that she and Waite are both aggressive players, which contributed to their favorable record as a pair.

“We go out there and just stick to being aggressive and hitting the right shots,” Nelson said. “When staying positive mentally, we’re on fire.”

Hinson noted that EWU has fielded a very young team, as five of the team’s top six performers are underclassmen. Despite the youth, he said the team has done a good job of avoiding outside mental distractions that come with tennis.

“There’s so much out of our control, including conditions,” Hinson said. “Weather-wise, if you’re outside it’s sun, wind, any rain that might move in. And then what your opponent might be doing and what’s going on around you, not letting that distract you. You put the blinders on, which can be really tough to do but this team has done an awesome job of that.”

EWU’s home record (6-2) was better than its road record (6-7). Hinson said the familiarity of Cheney’s conditions and courts, as well as being able to play all home matches indoors, contributed to that trend.

“We’re a really good indoor team (and) we have a brand new surface in the (Fieldhouse),” Hinson said.

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“It’s been good to be able to train on that every day and then have teams that come in that maybe are (used to) hitting on a surface that may be faster or slower.”

EWU also performed much better in BSC play (8-2) than in nonconference play (4-7). Hinson said he likes to schedule tough nonconference games, which isn’t difficult to do when you’re in Washington.

This year, the Eagles played against the University of Washington, which defeated EWU 7-0 on January 27 and is currently ranked No. 13 in the country. They also played Washington State, which is in the top 35, and Gonzaga, who momentarily entered the top 25 and fields one of the top players in the country, Sophie Whittle. The Bulldogs and Cougars both skunked EWU 7-0.

“In the Northwest, if you look at all the other teams in Division I tennis … they’re all very very good,” Hinson said. “The state of Washington, for whatever reason, women’s tennis is really strong.”

While Hinson favored tough competition, he said that it’s important to have a nonconference schedule balance, where the Eagles will be favored in some matches.

As EWU looks ahead to the BSC championship, Hinson said there will be a lot of difficult potential matches.

“Certainly Idaho,” Hinson said. “Northern Arizona’s very tough, and they’ve been tough for the past several years … We (lost) to Weber State, and they’re very strong … We cannot overlook Southern Utah, and we won’t.

They beat us last year.”

For Nelson, keys to tournament success will come from within.

“Whether we’re traveling or at home, we say it’s always a home match,” Nelson said. “That means supporting each other, working hard, fighting for everything and never giving up. If we keep doing that, we’ll be good.”•

come gather round the inferno

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Colleen Ford for The Easterner

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Athletics' summer camps connect future students with teams' staff and players DREW LAWSON Reporter Youths spending their school vacation at a summer camp may experience all the same suburban cliches of open fires, rope swings over a green lake and close encounters with poison ivy.

Camp season is right around the corner for EWU Athletics, with a totally different focus for its campers—sports.

Five EWU teams put on camps: football, men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball and soccer. The camps are training clinics that vary based on age and skill, and are led by current coaching staff and players.

EWU volleyball hosts beginner and

advanced camps for middle schoolers, an all-skills camp for high schoolers and an elementary school dual sport fusion camp in collaboration with women’s basketball.

All those camps are coed.

Head coach Leslie Flores-Cloud, who is the only head coach that is also the head camp coordinator, said camps are about having fun and learning the sport.

“We have an amazing way of teaching volleyball that’s really simple,” Flores-Cloud said. “A lot of kids will grasp to it.”

Flores-Cloud also brought up camps as an important time for recruitment.

“I think we have to stay in touch with our campers, because I think if you’re coming here year after year and we get to know you

and get to know your name we’re going to want you to be Eagles too,” Flores-Cloud said.

In addition to potential recruits, FloresCloud sees camps as a way to grow the team’s fan base.

“We want those girls coming to our games and growing up wanting our signatures,” Flores-Cloud said. “A lot of what I do is the mentorship side of volleyball, and I think that plays on what we have our athletes do.”

Women’s basketball hosts a skills camp and high school team camp in addition to the fusion camp. The team camp is the largest, according to camp coordinator and assistant coach Bryce Currie. Currie said they get 40-50 teams each year from around the region, extending as far as Alaska.

Current EWU players will partake in the team camps by officiating games, running the scoreboard and nominating camp standouts for an All-Star Game at the end of camp.

“It’s a nice way for players to earn a little bit of money,” Currie said. “Being a studentathlete, you get your tuition, your room and board, but it’s always nice to have a little bit of spending money. Not every kid has the resources or the family situation where they have a lot of spending money.”

Currie said the team often invites recruits to the camps, but anyone is welcome to register. He said the purpose of camps is to spread the game throughout the community.

See Camps, pg. 13

The hot take corner

That one time at EWU football camp Taylor Newquist 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.

Take a second to imagine the worst thing you've ever smelled ... Now imagine packing that smell into one of EWU's famed trash can shaped dorm rooms for a few days.

That was football camp. Nothing beats the stench of mildew stained shoulder pads, soaked in a fresh coat of teenage boy sweat.

Probably the grossest thing about it was we didn't mind, but that's why "football guys" usually aren't thought to be the smartest people in the room. That, and the fact our brains bounce off our skulls more times than the average person.

When I was a freshman and sophomore at Selah High School, our class 2A football team made the three hour drive up to

TAYLOR NEWQUIST Sports Editor Cheney to attend what was essentially a prelude to our summer two-a-days.

We stunk—on and off the field. Our team was consistently middle to bottom of the pack in our league, and we would have to go up against some of the best 2A teams in the state at the EWU camp.

Despite being a completely mediocre football player, I was our class' quarterback.

I chose the position because my favorite player growing up was Peyton Manning, but my half-baked dream of embodying him would start to die in Cheney.

See Newquist, pg. 13

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