Following the April 2 release of The Observer’s official statement on the current threats to student media at CWU, alumni, faculty and students alike have shown widespread support for The Observer in its push to secure funding and ensure its future as the historic record of student voices that The Observer has always been.
Social media pages were flooded with support, with Seattle Times Sports Reporter Tim Booth posting to X (formerly twitter) with the message, “I’m damn proud to have worked on The Observer for three years in school. @ascwu_sg and the Services & Activities committee should be appropriately funding student media at @CentralWashU. Full stop.”
Booth’s post sparked a trend on both X and Facebook, with many notable alumni sharing to their own personal pages in support of The Observer and PULSE magazine. Many reached out to The Observer asking how they could help, and were directed to write letters of support to be shared with and published for The Observers readers and decision makers at CWU.
The following is a collection of letters of support, collected, with permission, from direct submissions to the Observer’s gmail and from social media platforms. Some responses have been edited for length.
“I’m writing to you from the NCAA Men’s Final Four in San Antonio, Texas, where I am working for Getty Images as a sports assignment editor — a position that uses leadership skills and industry knowledge I first began to hone while working at the Observer as a student more than a decade ago.
The funding from S&A allowed us to pay our editing staff, which was a lifeline for many of us trying to go to school, publish a paper and in my case, also compete as a student-athlete. The Observer, along with PULSE and [formerly] Cat TV, provide a critical real-world experience for students who aspire to go into journalism. Graduating with a portfolio of work gives students a leg up in a highly-competitive and ever-shrinking industry. How many other groups that S&A funds can say that they’re sending students off into the world with portfolios of work that will help them get their first jobs post-graduation? Is that not the mission of the university, and thus S&A: to educate students and prepare them for jobs in their industry of their choice?
The leadership skills I developed as an editor for three years at The Observer played a huge part in propelling me forward in my career, more so than anything else I did at Central. The work I produced at The Observer helped me get an internship at the Yakima Herald-Republic while in school, and created a domino effect, improving and growing at each new work opportunity. Post-graduation, that work and leadership experience helped me get an internship at the Huffington Post, and got me into the Mountain Workshops, which got me my first full-time journalism job at a small newspaper. The 10-page paper I wrote on the documentary “Super Size Me” for a history of documentary class did not get me a job, nor did my math homework. But my journalism class homework, articles and photos for The Observer? That work did get me a job. Hiring editors read those articles and saw those photos, in addition to my resume, and gave me a chance.
Without that practical experience at Central, without those clips students produce each week and publish in The Observer, you will eliminate that chance for these students, and many to come. This is not to say the other skills developed and classes taken at Central were not valuable. They are. The bachelors degrees I earned are valuable too. But you can draw a direct line from my work at The Observer to my current position that put me here in San Antonio for the college basketball championship, and at the Paris Olympics last summer. Do not erase that line for the hundreds, maybe thousands, of students who will come through Central.”
-Katharine Lotze, alumna and former Observer EIC (Editor-In-Chief)
“My name is Isaac Hinson, I served on The Observer for eight quarters. From the Spring quarter of my freshman year until the Fall quarter of the senior year. I started as a staff reporter before being promoted to sports editor, and then to scene editor, and then finally Editor-In-Chief for a year. I have also spent multiple quarters as a writer at PULSE Magazine.
Working with The Observer has been the greatest experience of my collegiate career. It gave so much to me. I was taught discipline, efficiency and what it takes to be a leader of strong character. But, I was also taught creativity, passion and what it’s like to work amongst a group of people I consider far more than just coworkers. Each week aspirational writers, editors, designers and photographers all get to practice and hone their craft in truly meaningful ways.
The experience gained working in the Observer and PULSE far outweighs any isolated lesson that can be taught in a traditional classroom. Nothing I have learned in any class has prepared me for my future like the lessons I have learned, the successes I’ve had and the failures I’ve experienced in the office of The Observer. Intentional or not – the near-complete defunding of student media shows compliance and alignment with the current anti-media and anti-journalist administration in our great country’s White House. The removal of student press from our campus is the removal of transparency from our school’s administration, it’s the removal of someone to keep the people making the most important decisions in-check, and it’s the removal of one of the biggest avenues for student voices to be heard in a way that they maybe, just maybe, will reach the people at the top.
The people making the decisions about their funding only see the final product. Not a single person in administration or the S&A committee has ever seen what it actually takes to create an issue of The Observer or PULSE. None of them know the countless hours and sleepless nights that already far exceed the paid hours we had been allotted in years previous. The designs thrown away at the last minute, the late-breaking story that needs to be put on the front page, the countless interviews done each week, the array of photos taken just to find the one perfect image. Both publications already operated on budgets that were minuscule compared to other institutions. Without funding, why would any student ever want to come to CWU to study journalism?
Across the awards cases in Lind Hall, the phrases “Students Matter” and “Credibility Matters” are printed on the glass covering PULSE and Observer’s many awards. These moves from S&A and Administration go directly against that messaging, showing that if anything, their students do not matter to them, and credibility is a thought that goes in one ear and out the other. If CWU, S&A, and President Wohlpart truly care about the students in their communication and journalism programs, then I please urge them to reconsider their proposals. The importance of student media can not be overstated. Free the student press.”
–Isaac Hinson, student and former Observer EIC
“The connections that I’ve made within the community with honest and accurate reporting mean the absolute most to me and I can strongly say that I could not have done so without my time on The Observer and PULSE.
As a CWU alumni and former contributor to both The Observer and PULSE Magazine, I STRONGLY urge S&A to reconsider defunding student media. I have made a successful career for myself because of my experiences with these two student publications, and I know others that have graduated from the program have done the same. At a time in our world when true and honest journalism is of the utmost importance, the students of Central Washington University NEED to have the opportunities to contribute and participate in student-led journalism.
I can confidently say that I would not be where I am today in my journalism career without the experiences and the knowledge that I gained during my time with The Observer and PULSE Magazine. PLEASE reconsider the decision to defund student-led journalism at Central Washington University. The loss to the students and the community would be devastating.”
–Kyle Wilkinson, alumni and former Observer photo editor
“The Central Washington University Services & Activities committee has plans to defund The Observer and Pulse Magazine. Let that sink in for a second. This isn’t just a headline, this is a gut punch to the history of students in the past, present and future.
Let me be blunt: The Observer is the reason I am where I am today. In June, I’ll hit the five-year mark working in news professionally—and it’s not because of my degree. It’s because of the experience I gained during my three years working at The Observer. Without that, I would not have had the foundation to build a successful career in journalism.
But beyond my personal success, the impact of The Observer cannot be overstated. It’s a living, constantly-adapting historical archive that has served this campus for decades. To defund it would be a direct attack on student journalism and, by extension, the entire student body. The Observer has a motto: “By the students, for the students.” That isn’t just some slogan. It’s the heart and soul of the school’s community. By defunding student media, you silence students. We’re about to celebrate 110 years of The Observer’s publication. One hundred and ten years. If the S&A committee follows through with this decision, they will not only undermine a pivotal part of this university’s legacy—they will be making a catastrophic mistake that will hurt current and future students. This cannot happen. I truly hope this is some sort of misunderstanding and the committee chooses to be on the right side of history.”
-Mariah Lane, alumna and former Observer EIC
“Before I joined student media outlets like The Observer, I had little confidence in myself as a neurodivergent, queer journalist who had not published anything in years. After working with trusted mentors like Jennifer Green to develop as a writer and editor, I became so clear in my voice and purpose that I was able to help survivors of assault and gender-based discrimination share their stories while collaborating on a publication that our team was proud of.
To defund student media outlets like The Observer is to remove an integral part of communication among students, administration and various organizations across CWU. This action restricts the only news publication in Ellensburg that is always actively running investigative stories, as was evidenced when I was told by editors of Ellensburg newspaper The Daily Record that the original breaking Cats Against Assault story could not be run in their publication due to the piece featuring anonymous sources. Defunding The Observer greatly inhibits the opportunity for people to safely speak out against injustices at our university and in our town without fear of repercussions, as the Cats Against Assault founders expressed during our anonymous interviews in 2022.
The Observer has a history of breaking investigative pieces that would otherwise be swept under the rug, as was the case when Laynie Erickson wrote the dining services story in 2021, covering a manager who was still working around students after he was caught sexually harassing employees in the workplace. This story and the testimonies of the sources eventually led the person committing these acts to be given less access to students and placed a more discerning campus-wide eye upon his actions.
Women especially need an outlet to share stories of abuse and trauma in a reputable way without facing potential violence and harassment as backlash. Removing funding for student media publications is a slap in the face to all brave sources who shared their testimonies through The Observer and to any future women or students of any identities who will seek out a publication to share their truth in pursuit of freedom and justice. There is somehow room in the budget for a salary increase for our university president, but when it comes to any funding for a publication that trains students to exercise their first amendment rights and push back against unjust patriarchal systems with testimonies from victims, CWU is falling short.
Despite the salary increase and the funding for student media likely drawing from different financial wells, the power imbalance and skewed priorities in these decisions is not lost on many of us. Budget cuts are happening nationwide and campus wide, but it is imperative to state that a campus newspaper reporting on topics that would otherwise not see the light of day should not be one of the casualties of this horrible, discriminatory presidential administration, especially not during a historic time in which our first amendment rights and our rights to live in a truly democratic nation are more at risk than ever.”
-Katherine Camarata, alumna and former Observer EIC
“It’s beyond disheartening to see Central Washington University’s student media publications may no longer exist due to the preposterous proposal by CWU’s Services & Activities committee to defund The Observer and Pulse Magazine.
My name is Sean Bessette, former Editor-in-Chief and proud alum of The Observer. I spent five quarters on staff at The Observer, from Fall 2020, my first quarter on campus, to Winter 2022. The Observer shaped me into the communications professional I am today, and I can credit my success to the experience I gained at The Observer.
But, this isn’t about me. This is about all students, current and past, that have been impacted by the opportunities presented through student media. This is about future students, who would no longer have the opportunity to participate and grow in a student publication. This is about CWU’s campus community, and the fantastic coverage from these student publications for 110 YEARS. I urge CWU’s S&A committee to reverse course on the proposal to defund student media. This blatant attempt to silence student voices cannot continue, and I hope the committee can continue to fund these publications properly for generations to come.”
-Sean Bessette, alumni and former Observer EIC
I worked on PULSE Magazine from 2015 to 2018 as a graphic designer and creative director later in my career. During my time there, I received invaluable experience and mentorship that I simply did not get from my classes alone. Working at PULSE truly shaped the trajectory of the career, and I would not have the opportunities that I have now without the experience I received while spending countless hours on the magazine. To minimize and downgrade the amount of work and effort that students put into student media is incredibly disappointing.
As the Creative Director, I witnessed first-hand not only how much work we put into the design of the magazine, but how hard and how passionate the reporters put into writing their stories. We worked on many issues tackling tough subjects like the rise of sexual assault reports on campus, the Black Lives Matter movement, and eating disorders in athletes — the reporters of these stories did not take these topics lightly. We recognized the importance of journalism, as my dear friend and former EIC Bailey Williams wrote in her editor’s note for the Fall 2016 Issue Two edition, “our jobs as journalists is to give a voice to the voiceless” — that driving sentiment has been carried on through so many issues, well beyond after I graduated.
If you look back at farewells from previous seniors in PULSE, you’ll see many of us signing off with “PULSE for Life” — is it cheesy? Sure, but the sentiment was always genuine. Once you spend hours late into the night making sure the writing was edited and accurate, the photo shoots were completed on time, and the designs worked in harmony with the stories being told, with people who are so hardworking and dedicated to craft — that feeling of community sticks with you. I look back fondly for my time at PULSE and have loved watching it continue to grow over the years. I can only hope that the decision to defund student media will be reconsidered, or else the loss of print media to the campus will be a devastating one.
-Vanessa Cruz-Rivera, alumna, former PULSE Graphic Designer and Creative Director
“My name is Maddy Wilson, and I am a former Editor-in-Chief of PULSE Magazine at Central Washington University. Currently, I am a Student Organizations Coordinator at Boise State University where I advise and coordinate three award-winning Student Media programs including a student newspaper, magazine and design agency.
I am writing today to express my disagreement with the suggested cuts to the PULSE Magazine and Observer budgets, as outlined in the recent budget proposal by the Services & Activities Committee. Student Media is a pinnacle of student voices, expression and creativity within many universities. As an alumna of the CWU Student Media program, my experiences led me to pursue a career in higher education where I have since worked with students across the country in areas of design, public relations and marketing.
Specifically, in my previous professional role I used my knowledge of journalistic and public relations writing (gained from Student Media) to advise a public relations team on developing press kits and interacting with the media for a multi-million dollar non-profit organization. Furthermore, the leadership skills such as public speaking, team management and delegation I gained from my time in Student Media have impacted my day-to-day work in education.
However, the impact of Student Media is more than journalism training. Beyond the personal impact of CWU Student Media on my career, I want to share some data about financing a Student Media program that is unmanageable given the proposed cuts. A standard printing contract for a weekly newspaper can cost upwards of $25,000 across an academic year. Additionally, a print magazine published twice per quarter can be approximately $20,000+. If you cut down the total allocated for printing to even half of that estimate, you’d still need at least $22,000 in operations to maintain a bi-weekly print newspaper and a magazine printed three times per year.
Currently, there is a national 25% tariff on all paper goods from Canada, which many American printers source their paper from. Further, this increase in price to import paper has resulted in supply chain issues, causing many American paper producers to increase their prices or be unable to meet the printing demand. There is no predicted end to these tariffs, leading to many proposed budgetary increases for news agencies with printed products.
If funds from CWU Student Media are cut, there will be no ability to provide a print product to the student body due to the projected increase in printing costs. This budget cut will eliminate an advertising source for campus departments and local businesses (such as ROTC, ATM, Planned Parenthood, Care Net, and more) as well as censor the student voice. Without print papers and magazines available across campus, awareness of Student Media will decrease, thus decreasing students’ awareness of campus news.
An informed student body is one that can actively engage in their community, advocate for others and grow their learning. By defunding Student Media, I believe the Services & Activities Committee is silencing the student voice and taking away a source of critical information to the student body. Thank you for your consideration, and I hope that a resolution can be made.”
-Maddy Wilson, alumna and former PULSE EIC
I worked for The Observer for three or so quarters and student voices are very important in a college. It’s what makes the students heard. Taking that away makes them feel silenced. What is that going to do to them in the future? It’s going to make them feel like they have no voice of their own. It’s going to hurt their future. It’s ridiculous if you ask me. You can’t do that to The Observer. I had a great time working with everyone I did.
– Emily Lafave, alumna and Online Editor
