Archive: stories

The Soviet Union’s successful launch of the Sputnik 1 satellite in 1957 didn’t just shock and embarrass the American political establishment, it led to a frantic game of superpower one-upmanship. Among the positive outcomes of the ensuing “space race” was a renewed national interest in — and greatly increased funding for — university-based science and…

Despite the odds, Eastern’s greatest-ever quarterback is ready to quiet the next-level doubters. By Dave Cook Turning heads is what Eric Barriere ’21 did best on the football field at EWU. It began during Eastern’s recruiting process, as Eagle recruiters watched him win championships as a high schooler in California. Then, upon arrival in Cheney…

EWU alumna Melodi Wynne, ’07, a citizen of the Spokane Tribe who has become a leader in the movement to restore “food sovereignty” to the Native peoples of the Upper Columbia Plateau.

The 2022 EWU Alumni Awards Gala was held on Friday, April 15, at the Pend Oreille Pavilion inside Northern Quest Resort & Casino.

Essays edited by Eastern alumna Summer Hess explore one of Spokane’s most interesting urban spaces. Just southwest of the University District, near the corner of N. Browne St. and Main, lies one of Spokane’s most trendy city blocks, a bustling pocket of once neglected, now mostly restored historic buildings.     The casual visitor might…

Bob Quinn, a geography professor with a passion for the weather, died on Oct. 10. In 1967, Robert “Bob” Quinn, a newly minted assistant professor of geography at Eastern Washington State College, arrived in Cheney to find himself confronted by the coldest, snowiest winter in the city’s recorded history. His new colleagues no doubt thought…

Erin Ross, EWU alumna and member of the Cowlitz Tribe, will guide Eastern’s Tribal Relations Office.   In July, Eastern named Erin Ross ’99, ’15, alumna and member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, its new director of tribal relations. For Ross, the job is all about extending and improving engagement with the Native communities upon…

Eastern students take on the cyber crooks.   A ransomware attack shuts down Colonial Pipeline, largest fuel supplier to the East Coast; a cryptocurrency heist drains $600 million from the accounts of the PolyNetwork blockchain site; a data breach exposes the personal information of 50 million T-Mobile account holders: These brazen cyberattacks, all pulled off…

EWU’s Get Lit! festival goes digital, and earns accolades.   Eastern’s annual week-long literary festival, Get Lit!  —  a gathering where authors both famous and up-and-coming participate in public readings, workshops and panel discussions — has long been a banner event on the Inland Northwest’s cultural calendar.  Given its ambitious scale and scope, organizing Get…

Monica Jaenicke, athlete, alumna and sports communicator, will lead EWU Athletics’ outreach. Over the course of his 31-year career at Eastern, Sports Information Director Dave Cook became the omnipresent go-to for all-things Eagles. After Cook announced his retirement earlier this year, his long-time assistant, Monica Jaenicke ’14, stepped up to fill the void. This October…