By the students, for the students of Central Washington University

The Observer

By the students, for the students of Central Washington University

The Observer

By the students, for the students of Central Washington University

The Observer

All content by Ryan Kinker
Reece-Bruya sits at her desk in Dean Hall with a stack of forms and applications that go through her office on a daily basis.

Monica Reece-Bruya: Secretary Extraordinaire

Ryan Kinker, News Editor
May 4, 2017

While professors are well-known on CWU’s campus, some of the most important staff members are not as visible, despite having a bigger impact on the success of students and faculty. By filing paperwork...

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In his years at CWU, Hubbard has had an impact on students and community members alike.

Barto Hall Superman: Dale Hubbard

Ryan Kinker, News Editor
May 4, 2017

In the corner of the SURC along the front wall of 88.1 the ‘Burg’s office, trophies sit on a shelf and plaques fill the walls. These awards recognize the students and volunteers of years past and their...

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Photo Courtesy of Public Affairs

CWU signs new lease in Sammamish

Ryan Kinker, News Editor
April 6, 2017

After 125 years as an institution of higher learning, Central Washington University will now be an option for high school students looking to receive college credit away from campus. On March 21, CWU...

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Courtesy of the Washington State Healthy Youth Survey

The results are in: Underage use not getting higher

Ryan Kinker, News Editor
April 6, 2017

The argument against the legalization of marijuana has taken another blow with the release of new survey results in Washington. The Washington State Healthy Youth Survey, which is a biennial survey which...

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Kodiak Landis currently leads the GNAC in the heptathlon, fifth in the NCAA.

Landis continues to enjoy track

Ryan Kinker, Senior Sports Reporter
March 1, 2017

For anyone who grew up participating in a sport, remembering to have fun can fall by the wayside. Kodiak Landis, junior decathlete for CWU, continually carries his admiration for the sport as he competes...

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Time dwindles for CWU seniors

Time dwindles for CWU seniors

Ryan Kinker, Senior Sports Reporter
February 17, 2017

After a promising beginning to the season and a disappointing middle of the season, the CWU men’s basketball team still have hopes to win their last home game of the season against Simon Fraser Saturday...

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Western extends CWUs losing streak

Western extends CWU’s losing streak

Ryan Kinker, Senior Sports Reporter
February 17, 2017

Yet another disappointing loss Thursday night for CWU’s men’s basketball team as they lost to GNAC-leading WWU (20-5, 14-3 GNAC) 85-72. This loss makes eight in a row for the Wildcats, the worst losing...

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Did privilege win Adele a Grammy?

Ryan Kinker, Senior Sports Reporter
February 16, 2017

The 59th annual Grammys took place Sunday night and the ceremony left me thinking about the way we all appreciate music. I’m an average, white male who has a hard time seeing every day privilege and...

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Tom Brady won his fifth Super Bowl, coming back from a 25 point deficit, largest ever.

Pats win, Falcons blow it

Ryan Kinker, Senior Sports Reporter
February 8, 2017

I’m still shocked by what transpired Sunday at NRG Stadium in Houston. After appearing completely dead for the better part of three quarters of football, the New England Patriots came back from a 25-point...

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After losing four of their top five scorers to graduation CWU reloaded with three new transfers bringing them to a 11-3 record.

Column: CWU in prime position to succeed

Ryan Kinker, Senior Sports Reporter
January 18, 2017

CWU men’s basketball has performed well 14 games into the season, with the team winning its last five games. They sit at a 11-3 overall record while going 6-2 in the GNAC. The biggest question before...

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Who should win the NFL MVP?

Who should win the NFL MVP?

Ryan Kinker, Senior Sports Reporter
January 11, 2017

In recent years, the NFL MVP race has had a clear-cut winner, such as Peyton Manning’s 55 touchdown 2013 campaign or Adrian Peterson’s 2,097 rushing yards in the 2012 season. I believe this trend continues...

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Head coach Michael Farrand has overseen the transition from NAIA to D-II where he has turned CWU into a constant threat.

CWU soccer continues to grow

Ryan Kinker, Sports Senior Reporter
January 11, 2017

Since the creation of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference in 2001, women’s soccer has been controlled by CWU’s rivals, Seattle Pacific University (SPU) and Western Washington University (WWU)....

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CWU Wildcat by birth

CWU Wildcat by birth

Ryan Kinker, Senior Sports Reporter
November 30, 2016

Central Washington University Athletics has plenty of familial connections between coaches and student-athletes. soccer’s head coach Michael Farrand and daughter senior midfielder Keilin; cross country...

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‘Love will not trump hate in Donald Trump’s America’

Ryan Kinker, Senior Sports Reporter
November 10, 2016

I am the personification of everything that’s wrong with this country. I am an overweight, heterosexual, cis-gendered, white male with blonde hair and blue eyes. I could be the poster child for Donald...

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Friends and memories at North Village Café

Ryan Kinker, Senior Sports Reporter
November 10, 2016

I don’t think there’s a single building on Central Washington University’s campus that has had as much of an effect on my life as North Village Café (“North”). I lived in Alford-Montgomery...

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Wildcat seniors look to finish last season on top

Wildcat seniors look to finish last season on top

Ryan Kinker, Senior Sports Reporter
November 10, 2016

As the season changes from fall to winter, seniors on Central Washington University’s football team are looking ahead to their last collegiate game on Saturday. “It's surreal,” Uso Olive, senior...

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Kick it up a notch

Kick it up a notch

Ryan Kinker, Senior Sports Reporter
November 3, 2016

The Season So Far After starting off the 2016 season with a historic 5-0 record, CWU women’s soccer has made the record books yet again. The Wildcats have clinched the #2 seed in the GNAC Championships,...

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Roller derby brings together women from across the community

Roller derby brings together women from across the community

Ryan Kinker, Senior Sports Reporter
October 27, 2016

Finding a new hobby can be a difficult endeavor, especially for an adult. For CWU apparel, textiles and merchandising professor Andrea Eklund, adopting roller derby as a hobby was simple after years of...

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CWU new band leader changes sound

CWU new band leader changes sound

Ryan Kinker, Senior Sports Reporter
October 18, 2016

A malfunctioning microphone can lead to a miscommunication or a potentially bad performance. During a rehearsal preparing for the halftime show at Central Washington University’s Homecoming game, a microphone...

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Quarterback Justin Lane connects on and off field

Quarterback Justin Lane connects on and off field

Ryan Kinker, Sports Senior Reporter
October 13, 2016

Very few athletes at Central Washington University have made connections to former Division I players and coaches. Even fewer have had the course of their lives changed by these connections. Justin...

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Wildcats look to cut down Jacks

Ryan Kinker, Senior Sports Reporter
October 6, 2016

With five games down and five to go, Central Washington University football is at a crossroads. Sitting at a 3-2 overall record, 2-1 in the GNAC, the Wildcats’ next opponent is familiar enough and formidable...

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Seahawks quarterly review

Ryan Kinker, Senior Sports Reporter
October 6, 2016

Russell Wilson is clearly superhuman. Playing with an MCL sprain against the New York Jets and its “human turnover machine” known as Ryan Fitzpatrick, Wilson went out and played a perfect game without...

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Lights, camera, action

Ryan Kinker, Sports Senior Reporter
October 6, 2016

After drifting throughout Ellensburg over the years, the Ellensburg Film Festival hopes to have found its permanent home on campus this fall. McConnell Hall, home to CWU’s  theatre arts department,...

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Central football finally on the attack

Central football finally on the attack

Ryan Kinker, Senior Sports Reporter
September 29, 2016

While expectations were high for this season, CWU Football has gotten off to a rocky start. The Wildcats (2-2) began the season with a tough matchup against Portland State and left with a 43-26 loss....

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Soccer kicks off with historical start

Ryan Kinker, Senior Sports Reporter
September 29, 2016

In the best sports stories, it is not how you start but how you finish that defines a season. However, that doesn’t take away from CWU Women’s Soccer’s 5-0 start to the 2016 season. This start is...

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Quarterback Justin Lane returns for the Wildcats after claiming the starting job last season.

Wildcats eye improvement on offense, defense

Ryan Kinker, Staff Reporter
June 6, 2016

Change is a constant variable in everyone's lives, for better or worse. After an offseason of changes for the Central Washington University football team, the Wildcats are looking to compete in the GNAC...

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New coach powers CWU defense

New coach powers CWU defense

Ryan Kinker, Staff Reporter
May 26, 2016

In the lifetime of most Americans, moving across the country is not an option. Central Washington University’s newest coach has the power to make such a move, and hopes to bring power to CWU’s defense. Defensive...

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Luke Plummer leaps above the competition

Luke Plummer leaps above the competition

Ryan Kinker, Staff Reporter
May 19, 2016

In the life span of an athletic career, an athlete usually has a point that they realize the next level of competition is attainable for them. Central Washington University senior jumper Luke Plummer experienced...

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Tennis club serves up pair of tournaments

Tennis club serves up pair of tournaments

Ryan Kinker, Staff Reporter
May 12, 2016

As the academic year reaches its end, sports clubs find their seasons hitting the same point. For Central’s Tennis Club, the next two weekends will provide an opportunity for club funding and recruiting...

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Senior Ryan Atkinson hits his stride in final season

Senior Ryan Atkinson hits his stride in final season

Ryan Kinker, Staff Reporter
May 5, 2016

Every student athlete wants to end their collegiate career on a high note. For Central baseball player Ryan Atkinson, his entire senior season has become one. Atkinson, second baseman for the Wildcats,...

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Wildcats host west pool of womens rugby playoffs

Wildcats host west pool of women’s rugby playoffs

Ryan Kinker, Staff Reporter
April 21, 2016

A new challenger awaits the Central Washington University women’s rugby team. Tomorrow, the University of New Mexico Lobos are set to take on the Wildcats at 2 p.m. in the opening round of the playoffs. This...

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Anderson legacy continues on

Anderson legacy continues on

Ryan Kinker, Staff Reporter
April 21, 2016

Collegiate varsity sports and sports clubs typically create bonds with their communities, and Central’s rodeo club has an upcoming opportunity to show its connection to the rodeo culture of Ellensburg. From...

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Rugby travels to Utah for quarterfinals

Rugby travels to Utah for quarterfinals

Ryan Kinker, Staff Reporter
April 14, 2016

After Saturday’s 44-15 victory in the Penn Mutual Varsity Cup Championships’ opening round against UCLA, Central’s men’s rugby team moves on to the quarterfinals and to play against the University...

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Manning’s legacy more than numbers

Ryan Kinker, Staff Reporter
March 10, 2016

On Monday, quarterback Peyton Manning announced his retirement from the NFL after 18 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos. Manning joins cornerback Charles Woodson in retirement, both...

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Jake Ferris takes his opponent down to the mat during Centrals club wrestling practice

Top of his class

Ryan Kinker, Staff Reporter
March 3, 2016

In 2012, Jake Ferris was a junior at Wilson High School in Tacoma. As a wrestler in the 195-pound weight-class, Ferris made his way to the 3A Washington State Championships, looking to end his season on...

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Senior forward Joseph Stroud shows frustration during the Wildcats 21-point loss.

Hopes for second in the GNAC slip away, Wildcats iced by Nanooks

Ryan Kinker, Staff Reporter
February 25, 2016

As time expired in Nicholson Pavilion, the fervor that had existed from the fans at pregame had become a dreary silence. Central (17-7, 12-7 GNAC) lost to University of Alaska (20-7, 14-5 GNAC) 92-71 on...

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Central hosts state championship

Central hosts state championship

Ryan Kinker, Staff Reporter
February 11, 2016

This Sunday, Central’s wrestling club will hit the mats when it hosts the National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA) Washington State Championships. The NCWA is the governing organization of...

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Centrals longsnapper Jason Diffee signs papers to get an NFL agent.

Wildcat longsnapper enters NFL draft

Ryan Kinker, Staff Reporter
February 4, 2016

While Super Bowl parties will be going on next weekend, Central senior Jason Diffee will have his focus on the NFL draft April 28-30. Diffee, Central’s long snapper for the past three seasons, has...

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Centrals golf team at the NCCGA tournament last spring.

Proposed tax could be costly for golf team

Ryan Kinker, Staff Reporter
January 28, 2016

UPDATE: The Kittitas County Commissioners have approved the admissions tax. The cost of golfing may soon be changing for Central’s golf club, and not for the better. The Kittitas County Commissioners...

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Indoor Ironman contest next month

Ryan Kinker, Staff Reporter
January 21, 2016

If you think you have the highest endurance of Central’s athletes, the Recreation Center has a challenge for you in the month of February. The Recreation Center will be holding an Indoor Ironman competition,...

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