The Easterner Volume 100 Issue 17

Easterner The

V100 • N1 Independent student journalism SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

March 9, 2017

Table TheEasterner of Contents

3 News 8 A&E 13 Features 14 Opinion 16 Sports

Easterner Asks: What are your plans for Spring Break?

Staff List Editor-in-Chief Rosie Perry 509-359-6737 easterner.editor@ewu.edu Managing Editor Brad Brown easterner.mngeditor@ewu.edu

Khali Curry freshman “Go back home and rest up.”

Phoebe McShane sophomore “Going to Arizona and California to find more sunshine.”

Alissa Williams freshman “I’m going to see kids in the Caribbean with my family. It’s going to be my first trip there.”

Cameron Vaughn sophomore “Taking a trip to Seattle, for like four days, with my girlfriend and another couple, and I’m also rebuilding an old 80s Schwinn bike.”

Evan Jarms sophomore “Literally just working at my church (Faith Bible Church) in Spokane.”

Luke Huguenan freshmen “Just work and work a lot (at McDonald’s in Medical Lake).”

Web and Social Media Director Jordan Perry easterner.online@gmail.com Chief Copy Editor Natasha Nellis easterner.copy@gmail.com News Editor Kristi Lucchetta easterner.news@gmail.com Arts, Entertainment and Features Editor Erin Rebar easterner.aef@gmail.com Sports Editor Brandon Cline easterner.sports@gmail.com Art Director Abbi Vance easterner.photo@gmail.com Designer Gerald Maib Content Editor Ian Bouchard Copy Editor Colette-Janae Buck Staff Reporters Riley Baker Logan Stanley Kyle Fredricks Photographer Ivone Garza Whitney Bolar

Featured picture of the week: Submission Guidelines:

Liquid Rainbow Natasha Nellis for The Easterner

To submit photos, attach the largest file size in an email to the Art Director at e a s t e r n e r. p h o t o @ g m a i l . c o m , accompanied by your first and last name, photo name and no more than 50 words describing your photograph.

The picture does not have to correlate with any content being printed the week of.

All submissions must be recieved

by Monday night the week you would like it to be published. Photos must be appropriate and not include any obsceneties.

I found this fountain while visiting downtown Oklahoma City. Amid carriage and gondola rides was this fountain. The lights beneath the water turned all colors of the rainbow as water fired into the air creating a moment of serenity among the chaos of the world around me.

Faculty Adviser Carleigh Hill

About The Easterner

Program Adviser Samantha Armstrong

Our Mission

The mission of The Easterner is to inform the students, faculty, staff and nearby residents of Eastern Washington University of the governance, activities and views of the campus while providing a learning environment for students interested in journalism and related fields. Our main goal is to publish high-quality news content to the community of Eastern Washington University.

Circulation The Easterner publishes a weekly print version as well as web content during the week at http://www. easterneronline.com. The Easterner is distributed throughout the Cheney campus and business district as well as Riverpoint and various Spokane businesses. If you would like The Easterner to be distributed at your business call the Advertising Department at 509-359-7010.

Corrections

The Eastern student newspaper never knowingly publishes inaccuracies. If any error is found, the student newspaper is obligated to correct the error as soon as possible, regardless of the source of the error. A consistent location, signature and style for corrections will be used.

Front

Brad Brown | Managing Editor #RoadToReno has been the message all season, so I wanted to play on that idea with the Eags looking to run “through” Reno to March Madness. The cover was designed with a bevy of cutouts from photos I shot throughout the season and few other design tricks to put it all together.

Graphic by Brad Brown

Address | The Easterner EWU, Isle Hall 102 Cheney, WA 99004 Office Line | (509) 359-6737 Advertising Line | (509) 359-7010

2 | March 9, 2017 The Easterner

NEWS

ROTC students class of 2017 | Abbi Vance for The Easterner

Military Ball Fills Marie Antionette Ballroom with Laugther, Celebration and Awards Logan Stanely Staff Reporter White walls lined with gold accents, a hardwood floor surrounded by floral carpet, three chandeliers dangling from the ceiling, all bathed in dim lighting; this is what one first sees as they enter the Marie Antoinette

Ballroom at the Davenport Hotel for the annual EWU Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) Military Ball, which has occurred since the inception of the ROTC program in 1952.

EWU senior Cadet Alexandra Landoe, this year’s organizer, said the reasoning behind the ball comes down to three points.

“We want to bring the families and friends of our cadets together and further develop our military customs and courtesies, as well as build that camaraderie,” Landoe said.

In total, over 100 people attended the event, filling up the ballroom. Upon first entering the ball, situated to the right was

a single table left alone. Called the “Missing Man” Table, it is a tribute and honor to those fallen, missing or are prisoners of war.

There is an upside down glass, which represents that the missing man or woman cannot partake in the dinner; a lemon, which represents the bitter fate and a rose, which represents

the blood that may have been shed. There is also salt, which represents the tears of loved ones, a candle, which represents hope and a table which donned in white cloth to represent the purity of the soldiers’ intentions.

Continued on page 4....

The Easterner March 9, 2017 | 3

Military Ball continued....

The ball began with the posting of colors, a long standing military tradition. What followed next was another military tradition, this one with a prank-esque twist to it.

Known as the “Grog,” the youngest cadet at each table was called to the front of the ballroom to partake in the military tradition of drinking a random mixture.

One-by-one, the punch bowl was filled with various random items to create a mysterious concoction.

Lemon-lime soda, grape juice, pure lemon juice, salt and brown sugar were some of the ingredients used to make the mixture. One cadet even went back for seconds.

Afterwards a series of toasts were given, all with a nod to the military, United States and EWU. Major Mike Eliason, EWU ROTC professor of Military Science, gave a speech succeeding the toasts. Dinner was served next, catered by the hotel.

Guests were treated to an array of choices: tossed salad with either tuscany herb vinaigrette, blackberry yogurt vinaigrette or ranch dressing; freshly baked rolls with balls of butter; a spring vegetable mix of squash, cucumbers and tomatoes; herb roasted fingerling potatoes; grilled rosemary chicken breast with pasta-rice pilaf; and braised beef short ribs.

Following the dinner was guest speaker Vickie R. Shields, PhD and EWU dean of the College of Social Sciences.

Shields gave a speech on Leadership and Living Well, in

which she laid out four main points.

These points included showing up, setting that moral compass, mindfulness and avoiding the trap of perfectionism. Shields’ presentation concluded the list of speakers.

The retiring of colors officially ended the formal session of the dinner, creating way for the entertainment portion of the night.

The entertainment, which consisted of a number of videos mocking cadets and a class skit, was met with an overwhelming approval as the laughter of the crowd continuously thundered throughout the ballroom during the videos.

For the young men and women in the ROTC program, a social life can become hard to maintain. This is why the ball is valued among those who attend, as it gives a them chance to mingle with friends and company.

“Tonight, it’s traditional and also I wanted to hang out with my fellow cadets,” said EWU sophomore Cadet Gabriel Silva. “I thought it was going to be really fun and it turned out to be a really great time, so I’m really glad I came.”

In all, Cadet Landoe said she deemed the night a successful one.

Looking ahead to next year, it will be someone else’s responsibility to put together the event. But just as they have done in the past, the Military Ball will continue. •

Dean Vickie R. Shields, Ph. D. (Dean of Social Sciences, EWU) receives engraved shell casing from the Army ROTC class Abbi Vance for The Easterner

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Class of 2017 cut the cake with a sword | Abbi Vance for The Easterner

The Marie Antoinette Ballroom where the EWU ROTC Military Ball was held | Abbi Vance for The Easterner

EWU Women’s Center Hosts International Women’s Day Colette-Janae Buck Copy Editor Interdisciplinary artist and political activist Favianna Rodriguez hosted a workshop, Reproduce & Revolt, in conjunction with the EWU Women’s Center March 3, for International Women’s Day (IWD).

IWD is a worldwide event held on March 8 that “is a celebration of women of every background and all walks of life,” according to a press release issued by the EWU Women’s Studies Center.

The two-hour workshop session featured a short introduction lecture by Rodriquez where she shared her personal history in art and activism and some of the posters she has created though her career to help illustrate the importance of strong imagery in political posters.

“Migration is Beautiful,” a poster that featured two faces in the wings of a monarch butterfly, to symbolize the beauty found in the migration of animals, “Tu Lucha, es Mi Lucha,” or “my struggle is your struggle,” which featured female figures interacting and creating growth and the text-heavy “Sluts for Open Borders” that implied solidarity between “sluts” and migrants, were some of the posters included in Rodriguez’s lecture.

Rodriguez’s lecture and workshop centered primarily on creating art to normalize the narratives of human experiences that are not often see in mainstream culture and how individuals should advocate to make those narratives heard through art.

She used the example of current U.S. President Donald Trump and his 2016 campaign promise of building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border as a way to address the way different types of mainstream narratives that are normalized in the United States.

“When 45 [Donald Trump] was talking about building a wall ... we already have a wall that’s three layers deep,” said Rodriguez. “You can’t get through that wall, we don’t need to build another wall. But just by saying that, it’s like he’s creating an idea or a narrative that people really respond to, but it’s not real. So much of what 45 says is not based in fact, but it becomes normalized.”

Rodriguez then went on to talk about the normalization of both progressive

values and the experiences of both people of color and other diverse groups.

“I think black and brown people, disabled people, queer folks ... we’re forced into these tropes or very two dimensional ways of being, but on the contrary, white people can be astronauts, they can fall in love with a computer, they can fight a dragon ... they can do whatever they want,” said Rodriguez.

“Why don’t we see more people of color in those roles. It’s like when we think of human beings and human experiences, why don’t we get those views presented back to us in a way that is diverse?”

EWU junior Mayra Garcia, an attendee of the workshop, said the presentation of Rodriguez’s past art was one of her favorite parts of the workshop.

“It was amazing to have a Latina speaker, you don’t get very many of those,” Garcia said.

Garcia said she was also inspired by Rodriguez’s talks and learned how to better advocate for women in society.

After the lecture that helped students understand the components of making a powerful poster, Rodriquez invited students to use the materials provided, such as printouts of unity fists, a radio tower with the words “free speech” printed across the page and human faces from Rodriguez’s book, “Reproduce & Revolt,” as well as markers and colored cardstock, to create a poster with a message that is meaningful to them or a cause that they care about.

Students were then given 10 minutes to sort through the images and choose an idea that would then become their final poster.

Thirty minutes was alotted to work on the idea before the group reconvened to share their posters.

EWU junior Monique Gil, who also attended the workshop, agreed with Garcia about learning to advocate for women.

“Hearing [Rodriguez] speak got me all fired up,” said Gil. “I just feel like there’s many different ways to advocate; this was a good way to learn to advocate because art is powerful.”

In total, 28 EWU students and community members attended the workshop.

Poster themes ranged from dealing with equality, to freedom of speech and expression, and the concept of intersectional identity and the struggles associated with those interconnected identities. •

Students participating in the workshop in Monroe Hall for International Women’s Day Colette Janae-Buck for The Easterner

The Easterner March 9, 2017 | 5

EXTRAS

Sexy and I Know It! Workshop Comes to EWU

Kristi Lucchetta News Editor

Uber Gives Safety Tips for Spring Break With March Madness and spring break coming up, Uber has released safety tips for students to keep in mind. Always check the details when requesting an Uber, share your trip with another person, stay inside while waiting for an Uber and use common sense. If something doesn’t feel right, call 911 immediately.

Sexy and I Know It! Workshop presents on how to accept your body | Whitney Bolar for The Easterner

Marco Vargas for The Easterner

Students listen in on the presentation during the workshop Whitney Bolar for The Easterner

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EWU Health, Wellness and Prevention Services (HWPS) created the Sexy and I Know It! Healthy Body workshop to emphasis the importance of health and health support.

“Sexy and I Know It! is a presentation about body image and how we see and perceive ourselves,” Tim Conces, EWU senior and peer health educator, said.

Conces said this presentation is usually done for sororities but is also for every student on campus.

“It is also about making sure how we can change the perception of our bodies into a more positive view,” Sonya Dauncey, EWU freshman and peer health educator, said.

Conces said the HWPS has a workshop every Thursday with different topics and partners with the EWU Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) to make advertisements.

“It is not just through Health, Wellness and Prevention Services,” said Conces. “We partner up with CAPS quite often to bring presentations to the students.”

Conces said students appreciate the workshop and are getting involved.

“I think the students approve it very well,” said Conces. “They have really good involvement.”

Conces said seeing more people come and participate in the workshop in times to come will be more helpful.

“When I was applying for this job, I was asking some of the issues that people struggle with a lot, and body image was one of the biggest ones,” Dauncey said.

Dauncey said the workshop should definitely be helpful for the students on campus.

Conces said he is looking to see improvements for not just the Sexy and I Know It workshop, but also for others.

“I think getting more involvement from the general student population would be the best improvement that we could make,” said Conces. “Each presentation has unique challenges and opportunities. Everybody is different. Everybody is going to receive the information that we are giving.”

Conces said the more people HWPS can reach and bring information to, the better HWPS can do its job.

“As well as opening up and having better conversations with more people,” Dauncey said.

Conces said, besides CAPS, HWPS partners with every service on campus to create workshops. HWPS works prominently with Housing Residential Life to put on some of the biggest events, such as Condomania.

Conces and Dauncey said HWPS will do what they can do to inspire students and ensure ideas for healthy benefits.

“By having us here and providing the information in the hopes of making less risky decisions, we can stomp out some of that risky behavior,” Conces said.

Conces said they can help create a healthy and happy campus.

“We try to help people make better decisions healthwise,” said Dauncey. “Especially finding a way to drink safely or how to improve body image.” •

POLICE BEAT Kristi Lucchetta News Editor

Harassment/DV February 27

Around 9:43 a.m. in Pearce Hall a verbal argument broke out between a female student and a male, who is not a student. The male threatened to hurt the female if she called the police and also threatened to hurt the officers. He was arrested and released and returned to harass the female again. The male was booked into Spokane County Jail.

Drug Violation February 27

On Washington Street, a male, who is not a student, an officer pulled over a nonstudent male for driving with no tail lights. Once the officer approached the driver, he smelled the odor of marijuana. When asked for his license, officers found he was underage and when questioned, he said someone who was in his car earlier had marijuana. The officers received a consent to search the vehicle and found marijuana. The male student was charged with a minor in possession.

Driving While License Suspended February 28

A male student was stopped at Elm and Ninth Street around 7:50 a.m. when the officer ran the student’s license plate and found the owner had a suspended license. When the officer asked for the driver’s license, he found it was suspended. The student was arrested and issued a court date.

Gerald Maib for The Easterner

Malicious Mischief March 1

Witnesses spotted a male student and female student outside of Isle Hall at 12:15 p.m. yelling at each other. People called campus police and described the male shaking the female who was crying. The officers made contact and the male was arrested and referred to Student Rights and Responsibilities.

Suspicious Circumstances March 1

A female student reported a possible stalking in Kingston Hall. She reported that another male student was being friendly to the point of making her uncomfortable. The male would walk her to her vehicle but she never told him she didn’t want him to. Officers gave the female the option of them confronting the male, or her. She choose to talk to him about it herself.

DUI/Possession with Suspicious intent to distribute Circumstances

Drug Violation March 6

March 2

March 4

At 2:37 a.m. an officer observed a vehicle travelling on Washington Street at a high rate of speed. When the officer pulled the male over, he could smell the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. The officer received a consent to search the vehicle and found plastic bags with marijuana residue, a scale and a container that held marijuana. The driver was found under the influence of marijuana when he went through testing and was charged with driving under the influence and intent to deliver. He was booked into Spokane County Jail.

At 3:40 a.m. a female student reported to officers that someone had opened her door and walked by. When she got up to go to the restroom she noticed marijuana in a bag on the floor outside of her door. The marijuana was taken into custody and there currently are no suspects.

After midnight in Streeter Hall, officers were called to the fifth floor for a possible drug violation.

The officers made contact with the resident’s, who were underage, and received a consent to search the room. Officers found marijuana, narcotics and unopened beer. The resident who was in possession of the items was arrested and referred to Student Rights and Responsibilities.

Suspicious Circumstances March 6

A female student in Tawanka Hall reported a male student violating a no contact order.

Officers were not able to confirm the female and male had a no contact order, just an incident that occured in 2015.

Anyone who has any information on a pending investigation please call EWU Police Department at (509)359-7676 or the Anonymous Tip Line at (509)359-4286.

The Easterner March 9, 2017 | 7

A&E

Kate Monster (Hannah McLaughlin) and Princeton (Scott Worley) sing “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist” | Abbi Vance for The Easterner

REVIEW

“Avenue Q” Wows

EWU production pays homage to the fears of becoming an adult Colette-Janae Buck Copy Editor Walking into EWU’s Mainstage Theatre, I didn’t know what to expect from a musical called “Avenue Q.” I had heard the ample warnings of its adult content, and I had accepted that it would probably take me back to when I was younger and fancied watching Sesame Street, but as I sat down and watched the opening number, I felt my reservations dim and my admiration for EWU’s production blossoming.

Described as a coming-of-age tale of the “you’re special” millennial generation, “Avenue Q” highlights what it’s like to enter adulthood,

8 | March 9, 2017 The Easterner

with all its reservations, hopes and dreams and bad decisions that propel you through your early 20s. Princeton, a puppet who just graduated from college with a bachelor’s degree in English, comes to the neighborhood of Avenue Q looking for his purpose in life and meets the rest of the cast, notably a monster puppet by the name of Kate Monster who is a kindergarten teaching assistant.

The two flirt as friends for a good amount of time before they launch into a relationship that mimics the type of erratic courtships a twenty-something college graduate would undoubtedly experience, all while they are both trying to find their way in the world.

Other characters, such as Christmas Eve

and Brian, are tasked with advancing their established adulthood and growing as a couple. Rod, also a puppet, and perhaps one of the show’s more put together characters, struggles with accepting his sexuality and explores his feelings for his roommate Nicky, who just wants Rod to be himself.

Other notable characters who play vital roles in both the advancement of the plot and in the comedy of the musical are Trekkie Monster, an internet porn addicted monster puppet who lusts for women, the Bad Idea Bears, with their encouragement of drunken pre-marital sex and suicide attempts, and Lucy the Slut, the show’s femme fatale that likes to cause a little trouble now and again.

All these stories included in the small little package of “Avenue Q” are wonderfully scripted by playwright Jeff Whitty and are relevant to any generation living during the time of the production. But, what really makes this production of “Avenue Q” shine is the amazing acting, puppeteering and singing by the talented cast. What stuck out to me the most about this play was how flexible the script was. During several moments, in between songs and dialogues, short little jabs at the fourth wall, Donald Trump and other popular culture references, such as a dance moved called “dabbing,” were present in the play’s run. The added touches really brought the play into 2017.

As I stated before, going into the Mainstage Theatre, I had some reservations about how well I was going to like “Avenue Q.” Perhaps it was going to poke intense fun at millennials and mock our strife and struggles, or maybe it was going to remind me just a little too much of the muppets and “Sesame Street.” I also had no idea how practicing with the show’s puppets for such short period of time was going to translate into the casts performance in the production, but for one of the first performances of the show’s set here at EWU, the result of all that hard work was flawless.

In fact, the puppeteering work and the facial expressions of the actors controlling the puppets were perhaps one of my favorite parts of the entire show. It was almost like a game to switch back and forth between the faces of the puppets and the faces of the live actors, trying to spot the slight discrepancies between the two, only to find the rare lapse in a puppet’s expression; it was like the actors were actually connected to their puppets through more than just physical touch.

Although each of the character renditions made by the cast were wonderful, Hannah McLaughlin’s performance as the hands behind Kate Monster was my favorite performance of the night. In almost every scene McLaughlin participated in, I couldn’t believe how well she brought Kate Monster to life. Particularly in the scene where Kate and Princeton first meet, and Kate Monster is seen tucking her hair behind her ears in a nervous manner, the puppeteering is flawlessly executed. McLaughlin’s control of

Kate during those moments was what really had me sold on her performance in the show, not to mention her singing skills.

Dominic Betts as Nicky, Ethan Lewan as the male Bad Idea Bear, Skyler Moeder as the female Bad Idea Bear and Scott Worley as Princeton also earn mentions for their outstanding combination of puppeteering skills and amazing acting, but in all, each and every one of the actors demonstrated both phenomenal acting and singing skills.

The band’s performance also amazed and was perfectly tempered, though at times it was hard to understand a few words or phrases spoken by the actors as some of the mics were lower than the music. During the parts where music and singing collided, I had no trouble hearing the words being spoken over the music.

The spotlights on puppets during monologue scenes were also kind of hit and miss, as at times I didn’t think the light was bright enough, but all in all, the lighting, musical aspects and the simple but intriguing and versatile set design of a city block’s exterior really stand on their own as more great aspects of EWU’s production of “Avenue Q.” If you’re into musical theatre, want to laugh about your potential life after college and don’t mind being given the finger or hounded for money, “Avenue Q” in all its mature glory is a great musical worth seeing. •

Princeton and Kate Monster look at a mixtape he made for her | Abbi Vance for The Easterner

The Easterner March 9, 2017 | 9

Easterner Staff Pred Easterner Staff Big Sky Champs Logan Stanley

EWU over B North Dakota

Brandon Cline

EWU over North Dakota

Staff Reporter Sports Editor

Riley Baker

North Dakota Q G over EWU

Staff Reporter

Brad Brown

EWU over Montana

Managing Editor Senior forward Jacob Wiley and Coach Jim Hayford | Brad Brown for The Easterner

The Ticket to The Dance EWU begins their journey through the Big Sky Tournament with their hopes of reaching March Maddness on the line Brandon Cline Sports Editor Five months, 31 games and 1,290 minutes of playing time later, the EWU men’s basketball team have finally arrived in Reno, Nevada for the Big Sky Conference Tournament.

They arrive holding the tournament’s second seed after coaches and media alike expected the Eagles to finish in the middle of the pack during the regular season in the conference. The Eagles were selected to finish seventh in the Big Sky coaches poll and fifth in the Big Sky media poll.

The Easterner’s preseason rankings had the Eagles finishing in sixth place.

The emergence of senior transfer Jake Wiley and the steady play of junior Bogdan Bliznyuk thrusted the Eagles into contention for the regular season title, and the Eagles would have clinched a share of the title if they had defeated the 6-12 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks in their regular season finale.

Wiley has been a revelation for an EWU program that was desperately looking for someone to replace forward Venky Jois, who graduated last season.

Jois ended his career as the program’s all-time leading scorer and shot blocker.

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Wiley has slipped comfortably into Jois’ shoes, winning the conference’s Most Valuable Player award. In 18 conference games, Wiley led the Big Sky in scoring (24.6 points per game), rebounding (10.3 rebounds per game), blocked shots (2.5 blocks per game) and field goal percentage (66 percent field goal shooting).

“He is a tremendous worker and very deserving of this recognition,” said head coach Jim Hayford. “As a staff, this is our first conference MVP in the six years we’ve been a part of this program, and I am really proud of the work done by our assistant coaches with Jake.”

Wiley was a unanimous All-Conference first team selection, while Bliznyuk was selected to the All-Conference second team after finishing seventh in the conference in scoring (19.4 points per game), twelfth in rebounding (6.6 rebounds per game) and sixth in assists (3.7 assists per game).

The Eagles enter the tournament second in the conference in scoring offense (81.2 points per game) and third in scoring defense (73.8 points per game), the only team in the top three in both categories. EWU was the only Big Sky team to shoot higher than 50 percent from the field and were second in the conference in three-point shooting,

making 40.2 percent of their shots from beyond the arc.

The Eagles open their tournament against the Sacramento State Hornets, who are seeded seventh in the tournament. EWU and Sacramento State met just once during the regular season, with the Eagles winning 77-72 at Reese Court. Wiley finished with 38 points, 12 rebounds, four blocks and three assists in the game, while the rest of the EWU team shot just 34.3 percent (12-35 shooting) from the field.

After the game, Hayford attributed the Eagles’ slow offense start to the team coming out flat, and noted that the team’s defense kept them from trailing by even more at halftime.

“We were playing some really good defense and kind of fought our way through that first half,” said Hayford. “It was like we were moving in mud.”

The Eagles will need to avoid a flat start on Thursday if they want to advance to their second NCAA Tournament appearance in the past three seasons.

You can watch their quarterfinal game against Sacramento State on WatchBigSky.com and listen on 700-AM ESPN. The game is currently scheduled to start at 5:35 p.m. •

Abbi Vance Art Director

North Dakota G over Weber State G

Michael Brock

Contributing Reporter

EWU over North Dakota

* Colors indicate predicted Big Sky Champion

2017 Big Sky M Tuesday March 7 #8 Portland State #9 Northern Arizona

Thursda March 9

#1 Nort

#8 Portla

#5

#2 Eastern Wa #7 Sacramento State

#7 Sacrame

#10 Idaho State

#3 We #6 Montana State #11 Southern Utah

#11 South

dicts the Big Sky Tournament MVP

Dark Horse

Best Name

2017 Big Sky MVP

Jacob Wiley 6-7 · Sr. · Forward Newport, WA.

Bogdon Bliznyuk

Walter Wright (Montana)

EWU’s third player in 30 years in the Big Sky to earn MVP honors.

Jacob Wiley

Dusty Baker

Earned Big Sky Player of the Week honors in four different weeks.

Forward (EWU) Forward (EWU)

(Weber State)

Quinton Hooker

Gaurd (Weber State)

Michael ‘Fuzzy’ Wearne (EWU)

Jacob Wiley

Neema Namdar

Forward (EWU)

(Southern Utah)

Geno Crandall

Sir Washington

Jacob Wiley

Izayah MauriohoohoLe’afa (Sac State)

Gaurd (North Dakota) Forward (EWU)

(EWU)

In conference play, led the Big Sky in four different categories, scoring (24.6), rebounding (10.3), blocked shots (2.5) and field goal percentage (.659).

Was honored by NCAA.com on Feb. 6 as the National Player of the Week in NCAA Division I. Scored 45 points against Portland State, tying the school record.

Men’s Basketball Championships

ay 9

Friday March 10

Saturday March 11

5 Keys to Success Jake Wiley averaged 14.2 field goal attempts in conference games, but managed just six attempts in EWU’s 61-76 loss against Northern Arizona University in their regular season finale. Wiley needs 15-20 attempts per game to keep the Eagles balanced offensively.

1

In EWU’s five conference losses this season, they shot just 35.5 percent from three-point range. In the team’s 13 conference wins, they shot 42.5 percent from beyond the arc. Enough said.

2

The Eagles were out-rebounded just four times in 18 conference games, losing three of those contests. In the 14 conference games when they out-rebounded opponents, they were 12-2.

3

In the last eight games of the season?

56 percent field goal shooting and 25.9 points per game. EWU will need the latter performance out of Bliznyuk if they want to go dancing this month.

4

Interior defense. The Eagles were the best defensive team in the conference on two-point field goal attempts, holding teams to just 45.8 percent shooting from inside the arc. Wiley’s a big reason why the Eagles do so well defensively inside, as an imposing force who leads the conference in blocks per game with 2.5.

5

th Dakota

and State

#4 Idaho Montana

ashington

ento State

2017 Tournament Champion

eber State

hern Utah

* Red indicates EWU’s potential path

The Easterner March 9, 2017 | 11

EVENTS

Courtesy of EWU Student Affairs

Late Night Laster Tag Enjoy popcorn and eagle punch while playing laser tag in the library with your friends and fellow students. Wii Mario Kart will be offered for students waiting to play laser tag.

Courtesy of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick

St. Patrick’s Day Parade

When: March 9 Time: 9 p.m. to midnight Where: JFK Library Cost: Free

Come to downtown Spokane and watch the St. Patrick’s Day parade. Put on by the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, the parade is an annual event that celebrates Irish culture and St. Patrick’s Day traditions.

Time: noon Cost: Free

When: March 11 Where: Downtown Spokane

Courtesy of Friends of St. Patti

Limerick Fest Watch as 24 poets compete in a 5 round tournament full of fun, themed limericks.

When: March 11 Time: 7 p.m.

Where: 24 W. Main Ave. Spokane, WA Cost: $5 to participate, $5 donation suggested for spectators

Courtesy of Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre

Courtesy of Eagle Entertainment

Up All Night Event

Living Through the Fire

Courtesy of Spokane Motorcycle Show Take a break from studying and attend Eagle Entertainment’s Up All Night event. The event will feature a variety of stations including, discounted piercings (face only), henna tatoos, eating contests, an energy drink stand, a photobooth and more.

Watch the Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre perform an original musical about the 1910 Big Burn fire, the people and the firefighters who lived through it.

When: March 10 and 11 Time: 7 p.m.

Where: 405 N. Williams St. Post Falls, ID Cost: $20

12 | March 9, 2017 The Easterner

When: March 16 Time: 9 p.m. to midnight Where: Hargreaves 201 Cost: Free to attend

Inland Northwest Motorcycle Show and Sale Come to the Inland Northwest Motorcycle Show and Sale and browse hundreds of bikes and accessories, visit the Budweiser Biker Bar and enjoy a bike competition.

When: March 10-12 Time: Friday 3-8 p.m.

Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Where: 404 N. Havana St.

FEATURES

Ebi Fri Roll at Copper Hana ($9) | Erin Rebar for The Easterner

REVIEW

Copper Hana’s Service Gets an Upgrade

An increase in staff and a few month’s of extra experience results in a major service speed-up Erin Rebar A&E and Features Editor Copper Hana, Cheney’s local sushi joint, seems to have gotten its feet under itself after a rather rocky start last spring.

In an article published by The Easterner shortly after the restaurant’s opening, it was noted that Copper Hana’s atmosphere was hip and clean, and the sushi was high quality, but the service was lacking.

According to the article, customers

reported waiting at least 15 minutes before receiving any sort of acknowledgment from a server and around 30-45 minutes before being served their orders.

Since then, Copper Hana significantly upped its game.

The last time I visited Copper Hana, I kept my eye on the clock. Though the restaurant was reasonably full, the service I received was startlingly fast. My first contact with a server was just over two minutes after having sat down and my meal, which consisted of hot

tea and a sushi roll, was prepared and on my table barely 15 minutes after my arrival.

Kenta Nishimori, Copper Hana’s manager, said the main cause of service improvement at the restaurant is the significant amount of experience the business’s staff now has under their belts. There was a learning curve, Nishimori said, but the staff of Copper Hana is now better trained and more able to cope with the demands of a busy night than before.

Nishimori also said the ability to hire more staff has also helped; during Copper

Hana’s first few months of business, quality service was a struggle because the restaurant lacked the appropriate number of staff.

In addition to the improvement in its service, Copper Hana added another ace to its lineup -- the addition of a delivery service. According to Copper Hana’s app, the restaurant now offers delivery every day from 5-9 p.m. •

The Easterner March 9, 2017 | 13

OPINION

Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

EDITORIAL

Federal Funds should not be about obedience The Easterner Editorial Board

Letters to the Editor

There is no question that President Trump has made some questionable decisions as of late-- travel bans, healthcare repeals, building a wall, constantly pointing the finger at the media, threatening to take away funding from schools, and let’s not even talk about the appointment of Besty DeVos. All of this calls into question not only Trump’s leadership style, but also his sanity, if we’re being honest.

While there is some apparent logical reasoning behind some of Trump’s decisions, it almost seems like our new leader desires complete obedience from us. Take his threat to defund UC Berkeley as an example. When protests turned violent, Trump’s reaction to the actions of a few was to punish the entire Berkeley community.

Following the protests, Trump tweeted, “If U.C. Berkeley does not allow free speech and practices violence on innocent people with a different point of view - NO FEDERAL FUNDS?” Disregarding the fact that the president can’t really do that, at least not easily, and we doubt for such a petty reason, it appears as though Trump has adopted his own form of Aldrin justice. Well, we have news for you Mr. President, we are not kindergarteners and you cannot just take away our toys every time we misbehave or act in a way that you don’t agree with.

Not only does this interfere with every

Gerald Maib for The Easterner American citizen’s constitutional right to freedom of speech and the right to peaceably assemble, it designates the population as troublesome children who need to be taught the meaning of obedience.

Obedience is defined as compliance with an order, request or law or submission to another’s authority. However, according to Drs. Guadong Song, Qinhai Ma, Fangfei Wu and Lin Li, who co-wrote a paper on the psychological explanation of conformity, obedience is defined as “the subject is subordinate to the object for the purpose of seeking rewards or avoiding punishment.”

This seems to be an idea Trump has taken to heart. The idea that a person’s First Amendment rights become null the moment they act in a way that directly defies the way he seems to believe they should is cause for punishment.

If we’ve learned anything from Umbridge, punishing others for having different beliefs never ends well.

While there are some merits to obedience, as without obedience of the law and the social systems we live under, our lives would

be complete chaos, but enforcing obedience through punishment isn’t always the best option. For criminals, sure, prosecute them to the appropriate extent of the law, but for a community of students who may not have even been involved in the violence, it makes very little sense to punish every single person.

This is not to say the violence that occurred at Berkeley was right, but there are better ways to handle it than shutting down the school or pulling important funding.

Then there is the whole conflict of punishing the masses for the actions of a few.

Trump didn’t threaten to take away the funding of just those involved in the U.C. Berkeley protests, he threatened to take away all of the funding from the entire university.

According to the Forbes “America’s Top Colleges” list, Trump’s threat to pull funding would leave 37,565 students out of school.

According to CNN, only 150 protesters were involved in the violent protest, and not all of them were students. So Trump’s idea to cull the violence is to punish everyone affiliated with the university?

Sure, that makes sense. •

I am writing to express my concern regarding the lack of financial education for college students. I am a graduate student at Eastern Washington University, facing an excess of $20,000 in debt when I graduate this June for just two years of a postgraduate degree (that is not counting debt from my undergraduate degree).

I wish I knew more about the weight of student loans before signing my financial future away.

Between 2004 and 2016, student loan debt in the United States has nearly tripled, and the current debt has exceeded $1 trillion. The reality is that student debt is crippling for young people. According to research by The American Institute of CPAs, only 39 percent of students fully understood the burden student loan debt would have on their future.

I urge your readers to contact their legislators asking them to vote in support of Senate Bill 5100, which will require institutions of higher education in Washington state to provide financial education to all students. Readers can find their legislators and contact information at www.leg.wa.gov.

Sincerely, Megan Tucker

Submission Guidelines -Letters should be 300 words or less and typed, or legibly handwritten.

-Include your full name, signature, telephone number and email address for verification.

-We reserve the right not to publish letters; furthermore, all letters are subject to editing for adherence to Associated Press style.

14 | March 9, 2017 The Easterner

-Letters must be received no later than Monday at 10 a.m. in order to be considered for publication the following Wednesday.

-If your letter is in response to a specific article, please list the title and date of the article.

We encourage the EWU community to submit letters and opinion pieces that conform to the requirements listed.

Opinion articles and letters to the editor do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of The Easterner, its staff members or Eastern Washington University.

COLUMN

EDITORS’ PICKS

Style Nest

App / Service

Online Shopping Addictions

Amazon Prime Music Amazon Prime is a great thing in itself with two day shipping, movies and TV and my favorite, Prime Music. It’s basically like Pandora, but you get an unlimited amount of skips. You can skip back and play the previous song, and there are NO ADS. You can search new stations based on artist, song, genre, etc. and listen to amazon exclusive albums.

Courtesy of Amazon I also like that you can still like or dislike songs, making the playlists customizable. The app is free as well as the first couple months of Amazon Prime Membership. After the trial period you can use your student email to get half off the normal price of the membership for the year. (Abbi Vance)

Colette-Janae Buck Copy Editor Hi, my name is Colette and I have an online shopping addiction. These would be the words I would say if I was sitting in a group meeting at a 12-step program for shopaholics, as us crazed folk were commonly known as in the mid-2000s.

It would be here that I would confess my love for one specific online shopping retailer, ASOS. Even as I’m writing this style column I can’t help but flip back and forth between my column and ASOS’s website.

I have a problem, but for a very good reason. ASOS is one of my favorite online shopping sites for a multitude of reasons.

Operating out of the U.K., ASOS is first and foremost both an aggregator of clothing brands, offering access to over 800+ labels, and an online retailer for their own line, ASOS. I really love the fact that ASOS offers so much variety in both the brands they offer and the types and styles of clothing they sell. Whether it be an edgy, street-style look, a preppy, modern look or a style with urban influences, you can find whatever you’re looking for on ASOS. Not only can you find a wide range of brands and styles, but ASOS is one of the world’s largest online retailers that offers both their own plus size brand and sells other plus size lines.

ASOS Curve, as it’s called, offers US sizes 14-24, with prices of items almost exactly matching

Abbi Vance for The Easterner the prices of items in sizes 00-12, something that is not common in the world of fashion. ASOS also has a great men’s range, again with the styles of clothing they offer varying widely, and with great prices.

Another reason why ASOS is one of my favorite online shopping websites is because of the fact that they give students 10 percent off their orders. It may not seem like a lot, but when you have upwards of $200 or more worth of items in your cart, that 10 percent can add up quickly to solid savings. Also, shipping and returns with ASOS are easy and sometimes free.

If you spend more than $40, you get free 7-day shipping, and if you spend over $140, you qualify for free 2-day shipping, otherwise you’ll end up paying around $5 for 7-day shipping and $12 for 2-day shipping. Returns are always free with ASOS as they include a return label included in each package, and you usually get your money back within seven to 10 days. It’s handy to have that kind of service as some items on ASOS do not fit true to size.

To avoid sending back your favorite piece, always read the

product detail box toward the bottom of the clothing item’s page. Usually the product details will give you the measurements of the model, the model’s size and a sizing chart to help you determine what size will correctly fit you based on your measurements.

Go forth and check out ASOS, and maybe even treat yourself.

God knows after this winter we all need a little “Treat Yo’ Self 2017” love.

Graphic Novel

V for Vendetta Imagine a world where your every move is controlled; your schedules, your ideas, your media — every aspect of your life is the grips of a religious totalitarian government that constantly pushes their ideals onto its citizens through fear. All until a mysterious figure emerges from the ashes of the pre-totalitarian society to Courtesy of Warner Bros seek his vengeance on the controlling state. V for Vendetta is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel that sucks you into the dark and dim world of a totalitarian 1990s England.

You can’t help but fall in love with V, the story’s anti-hero, and the world he seeks to rectify. (Colette-Janae Buck)

Video Game

Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns The latest instalment of the farming simulation classic, Harvest Moon, fully lives up to the reputation of its predecessors, and in some aspects, even exceeds expectations.

The player starts out having decided they want to move out of their parent’s house and become a farmer. They move to a place called Crossroads where there are three different Courtesy of Nintendo towns for the player to visit. Each town has its own unique culture. One is Western themed, another is Eastern themed and the third is Hawaiian themed. This offers new variety to the game that had been lacking in previous installments. This game provides the best the series has to offer and more. If you are interested in playing a casual game where you can raise your own animals and crops, and even find love, this game is perfect for you. (Rosie Perry)

The Easterner March 9, 2017 | 15

SPORTS

Then a junior, Felix Von Hofe (above) high-five’s a young EWU fan after a game during the 2015-16 men’s basketball season | The Easterner Archives

His Blood Is Worth Bottling

Senior Felix Von Hofe looks back at his record-breaking EWU basketball career Riley Baker

Staff Reporter In his final year with the team, senior Felix Von Hofe has become the winningest player in EWU’s NCAA Division I history, earning 80 wins during his time with EWU. Not only that, the 6-foot-5-inch forward is currently sitting on 255 career 3-pointers. That is good for eighth in Big Sky Conference history and only five shy of the EWU record of 260, held by Tyler Harvey (2013-15).

As his college basketball career nears its end, Von Hofe has left his mark and is one of the best to ever play basketball at EWU.

Before coming to EWU, Von Hofe played high school basketball in his hometown of Melbourne, Australia.

He considered playing collegiately in the United States, but was also content with staying home and continuing basketball in local leagues within the paradise of Australia, Von Hofe said.

Eventually, he broke out of his comfort zone and gave it a go.

“Someone I knew that knew [head coach] Jim [Hayford] called,” said Von Hofe. “Next thing you know, I’m over here sitting in a dorm.”

Since then, the past four years have been a wild ride both on and off the court, creating

16 | March 9, 2017 The Easterner

plenty of opportunities for him after his college career.

“I’m the only one that remains from my freshman year,” said Von Hofe. “I remember looking back at my freshman year thinking, I can’t imagine playing on a team with anyone different than these guys.

But now I look around and I’ve got the same feeling, if not better, and it’s entirely new faces, including some of the coaches.”

During his tenure at EWU, Von Hofe played with some of the best players in school history, from Tyler Harvey and Venky Jois, to Austin McBroom and now this year, Jake Wiley. Von Hofe watched the culture

of the team grow into one cohesive unit, despite the turnover in players.

Now, as the only constant over the last few years, he attributes the growth in the team culture to the older guys coming as senior transfers, like McBroom and Wiley. Last year, McBroom played his senior year at EWU and this year, Wiley is doing the same as a fifth year senior. “[Wiley] has to sort of mentor the younger guys,” said Von Hofe. “It’s hard to do that sometimes when you know you’re only going to be here for a year. But he’s been a full part of the family and is one of the biggest leaders on the team. Everyone looks up to him, including me.”

That feeling is mutual. Wiley has a lot of respect for Von Hofe and knew he wanted to play alongside the Aussie before even joining the team. During the senior day game in 2016, Wiley watched from the stands, enveloped in Von Hofe’s energy and the way he played the game.

“I looked over to my fiancée and said, ‘that guy, number 44, he’s got it,’” said Wiley. “He’s been the same dude ever since I’ve known him. Same passion and energy.

He loves the game, he loves his teammates and he’s one of the best teammates I’ve ever had.”

WEEKLY SCORES EWU

So. Utah

Men’s

March 2, 2017

43

1st

41

48

2nd

34

91

EWU

75

No. Arizona

March 4, 2017

20

1st

37

41

2nd

39

61

76

FINAL BIG SKY STANDINGS Conf. / Overall 14-4

19-9

Sacramento State

9-9

12-17

EWU

13-5

21-10

Portland State

7-11

15-15

Idaho

12-6

17-12

Northern Colo.

7-11

11-18

Weber State

12-6

17-12

Northern Arizona

6-12

9-23

Montana

11-7

16-15

Idaho State

3-15

5-25

Montana State

11-7

16-15

Southern Utah

3-15

5-26

Men’s

North Dakota

Senior forward Jake Wiley (left) and Von Hofe (right) celebrate during EWU’s game against Portland State on Feb. 4 Brad Brown for The Easterner All of the energy that Von Hofe has on the court carries over off the court as well. Being a part of the community is big, and the relationships he built over the years are important to him.

“It’s all about the relationships I’ve built,” said Von Hofe. “Once you leave here, you forget about whether you won this game or you won that game, but you remember what you did off the court.”

The off-the-court interactions will leave lasting memories with Von Hofe, but they also have an impact on the court as well. He hopes to leave this attitude behind after his time at EWU has ended because he said he thinks it is important for his teammates to understand.

“If you play for Kentucky or something, people just come to your games,” said Von Hofe.

“The people here, they don’t just come to the games because its Eastern basketball. It’s usually because there’s a connection to the team. So if you can embrace the community out here and socialize

with as many people as you can, that’s how you fill the stands.”

Von Hofe wants to be looked back on as a guy who really impacted the culture of the program. He said he feels his time at EWU has prepared him and given him plenty of opportunities to succeed beyond college.

“I love to talk,” said Von Hofe with a smile. “I want to get into the entertainment industry somewhere.

I wouldn’t mind having my own talk show one day, but then the only problem is I probably wouldn’t let anyone else speak.”

There are still options for him to play basketball back in Australia, and he will have to decide if he wants to go back home or move down to Los Angeles and chase a different path.

As for now, there is still playoff basketball to be played, and Von Hofe said he wants a second taste of the NCAA tournament before moving on. He has his eyes set on the conference tournament in Reno with the hopes of winning

and advancing to the NCAA tournament.

If the team has a strong finish, Von Hofe said he will have gotten everything he could out of basketball when the season ends.

“It feels a lot like 2015, and you could probably say that’s because we’re winning a lot of games and so did that team,” said Von Hofe. “Maybe it is just being a senior and knowing this is the last group that I’ll play basketball with, that even if something was to happen in Reno and we didn’t do what we wanted to do, I think I’d still put this one down as my most enjoyable season.”

The Big Sky tournament begins for EWU on March 9 against No. 7 Sacramento State as EWU’s winningest player looks to lead the team to a championship to close out his Eagle career. Who knows, after that we just may see Von Hofe on TV one day talking someone’s ear off, either on the court or in a Hollywood studio. •

TWEET OF THE WEEK @EagleFans_GandP

“I wanted to tweet “Bog is our Dawg!” But Gigabyte says that’s too ‘90s. @EWUMBB @BogdanB_32 #GoEags”

QUOTE OF THE WEEK Jim Hayford

“They are crazy disappointed. They showed fight all the way down to the end, but we just dug too big of a hole. We win together and we lose together.”

BY THE NUMBERS: SENIOR EDITION 254

The number of threepointers Felix Von Hofe has made in his EWU career, six behind Tyler Harvey for the most in program history.

1,030

The number of points Von Hofe has scored in his EWU career, one of just 20 EWU players in the 1,000 point club.

The Easterner March 9, 2017 | 17

WEEKLY SCORES EWU

63

March 1, 2017

12 19

1st 2nd

16 11

14 18

3rd 4th

18 19

EWU

79

So. Utah

Women’s

64

No. Arizona

Women’s March 3, 2017

20 19

1st 2nd

15 13

18 22

3rd 4th

20 16

64

Women’s

FINAL BIG SKY STANDINGS Montana State

15-3

22-6

Portland State

8-10

15-16

North Dakota

15-3

20-9

Weber State

6-12

13-17

Northern Colo.

14-4

22-7

Sacramento State

6-12

10-20

EWU

12-6

17-12

Northern Arizona

5-13

9-21

Idaho

11-7

17-13

Montana

4-14

7-23

Idaho State

10-8

17-13

Southern Utah

2-16

7-23

TWEET OF THE WEEK @CoachBestEWU

“Great finish to a great regular season @EWUWBB @EWUCoachSchu! EagNation is proud. On to Reno ladies! #GoEags”

QUOTE OF THE WEEK Wendy Schuller

“It’s always fun when seniors go out the way you draw it up. I thought both of them were playing extremely hard from the get-go.”

BY THE NUMBERS: SENIOR EDITION 38.3

Tisha Phillips’ threepoint percentage during her EWU career, tied with Hayley Hodgins for third-best in program history.

7.6

The number of rebounds Ashli Payne averages per game, the third-best rate in school history.

18 | March 9, 2017 The Easterner

Seniors Tisha Phillips (left) and Ashli Payne (right) running down the court on Senior Day | Brad Brown for The Easterner

Two Paths, Same Destination for EWU Women’s Basketball Seniors Michael Brock

for The Easterner For EWU’s Tisha Phillips and Ashli Payne, Friday’s 79-64 victory over Northern Arizona meant more than just clinching a first-round bye in the Big Sky Conference Tournament.

It was senior night, the duo’s final game at Reese Court and a bittersweet end to a pair of illustrious careers.

During the past two seasons, Phillips and Payne were integral to the team’s success.

Equipped with lightning quick speed, remarkable court vision and a reliable outside shot, Phillips established herself as a premier point guard in the Big Sky Conference, notching 12.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and four assists per game across the two seasons.

Payne, meanwhile, ranks among the best rebounders in the Big Sky, averaging 11.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists. Her real skill lies in her versatility. Despite standing at 6-feet tall, Payne has many attributes synonymous with a guard. In addition to handling the ball, Payne is capable from long range, where she shot 38.1 percent on the season from three-point range.

But senior night is also about reflection - taking time to appreciate one’s journey leading up to that final buzzer. When it

comes to Phillips and Payne, the two had vastly different paths that ended up at EWU. Ashli Payne was born and raised in Bremerton, Washington, where she attended Olympic High School.

Despite leading the Olympic League in scoring and earning league MVP honors as a senior, Payne was not heavily recruited, and decided to go the junior college route. Payne ventured south to Roseburg, Oregon where she played for Umpqua Community College (UCC) for two years.

Tisha Phillips grew up in Lapwai, Idaho, where she attended Lapwai High School for two years, winning one state title. Prior to her junior year, Phillips move to Lewiston, Idaho, where she led Lewiston High School to two state championships. As a senior, Phillips averaged 15 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.1 steals and 2.2 assists.

Payne quickly made a name for herself at UCC, and as a sophomore she led the team to a 27-5 record and a Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) Southern Region title while averaging 17.8 points, 10 rebounds and 4.3 assists. Payne said her confidence soared at UCC, and when she arrived in Cheney, she hit the ground running.

While Payne was tearing up the NWAC, Phillips was already at EWU, waiting for her time to shine.

Dealing with shin splints,

Phillips was forced to redshirt her first year. She spent the next two seasons as a reserve, scoring just 2.5 points per game in 14.5 minutes as a sophomore.

But this time was valuable, Phillips said, as she was able to learn the team’s system and improve on the necessary fundamentals needed to excel at the next level. When her minutes doubled as a junior, Phillips was ready to contribute.

“More players in all sports need to understand that you’re not always gonna play a ton as a freshman or a sophomore, but the idea is to get better and to understand the program,” said Schuller. “Tish bought into that and she has made a huge impact.”

Though their paths vary, Payne and Phillips are in unique company.

Per scholarshipstats.com (using 2015-16 data), just 1.2 percent of female high school basketball players go on to play NCAA Division 1. Even fewer make it to their senior night.

Both seniors are leaving their options open upon graduation and will decide between pursuing a playing career overseas or applying to graduate school.

In the meantime, the Big Sky tournament awaits, where the Eagles will play No. 1 Montana State in the semifinals on March 10 at 12:05 p.m. •

COLUMN

EWU Students Reflect on Mariners Memories and Look Ahead to 2017 Season Sam Cropper

for The Easterner Spring training is underway in Peoria, Arizona as the Seattle Mariners look to end their 16 year playoff drought. The drought is the longest active streak in Major League Baseball and it’s not getting any younger.

That 2001 Mariners team won over millions of fans in the Pacific Northwest.

The team won 116 games (tied with the 1906 Chicago Cubs for the most in MLB history), the All-Star Game was held at Safeco Field and outfielder Ichiro Suzuki won both the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. But for many, the season ended prematurely in the American League Championship Series, when the Mariners lost to the New York Yankees in five games.

“It was heartbreaking for my family,” said junior Grady

Stevens. “Especially because we lost to the Yankees.”

Despite the team’s extended lack of success, students on the EWU campus hold fond memories of the Mariners and express optimism for the possibility of playoff baseball to engulf Washington state once again.

“Growing up, I always used to go to Mariners games with my family,” sophomore Tyler James said. James is from Bellevue, and his family has many fond memories of attending Mariners games during the summer.

Expectations are high for this Mariners squad. They finished last season with a record of 86-76, just three games behind the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles for the final playoff spot in the American League.

For the Mariners to be successful this year, they’ll need starting pitcher Felix Hernandez, their ace, to rebound from a rough 2016 season. Hernandez posted a 3.82 earned run average (ERA)

last season, his highest ERA in a season since 2007.

Jerry Dipoto, general manager of the Mariners, made plenty of moves over the offseason to try and find the perfect blend for creating a playoff baseball team. The team traded starting pitcher Taijuan Walker and shortstop Ketel Marte to the Arizona Diamondbacks for all-star shortstop Jean Segura and up-andcoming outfielder Mitch Haniger, while also trading away outfielder Seth Smith and trading for starting pitcher Drew Smyly.

The team also replaced its platoon at first base, bringing in Danny Valencia and Drew Vogelbach via trade. They also acquired outfielder Jarrod Dyson, who should provide stellar defense and speed on the base paths.

The Mariners open the regular season on the road in Houston, Texas against the Houston Astros on April 3. •

Gerald Maib for The Easterner

The Easterner March 9, 2017 | 19

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20 | March 9, 2017 The Easterner