This past academic year, CWU has undergone major changes both in policy and in student life and activities. But, throughout the year, students have also shown pride, power and influence that has been felt not only at CWU but across Washington as well. Now, with the final week of Spring quarter wrapping up, and with this being the final issue of The Observer until the 2025-2026 academic year, The Observer is looking back on all the major developments of this past year in our official “Year In Review.”
The S&A budget, student media and defunded programs
Over Spring break the Services and Activities (S&A) committee proposed new budgets that would lead to one of the longest and most influential chain of events in CWU’s recent budget history. The proposed budgets threatened defundings of various aspects of student media and student expression across the CWU campus, and they directly caused multiple protests and eventually influenced a changing of the original S&A proposal by the Board of Trustees at CWU.
The Observer, one of the programs in the proposed defunding, extensively covered the situation as it developed a series of articles and published statistics surrounding the events. The S&A budget is decided by students on the committee, and funding is given to primarily student lead programs, specifically not tied to curricular activities. The following are headlines from some of the more pivotal moments of the budget controversy:
“The Observer threatened by defunding on its 110-year anniversary as campus newspaper,” released April 3, 2025
“Nearly 100 people attend S&A meeting to protest proposed budget cuts,” released April 17, 2025
“‘NO FREE SPEECH WITHOUT FREE PRESS!’ Students lead protest against mass defunding,” released May 15, 2025
“Board of Trustees accept S&A budget proposal, but only for a year, in “middle ground” decision,” released May 16, 2025
Rugby is cut in controversial decision at CWU
In what quickly became CWU’s most controversial decision of the past year, varsity rugby’s sponsorship was discontinued by administration at CWU, ending both the men and womens teams time as national recognized competitors in the division one rugby scene.
The Observer’s initial coverage of the event was an article offering eight athletes’ responses to the situation. In the story, one athlete, Quaid Hunt, commented on the decision, stating, “Devastating is the best word that a lot of us have used to describe this… I mean, we played our game, we got home, turned in our gear and then the day after we had an informal meeting … Dennis [Francois] was there, he broke the news to the team in pretty short order, not a lot of detail. That was it, it’s all over.”
The Observer also published a follow-up article in which Athletic Director Dennis Francois responded to the situation in an interview with Co-Editor-In-Chief of The Observer Jackson Roberts. During the interview, Francois said, “We made the final decision sometime in February … There is no doubt it turns their world upside down and impacts the lives of these young women and men in a very significant way and the implications of those go beyond what we foresee sometimes.”
The decision continues to make waves at CWU, and the impacts of it are still being felt by the athletes and staff involved in the program. The following are two headlines from The Observer’s coverage of this decision:
“‘They are breaking up a family:’ Athletes call CWU’s decision to cut rugby ‘devastating’ as the push to transfer begins,” April 20, 2025
“Athletic Director Dennis Francois discusses the controversial decision to cut Varsity Rugby,” May 8, 2025
Higher Education responds to The Trump Administration
Decisions around higher education have rocked institutions across the nation since Trump took office in January, and CWU has felt the effects as well. In what is shaping up to be one of the most pivotal moments in history for colleges across the United States, Trump is taking a strong stance against Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies, and fighting a fierce legal battle with Harvard University over their lack of compliance with what they argue are “illegal” demands.
But during a time in which Harvard has been using their vast resources to push back against the Trump Administration, CWU has slowly been complying with demands made by the president. Having officially changed their mission, vision and values statement to remove DEI language CWU has treaded the line of complying to the administration’s demands while trying to uphold the core values of what makes CWU the university that it is. The petition in support of Harvard that CWU originally did not sign, has since been supported by CWU President Jim Wohlpart.
Students at CWU have notably expressed mixed reactions to the new president, and in continued coverage by The Observer, it has been recorded that while many students are expressing disdain for the president’s current policies and actions, there are still many students happy with the election. The following is a list of key headlines starting all the way back at the beginning of this academic year, in which the Trump administration is discussed or covered:
“The election of your lives,” Nov 6, 2024
“CWU students react to Trump’s crackdown on immigration,” Feb 6, 2025
“Harvard just set the standard for college responses to the Trump administration, will Washington schools follow?” April 17, 2025
“Washington state colleges respond to Harvard situation in signed petition, CWU’s signature notably absent,” April 24, 2025
“‘Education, not Deportation:’ March For Your Rights marched through the rain,” May 22, 2025
“Harvard is fighting hard, but higher education is still changing, and it’s changing rapidly,” May 29, 2025
Enrollment, Funding and Staff Reductions at CWU
Due to a sharp decrease in enrollment following the pandemic, CWU has been faced with a massive loss in operating budget, which Wohlpart announced at the start of this year in his annual “State of the University” address. The $26 million dollar dip due to low enrollment has led to major changes across the university, in decisions like cutting rugby and reducing the S&A budget. But it has also led to smaller, more uniform changes being felt by CWU staff and faculty across the university.
At the start of the school year, Volha Isakava, Professor and Chair of World Languages and Cultures, described the struggles of having a secretary with limited hours. “In general, it feels like we can just barely keep our heads above water,” Isakava told The Observer in an email. “[It feels like we are] one emergency away from drowning. I am very grateful to our administrative professional for her good spirits, her helpful and positive attitude even given those challenges.”
This feeling was not just isolated to the World Languages and Cultures department, and since that initial article, The Observer has continued its coverage of the impacts the greatly reduced budget is having on CWU’s campus and culture. The following are some of the headlines from The Observer’s coverage of the budgets and their effects:
“The State of your University: Wohlpart says $26 million lost due to low enrollment,” Oct 9, 2024
“Behind the Budgets: Chief financial officer Joel Klucking offers a peek Into CWU’s financial past, present and future,” October 17, 2024
“‘One Emergency Away From Drowning’ – CWU’s Budget Cuts Leave Staff Positions Vacant,” Nov 21, 2024
“Senior VP of Finance & Administration Joel Klucking speaks on staffing reductions, budgets and more,” Feb 20, 2025
“Campus Consensus: CWU students take issue with dining, tuition and more,” Feb 27, 2025
“An Interview with CWU President Jim Wohlpart,” March 13, 2025
Student Pride at CWU
While budget cuts and protests were prevalent across campus this past academic year, student pride and celebration were also on full display. The Observer chronicled the endeavours of multiple clubs, events and student organizations over the course of the 2025-2026 school year, and the following are just some of those stories’ headlines:
“Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really” shines a new light on a classic tale,” Feb 20, 2025
“Mariachi music and dance: CWU hosts a “love” filled concert,” Feb 27, 2025
“Connecting Cultures: Origami night at the AUAP Friends Club,” April 10, 2025
“Bachturne Kickback: Violin Club performs at the library,” May 1, 2025
“The Parade of Nations: A beautiful showcase of student pride,” May 8, 2025
“Not Guilty! CWU’s Mock Trial Club hosts spring trial,” May 29, 2025
Athletic Excellence
Student athletics have also faced a tumultuous year of budget cuts and program changes, but through it all, many of CWU’s student athletes have had a record-breaking and award-winning year.
Sunny Huerta broke a 22-year-old CWU record this past year, and Ben Leid was nominated for Pre Season All-American and Pre Season All West Region Team. On top of this, CWU athletes across all sports have dominated the GNAC season, with men’s basketball taking a close front spot in the award season.
In major news, CWU’s own Oscar Treacy won the 2025 Rudy Scholz Collegiate Athlete of the Year Award for his excellence on CWU’s now defunct men’s rugby team. Tanner Volk also made headlines this year after having the unique opportunity to sign to the Seahawks rookie minicamp. And Track & Field’s’ own Emy Ntekpere took home multiple national awards after a powerful season at CWU.
This past academic year featured impressive awards for nearly all of CWU’s athletic programs, and the following is a list of the headlines that defined them:
“‘Leiding’ the Charge: Ben Leid named to Division 2 West Region and All American Team,” Feb 6, 2025
“Sunny Huerta breaks 22 year old CWU record,” Feb 6, 2025
“Wildcats stockpile GNAC awards,” March 13, 2025
“From Ellensburg to the NFL: Tanner Volk signs to Seahawks rookie minicamp,” May 1, 2025
“Best in the country: Oscar Treacy’s special season,” May 15, 2025
“Wildcat wins two National Championships: NCAA DII Outdoor Track and Field Championship results,” May 29, 2025
“We’re not here to make happy athletes, we’re here to make winners”
On March 13, 2025, The Observer published an article detailing allegations made by various Cross Country and Track & Field athletes about the coaching of their respective teams. In the story, one athlete claimed that, “It’s almost like when you’re injured, you don’t matter anymore. I’ve had weeks on end where I almost haven’t even been talked to by the coaching staff because I’ve been injured.”
The story became The Observer’s largest of the quarter, and it serves as one of the most significant developments in student athletics of CWU over the past year. The title of the story was as follows:
“‘We’re not here to make happy athletes, we’re here to make winners’ Student athletes allege serious mistreatment from Cross Country and Track and Field coaches,” March 13, 2025
