Unable to play, McKenzie impacts team from the bench
Retired senior guard voted team captain before start of season
By RYAN BLAKE, Evergreen reporter
December 1, 2017
WSU women’s basketball senior guard Krystle McKenzie saw an end to
her basketball career when she was medically retired by doctors over the
summer. It was not the first time.
McKenzie sustained several concussions throughout her early life.
She was first medically retired after suffering one at the beginning of her
freshman year. However, a second opinion from a specialist gave her another
shot, with the caveat that after one more concussion, she would be done for
good.
Another concussion in August spelled the end of McKenzie’s on-court
career, and she was officially medically retired following advisement from her
doctor.
“Telling my team was probably the hardest part,” McKenzie said.
A native of Gold Coast, Australia, McKenzie said she first got in
contact with WSU through a former coach who happened to be a former assistant
for the men’s team.
She said she was looking for a change of pace from the big-city
beach setting, and she embraced the climate and rural atmosphere of Pullman.
But what ultimately sold her, she said, was the unitedness and family aspect of
the team.
McKenzie redshirted her freshman season with the team and played in
just 10 games during her second. Despite limited time on the court, her
teammates voted her one of three team captains heading into her third season.
“When I was named team captain it was such a big honor,” McKenzie
said. “That is something I don’t take lightly at all. It gave me a whole new
responsibility.”
And despite her medical retirement on the court, her teammates
voted her captain again heading into the 2017-18 season.
Head Coach June Daugherty said the nomination was well deserved and
the correct choice.
“The respect that she has earned from her teammates voting her
captain, even though she is not going to play, says volumes about who she is as
a person,” Daugherty said.
Not being able to play is especially tough, McKenzie said, as she
prefers to lead by example. But she still plans to be a leader for the program
off the court. She said her knowledge of the system inside and out allows her
to help coaches correct mistakes during practices and games.
McKenzie said her contributions go beyond assisting in the tangible
aspect of the game. She said she can keep her teammates accountable in ways
that her coaches are not necessarily able to, doing things like making sure
they are watching film and asking how they are doing outside of basketball.
She said she has especially taken to helping the freshmen acclimate
to their new environment.
Daugherty said McKenzie has “a coach’s eye for the game.” Despite
the praise from her coach, McKenzie said she doesn’t plan on pursuing a career
in basketball.
Instead, the genetics and cell biology major, with an emphasis on
pre-med, plans to take the Australian version of the Medical College Admission
Test after graduation this year, and hopes to one day become a surgeon —
another reason she and her doctor agreed it was best for McKenzie to retire
from the game, she said.
Although it was disappointing to hear she would no longer be able
to play, Daugherty said McKenzie will still contribute tremendously from the
bench. She said her passion for the game and the team is hard to replicate.
“She’s the ultimate teammate,” Daugherty said. “She’s the ultimate
Coug.”
//////////
Seven Washington State players to participate in all-star games;
running back Jamal Morrow withdraws from Collegiate Bowl
UPDATED: Wed., Jan. 10, 2018, 7:44 p.m.
By Theo Lawson
Spokane S-R
Only a few weeks removed from the Holiday Bowl, a slew of
Washington State seniors are returning to the field to participate in various
postseason all-star games with the hopes of boosting their stock in front of
pro evaluators before the NFL Draft April 26-28.
Of the eight Cougars who accepted invitations, seven intend to
participate in the postseason bowls, which are scattered throughout the month
of January. WSU running back Jamal Morrow injured himself in the first half of
the Holiday Bowl against Michigan State and told The Seattle Times’ Stefanie
Loh he’s withdrawn from the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, which will take place Jan.
20 at the Rose Bowl.
Morrow, who finishes his WSU career with 4,219 all-purpose yards –
third all-time at the school – told the Times he broke a bone in his left foot,
but hopes to recover in time to participate in the Cougars’ Pro Day on March 8
in Pullman.
It also isn’t clear whether quarterback Luke Falk will be healed in
time to play in the Jan. 27 Reese’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. Falk had
surgery on his left, non-throwing wrist following the Apple Cup and didn’t
dress for the Holiday Bowl, giving backup Tyler Hilinski his first career
start.
Nonetheless, the Cougars will still send players to both of the
aforementioned games. Kicker Erik Powell, a Lou Groza Award semifinalist who
finished his WSU career third in made field goals (51), should have prime
kicking conditions when he plays in the Pasadena-based Collegiate Bowl. Frankie
Luvu, who had a breakout season at the Rush linebacker position, will also play
in the game.
If Falk does play in the Senior Bowl, the Pac-12’s career passing
leader could have a familiar face blocking for him. WSU’s ironman right tackle,
Cole Madison, is headed to Mobile for the game and the Cougar teammates will
know on Jan. 17 if they’ll be Senior Bowl teammates.
Unanimous All-American left guard Cody O’Connell will be the lone
WSU representative in the East-West Shrine Game, played on Jan. 20 at Tropicana
Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Cornerback Marcellus Pippins, who’s been training at Ford Sports
Performance in Bellevue, will have a chance to showcase his skills in front of
scouts at the Jan. 14 FBS Sprial Tropical Bowl in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Nose tackle Daniel Ekaule had the least amount of time off and has
spent the past five days in Addison, Texas, training at the College Gridiron
Showcase. The week-long event doesn’t culminate with a nationyally-televised
game, like the other postseason bowls, but instead follows an “OTA format,” showcasing
the players through practices, individual drills and controlled scrimmages.
………….
Eight WSU seniors accepted invitations to the various senior
all-star game all over the country
By Stefanie Loh
Seattle Times
With the 2017-18 college football season officially over, we turn
our attention to all-star bowl season and the seven former Washington State
players who’ll be participating in these showcase games that allow NFL scouts
to evaluate prospects before the NFL Draft in April.
WSU’s Pro Day is slated for March 8.
Nose tackle Daniel Ekuale kicked off the all-star game circuit for
the Cougars this week at the College Gridiron Showcase in Addison, Texas. The
Gridiron Showcase operates on a different format than most of the all-star
games in that there isn’t actually a game. Instead, players go through a week
of practices in front of scouts, and this culminates in a scrimmage.
Ekuale spent the week in Texas and met with 18 NFL teams. NFL
scouts like his size and athletic ability, and he projects as a player in the
similar mold of former Cougars DT Destiny Vaeao, who went undrafted out of WSU
in 2015 but signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, and is now completing his
second season in Philly.
“It was eye opening for me to go out there and just see different
players from all over the country coming to compete,” Ekuale said of his
Gridiron Showcase experience. “It’s just a good opportunity for me.”
Ekuale signed with Brandon Smart, who also represents Vaeao,
because he has a long-standing relationship with Smart that dates back to his
high school days in American Samoa.
Smart lived in Samoa for four years from 2010-14, when he and his
brother ran Fieldhouse 100, a nonprofit recruiting service that helped Samoan
football players get to college in the mainland U.S.
Through Fieldhouse 100, Smart and his brother helped guys like
Vaeao, Robert Barber, Ekuale and Fred Mauigoa connect with WSU.
So when it came time to pick an agent, Ekuale says Smart was his
first choice.
“He’s been with us since we were back home in Samoa. I know he’s
somebody I can trust,” Ekuale said. “There were a lot of people wanting me to
sign with them. I blocked them out and said I was going to sign with the one
person I’ve trusted my whole life.”
Jamal Morrow pulls out of NFLPA Bowl with foot injury; Powell
accepts NFLPA Bowl invite
Running back and all-purpose maestro Jamal Morrow had to pull out
of the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl (Jan. 20 at the Rose Bowl) because he broke a
metatarsal bone in his left foot in WSU’s loss to Michigan State in the Holiday
Bowl.
Morrow stayed with his family in Menifee, Calif. for a few days
after the bowl game on Dec. 28, then flew back to Pullman on New Year’s Day for
foot surgery.
Morrow is currently on crutches and says he’ll have to wait another
three to four weeks before he can begin training for the NFL Draft. But he’s
hoping to be ready for WSU’s Pro Day.
Recently, there’s been a trend of NFL-bound players opting to skip
their team’s bowl games for fear of getting injured. Christian McCaffrey, for
instance, did not play in Stanford’s Sun Bowl game against North Carolina in
2016.
Yet, despite the injury, Morrow says he has no regrets about
playing in the Holiday Bowl.
“Regardless of anything, I would have played for sure. I wouldn’t
want to do that to (my teammates),” Morrow said. “It’s not too bad. I’m good
now.”
Morrow and former WSU offensive tackle Cole Madison have both
signed with Reign Sports Management, the same agency that boasts former Cougs
Vince Mayle and Deone Bucannon on its client list.
WSU will still be represented at the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl by
linebacker Frankie Luvu and kicker Erik Powell.
Here’s a list of Cougars who have accepted invitations to the
various senior all-star showcases:
Senior Bowl (Jan 27, Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, Ala.)
QB Luke Falk
OT Cole Madison
East-West Shrine Game (Jan 20, Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg,
Fla.)
OG Cody O’Connell
NFLPA Bowl (Jan 20, Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif.)
RB Jamal Morrow (had to
pull out of game)
LB Frankie Luvu
PK Erik Powell
FBS Spiral Tropical Bowl (Jan 14, Daytona Beach, Fla.)
CB Marcellus Pippins
College Gridiron Showcase (Jan 6-10, Addison, Texas)
NT Dan Ekuale
…………
Budget woes a worry for WSU’s Daily Evergreen
Newspaper could face cuts in its publishing schedule; meeting
tabled until Jan. 31
By JOSH BABCOCK of the Lewiston,
Idaho, Tribune Jan 11, 2018
PULLMAN — A tense, emotional meeting Wednesday between the
Washington State University Student Media Board and representatives of The
Daily Evergreen led to the decision that the student publication will continue
as a daily newspaper — for now.
The newspaper currently publishes five days a week, but budget woes
mean cutting back its publishing schedule is a distinct possibility.
Motions were passed around, taken off the table, and passed around
again for two-and-a-half hours inside Murrow Hall, but ultimately the board
chose to table the meeting to Jan. 31 so more financial information could be
gathered before the fate of the student newspaper is decided.
At the beginning of fiscal 2018, the newspaper had a negative
beginning balance of $184,710. Even with $37,538 in cuts, the newspaper only
trimmed its financial deficit to $147,172. With another $19,042 in reductions
to come, the projected year-end balance is still expected to be a $128,130
deficit, with about $8,000 in reserve.
Several times, journalism professor Ben Shors motioned to keep the
newspaper at five days per week, but those motions failed. The board also
strongly considered cutting one day of the newspaper’s production, but since
student wages also would be cut, board members said they just couldn’t
“consciously” support it.
Director of the Office of Student Media Richard Miller proposed six
options to keep the student newspaper from exhausting its reserves entirely,
but none of those options was considered by student journalists.
Miller said with individual departments across campus cutting back
2.5 percent from their budgets, advertising often is the first thing to go, and
those reductions are contributing to the newspaper’s poor financial state.
“We talked to 12 former Evergreeners who disagree with the cuts,”
Evergreen Editor in Chief Madison Jackson said. “Many disagree because this
experience helped them get their jobs after college; this culture is
invaluable.”
The six options Miller presented include cutting one day of
production, which includes student wages and benefits and saves $16,534 per
semester; cutting the print edition one day per week ($5,940); cutting print
two days per week ($12,474); cutting print three days per week ($18,414);
cutting summer production and circulation ($5,346); and switching to a tabloid
layout ($8,384).
Miller said the goal was to find an additional $17,000 to add to
the reserves, but students and journalism professors were adamant about waiting
on altering the publishing schedule or product until a referendum is proposed
to the Associated Students of Washington State University.
Former Evergreen editor in chief Gabriella Ramos said the
referendum, soon to be proposed, will ask students to pay a $5 annual fee to
keep the newspaper a five-day publication.
“Five dollars a semester for 30,000 students — that’s $150,000 a
year,” Ramos told the Tribune.
While students and even faculty in the Office of Student Media are
banking on the referendum, Evergreeners didn’t have much luck calling on ASWSU
in the past for a similar cause.
A $4 student fee — proposed for the same reasons — failed in 2016.
While Miller, a former and longtime editor at the Spokesman Review,
found himself under fire from students during the meeting, he told the Tribune:
“My goal is to save the Evergreen.”
He said if the newspaper continues to operate the way it is, there
won’t be any funding for any product, or money to “keep the lights on.”
“I want the mission of the Evergreen to continue the mission of
providing great journalism,” he said. “That might mean abandoning the
traditional way of doing things and abandoning the traditional platform, but we
will always have a print publication. ... That’s where the ad revenue is.”
The situation isn’t unique to The Daily Evergreen.
According to a survey from The Daily Pennsylvanian at the
University of Pennsylvania, 85 percent of all college newspapers nationwide
have made similar moves in reducing print frequency and are turning to the web.
“We had 70,000 web visitors a month; the vast majority are reading
it online and they’re coming to our paper through their Facebook pages,” Miller
told the Tribune. “If you were to walk through WSU and walk through the CUB, I
would challenge you to find a print edition in their hand; they are the online
generation.”
But during a public comment period, students and faculty wore their
hearts on their sleeve.
“The moment we try to shift online is the moment we enter into a
world of competition with everyone; we need to realize what a unique
institution this is to this campus,” Zach Anders told the packed room. “The
moment we tell the students to slow circulation, that’s the moment The Daily
Evergreen dies. ... We need to protect journalism in its purest form.”
The board did get something done Wednesday. Members passed a motion
to discontinue the weekly summer print edition, in the event the referendum
fails. If the referendum passes, the proposed cut will be revisited.
………………
Daily Evergreen shows signs of browning
Student Media Board votes to cut summer paper, wait for March
referendum
By Taylor Nadauld, Moscow
Pullman Daily News staff writer Jan 11, 2018
The Daily Evergreen newspaper is brandishing a new tagline these
days: “No PR. No BS. No Retreat. WSU Watchdogs since 1895.”
It’s a combative statement against major production cuts the paper
faces if it cannot soon find the money to compensate for a nearly $130,000
anticipated year-end deficit.
The Evergreen’s lowest-in-recent-history $136,207 reserve balance,
said Student Media Director Richard Miller, is expected to dwindle to about
$8,000 come the end of the year. Miller wants to see that number closer to
$25,000. He said the university would typically like to see it even higher.
That is why on Wednesday evening, the Board of Student Media voted
to cut the Evergreen’s summer production and circulation, a move that would
save the department $5,346 this summer.
In early March, the Evergreen is expected to present a referendum
to the Associated Students of Washington State University asking students to
each pay a $5 fee to support the paper. If approved, that might make the summer
closure unnecessary.
It was an emotional meeting for Evergreen editors, most visibly
displayed by Madison Jackson, its editor-in-chief.
“Have hope in us, because we do. We think we can do this,” Jackson
said through tears as the board considered six options to get the Evergreen out
of the red.
One other option would have cut up to three days per week of the
print paper, which, board members said, would threaten student staff salaries
and journalistic output. Another option was switching to a tabloid layout,
which shrinks print space.
The paper has seen a 61 percent decline in revenue in the past 10
years, according to Miller, who said the Evergreen has lost, on average, $1,000
per issue in the past few years.
The paper has already cut more than $37,000 in expenses by reducing
maximum paper size, travel costs, color costs, computer replacements, server
replacements and Moscow paper delivery. More than $19,000 in additional
reductions are pending.
Evergreen editors say the 2.5 percent, university-wide spending
cuts announced last October by WSU President Kirk Schulz disproportionately
affect the paper, which relies on advertising — mainly from university
departments — for revenue.
Jackson said Miller had not proposed a plan to increase revenue for
the paper to go along with his proposed budget cuts.
“If you can find a way to increase newspaper revenue,” Miller
responded, “then you will be a hero nationally.”
A former editor at The Spokesman-Review, Miller said he understands
the staff’s passion for the paper, but said he has seen decades of layoffs in
the newspaper industry. Miller said he, too, has a mission to save the
Evergreen, but there must be change.
“This change is par for the course,” Miller said after the meeting.
Larry Fox, a veterinarian with the Department of Animal Sciences,
said he has seen universities with daily papers and papers that published twice
a week, the latter of which he said he did not read.
“Find out what percentage of Idaho students read the Argonaut and
contrast that with what percentage of the WSU students read the Evergreen, and
my best guess is you’ll find a higher percentage here,” Fox said, adding he and
possibly other faculty would be willing to volunteer a subscription to keep the
Evergreen alive.
The Argonaut, the University of Idaho’s student newspaper, cut back
from publishing twice a week to once a week in January 2017.
Former adviser to the Argonaut, T.J. Tranchell, said print costs
had been on a steady 3 percent annual rise at the time.
Tranchell wrote in a message to the Daily News, “It was pretty much
inevitable that there would be some change.”
The goal, according to Tranchell and current adviser Tara Roberts,
is to train students for the digitally-focused news environment they are
expected to face post-graduation.
////////////
Michalkova leading Cougar tennis team
Czech Republic native is sole senior on WSU tennis team
.
By TYLER SHUEY, Evergreen
Jan 11th, 2018
On a WSU tennis team that is made up entirely of European players,
Barbora Michalkova leads the way as the lone senior this season.
Michalkova hails from As, Czech Republic. Growing up, she ranked in
the top 100 in Germany for under-21, and reached 75 in the European Tennis
Rankings during her junior career.
The senior said she picked up a tennis racket at around 9 years
old, after she saw it on TV. She said tennis is very popular in Europe, and
when she was 16 or 17 years old, she started to realize that college tennis
could become a reality for her.
During Michalkova’s sophomore season, she posted a 20-24 singles
record and 24-10 record in doubles. Michalkova played the majority of her
junior season as the No. 1 singles player on the team, posting a 12-25 singles
record and a 16-14 doubles record.
Over the past year or so, Michalkova has taken on a veteran status
to help the younger players coming up on the team. She cites hard work and
respecting other players as values she tries to instill in her teammates.
Michalkova takes pride in having an all-European team.
“We treat each other like sisters,” Michalkova said. “It’s amazing.
You can learn a lot from different cultures.”
WSU Tennis Head Coach Lisa Hart said the progression of
Michalkova’s game since her freshman year has made her into a special player.
“She can truly beat anybody on the right day,” Hart said.
Standing at six feet tall, one of Michalkova’s biggest advantages
on the court is her height.
“If you’re strong, it can be very beneficial,” she said. “You can
hit balls harder.”
As Michalkov’s tennis career at WSU winds down, she has nothing but
praise for the coaching staff that helped her develop her game.
“I have huge respect for them,” Michalkova said. “If I have an
issue, I can go to them.”
With the final stretch of matches coming up for Michalkova, Hart
wants the senior to take her farewell tour in stride.
“I just want her to be the best version of herself,” Hart said.
“All the pieces are there for her.”
In terms of goals for the rest of the season, Michalkova is
striving to push this team as far as they can go.
“I want to help the team get to the [NCAA] Tournament,” she said,
“and enjoy the last moments on the tennis court with my team.”
…………..
Cougars look to end three-game losing streak
Men’s basketball has won 60 of previous 136 meetings with Stanford
By COLIN CONNOLLY, Evergreen 11th of January 2018
The difference in momentum between WSU men’s basketball and
Stanford University coming into Thursday’s game couldn’t be bigger than it is
right now.
WSU has opened Pac-12 play with three straight losses, while
Stanford has compiled two conference wins in a row — most recently, a
half-court buzzer beater to defeat University of Southern California.
WSU’s (8-7, 0-3) most recent loss to the University of Washington
(12-4, 2-1) was a painful one. The Cougars led for a majority of the game, but
some late mistakes cost them the victory.
Junior forward Robert Franks said the players have been watching a
lot of film, trying to find areas where they can improve, to avoid the same
outcome against Stanford (8-8, 2-1).
“Coming off of the Washington loss was hard to swallow,” Franks
said. “We had a lot of mental breakdowns that can’t happen against Stanford.”
WSU Head Coach Ernie Kent also voiced frustration in the loss to
Washington, because he believed his team was talented enough to win the game.
Kent said they lacked the experience necessary to come out on top at the end of
a close game, and that sometimes they have to learn the hard way, by going
through periods like this.
Franks has been the most consistent scorer for WSU, averaging 17.9
points per game, as well as chipping in 7.3 rebounds per contest. On the other
side, redshirt junior forward Reid Travis is averaging 21.3 points and 7.6
rebounds per game for the Cardinal.
Franks said a big key to WSU’s success in the game will be how they
contain Travis.
“We’re going to try to limit his touches as best as possible, maybe
throw a double team at him here or there,” Franks said, “and just be physical
with him to limit his offensive and defensive rebounds.”
Another player to watch for on the WSU team is starting sophomore
point guard Malachi Flynn. He has made three or more three-point field goals in
nine games so far this season, but against the Huskies he only made one of his
eight attempted three-pointers. Flynn will look to bounce back against the
Cardinal.
Thursday night will mark the 137th meeting between Stanford and
WSU. The Cardinal hold the advantage historically between the two teams,
winning 76 of the previous 136 games, including victories in each of the past
two seasons.
Franks said the Cougars are looking to put the last game behind
them and shift their momentum in a positive direction.
“We try to prepare every game the same,” Franks said. “We need to
go out with the same energy, focus, and desire to win each and every game.”
Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. Thursday in Beasley Coliseum.
…………….
Olympic-sized dream
Brock Eager talks about his training and goals to become an Olympic
athlete on Jan. 8.
By DYLAN GREENE, Evergreen sports editor
January 11, 2018
That’s the distance Brock Eager has to throw a 16-pound metal ball
attached to a steel wire in order to accomplish his dream of making it to the
Olympics as a hammer thrower.
“I think it’s pretty realistic,” he said. “I’m hoping for 2020.”
Currently, the redshirt junior hammer thrower and senior weight
thrower on the WSU track and field team can throw the hammer 225 feet. By the
end of this year Eager is hoping to be throwing the hammer at least 240 feet.
Eager said he has increased his distance in the hammer throw by 34
feet in the last three years and sees no reason why he can’t gain 28 feet in
the next few years and qualify for the 2020 Olympics.
He has been throwing the hammer for the past 10 years and admitted
that he still has yet to perfect his craft.
“I’m really picky with my technique. I’m 10 years in and I’ve still
got problems and I’m still working on things,” Eager said. “It might be another
five to 10 years before I master it. Hopefully one day I can say I’ve mastered
it.”
Eager said he isn’t as strong and big as the other people he
competes against, but compensates by focusing on the technique of the hammer
throw.
He throws the hammer during the outdoor portion of the track and
field season and throws weight during the indoor season, which starts this
Friday. A 35-pound weight and shorter technique are the biggest differences between
the two events, Eager said.
Due to the heavier weight, Eager said he tries not to throw weight
very often during the offseason to avoid straining his back, something he’s had
problems with in the past.
The construction management major said he prefers the hammer throw
over the weight throw because the heavier weight can affect his hammer
technique. Eager admitted that learning
how to throw for both events can be a challenge due to the rigorous technique.
“It’s kind of an awkward movement that your body doesn’t want to
allow,” he said, “so it takes time to get comfortable doing it.”
Eager said he only takes off about a month each year and the rest
of the time he spends training. He conditions and lifts weights during the
season and throughout the offseason. His training focuses on speed, technique,
strength, power and balance, he said.
Eager claimed the Pac-12 Championship in hammer throwing last
season after redshirting his sophomore season to let a deep class of hammer
throwers in the Pac-12 move on, he said. Eager expected to win the
championship, but felt relieved when it became a reality.
“There was a lot of pressure on me to come out and do it,” he said,
“so I still I had to go out there and compete.”
Wayne Phipps, director of cross country and track and field, said
being a Pac-12 champion is a big deal and helps put Eager on the map
nationally.
“Being able to be a Pac-12 champion doesn’t guarantee you
anything,” Phipps said, “but it definitely puts you on the right path and gives
you an indication of what you’re capable of.”
Phipps said Eager studies the sport relentlessly, which makes him
one of the top athletes on the WSU team.
“His work ethic and dedication towards throwing is what I would
attribute to a lot of his success,” he said.
Eager hopes to repeat as Pac-12 champion this season and finish in
the top five at the NCAA Championships. Phipps has even higher expectations for
Eager.
“The goal is for [Eager] to be an NCAA champion by the time he
leaves WSU,”
Eager said his focus this season will be on doing the best he can
individually and for the team, but his Olympic dream will always be at the back
of his mind.
He said he gets an adrenaline rush when he gets a good throw in. He
even occasionally drinks a Red Bull or some other caffeine-filled drink to get
the blood flowing.
“You’re throwing 35 pounds around,” he said. “You’ve got to be a
little amped up or stupid.”
/////////////////////
STAGE president discusses uncertain future
Elimination of WSU Performing Arts leaves student theater group
questioning access to resources
STAGE President Aryn Allen talks about her experience in the club
and what she has learned from it.
By GABRIELLA RAMOS, Evergreen mint editor
January 11, 2018
As STAGE Student Theatre President Aryn Allen looked around the
STAGE meeting room Monday, she recognized the potential hardships her
organization will face this semester. Much of the immediate future is up in the
air, she explained.
The elimination of WSU Performing Arts will deeply impact the
student theater group. The group’s access to the theaters of Daggy Hall and its
meeting room is up for grabs and the storage space for their props and costumes
could be redistributed. Worst of all, Allen said, the group’s faculty advisers,
Mary Trotter and Benjamin Gonzales, are being let go. Even so, Allen said as
STAGE’s mission adapts, the group’s dedication to theater will not falter.
“We’re just kind of trying to do everything we can,” she said, “to
make sure that even if we don’t have a room and we don’t have a theater,
there’s a way that we have the passion to continue theater without it.”
CATHERINE KRUSE | DAILY EVERGREEN FILE
Aryn Allen stars as the Greek heroine Eurydice in WSU Performing
Art’s production of “Eurydice” in December 2016.
Allen, a junior human development major, was elected as president
of STAGE in February 2017 and was immediately forced to take on the role
without any prior training and only a year of acting experience.
She said she never had an interest in theater before coming to WSU,
but after taking Gonzales’ introduction to theater course, she discovered her
talent for acting. She attended a meeting and submitted a one-act play for the
annual STAGE One festival in fall 2016.
“I was like, ‘There’s nowhere else in the world I’d rather be than
around these people and in this environment,’ ” Allen said.
Although her one-act, “Those Who Mourn,” was not chosen for the
STAGE One festival in 2016, she resubmitted the play in October and it was
selected. At this point, Allen was given the opportunity to play the lead and
bring her character to life on stage. In this role, she had to play a suicidal
woman, which she described as one of the most difficult things she has done as
an actress.
“It helped me know that I could be on stage half-naked, taking a
bottle of pills, and I was never uncomfortable because … the audience was
taking what we had to offer in this show so beautifully and so gracefully,” she
said. “That moment on stage when you’re done and you feel the audience clap for
you, like you’ve created something that would possibly change someone else’s
life — that changes my life.”
After finding her passion for theater through STAGE and WSU
Performing Arts, Allen interned for Netflix this summer on the set of
“Everything Sucks” as an extra, and did some stand-in work. She explained that
while she once aspired to be a doctor, she now has her sights set on film in
Hollywood and hopes the connections she made this summer will further her goals.
Ryan Pugh | Daily Evergreen File
Aryn Allen voices her stance on preventing the elimination of WSU
Performing Arts in front of ASWSU on Oct. 25.
Allen fears that others who come to WSU and want to try their hand
at acting, or any aspect of theater, will not have the same opportunities she
did in the near future. The members of STAGE have to look to alternative forms
of mentorship, such as this year’s Kennedy Center American College Theater
Festival, which will feature workshops, shows and competitions for members to
participate in and attend.
STAGE members are preparing for Trotter’s final show, “Silent Sky,”
for Mom’s Weekend, and Allen will be trying to acquire new skills behind the
curtain to pass on to future members. As the assistant stage manager, she will
make sure all of the sets and props are in place and that the actors are ready
to go.
“It helps for next year when we don’t have Ben and Mary,” she said.
“I have that knowledge of how to run a show from behind the scenes so I can use
that knowledge to teach people and continue this legacy.”
STAGE is funded by external grants and ticket sales. Allen said
they will be looking into additional revenue sources, such as Services and
Activities fees, to ensure that members can continue to perform.
STAGE executives will also rewrite the group’s bylaws to establish
protocols for existence without theaters or advisers. Even with the group’s
uncertain future after this semester, Allen believes students can learn a lot
from theater and wants to continue to give them the opportunity to experience,
perform in, direct and write quality plays.
“Everybody has that creative aspect that contributes to who we are
as STAGE,” she said, “and I don’t think we would have theater if everybody
didn’t have that talent for what we do.”
………….
Schulz’s ‘buried’ budget legacy
WSU president’s financial decisions here mirror his time as leader
of K-State
WSU President Kirk Schulz speaks at a Faculty Senate meeting in
November regarding spending reductions During his time at Kansas State
University, he faced budget issue similar to WSU's.
By CODY COTTIER, Evergreen reporter
Jan 10, 2018
This isn’t WSU President Kirk Schulz’s first time handling a budget
crisis.
Before arriving in Pullman, he oversaw Kansas State University
across nearly a decade of scarce funding. Now, after a semester of backlash
against his administration over program and personnel cuts, WSU’s plight and
Schulz’s financial decision-making in some ways parallel his time at K-State.
One of the most “egregious” incidents at KSU, according to former
Faculty Senate president and associate professor emeritus Dave Rintoul,
involved administrative hires and raises at a time when faculty remained
“chronically underpaid.”
“Raises for the folks doing the teaching and research were
seemingly never a priority for our administration,” Rintoul said.
Until Schulz’s final year in Manhattan, Kansas, faculty salaries
consistently fell $7,000 – $10,000 short of the peer median of $83,000. A 2013
article in The Mercury, Manhattan’s local newspaper, stated over 500 faculty
members signed a resolution, which they presented to Schulz, demanding higher
pay. The university then instituted a three-year plan to increase salaries, and
they have since risen, but not reached the median.
KSU’s administrative hires grew 50 percent between 2008 and 2012 —
Schulz’s first four years at KSU — despite low salaries for established
employees, according to Faculty Senate documents.
Phil Weiler, WSU’s vice president of marketing and communication,
noted that the term “administration” generally includes many employees who work
directly with students, such as counselors and tutors, rather than just
high-paid positions like vice presidents and deans.
Regarding high-paid positions, Schulz — who declined to be
interviewed for this article after multiple requests in recent weeks — has so
far added Weiler’s position at WSU, and is looking to hire a vice president of
community, equity and inclusive excellence, who would have a six-figure salary.
Faculty in WSU’s English department recently obtained more than
1,000 signatures for a petition requesting cuts to administrative salaries.
With the resulting money, they hope to replace the current budget reduction
plan and avoid the hardships it entails for personnel and programs.
These proposed salary cuts — 30 percent for administrators who make
more than $300,000 a year, 20 percent for more than $200,000, and 10 percent
for more than $100,000 — would generate more than the necessary amount to
balance the university’s budget, the petition states. In his last year at
K-State, Schulz earned just under $490,000. Here he makes $625,000.
Regent Mike Worthy, who led the presidential search committee that
selected Schulz in March 2016, was unavailable to comment. However, he pointed
to a list of “essential qualifications,” based on which the committee evaluated
candidates.
One of these reads, “An astute understanding of university
finances, or their equivalent, and the relationships between academic
priorities and budgeting, and the ability to marshal relevant information and
data to inform decision making.”
A second qualification was “A highly developed understanding of
academic values and culture; demonstrated appreciation of and support for
scholarly work and academic excellence … and a commitment to the importance of
undergraduate instruction and education.”
When it comes to merging the two, understanding of academic values
and budgeting, some at WSU feel Schulz has neglected to include faculty voices
in financial decision-making.
Donna Potts, a faculty senator and president of WSU’s chapter of
the Association of American University Professors, worked with Schulz at KSU
for the first few years of his tenure. They received relatively little
financial support from Kansas’ conservative Legislature, and Potts recalled
Schulz’s handling of budget crises favorably.
“Here,” she said, “it seems like he doesn’t care.”
At KSU, another land-grant institution, Schulz replaced a president
who frequently undermined faculty, Potts said. Upon his hiring, he promised
transparency, and in some ways delivered. He solicited suggestions from faculty
on how best to reduce spending, and even waived his own salary raise for at
least one year, Potts said.
But in Pullman, she said, Schulz seems to have lost his sympathy
for other perspectives.
Instead, as WSU struggles to rein in its spending with 2.5-percent
cuts to each university unit, the administration decided without faculty input
to cut Multicultural Student Services retention counselors and the Performing
Arts program.
Though WSU has since agreed to retain the counselors amid student
outrage, Potts said that in her subsequent communication with Schulz, he has
not shown interest in pursuing other funding sources for Performing Arts.
She recalled that when he came to WSU, he claimed financial issues
would be less of a problem in Washington, which spends more money on higher
education. In an interview with The Mercury just before he left for Pullman,
Schulz said WSU had “some resources to grow,” thanks to a more supportive
Legislature.
“But now we’re in a worse predicament than we ever were at Kansas
State,” Potts said.
And that’s saying something, according to Rintoul. He described the
past decade or so at K-State as one long budget crisis, which he attributed
largely to inadequate state funding.
Another qualm some people had with Schulz, Rintoul said, was his
sometimes ill-considered approach to building projects. In one example, Schulz
committed K-State to spending $15 million on a new business building without
first securing full funding — a practice he rejected when addressing WSU’s past
spending behavior.
As a result, a student committee had to approve a $4 student fee in
April to pay for the building, according to The Collegian, KSU’s student
newspaper. However, even the students who voted in favor did so only because
they felt they had no option.
“We passed this because we were forced to,” said Victor Valdez, a
Student Governing Association senator, according to The Collegian. “I don’t
want this fee, right, but we all understand that we need to pay this fee
because we promised [the money for the business building].”
One of Schulz’s first financial proposals to students at WSU was a
fee to relieve multi-million dollar deficit spending in the athletics
department. The fee never made it onto the election ballot. Many people
interpreted the proposal as an attempt to make students pay for the athletics
department’s mistakes.
Rintoul agreed with Potts that while he was Faculty Senate
president, they had a stable model of shared governance with administrators, at
least on paper. He met with Schulz and the provost regularly and had time to
convey faculty opinions to them.
However, he said Schulz’s administration did not always act with
those opinions in mind.
“We certainly had his ear, and he certainly seemed sympathetic,”
Rintoul said. “But when push comes to shove, they do what they want to do.”
He said the KSU community generally remembers Schulz positively. He
was smart, friendly, “schmoozy” — a good salesman. During his tenure, K-State
saw several record-breaking years for fundraising, and Schulz initiated the
K-State 2025 plan, similar to the “Drive to 25” he has established here.
But many faculty senators and other university leaders, who saw
behind the scenes, still have a bone to pick.
“The buildings, and the shenanigans that happened, and the things that
should’ve happened but didn’t,” Rintoul said.
“That, I think, is the real legacy. That is sort of buried, and
will (remain) buried for a long time.”
#
