The Easterner: Volume 101, Issue 17

asterner The Easterner

The_Easterner

@EasternerOnline

Eastern Washington University’s Independent Student Newspaper

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

www.EasternerOnline.com

Volume 101, Issue 17

PUB RENOVATIONS STILL ON TRACK

Eagles soar to home sweep

EWU alums hit the con circuit

Page 9

Erica Halbert for The Easterner

Page 4

Rendering courtesy of EWU

Page 14

Bailey Monteith for The Easterner

2 | The Easterner

Volume 101, Issue | Feb 21, 2018 Volume 101, Issue 1717 | Feb 21, 2018 3 News | 6 A&E | 11 Entertainment | 12 Opinion | 13 Sports

Editor in Chief

Brandon Cline 509.359.7010 easterner.editor@ewu.edu

Managing Editor

Logan Stanley easterner.mngeditor@ewu.edu

Easterner Asks:

Chief Copy Editor

Amanda Haworth easternercopy@gmail.com

News Editor

Josh Fletcher easterner.news@gmail.com

Sports Editor

Michael Brock easterner.sports@gmail.com

Neil Straun, Senior

Arts & Entertainment and Features Editor Dayana Morales easterner.aef@gmail.com

Multimedia Editor

Audrey Seda easterner.social@gmail.com

Art Director

Andrew Watson easterner.photo@gmail.com

Social Media Director

Richard Clark IV easterner.online@gmail.com

Buffy Scott, Senior

“I don’t know if gun reform is necessarily the big solution everyone wants it to be. I think we have some bigger societal issues going on and that gun reform is a bandaid on a bullet hole so to speak.”

“I don’t believe in taking away anything from anyone and it’s in our Bill of Rights, but I would never own a gun myself.

So I am kind of on the fence, I wouldn’t advocate for them or against.”

Following the recent tragedies, what type of gun reform would you like to see, if any, and why?

Connor Roach, Junior

“I think if anything there just needs to be a little harder of a process to get guns. You know, a lot of these shooters just get their guns at pawn shops and I think that’s too easy.”

Aaron Page, Freshman

“My take is that we don’t need gun reform, we need a better way to handle mental illnesses. From what I heard, and it may not be true, the shooter [in Florida] had a mental illness that did not get properly monitored.”

Student Photo Corner

Copy Editor Taylor Waring

Reporters

Sam Jackson Jeremy Burnham Katherine Senechal Gail Powers

Photographers Mckenzie Ford Bailey Monteith

Carleigh Hill chill26@ewu.edu

Maddy McGarin, Senior

“I would like it to be a lot harder for the majority of people to get guns, so that more people feel safe walking about and children aren’t afraid of someone coming into their homes and classrooms.”

Oakesdale Sentinels Senior Lauren Archer submitted this photo.

“I took this photo just outside Oakesdale, where I have my practicum for teacher candidacy. The trees stand in stark contrast with the rolling hills, as if they’re standing watch over the farmland.”

Correction: In last week’s issue, The Easterner mistakenly credited Katherine Senechal as the writer of the article titled “Campus living requirements draw mixed reviews from freshmen.” The story was actually written by contributor Kaitlyn Engen.

Graphic Designer

Faculty Adviser

Alyssa Robinson, Sophomore

“I would just like to see a gun reform that doesn’t allow guns like that. Hunting guns I get, where you can only shoot one bullet at a time but guns that you can shoot so many at once, I think that should be for military.”

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

The Easterener does not remove any editorial content from easterneronline.com.

However, if there is a factual inaccuracy in a story, the editors will run a correction or an update as needed.

Submission Guidelines

To submit photos to The Easterner, attach the largest filesize in an email to the Art Director at easterner.photo@ gmail.com, 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 received by Monday night the week you would like it to be published. Photos must be appropriate and not include obscenities.

The Easterner | 3

Feb 21, 2018 | Volume 101, Issue 17

News

EWU program gives a voice back to those suffering with Parkinson’s Sam Jackson Reporter EWU’s Parkinson’s Voice Project program exists to improve the speech of people suffering from Parkinson’s disease.

The Parkinson’s Voice Project is a nonprofit that started in Dallas, Texas in order to provide speech therapy to patients with Parkinson’s through a pay-it-forward system. One of their missions was to train more speech language methodologists to do this specific treatment. In 2014, four speech language methodologists from EWU went to Dallas and were trained. Now they provide that treatment at the university’s speech and hearing clinic.

The clinic director, Doreen Nicholas, was one of the four that originally trained for the program. Before the training she was already passionate about helping those with Parkinson’s disease and came across the program by being a part of a singing group in Spokane for people with Parkinson’s disease called the Tremble Clefs.

“I had been working with the singing group and one of our patient’s spouse found this Parkinson’s Voice Project in Dallas and then that’s how I got involved with it,” Nicholas said. “One of the reasons why I’m interested in Parkinson’s, as well as being a speech language methodologist is my mom had Parkinson’s. So that was kind of another reason it’s a passion of mine and why it interested me was because of my mom.”

Parkinson’s takes away dopamine, so then what happens is some of those automatic speech aspects, like talking with enough volume, diminishes. This treatment works on the non-automatic, so the patients are encouraged to think about speaking with intent. Since people with Parkinson’s disease tend to speak softly, learning to speak with intent increases their decibel levels and their speech intelligibility improves.

“Basically, the research shows that if we increase their decibel level then they naturally and automatically take a bigger breath, they over articulate and then they are more understood,” said Nicholas. “The normal speaking range in decibel level was about 72 to 78 and so that’s our goal. If we can get them back to that 72 to 78 decibel then people understand them more.”

Photo courtesy of Parkinson’s Voice Project EWU’s Hearing and Speech Clinic goes through exercises to help patients speak clearly. The program recently received $650,000 with the intent to teach more therapists.

There are two types of types of therapy sessions within the project, SPEAK OUT! and The LOUD Crowd. SPEAK OUT! is the individual therapy session that patients begin with.

“The patients comes in three times a week for individual therapy sessions and that’s the SPEAK OUT! part of the program,” said Nicholas. “With that they are working on getting their decibel levels and using intent.”

Toward the end of 12 sessions of doing SPEAK OUT!, patients are introduced into The LOUD Crowd.

“The LOUD Crowd in the maintenance part of the program, that’s where it’s a group therapy session,” said Nicholas.

“So in the group we are doing our warmup exercises that they are supposed to be doing daily as homework and then we do some activities in the group like choral reading and we might play games …”

EWU students at the clinic are training in a wide variety of speech therapy with an array of patients with disorders and diseases. Parkinson’s is one of the diseases they will be working with throughout their career so it’s important to be exposed to this and the training for the therapy.

“It just makes our training program that much more enriched when we are able to expose our students to different types of patients and different types of treatment,” Nicholas said.

For the patients with Parkinson’s disease the difference the program makes runs deeper than just speech improvement. Being able to communicate better allows the patients to also enhance their socialization and avoid isolation.

“I hope that when we do get them back out into the community, [the training] gets them back out into a family gathering so they don’t isolate and they can continue to do the things they want to do on a daily basis,” Nicholas said .

For anyone that wants to get involved in the program, they are encouraged to call the university’s Hearing and Speech clinic at (509) 828-1323. •

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4 | The Easterner

Volume 101, Issue 17 | Feb 21, 2018

News New PUB renovation still on course for fall opening overall cost is now projected to be around $47 million, the construction itself is still at $40 million. He also said the university The PUB is still on schedule to open has contributed some money. for the fall 2018 quarter, according to “The student portion has not EWU school officials. increased,” Clapp said.

“The winter has been kind to us,” said Students are currently paying $65 per Daniel Clapp, EWU’s PUB director. “We quarter for the PUB. Once the building hope to be able to stay on track.” opens, that amount is scheduled to Troy Bester, EWU’s project manager for increase to $85 per quarter. the PUB’s remodel, confirmed by email “The fee funds construction, debt, Andrew Watson for The Easterner that the opening date hasn’t changed. operations, maintenance, renewal, and Construction of the PUB has continued throughout the winter. The PUB is on track to reopen in Bester also said that students will start replacement,” Clapp said. time for the beginning of the fall 2018 quarter. seeing exterior perimeter site construction When asked when these student fees in March. would end, Clapp referred The Easterner declined to comment, and referred The The second f loor features a multi-room Clapp said that if delays were to arise, to Toni Habbeger, EWU’s Chief Financial Easterner to Habbeger. gaming lounge. The gaming lounge will a strategy to communicate the details Officer. Messages to Habbeger regarding The three-story building will house the include an area for table games, an area would be developed so that students this issue have been unreturned as of the EWU bookstore on the first floor. The first where gaming computers will be setup would be able stay informed. time of this publication. The Easterner floor will also feature a student lounge area, and a projector for gaming consoles.

Construction for the renovation started also contacted Christopher Ryckman, a large multi-purpose room and three dining The table games that will be featured in fall 2016. Student fees are paying for the ASEWU’s director of finance, who is on options, including an “Asian Cuisine” are not finalized, but pool, foosball and $40 million project. Clapp says while the the PUB’s steering committee. Ryckman concept that is still being developed. shuff leboard are possibilities.

The second floor will also feature a large dining room, ASEWU offices, a convenience store and a computer lounge.

Student life, career services, clubs and organizations, the Multicultural Center, and the Pride Center are all housed on the top floor, which also features more meeting spaces and two more student lounge areas.

In addition to the Asian cuisine concept, dining options will include a global café, a revamped Pence Union Market and Freshens Smoothies, which will also serve Starbucks coffee.

All three f loors will feature allgender restrooms.

Clapp said he hopes the building will provide a center of community, something the school hasn’t had since the PUB closed in 2016.

“I’m excited to see how the new building will positively influence the community experience,” Clapp said.

Clapp also said that the building will provide more on-campus student employment. Eight to 12 students will be hired to staff the information desk. In addition, dining services will be hiring Rendering courtesy of EWU students for the restaurants. • A rendering of the PUB coming from the courtyard. The project will cost an estimated $40 million paid for through student fees.

Jeremy Burnham Reporter

The Easterner | 5

Feb 21, 2018 | Volume 101, Issue 17

News

Students take to social media to gripe over lack of snow day Josh Fletcher News Editor Dozens of school districts in the region had two hour delays at minimum on Feb. 14, including Medical Lake. Cheney Public Schools was closed, while EWU was all systems go.

The call to keep school opened was announced at 6:09 a.m. while the region was being blanketed by close to 5 inches of snow causing an upset response by students.

“It’s a horrible day to be an Eagle!” Jourdan Holubasch wrote on Twitter in response to the announcement. “You really need to think about those of us that have morning classes!”

“Wondering what it will take for EWU to consider the safety and lives of commuters above having class,” Nathan Carlson wrote.

“How many roads need to be closed, how many accidents or fatalities will it take.”

Road conditions on I-90 were cause for concern, with multiple crashes including a fatal crash 20 miles west of Spokane.

EWU said in a statement, “while Eastern rarely cancel classes it does not compromise safety when making a decision about school Mckenzie Ford for The Easterner closures during a weather event.” They went Cars are coated in snow during Wednesday’s snow storm. Students were upset to find that on to say the decision to cancel class or not EWU did not cancel class like Cheney Public schools did.

comes at 5 a.m. after consulting Washington State Patrol, the Weather Service, the City of Cheney, Spokane Transit and EWU Police.

EWU also added, “Each individual (students/faculty/staff ) should make their own decision on whether to come in or stay home based on their situation and personal safety.”

Last year WSU came under heavy fire for not cancelling school on the first day back from winter break, after two students died driving in on Highway 26 and I-90.

WSU President Dr. Eric Schultz cited the similar reasoning EWU did.

“WSU Pullman almost never closes,” said Schultz. “It is literally home to thousands of students, which makes an actual suspension of operations quite problematic.”

This is not a local issue either. Colleges all around the country tend to stay open no matter the weather. In 2012, Dave Meany told KXLY “We rarely shut down. Unlike the school districts, we can’t do make-up days.”

While more snow is expected to fall over the weekend and into Monday, students should not be surprised to see EWU will almost certainly be open.

“This is not a great day to be an eagle,” Amber Pangborn wrote on Twitter. •

Plans for new STEM building met with mixed emotions Katherine Senechal Reporter With construction scheduled to start in September, EWU plans to build a new STEM building on the Spokane campus.

The university believes it is time to expand the Spokane campus and the rapidly growing STEM program would benefit from this new building.

EWU is working with Avista on the project, a first of several Avista projects in the area. This Catalyst building will be five floors and feature environmentally friendly equipment, high-tech labs, classrooms, and more to best accommodate and encourage learning for EWU students.

Although the details are still being worked on, the university plans to move

some or all of its computer science, electrical engineering and visual communication design programs to this new building on the Spokane campus.

The building will be more modern and give access to higher technology than the current computer science building.

After hearing the opinion of a few different students, it seems the new location will be met with mixed emotions.

For some students, the move will save them a long drive or bus ride, but for other students who live in Cheney, it may be more of an inconvenience.

“I think the new building plans are really cool, but for me personally I wouldn’t enjoy having to travel all the way to Spokane for my classes because it is quite a lengthy commute from Cheney,”

said Cameron Todd, computer science major.

Regardless of the split between opinions on the location of this building, this is a necessary addition to the EWU community. More and more students have been joining STEM programs at EWU and this new building will help to accommodate that growth. This uptick in STEM majors may have a lot to do with the increase in jobs in this industry.

The Catalyst program with Avista and Mckinstry benefits the departments that are moving, but each of those departments will be missed for any collaborative work that has been practiced with the Technology, Mechanical Engineering, and other departments on the Cheney campus.

According to adjunct quarterly faculty

member Rusty Hallin, this project with Avista and Mckinstry is a very progressive and positive change for the departments involved. On the other hand, it does put them in a less advantageous location to work alongside the Technology, Mechanical Engineering and other departments on the Cheney campus.

“However, approximately 18 miles isn’t all that far for there to be continued involvement between campuses and departments,” said Haslin. “We all know that the CSTEM programs need to grow and this seems like an exceptional opportunity for expansion.” •

6 | The Easterner

Volume 101, Issue 17 | Feb 21, 2018

Events

Courtesy of Pixabay

Self-Defense Class

What is it: A class to enhance your personal safety and security. It is designed to raise self-awareness, develope assertive confrontation skills and safety strategies.

When: Wednesday, Feb. 21 Time: 6-8 p.m.

Where: Reese Court 309 B Cost: No cost.

Courtesy of Pixabay

Spokane Mobile Vet Center

What is it: The center connects veterans and family members with resources, VA benefits (disability compensation, burial and medical), counseling and readjustment counseling.

When: Thursday, Feb. 22 Time: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Where: Parking lot P15 Cost: No cost.

Courtesy of Pixabay

Courtesy of Pixabay

Courtesy of Pixabay

What You Can Do with a Law Degree

Suicide Awareness and Prevention

EWU’s Annual Drag Show

What is it: The College of Social Sciences and Career Services invites you to meet area lawyers, law schools and nonprofits to discover what you can do with your degree in law.

When: Thursday, Feb. 22 Time: 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Where: Monroe Hall 205 Cost: No cost.

What is it: A serious open discussion regarding suicide as part of the Days of Kindness event.

When: Friday, Feb. 23 Time: Noon - 2 p.m.

Where: JFK Library Cost: No cost.

What is it: Eagle Entertainment presents EWU’s Annual Drag Show “Sugar and Spice.”

When: Friday, Feb. 23 Time: 7 - 9 p.m.

Where: URC 102 (The Ice Rink) Cost: $5 for general seating and $10 for VIP seating. Call 509-359-4026 to order your tickets.

The Easterner | 7

Feb 21, 2018 | Volume 101, Issue 17

Pacific Northwest native returns home for college tour

A&E

Self-taught Vancouver, WA musician Corey Harper kicked off his Lyft PNW Tour at EWU last week Dayana Morales Arts and Entertainment Editor Self-taught musician Corey Harper returned back home for his acoustic PNW Tour, and EWU was his first stop last Thursday.

Harper grew up in Vancouver appreciating music and his guitar. During his childhood Harper didn’t do much of his own writing. That didn’t come until four years ago.

Harper attended the University of Oregon for one year. When he turned 19, Harper decided to move out to California.

“When I moved out to Los Angeles I started writing more music and meeting more people with the same likemindedness as me, aspirations, goals and dreams,” Harper said. “I started building something of my own together with these people.”

Harper met musicians like Justin Bieber and Niall Horan. Harper says he met Bieber through mutual acquaintances.

“We had gained a relationship together and played some music together and we knew a lot of the same people,” said Harper.

“He asked me to come play a couple shows and I was obviously thrilled to. That’s kind of how our relationship started. Then I did those shows and got together a bunch after that and it’s been good.”

Harper has opened some shows for Horan as well.

Harper’s style comes from the different inspirations he pulls from.

“Whether it being a band or like Eric Clapton, Ed Sheeran, John Mayer and Kendrick Lamar,” said Harper. “So many

different kinds of people that really inspire me to write. It’s not always about the sound of the music but also about the writing. I’m a writer at heart for sure. I love writing. I place whatever style of music I think that the song needs to sound like.

Whatever I am listening to recently also really inspires me to get out my comfort zone and try other sounds.”

Rolling Stone has said that Harper’s vocals suggest that he is “John Mayer’s breezier fraternal twin.”

Harper methodically practices like he is going to play a set or getting ready to go on tour.

“I’m always practicing everyday,” said Harper. “That prepares me for playing shows.”

The more shows Harper plays the more followers he is gaining.

“Any performance, even if it is just one performance—anything or anywhere— can set you up for the future,” said Harper.

“You never know who is going to be at the show, you never know who is going to take away from it. Also, other than that it just gives you experience and practice and then there’s something under your belt. It gives me a chance to say what I want to say and let go of a lot of things I hold on to through my music. It is nice and I enjoy it.”

The tour is being sponsored by LYFT (a transportation network company) and will be free to all students. His next concert is Feb. 22 in Tacoma, Washington followed by the last event in Portland, Oregon Feb. 23. •

Bailey Monteith for The Easterner Corey Harper grew up appreciating music and his guitar. Harper has opened shows for Justin Bieber and Niall Horan.

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8 | The Easterner

Volume 101, Issue 17 | Feb 21, 2018

A&E

EWU alum tackles community issues with power of poetry Kaitlyn Engen Reporter Onstage and off, Bethany Montgomery’s passion for poetry is alive and burning brightly across communities in Spokane, Cheney and beyond.

Montgomery, a EWU alumna, went against risk and uncertainty to pursue the creation of the organization, Power 2 the Poetry.

Montgomery came up with the idea for the movement the Sunday after last Thanksgiving while driving back from the west side to Cheney. She met up with AJ McKinney (aka “AJ the Wordsmith”), a friend from EWU who also shares a genuine love for poetry, later that night to propose what she was thinking. “[I said to McKinney], ‘It’s gonna be visionary! Revolutionary!,’” Montgomery said.

“Everything I do I am serious about, and I put all my effort into.”

Soon after that night, Marie White, who met McKinney through a breakdance battle,

completed the “Core Three” triad that would eventually found Power 2 the Poetry.

“We spent all of December getting a feel for the poetry scene in Spokane, then in January started meeting people and networking to put us in positions to be successful,” Montgomery said.

Power 2 the Poetry members call themselves “edutainers”—educators and entertainers. The group aims to bring diversity and inclusion into the community by talking about various social, cultural and political issues through poetry and other artistic methodology.

“We focus on giving a platform to the underrepresented demographics, marginalized groups and people whose voices aren’t necessarily heard,” Montgomery said.

These topics give audiences points of resonation that will further engage them into Power 2 the Poetry’s main message: “Express, expose, ignite.”

In just a couple months, Power 2 the Poetry has managed to exceed countless expectations

considering its youth as a movement. The group has performed at numerous locations including middle and high schools, community colleges and universities including Spokane Falls Community College, Gonzaga University, and then EWU-where they won the “Eastern’s Got Talent” competition-Spokane City Hall, and even the Spokane Women’s March.

The “Core Three” has also been recognized by local TV broadcasts and news outlets, such as KREM 2 News, The Inlander and Spokane’s CMTV channel.

Power 2 the Poetry stays strongly integrated in the Spokane community by volunteered outreaches to the homeless and also continuing participation in Spokane Poetry Slam.

“We go to all the slams and open mics,” said Montgomery. “We love Spokane Poetry Slam. We are heavily involved.”

The group’s motto, “Express, expose, ignite” reflects not only the objectives of the movement, but also the individual personalities

of the “Core Three.” They each have something dynamic to bring to the stage.

“Marie is the ‘express’,” said Montgomery.

“She had a hard life. She’s gone through a lot, so she has so many emotions. Everything she does is so real. When she says things you can feel the pain in her voice and what she’s been through. She can also sing, her voice is beautiful. AJ is the ‘expose.’ AJ is very educated and does a lot of research. A lot of what he says is factual, [he says] things people are unaware of. He’s exposing so many issues and truths.

He can freestyle, [so] people give him random words and he thinks of a poem off the top of his head. He definitely brings the energy to the group ...”

While the “Core Three” take a lot of the spotlight, the Power 2 the Poetry organization contains at least twenty more artists, dancers, visual artists, painters, sculptors, musicians, singers, rappers and more who work more behind the scenes to make the movement as powerful as it is. •

Career Services & The Office of Community Engagement

TALK TO EMPLOYERS ABOUT

Volunteer Opportunities Part-Time Jobs Summer Jobs Internships Find full details on:

3PM M A 1 1 TH 2018 8 H MARC NKA 215 TAWA To request disability accommodations for this event, please contact Career Services at 509.359.6934 or careers@ewu.edu.

ewu.joinhandshake.com

The Easterner | 9

Feb 21, 2018 | Volume 101, Issue 17

A&E

Cosplay and controversies dominate at RadCon Erica Halbert Contributor Despite the controversies surrounding the event this year, thousands of fans flocked to the Red Lion Hotel in Pasco, Washington, for the 26th annual RadCon. RadCon, which describes itself as “The big con with the small con feel,” is a yearly sci-fi and fantasy convention, taking place every President’s Day weekend. The convention hosts a variety of events and attractions, such as panels, gaming tournaments, and guest speakers.

One of the main reasons people attend RadCon is cosplay.

“The amount of people dressed up is what I love most about RadCon,” Tracy Relic, one of the convention’s many vendors, said.

Cosplay, short for costume play, is a hobby that originated in Japan, in which people create and wear costumes. These costumes can be recreations of fictional characters, historical figures, or original creations. RadCon hosts a cosplay contest, called the Masquerade, where contestants perform on stage in costume while judges place them based on their craftsmanship and likeness to their characters.

EWU senior Amelia Burke and her fiance Zack McNaughton have been cosplaying together since 2013. This year, they were dressed as Seras and Alucard from the anime “Hellsing.”

“These have been our most expensive and our most time-consuming costumes,” Burke said.

Both her and McNaughton’s costumes were almost entirely handmade. Burke spent over 72 hours stitching, painting, and embroidering her costume, while Mcnaughton’s only took 40 hours by comparison.

“He loved anime and I’ve always loved crafting,” said Burke, on why the two decided to start cosplaying. “So when I found out cosplay was a thing, I was like, I get to sew, I get to paint, I get to act and embody these characters that are really awesome. Now it’s probably my favorite hobby. It’s everything I love all rolled into one.”

McNaughton has been attending RadCon for 11 years, while Burke started going in 2010.

This year, the two competed in the RadCon Masquerade together.

The competition is something that Burke loves.

“I remember watching the Masquerade every year and thinking, ‘I want to do this,’” said Burke. “I’ve always wanted to try it, and

Erica Halbert for The Easterner Couple Zack McNaughton and Amelia Burke dressed up as Alucard and Seras from “Hellsing.” The two have been cosplaying together since 2013.

I think I’m at a level now where I can have some success.”

Success was right. The two went on to win Best in Show at the Masquerade.

While cosplaying is currently one of Burke’s favorite hobbies, she’d like to see it turn into a profession.

“I’d like to start doing commissions. I do eventually want to be doing it full-time though, but that requires a bit of luck,” Burke said.

The couple does currently have a business, Fox & Otter Crafts and Cosplay, complete with a business license and an online store.

To anyone interested in getting into cosplay, Burke says, “Do it.”

“My first costumes were not well put together, and I still had fun,” said Burke.

“The important thing is just to enjoy it. If you can figure out how to sew a straight line and figure out how to sew a curved line, that’s all you need to know.”

While most of RadCon’s attendees are local, the convention does attract some people from around the state.

Alex Plaza, another attendee, has traveled from the west side of the state just to attend RadCon for two years now. Due to his job, Plaza is only able to attend one convention

a year, and decided that RadCon was the convention of choice.

“I went to Norwescon for 22 years, but I got sick of all the politics there,” Plaza said.

He showed up to RadCon this year cosplaying as a barbarian, with a costume that’s taken him over 20 years to make.

Of course, RadCon isn’t immune to politics either.

Two weeks before the convention, the con committee released a draft of their updated rules on their Facebook page. The changes included banning masks, requiring all men to wear shirts, and prohibiting women from showing cleavage. Additionally, the convention didn’t renew their liquor license and got rid of the “party wing,” a section of the hotel dedicated to hosting late night booze-filled parties.

“It was a big s---storm,” EWU alumnus Lynden Rothfork said about the reactions to the rule changes. “It ruins a lot of costumes.”

The backlash to the changes was massive, with several people declaring that they no longer planned to attend the event. The convention’s vice chairman stepped down following the controversy.

“I think that they did their best, and there

were some poor word choices,” said Burke on the convention’s policies. “The mask rule got changed rapidly after people complained, to that you must be able to take it off if security asks you to.”

According to Rothfork, the mask change was in response to vendors complaining that people were stealing items by hiding things in their masks.

While the compromise helped, it didn’t eliminate the problem entirely. One of Burke’s costumes had a mask that must be glued on.

Removing her mask for security wouldn’t be an option.

“A lot of the rule changes didn’t end up getting enforced,” Burke said.

A convention security source confirmed that they weren’t enforcing the rules as much as they could be.

“People misunderstood our intent,” said the source. “We weren’t trying to restrict what people wear. We were trying to do the opposite.”

The enforcer added that several of the policies, such as the liquor license and the shirts for men were simply updated hotel policies that they had no control over.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if numbers dwindled,” Rothfork said. •

10 | The Easterner

Volume 101, Issue 17 | Feb 21, 2018

A&E River City Tattoo Company distances itself from changing industry Sam Jackson Reporter River City Tattoo Company is conquering the corner with authentic artists that earned their spot to be in their tattoo chairs.

The shop has been around for the last 10 months with three permanent artists; Shane Roman, with 14 years of professional experience, Miles Robinson, 18 years of experience, and Jake Lovato, seven years of experience. The shop stands out with custom spray paint art of large roses, done by their close friend and renowned Spokane spray paint artist, Daniel Lopez. The vibe of the shop is a classic, street style set up.

The artist’s met through tattooing and when the opportunity arised they just simply got together and made it happen.

“It’s a friendly, comfortable environment with clean, solid work,” said Roman. “That’s it. Nobody is trying to be pompous or fancy, it just is what it is. We all take responsibility for this place, but without all of us it isn’t going to work. We sit here and make this place our own, whatever we want it to be.”

All of the artists grew up around tattooing

and it fell into place for them after that. They tattoo with the focus being on the art, not the money.

“There’s more than just a pretty picture with tattooing,” said Robinson. “A lot of people just use it to make money. After those tattoo shows came on it kind of corrupted the industry, I guess. Everyone wants to be a star like they think tattoo artists are stars. Everybody wants to famous, popular and to make money. I would tattoo for free if I was rich. I’m not in it for the money, I mean I wanted tattoos since I was 6 years old.”

There is a $50 minimum, Sam Jackson for The Easterner but after that prices are River City Tattoo Company focuses on the art and not the money. The shop has been around for only 10 months. determined by the piece. The artists try to work with people as much as they here. Every Friday the 13th we do that ... and it’s The shop encourages customers to come can by offering discounts and putting on special $20 out the door. $13 plus a $7 tip and boom. We in, shake their hand and have a conversation events. had people in line for like two blocks out there. about what piece they want. The shop is open “Christmas time we did gift cards, so give We’re willing to work with people, so nobody everyday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and located at me a $100 I’ll give you $200,” said Roman. feels like they’re getting ripped off here. Nobody 1528 W Northwest Blvd. in Spokane. • “Friday the 13th we tattooed over 300 people is charging $1,500 for two flowers here.”

Former secondary education major finds passion on stage Vanessa Rodriguez Contributor

This winter’s production from EWU Theatre, Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” will showcase an array of talent, including junior Scott Worley.

Worley has always had an interest in acting. When Worley was young his mother oversaw the shows at his elementary school which led to him auditioning for his first big role in fourth grade. Throughout the rest of his school career Worley was in multiple shows, up until he went to college.

In his first year of college at Spokane Falls Community College, Worley was looking to major in secondary education, but struggled with this and felt off about that decision.

Then a little bit into his sophomore year he finally made the decision to explore that side of him that yearned for theater.

Worley had an urge to switch to a major in theater.

“I just got this thing inside me and it’s kind of poking at me and I’m uncomfortable with it,” Worley said.

Worley was cast in an unexpected role in his first performance at EWU. The show was “Avenue Q” and the role was a young man right out of college named Princeton. Worley was used to playing roles of men, as he is tall and would have never expected to play that role, but the cast list came out and much to his surprise, he was chosen. Following that role, Worley played JD, the antagonist in the fall production of “Heathers.”

In playing the role of JD, Scott had to get into a weird place to be able to portray such a dark character. For a specific scene, one where JD recounted to another character how his mother killed herself, he would sit in a corner and listen to music that he felt connected to the movie and would help him picture that scene of his mother killing herself.

While Worley believes that he’s a stronger singer than he is an actor, acting remains his foremost passion. Worley is fascinated with what can be accomplished with acting, like giving an audience an amazing performance that will blow them away by it.

Although Worley rates his singing skills high, he has never had any sort of technical

training, and has dropped out of lessons multiple times. Worley has no technique to it, he just opens his mouth and sings, and it’s what works for him.

“You know when you’re a kid and you play in the backyard?” said Worley.

“Well theater is the place where those kids who never stopped went. We just

keep playing, we just do it in front of people now.”

The winter production of “The Tempest” will be directed by Jeff Sanders and is opening on March 9. Worley will play a character named Stefano, who Scott described as “kind of a bad guy.” •

The Easterner | 11

Feb 21, 2018 | Volume 101, Issue 17

Television: “Borderline”

Courtesy of Channel 5 A comedy that provides countless laughs, “Borderline” is a British mockumentary television series that airs on Channel 5 Television in the UK. The series follows the professional lives of agents who work for the country’s Borderline (in reality known as the Border Force) at the fictional Northend Airport. Starring David Avery, Jackie Clune and Liz Kingsman, the daily encounters and struggles the agents face almost always end in agonizing embarrassment. The first two seasons of the show were recently made available on Netf lix in the United States.

(Brandon Cline)

Movie: “Black Panther”

Entertainment

Loose Change & Filler Text

EDITORS’ PICKS

EWU Sustainability Club

Join in environmental prosperity, economic security and social justice on campus!

Meet Tuesdays at 3pm in JFK Library L20! ewu.sustainability.club@gmail.com

Andrew Watson for The Easterner

“Black Panther,” the muchanticipated standalone Marvel superhero film, came out over the weekend, earning $241.9 million during the Friday-Monday holiday. Chadwick Boseman stars as T’Challa, who returns home to the technology-rich African nation of Wakanda to take his deceased father’s place as king. With breathtaking Courtesy of Marvel Studios cinematography, powerful action scenes and a witty storyline, director Ryan Coogler has put together a film for any audience. Boseman is expected to play a major role in Marvel’s “Infinity War: Part One” set to release in 2019. (Michael Brock)

12 | The Easterner

Volume 101, Issue 17 | Feb 21, 2018

Opinion EDITORIAL

When will we learn?

The Easterner Editorial Board Earlier versions of this editorial ran in Issue 3 and Issue 8 of Volume 101 of The Easterner. It has been updated accordingly for the most recent mass shooting that took place on Feb. 14, which killed 17 people in a suburban Florida city and is the deadliest shooting at a secondary school in United States history.

During a Wednesday afternoon in Parkland, Florida, a 19-year-old former student began firing an AR-15 assault rifle inside the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. He took an Uber to the school, where he fired into five classrooms before dropping his rifle and a backpack full of ammunition and blending in with fleeing students. He then walked to a Walmart, bought a drink at the Subway outlet located inside it, went and sat at a McDonald’s restaurant for a while, left, and was detained by a police officer 40 minutes later.

Seventeen people were killed and at least 16 were injured in what is now the deadliest mass shooting at a secondary school and the ninth deadliest mass shooting in the history of our great but deeply flawed country. Three of the ten most deadly mass shootings in the history of this country, which celebrates its 242nd birthday in July, have now occurred in a span of 19 weeks.

In the direct aftermath of a tragedy like this, many politicians and public figures will urge citizens to mourn for the victims, and send out thoughts and prayers. Don’t get us wrong—thoughts and prayers are

important. These victims and their families will never be the same after such a horrific event. But thoughts and prayers are not the solution that this country needs in order to enact actual and tangible change.

Because the gun toll on America is simply too massive. In 2014, 11,961 Americans were killed in gunshot homicides, according to the F.B.I. That means the death rate from such homicides is 31 per million people. In all, 27 people are shot dead each day in the United States. For reference: In Germany, the death rate from gun homicides is two per million people, or as common as being killed by a falling object in the US. To take it a step further: If we were to wait the proper amount of time to mourn, we’d never get anything done. The Gun Violence Archive defines a mass shooting as incidents where three or more people were shot, regardless if anyone was killed or not.

In 2017, the Gun Violence Archive reported 346 mass shootings in the United States, nearly one per day. This year, there have been 34 reported mass shootings in the first 51 days of the year, for an average of two mass shootings every three days.

The worst part of the Parkland tragedy is the frequency. Seven of the 10 deadliest mass shootings in modern American history have occurred in the past 11 years: San Bernardino (2015), Parkland (2018), Sutherland Springs (2017), Sandy Hook (2012), Virginia Tech (2007), Orlando (2016) and Las Vegas (2017).

That is horrifying. In a way, though, they’re starting to feel normal. And that’s not okay. Gun homicides are not and should not

be commonplace in a civilized society. But in America, they are as common as the sun rising in the east.

When a tragedy like this occurs, the response from citizens is to tell each other “not to politicize” the event. This needs to stop. For some, when politics is brought up, an image of talking heads arguing nonsensically comes to mind. But we need to stop using ‘politicizing’ as some sort of slur.

Instead of thoughts and prayers, politicians should be focused on taking definitive action. And citizens need to ensure their politicians do so. Politics are precisely what have and will enact change.

And there is a question that we all need to be asking ourselves—why is America the only Western society with this damning problem?

Yes, we should mourn. But we also need to act. As it has become abundantly and painstakingly clear with this latest tragedy, prayers are not enough. They never have been.

“To every parent, teacher, and child who is hurting so badly, we are here for you — whatever you need, whatever we can do, to ease your pain,” President Trump said a day after the shooting.

Four days later, on President’s Day, Trump hit the links at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, less than 40 miles from Parkland. He relaxed, played golf and seemingly enjoyed his day off, while funerals were being held that day for two of the teenagers killed in the shooting.

Thank you, Mr. President, for clearly doing whatever you could to try and ease their family’s pain.

Letter to the Editor 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.

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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.

The Easterner | 13

Feb 21, 2018 | Volume 101, Issue 17

Sports Quick Hits • Men’s tennis update The EWU men’s tennis team has begun conference play on the road. On Feb. 17, the Eagles lost 3–4 to Northern Colorado. The Bears won two out of three matches in doubles play to take the doubles point. Each teams won three singles matches to make the final score 3–4.

On Feb. 19, the team traveled to North Dakota, where they beat the Fighting Hawks 4–3. EWU clinched the doubles point and won the first three singles matches. The Eagles are now 5–3 overall and 1–1 in conference.

Senior Scott Paz has already picked up two Big Sky Conference Player of the Week honors on the season.

Photo courtesy of EWU Athletics Senior Rebecca Tarbert (center) competes at an outdoor meet last season. Tarbert enters the Big Sky Championships ranked first in the 60 meters with a time of 7.57 seconds.

• Women’s tennis update The women’s team, meanwhile, don’t begin conference play until March 2nd at Northern Colorado. Thus far, the Eagles are 3–3 on the season, picking up wins over Pacific Lutheran University, Seattle University and Lewis-Clark State College.

Track and Field: Big Sky Championships Preview Taylor Newquist Contributor The EWU track team will compete in the Big Sky Indoor Championships this Thursday, Feb. 22 in Flagstaff, Ariz. Fiftytwo Eagles are in events with 26 athletes from both the men’s and women’s teams.

“We are looking forward to the Indoor Conference Championships at NAU,” EWU women’s head coach Marcia Mecklenburg said. “It is one of the most exciting meets of the year given that all the events areas compete in a fairly confined space. It gets loud and it gets crazy.”

Mecklenburg said the sprints will be the event to watch for the women. “[The sprinters] have been putting on a show all season and will now have the opportunity to go head to head with all the Big Sky schools,” said Mecklenburg.

Senior Rebecca Tarbert and freshman Alexis Rolan are the top sprinters for EWU headed into the meet, with Tarbert leading the Big Sky in the 60 meters at a time of 7.57 seconds, and Rolan No. 3 in the Big Sky for the 200 meters at a time of 25.59 seconds. Tarbert earned third place in the 60 meters at the BSC championships last season and first place in 2016.

“It started out kind of slow at the beginning of the season, but two weekends ago when we went to UW I broke into speed,” Tarbert told The Easterner. “I’m really excited for this next weekend because I think I’m going to continue to do better.”

Tarbert said she is aiming for a personal-best in the event.

“I would really like to PR in my 60,” said Tarbert. “My PR is a 7.47 and I haven’t gotten that since sophomore year so my goal is to PR.” For the men’s team, multiple athletes go into the Big Sky Championships as the top seed: sophomore Keshun McGee in the triple jump at 51-4 1/2 feet, junior Larry Still in the pole vault at 16-8 3/4 feet, and the distance medley relay team at a time of 10:10.10.

“The athletes who will be competing in this week’s indoor championships are in distinguished company,” EWU men’s head coach Stan Kerr said. “The best athletes the conference has to offer will be going head-to-head to determine individual and team champions.”

Senior Logan Stahl, sophomore Trey McAdams, freshman Brock O’Neal and freshman Isaac Barville make up the men’s distance medley relay team, which posted its Big Sky leading time at the UW Invitational last month.

“I think this is going to be one of our more competitive years,” freshman Isaac Barville told The Easterner. “I’m excited for it. Our goal would be podium for the team (this weekend).”

The distance medley team currently leads second place Montana State by just under five seconds.

“From doing the first DMR, we realized we do have potential to get there and score some points in the conference,” said freshman Brock O’Neal.

A live stream of the event will be available on Pluto TV and will begin at 11 a.m. •

Photo courtesy of EWU Athletics Senior Logan Stahl at a 2017 indoor meet. Stahl is part of the top-seeded EWU men’s distance medley relay team.

14 | The Easterner

Volume 101, Issue 17 | Feb 21, 2018

Sports

Richard Clark IV for The Easterner Senior forward Bogdan Bliznyuk drives past a Montana defender on Feb. 15. Bliznyuk moved into fifth in all-time Big Sky scoring against the Grizzlies.

Richard Clark IV for The Easterner Redshirt freshman guard Jacob Davison shoots a three against Montana on Feb. 15. Davison had 12 points in the win.

Men’s basketball sweeps pivotal home stand

After taking down unbeaten Montana, the Eagles beat Montana State to stay in fourth place Michael Brock Sports Editor There’s been no place like home for the EWU men’s basketball team this season.

In 2017-18, the Eagles are 14–13 overall; 9–1 at Reese Court, 1–1 at neutral sites and 4–11 on the road. Focusing only on Big Sky Conference play, the team is 9–5; 6–1 at home and 3–4 away from Reese Court.

The most recent victims to fall to the Eagles at Reese Court were Montana (74–65 on Feb. 15) and Montana State (84–79 on Feb. 17.)

Montana entered the Feb. 15 game 13–0 in conference play, but were coming off a narrow overtime victory over Sacramento State the week before. EWU, meanwhile, was gripping onto fourth place after losing two straight on the road—to Portland State and Idaho.

This one was different for the Eagles.

Despite a close score throughout, the Eagles led for the majority of the win over UM on Feb. 15. UM held a slight advantage a few times early on, including 10–7 and 15–13, but once EWU went up 17–15 with

11:37 in the first half, the home team didn’t relinquish the lead.

The Eagles opened up the game 10-of14 from the field en route to a 21–15 lead.

Though UM tied it up again at 25, EWU closed the first half strong, leading the Grizzlies 35–32 at the break.

Senior forwards Bogdan Bliznyuk and Benas Griciunas paced the Eagles in the first half, combining for 27 points on 13-of-14 shooting. Overall, EWU made 61.5 percent of its field goals in the opening frame. UM junior guard Ahmaad Rorie finished the first half with 13 points and four assists.

The Grizzlies kept up the attack in the second half, but were never able to pull closer than two points. With 4:27 to go, UM cut the EWU’s lead to 60–57. That’s when the Eagles went on a 7–2 run, scoring on a pair of layups

by Bliznyuk and sophomore forward Mason Peatling, and a dagger three from redshirt freshman Jacob Davison with 3:22 remaining.

“It was a great win playing against the best team in the league,” EWU head coach Shantay Legans said following the win.

“They are well-coached and kept coming

back play-after-play. But our players did a great job of making big plays.”

After scoring 15 in the first half, Bliznyuk ended up with 19 points for the game. As a result, the senior forward moved into No. 5 all-time in conference scoring.

Bliznyuk added six rebounds and dished out five assists while being double-teamed nearly every time he touched the ball.

It was the redshirt freshman who stole the show at Reese Court—Davison scored 12 points, all in the last 10 minutes of play. His four makes were pivotal in the win, as when each shot went in, it gave the Eagles the lead.

“It was tough last year having to redshirt,” Davison said after the game. “I’m a competitor and I want to play, so being a part of a big win is an unbelievable feeling.”

Rorie finished with 18 points for UM, while sophomore guard Sayeed Pridgett scored 15 and senior forward Fabijan Krslovic added 12.

Still, the Eagles held the Grizzlies’ secondand third-leading scorers in check. Junior guard Michael Oguine entered the game

averaging 15.6 points; he was held to eight points on 3-of-10 shooting. Junior forward Jamar Akoh was notching 14.3 points per game, and ended up scoring seven points.

“It shows our guys that we can play with all of these teams if you play with confidence,” said Legans. “We were at home tonight, but if we can take that on the road with us to a neutral site at the tournament we can have a good outcome.”

In the Feb. 17 win over MSU, the Eagles led for the most of the first half. They went up by as many as seven, 30–23 on a triple from junior guard Cody Benzel. Both teams traded baskets, before the Eagles went up 34–28 on a layup by Peatling. The Bobcats closed the half on a 12–4 spurt which gave them the 40–38 lead at the break.

Both teams shot over 50 percent in the back-and-forth first half. Peatling had 12 points (6-of-7 shooting) and eight rebounds. Benzel scored nine points on three triples, while Bliznyuk added six points, five assists and three rebounds.

MSU junior guard Devonte Klines scored the first 10 points for the Bobcats.

The Easterner | 15

Feb 21, 2018 | Volume 101, Issue 17

Sports Senior forward Konner Frey led the way in the opening half with 11 points, while junior guard Tyler Hall, the team’s leading scorer, had 10 points and four assists.

The second half was somehow even closer than the first, featuring eight ties and nine lead changes. For the game, there were 10 ties and 15 changes of the lead.

With 10:39 remaining, the Bobcats led 62–61. To that point, Bliznyuk had been held to 12 points.

The Eagles then went on an 8–0 run, fueled by six points from Bliznyuk. EWU’s largest lead of the game, 74–66, came on a threepointer from freshman guard Jack Perry with 5:21 to go.

MSU tied the game up at 74 with 2:19 remaining. That’s when the Eagles put the ball in their leader’s hands. Bliznyuk delivered, making a layup after rebounding his own miss, getting fouled in the process.

Bliznyuk made the free throw,

and then four more to close out the victory for EWU. The senior forward has now made 63 consecutive free throws, dating back to the game at North Dakota on Dec. 31. The NCAA single season record is 73 set by Gary Buchanan from Villanova over a 21-game stretch in 2000-01.

Bliznyuk nearly had a triple double, registering 25 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, including 19 points in the second half. Peatling finished with 19 points (9-of-10 shooting) and 13 rebounds. Perry and Benzel added 11 points each.

For MSU, Hall scored 22 points (but was held to 3-of-10 from the field), with six assists and five rebounds. Konner Frey had 16 points, while sophomore guard Harald Frey added 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Klines scored 15 points.

The Bobcats shot 50 percent in the first half, but just 37 percent after

the break. The Eagles, meanwhile, connected on 50 percent of their attempts for the game.

“Our guys stuck with the game plan and fought through some things,” said Legans. “We were able to separate it a little bit in the second half and made it a multipossession game, then it was hard for them to get back in it.”

EWU (8–5 Big Sky, fourth place) go on the road next to take on second place Weber State (Feb. 22) and sixth place Idaho State (Feb. 24) for the team’s final regular season road games.

The Eagles are trying to hold onto a top-four seed, which would give the team a first round bye in next month’s Big Sky Tournament.

“The sweep was huge, especially against the Montana schools and the positions they are in,” said Legans. “We have to take this on the road next week […] Our guys will be excited for those.” •

Richard Clark IV for The Easterner Senior forward Bogdan Bliznyuk faces a Montana double-team. Bliznyuk is averaging 20 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists on the season.

ASEWU

Services and Activities (S&A) Fee Committee

Open Meetings • • • •

Friday, February 9th, 2018 – 12pm-1:30pm Friday, February 16th, 2018 – 12pm-1:30pm Friday, March 2nd, 2018 – 12pm-1:30pm Friday, March 9th, 2018 – 12pm-1:30pm

Patterson 204 See how your student dollars get put to work!

For more information or to review funding requests: bit.ly/ewu-sa-fees Bailey Monteith for The Easterner Freshman guard Jack Perry shoots a layup against Montana State on Feb. 17. With four games remaining in the regular season, the Eagles cling to fourth place in the Big Sky.

To request disability accommodations for this event, please call 509.359.7852 three days prior to the event.

16 | The Easterner

Feb 21, 2018

Sports

SAIL

Women’s basketball picks up road split in Montana Jeremy Burnham Reporter The EWU women’s basketball team split a pair on the road this past weekend, beating Montana 75–72 on Feb. 15, and losing to Montana State 77–74 on Feb. 17. The Eagles are now 8–6 in Big Sky Conference play, and 13–13 overall, with four games remaining in the regular season.

After the win against Montana, the Eagles briefly moved into a four-way tie for third place in the BSC. However, the loss to Montana State dropped them into a tie for fifth place with Portland State. The Eagles are trying to wrap up one of the top four seeds—and a first round bye—in next month’s BSC championship tournament.

Senior forward Delaney Hodgins had another big week for the Eagles, notching 24 points and five steals in the win against Montana. She followed that up with a careerhigh 31 points against Montana State.

EWU led most of the game against the Grizzlies. UM senior forward Mekayla Isaak opened the game with a short jumper to give her team a 2-0 lead. That would be the only advantage the Grizzlies would manage.

Junior guard Kapri Marrow quickly tied the game with a jumper, and sophomore guard Symone Starks buried a three to give the Eagles a 5–2 lead. The Eagles led for the rest of the game.

Starks and Morrow combined for 14 first-quarter points, and the Eagles closed out the opening frame with a 20–11 advantage.

The second quarter would not be as successful for the Eagles. After shooting 64.3 percent in the first quarter, they shot 37.5 percent in the second. They also got into foul trouble, allowing Montana to make seven free throws in the quarter.

By the time the buzzer sounded signaling halftime, the Grizzlies had climbed their way back into the game, closing the gap to 34–30.

Hodgins caught fire in the second half, scoring 17 of her 24 points after the break. Midway through the third, Montana used an 8–0 spurt to pull within one point, but EWU responded with a 13–4 run to close out the quarter.

The Eagles hung on in the fourth quarter to pick up the three-point victory. Starks finished with 15 points, five assists and five steals. Morrow added 14 points. The victory was EWU head coach Wendy Schuller’s No. 250 with the Eagles.

“I’m really proud of our team tonight,” Schuller said following the win. “Montana played well and kept hitting big shots and we responded each time.”

The game against Montana State had a different flavor to it. This time, the Eagles trailed most of the game. While Hodgins had a career night, scoring 31 points. Starks was the only other player to manage double digits. She had 11 points.

The Bobcats put in a more balanced effort. Freshman forward Tori Martell had 18 points, senior guard Delaney Junkermier scored 17 points, senior guard Rebekah Hatchard had 16 points and senior guard Hannah Caudill added 10 points.

Even with the strong team play by Montana State, the game was competitive.

After trailing the entire first quarter, the Eagles took a two-point lead into halftime.

Hodgins had 18 of her 31 points in the second half, however she didn’t get much help. Freshman guard Brittany Klaman was the only other Eagle who had more than one field goal in the second half.

After trailing by as many as nine points in the fourth quarter, EWU was able to tie the game at 72 with 52 seconds left in the game. A subsequent three-pointer by Junkermier was the dagger that clinched the game for Montana State.

“I wasn’t excited about our effort for the entire 40 minutes,” said Schuller. “We started fast against Montana and today we were the exact opposite. Against good teams in their house, you can’t do that and expect to win.”

Despite the loss, the Eagles are still within striking distance of one of the top four seeds. EWU is only one game behind Weber State and Idaho State, the two teams tied for third place. The Eagles host both of those teams this week.

Weber State visits Reese Course on Feb. 22 at 6:05 p.m. The Eagles host Idaho State on Feb. 24 at 2:05 p.m. Admission to both games is free to EWU students. •

Student Activities Involvement & Leadership (SAIL) 110 Sutton Hall sail@ewu.edu | 509.359.2514