Seattle U Spectator, Seattle, WA (2025)

02/12/2025

Content notice: This article contains discussion of violence and discrimination against transgender people.

A row of tall, colorful flags face outward onto 12th Ave. through the windows of Seattle University’s Hedreen Gallery. These flags, the text printed on one window explains, are the first piece of artist Molly Jae Vaughan’s exhibit “Transition as Performance, Life as Resistance.” Each flag honors the life of a transgender person who has been murdered in the United States since 2012.

Once inside the gallery, the natural light is dulled by the flags blocking the windows. The lack of visibility places the viewer in a sort of limbo, removing the distractions of the outside world and allowing for total focus on the art. Vaughan uses a wide variety of mediums including sculpture, photography, and painting to explore what it means to be transgender in a country becoming increasingly hostile towards the trans community.

The exhibit opened Jan. 15, only five days before President Donald Trump was inaugurated. Since taking office, Trump has signed a flood of executive orders directly targeting the transgender community. This aspect of the current political agenda in America makes Vaughan’s work more relevant than ever, as well as more controversial.

(✍🏻 Tristan Scott)

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(✍🏻 Sasha Volovnikov)

02/03/2025

After a 15-month genocide, a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel took effect Jan. 19. Both parties agreed to the release of 200 Palestinian prisoners and four female Israeli soldiers as part of the ceasefire conditions. The deal’s main agenda was to establish an end to the current conflict and release hostages.

The deal followed months of negotiations, protests and international scrutiny. The deal’s contingencies add risk to the ceasefire being successful. The terms outlined in the deal are similar to the previous deal presented to the Biden administration this past May. The new deal offered the release of the hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners being released and Israeli forces gradually withdrawing from the Gaza Strip, which has been under siege since 2023.

The four Israeli soldiers released were identified as Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa and Naama Levy. The soldiers were captured during the Hamas-led Oct. 7. attack. Hamas surrendered the Israeli soldiers to the Red Cross, who then returned the soldiers to their families. The families expressed joy and relief at seeing their loved ones again.

The ceasefire is a three-phase agreement process.

The first phase will last from Jan. 19 to March 5, 2025. During this initial period, all conflict will stop. Hamas is expected to release a total of 33 hostages which includes women, female soldiers, elderly men and hostages who need medical attention.

(✍🏻 Abdullah El-Sherbeeny, Naja Johnson, & Dylan Berman)

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(📸 Noelle Lee)

01/31/2025

Before students begrudgingly roll from their beds for their 8 a.m. classes, the Seattle University women’s basketball team is hard at work. The Redhawks’ practices start at 7:30 a.m. sharp, and this year, the team has a lot of new faces.

Following the 2023-24 season, the Redhawks underwent a massive roster overhaul after losing their top five scorers to the transfer portal. The 13-member team was reduced to just two players, leaving head coach Skyler Young with a tall order.

“It’s a complete undertaking. Obviously, bringing in a whole new roster was going on,” Young said. “But you got to build a program the right way. And what it’s about is getting the foundational players in.”

The new team has 11 players, shy of the NCAA’s roster cap of 15 with Candy Edokpaigbe and Nicole Benini joining since The Spectator’s last check-in last May. Edokpaigbe, a Freshman Guard, is one piece of Young’s foundation. She’s standing at an average of 29.9 minutes played each game, with a field goal percentage of 54.3% and a three-point percentage of 30.8%, both above the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) average.

This academic year was Edokpaigbe’s first time in the U.S. She played for three club teams in Italy before choosing Seattle U.

“I was born in the south of Italy,” Edokpaigbe said. “I embraced the opportunity [to play for Seattle U] because I had the chance to follow my studies.”

One player who is no stranger to Redhawk red is Julianna Walker, a Senior guard from Tacoma, Wash. Walker stuck around after the 2023-24 season and wore a cream-colored hoodie after practice as she spoke about adapting to nine new faces in one season.

(✍🏻 Daniel Truog)

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(📸 Jake Rushlo)

01/28/2025

Returning to campus after winter break, Seattle University students received a message from SU Today in their email inboxes welcoming them to winter quarter and providing announcements from Associate Provost and Dean of Students James Willette. Included in this email was a reminder that “the use of electric scooters and hoverboards is not permitted on Seattle University owned, leased, or managed property, including in publicly accessible outdoor areas.” The email went on to instruct riders to dismount their scooters before entering campus and store them in authorized areas like bike racks.

Electric scooters are a common sight on campus, with rentable brands like Lime or Bird or personal property scattered around. While this policy has been in place since at least 2022, many students were unaware that the use of electric scooters was against school policy.

“I honestly had no idea they weren’t allowed,” First-year Marketing Major Via Tay said. “I’ve seen lots of people in my classes use scooters to make sure they get to class on time.”

While some students may rely on electric scooters as tools to get around campus, others share concerns about the safety issues caused by people using them recklessly. Sources speculate this worry likely led to the ban, combined with student reports of collisions or dangerous behavior.

First-year Psychology Major Maya Stefanovic described an incident in front of Bellarmine Hall where they were nearly hit by someone riding on an electric scooter.

“I was walking past the roundabout when suddenly I see someone just zoom right past me on a personal scooter,” Stefanovic said. “It was kind of a scary situation because I don’t want to get hit. I could tell that they were being kind of reckless with it because they were swerving through people and not stopping, and they were going really fast too until they hit the hill.”

(✍🏻 Tristan Scott)

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(📸 Eve Labriola)

01/21/2025

Currently showing at the Seattle Art Museum, Joyce J. Scott’s exhibit, “Walk a Mile in My Dreams,” is a vast and sprawling expression of the artist’s journey through themes, mediums, and life. It displays a variety of pieces that challenge the viewer and includes interactive sections that bridge the gap between artist and spectator.

Much of Scott’s work is fueled by her undying belief that art is a powerful force and one that is omnipresent in our lives. The varied and stylistically diverse nature of her art is an ode to her heritage and influences, which is part of the reason that she believes that art is so integral to us all—it is a reflection of the people that create and perceive it, and takes into account our pasts, presents and futures.

Much of this can be seen in the centerpiece of the exhibit. As you walk in, you are greeted with an altar of sorts—a collection of childhood items, books, Buddhist sculptures, African imagery, Dia de Los Mu***os heads and much more—surrounded by quilts (which Scott likens to the stories and fables that we pass down) and beadwork. It is an intimate depiction of her personhood; the perfect vehicle to introduce an exhibit that catalogs the great majority of the artist’s life.

The multimedia nature of Scott’s work is incredibly important. Referring to her creativity as her ‘inheritance,’ her artist mother and artisan family members passed down to her many skills and disciplines, and she picked up many more in the travels that followed her early life. The exhibit features her weaving, beadwork, jewelry, music, performance art, glasswork, basketry, quilting, theatrical work and many more.

(✍🏻 Milan Damjanac)

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(📸 Jake Rushlo)

01/17/2025

It’s a familiar scene for the Redhawks as spectators fill the stands at Climate Pledge Arena, with the Seattle University men’s basketball team gearing up to take on in-conference opponents, Abilene Christian University (ACU). Seattle U last faced the Wildcats at Climate Pledge Feb. 8, 2024, with the Redhawks taking home the win in a blowout victory, 75-52. The last time Seattle U took the court at Climate Pledge was earlier this season when the Redhawks came out victorious in the “I-5 Clash” with a 91-74 victory against Portland State. 

The Redhawks struck first in this matchup after Seattle U’s Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe drained two free throws after being fouled by ACU’s Leonardo Bettiol in the first minute of the game. This was quickly followed by ACU’s Quion Williams throwing down a dunk to tie it at two. From there it was a back-and-forth contest throughout the entire first half, with neither team leading by more than three points at any time. Big plays from the Redhawks squad kept the game close throughout the first, such as a strong and one layup from senior guard Paris Dawson, showing why he has earned his spot on the starting five this season, along with a big dunk from Moncrieffe that ignited the arena with just over seven minutes left in the half. ACU took the first half 40-38.

Early in the second half, Seattle U struggled with turnovers and capitalizing on possessions, leading to ACU taking a controlling edge over the Redhawks, with the largest margin being 11 points, 53-42, with just over 12 minutes left in the game.

(✍🏻 Diego Dumlao)

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(📸 Noelle Lee)

12/03/2024

According to official Seattle Police Department (SPD) records, violent crime is on pace to decline for the second year in a row. While property crime remains on a similar trend as 2023, the numbers are still lower than the 15-year high the city experienced in 2022.

Now, the City of Seattle is attempting to lower rates even more by bringing up new bills to combat crime. These include the Stay Out of Area Prostitution (SOAP) and Stay Out of Drug Area (SODA) that went into effect Oct. 23, a proposed bill to address high levels of nightclub shootings, and the Downtown Activation Team (DAT), a team created by Mayor Bruce Harrell to clean up the 3rd Avenue and Pike/Pine Street area.

Students and faculty alike have varying opinions on these bills’ potential effectiveness. Below is an explanation of each new proposal and how people are reacting to them.

SOAP and SODA

SOAP and SODA are bills that deter people who are awaiting trial for prostitution or drug-related charges from entering designated zones. This bill gives the power to police to enforce this measure.

(✍🏻 Abdullah El-Sherbeeny)

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(📸 Ahmed Abdirashid Abdullah)

11/22/2024

Trans Awareness Week is a time of reflection, celebration and advocacy for transgender and gender non-conforming individuals and their allies. Occurring from Nov. 13 to Nov. 19, it provides a critical opportunity to highlight the lives, struggles and triumphs of the trans community preceding Trans Day of Remembrance Nov. 20.

Just as the lived experience of each trans individual is deeply unique and personal, so too is the meaning of Trans Awareness Week for the community it seeks to serve. Masee Anderson, a third-year criminal justice major, views Trans Awareness Week as an opportunity to increase the visibility of trans individuals like herself and to honor all the trans people who came before her.

“It brings a whole light on issues we face as a group of people, and it really just showcases us for a whole week. There’s workshops on how you can learn to be a better ally. There’s workshops on resources around that we can use, and it brings to light those people in past history that have been here,” Anderson said. “So, when people [say] like, ‘You’ve never existed before now.’ It’s like, no. We have existed for thousands of years, and it just shows that.”

Rhy Mack, a fourth-year creative writing major, sees Trans Awareness Week not as a presentation of transness to the cisgender population, but, rather, a commemoration of trans identity.

“Trans Awareness Week, to me, isn’t about making cis people aware of the fact that trans people exist. To me, it’s a week of celebration, remembrance, love and resistance. I find it liberating to see other trans people talking about how much they love their transness,” Mack wrote to The Spectator.

(✍🏻 Chloe Platt & Caleb Stipkovits)

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(📸 Noelle Lee)

09/30/2024

A helpful guide to where The Spectator distributes the newspaper on campus every Thursday. Go out and get your physical copy now!

06/05/2024

Readers, I am so excited and fortunate to announce that the 2024-2025 Spectator Editorial Board will be under the leadership of this year’s managing editor, Chloe Platt. Her work with The Spectator thus far has been equal parts diligent and delightful, exemplified both in her writing and editing. Throughout this work, her love for both the craft and the people she interacts with is clear.

“I really love people, and I really love storytelling. I think journalism is a beautiful opportunity to take the care that I have for others… and be a voice for them—and to not only learn things about others, but learn things about yourself.”

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Reporter, Genny Sheara

(📸: Jordie Simpson)

06/03/2024

Between gowns dripping with jewels, thrilling dance routines, and delightfully varied lip sync performances from professional drag queens and audience volunteers alike, the night kept audience members at the edge of their seats. May 21, Seattle University’s 18th Annual Drag Show, “Slay O’ Goddess & Drag Me to Hades,” hosted by the Triangle Club, transformed the Campion Ballroom into a glittering showcase of resplendent q***r expression.

Seattle U’s Fashion Club (FCSU) was featured at the event, with two runways showcasing original clothing designs. Hypnotic music and flashing lights transported the audience to the whimsical “Bugland,” where green and purple patchwork, outstretched fabric wings, and draping chainmail created glamorous interpretations of various bugs.

Ian Van Eeuwen, a third-year design major and graphic designer for FCSU, values having space for students to freely explore their creative interests.

“Fashion Club is a very open space where people can kind of do whatever they want; they do a good job being open to everyone’s ideas,” Van Eeuwen said.

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Reporter, Keagen Brooks-Torres

(📸: Sean Alexander)

05/31/2024

Content notice: This article includes mentions of sexual assault and abuse.

The recent Spectator coverage of Fr. Stephen Sundborg, S.J.’s return to Seattle University this fall as Chancellor has sparked mixed responses from the Seattle U community. While the faculty quoted in the original article expressed excitement, former Seattle U students shared concerns about Sundborg’s return.

While Sundborg’s return was announced via a President’s Update from Eduardo Peñalver Feb. 22, this was not emailed to the student body like many university developments are. Alumna Anabel Pinto was unaware of Sundborg’s return until she saw The Spectator’s article.

Pinto felt as if the original coverage did not fully address Sundborg’s time as president of Seattle U. In her eyes, having him return as Chancellor, a role Sundborg described as “public Jesuit ambassador” for the university, feels incongruent with what the student body actually thought about him.

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Reporters, Natalie Schorr & Sam Bunn

05/30/2024

The very last Campus Currents episode of the year is out now! Click the link in our bio to watch the full thing.

05/29/2024

As the end of the 2022-2023 academic year approached, two organizations seeking to serve students of marginalized identities—The Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA), and Student Success and Outreach (SSO)—began the process of merging into one organization. The new organization was announced in September as “Meaningful Opportunities for Student Access, Inclusion, and Community,” or MOSAIC.

After a year of MOSAIC’s presence on campus, both student employees and administrative staff reflect on the program’s challenges and successes. Gabby Rios, the former assistant director of MOSAIC, who is now stepping down, discussed some of the difficulties of the merger.

“This first year has been a lot of change. In our office we keep saying we’ve been building the plane as we fly it, and so our office and the staff members [have] been kind of just trying to figure out what works,” Rios said.

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Reporter, Dylan Berman

(📸: Jordie Simpson)

05/27/2024

The Photography Senior Bachelor in Fine Arts (BFA) Show is an annual celebration of the graduating seniors’ past years of hard work. The opening ceremony took place May 16 at the art gallery in the Fine Arts building. Photographers of Seattle University, from fresh-faced first-years to alumni, gather together to admire museum-worthy collections produced by the senior cohort.

I look forward to this event every year, anticipating the opportunity to come into a community with so many admirable artists, family, friends and teachers. There is something deeply personal about each and every work of art; an intimate expression of self.

During his speech, Professor Trung Pham described the show as “a journey of true identity.”

“We need them. They go into the depth of their being and get us to see what those moments look like. So we’re here to celebrate them, their contribution to what we are facing right now; With immigration, politics, racial injustice,” Pham said.

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Reporter, Fern Creson

(📸: Fern Creson)

05/24/2024

The excitement was palpable walking into the Seattle First Baptist Church, with the cheerful murmurs of the crowd perched in dark wooden pews, and stained glass glowing red, purple and blue in tandem with the warm lamplight. In the early evening of Friday, May 17, uproarious applause greeted each singer in the combined choirs, donning concert black as they filed evenly onto stage, beginning by rhythmically drumming over their hearts before leaping into the upbeat choral hymn “Blessed Be” by Melanie Demore.

“Endless Song,” the final concert of the Seattle University Choir‘s 2023-2024 season, is bittersweet, honoring the graduating seniors and their hard work throughout their time in choir. Additionally, they welcomed springtime through a variety of both classical and contemporary choral pieces.

Jessica Chacko, a fourth-year nursing major and featured soloist, reflected fondly on memories of her time in the choir as she prepares to graduate.

“It’s been my safe space, and I feel like music is always going to be that way for me, and the friendships that I’ve made in that program are going to be long-lasting. It’s really hard to find people that you can just be creative, be yourself with, and this has been that community for me where I feel like I can leave all of my stresses at the door, come in and just make music, and it’s a very freeing and fun space to be in,” Chacko said.

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Reporter, Keagen Brooks-Torres

(📸: Courtesy of Seattle U Choirs)

05/23/2024

As encampments continue to arise throughout the United States, university students' right to free speech and expression is called into question...

05/22/2024

As the second iteration of a KXSU and Fashion Club collaboration event, students listened to great music and viewed displays from different artists and designers. Held Friday, May 11, Radio Fest had something for every student who stopped by.

Held on the Sinegal patio, the setup provided a location for students passing by to stop and listen or see what different items were in the market. Yet the overall ambiance was a more somber feeling for some of the graduating seniors in KXSU, as this was their last major event.

Megan Okuma, a fourth-year communication and media major and the graphic designer for KXSU, provided some of the challenges of an outdoor setup.

“Usually when we’re in these rooms, there’s so many outlets that it doesn’t really matter but it’s definitely one of those things that always sneaks up on us like ‘Oh, yeah, we definitely need to figure out how to get every power to everything,’” Okuma said.

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Reporter, Riley Zalbert

(📸: Jordie Simpson)

Seattle U Spectator