The Easterner: Volume 102, Issue 23

Volume 102, Issue 23

www.TheEasterner.org

April 17, 2019

THE INDEPENDENT, STUDENT-RUN NEWSPAPER OF

EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

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

Up in smoke What began as an organized time to meet up and puff some smoke has evolved into what many marijuana users would deem an international holiday for marijuana on April 20, or “4/20.�

The Easterner talks with both a budtender and police officer to break down the myths and rumors that remain up in smoke surrounding marijuana.

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News

Sports

New website increases accessibility

Roos Field renovations coming soon...?

EWU has introduced a new website that makes online resources and information more easily accessible for students and faculty. Here's what you need to know in order to navigate the new website.

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EWU football fans will soon know more about the future of Roos Field.

Athletic Director Lynn Hickey will outline the plans for an impending renovation at the May 10 board of trustees meeting. So what are EWU students hoping for with a renovation of The Inferno?

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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 easternercopy@gmail.com 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

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Valuing social justice Multicultural Center to host second annual Story Slam KAISA SIIPOLA Reporter At the second annual Story Slam, participants will share a story that revolves around the theme of justice.

The event will be held in the snyamncut Great Room Lounge from 3 to 5 p.m. on April 17 and participants will have a chance to win an EWU bookstore giftcard.

Stories will include negative experiences and social injustices that participants have faced and positive experiences to promote social justice initiatives.

“We want to hear communities and hear what justice means to them,” Multicultural Center student program coordinator Nancy Vargas said.

The purpose of a story slam is to provide a space for individuals to tell their story revolving around a theme to bring awareness and connect communities of color and marginalized communities according to Vargas.

Vargas said that as an organization, the Multicultural Center wanted to ensure that it's meeting its core values of

promoting social justice and inclusivity which led to choosing the theme of justice for this year’s story slam.

EWU junior Sonya Nunez is one of the participants for the story slam. She told The Easterner she doesn’t know what her story is going to be yet.

Nunez decided to participate in the story slam because she likes to stay up to date with the events that are planned at the Multicultural Center and Vargas was the one that encouraged Nunez to participate.

Another participant is EWU junior Bianca Mejia who participated in last year’s story slam and said that she had a great experience.

“Everybody who was there was welcoming, the audience was engaging during my story,” Mejia said.

“Everybody, including each student who participated, was accepting of the stories being told.”

Mejia said that she doesn’t know exactly what story she will be presenting but the content will include her family, because she is grateful for her family and what they have done for her.

Participating in the story slam means a lot to Mejia because it provides a safe space and an opportunity for her to share her story and gain some confidence by coming out of her shell.

Vargas hopes students and members attending will perceive the event as a learning opportunity to gain an understanding and awareness that each person has their own story and experience revolving around the theme of justice.

On the participant side, Vargas hopes that participants gain the feeling of being heard and bringing awareness to the issues that they’re experiencing.

“I think often times, our daily lives, we tend to feel like we are not being heard or like our issues are being brushed under the rug,” Vargas said.

“So this is just an opportunity for the community who decides to share to kind of have platform to share on and make sure that different people from administration, the EWU community, students and everywhere, that awareness is brought to the issues that students decide to present." •

Social Media Editor Matthew Pennell

E t

Copy Editor Sam Jackson

a U a w P

Reporters Drew Lawson Kaisa Siipola Marco Vargas

w r

Photographers Mckenzie Ford Bailey Monteith

S t

Director of Student Newspaper Carleigh Hill

fi a g s e s

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.

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Richard N. Clark IV for The Easterner

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EWU and Gonzaga collaborate to offer joint law degree AMANDA HAWORTH Chief Copy Editor EWU students will soon have more of an opportunity to pursue law at Gonzaga University thanks to a recently signed agreement.

“This agreement did not take long as it was a win-win for both universities and the region,” EWU Provost Scott Gordon said in an email.

Dean and professor of law at Gonzaga School of Law Jacob Rooksby spoke about the agreement between the universities.

“It’s really Provost Gordon and I who first started talking about this possibility and been working on the agreement and getting it executed and in place,” Rooksby said.

“There is a lot of excitement on both ends I know to see this succeed and we just see there is just so much potential between our two institutions.”

Joint degrees will be available with this agreement.

“We currently have a joint degree with Eastern, a master’s in social work and a law degree,” Rooksby said. “We’d like to add additional ones and fortify the MSW joint degree as well. We’re contemplating a three-plus-three arrangement where an Eastern student can earn an undergraduate degree and a law degree in six years as opposed to seven, keeping them here in this region longer and educating them in a shorter time period.”

Rooksby mentioned the recent awarded scholarship to ASEWU President Dante Tyler.

“We have a Thomas More program that offers a full ride scholarship to up to five students a year at our law school. We would like to see increased numbers of applicants and interests from Eastern. We have one student that is coming here using

that scholarship from Eastern—Dante,” Rooksby said. “He’s coming here and he’s got one of those scholarships. So we see just tremendous potential in the collaboration in these kinds of areas.”

This collaboration between the two universities will provide more opportunities for students and the institutions.

“I think that it’s an arrangement or a collaboration that strengthens both institutions by offering something that the other doesn’t have,” Rooksby said. “And it only makes sense that these are two flagship institutions in the region that we find ways to work together where there is natural synergies. And we’ve identified, I think, those in this agreement. That was really the motivating factor for both of us. This seemed like a win-win for the institutions and for the students.” •

Upcoming ASEWU events Council business meeting April 18, 3:30-5:30 p.m.

JFK Library event space Candidate debate April 18, 5-6 p.m.

PUB 317, PUB 319 Candidate BBQ April 22, 1-3 p.m.

PUB General election April 23-25 Vote online at vote.ewu.edu or in person at the PUB or JFK Library.

Work session April 30, 3:30-5:30 p.m.

PUB 207

Get news faster Online or on your phone

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News

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InsideEWU simplifies online navigation

DYLAN HARRIS News Editor EWU has introduced a new website that makes online resources and information more easily accessible for students and faculty.

InsideEWU brings many of the links to popular EWU web pages and resources to one place.

“InsideEWU is a new website meant to serve as the starting point for students, faculty and staff when accessing EWU resources online,” said director of communications and media relations Dave Meany in an Eastern 24/7 post on April 5.

Eastern 24/7, EWU’s former website for news and announcements, will be phased out. All news stories, announcements and event listings are now available on InsideEWU. “One of the goals of InsideEWU is to consolidate the university’s many web sites and provide a single place for current students, faculty, and staff to get the latest news and information,” Meany said in the post. “The stories and announcements formerly featured on (Eastern) 24/7 will instead be featured on InsideEWU, which we expect will significantly increase the visibility of this information on daily, rather than weekly, basis.”

The new website features links to the more commonly used pages and is meant to be an improved starting point for current students. The EWU homepage is still intended to “engage with and recruit prospective students,” Meany said in the post.

InsideEWU uses EWU Single Sign-on so that some content and student information is protected.

The dropdown lists at the top of the page are broken down into “Learn,” “Teach,” “Work” and “My Account” tabs.

InsideEWU features quick links along the left side of the page. It has general links to Canvas, student or faculty email, a staff directory, campus maps and a few other commonly used resources.

The bottom of the page lists a variety of useful contact information for multiple departments on campus.

“InsideEWU design and branding was completed early this year and final tweaks are currently being made in response to user previews,” Meany said in the post. “You can also expect InsideEWU to become more prevalent for the next academic school year, as we replace legacy tools like the mobile app and myEWU portal.”

InsideEWU is up and running and can be accessed at inside.ewu.edu. •

InsideEWU website

The new website has links to many important pages and resources that EWU students access

A look at the new InsideEWU website. The website offers a comprehensive overview of EWU stories, information and resources, creating easier navigation and accessibility across the EWU platforms.

Learn The “Learn” tab includes links to academic and registration tools, links to Canvas and a section for student technology services such as the IT help desk and the equipment checkout.

It also lists links to popular resources including the bookstore website, dining services and health and wellness. This tab compiles valuable resources for students when they check their grades, register for classes, apply to graduate and much more.

Teach The “Teach” tab includes mostly tools and websites more useful for faculty and staff, including advising tools and Canvas access. This section also has links to the various library websites and a link to the faculty commons. Faculty can also find links for reporting complaints and information about policies. The advising tools under this tab will prove beneficial to both faculty and students.

Work The “Work” tab includes student employment links, administrative tools and links to various departments. It also includes quick access to human resources services. Students and faculty can find any employment information, like time sheets and a link to Handshake, under this tab. Prospective university employees, student or faculty, will find this tab useful.

My Account The “My Account” tab includes links for students to manage personal information, view time sheets and access financial aid and financial services. This tab contains many of the links that students can find in their MyEWU portals. Like the "Learn" tab, this tab is intended mostly for students. It also includes a link to the student email accounts.

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Bailey Monteith for The Easterner

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Age restriction posted next to the tobacco products at Maverik gas station in Cheney. Come 2020, the age to buy smoking or vaping products will be raised to 21.

Smoking age raised in Washington MARCO VARGAS Reporter If young adults want to try smoking, they will have to wait until they are 21 years old starting in 2020.

The Washington state legislature has issued a decision to increase the age minimum for smoking products from 18 to 21 years of age and will officially go into full effect on the very first day of 2020.

The use of smoking products such as cigarettes, tobacco and e-cigarettes can be highly addictive to teenagers, according to the World Health Organization, resulting in serious health issues that they may struggle to overcome.

Washington isn’t the only state to raise the age minimum, as several other states have already made the same decision. It is a plan that lawmakers made to keep teenagers away from smoking products due to a concern of their health at a young age.

Tricia Hughes, senior director of EWU wellness and recreation programs, said that

while the new law will be active at EWU, smoking products, including tobacco, are still not sold anywhere on campus.

“I do not believe it will have much of an impact,” Hughes said. “EWU follows the Washington Clean Indoor Air Act, which prohibits smoking and vaping on campus in any public building as well as within 25 feet of any doors or air intake systems. We also have a policy on campus that provides for Arevalo Mall to be tobacco free.”

Some citizens may disagree with the new law, but some have no problem with Washington’s decision, whether they are smokers or non-smokers. EWU senior Ariana Sanchez is one of those who agree, saying that the new law is fair.

“I think it’s great,” Sanchez said about the age limit being raised from 18 to 21. “It’s smarter to wait, just like the concept of alcohol. I think it will be a better decision because sometimes some people aren’t smart enough to even make decisions for themselves at 18 years old.”

EWU junior Leslie Ponce also agrees with the decision.

“I think overall, the change of age requirement is fair,” Ponce said. “I think that would set a great barrier for our youth. To begin with smoking is not good for one’s health and to start off at the age of 18 can impact an individual’s health in the long run. If we were to increase the age to 21, the individual would be more of a mature age, like the drinking age for Washington state law as well. It may not decrease the numbers of those that smoke, but those that are at full mature age can smoke responsibly at 21.”

A very high percentage of young underaged teenagers using smoking products could also be a reason for Washington to issue this new law according to Hughes.

“I believe one of the reasons behind the new law is that 95% of current tobacco users began before the age of 19.”

- TRICIA HUGHES Senior Director of EWU Wellness and Recreation Programs

www.TheEasterner.org

“I believe one of the reasons behind the new law is that 95% of current tobacco users began before the age of 19,” Hughes said.

“That means, that if you can keep someone from using tobacco until they are 21, it is much more likely than not that they will not start using tobacco.”

Hughes said that she and her staff are not concerned about the use of smoking products at EWU. “We have low tobacco use on our campus,” Hughes said. “I do not anticipate that we will focus too much on the new law since it will not change anything.”

The new law in Washington is set to activate on Jan. 1, 2020. For more info about health concerns with smoking, visit EWU Health, Wellness & Prevention Services at URC 201. •

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Bailey Monteith for The Easterner

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(Left to right) An attendee of the meeting, graduate student Maria Petsch, graduate affairs representative Taylor Larsen, President Dante Tyler (on screen) and superior court chief justice Raúl Sánchez discuss concerns of Spokane campus students on April 15. The next Spokane town hall event will be April 29.

ASEWU hosts Spokane town hall MARCO VARGAS Reporter ASEWU held a town hall meeting at EWU Spokane on April 15 to discuss what has been going on around the Riverpoint campus and to receive feedback from attendees regarding needs and concerns of Spokane students.

ASEWU representatives focused on five main goals: sustainability, improving communications, diversity inclusion, accountability and improving student involvement.

Council representative of graduate affairs Taylor Larsen said that ASEWU wanted to get input about how students feel about the Spokane campus and graduate programs. “(Feedback) is very important,” Larsen said. “That’s how we run our student government and that’s how we create events for students and make sure that their voices are heard.”

Superior court chief justice Raúl Sánchez said that there is much information that ASEWU knows from its own members’ experiences on campus, but that they need to hear more from other students.

“It makes it beneficial that we reach out to students and figure out what they are dealing with and what is it that we can help them with to change, because we have the access to speak to administrators about the different things that are going on around campus,” Sánchez said. “If we’re only relaying our experiences, it’s not really

“(Feedback) is very important.

That's how we run our student government and that's how we create events for students and make sure that their voices are heard.”

- TAYLOR LARSEN Graduate Affairs Representative beneficial in making changes that could benefit other students.”

During the meeting, ASEWU President Dante Tyler announced that he is planning to start the Spirits of Tradition Committee to help bring out students’ school spirit.

“The spirits committee would definitely be good for Eastern,” Larsen said. “The time where we didn’t have the PUB for a couple of years caused a lack of school spirit. I think the committee would truly bring that back.”

Larsen said that even though ASEWU is getting a fair amount of support, the program would love to have more support but understands that students are busy.

“It’s also our job to get information out to them and create events that they want to go to,” Larsen said.

Handing out the information is the reason for putting together the town hall meeting, according to Larsen and Sánchez.

“While the participation isn’t at the level that we wish it would be, we do appreciate those that do take the time to go out of their way, come in and kind of let us know about what is going on,” Sánchez said. “Also, it’s very beneficial when we have our committees and students that are able to give their feedback or point of views.”

When it comes to making school-wide decisions, Larsen said that it is not easy to do.

“We would definitely have to think about more than just yourself,” Larsen said. “Being in a student government really makes you think about everyone involved.”

Larsen said that she would like to make some improvements as each town hall

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meeting passes by. Spreading the word is her top priority.

“Getting students to know that I truly am trying to get their opinions and understand them, it matters what they think,” Larsen said. “It’s not just going into thin air. I’m actually trying to make changes and talk to administration about things that they’re saying and to make this school a better place.”

Larsen said that the latest town hall meeting went well despite not seeing more people in attendance.

“I got some great feedback from some students and I really appreciate them coming,” Larsen said. “I do hope to get more students (in the meeting) next time and to get even more diverse feedback from students than just students from my program.”

Sánchez agrees, saying that the feedback was good and that he is hopeful to get more students involved in strategic ways.

“I felt like there was a lot of key things,” Sánchez said. “I think the graduate affairs and ASEWU in general can actually focus on improving at least the experiences at EWU Spokane.”

The next town hall meeting will take place on April 29 at 4:30 p.m. in SEWC 106 on the Spokane campus. The meeting is also available using Zoom, a video conference app, by emailing asewugradaff@ewu.edu for access. General elections for the next ASEWU representatives are April 23-25. To vote, go to vote.ewu.edu. •

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Easterner Asks

Looking Back

What are your thoughts of the ASEWU elections and are you voting?

Welcome to Woodward

- Clark Rabe, Junior “I didn’t vote. I was meaning to, but it kind of just slipped my mind.

I would vote in the upcoming one. I would say current events would be of interest."

- Malaika Nettey, Freshman "Yes, I voted. One of my good friends was running, so I made sure to vote for him and support him. He was running for the technology one. I have been spreading to people to go vote."

- Michael Sims, Junior “I didn’t vote. I am in running start and am not sure if I could vote.

I would vote if I could. I would probably do some research before I vote.”

- Tallia Richmond, Freshman

This story was originally published in The Easterner Vol. 19, Fall in 1968 and has not been changed except for AP style.

One of the biggest symbols at Eastern is the football team and its winning program. Eastern's teams have won the Evergreen conference title three times in the last three years.

Last year the team went even further by playing in the NAIA small college championship at Morgantown, Washington and placing second.

Returning from last years' team this fall are 11 lettermen including small college All- American end Dave Svendsen and his passing teammate, small college All-American Bill Diedrick. This fall's squad is lead by a new coach Brent Wooten, a former assistant coach here for the past five years. Wooten hopes to give the fans "just as much excitement and more than in the past with the passing and running combination of the Savages."

Another ingredient that adds to the new season's program is Woodward Field, a new football stadium in its second year. Eastern's gridiron is surrounded by a new rubber asphalt track that has never felt the hands of a defeat in varsity competition.

In this year's pigskin preview, the forecast doesn't look as though the Savages will face a defeat.

Falling back on last year's undefeated season (10-0) and leaning forward to this year's undefeated season, Eastern football fans can look for an exciting and rewarding football season.

At the start of every school year, ardent sport fans look forward to the new football season. This coming year

The Easterner, Vol. 19,Fall, September 22, 1968

"Yes, I voted. The only concern I have in regards to ASEWU elections is to try and be involved with the student body and making sure students are aware of what's going on."

THE EASTERNER Archives

NEW HEAD COACH BRENT WOOTEN and small college All-American end Dave Svendsen confer in the new Woodward stadium on strategy for the upcoming season. Wooten will take over control of a team which finished second in last year's NAIA national championships.

Eastern can go one further in that aspect in looking forward to the debut of a new football coach, Brent Wooten.

Wooten is a 1961 graduate of University of Washington where he played football for four years. He also played in two Rose Bowl games as a halfback for the Huskies in 1960 and 1961. Following his graduation, Wooten went to Columbia Basin Junior College

“I voted. To be honest, I voted because I feel it is important to vote, but I did not look too deeply into what each one was concerned about."

- Margaux Albright, Junior “Yes, I voted. My top concerns would be if they are all involved in Eastern, or if they just want some extra curricular activities in their resume. I just want them to actually care what’s best for our school."

- Jefferson Garcia, Senior

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for two years as head football coach.

In 1963, Wooten joined the football coaching staff here at Eastern under the direction of Dave Holmes and for the past five years, he has been assistant football coach and varsity wrestling coach. This year he has traded these two positions for head football coach and athletic director for that! Savages.•

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/ 4 20 SAM JACKSON Copy Editor

The most credible origin of the term “4/20” goes back to 1971 when five students known as the “Waldos” from San Rafael High School in Marin County, California met at 4:20 p.m. on school grounds to smoke marijuana.

This clarification, which has been confirmed by Snopes, Time magazine and numerous other news organizations, puts the plethora of rumors surrounding the history of “4/20” to rest.

No, Adolf Hitler's birthday had nothing to do with it, and there are certainly not 420 chemical compounds in marijuana.

What began as an organized time to meet up and puff some smoke has evolved into what many marijuana users would deem an international holiday for marijuana on April 20, or “4/20.”

Rhea Gabriel, a lead budtender at Lucid in Cheney grew up in an environment where marijuana had a stigma attached to it.

“If you were someone who smoked, whether for medical or recreational use, you were just kind of not a good person, or you were druggies, or just kind of looked at negatively,” Gabriel told The Easterner.

Despite the negative implications, Gabriel was compelled by the medical benefits marijuana can offer, and that’s why she started working in the marijuana industry.

Budtenders are marijuana dispensary employees that guide customers into choosing a product. It is illegal for employees in Washington to discuss the therapeutic benefits of cannabis. Gabriel said it helps that budtenders are familiar with how the product is grown or have a thorough understanding of the vendor’s background.

“You’re helping people with not only medical but recreational use, because there is such a broad spectrum of this product from concentrate to edible, to topicals,” Gabriel said. “(Budtenders) just really (are) helping somebody receive a product that’s going to help them, or have them metabolize or ingest it in a way that’s going to work best for them.”

Many employees at Lucid have their Medical Marijuana Certified Consultant certification, according to Gabriel. The certification is not required in Washington.

“There’s things when it even comes to like medical, even if it is like straight CBD, we’re not legally allowed to say, ‘yes, this will for sure help you’ or ‘this will for sure not show up on a drug test,’ things like that,’” Gabriel said. “Because everything is ingested by people differently.”

Gabriel said that Lucid sees a wide range of customers.

“We have a huge college student demographic, obviously being in a ... college town,” Gabriel said. “But then I would say a lot of our medical (customers) are majority of the older generation … so I mean we get everybody in here.”

Similar to the origin of the “4/20,” rules

and regulations related to marijuana can be a bit hazy.

Marijuana was legalized in Washington state in 2012 for consumers 21 and older.

Anyone under 21 cannot legally possess marijuana and can be arrested for possession.

Although the state legalized cannabis, EWU, as a federally funded institution, prohibits the drug on campus regardless of age.

The EWU police receive calls concerning marijuana every other week and the department expects to receive a few calls on April 20, according to EWU police officer Nick Bickley.

“So if you’re over 21 and I get called to your dorm room because I can smell the odor of marijuana and you say, ‘yeah, I have marijuana in my room’ I can’t arrest you for it, but the university can take action against you,” Bickley said. “Because they’re federally funded, they want to enforce federal law, and it’s not federally legal.”

Bickley has been on the EWU police force for six years, which is as long as marijuana has been legal in Washington. According to Bickley, the biggest changes to marijuana on campus over the years are that it’s gone from being distributed in a ziplock bag to a retail package, and that the potency has gotten “drastically higher.”

“The highest that I’ve found on Eastern’s campus was 97.7% (THC),” Bickley said.

“That was actually in a concentrated oil, but I couldn’t believe that it was actually that high. It was almost pure THC.” EWU police have to investigate every marijuana call they receive. Bickley has confiscated marijuana from every resident hall on campus.

Bickley said he gets the most marijuana calls for dorms Pearce and Dressler because they house the most freshman and that perhaps they haven’t been exposed to more “adulting situations.” He added that dorms are the number one place he receives marijuana calls for and vehicles are second.

The rumor that you cannot get a DUI with marijuana is not true. That U.S. Department of Transportation safety campaign slogan, “If you feel different, you drive different. Drive high, get a DUI,” is correct.

“I’ve heard yeah you cannot get a DUI with marijuana,” Bickley said. “That they basically have to find that you’ve gotten into a collision or that you have to drive on the wrong side of the road, or something like that. But that’s not the case. I’ve stopped plenty of cars driving right down the middle of the road that were DUI.” “There’s a time and place to have fun, (students) need to be responsible with it if they can smoke marijuana,” Bickley said.

For more information on cannabis dispensaries in the Spokane area go to potguide.com. To find out more about EWU’s drug policy go to sites.ewu.edu/ police/policies-and-laws/.•

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Feat

tures

Perspective How officer Bickley

conducts a marijuana DUI Step 1: “I’ll stop a car and smell marijuana, and if they

exhibit the signs of having smoked marijuana, I run them through some field sobriety tests.”

Step 2: “If I determine there’s a level of impairment

that’s affecting their ability to drive, I’ll arrest them for a DUI regardless of age.”

Step 3: “Then what I’ll do is I’ll take them to a processing place, which is typically the Cheney Police Department.

And because you can’t blow into a tube like alcohol (content detection), I’ll write a search warrant.”

Step 4: “After I write a search warrant I’ll send it

to a judge. I’ll email it to them, (and) they review it electronically. If they determine (the warrant), they sign it and send it back.”

Step 5: “Then I call the fire department to the police station, and they will draw their blood.”

Step 6: “After they draw their blood I have to send it to the Washington State Toxicology Crime Lab.”

Step 7: “(WSTCL) will do a test on the blood and determine the nanograms of the active ingredient of marijuana in the blood, which if it’s anything over five (nanograms) it’s an automatic DUI. It doesn’t matter how their driving was, (and) it doesn’t matter how they did on their field sobriety test.”

Five nanograms of marijuana is the equivalent to 0.08 blood alcohol content. “It probably on average is between four and fives months right now for me to get the result back.”

“So if you're over 21 and I get

called to your dorm room because I can smell the odor of marijuana and you say, 'yeah, I have marijuana in my room,' I can't arrest you for it, but the university can take action against you.”

- NICK BICKLEY EWU Police Officer

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G

Qualified Thrpii Alumnus Justin Mitchell's band gets signed

EWU alumnus Justin Mitchell and his band Thrpii were signed by Corporat two months ago after releasing their extended play with four tracks. Hosting house shows and putting out music on Spotify and Apple music helped them obtain publicity and get signed.

According to Wes Marvin, band member, “people were going nuts” at the few house shows the band has played. Some of which were in Mitchell’s basement. The band has also played at the Fun Dungeon in Richland, and The Pin in Spokane.

Thrpii is a punk and hardcore band from Spokane that formed in August 2018 and includes Mitchell on guitar, Marvin on drums, Jake Milet on bass, Micah Luebben on guitar and Jared Price on vocals.

All the members have an interest in heavy music which led them to choose the name Thrpii, according to Mitchell.

“The name Thrpii is characterized by this common thread, common compulsion and desire that we all have to release pent up emotion and pent up energy,” Mitchell said. “Being able to get in the mosh pit, dance around, you’re

A

feeling relieved, you’re feeling more restful, you’re feeling accomplished and your head space is better.”

Mitchell said the band aims to play a ton of local shows, get out of town to spread out a bit, and focus on new releases.

Mitchell's background Mitchell has loved music since he was 11 years old when he started to play guitar because he was inspired by his great grandfather whom he's known for 15 years of his life.

Mitchell said that his great grandfather was always playing something on his guitar whenever they went camping or hunting and he was into the old western-style, Marty Robbins and Johnny Cash.

Before forming Thrpii, Mitchell graduated from EWU in June 2017 with a degree in Secondary English Education, played for worship bands in the Tri-Cities from 2009-2014 and had a band, Mikkelsen, from 2013-2016 with his friend Brendan Colvert.

Mitchell and Colvert played a couple of shows at the Mason Jar, and practiced in the penthouse of Dressler. They put together a video for battle of bands and

Courtesy of Alicia Hauff

KAISA SIIPOLA Reporter

(left to right) Micah Luebben, Jared Price, Wes Marvin, Justin Mitchell and Jake Milet (not pictured) were signed by Corporat as part of their band Thrpii. The group formed around a common interest in heavy music. received third place and a small cash prize when they performed in Showalter Hall.

While Mitchell was in Mikkelsen, he learned how to produce and record. He mixed some alternative rock that wasn’t very serious.

Mitchell looks up to Damien Jurrado, Justin Vernon, Earl Fletcher and Jesus Piece songs for inspiration when he’s in the creative writing process.

According to Mitchell, a typical writing process for him resembles a sandbox because he begins playing his guitar without overthinking it. He explores what chords work and don’t work based off emotion, a song he's inspired by or something he's heard.

When Mitchell writes, he said that he likes to write for himself first. He writes something he really enjoys and doesn’t worry about what is desired by others.

Mitchell says that creating songs is exploratory and exposes two things.

“The natural world and some part of

who I am, which makes me feel closer to myself in better understanding my own faculties of emotion and intellect,” Mitchell said.

According to Mitchell, having a career teaching music or pursuing a degree with music and education together has never appealed to him.

Instead, Mitchell’s goals are to work as a substitute teacher in the Spokane School District to pursue a full time teaching position in English while having music on the side as an outlet and creative passion.

Mitchell says that music is a huge passion for him, and he has been exploring more electronic rock avenues and acoustic singer-song writer stuff on the side.

Thrpii will perform at 1809 S. Grand Blvd. on April 30. For more information about Thrpii, its shows and its tours visit https://www.thrpii.com/ •

“The name Thrpii is characterized by this common thread, common compulsion and desire that we all have to release pent up emotion and pent up energy.”

Register today by visiting: umt.edu/summer

- JUSTIN MITCHELL EWU alumnus

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Features

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Get Lit! Festival 2019 An introduction to Get Lit! Programs' annual festival and sample of this year's events ERIK ROTNESS A&F Editor Get Lit! Programs has celebrated writing for over 20 years, and its annual literary festival is right around the corner.

This year’s Get Lit! Festival runs from April 22-28 and celebrates the written word with a week long series of programs and events including literary readings, writing workshops, panel discussions and poetry slams.

“We have events throughout the week all over Spokane and Cheney,” director Kate Peterson said. “We even have some in Coeur d’Alene as well, but we have one full day of events at the Montvale Event Center (in Spokane) on Saturday the 27th.”

This year’s festival features around 40 events and over 75 authors.

“There will be more going on in literature over a few days in Spokane, I would say, than pretty much any other city in the United States,” EWU professor and author Jonathan Johnson said. “It’s a really great opportunity for the local literary community to connect with the national and international literary community. Spokane becomes, for a week in the spring, a great literary center.

There’s writing for all kinds of tastes and all ages, and the festival does a great job of attracting writers who appeal broadly as well as to specialty audiences.”

During the festival, Johnson will be reading from his newest poetry book,

“May Is an Island,” on Thursday, April 25 from 7-8 p.m. at the downtown public library in Spokane. Johnson will also speak at the Playwriting In The Inland Northwest event on Friday, April 26 from noon to 1 p.m. at North Idaho College, Seiter Hall, 102.

Johnson said that he looks forward to the festival’s Pie and Whiskey event, which is on Thursday, April 25 from 9-11:30 p.m. at the Washington Cracker Co. “Over the evening you get to hear a wide variety of readers who write something specifically for that reading,” Johnson said. “Everything that’s read at that reading has to have pie and whiskey in it. A highlight for me was watching local poet Travis Naught read from his wheelchair at Pie and Whiskey and bring the house down with his humor and smart language.”

Peterson said she’s excited to continue offering events in Cheney.

“When I took over … I wanted to make sure that we were doing things that would involve students,” Peterson said. “In 2017, we started doing a full day of activities in Cheney.”

The events This year’s events in Cheney will run from 9 a.m. to around 2 p.m. on Friday, April 26 and feature readings, panel discussions and guest lectures from authors. EWU’S undergraduate literary magazine Northwest Boulevard will celebrate an author it’s published, Thom

Caraway, with a reading on Friday, April 26 from 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at the JFK Library.

Below is a sample of events to come during the festival in Peterson's own words, though it begins with a disclaimer: “We try to make sure there are different events for different audiences … There are just too many to choose from,” Peterson said. “I wouldn’t want to try and promote one over the other.”

Thursday Since I already talked about Pie and Whiskey … we also have Jonathan Johnson and Sharma Shields reading at the library.

Friday Friday night is Kaveh Akbar and Kelly Schirmann and that is $12 but free for students.

Monday

Saturday

The happy hour at Wandering Table is going to be really fun. If people are interested in poetry and fine cuisine and we’re hoping that we can get some musicians to come … then we also have our writers in the community poetry slams that night.

A full day of activities, but then we have our main headlining event Roxane Gay that evening.

Tuesday We’re partnering with the (Spokane) Riverkeeper and the Center for Justice and we’re doing some events at the Saranac building in their niche co-working space.

We have three different events going on Tuesday night. The one at 7 p.m. is going to be with Melissa Kwasny and Jennifer Boyden. I’m really excited about them.

Wednesday Wednesday night is our Tommy Orange event at SCC. That’s one of our big headlining events and that one’s free for anyone to get in.

Sunday Sunday is kind of a more casual day. We have a reading with some of our regional MFA writers, so people who are in the region and part of MFA programs come and read for us. We also have a faculty feature and alumni reading for Eastern. They’re both at Interpunct Press.

To make the festival a reality, Get Lit! Programs partners with other EWU programs, local community colleges and multiple foundations.

“It’s definitely a community effort,” Peterson said.

Those interested in volunteering for the Get Lit! Festival can get involved by sending an email to getlit@ewu.edu. •

Free Festival Events on Campus All events below take place on Friday, April 26 in the JFK Library.

Social Media & The Art of Promotion

Page To Screen

Northwest Boulevard

Bethany C. Morrow

Issac Marion

9-10 a.m.

Career Services is cosponsoring a panel discussion on self-promotion.

Panelists include: Asa Maria Bradley, Isaac Marion, Bethany Montgomery, and Margaret Starry.

10:20-11:20 a.m.

A conversation on script writing for television and movies, this event will be led by EWU film professor and director of the Spokane International Film Festival, Chase Ogden. Other participants include Issac Marion, Juan Mas, Jason (J.D.) McKee, Bethany C. Morrow and Malcolm Pelles.

11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

EWU’S undergraduate literary magazine Northwest Boulevard will celebrate an author it’s published, Thom Caraway, with a reading.

Northwest Boulevard’s Julia Cox will host the reading.

12:30-1 p.m.

Bethany C. Morrow will host a reading from her debut novel “MEM.” Morrow has written a range of speculative fiction for adults and young adults alike.

1:15-1:45 p.m.

Author Issac Marion will host a reading from the conclusion to his “Warm Bodies” series.

“Warm Bodies” is a New York Times Bestseller and inspired a major film.

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Opinion

V102 I23- 4.17.19

Woodward Field was originally constructed in 1967 for $1.5 million and was renamed Roos Field in 2010 after former Eagle lineman Michael Roos. Roos funded half of the 2010 project to bring in the iconic red turf that makes EWU's football venue different than every other in the nation.

Taylor Newquist for The Easterner

12 - The Easterner

An FCS powerhouse deserves a venue to match

Taylor Newquist is the Sports Editor for The Easterner. The hyperbolic opinion expressed in this article is his own and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Easterner's editorial board.

Roos Field is an awkward hybrid of a football venue. The rows of bleachers in the stands capture the feeling of a 1960s high school, clashing directly with the middle seats and booth hanging above.

Bystanders walking along Washington Street on gameday can watch with little to no obstruction, and wouldn’t need to pay the price of admission. Routinely you can find spectators catching all the action from outside the gates.

It is due time for Roos Field to receive a renovation, especially when it comes to the seating. On May 10, Athletic Director Lynn Hickey will propose a plan for renovations to the board of trustees, and Eagle boosters better be ready to open their wallets.

Originally constructed as Woodward Field in 1967 for $1.5 million, the EWU’s home for football is one of the oldest in the Big Sky. Only Cal Poly's (1935) and Weber State’s (1966) stadiums are older than the Eagles’.

The last actual renovation came in 2004 and cost $4.5 million. Nine of the 13 BSC football stadiums have received renovations in the 15 years since EWU had

against Idaho, bringing in 10,023 spectators.

Roos Field makes for a homey, small town vibe for watching a football game, which suits the Eagles, but changes need to be made. A complete overhaul could make empty seats a more regular occurrence, but enclosing the away-side stands would give a more legitimate feel to the complex—something an FCS powerhouse deserves.

Aside from the stadium, the majority of the EWU athletic facilities are in need of an upgrade, but before any internal damage can be assessed Roos Field needs a face-lift.

As of now, we don’t know how much money is going to be needed for the stadium renovations, but Hickey said that

the athletic department is already making a “significant ask” from donors.

In 2012, the “Gateway Project” was proposed to the board of trustees with aims of expanding the seating to 18,000.

That was overly ambitious. The project fell through after costs skyrocketed over $60 million.

A renovation plan in the range of EWU’s in 2004 will be more appropriate, but Hickey will have to spark multiple millions from Eagle donors. Right now EWU has other pressing issues, dealing with a $3.6 million budget shortfall and 2.5% decrease in enrollment from last spring. A stadium upgrade is due, but only time will tell if anything will be done about it.•

Richard Clark IV for The Easterner

TAYLOR NEWQUIST Sports Editor

its last. The red turf was a recent addition to the field, being installed in 2010 for $1 million, with $500,000 coming from former Eagle, Michael Roos, who it was subsequently named after.

The red turf may have separated Roos Field from every other football venue in the country, but it didn’t address the structural issues that leave it lacking as the area’s main stage destination. Last year EWU surpassed the field’s 8,600 person capacity in each of its regular season home football games.

Nine of the 13 BSC teams have venues with a larger capacity than Roos Field, with each of those capable of housing over 10,000 fans. EWU brought in an extra set of old rickety bleachers for the Oct. 27 game

Fans rush onto Roos Field after EWU's 50-19 FCS semifinal win over the University of Maine on Dec. 15. EWU has reached the FCS national championship game twice in the last nine years.

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Weather cuts Eagles' lone home meet short EWU tops competition with 15 first-place finishes at the 47th Pelluer Invitational First-place finishes:

Top Right: Rain poured onto the track during the final day of the Pelluer Invitatioinal on Saturday, with winds reaching 26 mph according to the national weather service.

Men: EWU, 1,600-meter relay - 43.21.

SO, Jack Sloan, 3,000-meter steeplechase - 10:25.86.

SR, Killion McGinnis, high jump - 1.96m.

Top left: Junior Keshun McGee competes in the triple jump. McGee scratched in the only attempt he took on Saturday.

SR, Larry Still, pole vault - 5.35m.

JR, Keshun McGee, long jump - 7.30m.

FR, Bobby Say, triple jump - 13.70m.

SO Gavin Lee, javelin - 54.21m.

Middle left: Freshman Aulane Mpouli gets ready to take a handoff in the 1,600-meter relay on Saturday. EWU's men's and women's teams won the relay events.

Women: EWU, 1,600-meter relay - 49.31.

FR, Ami Njadoe, 100-meter hurdles - 16.15.

SO, Katrina Terry, pole vault - 3.25m.

Bottom: Sophomore Ronan Price runs the 1,500-meters on Saturday. Price finished ninth of 18 athletes in the event.

JR, Maegan McCurdy, long jump - 5.47m.

SR, Dominique Butler, triple jump - 11.67m.

SR, Madison Doepker, hammer toss - 54.64m.

JR, Maggie Nelson, javelin throw - 40.71m.

Photos: Mckenzie Ford for The Easterner

JR, Maggie Nelson, heptathlon - 4,498 points.

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Sports

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Mckenzie Ford for The Easterner

Injuries strike

Sophomore distance runner Issac Barville rounds a corner in the 1,500-meter run at the WAR XII on April 6. Barville finished the race first overall with a time of 3:50.62.

Ahead of the pack

Barville battles injuries to become EWU's top distance runner DREW LAWSON Reporter

Making strides Isaac Barville has dealt with a plethora of injuries in his career as a distance runner, but you wouldn’t know it watching his recent performances. The redshirt sophomore won the 1,500-meter run two weekends in a row and is climbing both the EWU and national leaderboards.

Barville, a University High School alumnus, runs cross-country and track for EWU. As a distance runner, he competes in the 800-meter, 1,500 and 5,000-meter runs during the outdoor track season.

The 1,500 is Barville’s strongest event. His time of 3:50.62 minutes at the WAR XII on April 6 was a personal record. The weekend prior, Barville won the 800 and 1,500 at the Al Manuel Northwest Challenge in Missoula, Montana. He holds a top 10 Big Sky Conference time in both events, with a 1:54.48 minute mark in the 800 and his 1,500 mark at the WAR XII. EWU cross-country and distance

coach Sam Read said Barville has brought a lot of passion to the team.

“He wants to race the best,” Read told The Easterner. “He’s out there working really hard. The fire that he’s bringing is really catching on and other people are working hard with him.”

Off the starting blocks Barville started running in middle school.

By his junior year of high school he was getting recruited by colleges, as he lettered eight times and was named a team captain. He chose to start his collegiate career at Montana State.

“I was talking with Idaho and Boise State,” Barville told The Easterner. “Boise State was a little bit of a stronger program, so I ended up only being able to communicate with their graduate assistant coach instead of their head coach ... Idaho was a little spotty on their communication, so I had a

better relationship back and forth with the head coach at Montana State.”

Barville ran for one semester at MSU before realizing that the school wasn’t a fit for him, so he moved back to Spokane to be with his parents and decided to transfer to EWU. There were many logistical reasons Barville cited for his move to Cheney, including academics and his relationship with former cross country coach Chris Shane.

“The coach at the time was really positive, he was a pretty strong encouragement for me,” Barville said. “I also had Running Start credits here, so it made it so I could graduate quite a bit sooner. With the cost of it being cheaper than Gonzaga or Whitworth … it was probably the best fit for me academically and financially.”

Barville’s road to success has not come easily, as he’s dealt with several injuries throughout his career.

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“My first injury was at Montana State,” Barville said. “Before I could compete, I had a heart murmur from one of my ventricles being enlarged. They had to take through a process that was about a month or two before I could run with the team, so I had to run on my own because I wasn’t cleared to practice.”

After his heart murmur healed, Barville had his IT band, which is a tendon that runs down the length of the outer thigh, begin to give him problems for the rest of the season at Montana State. The injuries didn’t stop there, and followed him to Cheney, even persisting through his redshirt year that is required by NCAA transfer rules.

“I got back spasms pretty early on, and that would limit me to about half mileage that I would usually do,” Barville said. “When that finally cleared up, I’d stay healthy for the most part until the year I was eligible. Then, I had tendinitis in my hip flexor. That limited me to about half mileage. I couldn’t race a full load that indoor season.”

The injuries cleared up for last year’s outdoor season, but returned for the indoor season this year.

“In cross-country I had tendinitis in my Achilles,” Barville said. “That one lasted … pretty much the duration of the season. I was probably on a quarter to a third of the mileage that I’d usually be at. I had to supplement it by training in the pool two, three, four times a week. I’d spend hours in the pool.”

Barville said his mentality during his various injury recoveries has been to take it one day at a time.

“You gotta think about what you can do today to be better tomorrow,” Barville said. “When you’re swimming on your own or biking … And you can’t be with your teammates, you have to find that motivation within yourself. Whenever I’d be training on my own I’d be thinking, ‘I’ve put in a lot of work over the summer. I’ve done all this work in the past.’ I was hoping on the other end that I’d be able to have the performances that I’d trained so hard to get to.”

Looking forward Now that Barville is healthy, he’s starting to put up those performances. EWU head coach Stan Kerr sees all kinds of potential in Barville, including the chance for a competition much bigger than anything the BSC has to offer.

“When he’s in his late 20s, he’s probably going to have to move up to the 5,000,” Kerr told The Easterner. “He’s got the heart and the dedication to do that ... A good goal for him would be in 2020, try and get into the Olympic Trials. If he makes it to Tokyo, he’ll have a big fan club here.”•

Isaac Barville's top marks 1,500-meters — 3:50.62 minutes, Big Sky No. 4.

800-meters — 1:54.16 minutes, Big Sky No. 8.

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Taylor Newquist for The Easterner

4.17.19 - V102 I23

A basketball sits on the edge of West Cliff Drive overlooking Spokane. The area's basketball culture has many influences, including the success of the Gonzaga basketball program and Hoopfest—the largest 3-on-3 tournament in the world.

In Spokane, ball is a part of life DREW LAWSON Reporter You don’t have to spend much time in the Spokane area to notice that basketball is a big deal in the community. Baskets stand on driveways, in garages and are within most public parks. Local YMCAs and athletic clubs host pickup games every hour of the day and night, and Gonzaga packs the house for every home game.

Several EWU men’s and women’s players and coaches have grown up or gone to college in the Spokane area, and they shared their perspectives on the influence basketball has made in the Inland Northwest.

A legend's pickup game Men’s assistant coach David Riley, a Whitworth alumnus, received a special invitation during his college days. Hall of Famer and GU legend John Stockton, the NBA’s all-time leader in assists and steals, invited Riley to come play an exclusive pickup game along with other players in the area one Sunday afternoon. Stockton frequently invites local high school and college players that he has a connection with to come play in his pickup games.

“When you get invited to John Stockton’s game that’s a pretty cool thing,” Riley told The Easterner. “I just happened to play with his nephew at Whitworth … If you go one time and you play decent, he’ll text you and tell you to come back. It’s just a regular pickup game with people that he’s close to, I guess.”

Riley, who grew up in Palo Alto,

California, said Spokane has always seemed like a basketball town since arriving to play college ball for the Pirates.

“Growing up in the Bay Area and coming here, it was a basketball-centric city,” Riley said. “From the organized pickup games (to) the high quality basketball with Gonzaga, Whitworth and Eastern all around … It has been a basketball town for a long time.”

Life in a "basketball mecca" EWU women’s basketball assistant coach Bryce Currie grew up in Spokane and is a graduate of Ferris High School.

He told The Easterner that Spokane is a “basketball mecca.”

“It feels like every kid has touched a basketball in Spokane at some point, or at least watched basketball,” Currie said.

“It’s created, in a way, more of a tight-knit community with some of the success of programs in the area.”

The influence of basketball can be noticed in several areas around Spokane County. Gonzaga’s men’s basketball team finished the 2018-2019 season ranked No. 6 in the AP’s final poll after advancing to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.

The Bulldogs’ women’s team also advanced in the NCAA Tournament before getting eliminated by Oregon State in the second round.

The NCAA women’s regional in 2018 was hosted at the Spokane Area, which included two Sweet 16 games and one Elite Eight game. Spokane will also host men’s first and second round games in 2020 for the first time since 2016. The University of Idaho will be the host school for those games.

Hoopfest's influence Another major basketball event in Spokane is Hoopfest—the largest 3-on3 basketball tournament in the world.

According to Hoopfest’s website, over 6,000 teams compete annually in various age and skill ranges. The event takes over the city’s downtown, spanning 45 blocks, and will take place June 29-30.

Currie credits Hoopfest as a main catalyst for the rise of basketball popularity and culture in Spokane.

“Hoopfest is one of those things that probably gets a little less credit for the Spokane culture of basketball than maybe Gonzaga does,” Currie said. “It’s easy to think right now, ‘oh my gosh, Gonzaga started the Spokane basketball trend,’ but really, I think it goes all the way back to the initial days of Hoopfest.”

Two EWU players that graduated from Spokane high schools competed in Hoopfest growing up: Cody Benzel, who just finished his senior season for the Eagles, and Tanner Groves, who just wrapped up his redshirt freshman year. Both were on teams that won their division. Groves’ victory came during Hoopfest’s 25th Anniversary year.

Some of Benzel’s favorite memories from playing in the area came from Hoopfest.

“I got to play with a lot of my childhood friends growing up all those years,” Benzel said. “When you win a couple of the years, which we did, it’s fun.”

Benzel, who like Currie graduated from Ferris, said the accomplishments of area colleges like Gonzaga and EWU inspired kids in the area to play more.

“It’s grown so much in the past 20

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years,” Benzel said. “With AAU teams and traveling, the successes of Gonzaga, even Eastern and Whitworth … there’s more of a spotlight. (Spokane) is seen as more of a basketball place now, I’d say.”

Hard-nosed mentality Groves, who graduated from Shadle Park High School in 2017, said he spent hours playing in the street outside his house with his brother growing up. Groves’ brother, Jacob, has signed with EWU and is currently in his senior year at Shadle Park.

“Me and my brothers would always play one-on-one,” Groves said. “We used to get in a lot of arguments, fight all the time over basketball playing in the driveway.

It’s pretty cool that we’ll be able to go to school together and play basketball.”

Groves said the dark and cold winters of Spokane have created a certain attitude of players that come out of the area.

“We get hit pretty hard with all the snow and different conditions,” Groves said. “A lot of the players that come out of Spokane and play college basketball are really tough, hard-nosed type players.”

Groves added that players who come out of Spokane to play college and even professionally do a great job of coming back to their roots.

“A lot of times you see a guy get big and he’ll forget about the town that he came from,” Groves said. “I don’t think that’s the case in the Spokane area. A lot of those guys really appreciate where they come from.

They’ll always keep that name on their backs and remember that Spokane is where their love for basketball began.”•

Sports

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Taylor Newquist for The Easterner

ROOS RENOVATIONS

Roos Field's last change came in 2010 with the addition of the red turf, and was previously renovated in 2004 as part of a $4.5 million stadium overhaul. EWU Athletic Director Lynn Hickey will make a stadium renovation proposal to the board of trustees on May 10.

Students react to impending stadium proposal MICHAEL BROCK Editor in Chief In less than a month, EWU football fans will know more about the future of Roos Field.

To outline the plans for an impending renovation project, Athletic Director Lynn Hickey is presenting at the May 10 board of trustees meeting. Hickey will discuss the results from the predesign process which the ALSC Architects of Spokane conducted from November 2018 to February.

“ALSC will create an overall architectural functional plan that will address possible enhancements to the student body and overall fan experience at the stadium,” the athletic department’s stadium renovation page that launched in November read.

“This could include expanded seating and improved amenities such as concessions and restrooms.”

ALSC discussed renovation ideas with focus groups consisting of “a select number of

Eastern students, faculty and staff, coaches, donors, alumni and board members,” according to the stadium renovation page.

So what are EWU students hoping for with a Roos Field renovation?

“A larger student section,” senior Kelsey Gardner said. “I don’t like being pushed around a lot.”

“Most of the games are raining, so if they could have a covered seating that would be really nice,” senior Ellery Roberts said.

Students home football attendance 2018 Opponent, date, weather high-low — student ID swipes Cal Poly, Sept. 22, 68°-53° — 1,566

Playoffs (student tickets from bookstore)

•

Southern Utah, Oct. 6, 57°-40° — 929

•

Nicholls State, Dec. 1, 38°-29° — 699

•

Idaho, Oct. 27, 55°-38° — 1,049

•

UC Davis, Dec. 8, 29°-20° — 322

•

UC Davis, Nov. 10, 31°-24° — 639

•

Maine, Dec. 15, 40°-33° — 684 Taylor Newquist for The Easterner

•

@The Easterner

@The_Easterner

Both Gardner and Roberts went to two EWU home games this season.

Hickey recently told The Easterner that the athletic department’s goal is for EWU to become as synonymous with Eastern Washington as Gonzaga is.

“We really want to continue to develop relationships and to grow the connection around campus,” Hickey said. “So that we’re seen as an asset and something that everyone’s excited about.”

One of the benefits of expanding that connection is more student participation.

“The average number of students thus far at all our events is about 850 students at an event, so not bad,” Hickey said. “Our support at football is really good compared to a lot of schools.”

Of the four regular home games where student swipes were counted (school wasn’t in session during the Sept. 1 Central Washington game), there was an average of 1,046 students at each

game: Cal Poly (1566), Southern Utah (929), Idaho (1049) and UCDavis (639).

Although the number of students decreased during the FCS Playoffs, it was finals week for the first game and winter break for the other two. Hickey said attendance was higher than expected.

There was an average of 568 students at each of postseason games: Nicholls State (699), UCDavis (322) and Maine (684).

Hickey said one of the goals of the stadium renovations is to create a more student-oriented environment.

To increase student attendance and participation, both Gardner and Roberts suggested advertising the home games more around campus.

“I work for housing; I’m a CA,” Roberts said. “I see the advertising in the buildings all the time, but not really like outside the res halls. So maybe people who don’t live on campus don’t see it as much.”•

The hot take corner

Roos Field needs a face-lift pg. 12

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