The Easterner: Volume 101, Issue 30

asterner The Easterner

The_Easterner

@EasternerOnline

Eastern Washington University’s Independent Student Newspaper

Wednesday, June 6, 2018

www.EasternerOnline.com

Volume 101, Issue 30

Zombie outbreak on campus

‘Best’ in show

Page 14

Bailey Monteith for The Easterner

Page 8

Mckenzie Ford for The Easterner

Greek Week brings out competitive spirit Page 3

Mckenzie Ford for The Easterner

2 | The Easterner Editor in Chief

Brandon Cline 509.359.6737 easterner.editor@ewu.edu

Managing Editor

Logan Stanley easterner.mngeditor@ewu.edu

Volume 101, Issue | June 2018 Volume 101, Issue 3030 | June 6, 6, 2018 3 News | 5 Opinion | 6 Entertainment | 7 Police Beat | 8 A&E | 13 Sports

Easterner Asks: “I’m going to spend most of my time firefighting but any chance I can, I’m going to go climbing.”

Chief Copy Editor

Amanda Haworth easternercopy@gmail.com

News Editor

Josh Fletcher easterner.news@gmail.com

Sports Editor

Michael Sims, Sophomore

Michael Brock easterner.sports@gmail.com

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

Multimedia Editor

Audrey Seda easterner.social@gmail.com

Art Director

Rosie Chacon, Freshman

Marshall Hiatt, Junior “Well usually, when I’m not babysitting my family and I will go to community pools or have like our family volleyball, which we’ll go to a park and then it’s like family against family, play volleyball, barbeque.”

Andrew Watson easterner.photo@gmail.com

Social Media Director

Richard Clark IV easterner.online@gmail.com

Copy Editor

Jeremy Burnham

Reporters

Sam Jackson Katherine Senechal Kaitlyn Engen Taylor Newquist

Companion

Josh Lewis, Senior

What type of activities or events do you participate in during the summer?

“I hang out with a lot of friends, I go out and play tennis, go out to lakes and hang out there, go camping a few times during the summer and probably going out and rock climbing a bit as well.”

“I have to be here for football workouts, so I’m going to be in Cheney all summer.

Just working out and enjoying the weather.”

Caitlin Diaz, Freshman

Ua Ruedy, Grad Student

“I like to help people out, volunteer. Maybe at homeless shelters, or I will do 5k’s, you know, run for fundraisers, stuff like that. Mostly just enjoying the sun and relaxing.”

“I’m actually going on a summer mission trip to Lake Tahoe and then from there, for about a 10 days I’m going to an island in the Caribbeans, [named] Nevis to start a missionary there.”

Student Photo Corner

News Editor Josh Fletcher provided this photo for this week’s Student Photo Corner.

“My dog Gunar. She’s saying hi to everyone while she sits comfortably inside the truck. This was taken in Clarkston last June. She looks as excited about summer as I am!”

Graphic Designer Gail Powers

Photographers Mckenzie Ford Bailey Monteith

Faculty Adviser Carleigh Hill chill26@ewu.edu

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

June 6, 2018 | Volume 101, Issue 30

News

Greek Week brings out fighting spirit Katherine Senechal Reporter The annual war called Greek Week concluded with Phi Delta Theta and Alpha Omicron Pi winning it all for their houses.

The festivities commenced on Tuesday with the Greek Week Kickoff, where every house brings their letters and gathers for a picture behind the JFK Library.

Three events follow: kickball, canoe battleship and Greekstruction-a competition where each house collects cans and builds a model of a Greek structure.

The Panhellenic president, Madison Rigg, played the role of unofficial point of contact between SAIL and the sororities. She is also a member of Gamma Phi Beta and since Panhellenic officers can participate in events as well, she was a part of Iron Chef, trivia, Service Saturday and emceed for LipSync.

“Greek Week is a way that we can turn the competition in

our community into something positive,” Rigg said. “The United Way and the EWU Student Emergency fund benefit directly from the ticket sales of our most popular competition- LipSync [...]

Greek Week is also one of the ways that we become even more visible to the student population and the Spokane area, from our Greekstruction creations in the library to having students doing service at local nonprofits.”

Along with kickball, the other sports each house competes in are basketball, volleyball, football and track and field. The other events, both competitions and just events that count for participation points, include The Blitz and LipSync.

There was also a service project on Saturday morning where members of all the houses can volunteer for community service.

“It was a pleasure being able to unite our Greek community while also being able to give back to the people that need it,” EWU senior

and Phi Delta Theta member, Josh Brandon, said.

The students participating in the service project were split into groups and went to Full Circle Equine Rehabilitation Center, SCRAPS- animal shelter and Food For All. The volunteers helped out by doing things like pulling weeds, shoveling horse manure and cleaning green houses.

“Greek Week brings all the fraternities and sororities together to compete against each other in competitive events like football, basketball, volleyball, trivia and Iron Chef,” Dylon Evanson, the Sigma Phi Epsilon social chair and Greek Week delegate said.

The week concluded with the Awards ceremony on Monday.

The first-place winners of Greek Week were Phi Delta Theta and Alpha Omicron Pi. Members of the houses say even though some are winners, they all feel a lot closer after the week. •

McKenzie Ford for The Easterner Gamma Phi Beta President Ali Blanton, evades a flag puller. Flag football was one of the highlights of Greek Week.

EWU has sights set on becoming Hispanic Serving Institution Tania Núñez Contributor As EWU’s Latino population continues to grow, it’s no surprise that the university is looking forward to becoming a Hispanic Serving Institution in the near future. While becoming an HSI mandates certain requirements, the most important aspect is giving Latino/a students the resources they need to succeed academically.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, public universities may apply to become a Hispanic Serving Institution once they have at least a 25 percent enrollment of Latino undergraduates attending school full time. The purpose of HSIs is to expand opportunities for

and improve the retainment of Latino students by giving eligible universities federal grants.

“There’s been an effort on focusing on mentoring Latino students because there’s such a high need and there’s very little Latino faculty at the university,” Dr. Martín Meráz, a professor in the Chicano Studies program, said. “The demand is high.”

The Chicano Education Department is listed as one of the primary resources for Latino students, but the program’s faculty is composed of three professors with Dr. García serving as the only full-time Chicano Studies professor. “[The Chicano studies] program has been in existence for over 40 years and we have

not grown in those 40 years,” Dr. García said. “We have one person who is a joint appointment between history and Chicano Studies and the director serves [around] 25 percent as faculty.”

According to an EWU survey conducted in 2017 that gathered data on the race/ethnicity of undergraduate students, Latino students comprised around 15 percent of the student population. This is the second highest demographic at EWU. Junior Remijio Mendoza, a transfer student finishing his first quarter at EWU, emphasized the difficulty of finding resources for Latino students.

“I think a lot of them can be exclusive,” said Mendoza.

“Only certain people can get into

McNair, only certain people can get into C.A.M.P., and it’s hard enough to know what they are without word of mouth, let alone know the restrictions.”

College Assistance Migrant Program, or C.A.M.P., is a federally funded program that the director, Jennifer Núñez, notes is often misconstrued as a resource for Latino students. “[The] ethnicity part of the misconception […] is that our program is meant to only serve Hispanic, Latino, MexicanAmerican students,” said Núñez.

“However, it is not ethnicity based.”

There are movements to create internships and programs for Latino students at EWU. Dr. García has developed two media internships this quarter with the

Northwest Fair Housing Alliance of Spokane and Community Minded TV of Spokane.

While EWU still has years left until it is eligible to become a Hispanic Serving Institution, Dr. García notes that Latino students often don’t see themselves represented at EWU. “Ideally, you want to have faculty that represent the student demographic at this institution,” said Dr. García. “If you have 15 percent of Latino students that come from Mexican-American background, ideally, you’d want to achieve some level of parity.” •

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Volume 101, Issue 30 | June 6, 2018

Strategic Plan emphasizes diversity, equity

News

Kaitlyn Engen Reporter EWU President Mary Cullinan officially announced the external launch of the university’s Strategic Plan for 20182023 at the Montvale Event Center on May 24.

A project headed by Chris Robbins, EWU’s director of strategic university planning, put a focus on expanding EWU’s overall presence as a university, as well as creating a more diversified campus.

The plan’s development was an intricate process taking over nine months to complete. Robbins interacted with over 800 students, faculty and community members to determine what needed to be addressed in the plan.

Robbins’ team also used SWOT (Strengths, Photo courtesy EWU Marketing Communications Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis, a tool Athletic Director Lynn Hickey and Provost Scott Gordon embrance used by organizations for strategic planning to gain during public announcement of EWU’s new Strategic Plan. The plan further perspective. was developed over almost a year of research and community input.

The plan’s extensive list of “[Diversity] brings a richness to Eastern that objectives was represents who we are,” said Robbins. “The university narrowed to looks around and sees itself wanting to serve all students four categories: […] really, it’s the university in its mission is to reach “IGNITE Change,” out and to serve all types of students. It’s part of the “ E M B R A C E core of who we are at Eastern.”

Equity and Social EWU seeks to create an enriched environment by justice,” “DRIVE targeting diversity from different angles.

Innovation” and By the numbers, EWU wants to see a 4 percent “TRANSFORM the increase for entering underrepresented students, from Region.”

36.8 to 41 percent, as well as an 8 percent increase in Robbins oversaw their graduation rates, by 2023. the formulation of In the works is a Center for Social Innovation at EWU the plan and helped that will engage students in discussions of social justice to it gain momentum, give voice to marginalized and oppressed groups. but much of the EWU hopes to foster relationships with the regional responsibility now Native American tribes to ensure adequate representation. lies in teams of The university also seeks to become a Hispanic faculty, students and community members to prioritize and Serving Institution, which requires a 25 percent Hispanic initiate objectives. undergraduate enrollment rate. This designation could “With teams that are represented all over the mean federal benefits for EWU. university and parts of the community, these teams Strategizing outlined goals in the plan will take place are taking a lot of ownership in helping develop these over the next six to 12 months, according to Robbins. ideas to help push forward university leadership Overall, EWU is looking toward big endeavors. which will help to the overall prioritization,” “We want to see a dynamic university that is forward Robbins said. thinking, that is looking forward to the future, and is EWU students can expect to see improvement over the looking out there to see who we can serve, [and] how we next five years. The plan is extending the university’s outreach, can serve our community,” Robbins said. • not just to make it bigger, but to make it more diverse.

How EWU will target diversity

• Become a Hispanic Serving Institution • Launch Center for Social Innovation • Partner with Native American tribes • More money for minorities

Black Panther paper wins prize Dylan Harris Contributor For the first time in its 42-year existence, the Northwest Communication Association awarded an EWU student, Anthony Gonzales, with the Top Undergraduate Paper award at its annual Coeur d’ Alene conference.

Gonzales, a philosophy major and communications minor, is being recognized for his research paper titled, “The World is Listening: Angela Davis and the Rhetoric of Coalition.” Angela Davis is a political activist whose rise to prominence stems from her time as a Black Panther and her involvement in the civil Anthony Gonzales rights movement.

“I was drawn to Angela Davis because I used to live in Oakland and I’m familiar with the political environment there, and I actually used to live right across the street from where the Black Panthers started,” Gonzales said.

“I found myself immersed in a historical geographical area, rich in political and radical history.”

The conference brings together students and faculty from schools around the Northwest to present papers and compete for different awards. Three other EWU students had their papers accepted for presentation at this year’s conference.

Gonzales’ paper is a rhetorical analysis of a speech Angela Davis gave in Oakland, California in 1969. His paper started out as an assignment for his Rhetorical Criticism 450 class.

“It made me really appreciate the role of rhetoric in everything,” Gonzales said. “Rhetoric is the backbone of critiquing anything. You can take those skills into any class.”

The EWU communications department takes undergraduate and graduate students to the conference each year with the hope that some of their papers will be accepted for presentation. Until now, no EWU student had ever won the Top Undergraduate Paper award.

“I was surprised,” Gonzales said. Just being a regular person you have a lot of self-doubt and a lot of apprehension about submitting something.”

Gonzales is a junior at EWU and plans to go on to graduate school after he earns his bachelor’s degree in philosophy. He says the whole conference was a great experience.

“To hear your name called and knowing that other people read it was really fascinating,” Gonzales said. •

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June 6, 2018 | Volume 101, Issue 30

Opinion

Letter from the outgoing editor: looking back Brandon Cline Editor in Chief It seems like just last week when I first sat down at my desk to write my letter from the editor in the first issue of the school year. I know it’s a cliché to claim that you remember something just like it was yesterday but the truth is, that moment is still fresh in my mind nine months and 30 issues later.

The Easterner’s come a long way since then, and if you don’t believe me then just take a glance at the cover in our inaugural issue of volume 101.

Yikes, I know. But as I look back at that first issue, I realized that we were covering stories and topics that EWU and our community cared about from the get-go.

Our tremendous managing editor, Logan Stanley, went in-depth to cover the tragic kidnapping and murder of

a LUCID employee who was simply just in the wrong place at the wrong time. We also kicked off our coverage of the redesign of the PUB as it began its final year of renovation, and I’m pretty disappointed that I won’t be here to see it open and bask in its modernness. And no fall quarter issue of The Easterner would be complete without recapping the EWU football game over the weekend, as the Eagles beat Fordham University in the Bronx to pick up their first—and a muchneeded—win of the season.

Since then, we have strived to tell interesting and informative stories that we believe students, staff and faculty want and need to know about.

In Issue 4 we started our series on the food trucks that have called EWU home while the renovation of the PUB continues. In Issue 5 we reported on an EWU alumnus, Logan Camporeale, who worked to rid Spokane neighborhoods

of white-only covenants that have been around since the 1930s.

In Issue 7 we shined the spotlight on EWU soccer player Chloe Williams, who will go down as one of the most dominant athletes period in EWU and Big Sky history. And in Issue 8 we detailed the arrest of two EWU football players on charges of obstruction and their subsequent suspension from the team.

And that only covers issues from the fall quarter. Other highlights over the course of the year include an investigation into the termination of cross country coach Chris Shane and how it divided the program, a former EWU professor launching her bid for Congress and our series highlighting the diverse array of local restaurants in Cheney.

After a tumultuous couple of years at The Easterner, my goal for us this year was to stabilize ourselves and focus on

pumping out great content each and every week. We’ve done that, and it’s all thanks to a staff that has worked hard and is dedicated toward putting out a final product that they can be proud of.

Michael Brock, this year’s sports editor and next year’s editor in chief, is going to discuss how he wants to keep pushing the boundaries further and further for The Easterner in our quest to provide great, timely content on a multitude of platforms.

There’s no doubt that it’s going to be a challenge, but there’s no one more capable than Michael to lead The Easterner into its next phase as your student-led and student-run newspaper.

Letter from the incoming editor: looking ahead Michael Brock Sports Editor As Brandon said, my name is Michael Brock, next year’s Editor in Chief of The Easterner. When I was hired to the position a couple of months ago, I was naturally thrilled about the opportunity. I have been in journalism for four years and I am ready to lead the paper into its next phase.

The hire also gave me some time to ref lect on The Easterner’s success this year. Our writers, reporters, photographers and editors all worked tirelessly to continue improving, both as individuals and as a team, throughout the year. We covered some pretty impactful stories in each section and I’m proud of the content we produced every week.

My main goal for next year is to

build on the momentum that Brandon, Logan and the rest of the staff established the past 30 issues. One of the ways we will look to continue pushing forward is by launching a “digital-first” initiative.

Not “digital-only” mind you, but “digital-first.” Don’t worry; the print edition of The Easterner isn’t going away anytime soon.

Digital-first essentially means that we’re going to have a revamped presence online. We will be posting daily, timely content on our website (easterneronline.com) rather than waiting until after the print edition comes out to do so. To match the new initiative, we will have a mini re-launch of the site over the summer.

The aim is basically this: When a pivotal event happens next year — whether it be sports, news or arts and entertainment — our staff will work to

have an article released online within 48 hours. Everything else will have a predetermined deadline, so long as there is new content up every day for our readers. We will then edit and shape each story so it makes sense for print, or leave it out altogether.

Another objective of mine is to continue gaining and building partnerships between The Easterner and the various departments, clubs and organizations on campus. Those connections will only help us cover more stories and in turn, better inform our readers.

With this new initiative, our audience—the students—are as important as ever. We want to tell your triumphs as well as your trials, and the story of Cheney and EWU. The Easterner will continue covering impactful, far-reaching stories in an objective manner. I am excited to lead

the charge ahead, and hope to meet or hear from our readers soon.

We are always open to story ideas, contributing content from students or simply comments on ways we can improve. You can reach me at easterner. editor@ewu.edu over the summer or our new managing editor, Jeremy Burnham, at easterner.mngeditor@ewu.edu with any questions, comments or concerns.

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Volume 101, Issue 30 | June 6, 2018

Last weekend the all-female Irish musical ensemble was at Northern Quest Casino for their “Homecoming” tour. The Celtic Woman has fourteen members, but only tours with three vocalists at a time. Last weekend’s performance was done by Máiréad Carlin [soprano], Susan McFadden [alto], Éabha McMahon [alto] and the musical accompanist Tarra McNeill, who played both the harp and the fiddle. The rest of the band consisted of full drums and a second musician on percussion, a bag pipe, Irish pipe, guitar and a piano.

McMahon grew up speaking in Gaelic, so her performance of “Dúlamán” and other songs in Gaelic were riveting. Carlin nailed the high notes in Enya’s “The Voice” effortlessly.

The vocalists harmonized through “Danny Boy”, showing the beauty of their voices and the timelessness of the song.

The night was concluded in the good Irish tradition with a rendition of “The Parting Glass.”

Celtic Woman has been touring the U.S. for 13 years and have performed at Northern Quest Casino twice.

“Homecoming” is Celtic Woman’s twelfth album and can be found on Spotify, Pandora, Deezer, YouTube and other listening sites.

Television show: Wings Wings is a classic 90s sitcom that takes place at a small single-gate airport on Nantucket airline. Wings takes you back to a day before airport security, before cell phones and before everyone was connected to the internet.

Tim Daly and Steven Weber star as brothers Joe and Brian Hackett, two pilots who operate the one-plan airline, Sandpiper Air. In today’s crazy, high-speed Courtesy of IMDb life that college students lead, Wings is a comforting return to a simpler time. Wings is currently streaming on Hulu. ( Jeremy Burnham)

Andrew Watson for The Easterner

Emily Bonsant Contributor

EDITORS’ PICKS Television show: Sense8

Television show: New Girl The final season of FOX’s New Girl wrapped up last month, ending the run of one of the funniest sitcoms in recent memory. The show kicks off with the bubbly and outgoing Jessica Day (Zooey Deschanel) leaving her boyfriend after she comes home and finds him with another woman. Jess moves into a loft with three men, and hijinx ensues over the next seven seasons as Jess forms lifelong bonds with each of her roommates as they navigate their personal Courtesy of FOX and professional lives in Los Angeles. The first six seasons of New Girl can be watched on Netflix, and the final season can be viewed on the FOX website and Hulu.

(Brandon Cline)

Courtesy of Portfolio

Celtic Woman: Bring Ireland to Spokane

Loose Change & Filler Text

Entertainment

Sense8 is arguably one of the best pieces of modern sci-fi drama I’ve ever seen. Written and directed by the Wachowskis, the sibling duo behind The Matrix and John Wick, this Netflix original shows us the collective story of eight strangers around the world who discover a strange connection that binds them together in unexpected (and intimate) ways. They rely on each other’s knowledge and expertise to overcome the plots of a secret organization and a dangerous man known Courtesy of Netflix only as Whispers.

This show has been hailed as a champion of social justice as it gives us cause to question the walls and boundaries that separate us from each other. It’s good stuff. Watch it.

(Andrew Watson)

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June 6, 2018 | Volume 101, Issue 30

Police Beat

Illustration by Gail Powers for The Easterner

Josh Fletcher News Editor

Drug Offense May 28

Suspicious Circumstance May 30

Theft May 30

Drugs June 1

While driving on Washington Street, an officer noticed a female driving while looking down at her phone. She was pulled over for distracted driving, but that was only the start. The woman did not have any proof of insurance because she said she just recently purchased the car, so the officer took her license and found she has already been arrested for an MIP and possession of marijuana- she is also only 19 rendering her underage for both. When the officer came back he noticed a half gallon of rum on the floor of the car and asked if he could search the car further. She asked if she said yes would she get in more trouble- the answer turned out to be yes. The officer found marijuana, a bag of wine, fake IDs and meth in her purse. The possession of meth advanced her to a felony arrest. She was arrested and transported to Spokane County Jail.

Near 10 p.m. EWU PD received a report of threats made on Instagram. A concerned student let police know that her friend made threats on her account that she found to be unusual. The female wrote in a post on Instagram “If anyone looks at me the wrong way I might kill your family.” This was in response to her friends who bailed out on her plans last minute. The threats were not serious she said, nonetheless her friend felt the need to alert police when she saw them.

Custodians of Showalter Hall found the women’s bathroom had been broken into on the first floor when they arrived for their shift. The female hygiene dispenser had been broken into and all the change, $7 worth, was stolen. The products themselves were left behind. Damage estimates were $50.

At almost midnight police responded to a complaint of the smell of marijuana on the seventh f loor of Morrison Hall. When police made contact with the two females, they said they had smoked at a party beforehand, but didn’t have any on them. Upon searching the apartment police did not find anything and the students were referred to Student Rights and Responsibilities.

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Volume 101, Issue 30 | June 6, 2018

A&E

Mckenzie Ford for The Easterner Kellita Smith, who plays one of the main characters Lt. Roberta Warren, getting a shot in front of the JFK Library. Smith has also played Bernie Mac’s wife in “The Bernie Mac Show“and Tanya in the movie “Feel The Noise.”

Syfy’s ‘Z-Nation’ to invade campus during June Kaitlyn Engen Reporter No, a zombie apocalypse is not happening. However, the EWU campus will be transforming into the latest “Z-Nation” over the next month, and students can count on seeing zombies at scattered locations around the EWU campus.

Film crew, producers, directors and of course, zombie actors and actresses of the SyFy television series “Z-Nation” showed up on campus last Friday, and they are welcoming students to join in on the live zombie action.

“It’s really interesting and something totally different than what we normally do,” Nina DeCamp, EWU program coordinator for business and auxiliary services who headed the effort to bring “Z-Nation” to campus said.

DeCamp, along with her colleague Tessa Anderson, is in charge of handling the location agreements that allow filming (typically by EWU students) to take place

on campus. When she and Anderson were approached by “Z-Nation” location manager Pete Moroz, they knew they were in for a project requiring much “dead-ication.”

“This is a huge project so we had to get everyone—all the directors—involved and talk to the vice president of the Business and Finance Department,” Anderson said.

“It’s a huge communication project,” DeCamp gave a day-long tour to Moroz and other “Z-Nation” crew members, who were seeking out unique parts of the EWU campus to film the fifth season of “Z-Nation.”

“They’re kind of going for ‘postapocalyptic’ and ‘pre,’ so they’re trying to have buildings that are kind of older and also buildings that are new and modern as like a ‘transition period.’” DeCamp said.

“Z-Nation” will bring to life key spots around campus to film: the SRC and Reese Court terrace area (June 6), the outside of Showalter Hall (June 8 and 18) and select academic buildings such as the Science Building (June 13, 14 and 20), Patterson Hall (June 21) and Hargreaves Hall (June

19-22).

Because filming is happening on campus locations during university business hours, EWU and “Z-Nation” welcome student participation. They invite all students to witness, interact and enjoy the behind-thescenes view.

“They’re trying to be really open with communicating with students who are walking by or that are curious about what’s going on,” Anderson said.

Students may even be shocked to encounter some of their peers at the set.

Some EWU film majors and alumni are participating in the show’s production, as well as some students who auditioned to become zombies themselves.

EWU zombie fans and phobics have much to anticipate now through June 22.

“I’m really excited to see the season, to see how they transform the campus into something crazy.” DeCamp said.

“Z-Nation” is changing up the scene on EWU campus, and to say it has something for everybody is a real “no-brainer.” •

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June 6, 2018 | Volume 101, Issue 30

A&E

Swoopalooza a change of pace from usual spring concert Erik Rötness Contributor EWU held its first music festival, Swoopalooza, on The Inferno Friday, June 1 from noon-4 p.m. Breaking from the traditional spring concert, Swoopalooza featured three bands playing different genres of music.

Frank Ray, a country artist based out of Las Cruces, New Mexico, opened the festival. The Icarus Account, a Floridian acoustic-pop duo, played second. And Night Argent, an alternative pop-rock band from Washington state, closed the show.

Eagle Entertainment concert coordinator Shelby Sherman, a junior at EWU, said that planning for the event had been a long process starting back in November.

“Beginning winter quarter, we started planning who we’d bring for artists,” Sherman said. “We wanted to have a wide variety of music to appeal to a wide group of people.”

In the past, EWU held a spring concert featuring fewer musicians. Andy

Grammar played in 2015, Allen Stone and Parmalee co-headlined in 2016 and Borgore performed last year.

“We wanted to move away from the spring concert idea and more toward music that more people could enjoy,” Sundi Musnicki, the associate director of SAIL said.

Students enjoyed the idea.

“Usually Eastern does one big concert,” Jayden Mckean said. “It was fun to see them do a music festival with more than one band.”

The Icarus Account was freshman Kalen Shinagawa’s favorite band of the afternoon.

“I don’t like country and they were more chill and relaxing,” Shinagawa said. “They really interacted with the crowd a lot.”

The bands played on the 20-yard line of The Inferno and were surrounded by outdoor games, food and vendor booths.

“The fun thing about planning a festival instead of a concert is that you’re not there just for the music,” said Sherman.

“You can play some games, eat some food and feel comfortable.”

Bailey Monteith for The Easterner Left: Lead singer Chase Manhattan Right: Bass player Evan Taylor. Night Argent closed the festival.

Students played inflatable Twister, bucketball, giant Jenga and more along the track around the field. BeYOUtiful bath bombs and Bench Love decorative signs were for sale as well as EWU merchandise from the bookstore. A flower-crown station and photo booth also added to the festival activities.

Admission was free with an EWU ID and an all-access food pass cost $6.50.

The spread included corn on the cob, saucy chicken drumsticks, caesar salad and strawberry shortcake.

Overall attendance for the new music festival was 350 students. Eagle Entertainment’s goal for the event was to have 1,000 students attend.

Both Mckean and Shinagawa mentioned that they expected to see more people.

“Attendance was a major goal that we did not reach, whether that was the time of day or the weather,” Sherman said.

The cooler weather particularly affected the bands.

Erik Rötness for The Easterner “The Icarus Account is from Florida and Students enjoying a giant game of Jenga on The Inferno. There was also inflatable Twister, Frank Ray is from Texas,” said Sherman. bucketball and giant chess along the field.

“Frank Ray’s entire band asked us where

they could buy sweatshirts and I told them to go to the bookstore.”

According to EWU senior Sonja Kriewald, many students she knew did not attend either because of classes or because they had already taken off for the summer.

Throughout the event randomly drawn students received giveaways like wind pouch chairs, $50 bookstore gift cards, cases of Monster and two $150 gift cards to Ticketmaster donated by ASEWU. Eagle Entertainment, in association with SAIL, ran and programmed the event.

ASEWU funded the music entertainment and co-sponsored the event. •

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Volume 101, Issue 30 | June 6, 2018

A&E

Creative costumes and comic culture Erica Bullock Contributor

Lilac City Comicon held its 12th annual event this past weekend. Fans of comic book characters, cartoons and creative costumes gathered at the Spokane Convention Center to shop, meet special guests such as Lou Ferrigno, play games and more.

Sunday was the second day at the region’s largest comicon and hundreds of guestsmany in costumes-were seen walking along the colorful, art-filled aisles taking in their surroundings. People posing for selfies could be seen in every direction.

The shopping was plentiful, people were buying everything from posters, to toys, to costume accessories and caricatures of themselves. Pausing to linger at the many booths was made possible every few steps while the crowd slowed to make way for another group taking a photograph.

Costumes included many different versions of Deadpool, a variety of characters from Cartoon Network’s “Steven Universe”

and “Adventure Time” shows, witches, GhostBusters, The Little Mermaid and numerous others.

Jade Ehrenstrasser, a student at Spokane Community College, was dressed, and painted, from head-to-toe in pink. She said she spent three months completing her character’s look. Pink Diamond, from “Steven Universe,” is Ehrenstrasser’s favorite character because of the similarities in the character’s behavior and her own. “I see this character in myself,” she said.

Ehrenstrasser was at comicon with her friend Ruby Rieser, a student at West Valley High School, who was dressed as another character from “Steven Universe.” “I made the spear from PVC pipe, dowel, foam, a lot of glue and tears,” she said holding her character’s signature weapon.

Rieser said she has three other versions of this character including an 1980s version, a punk rock version and a regular version.

She said the costume designing can be hard sometimes because sewing, “totally wrecks my fingers.”

EWU journalism student Erica Halbert went to comicon as Nissa, a character from “Magic: The Gathering” card game. It took about three months, with help from her mom, to make her olive-green creation.

“I was in 30 pounds of steel yesterday, a full plate mail type thing. This is my comfortable costume,” Halbert said.

Ryan Barquist-Tafoya, another Eastern student, came as Cloud Strife from “Final Fantasy VII,” complete with a replica Buster Sword made of foam and a wooden dowel.

“It’s light and can be easily carried about, while being ridiculously huge,” BarquistTafoya said.

He said he felt rushed to complete his look but pulled it off by repurposing items he already had, such as painting the Erica Bullock for The Easterner suspenders he wore. Barquist- EWU journalism student Erica Halbert as Nissa from Tafoya said that he likes to “Magic: The Gathering.” participate in the costume contests and while there was one for adults they just wanted to enjoy themselves and on Saturday, “We just missed the deadline for walk around instead. that.”

Callie said she relates to Finn’s good heart The family-friendly event concluded with a and clumsiness. “He tries to do stuff right, costume contest for dozens of children, who even though he kind of messes up in between got to introduce themselves on stage to the sometimes,” she said. cheering crowd. Two students from Glover Chantae said she was inspired by Maia’s Middle School, Callie Williams, dressed as perseverance, “through a lot of dark times Finn the Human from “Adventure Time” and really bad stuff but, gets through it and is and Chantae Williams, who came as Maia really awesome and super determined.”

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Erica Bullock for The Easterner Ruby Riser as Pearl, left, and Jade Ehrenstrasser as Pink Diamond, right. The cosplayers were inspired by their favorite characters from Cartoon Network’s “Steven Universe.”

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The Easterner | 11

June 6, 2018 | Volume 101, Issue 30

A&E

Memorial concert honors longtime piano professor Sam Jackson Reporter A memorial concert was held on Saturday, June 2 in the Music Recital Hall that honored David Rostkoski, a long time piano professor at EWU. Rostkoski passed away on December 11, 2017. He was a professor at EWU from 1970 to 2001 and is known for being a Distinguished Faculty Exchange Scholar through EWU and Nishinomiya, Japan. Throughout his life as a concert artist he performed many recitals across the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Rostkoski specifically requested the memorial concert as his celebration of life in a written letter to Jody Graves, a piano professor at EWU. Within his request, Rostkoski wanted the concert to include Graves and Karen Walker, who were both his former students in the 1980s.

Bailey Monteith for The Easterner Graves described Rostkoski as Karen Walker performing at David Rostkoski’s memorial concert. someone who was, “very serious, Rostkoski requested that his students from the 1980s, Karen Walker and a very smart musician and very Jody Graves, to perform at his concert.

knowledgeable.” When Rostkoski was approaching retirement from his position at EWU, he contacted Graves and asked her to consider applying for his position, which she did and is honored to hold that position currently. Besides being a distinguished music educator, Graves remembers Rostkoski for more.

“He was well known as a gourmet chef,” Graves said. “He would host parties, cook food and have games at his house. He was very well known for that with his colleagues at EWU.” Rostkoski requested that current EWU piano students also be included in the memorial concert to pay tribute to his continuing legacy.

Christian Skok, a junior majoring in piano performance and musical theater, was asked by Graves to perform and played “Intermezzo Op. 116, No. 6” by composer Johannes Brahms.

“I picked that piece because there is so much emotion in that and whenever I play it, I just imagine the music is giving

everyone a big hug,” Skok said.

“It’s a very comforting piece.”

Anyone was welcome to attend the memorial service. The crowd consisted of Rostkoski’s family members, former students and people that just knew of him and appreciated piano music.

For instance, Verna Wagner attended the memorial. Wagner was a student of Rostkoski’s when he first started teaching at EWU. Wagner described the impact that Rostkoski had on her life as “a lot” by keeping her into music and teaching her how to teach others.

“He always was willing to share his music and willing to help to learn new things,” Wagner said.

The EWU library holds many recordings of Rostkoski’s concerts, and they have been added to the digital commons library holdings. The EWU piano program continues to hold onto his legacy as a concert artist and teacher, through the professors and students who choose to carry on his artistic vision for the university. •

Dance Force team set to break it down one more time Sam Jackson Reporter As an all-skill level and dance style team, EWU Dance Force breaks it down for the end of the school year with a spring show, at 6 p.m. on Friday, June 8 in the Showalter Auditorium.

Throughout the year the dance team membership has fluctuated and there are currently five members of the team who will be dancing for the show. The show will also feature EWU students part of Professor Vincas Greene’s modern and jazz dance classes. Admission for the show is free.

Anastasiya Mayerchuk, a senior majoring in business

administration, became captain of the team last year. Mayerchuk says the team has been preparing all year long for the spring show by meeting at least twice a week in the Sports and Recreation Center.

“It’s our biggest thing at the very end, we work up to it,” Mayerchuk said. “Everything we do throughout the year we include in this [...] It’s just a fun kind of thing, where it gives us a goal to work up to.”

With the amount of members on the team changing throughout the year, Mayerchuk says it can be stressful, but the atmosphere of the team is very casual and they do the best they can to be accessible for everyone to practice dancing.

“We try and teach the dances to

everyone and if there is a set number of people that we need for a dance, like if we need pairs for a pair dance and thing, we try to catch up new members as fast as possible to those dances,” said Mayerchuk. “We do a lot of duets with members who are going to be here for the long haul.

So, we just kind of adapt as we go.”

There are no restrictions when it comes to joining the team. The team recruits members every quarter and anyone can join as long as they want to dance and have a good attitude.

“It doesn’t matter skill level, it doesn’t matter if you have never danced in your life, it doesn’t matter if you have two left feet, it doesn’t matter if you have been dancing ballet for all of your life; we’ve had

from one end of the spectrum to the other end,” Mayerchuk said.

The style of music the dance force practices to ranges from Cardi B to Taylor Swift. The styles of dances at the show will be just as diverse. The music variety is pulled from what inspires each of the members on the team.

“We don’t limit ourselves just to hip-hop or just contemporary,” said Mayerchuk. “We try to put as many different styles together as possible. Obviously some things are more popular than others, we have a few hip-hop routines and a few lyrical routines. We have equipment work so flags and we might have a weapon kind of a dance. So, we just do everything.”

Throughout the year the team usually performs at events like Mayfest, but this event is special because the team gets to perform in front of people that choose to be their audience and want to see their art.

“This is where we get to perform by showing off our talents, and perform what we choreograph in front of an audience that wants see that kind of thing,” said Mayerchuk.

“Not just a flash mob with people passing by.”

For more information about EWU Dance Force and the Dance Force Spring Show, go to the EWU Dance Force Facebook page or the EWU Dance Force EagleSync page. •

12 | The Easterner

Volume 101, Issue 30 | June 6, 2018

Events

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream

EWU Spokane Dead Week De-Stress

What is it: The EWU Forensic Science Club will be selling liquid nitrogen ice cream as a fundraiser.

When: Wedneday, June 6 Time: 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Where: Tawanka Hall Skirt 1 Cost: Free

What is it: ASEWU will be hosting an event to help students de-stress at the Spokane Campus. There will be snacks and other fun activities.

When: Wedneday, June 6 Time: 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.

Where: SEWC Lobby Cost: Free

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

Photo courtesy of EWU Dance Force

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

Senior Send-Off 2018

EWU Dance Force Spring Show

Spokane Pride Tabling and Marching

What is it: Join in on a new EWU tradition. This event is designed to honor the accomplishments of the graduating seniors of 2018 and send them back out through Herculean Pillars they once entered as freshmen.

When: Thursday, June 7 Time: 4 - 6 p.m.

Where: Showalter Hall Cost: Free

What is it: Dance Force and guest artists will be performing dances ranging from hip-hop to lyrical.

When: Friday, June 8 Time: 2 - 8 p.m.

Where: Showalter Auditorium Cost: Free

What is it: Eagle Pride and the Pride Center will meet at Spokane Pride. There will also be a tabling booth after the parade.

When: Saturday, June 9 Time: Noon - 6 p.m.

Where: Riverfront Park Lilac Meadows Cost: Free

The Easterner | 13

June 6, 2018 | Volume 101, Issue 30

Sports

Hickey, athletic department prep for busy summer Taylor Newquist Reporter EWU Athletic Director Lynn Hickey has spent six weeks in her permanent position. In her first week she filled staff vacancies for the associate head soccer coach and the Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Affairs, and scheduled the football home opener against Central Washington University on September 1.

Since then, Hickey has been busy with external activities from the Alumni Awards Dinner to the EWU Tri-Cities Celebration. She is also reviewing aspects of the athletic department and filling the remaining vacancies in the staff.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” Hickey told The Easterner in a phone interview. “I think when you move from an interim position to the full time, the responsibility that you bear feels a little bit different.

And then there’s just a lot to do.”

Hickey said that the department expects to make an offer for the new cross-country head coach in the next week or two, and that they are getting ready to bring in candidates for the volleyball position in the coming week. She said that Pam Parks’ retirement from the senior

women’s administrator position will be the only hire behind schedule, and may take until the second week of July to fill.

Hickey’s other primary focus for the summer is to review how people interact with EWU athletics, including fans, donors and students alike. At venues she wants to learn how people are parking, sitting, tailgating and experiencing the game.

She wants to know how donors look at the university, and how well student-athletes are accommodated by their facilities and operational procedures.

“We just want to have everything laid out, everything comfortable,” said Hickey. “And then this first year we’ll really take time to review how things go and see if there are some new initiatives that we want to put in place, but I need to see a season.

I’ve heard great things about how people like to come in and tailgate and I just need to kind of view it before we make any major, drastic changes.”

At this point in her tenure, Hickey is most focused on finding and solving problems within the athletic department.

She is going to need more time before she moves forward with any long-term plans.

Photo courtesy of EWU Athletic Director Lynn Hickey during her introductory press conference on April 25. Hickey is focused on pinpointing and solving problems in the athletic department at this point in her tenure.

A message from Hickey: “If there are any students, faculty or staff that really want to reach out to me with suggestions on how we can be better engaged, on how we can better accommodate our fans at events, I would love to hear from our campus family [...] I invite people to contact me and I would rather have a lot of

calls and a lot of conversations. I don’t want apathy. We don’t need apathy.

We need to really get engaged and communicate with each other. And even if there’s some tough discussions and some tough decisions to make — we want to hit those head on [...] We don’t have an athletic department for the athletic department. We are truly the university’s teams and we want to do

the best job we can not only in competing on the fields and the courts and doing well in the classroom, but just really being engaged and for campus community to really feel a part of things. [...] We would love for people to reach out to us with any thoughts.”

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14 | The Easterner

Volume 101, Issue 30 | June 6, 2018

Sports

Best ready for second season at the helm Head football coach Aaron Best reflects on two decades at EWU, looks ahead to 2018 Taylor Newquist Reporter Aaron Best has been a part of the EWU football program for 20 of the last 21 years, beginning with his playing career in 1996. This fall, Best will start his second year as the Eagles’ head coach, after finishing 7-4 in his first campaign.

He began his career for the Eagles as long snapper and center, starting 22 straight games over his junior and senior years, and earning All-Big Sky honors. His then-head coach Mike Kramer told The Easterner that in Best’s playing days the word tenacious should’ve been renamed after him.

“I’m so proud of what he’s accomplished,” Kramer said. “After one year he has a good idea about what he needs to do to be successful.

He’s going to want to bring them to a national prominence, and he is yet to put his mark on the program, which I know must be like sandpaper to him.”

Best has been a part of the Eagles’ last eight Big Sky Championships – one as a player and seven on the coaching staff.

He credited the current state of the program to his predecessors Dick Zornes, Mike Kramer, Paul Wulff and Beau Baldwin, who all won at least one Big Sky title in their time at EWU. “The Big Sky Championship is something that we pride ourselves on going after and obtaining every single year,” Best said. “I don’t know if that was the case 15 years ago. We talked about it, but it wasn’t something that was tangible.”

Best said that success was amplified with Baldwin’s recruiting classes and the appeal of The Inferno’s red turf.

“With sustainability you get attractiveness,” said Best. “Not

Bailey Monteith for The Easterner Head football coach Aaron Best leads the football team out after halftime against Weber State last season. Best has been a part of the Eagles’ last eight Big Sky Championships — one as a player and seven on the coaching staff. only from Northwest people, but outside of the Northwest. So now people want to be a part of your program that maybe 15 years ago didn’t know it existed.”

Coming with an offensive lineman’s perspective, Best is more prone to run the ball than Baldwin’s previous EWU regime. In 2016 under Baldwin, the Eagles passed on roughly 60 percent of plays. Last

season they passed on 55 percent of plays. Best said the Eagles offense will aim for 60-65 percent passing plays in the upcoming season.

“In any offense,” said Best. “No matter who it is, your quarterback has got to be the guy you lean on most individually. We became a little more balanced last year, but we’re always going to be pass first.”

He said that to him, any carry

for less than four yards is not good enough. Best added that designed quarterback runs will be a key part of opening lanes for running backs. Similarly, he said a strong rushing attack will make the quarterback’s job easier.

Most evidently, Best wants to keep the defense guessing. He said the offense will be rotating between no huddle, slow huddle or

all huddle play calling systems this year — varying the speeds they approach the line of scrimmage before the snap, and how much time they are using on the play clock. He compared the strategy to driving on the highway.

“You set the cruise [control] at 75 mph and you know how it is going to ride the entire way,” said Best. “You go 60 mph and

The Easterner | 15

June 6, 2018 | Volume 101, Issue 30

Sports then 80 mph, then people around are thinking ‘you just passed me and now I’m passing you’ and it keeps people guessing. That’s where we want to be from an identity standpoint.”

On defense Best wants the team to ramp up the turnovers.

He said that last season the team didn’t capitalize on the opponent’s potential mistakes.

“Collectively as a team we need to find ways to get more balls out,” said Best. “We got to strip balls, we got to sack the quarterback and get the ball out in blindside situations and we got to intercept the ball more.”

Best said that he and his team are aware of the expectations they will have put on them ahead of next season. The team is returning 28 seniors and the same coaching staff, and he said that comes with

better communication between players and coaches alike.

“On paper it says we’re going to be better because we’re a year

older,” said Best. “I talked to the team about that and told them – just because you’re a year older, doesn’t mean you’re a year better.” •

“I’m so proud of what he’s accomplished. After one year he has a good idea about what he needs to do to be successful. He’s going to want to bring them to a national prominence, and he is yet to put his mark on the program, which I know must be like sandpaper to him.”

Mike Kramer Former EWU head football coach

Mckenzie Ford for The Easterner Head football coach Aaron Best directs the team during a scrimmage on April 13. The Eagles went 7–4 overall and missed the FCS Playoffs in Best’s first campaign at the helm.

OPENING IN OCTOBER Join us for the PUB Grand Opening celebration during Homecoming & Parent Family Weekend: October 26, 2018.

ASEWU • • • • 2nd floor Career Services • • • • 3rd floor Clubs and Orgs • • • • 3rd floor Commuter Lounge ft. Freshens • • • • 2nd floor Computer Lab and Laptop Checkout • • • • 3rd floor Global Café • • • • 1st floor

Multicultural Center • • • • 3rd floor Panda Express Café • • • • 1st floor Pence Union Market • • • • 2nd floor Pride Center • • • • 3rd floor Student Life • • • • 3rd floor

For PUB Grand Opening updates and more info, visit: ewu.edu/pubredesign

16 | The Easterner

Volume 101, Issue 30 | June 6, 2018

Sports

Photo courtesy of EWU Hockey Club Two hockey club members in a game against Washington State this season. The club recently joined the Pac-8, a Division II conference in the American Collegiate Hockey Association.

Hockey club announces move to Pac-8 Jeremy Burnham Copy Editor EWU hockey has a new conference. The men’s club hockey team will be moving to the Pac-8 conference, EWU Hockey Club president Zachery Mindermann announced on May 31.

The Pac-8 is a Division II conference in the American Collegiate Hockey Association.

All teams in the Pac-8 are non-varsity teams, like EWU’s. Many of the teams belong to schools in the Pac-12 Conference.

Also competing in the Pac-8 next year will be state rivals like the University of Washington, Washington State University and Western Washington University.

Other teams in the conference include

the University of Southern California, University of California Berkeley, San Jose State University and San Diego State University.

For the 2017-18 season, there were two teams on campus. One played in the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League and finished 3-21. The other won a championship in the Northern Pacific Hockey Conference. Next year, there will only be one team, and it will be coached by the coach of the NPHC team, Pat Hanlon.

Mindermann says the team going forward will be made up of players from both squads.

“It will be a best of the best kind of thing,” said Mindermann. “We’ll bring everyone together and put together the most competitive team we can for the new conference.”

Travis Allen, the club sports coordinator for EWU, said having only one team should help the program gain more fan support.

“This move positions EWU Hockey to return to the program of old,” said Allen.

“Administratively, we are excited at the chance for our student body to no longer be confused about which team is playing and hopefully this translates to a larger crowd presence at games. Our students are excited to see schools they’ve heard about for years in their very own building.”

Hanlon, who is entering his second season as EWU’s head coach, said he is looking forward to competing against the bigger schools.

“I am very proud of what we achieved this year in the Northern Pacific Hockey

Conference,” Hanlon said.

“This opportunity to join the PAC-8 was earned by our players and the teams from the past who set the stage for progress […]

Being able to compete against well-known regional universities will increase the excitement in the URC and will benefit our recruiting tremendously. We are hopeful to earn a spot in [the] Lake Tahoe [championship tournament] and continue playing as long as we can. This is a great time for Eagle Hockey.”

Mindermann said he expects the team to play around 26 games. Home games are played at the URC. A schedule is expected to be announced in August, with the season starting in September. •